#but it felt illegal to not at least try to do something for day 1

[cardinal-hexation]

Treating yourself to a toxic sludge retox 😊 ignore the bubbles

Spooktober day 1  Prompt: Toxic

[velvetures]

Vulnerable pt.1?

A/N: A not-so-little thing I've had for a few weeks, and wanted to see if a part two was something anyone would be interested in reading. If so, please let me know. Summary: You try and get Ghost to relax after a harsh mission and find a bit of a quiet moment. T/W: not proofread :)

Bad intel led to you and your Lieutenant being nearly hunted down and killed by a not-so-small group of arms dealers who caught on quickly to the pair of foreigners lingering just a little bit too close to their sheltered storage garage right in the middle of a market district in the South East. The task force assumed sending in an entire squad would be overkill just for some simple recon information and decided that you and Ghost would be the perfect pair for the job. ‘In and Out…’ Price had said quite offhandedly, sliding the prepared information in two files across the table to you. Only Price’s sources hadn’t double-checked if the area was secure enough for them to enter without full backup on standby. Not necessarily a lethal kind of mistake when bringing you and the Lieutenant into the equation, but there were too many close calls and stray bullets that were clearly heard for either of you to feel super confident in getting away unscathed.

Your only savior was a small farmhouse that had been recently abandoned due to the illegal and dangerous activity that had been surrounding the small city. Modest in size with two bedrooms and running water. Perfect for a makeshift safe house to keep the trackers off your asses until an extraction could be arranged and put into motion. Contrary to belief, the 141 didn’t have the bottomless pit of resources everyone believed they had at their disposal. Which included access to evac and trained air-support teams. This wasn’t a big mission that had a lot of working parts and multiple organizations involved that had enough liquidated funds to through out for a helo and heavy gunners to rescue two operators from the middle of who-the-fuck-knows-where.

That means with busted equipment, inoperable comms, hardly enough ammunition to fight out of a wet paper bag, and zero way of knowing when and if you’d be rescued, there was nothing left to do but try and relax in one of the most difficult predicaments. It left you searching through cabinets for maybe some kind of food to keep the both of you while Ghost did one of his favorite things. Pacing the house from window to window looking for the slightest bit of movement. The trouble being, there wasn’t anything for at least two miles in any direction. The people who owned this place were farmers of some sort, and had placed their home right in the middle of crop fields that gave a very advantageous sightline. While that information gave you quite a bit of comfort, it was not effecting Ghost positively in the slightest.

Your relationship with the Lieutenant was complex, to say the least. When you were first introduced it was for a succession of short co-op missions that were nothing if not brief and very impersonal leaving you with more questions than answers about the man who stayed hidden under the mask. Through some talks that you hadn’t been privy to being in the room for, John Price decided that your skills would be more useful to Task Force 141 than for the U.S. Division of Clandestine Service and offered you a position that you couldn’t possibly decline.

By day-in and day-out contact with Ghost, you got a lot more comfortable with him and learned much of his little idiosyncratic behaviors. Maybe a little too well…. He didn’t particularly act much differently towards you in the grand scheme of things, but something in you felt like trust had been developed to where he could depend on you when the situation called for it.

“Go hit the rack, I’ll take first watch.” He called gruffly from the living room where he had moved a chair from the kitchen to sit facing the front door head on with his MP5 resting lazily on his chest.

You couldn’t help but notice just how damn tired he looked under all that gear and through the black smeared around his eyes. He couldn’t be carrying less than one hundred pounds on him right now; even sitting in that chair with it wasn’t a good enough solution. Let you take a moment or two for yourself, stripping out of your tac vest and heavily weighted gear to drop it on top of the kitchen counter with a little grunt. Two days ago you both got the luxury of sleeping, and since then it’s been nothing but being on the run.

This would be the safest place for you that wasn’t in the belly of an evac bird, and the thought of Ghost not taking the time to sleep sat in your mind like a lead sinker. Leaning against the doorway and watching him for a long moment, you start having thoughts. Dangerous thoughts. Ones that normally wouldn’t surface if you’d been able to separate working with Ghost from the more personal aspect of literally sharing almost every part of your life with him. Thoughts about how you could make him feel better… even if just for the night. That no one was around for miles and whatever happened could safely stay between the pair of you.

By utter carelessness of your position with the team or lack of fear about how the Lieutenant might respond, you walk into the living room and kneel down right in front of him with your fingers reaching out to unlace his dusty boots. Off instinct alone, you expected and watched as his foot flinched away from you. His whole body jumps and stiffens at the contact and sight of you kneeling on the floor. He quickly pauses and collects himself, taking several moments before his gravelly voice breaks the silence.

“What’re you doin’ Sergeant?” His eyes grew heavy and showed more expression than the rest of his massive body as they flashed with confusion and a little swell of anger. That aloofness didn’t hide that slight guardedness of something that made him uncomfortable in one way or another.

“I’m perfectly capable of takin’ care of my fuckin’ self.” He adds with zero discernible sign of either offense or gratitude. You can’t help but smile tiredly, feeling like you’re attempting to soothe a feral wolf into letting you pull it’s paw out of trap.

“I never said you couldn’t L.T.,” You reply gently, reaching back to start unhooking the laces from their claws on his left foot. “Just thought you couldn’t use some affection.” Smirking to yourself, you can’t help but think something this small being considered ‘affection’ didn’t fit anyone save for Ghost. He was just too hard to approach. Walls so thick and tall that it would take someone with patience beyond that of a human to break through and see what rested behind all of that brash posturing and icy disposition.

“You know affection is something I’m averse to,” he utters, watching yet making no effort to stop you. “What you’re doin’ is unnecessary.” A small sound close to a growl escapes from behind the mask when my hand reaches to the back of his leg to help aid my effort of pulling his boot off.

Chuckling softly and sitting the boot down at your side you respond, “I know you don’t like affection,” You’re already working on the other one, purposefully moving slowly as not to overwhelm or spook him. “That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it, L.T..” You can’t help but look up at him almost exhaustedly yet still trying to be reassuring.

“M’fine without it.” He spits out quickly, looking away from your face back down to your progress on the laces, his masked face otherwise unreadable. “Didn’t ask you for this shit, Sergeant.” Tinged with an undercurrent of irritation his deep voice sounds near the bridge of turning to anger.

“Mothering me isn’t in your best interest.” He growls low and threateningly in your face as he bends down to grab the boot sitting next to you and giving it a quick look of observation before sitting it back down closer to him. You just finish taking off his other boot and sit it down next to the other without much more of a verbal fight and put a hand on his thigh to steady your sore legs as you get back up to your feet.

“I’m younger than you Ghost, I can’t mother you.” You reply, holding out your hand for him.

He doesn’t make note or stop you from using him to help yourself up, however, Ghost follows your movements carefully… closely. He’s doing everything in his power to hide his emotions, but there’s still a faint twitch of his lips when he looks down at his boots sitting at his side. You’d done something very unusual, and he knew berating you was what he should’ve done. Yet a flinch of a smile was what really moved Ghost’s mouth. It’s gone before it even surfaces, pushed down by the sight. of you holding out your little hand in front of him. The sounds of his deep breathing fill the quiet house as you both sit there unflinching of each other. The Lieutenant shifts in his chair, readjusting his rifle on his chest.

“Go to bed. It’s late.” His repeated command felt softer now. Wavering a bit with you hand still held out and your fingers wiggling a little.

“Come on,” You hold steady and patient.

Reward comes in the form of feeling Ghost’s heavy and large hand falling into yours and gripping just hard enough to allow you the phantom sensation that you’re actually helping him up from the chair, hearing a short grunt as his back straightens up. Without explanation, you lead the Lieutenant through the small house back towards the only bedroom in the house with an actual bed left behind by the owners, pulling him to the center of the room and turning around to face him.

“Put your arms up for me.”

“Excuse me?” Ghost’s frown can be heard from behind the mask. Despite his apparent bewilderment, he hesitantly obeys, extending his arms above his head with an exhale of a tense breath, looking down at you with dark and questioning eyes. “What are you doing now?”

You just smile and hum to yourself softly, reaching out to begin unclipping and unzipping the sections of his tac vest holding it on his upper body and the multiple ammo belts. Carefully draping them over you shoulder as you release his body from them one by one. Seeing the way Ghost’s body sinks into itself with the weight being pulled off after days without rest. You feel his eyes scan over you, over your hands finding ways to take off his gear for the first time in your life, feeling your way through sunch an unusual yet careful act.

“Bein’ fuckin’ ridiculous…” He growls, covering up the feelings of not being so concealed by barking at you a little.

“Shhh.” Your hush does enough to stop his quiet and brooding complaints.

Long enough for you to kneel back down at his feet and work at the thigh straps over his pants and even remove the ankle holster you’d left alone while taking off his boots. He doesn’t resist this part, just watching you undress him bit by bit with half a mind questioning just what had happened for you to start acting so strangely. You’d always been sweet. Much nicer than your job allowed for. Yet even this was quite off the edge of the character Ghost had built for you over the years. This felt downright intimate for just two operators to be doing.

Then again your shared situation wasn’t exactly one of professionalism at this point. You’d been improvising for nearly a full day just trying to stay alive. Once back on your feet, you take hold of his hand again, this time with a little less caution since you’d already touched him there, and begin pulling at the fingertips to slide his sand and dirt-cakes gloves off. Even seeing his bare skin under his gloves be seen in the dim lamplight of the house, Ghost doesn’t do more than flex his fingers once you’ve rid him of the stiff material.

Purposefully avoiding his mask, you get Ghost down to nothing more than boxers and a t-shirt, even with his help at certain parts without him growling more or acting like you were irritating him. While he still gave off a feeling of all-around grumpiness and more than a little confused as hell, you paid it no mind as you led him towards the edge of the bed and pointed to it with a short yet polite command for him to ’sit’. Right away you noticed his hesitation and the way that his shoulders and arms tensed, his attention solely on you, flashing between your eyes and mouth like he was trying to reassure himself that he’d heard you correctly. But with one small tug on his hand, he turns around and sits on the bed with his feet resting on the floor and his arms braced on both sides of him a little stiffly.

“Now what?” His voice held a bit of rasp to it as he tracked your movement from his side, seeing you climb up into the bed and position yourself on your knees behind him. The close proximity didn’t go unnoticed by the Lieutenant as he cleared his throat, once again interrupting the calm silence in the house. His tension filled the small space between you, heating the gap of air, almost electrifying it.

“Just relax Ghost.” Easily touching his shoulders, you begin working your palms flat against the slopes of his muscled neck.

Purposefully but gently rubbing at the stiff cords of muscle and introducing the sensation to him as easily as possible in the case that it was a bit too overwhelming for him all at once. You knew you’d pushed the boundaries with him much further past anything you’d expected to achieve in one night. But now that he was sitting here in front of you, it was hard not to smile brightly that he was trusting you so much. Allowing your hands to be on him. Accepting that you had positioned the both of you in a very vulnerable position that could lead to a lot more violent options than affectionate ones. Torture and nightmares had given more than a fair share to Ghost, yet he was patiently staving off his own clear hesitation so that you could play out whatever this was turning out to be.

Your command went unacknowledged just like all of Ghost’s from earlier had; His breathing steadily slowing down into a deep and rich, relaxed sort of rhythm. Power of your hands and calming attitude worked faster than you anticipated, leaving the massive man sitting between your thighs begin to release. Tension falling out of his body not only under your hands but by sight of his jaw loosening. You’re even lucky enough to spot him trying to take glances at you from the corner of his eye, only to look back ahead since you were in quite the blindspot. Taking your thumbs in a sweeping motion from the edges of his shoulders inward, you apply pressure on the back of his neck and experimentally reach higher up under the hem of his mask. A dangerous game to play. Rumbling sounds of appreciation filling your ears are better than any sort of medal you could earn or bet you’d ever cash in. His head rolls back slightly with each small circle of your thumbs and fingers, pushing against you. Silently asking for more pressure.

“Feel good?” You ask at just a whisper, not wanting to disturb the warm sort of feeling the room has right now by speaking too loud.

Under the safety of his mask, Ghost’s mouth curves into a smile hearing you. He rolls his head back again, arching slightly to accommodate your small hands struggling to find good purchase to keep working at the intensity he’d been hinting at. A much less controllable sound escapes his mouth when you begin working at a very sore spot he didn’t even know was present right at the base of his skull.

“Keep going,” His sleepy-sounding mutter makes your chest ache.

Grinning at the feeling of his harsh accent and sudden domestication you work away diligently down his back carefully and methodically so as to not miss a single thing. And while it’s not necessarily going to help him much, you go ahead and use your fingernails to gently scratch up and down. It’s then a groan interrupts your focus and you see Ghost shift on the edge of the bed. Believing you’d found the end of your time, you leaned back on your heels and expected him to get up and leave you in the bedroom alone. Watching him tug at his t-shirt and pull it over his head to toss it somewhere across the room was how you were told that Ghost did indeed want more. Only his shirt was getting in the way of something he wasn’t getting.

Hearing him give a deep sigh when your fingertips returned to his now bared skin gave you a rush of adrenaline and nearly caused you to wiggle happily that you’d been able to share this with Ghost. He leans back into you a little more, letting your hands and arms take more of the weight as he groans out;

“You’ve done this before.”

“Yeah, but not for a long time.” You answer, eyes smoothing over the muscles rippling as your hands work at them.

“You’re good,” He grunts, closing his eyes and zeroing in on how to focus his attention between your small hands working so efficiently and the conversation he’d begun. “How’d you get so good at it?” His head turns a little, trying to get at least one good look at you. He keeps shifting now, allowing him to keep you just in the edge of his periphery.

“Had a good teacher for a few years,” You answer, working in tight circles over a large ball of muscle fibers all collected just at the edge of his shoulder blade, earning another growling sound from the Lieutenant.

“Teacher? When?” He asks, giving a slow release of a deep breath giving a short indication that the muscle you’d been working to release was getting a bit uncomfortable. Pulling back for a moment just to give him and your hands a break, you hear him make a noise then lean back a little further, pressing his back against you almost like a dog wanting to be pet more.

“Don’t stop.” He requests in a husky tone. You chuckle aloud, returning your hands and taking a less aggressive approach by smoothing your palms over him in less-than-planned patterns, just enjoying feeling his tattooed and scarred skin under your hands as you think about how to answer him.

“A woman in London taught me,” you start, using your nails again on his skin softly. “In the year or so between my U.S. military discharge and acceptance into the task force with you.” You see the effect of your touch on Ghost as it takes him longer to respond and the way he keeps leaning more and more weight back into you, unable to keep himself from subconsciously trying to get closer. Wanting more whether he’d ever admit it or not. There’s no mistaking it between either of you, he’s enjoying this.

“I assume she was special to you.”

It was your neighbor just across the hallway from you. An older woman named Sarah. Eccentric in modern times, you’d always believed she must’ve been a force to be reckoned with when she wasn’t hindered by an aging body and an even more ailing mind. A massage therapist by trade, and a pianist by heart there wasn’t much that Sarah could accomplish without someone helping her once she became limited in movement living on the eighth floor of the apartment building you shared. Back then you didn’t have much in the way of contacts after leaving the country, and it led to a friendship with the old woman living across from you. Sharing stories, eating dinner together, grocery shopping together when she felt like going out, and trading some skills between each other. After telling Ghost this much with your fingers tracing out letters and shapes over his back, you can sense he’s listening carefully. And Ghost is feeling a slight fuzzy sensation building in the back of his brain, spreading out in a warm wave down to his fingertips and toes.

“She taught me massage since at the time I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life.” Your head falls to the side, examining how the lamplight shines on ghost and deepens the already significant definition in his physique.

Ghost falls against you even more, and this time he lets his head fall back against you. Trying to counterbalance his weight and keep both of you from falling backwards with just him limp he’s becoming, you wrap on arm around his neck and hold his head in the bend of your arm. He gives another sigh, and settles against you heavily. He. looks at you in silence out of the corner of his eye listening to your explanation.

“Why was she your only friend?” You can’t help but chuckle at his question, resting your chin on his opposite shoulder and bringing your other arm under his to begin scratching and rubbing at his chest, feeling deep and puckered scars littering nearly every inch of him.

“I didn’t know anyone else. And you know me well enough to know that I’m not exactly extroverted.” You smile, tracing lightly up and down his well-defined arm. Ghost couldn’t be more comfortable laid against you.

“Sorry to hear that.” His voice low and husky with his mouth so close to your ear. “She must call or ask about you…”

You shake your head. “No. She died just before I joined you all. Her mind was… failing her. And there was some kind of accident in the middle of the night The police told me she was likely trying to get to the bathroom and fell. She apparently died on impact… they didn’t say what, but I think her head hit something.” You explain quietly. “And you and I both know that means lights out. So she didn’t suffer.”

“Sorry to hear that,” he answers as softly as he can manage after hearing the darker part of your happy memories. “How did it become… intimate, like this?” He asks, nodding to the way you were leaned up against his back with your hand tracing over every inch of him that you could reach. The longer you’ve both let this go, the more boundaries get pushed further out of reach, making it hard for either of you to really know where it could end.

You smile with a blush creeping up your neck onto your cheeks, thankful you’re somewhat hidden out of sight. “This isn’t really what she taught me,” You mutter a bit quiet. “When i was massaging you… yes. That I got taught. But this, it’s… just me.”

Out of your sight Ghost’s face flushes slightly as well, his cheeks a warm rose-color. You’re touching him in a way that he’d never expected. But hearing that you’re not just doing it for… relaxation, it’s a heavy but welcome thought. And Ghost can’t help that his body reacts to it with chills raising all over his skin despite the house being perfectly warm. He lets out a deep breath focusing on your words, repeating him over just to ensure that you’re not saying it one way and him interpreting it differently due to your hands being all over him, making him feel so good. Mind racing, heart pounding, he truly realizes just how vulnerable he is under you at this moment.

“I can stop if you’d like?” You offer, preparing to move away from him.

“No,” His hoarse voice gives away his sudden dry mouth. No matter how much your touch is affecting his body, he’s not willing to stop you right now. You’ve crossed into a level of trust that he can’t think to make you abide by anymore. It’s a foreign feeling for him, but he wants to push through it. Hoping he can feel more of you if he just holds on a little longer to this.

“Don’t stop."

Comments & Reblogs are Appreciated <3

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Cat’s 3K Series

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5

Part Two

The apartment didn’t have a security system.

It was how the hero preferred to live — like a normal person, not like a high valuable player in the game the government controlled. Being as independent, as vulnerable as they could. It was difficult to cut old bonds and drop them completely. The hero was still trying to figure that out but with time they had learnt that the agency wasn’t too keen on letting them go their own way.

Sending them unwanted visitors in suits, checking their health every month, testing their powers regularly were some of the nasty measures they’d taken. It was difficult for the hero to walk into the facilities without having to fight a panic attack. Most of the time they lost that fight (and their mind) in the bathrooms of these buildings.

Which was also why they were under psychiatric supervision and classified as “unstable.” Sometimes the hero thought this was a joke, intended to make them more compliant. But they didn’t find it amusing.

Step by step, they told themselves. One day, they could lead a normal life but until then, they needed to keep it together.

Instead of locking up the villain, the hero decided to handcuff them to their bed. Leaving them alone in a room was too dangerous, so the bed was the only thing the hero could think of. Tying them to something seemed to be a good idea. Bathroom and kitchen had too many utensils to break free. Living room had nothing they could tie them to.

A death glare was all they got in return. That, and blood running down the villain’s torso and into the hero’s fresh white sheets. They’d been injured before, the hero remembered. Who showed up to a fight with a bleeding side voluntarily?

Looking at the stain in the sheets, they cursed in their mind. At least that gave them time to think of something to say.

“Like this position?” the hero asked, pressing their hips deeper into the villain’s. But even the hero themselves heard how thin their voice had become. How their throat had been sewn together. Doing this was illegal already but sending the agency wrong information? Telling them the villain had escaped?

It fried their brain, making it impossible to even think straight. Old panic resurfaced but they put on a tired smirk.

“I’d rather drop dead,” the villain said. For a moment, the hero thought they could detect a bit of the same anxiety the hero felt in the eyes of their enemy. But they found nothing to be there.

Whatever they felt was hidden behind a grim face and a dismissive tone.

The hero slept on the couch that night.

A dreamless night turned into a nightmare when they woke up, finding their bones aching and their muscles burning. Their back cracked. Sighing softly from the relieving pain, they stretched their limbs, only to be greeted with more hurt and without the usually already lacking comfort.

Waking up after a fight was the worst. They felt horrible. Looked horrible. Probably smelled horrible. It was like waking up with a hangover. They swallowed the soreness of their throat and sat up on the couch. With sleepy eyes, they scanned their living room and shockingly, discovered that they could look into their bedroom from here. A soft blush spread over their cheeks. They’d been so exhausted that they hadn’t realised the open door.

Which meant the villain had probably watched them change last night. Oh god.

And as their eyes adjusted to the brightness, they stared at the bed. At the empty bed.

The hero got up immediately, managed to jump over the couch and stumble into their bedroom. Creased sheets were full of blood and there the handcuffs were hanging — innocently, evidently.

“Fucking…” With whatever detective skills they had left, the hero observed the scene and found little droplets of blood here and there on the floor.

They followed them back into the living room and onto the patio. With further inspection, the hero realised the door had been opened. Maybe that was responsible for their sore throat. Impressive, how the villain had managed to sneak past them.

Then again, the hero had been really exhausted.

Once they stepped outside, their heart made a jump when they realised the villain hadn’t come far. They were lying just around the corner, still breathing but obviously completely out of it, thanks to the blood loss. Sighing once again, the hero let themselves fall next to them, pushing them until they turned around on their back.

The wound was nasty. Dirty and probably nearly infected. Red and swollen, dirt around and in it. Really fucking nasty. Enough to make the hero feel weird.

“You stupid fucking—” The hero’s breath hitched when they realised the villain wasn’t responding. Wasn’t even awake.

Hospital wasn’t an option, agency wasn’t an option, letting them die in their garden wasn’t an option. God fucking dammit.

Somehow, they picked up — or better, tried to pick up— their enemy and dragged them back into the apartment. It was nearly midday already and the hero had the never ending feeling that people had seen them there and contacted police already.

But they blocked those thoughts. It wouldn’t help them.

Once inside, they tore the clothes off the villain and started to clean up the big wound with water and alcohol. They discovered that it was a clean shot right through the villain and thanks to the tech the hero had at hand, they found out no organs were damaged. Thank god.

The hero remembered the moment their finger had dug into the villain, twisting and curling, making them scream. Unstable. Maybe the agency was right.

Seeing them like this, bloody and nearly broken made the hero more than uneasy. At times, the villain seemed untouchable. With their cool mindset and actions, they were closer to an efficient machine but this right here was so human, so illogical and painful, enough of it to make the hero feel something.

Defining that something was impossible. Or maybe the hero was afraid of it. They had no fucking clue.

“Okay, listen. You gotta wake up, dipshit,” the hero said. “I won’t have a dead villain in my home, got it?”

The hero tapped the villain’s cheek gently. When that didn’t help, they shook their shoulders.

And when that didn’t help, the hero swallowed and slapped them across the face. They’d closed their eyes but when a groan and a weak curse came from the other, the hero opened their eyes, somewhat content that their enemy was awake.

Frowning, the villain let out another grumble of their throat and stared at their enemy angrily. They needed a second to realise how much they were in pain.

“Don’t get up,” the hero warned when the villain tried exactly that. They pushed their shoulder back down but held their head in place with one hand. They handed the villain a few pills. “Painkillers.”

The villain stared at them suspiciously.

“Oh, come on. I saved you, why would I kill you now?” That seemed logical to the villain and after a few more seconds of hesitation, they swallowed the pills without a problem. The hero lay their head gently down again, finally being able to breathe in and out.

“Sorry but your cute ass has to stay with me for a while.” Why was their voice shaking? “No escape attempts for now.”

The villain huffed and closed their eyes.

“Fucking hate you.”

“I don’t know how to treat wounds, so you gotta talk me through it,” the hero said. They stared at the patio, at the sunny day. Everything was peaceful. Even their heart calmed down.

“Am no expert either.”

“Still,” the hero said. “If they find you, it’s over.”

“What are you talking about?” The villain’s eyes were still closed and the dried blood was still where it had been yesterday. The villain was cute. Pretty, even. They could’ve been drenched in blood or dirt and the hero would’ve been stuck with that opinion.

Sometimes they were a fucking loser in their own eyes.

“Who beat you up like that?” the hero asked, avoiding the question. The villain’s gaze only darkened.

“You, who the fuck else?”

“No, you were already injured when we started fighting,” the hero said.

“You’re not my priority.” Hearing that was weirdly affecting the hero. Their eyes fell to the villain’s wrists. There were red marks imprinted from the handcuffs.

“Fine, asshole,” the hero said. “An answer for an ask. I’m talking about the agency. They’re a bunch of assholes who have the public on their side. They love to use people, love to use heroes and experiment on people. I took you home with me because you were too injured to be left alone. I didn’t want them to find you. They’re dangerous.”

The hero stared at them, eyes narrowed. As if all of this was a trick. But then eventually, they spoke.

“I’m not telling you shit about me.” After that, they tried to escape three more times but the hero managed to drag them inside over and over again until they learnt their lesson.

[raaorqtpbpdy]

Respect or Privacy (1)

Tucker is excited for everything about college, even having a roommate for the first time. At least, he is until his roommate Danny turns out to be standoffish and a little bit of a dick. Whatever. It's a disappointment, but he'll survive. The same might not be said of Danny.

This is my first fic for Phic Phight 2024. The prompts I used were:

College AU where the characters don't meet until college and Danny has to hide his halfa status from his dorm roommate (your choice which character that is) [from @shadowfaerieammy], and Tucker fucked up. Hard. But it’s like, how the hell was he supposed to know that hacking the federal government was a bad idea? [from @lexosaurus]

You can also read it on AO3.

Chapter 1: Fuck Around (Chapter 2)

[No warnings apply]

Tucker was excited for college. After the nightmare that was high school (his dad's "just be confident and people will like you and treat you well" advice had been complete garbage), he was looking forward to a school experience where everyone had actually signed up for and more-or-less wanted to be there. He was looking forward to studying programming and information technology, and spending six hours a day on average hanging out with people who were just as interested in those subjects as he was.

Then, obviously, there were the college girls—big bonus to this whole experience. Lastly, he was looking forward to the dorm experience. He'd always been kind of lonely growing up. He was an only child, and he'd never had any close friends. Honestly, he'd been closer with his bullies than he had been to the other guys in the A/V club his mom had convinced him to join which was... embarrassing.

But all freshman were required to live on campus, and he'd signed up for a double room, meaning that he would have a roommate who would have no choice but to spend time with him, and as a result, they would have to get used to each other, and learn to live with each other, and inevitably become best friends—at least until the end of freshman year.

When Tucker reached his new dorm, room 416, he could hear grumbling and shuffling on the other side of the door. His roommate must already be here. He grinned as he opened the door.

"Hey, roomie!" Tucker greeted cheerfully.

His roommate jumped at the sound, and slammed a dresser drawer closed on his finger. "Fuck!" he yelped, and turned around with a wide-eyed look on his face like he'd just been caught doing something illegal.

"Uh... sorry," Tucker said. "Didn't mean to spook ya."

"Heh, you didn't... I mean you surprised me, but I wasn't like... scared...." He cleared his throat and gave Tucker an awkward forced smile. "I'm Danny."

"Tucker Foley." Tucker tossed his duffel bag onto the empty bed and gently placed his box of tech on the desk next to it. "Looked like you were struggling with that drawer, whatcha got in there?"

Danny's smile fell. "Look, I don't wanna sour our relationship right out of the gate, but that's really none of your business. I would appreciate it if you kept your nose out of my stuff."

"Uh... okay, sure," Tucker agreed. "Wasn't trying to be nosy or anything, anyway. Sorry."

"Good," Danny said, the tension in his body language easing slightly. "As long as you respect my privacy, I think we'll get along fine."

Tucker smiled, but he felt his heart sink. 'Respect my privacy' sounded a lot like it meant 'leave me alone', and 'leave me alone' was pretty much the same as 'I don't want to be your friend', which sounded a lot like all Tucker's hopes for dorm life flushing down the toilet.

"So where're you from, Danny?" Tucker asked. "Or is that information too personal."

Danny paused before answering, like he was genuinely trying to decide if it was too personal or not.

"Illinois," he said finally. "You?"

"Illinois, also. What town?" Tucker asked. "Man, wouldn't it be wild if we grew up in the same place and never met before? I'm from Elmerton."

"Elmerton? Ew," Danny said with a laugh. "I'm an Amity Parker. I'd rather die than live in Elmerton. Elmerton sucks."

"Hey! It may be kinda boring, I'll give you that much, but it's still better than haunted-ass Amity Park!" Tucker argued, thankful it seemed like things were starting to lighten up a bit between him and his new roommate. "At least I didn't grow up surrounded by a bunch of evil ghosts taking revenge on the living."

Tucker was laughing, but just like that, Danny's demeanor got cold and closed off again. Shit. Tucker let his laughter awkwardly trail off, wondering what he'd said wrong. Man, making friends was even harder than he thought.

"Is that all your stuff?" Danny asked. "Just the one bag and a cardboard box?"

"Oh! No! I still have some things to bring up; I left them with the dorm supervisor. I better go get 'em."

"Yeah, you probably should," Danny agreed. "I wouldn't put that much trust in the dorm supervisor, he seemed kinda shady."

"Er... right."

Tucker went down to grab the last of his stuff, and by the time he reentered the dorm room, Danny was gone.

He sighed. "Great first impression, Tuck. Well done."

Danny must've arrive much earlier in the day than Tucker had, because most of his stuff was already unpacked. His bed was made and everything. As Tucker's eyes wandered over Danny's side of the room, they were drawn to the bottom drawer of his dresser, the one he'd accidentally slammed his finger in, trying to make sure Tucker didn't see what was in it.

"I shouldn't," he said out loud. "Danny literally asked for one thing—that I respect his privacy."

Poking around now would be completely stupid. It would ruin my chances of ever being friends with him. Tucker reminded himself internally.

Still, he couldn't tear his eyes away from that drawer.

And he doubted Danny would be back any time soon. It wouldn't be dark for a few more hours at least, and Danny was clearly avoiding him.

Against his better judgement, Tucker knelt down on the floor and opened the dresser drawer, expecting to see sex toys, or lingerie, or something similarly embarrassing. Instead, he found strange, futuristic looking weapons and technology. It looked like alien shit. Was Danny secretly an alien? No, that was stupid.... Right?

Tucker slowly pushed the drawer closed again, questioning everything he knew about the universe.

He would have preferred sex toys.

No, they had to be earthly technology, because Tucker distinctly remembered seeing a logo emblazoned on everything that said 'Fenton Works'. All he had to do was look that up online and put his mind at ease. Danny seemed like a... fairly reasonably guy. There had to be a good explanation for him having a cache of high tech weapons in a college dorm. Although, to be honest, it wasn't looking too good at the moment.

Tucker unpacked his box of tech, set up his desktop PC set up and plugged in his laptop and PDA to charge. Then, he looked up Fenton Works, which brought him to an absolutely hideous orange and teal website for what seemed to be a small family business in Amity Park that specialized in ghost hunting and developing ghost hunting technology.

A sigh of relief escaped him.

Danny definitely wasn't an alien. He was just another paranoid Amity Parker, worried about ghosts attacking, even though they were all the way in Wisconsin. That was probably why he'd tensed up when Tucker made a crack about ghosts before. Tucker's dad sometimes went to Amity Park for work, and he said they were super serious about ghosts there, and didn't appreciate jokes about their haunting situation. Honestly, Tucker should have known better from the start, but he'd thought they were riffing. He hadn't gotten all offended when Danny made fun of Elmerton.

Whatever. He could apologize when Danny got back. In the meantime, he started programming his class schedule for this semester into his PDA, making sure there would be room for homework—and, more importantly, college parties.

As the days passed and classes started and the two of them both got busier, Tucker made an effort to talk to Danny as much as possible, and even though Danny smiled and responded politely, he always dodged any personal topics. Also, Tucker was pretty sure he was avoiding spending more time together than was strictly necessary, but he couldn't be sure. Still, he was determined for he and Danny to be friends.

"So Danny, I heard about this party one of the frats is hosting to draw in pledges," Tucker said. "Obviously I'm not planning to join a frat, but it could still be fun. Wanna come with me?"

"Uh... I'm not really a party person," Danny said apologetically. "I'm more of a bed person, enjoyer of sleeping and chilling."

"I get that, sure, but don't you want to meet people? Make friends? Maybe find a girlfriend? Or boyfriend, I don't judge."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Danny refused. "You have fun, though."

Tucker left it at that, but he couldn't help wondering what exactly was up with Danny being so standoffish. Did he have a problem with Tucker in particular, or was he just anti-social? It wasn't exactly unusual for someone not to want to go to a party. It could be that he didn't like crowds, or loud music, or being around drunk people, or frats in general. There were plenty of reasons Danny might not want to go—and no evidence that Tucker was part of the reason at all.

That didn't stop Tucker from wondering if he was.

That trend continued for the first month. Tucker would invite Danny to do something as friends, and Danny would decline for one reason or another, no matter what it was Tucker had proposed. Everything from parties in the dorm, to just going to get coffee or tea before classes, whether it was loud or quiet, crowded or solitary—even going to study at the library in silence, Danny always had a reason to say 'no', and Tucker was starting to take it personally.

"Okay, what's your deal?" Tucker demanded after Danny once again refused to join him, this time for literally just takeout in their dorm room—Tuck had offered to pay and everything. "Do you have some kind of problem with me, or something? I just want us to get along and shit, 'cause we're roommates, and we have to live with each other all year, but you keep shutting me down! So what gives?!"

"Nothing," Danny insisted. "Honestly, I'm just not hungry."

"Yeah, this time you're not hungry, but you refused laser tag 'cause you're not very athletic, and studying at the library 'cause you had other plans with your classmates, and coffee before class 'cause you don't drink coffee—even though I've literally seen you drinking coffee before!" Tucker snapped. "Dude, it's ten pm, and you haven't eaten since breakfast, you can't not be hungry, so what's wrong with you?!"

Danny flinched at the question, but Tucker couldn't feel too bad for mildly offending the guy who'd been blowing him off all month.

"Nothing," Danny said again, not meeting Tucker's angry gaze. "I'm just... I'm just a regular, ordinary guy. So go ahead and order takeout if you care so much, I'm not gonna stop you."

"No. That's not good enough," Tucker insisted. "I been trying to hang with you since we moved in, and you keep blowing me off for no good reason. So what's the issue? Is it 'cause I'm black?"

"What?! No!"

"Then what?! Give me one good reason why you're treating me this way?"

"Look, it's not about you, okay?"

"Oh, you're gonna pull out an 'it's not you, it's me'? I'm not your overbearing girlfriend, I'm your roommate, and all I wanted to do was get along."

"I don't want any friends, okay?!" Danny finally burst out. "I don't have any problem with you, I just... I just think I'm better off on my own."

All Tucker could do was stare in disbelief.

"I made up excuses because I didn't want to offend you or anything, because I didn't want us to be on bad terms," Danny continued. "We're still roommates. I know that, and I'm not so stupid that I wanted to torch that relationship right out of the gate, but I'm not looking for someone to be best friends with, you know? All I wanted from a roommate was mutual respect and privacy."

"Why?" asked Tucker at length.

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"I mean, why do you want to be alone all the time?" Tucker pressed. "I been there, and it sucks. It's lonely and sad and pathetic and people make fun of you for being some kind of defective human being who can't get anyone lo like you. Why would you want that?"

"I like my solitude," Danny mumbled. He was back to not being able to look at Tucker again.

"You're afraid," Tucker refuted.

"What makes you say that?"

"It's obvious," Tucker said. "I don't know why, but for some reason you're just fucking terrified of people getting close to you? So what is it? Are you terminally ill or something? Do you secretly just have a totally shitty personality? What?"

For a long moment, Danny was silent, but he did tilt his head up to look Tucker squarely in the eye before speaking.

"That's none of your business."

Tucker's forehead wrinkled and his mouth fell open incredulously. Slowly, he shook his head. "Fuckin' fine. Whatever," he said finally. "You want a roommate who'll leave you alone—you got it. But mutual respect is off the table, 'cause you just lost mine."

[horseslur]

Someone else can link the tumblr post/reddit link in the replies under this, I'm mostly here to elaborate on uh. How SSE Fucked Up This Time (possibly illegal version).

Disclaimer: Not an actual expert on this stuff, but i am an economics major. and i literally took a class on this sort of thing this semester.

What is SSE doing?

TLDR: as of roughly today (dec 21st 2023) but possibly earlier, you have a chance of, when trying to buy starrider, getting not just the "regular" discount packages that we know, where you pay once and get a bunch of seasonal goodies and the weekly sc, but also a "special" "Discounted" option where you get the goodies and starrider and *no weekly sc*. Meaning you will have to manually buy starcoins if you ever want any beyond the initial 2k or whatever.

Why is this possibly illegal?

I'm not diving too deep into A/B testing, because I know the least amount about it, but essentially it is literally up to chance which option you get, the regular set or the "cheap" option.

Combined with the fact that they sneakily removed the "receive a weekly starcoin allowance" from the starrider page from one day to another, and the fact that a slight graphical change (that being the +100sc not being in the image of the cheap option) are the only acknowledgements of this change, it basically sets them up for a lawsuit in any location they roll out these options.

Trade, market and consumer authorities (the FTC in the US, the European Commission in Europe, Konsumentverket in Sweden for example) have as one of their main and foremost goals the protection of consumers in the country where a product is sold. They're the reason why you can get your money back if you order something online and it doesn't arrive, or something distinctly different from what you ordered arrives instead. Rule number 1 for any company or seller is do not mislead your consumers.

Does removing the sc allowance directly break said rule? No. But doing so in a shady, hidden way that leads people to believe they should be receiving starcoins onto to be told by customer support to suck it up, they bought the wrong thing, and to do so unannounced and randomly throughout multiple regions, Definitely sets up a case against them.

It can absolutely be argued that after a decade of having a premium currency allowance as the Standard in their starrider subscriptions, to remove it unannounced and present it to customers as a regular discount is deliberately misleading consumers to buy a product that is not what they intended to buy. Both new customers and returning customers buying alternate accounts step into this process expecting to pay once for a starrider bundle that, given the ongoing seasonal festival, includes the seasonal cosmetic options, in addition to the "regular" premium currency allowance. This is especially more obvious once you realise that (presumably since implementing this system), you have to have created an account on their site and logged into it to even see which starrider bundles are available to you, which makes people unlikely to ever realise that the offers they are getting might be different from other people in their same region, with one version being significantly worse/different from what they might expect.

TLDR: it's really fucking shady of them to just Suddenly shove a bundle without the weekly allowance in people's faces when people are expecting to have them, especially because they're clearly trying to hide the fact that it's an option at all or different from the regular bundle.

What now?

If you or someone you know is getting this bundle or has bought it and felt surprised/betrayed by the fact that it lacks the allowance, take it to your local consumer protection authority (after you've contacted customer support). If you're uncertain what to tell them, try and add the following points:

You bought an online product to be used inside the game, which turned out to be something different from what you thought it was.

When you contacted customer support over this, they told you that the version you bought does not contain the allowance, but offer no way to correct this mistake. (Unless the customer support script ends up changing. In that case simply add what they did tell you.)

The discounted bundle did not clearly state that it lacks the allowance, nor is it distinctly different from other bundles, and is in fact the first option you were given.

To see what bundles are offered to you at all requires logging into an account on their website, making it difficult for you to compare offers to what other people might be getting, and making it unlikely for you to realise that you got something different from others at all until after you have bought it.

At worst, SSE will be reprimanded and made to add more clearly on their website what the bundle contains and what you're missing out on.

At best they actually go to court and go bankrupt over said costs and we'll finally be truly free

[typically-untypical]

Past Judgements

AU: Lawyers

CW: None that I'm aware of

WC: 1515

Date: 12/1/2023

As a public defender, it was Virgil's job to make sure everyone on his caseload was given a fair trial. He wanted to make sure everyone got a chance, especially those who couldn't afford to hire a fancy lawyer. Unfortunately, all of that was easier said then done. His caseload grew by the day and the people he helped were often not forthcoming with the truth. How could he blame them, a lot of the people he was trying to help had been torn down by a system that wasn't designed to protect them. It was a fight to convince them that he was on their side, that he wasn't there to make them look bad but rather to help them out. Sometimes, with time and effort, he could get the truth out, but he just didn't have the time. 

Straightening his purple tie, he waited for the officer to buzz him into the facility. Today's meeting was with one 'Janus Hennily', a name Virgil was surprised to see again. He had known Janus when he was younger, a student at his high school who was full of sarcasm and trickery. Janus had been... not necessarily a bully, but he certainly wasn't going to be the one who stepped in when someone was being bullied. He was more of the 'walk away and not get involved' type. Virgil wondered where that Janus had ended up. He had seemed intelligent but they had never really been friends. He had been hot though.

"Ah, Virgil Black, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. Looks like you ran off and became a lawyer. Good for you." The smooth voice echoed in Virgil's mind, it was deeper than it used to be, rougher around the edges like it had actually seen time and hardship.

Vigil's grip tightened on his briefcase, "Janus, so it is you. I'm surprised you got caught with all your running away." There was no reason for him to be so hostile, but Janus brought back high school memories; memories of him being too weak to protect himself, too weak to take care of what he needed to take care of. High school hadn't been a good time for him.

Janus put his hand to his chest, the chains around his wrists and ankles jingling as he moved. "Me, a runner, never. You should know I'm not one for physical exercise if I can avoid it. It seems like you're good at jumping to conclusions though. Were you surprised to see me here or did you expect this was where I'd end up?"

Though his face had changed, his smirk hadn't. The new scars only deepened its terrifying nature. When Janus smirked it seemed like he knew all of the secrets of the world and he was just waiting for everyone else to catch up. Too bad Virgil had seen him be a total dork in high school and that smirk lost some of its power.

With a sigh, Virgil sat down, putting his briefcase on the table. "What did you do, Janus?"

"Rude as always. Isn't it your job to prove I didn't, or do I need to ask for other counsel. It seems you already have prejudices against me." Maybe Virgil was just imagining it but it felt like Janus was actually hurt. That wasn't Virgil's intention. Honestly, he didn't know what his emotional intention was, but he knew what his job was.

"I'm here to help, and I'll do it, I just need you to be straight with me, why are you in chains?"

"Be straight? Good luck with that, I haven't been straight since Remus showed me his parents’ copy of the 1990's Mummy movie, but I can be bi with you." Janus leaned back, looking Virgil up and down. This was the worst part, people trying to avoid answering questions by deflecting or saying something shocking. 

"You're avoiding the question." Virgil scowled and Janus rolled his eyes.

"And you're not an ounce of fun. I was being honest with you, I didn't do anything, nothing illegal at least. I was at a protest, which is a protected right I would like to add, and I was arrested under charges of 'disturbing the peace', however, we weren't chanting, we weren't blocking traffic, we did everything by the book and yet we were still arrested, a true travesty." His voice wavered on sarcastic but there was something more behind it, something that hinted that Janus was tired. Virgil didn't want to get soft for this guy. Janus had run away when Virgil needed help back in school and a guy like that wasn't the protest type.

"Come on, they wouldn't keep you if they didn't think they had more on you than that. I've read through the file but something is missing. I need you to tell me what I'm not seeing or I can't help." Virgil wished Janus would just answer his question. He was the other man's lawyer, he had client attorney privileges. He wasn't going to tell anyone because that would be very much against his rules. Janus had to know this, he was the type of guy who had reveled in the details and loopholes he could get around, but he didn't seem to be reveling right now.

His shoulders had dropped and he was looking up at the ceiling. "The cop that arrested me... we have a history," Janus whispered, suddenly sitting up. "Do you know how embarrassing it is to be caught by the same pig twice, especially when the second time he had a vendetta."

"But your file doesn't-"

"I got him on a police battery charge, it was dropped and we settled out of court but he was put on suspension 2 years ago. Apparently he was let back on for 'good behavior'. When I was able to, I had it taken off my record. I don't like people being able to trace me easily. Plus, people get weird when the background check shows charges, even if they were dismissed. For fucks sake, I'm probably going to lose my job over this which means I will still feel the consequences of his actions even if they let me go. Congrats to him, officer piggy still wins, even if you manage to get me out of this." Janus sighed and did his best to put on a smile, leaning toward Virgil, "So what now, lawyer man?"

Virgil was taken back by the sudden shift from honesty to flippantness. It was almost like he could see through Janus' facade for a brief moment, but then it was gone and he could only remember the kid in high school who’d run when he needed help. It was hard to remember that people changed, but Janus had apparently changed, at least a little bit. 

"Alright, I'll look into it. If we can prove he was discriminating against you then we can seek damages. It won't get you your job back but it might get you a bit of reparations for your lost time." Doing things like this always made Virgil a little on edge. He needed to prove that not only was Janus innocent, but he had been targeted because of his past with a previous officer. "Is there anything else you want me to know before I leave?" Virgil was already starting to pack up his stuff, moving his notes into his briefcase as he started to stand. He was expecting a teasing comment or some snide remark, but he wasn't expecting Janus' quiet sincere voice.

"You grew up well, handsome, successful. I wish I had gone after you in high school."

Virgil froze in his place, completely taken off guard by Janus' confession. "You ran away when I was being bullied, I wouldn't have gone for you."

"Fair enough, but if it helps, I ran to get a teacher. No sense in having both of our faces slammed into the dirt. I'm not certain if you know this or not, but I have very little athletic ability."

Virgil snorted, shaking his head and grabbing his briefcase. "I remember, well maybe if we can prove your innocence, you can ask me out."

"You don't already have someone?" Janus looked surprised and Virgil smiled at something genuine flashing in his face. 

Virgil shook his head, "I changed my last name, but it's in memoriam. I lost my mother five years ago, Black was her maiden name."

"Oh," Janus reached out, stopped by his chains so he just sat back. "I'm sorry to hear that, I remember her being a pretty nice lady."

"Yeah, she was. She's why I wanted to be a lawyer."

"Well then, I owe my freedom to her."

"That's if we win." Virgil responded and Janus just smirked again.

"We have to, otherwise I won't be able to take you on a date."

Virgil blushed, turning and leaving as quickly as he could. He had a rule of not dating criminals, but if he proved Janus was unjustly detained, then he wasn't a criminal, right?

Right.

Tag List: @simplestoryteller @fantasticfangirl21 @joylessnightsky @glacierruler @tsspromptmonth

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

Unavailable - Part 3 **

Y/N has been living with Harry for a bit and it's getting harder for them to control their feelings for each other.

READ PART 1 & PART 2 FIRST!

Warnings: Sex, oral (f receiving). Also, please keep in mind that in this AU at some point Harry was Y/N's therapist and this kind of relationship with a therapist is completely illegal and inappropriate and you should never try and hit on your therapist or stay with a therapist who hits on you (from a future therapist haha)! There's also a wee bit of angst if you squint real hard.

WC: 10.4K

It had been several months since Y/N had moved in with Harry and things had been great to put it simply. The very next day of her arrival  they talked about how this arrangement would work and she assured him that she didn’t want to invade his home for a long time, but he let her know that he hoped she would take her time to get on her feet so that she would have some stability once she was able to leave his place. With that in mind she started job hunting for something that paid better. Thankfully she was able to find a better job that was closer to his place with better pay, better hours, and better benefits. It finally felt like things were going to start looking up and for once she started to consider that maybe life could be really good. The only crappy thing she had experiences while being at his place was spending the holidays alone. Y/N had tried to reach out to her mother on Thanksgiving and she never got a response and close to Christmas the manager from the bar she used to work at reached out to her because her “Uncle Chris” had come around several times asking for a forwarding address for her because her mother couldn’t get in touch with her. Y/N instructed them not to give him any information about her under any circumstance, but she knew it was just a ploy of his to get her to call him, she had blocked his number and filtered his email as spam, she was sure that he had tried getting in touch with her but she was far beyond being manipulated by his antics ever again.

The holidays were lonely and cold. She mostly slept on the actual days as she was not working and then got back to her schedule as soon as the festive days were done. Harry wouldn’t be coming back until the 8th so she would need to endure the solitude for a bit longer. This particular day seemed to be dragging on and as she briefly looked through TikTok on her break a great majority of the posts were about wellness or fitness and she took that as her sign to go to the gym after work.

She and Harry liked to take walks in the evenings but as soon as it started cooling down he would drag her to the gym with him instead - he even added her to his membership. And while he would go off and do his thing she would do her half-assed exercises before sitting in the sauna with him for a while. It was amusing to go to the gym with Harry; Y/N very quickly noticed that most of the girls at the gym would ogle him. He seemed to be everyone’s gym crush. She also started to notice that when these women would see him make his way towards her they would shoot her odd or jealous looks and she would always tell him and he’d make a full on show of grabbing her hand or hugging her close with a very mischievous smirk. It was a fun little game they played and she would definitely miss it at her session today. 

Other than those playful interactions things had stayed extremely platonic between the two. There was obvious tension at times, but they never acted on it with each other at least. That had been her biggest concern with staying with him, but he was very respectful of her space which was so wonderful of him and she didn’t intend on getting tangled up with him while she healed from all the crap in her life. Sure, if they hooked up it seemed like an ideal situation for them if they wanted consistency, but that also meant that things could get complicated quickly and fall apart and she really didn’t want that to happen with him.

*************

Y/N was not feeling tired after her session at the gym today, if anything she felt more energized, maybe it was because she skipped out on the sauna, but she didn’t feel comfortable going in without Harry. It was always full of dudes who were less than discrete when they looked over her, but they were a lot less ballsy with Harry around. Either way, she was making her way past the reception desk when someone’s voice caught her attention.

“Hey, where’s your boyfriend?” She didn’t think it was directed towards her but then she heard more specificity, “I’m talking to you in the pink shirt!” The voice said and she stopped and turned around and was met with quite a handsome looking guy behind the desk who was offering her a smile.

“Are you talking to me?” She asked pointing to herself and he chuckled.

“Yes, I don’t see anyone else in a pink shirt.” He said with a friendly smile and she giggled.

“True.” She pointed out as she approached the desk.

“I was just wondering about your man because he usually comes in religiously and I haven’t seen either of you over the last few weeks.” He explained.

“Oh yeah, well just to clarify he’s not my man, which is why I didn’t respond to the boyfriend thing.” She informed with a flirty smile, “And he hasn’t come in because he went home to England for the holidays.” She explained and he hummed in understanding.

“And what’s your excuse?” He asked with a teasing grin and she narrowed her eyes playfully at him and then read over his name tag that said Aaron.

“Well Aaron, if you must know, I hate working out and my roommate bribes me with Chipotle for dinner if I join him.” Y/N explained and this made Aaron laugh and she giggled at his reaction.

“I see. So why did you come in today? Did you bribe yourself with Chipotle?” He teased with a smirk and she giggled. 

“Actually, my TikTok feed was showing me fitness videos for like ten videos straight and I took it as a sign from the universe to not waste away my evening.” She confessed and he laughed again, she liked that he found her funny and he was cute and his laugh was also nice, it made her giggle along with him.

“You’re funny and I’m glad you decided to come in.” He said flirtatiously but in a very subtle way and she smiled and nodded.

“Thank you, me too.”

“Well maybe I’ll see you around if you come in again, this time is usually towards the end of my shift.” He informed her and she bit her lip to suppress her smile and nodded.

“Yeah, maybe.” She said as she started to step back to leave.

“What’s your name?” He asked her before she turned around fully to head out.

“Y/N.” She disclosed and he smiled.

“Very cute, it suits you.” He flirted and she grinned.

“Thank you, Aaron.” She responded and he grinned.

“I’ll see you around. Have a good night.”

“You too!” She smiled and then turned around and left. 

She felt a bit giddy at this guy’s attention towards her even more so when she realized that he was probably the most age-appropriate man she had flirted with in a really long time, her one hit wonder with Harry didn’t count because it should never have happened; in fact she was kind of grateful for the way things went down with Harry because it felt like the proper goodbye to her old and fucked up ways, it was quite poetic really. And as hot and attractive as she continued to find him, getting involved with him now was just not a good call and now she was even able to flirt with other guys. She could just feel it in her bones that things were about to take turn for the better, this was going to be her year.

Regardless of her slight disdain towards exercising and gyms she found herself stepping into the gym at the 7:30pm hour. When she came up to the front desk to sign in she was slightly disappointed that Aaron was not there and she just went on to the elliptical to warm up; the after work crowd was starting to leave, freeing up sufficient equipment for her to take her time and she did and was even glancing around for the first 20 minutes of her time there before giving up on finding Aaron. She was just finishing up her last few reps on the assisted crunches machine and when she leaned back she was peering up to a smiling Aaron and she giggled as she sat herself up through some laughter as he came over to the side of the specialized bench. 

“Two days in a row, huh?” He grinned and she shrugged, “Were you bombarded with another blatant sign from the universe?” He teased and she giggled.

“Yeah, something like that.” She responded with a smile.

“What are you doing on this thing the incline is awful? Did you need someone to hold your feet?” He asked with a smile.

“No, I can do a sit up just fine, but the floor is too hard, even with the mats and it makes my tailbone hurt.” She explained, “So I opt for this thing.” She said and he hummed.

“Are you almost done?” He asked and she nodded.

“Just a 10 minute cool down after this last set.”

“Well, would you maybe want to grab a drink at Jamba Juice just a few doors down? My treat?” He asked hopefully and she nibbled on her lip.

“Alright.” She agreed.

“Cool. I’ll meet you up front when you’re done?” He asked and she nodded, “Perfect.” Aaron smiled and soon headed off.

Y/N was actually quite happy as she chatted and joked around with Aaron as they drank their smoothies. She was having a nice time, hearing about his endeavors outside of work and sharing her own hopes and dreams. They exchanged numbers and it was nearly 9:30pm when she started driving home. Y/N was quite distracted thinking about Aaron and his flirtations and his stories and when she keyed her way into the house she screamed as she stubbed her toe on something and then proceeded to trip over it before landing on the ground with a groan. She didn’t recall leaving anything out of place and was shocked when suddenly the lights came on and she was met with a frowning and just woken up Harry.

“What’re you doing here?” She asked as she sat up and he came over slowly.

“Fuck, are you alright?” He asked instead, crouching down to her and she nodded.

“S’just my toe.” She assured him.

“I didn’t think they were too in the way.” He said of his two suitcases.

“It’s alright. When did you get in?”

“Around 7:30. Where’ve you been? Did you work late?” He asked as he helped her stand.

“I was at the gym.” She said and he looked quite shocked at this and she rolled her eyes.

“There were signs I couldn’t ignore.” She mumbled and he smiled, “Welcome back. I’m sorry I woke you.” She apologized and he shook his head.

“It’s fine. I was only asleep like twenty minutes.” He assured her.

“Why’d you come back early?” She asked and he sighed.

“I’ve got an old patient coming back in a couple days. If we have readmits the same clinician should work with them if they’re still there.” He explained and she nodded in understanding, “Gotta prepare for his intake and all that.” He said and Y/N nodded again, recalling her own intake with Harry and feeling weird about it for a second before letting it go.

“OK, well again, welcome back. I’m happy you’re home, I’ve been bored.” She said as she leaned in to hug him and he hugged her back and held her for a few more seconds that just a quick hug hello.

“You were bored…well I missed you.” He said emphatically, “Like I actually did miss you.” He said to her before letting go and she grinned at him.

“Did you now?”

“Yeah, I thought my sister would be as annoying but turns out you’re far more annoying and it’s irreplaceable.” He teased and she rolled her eyes before reaching out to play punch him in the gut, but he caught her hand and stopped it, “I also brought you some stuff back for you to try. Junk, since I know you like that.” He smiled and she laughed softly.

“You’re so considerate.” She said.

“I know.” he hummed smugly before letting her hand go, “Now, I’m gonna get back to bed.”

“You do that, old man.” She teased and he rolled his eyes before heading back towards his room. 

Y/N felt really happy that he was back in town, it was true that she was bored without him. Harry always pushed her to try new things and to get out of her comfort zone and she liked that about him. She would fall into this purposeless routine when she was all alone and it was so exhausting and unproductive, so she knew that things would be picking up again in no time.

***********

Harry was due for a long day, he was out of the house shortly after Y/N who left for her shift at the hotel at 6:30am. He had to read this his old client, John’s file again. It had been about two years since his last stint bat New Beginnings. Harry always hoped that his patients would follow his recommendations and choose to use the information and insight he gave them to make better choices for themselves, like Y/N. But Y/N seemed to be an exception to a lot of things.

As soon as she popped into his brain, working on anything else was moot and that seemed to be a pattern for Harry. Since they met she had piqued his interest. He hadn’t ever fully planned on sleeping with Y/N, it had lived in his brain for a long while, but when it finally happened she seemed to be seared in his mind forever after. He couldn’t stop thinking about Y/N; he couldn’t help but worry for her wellbeing, he wanted to call, he wanted to hear her voice, to see her, to hold her. He was so drawn to her and having her around was making him feel happier than he had been in a while. 

When he told her the night before that he missed her, Harry hadn’t been lying. He had talked to his mom about Y/N a few times, well about her situation and how he was helping her out. And being with his family, there were moments where he would glance to the side to laugh with her and she wasn’t there and that scared him. Especially when she tried calling him for Christmas, it wasn’t Christmas for him anymore so he wasn’t busy, but it made him feel some kind of way. He felt a bit guilty for not being there with her since he knew that the holidays were really the only times when her mother would make an effort to have things go well between them. He knew how to talk himself down from feeling weird about her wanting to talk and before he could get too far in his head about what she wanted to say, she had texted saying that she didn’t mean to interrupt, she just wanted to wish him and his family a great Christmas and that’s when he came to terms with how much he missed her. 

Harry could picture Y/N curled up in bed, too lazy to move until he’d come in and beg her to have a late breakfast with him; if he begged enough she would give in and make him her famous pancakes. He could picture her making pancakes while he made them an exceptional cup of coffee before they curled up on the couch to watch Christmas movies all day.

Harry smiled as he remembered his thoughts over the holidays. Yeah he was sad that his time with his family got cut short by a day or two, but duty calls and his physical house felt a lot more like a home with Y/N around. He got a bit distracted with all that, but he soon put his head down  and got to work.

***********

Y/N was on her break and just heating up her lunch in the staff room when her phone started ringing and she hurried to answer it when she saw it was Harry.

“Hello!” She chirped happily and Harry smiled at hearing her voice after dedicating a lot of his time thinking about her.

“Hey. Are you up for the gym today or should we skip it?” He asked.

“I’m up for it.” She responded with a small smile.

“Who are you and what’ve you done with my Y/N?” He asked and she bit her lip to suppress her smile as his words processed. He had said “his Y/N”, hadn’t he? It made a swarm of butterflies flutter through her tummy as she stammered a couple times trying to come up with a response.

“I-it’s me. I j-just I don’t know. I’m not gonna fu-fuss as much as before, you know?” She said and he grinned. He felt quite pleased with himself that he had flustered her.

“Won’t need to coerce you into it with Chipotle anymore?” He teased and she giggled.

“I never said that.” She responded with a grin as well and he chuckled.

“That’s true…” he smirked, “So gym and then chipotle.” He confirmed.

“Yeah, sounds great.” She responded, “I’ll catch you later, OK?”

“Perfect, see you at home.” He said and hung up.

***********

Y/N and Harry got changed rather fast before heading off to the gym. Harry hadn’t missed how put together she looked today. Usually she wore a baggy old t-shirt with leggings or bike shorts, but today her set matched and he didn’t say anything about it, but he did check her out and he couldn’t help but smile thinking about her possibly wanting to look nice for him. They were making their way to the entrance when she stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” He asked and she shook her head.

“Forgot my AirPods in your cup holder, can I have your keys?”

“Yeah, here.” He said reaching into the pocket of his tote, “I’ll wait for you here.” He smiled.

“Oh, no it’s OK you can head inside.” She said and rushed off to the car and despite her telling him to go ahead he waited outside of the door for her until she was back and she looked a little skittish.

“You alright?” He asked with slight concern and she nodded.

“Yeah. It’s cold, lets ummm, get inside.” She said and he opened up the door for her and they headed inside. As soon as they walked inside Harry noticed the guy working at the desk looking over Y/N and it made him feel a bit protective.

“Nice fit.” He said as they walked up to the counter to sign in. Harry opened his mouth about to check this guy and he stayed quiet when he heard Y/N speak up.

“Oh thanks, Aaron.” She smiled timidly at the guy and as he looked at her he could’ve sworn that she was blushing.

“And the roomie’s back!” He said with a friendly smile and Y/N nodded before looking to Harry who was looking a bit perplexed, “Welcome back!” Aaron said to Harry, who just nodded as he looked over this young fit guy.

“Ummm thanks.”

“Yeah, of course! Alright, you guys can go ahead and scan in now.” He said and they both scanned the barcode on their phones before heading further past the desk.

“Are you gonna start with a jog today?” Harry asked Y/N who hadn’t answered and when he glanced to his side she wasn’t there, but he did see her leaning on the counter chatting with Aaron and he felt his stomach start to knot up in a sickening way. He felt a lump forming in his throat as she smiled at whatever he was saying to her, very clearly flirting with her and she was flirting back. He sighed and headed into the locker room with a huff before putting his things away and heading out to one of the treadmills and she was still there. He started his music and started to run, trying to keep whatever was going on there out of his mind and he sort of blacked out after that. He was completely lost in his head, he was thinking so many things and he wasn’t sure what was going on around him, just how he wanted until he felt some taps on his shoulder and he popped his earphone out and hopping his feet off to the sides of the treadmill and glancing over to see Y/N there.

“What’s up?” He asked and she shook her head.

“Nothing, I was just wondering if you’re going to be doing anything else? You’ve been running for twenty minutes.” She informed and he felt a bit shocked as she relayed this information.

“Ummm, not today. The plane ride was bad on bad on my back, don’t want to overwork it, just gonna do cardio.” He said lowly and she nodded.

“OK, I’m gonna go to the leg machines, OK?” She informed, “Just over there.” She said pointing to the area and he looked over and saw Aaron, the guy from the front desk, wiping down machines nearby and again, he felt his heart crumble up in his chest but he nodded.

“Yeah, fine.” He said curtly and popped his AirPod back in before she could say anything else.

Y/N was feeling perplexed at Harry’s attitude, he had seemed fine…well now that she thought of it he had been a bit quiet since he came home. Maybe he’d had a bad day, she knew that he would be working with a previous patient, maybe it had been hard on him, that case. And as she walked over to the machines she wondered if maybe it was someone he had been with, the way he had been with her. She quickly shook herself from thinking that and got on the machine, doing very light weight as she and Aaron chatted as he cleaned around the area she was at.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go grab food after this?” He ended up asking and she nibbled on her lip as she nodded.

“Yeah, sure. I came with Harry though-”

“I can drop you off at home after.” He said and she nodded.

“Yeah, alright.” She agreed, “Let me go have a quick chat with Harry. I think he had a bit of a day at work.” She explained and Aaron frowned.

“Oh.” He said and she nodded.

“Yeah, might be good for him to have a bit of space. I can be a bit much at times.” She said and he frowned.

“Has he said that to you?” Aaron asked in slight offense and her eyes went wide and she shook her head.

“Oh no, never!” She assured, “Just some ummm…something I’ve heard before. I guess, I just assumed he’d think the same thing.” She shrugged, suddenly feeling so embarrassed for unknowingly revealing how damaged she still was deep down.

“I was about to say, you shouldn’t be living with someone who talks to you like that.” He explained and she giggled as she thought about how that had literally been her entire life up until she was living with Harry, “I’m no expert or anything but he might need you. You’re friends, sometimes we need friends on bad days and sometimes we need space. If it’s one of those ‘need a friend’ kind of day then we can do dinner another day.” He assured and Y/N smiled.

“That’s sweet of you, thanks. I’ll go check on him.” She said and went off. Harry had been watching this entire exchange as they spoke and it made his stomach twist and ache with jealousy. It was hard to watch and when she started coming over towards him he knew that it wasn’t just to see if he was done. He pulled out his earphones as she walked up to him. “You alright?” She asked him with a small frown and he nodded quickly.

“It was just a long day.” He said and she nodded in understanding.

“I can see that.” She said and he sighed, “Well ummm, I-if you’re tired Aaron asked me if I wanted to grab dinner with him?” She asked and he felt his heart sink, “Said he could drop me off at home afterwards.”

“Oh ummm…yeah, that’s fine.” He said lowly.

“If you don’t feel like being alone I can totally tell him tonight’s not a good night.” She said and he shook his head.

“I’m fine.” He assured and she looked in his eyes for a few moments. 

“OK, I’ll tell him another night.” She said and walked off and he ran after her. He didn’t want to ruin her plans because he had no idea what he would say when she asked about his day because it had been an absolutely peach of a day until he saw her flirting back with this gym guy. Harry had seen him before and he was always nice, but this was something else - it wasn’t very professional of him.

“Wait, no Y/N!” He hurried after her, “Please go eat with your… friend.” He said stiffly.

“Harry, you’re my friend too and if you need me to be with you tonight-” she said and then shook her head when he giggled a bit, “You know what I meant.” She said pointedly, “I care about you and I want to be there for you if you want that.” She said and he bit his lip, “We can get the Chipotle to go? And we can even get frozen yogurt.” She suggested with a small smile.

“Share one?” He asked and she nodded.

“Yeah, on me. Both the food and dessert.” She added in and he finally smiled and it made her heart feel all full and happy again.

“Yeah, alright.” He hummed, trying not to give away how happy he felt right now.

“Are you done then?”

“Yeah, I’m done for today.” He said and she nodded.

“OK, I’ll go let Aaron know.” She assured and hurried off. He watched from afar as she broke the news to him and he didn’t seem let down in the slightest. He just nodded with a smile and they hugged for a few moments before he also waved at Harry from afar who just nodded quickly before Y/N was back at his side and they were heading to the locker rooms to grab their things before heading off. 

When they got home they both settled onto the ground in front of the couch and Harry put on a film, What a Girl Wants actually, per Y/N’s request and he honored it since she had paid for dinner and dessert. They ate while watching the film, but when she got up to throw away their bowls and grab the fro-yo container from the freezer he knew that she’d be back with questions.

“Here you are.” She said as she handed him the spoon and then scooted into the spot on the rug beside him before opening it up and letting him have the first scoop of it and then she went for a scoop.

“Can never go wrong with plain tart.” He hummed and she smiled and nodded in agreement. 

“So do you want to talk about what happened today?” She asked and he sighed, “I know you can’t like…go into details but ummm, I can just listen.” She said and he sighed. He wanted to sort of get this off his chest but he needed to be vague and not make her suspicious of what he had been feeling since she clearly was interested in someone else now.

“It wasn’t all that bad, I just got in my head.” He said and she nodded in understanding, “Like sometimes being a therapist is really hard because there are just some patients that sort of…worm their way into your heart.” He explained and as he said this she felt a little pinch of jealously in her chest but nodded regardless in understanding.

“Yeah, I can see how that can happen.” 

“Yeah and it’s hard sometimes to cope with those feelings. When you’ve crossed that line sometimes it’s hard to not cross it again.” He said and she swallowed thickly and nodded.

“So this patient…you’ve ummm…” she trailed off and looked down at her lap and he frowned as he understood what she was trying to ask. He quickly set down the fro-yo container and turned to her.

“No.” He said lowly but emphatically, “Hey,” he said as he grabbed her face gently, upturning it towards him, “I’ve never done that before. W-what happened between us was a one time thing a-and I never thought I would do that and I’ve never even thought of doing that again and it never should’ve even happened. It was wrong and-” he paused as he saw the look in her eyes of embarrassment and concern, “That’s not…fuck, I don’t regret it! I enjoyed it, a lot! But I do wish it had been under…other circumstances. Not that you would even want that or me, but if we had met somewhere else or-”

“I get it, Harry.” She interrupted with a small smile and he sighed in relief.

“Good. I’ve never slept with another patient, I swear.” He said again.

“Geez. I don’t know if I should be proud or ashamed of being the person who led you to tarnishing your impeccable professional integrity.” She mumbled and he chuckled and reached for her hand.

“It wasn’t your fault. Not in the slightest.” He shook his head, “I wanted you. Badly. I was selfish and I wasn’t thinking about you or your wellbeing in that moment and I suppose\ that’s why I feel it was wrong. Sometimes I wonder if I…took advantage of your trust in me and I…hate that.” He frowned and she shook her head and squeezed his hand that was holding hers.

“You didn’t. I wanted you too, from the very start I was attracted to you and I toyed around with the idea the first couple days, but I ummm…I wanted to actually put effort into working on myself and my issues and I decided that for once focusing on a guy and getting him to like me wasn’t the priority.” She explained and he nodded along, “I ummm…I was shocked when even after getting to hear all of the fucked up-ness that I came with you still…wanted me.” She said, “And that’s why I ummm…let it happen. I knew you would’ve stopped if I properly asked and I ummm, didn’t want to, so you’re fine.” She assured.

“Well it’s good to know I didn’t make you feel pressured or something.” He said and she smiled.

“So, this patient…?” She asked and well, the patient he had been talking about this entire time was her, but he supposed he should talk about the patient she thought he was talking about from the start, John.

“Well, like I said the other day, they’ve been in and out a few times and I just get a little too invested. Could’ve sworn we had a breakthrough when he was last in and I kinda hoped it was the last time I’d see him there.” He explained, “Makes me feel like maybe I’m not doing a good job, but then again I realize that we make our choices ourselves and there’s people like him who can’t help themselves but stick to what they know and then there’s people like you who don’t want stay stuck in what they know so they just…take it all in and use it. And I feel happy that I was able to help.”

“You did. I swear it, Harry, you saved my life.” She said and he smiled as she let her thumb run over his knuckles, “Are you feeling better?” She asked.

“Definitely.” He assured and just before she pulled her hand away he brought his other hand over, to hold her smaller hand between his own, “So this guy from the gym.” He brought it up though he didn’t want to and that there was why… she giggled bashfully at the mention of him.

“Aaron. Ummm, we’re cool.” She shrugged, “He’s cute and sweet. It was actually his idea that I ummm, spend some time with you one on one if that’s what you needed. Not that I didn’t want to be here for you!” She added in quickly, “But I was thinking of giving you space instead. It’s mostly because that’s what I was most commonly asked for in the past by others so I just assumed you’d want the same thing.” She explained and he hummed.

“I would tell you if I needed space from you. I promise.” He said and she nodded in understanding, “So you and this Aaron?”

“We actually got to talking a few days ago. He had wondered where you were when I started coming in alone.” She explained, “He thought you were my boyfriend.” She said with a giggle and Harry bit his lip, he didn’t know why this was amusing. Maybe it was to her since she was not interested in him that way.

“Well, I supposed that’s not a difficult deduction to make. We always show up together and we’re warding gym creeps away from each other.” He explained.

“Yeah…” she hummed with a smile.

“You looked very pretty today. Was that for him?” He asked with a slight lump in his throat and she giggled quietly.

“No…and a little bit yes.” She confessed and he smiled despite the hurt in his heart.

“A little bit yes…” he repeated before looking into her eyes.

“Yeah, it’s just…he’s attractive. My age, so appropriate. and he was flirting with me. No one has really flirted with me in a while and I just-”

“Oh, is that so?” He asked with a grin and she rolled her eyes playfully.

“You don’t count.” She said and that hurt him more than he thought it would.

“And why not?” He asked and she sighed.

“Because Harry… then I’m gonna develop a crush on you and that would suck because I’m not nearly good enough for you!” She said, “And I don’t want to get all hopeful over something that can never happen.” She said in exasperation.

“I think I can decide who is good enough for me and who isn’t, Y/N. And quite frankly if anything I’ve done has given you hope it was completely intentional.” He said and her eyes widened in shock, “I care about you. More than I ought to, from the start. Every day after you left I was thinking about you. I wanted to call or know how I could help. I thought you hadn’t called because you regretted what happened or just chose to forget about me.” He explained and she shook her head.

“I just didn’t want to drag you into my mess.” She explained and he chuckled.

“Your life is not a mess, Y/N and I don’t see you as a charity case or anything like that. I genuinely care for you, Y/N. I’ve enjoyed having you here the last few months and I don’t want you to feel bad if you don’t feel the same way I do about all of this. I know that you’re trying to get back on your feet and the last thing you need is another layer of complication to what you’re dealing with-”

“No Harry, you’re wonderful and I couldn’t have asked for a better situation to be in. For the first time in my life I feel like everything’s right and like I’m happy.” She confessed, “I’m so happy being here with you.” She assured and he smiled, “And I’m not going to lie. I am worried about complicating things a bit since we are living together right now but I do care about you so much and I try and hold back how much I care for that very reason an-” Y/N was cut off as he grabbed her face in his hands gently and kissed her lips tenderly. 

It felt so amazing to have their lips meet again. They’d each been dreaming about it since the day after she had moved in. He had kissed her then, but he told himself it happened in a bout of passion, he couldn’t just pursue her how he wanted to, he told himself he would take things as slowly as possible.

“That guy, Aaron, do you like him?” He asked and she sighed.

“Of course, but it’s more of a mild crush it’s nothing compared to how I-” she cut herself off and he smiled as he leaned back in and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers.

“Compared to what?” He asked quietly, trying his best to hold back his grin, “Tell me, baby.” He coaxed her gently. Y/N felt like her entire body was on fire at Harry’s words and proximity, she swore that her heart was hammering in her throat.

“Compared to how I feel about you.” She finally said in a small voice and he smiled even wider as she felt her face heat up with the blood rushing up to it.

“Oh…” he responded and she rolled her eyes playfully, “And how exactly do you feel about me?” He asked, puling her onto his lap and she giggled.

“You first. I already confessed something.” She said and he chuckled.

“OK, that’s fair.” Harry smiled, “I like that despite everything that you’ve been through, your heart is still so open and full of care and love. I like that you’re lazy-” she scoffed and he giggled, “let me finish, yeah?” She nodded as he continued, “it reminds me to slow down and enjoy the little things. I like the way your hair is now, it looks really pretty when it’s down-”

“My balayage is all grown out!” She laughed and he shrugged with a little smile.

“It just means you’ve come a long way.” He said and that made her smile drop into a pout of endearment as she felt her eyes welling up, “I like how happy I feel around you too. You’ve made this home away from home.” He said, “I like your pancakes, I need the recipe, you do something to them, I just know it.” He insisted and she giggled as she sniffled away the urge to cry, “I like how you make fun of my accent,” He said and she giggled again, “and how you quote films and shows in everyday conversation, I like how much you’ve been smiling recently, I like how willing you are to being the best version of yourself, makes me want to do the same. I like it when you say my name and when you hug me when I get home from work…I just like having you around, Y/N.” He finished simply and she leaned in and kissed him deeply it knocked him back a bit, but he managed to keep them upright as they kissed again and then parted with a soft smack.

“Wait, so what does this mean for us?” She asked and he hummed as he looked down to where her hands were on his chest and he grabbed one of them, interlacing their fingers before he glanced up into her eyes.

“I would like to be with you whenever you’re ready to take that step.” He said softly.

“I’m ready now.” She giggled and he did as well.

“Eager.” He hummed and she shrugged, “I do need to tell you this though, in the state of California a clinician isn’t allowed to engage in any type of romantic affair with a previous client until after 5 years after completion of treatment. It’s in the code of conduct.” He explained.

“Oh shit.” She exclaimed and he nodded.

“Obviously, I’m not going to make you wait 5 years for me and I don’t want to do that either but ummm… we will need to lay low for a while, you know? I love my job and I don’t want to lose my license and I also don’t want to get you into any trouble. I never told anyone what happened between us before, so in terms of that and like my personal life, that should be OK. But like when it comes to my co-workers and being together anywhere near to where I work we just need to not look like a couple. It’s one of the reasons I live so far from the facility, I wanted to make sure that there’s not too much bleeding of my personal life into my professional life.” He explained and she nodded.

“Yeah, I understand that and I don’t take offense to that.” She assured him, “I get it and you’re great at your job. I would hate for you to lose that on account of me.” She explained, “And well, as much as I want to move forward with you I think I also need to continue working on myself. Now that I have insurance I actually started looking for a new therapist to keep working through things with. We can take it really slow, you know? I want to be able to move out too, not that I don’t like being here with you, I love it! But I also know that if our relationship continues to evolve it’ll be important to have our own spaces while we get acclimated to that.” She said and he nodded.

“I agree. Research on cohabitation does not show a favorable outcome for relationship longevity.” He said and she giggled.

“Such a nerd.” She whispered as she leaned in to his lips and he grinned.

“You love it.” He hummed as he leaned in as well.

“That I do.” She smiled before connecting their lips slowly. She took her time feeling his lips on her own, loving how warm and soft they were as they connected against hers. She could feel him squeezing her fingers in his grip and her free hand came up around his neck. He hummed as she accidentally dragged her center over his, he was getting hard and she did it again, deliberately this time and she inhaled sharply as this movement in particular caused some friction to her clit. Harry felt like fire was running through his veins, he wanted her so bad. The last time they had sex it had been kinky and rough, but he wanted to love on her now. Make her feel good and cared for even if he knew he wouldn’t be lasting too long, there was no way he would. Like her, he hadn’t had sex with anyone since her - that was a long time for him.

“What happened to taking it super slow?” He teased and she sucked his bottom lip between her own a few times before responding.

“We don’t have to do anything past this.” She reasoned, “Unless you want to.” She added in as she pulled back to properly look into his eyes.

“Do you want to?” He asked and she bit her lip coyly, which made him smirk, which then caused her to hide her face against his neck and he chuckled as he ran his free hand up and down her back, “How about we have a shower and then cozy up in bed and watch a movie and we’ll see what happens. Sound good?” He asked.

“Yeah. And we’re showering separately, right?” She asked and he chuckled.

“Yes, unless you want to share, I don’t mind.” He said.

“I’ve never actually showered with anyone so maybe not.” She said and he smiled.

“OK, see you in my room?” He asked and she nodded and with one final kiss they broke apart. Harry assured her he would put away their untouched and melted fro-yo and she headed off to shower in a ball of nerves. 

Y/N made sure she was extra thorough, she wanted Harry to smell her shampoo and body wash on her skin. She even went as far as moving up her body scrub routine because she wanted to be extra soft for him. Soon enough she was all done and just blowdrying her hair to a damp consistency because she didn’t want it to be sopping wet. Then she got into some sleeping clothes and wandered into his room, he had left the door open and it sounded like he was just brushing his teeth or something so she turned down the bed and slipped into the side that he clearly did not sleep on and curled up, shivering at the cold temperature of the unused sheets. It was just moments before he was stepping out, still shirtless and it made her blush. Harry liked seeing her in his bed, it did funny things to his tummy.

“Let me just get on a shirt.” He said lowly as he headed towards his dresser.

“I mean, you don’t have to wear one…” she joked and he chuckled.

“I also don’t have to get pneumonia.” He joked back and she rolled her eyes at his dramatics. 

Soon enough he was turning off the lights and settling into bed beside her. He switched on the TV and handed her the remote to choose what she wanted. Harry wasn’t all that picky with what he watched, which she appreciated. She was largely into docuseries and those Netflix specials on cults and murderers and he had sat through plenty of them with her, but she would certainly choose something lighter for this occasion. She smiled to herself when he curled into her chest, assuming the position of little spoon. It didn’t take long for her to just put on a rom-com and slide the remote under the end of the pillow so that she could hug her arms around him. She nuzzled her cheek into the top of his head and he pulled her left hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it. 

That was it for a little while, but soon he started to kiss her hand again, and he opened up it up before kissing her palm, which made her giggle as his slight scruff tickled her skin. Then he started kissing her fingertips so gently, but she could hear the smack of his lips and the little smooching sounds as he moved from finger to finger. She really wasn’t expecting it when he nipped at the pad of her middle finger before he slid it into his mouth and sucked. It immediately made her go hot all over and she bit her lip as she felt the smooth texture of his warm tongue against her finger. She had done this before, but it had never been done to her but now she understood why guys liked that so much. He skimmed the length of it with his teeth as he drew his mouth up her finger to let it go and it made her breath hitch as he pulled off. Seconds later he was taking two of her fingers between his lips, humming around her digits before popping off and turning around quickly. He settled himself over her body and kissed her fervently, it took her breath away as his tongue dipped into her mouth and rolled against hers. His hips were grinding into hers, letting her feel how hard he was for her and it was making her wetter for him by the second.

“Can I go down on you?” He mumbled against her mouth and Y/N hummed and nodded.

“Yeah, please.” She panted and he immediately started kissing down her jaw, to her neck, then her throat, and down her sternum. He sat up and tugged at her shirt which prompted Y/N to sit up and tear it off before he grabbed at her breast. His warm hands kneaded at her gently and but with purpose as his mouth took turns in suckling at her nipples until she was squirming beneath him and pleading him for more. He mumbled a smug “I’ll get there.” As he kissed down her tummy as his hands ran up her thighs, spreading her legs open so that he could settle comfortably between them. As he pulled down her sweats she lifted her bum and he chuckled when he didn’t see an underwear band, “To be fair I never wear undies to sleep.” She informed him as he made some remark about it.

“Sure, sure…” he teased before he tugged them off all the way and got a good look at her. 

Harry’d been dying to get a taste of her since he saw her little pussy all sticky and wet for him. He wasted no time in pushing her legs up, banding them at the knee and delving in. She moaned immediately as he started to tongue through her folds, rubbing and flicking in all the right places. Her fingers wove into his hair, holding his face down to her as he started to suck at her clit. Y/N’s eyes rolled back as she let out a cry as she felt his fingers start to rub over her entrance. She was itching to feel them push into her and start to open her up for his cock.

“So good…” She moaned as he shook his head from side to side, his moans were reverberating through her body, sending waves of pleasure through her stomach and to her limbs. He was so good at this…the way he was making out with her entire pussy was something she had never experienced before. It was so much better than she ever thought it could be. Her tummy was fluttering as she suddenly felt so close to the edge. He’d only been down there five minutes and she already about to come, “I’m close!” She warned and he moaned before he used his fingers to open her up a bit more and really use his tongue on her clit. It was almost too much, it was making her tremble. His warm tongue rubbing over her clit, his stubble ticking her labia and inner thighs, his moans vibrating through her entire body, the sheer delight he was experiencing as he gave her head, it was all coming together beautifully to carry her over the coveted precipice of what is an orgasm, “Oh fuck! Oh fuck!” She cried as she started to come undone. Her thighs started to close as the tingle started to become too much for her, she was shaking and tugging hard at his hair as Harry worked her through her orgasm. He was living for her moans and her taste and everything that she was in this moment as she came undone on his tongue.

“Oh my god!” She whimpered as he kissed over her entrance before slipping his tongue inside, wagging it a few times and moaning at the taste of her cum. He them worked his way back to her clit, all sensitive and throbbing. He was gentle as he rolled his tongue over it slowly, barely letting her come down before he started to wind her up again.

“Want you to come again.” He mumbled briefly before he brought his fingers to her entrance again, “Can you give me another one, baby?” He asked, glancing up to her briefly and she nodded with a pained look on her face and while their eyes were on each others he sunk his two fingers into her and he watched as her brows creased and her jaw went slack as he curled them up into her spot. So hot and smooth against his finger tips. He smirked at he watched her eyes flutter closed as she moaned out in pleasure as he rubbed into her g-spot, “So fucking wet for me.” He moaned as he heard the wet and squelching sounds of his fingers moving in and out of her entrance.

“Fuuuck…” she mewled, “Don’t stop! Please, don’t stop!” She begged and he grinned again before he busied his mouth over her clit again. 

She was so fucking perfect, he could do this all day if she’d let him. He could feel her tight, wet walls squeezing around his digits, sucking them in deeper into her. He started using more force, loving how her thighs were threatening to squeeze around his head as the pleasure started to overwhelm her. All he could hear were the wet sounds of his fingers fucking her, the wet slurps of his mouth at her clit, and her steady flow of praises as he brought her to her orgasm once again. He was enamored with the feeling of her orgasm, he couldn’t wait to feel it around his cock. It was driving mad and he kept going and going until her legs were shaking hard and he could hear her begging him to slow down. So he did, he slowly came to a stop, but before he could pull away she was tugging his hair up and guiding him back up to her. Their lips met desperately and she moaned at her taste on his mouth. Her hands were now tugging at his shirt and she broke the kiss for a moment.

“Told you, you didn’t have to wear one.” She grinned and he chuckled as he knelt up and pulled it off of his body and their eyes met for a moment, just a quiet and tender moment before he was letting his body settle over hers again, slower this time. Their noses nudged and their mouths hovered as their breathed each other in, the moment suddenly became so intimate and tender. Y/N could feel her heart swelling inside of her chest, everything she felt started to surface and it made her want to cry with joy because who on earth was she to deserve someone like him.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful.” He whispered between them as he took her in and she felt her eyes start to well up.

“You’re gonna make me cry.” She said sniffled and he smiled.

“Happy tears I hope.” He said with a little smile and she nodded, “I’m going to kiss you now.” He said and she craned her neck up towards his as their lips pressed together slowly.

There was no urgency to this kiss, it was deep and heartfelt and that was tangible the longer it went on, “Want to go nice and slow.” He said and she nodded in agreement, “Want to see your face.” He said and she moaned at the thought of watching his face while they had sex, “Gonna grab a condom.” He said and she nodded as he drew away from her for a moment to dig in his bedside table and cursing a bit when he realized there weren’t any in there and he hurried off to the bathroom. He quickly slipped out of his own sweats before climbing back on the bed and sliding the condom onto his erection before he settled over her body. She was aching to feel him inside of her, she was desperate to feel him so close to her again. She could feel him now, prodding at her entrance as he situated himself and their lips met again in a slow kiss. She hitched her legs up around his hips and he glanced down between their bodies briefly before looking back into her eyes as she nodded, indicating that she was ready for him and he pressed inside, his mouth dropped open in a low moan in tandem with her as his head pushed into her. He then slowly guided his hips down, watching her face as she took every inch of him until they were nose to nose and her eyes fluttered closed as she basked in the feeling of him finally inside. He was in deep, she felt like he was in her tummy and she had no idea how to cope with it as he started to gyrate his hips against hers, somehow managing to open her up further until she was completely at his mercy as he started thrusting deep and slow. She felt like her skin was on fire as his touch grazed over her arms and up to her hair. He buried his fingers in it before kissing her deeply. They were drinking in each other’s moans and sounds of pleasure as their bodies met in the most delicious way possible.

“I missed you so much.” He panted and she smiled as she pulled him down for a kiss again.

“Me too, baby.” She whispered into his mouth. Everything was perfect and slow and romantic and intimate. Y/N had never made love with anyone before and it was carrying her body and soul to a new height, a place she had never experienced. She couldn’t help it as her eyes welled up with tears and he saw it happened and kissed her lips.

“It’s OK if you need to cry.” He said to her and she sniffled as she surged forward as their lips met in an ardent kiss as a few tears streaked between them, “So perfect.” He hummed as he pulled away to let her breathe properly as he continued thrusting his hips against hers in deep motions until he was barely holding on. His arms were trembling and she pushed herself up to sit and he followed, pulling out of her before having her straddle his lap and sink onto his cock again. She gasped at how deep he felt now that she was on top but he continued to thrust up against her as she hugged him to her chest. His kisses were hot and needy against her chest and throat and neck. She had set the most delicious pace and they were soon getting close. 

“I’m so close.” She mewled and he hummed against her throat as he hugged her tighter and she gripped the hair at the back of his head and yanked it back before kissing him hard and parting with a wet gasp.

“Fuck.” He groaned as she started to grind down against him. Their climaxes building together perfectly. Everything about this moment between them was perfect and as their sounds grew in frequency they started to peak together, “I’m gonna come! I’m gonna come!” He panted and she kissed his lips quickly.

“Just a little more, baby. I’m right there!” She pleaded and he groaned, his thighs and abs trembling as he tried to hold on. He brought his thumb between them to rub little circles into her clit and her body curled into his as she gasped, “Oh my god! Harry!” She whimpered and he felt her squeeze so tight around his cock and he couldn’t help it as he started to moan and come undone, shooting ropes inside of the condom as she started to grind against him in no particular rhythm, just riding out her orgasm until she was trembling and he was pulling them down into the mattress, their bodies still connected as he held her close. 

Their ragged breathing and sweaty bodies a testament to what they had just done with each other, but it felt so comfortable, basking in his warmth. As they settled down she kissed at his neck and throat tenderly, careful not to leave any marks on his skin.

“You OK, baby?” He asked and she nodded against him, giving him a soft hum as confirmation, “Good.” He said before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

He warned her before he pulled out and went to toss the condom and so she let him go do that and when he came back he helped her get dressed, like the first time they had sex, and then he got himself dressed before they both settled into his covers, shivering as they adjusted into the warmth of the bed, he was the big spoon this time. She smiled as she felt him pressing kisses into her hair and her head, his arms were looped tight around her body as their legs tangled together. He was making remarks about how cold her feet were and she was giggling as she ran them against his calf, making him yelp. But soon the laughter settled down and they were both just breathing slow and deep together, basking in each other’s warmth after being so deprived of it for so long.

“Was that OK?” He asked after some silence.

“It was perfect.” She smiled as she responded, “I’ve never done it like that before.” She confessed and that made him a bit sad for her.

“I’m happy to be the first. Fucking is also fun but I also enjoy showing you what I feel for you so if you ever want that just let me know.” He said and she smiled.

“I will, thank you.” She whispered.

“Of course, baby. I just want you to be happy. So, so happy and I would love it more if I could be the one you’re happy with.” He said softly against her ear. It made her entire body covered in goosebumps as he said this, both of them vibrating with affection for each other, neither of them had ever felt whatever it was they were feeling now and it was so wonderful.

“You already are the person I’m happy with.” She assured and he couldn’t even contain the giant smile that was on his face as her words processed and sunk in. 

“You’re that person for me too.” He assured quietly. Y/N smiled as she scooted even closer to his body and hummed in happiness. She couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store for them.

"It's love, by the way." she suddenly whispered and his brows furrowed in confusion.

"What is?" he asked and she smiled.

"The secret ingredient. In the pancakes." she whispered and he chuckled and kissed her on the head.

"Knew there was a secret." he grinned happily.

[numinousmysteries]

Vanquish by Wisdom Hellish Wiles (5/9)

Started this 6 years ago after first seeing the trailer for season 11. Takes place immediately after MSII and ignores all of S11. On AO3 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

@today-in-fic

East. William had to head east. He didn’t know exactly where, but he felt the direction tugging at him like the needle on a compass. After examining the bus schedule at the small station in town and counting up the cash and change in his wallet, he decided to take a local bus to Casper and then transfer to the Greyhound headed to St. Louis. He technically only had enough money for a ticket to Omaha, but that still left him with nearly 10 hours of time to think.

The local bus to Casper was nearly empty. William didn’t make eye contact with the driver, but the older man didn’t seem to care or even notice that a teenager was boarding alone in the middle of a school day. The driver pulled the door close and started driving away from the station before William even had a chance to sit down. 

He chose a seat toward the back and leaned his head against the cool glass of the window. Think . He commanded his brain to summon up something, anything, that could give him a clue how to find his parents but he didn’t see anything. Thoughts were racing through his mind so quickly that it almost seemed like he wasn’t thinking at all. He struggled to picture the red-haired woman he knew to be his mother, or the man on the beach, but their faces were blurred and distorted in his mind’s eye. 

As the bus pulled up to the next stop he considered getting off and turning around. Maybe this was a mistake and he should have gone with Monica. At least she had a plan and he could learn more before deciding if he wanted to be a part of it. But then he remembered looking into the eyes of the man on the beach, the man he knows is his father, and he felt more determined than ever that he had to find his parents.

Oddly, two men in suits and sunglasses board the bus at the next stop. William looks up nervously from his seat in the back and see them approach the driver. He looks down at his lap to try to seem inconspicuous.

“We have to hold you here for a moment. We’re doing a sweep for illegal border crossers,” said one of the suited men.

Border crossers? In Wyoming? William frowned to himself. That didn't make any sense. 

“Do what you gotta do,” said the driver, clearly apathetic to whatever was going on. 

The men started making their way down the aisle giving cursory glances to the handful of other passengers. William kept staring at his hands on his lap hoping to avoid their attention.

“Son,” the first man said as he approached William. He has a square jaw, buzzed short hair and was still wearing his sunglasses with mirrored lenses. “Do you have any identification?”

“Um, I have my learner’s permit?” William said hesitantly but made no move to retrieve it from his backpack. 

“William, you’re going to have to come with us,” said the second man, impatiently. 

“How do you know my name?” William felt his heart racing and he clutched his backpack closer to his chest as if it had any power to protect him.

“We don’t have time for this, William.” It was the second man again. He was taller than his companion and with slightly longer hair but the same suit and sunglasses. “It’s in your best interest to come with us.” 

William didn’t budge. He froze in place staring straight ahead at the seat in front of him when he felt hands on his arms pulling him up out of the seat. The first man lifted him up by the sleeves of his sweatshirts and dragged him up the aisle.

“Help!” William cried out, but the handful of other passengers avoided his eyes and the bus driver only gave him a shrug before the men pushed him down the stairs.

The driver closed the bus door behind him and started driving away. 

“What’s going on?” William felt his heart racing. The plan to work with Monica and his grandfather had all seemed manageable when he was sitting in her office discussing it, but this reality felt new and scary. 

"Your grandfather was very upset you didn’t show up to meet him today,” said the shorter man. “He sent us to come get you.”

“But how did you find me?”

The two men grinned at each other and William’s eyes flitted between them.

“You think a powerful man like your grandfather doesn’t have eyes everywhere?” said the taller man. “Now come on, they’re expecting you.” 

The two men grabbed William from either side and shoved him toward a black sedan waiting in the bust stop parking lot. He looked around to see if there was anyone he could cry out to for help, but the rest of the lot was abandoned. He ducked his head as the shorter man pushed him into the backseat while the taller man got into the driver’s seat. As the driver sat down his jacket opened up and William could see a holstered gun in his belt. 

He swallowed hard. This was really happening. Two armed men had kidnapped him and were taking him to meet his supposed grandfather so he could help him survive an alien invasion. If he weren’t so terrified in the moment he would have laughed because it all sounded so insane. Instead, he stared out the window as the car pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway. 

They drove in silence for more than an hour, headed east on Route 26 with nothing to see but empty fields and blue skies. 

“No gas stations in this state?” The driver said as he turned to the shorter man in the passenger seat. 

Not much of anything here , William wanted to respond but was still too paralyzed by terror to speak. 

“Might have to turn off the highway,” said the shorter man.

“No!” William called out from the backseat. “There’s a big service station in a few miles. I’ve been down this way with my parents before. I think so, anyway.”

“Want to be more specific?” asked the driver.

“Um, I don’t remember. But it’s coming up. Don’t get off the highway,” William said. He was only vaguely confident in this. He knew that he’d driven on this road with his parents before and there were gas stations sparsely spread out. He also knew he’d have a better chance of finding someone who could help him at a busy highway rest stop rather than a single-pump gas station in a rural Wyoming town.

“He doesn’t remember,” said the shorter man with a chuckle. “Kid’s supposed to be the savior of all mankind and he can’t give us solid directions.” 

“Well, we’ll take your word for it, kid,” said the driver. “Not like we have any better ideas.” 

William held his breath as the miles ticked by until finally he saw a large service station with a rest stop on the horizon.

“There you go,” said the driver who spotted it nearly at the same time. “Maybe he’s psychic after all.” 

They pulled up to a pump at the gas station and the driver got out to fill up the car. 

“Can I, um, go to the bathroom?”William asked. 

The shorter man in the passenger seat sighed and then said, “Fine, but I’m coming with you. And don’t try anything stupid.”

The rest stop wasn’t extensive, just a small coffee shop and a single-person bathroom. The shorter man peeked into the bathroom first and then, after finding no windows or other means of escape, pushed William inside.

“Be quick,” he said. “I’ll be right outside.” 

William walked in, locked the door behind him, and tried to come up with a plan. 

Growing up, his ability to see what others were thinking or subtly move objects with his mind would come and go. His “therapy” with Monica was all about learning to focus his power by tuning out all external stimuli. She also helped him unlock a new skill—how to subtly shift other people’s perception and create a new reality. He could use it to make himself appear to be someone else or even make himself, in the eyes of others at least, invisible.

He still hadn’t quite mastered this newest ability, but If there were a time he needed to do it, it was now.  Like water , he reminded himself, flow like water . Monica had a hippy-dippy way of speaking that could make him laugh but some of her sayings stuck with him. He took a deep inhale and closed his eyes, imagining the atoms of his physical body shifting into a fluid state. 

Then he opened the bathroom door. He stared straight at the shorter man sent to guard him but there was no look of recognition. Instead, the man looked puzzled. He swiveled his head from side to side, searching. 

It worked, William thought to himself. He wasn’t sure how long he could make this last so he took advantage of the moment and sprinted through the rest stop and back out into the parking lot. The driver was still filling up the car and didn’t even look up when the door to the service station swung open. 

He reached into his pocket for his phone but then realized contacting his family or anyone else could potentially put them in danger. There was also the chance he was being tracked by his phone. With that thought, he took the phone out of his pocket and tossed it across the lot. The sound of it hitting the pavement caught the attention of the driver at the car and he looked up but didn’t register William.

The lot was sparsely populated and William evaluated his options. Two semi trucks were parked around the other side of the building. He ducked in between them and concentrated on reorienting himself to sensory details, the feeling of the wind on his skin, the smell of gasoline from the pumps, just like Monica had taught him, to bring himself back into his own body.

“You lost?” he heard a voice and nearly jumped in shock. William spun around and saw a truck driver peering at him from the window in the cab. 

“I- I was on a field trip….with my school and I think the bus left without me,” he said.  

“Anyone you can call?” asked the driver.

“I don’t have my phone.” 

“Well, do you know where they were headed?”

“Um, South Carolina?” William heard the words as if someone else was speaking them. Where did that come from? he wondered.  

“Damn.” The driver whistled. “That’s a long drive. Well, I can take you as far as Chicago if that helps.” 

“That’d be a huge help, thanks, sir,” he said.

“No problem. Hop in.”

William climbed up to the passenger side of the cab.

“I’m Jake by the way,” said the driver.

“William,” he said. 

Jake started up the engine and turned the truck toward the highway. William glanced back at the parking lot and saw the two men who’d taken him from the bus standing in front of their car arguing. Neither paid any attention to the semi-truck driving away.

William tried focusing on the images in his mind of his birth mother. He didn’t know why, but he felt confident that he had to find her—and his biological father—to learn the truth.

[nebulouscoffee]

For the character ask game: Hoshi Sato, Seven of Nine, and Wesley Crusher!

Hahaha thanks for being my no.1 enabler as usual and sending me such a great triple ask! Prepare for Essay <3

Hoshi

one aspect about them i love

Her whole multilingual thing and having to figure it all out without the Universal Translator was so, so cool to me. Honestly, when I think back to what worked from Enterprise's whole "early days" pitch, it's the first thing that comes to mind. And gosh her backstory with the isolation she felt as a gifted child who spent most of her time in classes... all those languages, and no one to speak to. Really makes her presence on Earth's first deep space mission Hit Different!

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

Well, that she's actually quite a three-dimensional character! Yes, they often didn't know what to do with her and her screentime got reduced later on, but she's more than just the "naive young ensign" archetype- in fact, one of my favourite things about her is how uniquely real she feels (that scene where she had to settle a dispute with some aliens they'd accidentally pissed off and she didn't even speak their language and was straight up on the verge of tears while talking to them, but then gradually gained confidence? That sort of stuff with her was so good!)

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

Personally I will never be over the fact that in like season FOUR or something they just randomly dropped that she was originally discharged from Starfleet (!!) for getting into a fight (!!!?) over an illegal poker game she was running (iirc??) and breaking her commanding officer's arm (??!?) because apparently she has a black belt in Aikido (!!??!) Good lord, how many other secret skills does she have then? She's literally a prodigy who grew up with no friends I bet there's dozens lmaooo I bet she can pick locks and yodel and swing from a trapeze

one character i love seeing them interact with

She and Phlox have a sweet dynamic- you get the sense that her curiosity and open-mindedness and friendliness really make him feel more at home, as one of the only aliens on the ship

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

T'Pol!! T'Pol, T'Pol- the show gave them little to no scenes together, but it really could've been something so interesting, especially in the context of cultural exchange and nonwestern frameworks. And yes, they make for a wonderful ship too- but judging by the state of our dms lately I certainly don't need to tell you that😂

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

She and Phlox have a whole mini zoo of secret and illegal pets.

Seven

one aspect about them i love

The entire premise of her character is fantastic imo, and Jeri Ryan is terrific in the role. Her quest to discover personhood as an adult while also reckoning with all the violence she inflicted on such a mass scale (which itself was a result of horrifying violations of her own body and mind that she can barely remember) while also trying to reconcile the grief of all those lost years... wow

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

... I mean, I wish the showrunners had understood that Seven works best as part of an ensemble, and "ensemble" means occasionally giving the others something to do?😂😂 And that the whole deal with her biosuit and conventionally feminine hotness just didn't match the character; she should've been allowed to look and act WAY more weird and off-putting I think

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

Ignoring ST: Picard canon (which I always do), I think after Voyager returns to the AQ, Seven would dig deeper into the concept and pursuit of "perfection"- the show painted it as a quasi-religious thing for her, and then never brought it up again! I think now, abruptly ripped from her home and family and confronted with a big scary quadrant to explore, she'd try on spirituality, at least for a little bit- try to reconcile it with her very scientific algorithms of thought, if only so for a brief while she can make the universe make sense

one character i love seeing them interact with

Many answers (Janeway, Tuvok, etc) but I'm going to highlight one I actually didn't notice much on first watch- she and Neelix have kind of an interesting dynamic! They have more scenes together than I remembered, and they give each other some really good advice

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

B'Elanna. Their supposed "rivalry" never really made sense to me lol, they could've come up with a legitimately interesting conflict between them, or just made them friends- as is, it just sort of comes off like they're fighting because... women be like that, I suppose? Lol, don't get me wrong- some of their scenes together are great ("We difficult patients need to stick together") but I wish we'd gotten more

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

She and Tuvok sometimes hang out in the mess hall at night, when the whole ship is dark, and quiet, and they can just stare at the stars, help alleviate each others' loneliness, while also giving each other a break from the exhausting ordeal of conventional socialising. Four hours in and not a single word spoken😌

Wesley

one aspect about them i love

Apart from being generally very sweet and helpful, Wes (and Alexander too) is what makes the crew feel like a family to me- like, this kid just has so many sets of parents! (Bev & Picard are his Parents parents, Data & Geordi are his work parents, Riker & Guinan are his weird parents, Deanna & Tasha are his fun parents, and Worf is... ok Worf can just be Worf lol the poor man has more than enough on his plate already)

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

That he's literally just a child, I suppose. Like- he's fourteen, of course he does and says stupid things on occasion! It generally doesn't bother me when people dislike characters I like but a lot of the Wesley hate I've seen across platforms feels distinctly anti-children in a weirdly malicious way

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

Starfleet Academy must've been a WILD transition for him, I mean sure it's a high-pressure environment and very competitive and everything- but he was on the literal bridge of the flagship of the Federation! All his bffs were highly intelligent and competent (sometimes superhumanly so) adults at the tops of their fields. How much experience does he even have socialising with kids his age? Does he ever feel like he just can't relate to any of them? Probably??

one character i love seeing them interact with

Ooh lots of answers here; I do think he brings out the best in Picard, and I love his dynamic with several others too- but I'm gonna go with Geordi. I know I called him one of Wesley's parents earlier but that was just a joke lol, truthfully Geordi has this extremely chill and almost like brotherly friendship with him, and he always respects Wesley's opinions and hears him out and never really condescends to him and I just think it's neat!

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

Lmao, Beverly. It's really weird how little the show seems to care about their relationship! I mean they obviously do have a positive one, and Bev is very loving and protective of him, but they don't actually share all that much screentime per se. So that means I have to headcanon slightly less positive things, like-

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

what if Beverly's absence during such a crucial year in his life (S2) sort of left a gap in their relationship they never quite managed to patch up? No resentment exactly, just... less connection than before. She's still very important to him of course, but not the first person he'd go to with good news. (I don't mean this in a negative way towards Beverly btw! I actually do like that the show wanted to give her more storylines beyond just being Wesley's Mum)

[friendly-neighborhood-imbecille]

i shudder before the bee....

Analysis Conclusive! Asteroid composed entirely of unique anti-ghost element, Ecto-ranium! Negative effects of which can only be felt by ghosts.

It would be most effective in making anti-ghost weapons and to ease Masters' takeover of the Ghost Zone.

And I shall be the one to tell him the good news!

No, I shall!

I shall!

Your resolution is much too low and your bandwidth is far too large!

Why, you HOLOGRAPHIC-!

What a glorious morning. Defeating Frostbite and pilfering the all powerful Infi-map. If this keeps up, I should be ruling the galaxy by lunch.

Kitchen's closed, Plasmius! Give us back the map! 

Ahh!

Let's rock!

3... 2... 1... Punch it!

I know you're a lost guy, Vlad, but no map is going to help you find your way. You need therapy for that.

Uhh...

Seriously, dude. 

Therapy.

The fusion reactor! If the flames reach it, it will explode!

Taking my map, destroying my satellite, mocking my mental health, it's time I finally finished of Danny Phantom once and for all.

Ah, home sweet home. Nothing like good ol' solid terra firma.

I thought you liked being in space, Sam. All that infinite darkness everywhere.

Yeah. Well, I like my darkness with a little more oxygen and a lot less asteroids.

Still, it's cool we were able to help out Frostbite. I bet he'll be glad to get his map back.

Yeah. We'll return it to him as soon as we can. But right now, though, I'm with Sam. It's good to be back to where things are normal. 

Attention, Amity Park! The Fentons are on patrol! Rest assured the streets are safe! Uh, city water supply A-Okay.

Yep, normal.

Nothing like a lazy day of shopping, lattes, and terrorizing minimum-wage workers. Boo. 

I'm going ghost! 

Well, look on the bright side. At least I'm not downloading them illegally. 

Next register, Cyber-jerk!

Behold, Ghost child!

The perfect combination of technology, past AND present! 

The Car-Puter!

"It will drive you... to your DOOM!" 

Great. My first car accident and I'm not even driving yet!

Hey! Tucker! Sam!

Huh?

Yo, I got it Vid!

Awesome Thrash! Take it Download.

Downloaded. Shaw.

Uh, who are those guys?

I don't know, but those are the coolest jumpsuits I've ever seen! Uh, except yours, of course. Black is very slimming.

Adolescents! How dare you? And another thing, the high tech look is my bit! 

Ghost guy gone, area's safe. Have a righteous day.

Masters' Blasters stop disasters!

Greetings, citizens. I hope you've enjoyed this presentation of Amity Park's newest teen ghost fighting team, Masters' Blasters.

Masters' Blasters?

As mayor, I provided city funding for this top notch troop. Equipped with the latest teen technology, they're going to stop ghosts and succeed where Danny Phantom has so obviously failed.

Teen ghost fighters?

Teen technology?

Where Danny Phantom has so obviously failed?

My plan is very simple, out with the old and in with the new! And the old should give up now now if he knows what's good for him.

If Vlad's funding them, then they're definitely up to something.

Hmm, they can't fight ghosts if there are no ghosts to fight, right?

Uh, right.

So you just fight ghosts like crazy.

Yeah, remind everyone in this town how there's no better ghost fighter than Danny Phantom.

You're right. I'll just show 'em who's boss around here. Buckle up guys, Operation: Danny Phantom Rocks is about to begin!

Hmm, 3 news photos of you in your underwear, 9 more and you can have your own calendar.

This is serious, Tucker. As far as this town is concerned, Vlad's goons have totally replaced Danny Phantom.

Did you say Danny Phantom? He's wonderful!

He's my hero!

But he's yesterday's news! Masters' Blasters gave us cool stuff!

Masters' Blasters stop disasters!

Cheer up, Danny. All you have to do is make everyone see you for the hero we know you are.

You can do it, dude. And try a cool slogan. "Danny Phantom stops..." uh, nothing rhymes with "Phantom"

Keep working on that. I'm goin' ghost!

Haha. Check this out, everyone. There's not a ghost anywhere that can stand up to Danny Phantom, the original teen ghost fighter!

Yes, as you can see, Amity Park is in much cooler, safer hands, thanks to Masters' Blasters.

I always knew that Phantom kid was a menace! Not only did he nearly kill Sam and Tucker, but he destroyed a perfectly good parade balloon and that's just plain un-American.

But, Dad. It was just an accident. I for one am glad there's someone out there protecting us. 

Me, too. And they're called Masters' Blasters. Vladdie's team has style, guts, acne, and they're humans, plus they gave my this zippity-keen-o poster.

Why are your folks messing with the Fenton Portal?

Dad's breaking it down to stage one so he can update the software. He says this way, He'll be able to catch ghosts and download songs faster.

Isn't science awesome?

It kinda looks the same way it did when you first got your ghost powers, Danny.

Can we stop talking about my powers, please? They're causing me nothing but problems, lately. I'm starting to think that maybe we'd all be better off without 'em.

Okay, that's enough for today. Come on Maddie, I'll let you rub my feet and remember, I have bunions.

Thank goodness I'm wearing gloves.

This thing gave me my powers. I wonder if it could--

Danny, what are you thinking?

Name one good reason why I should keep my powers.

You're the target of hundreds of evil ghosts. Oh, wait, that's a bad one. I'll go back to rhyming "Phantom".

Danny, think of all the good you've done and our doing. If you took your powers away now--

Hey, Masters' Blasters, remember me? The old orange guy, I --

Jack and Madeline Fenton, our readings indicate an ectoplasmic entity on the premises.

By order of the mayor, you're both under arrest for harboring a ghost.

That does it! I'm goin' ghost! Can't catch ghosts anymore, almost hurt my friends.

Now my parents are arrested because of me?

Danny, stop. This isn't the way.

You're a hero, Danny. We can talk about this.

Don't do it, dude. We'll find something that rhymes with "Phantom".

Sorry, guys.

Danny, can you hear me? How do you feel?

Human.

Danny. Danny, can you hear me?

Did he just do what I think he just did?

You mean step back into the Fenton Portal, remove his ghost powers and revert his DNA profile back to that of a normal human?

I was gonna say go un-ghost, but that works too.

Greetings, dudes. We're here to, like, police the premises for signs of any spectral activity.

Just go about your business. We're not even here.

There you go, dude. And remember, your mayor, who watches constantly, loves you.

Wha- what happened? Did it work?

You didn't register on the blasters' scanners.

So that means... I'm goin ghost! I said goin' ghost. Haha. It worked! I don't have my ghost powers anymore! I'm normal again. Isn't that awesome?

Yeah.

Great

Thrilling

Oh, come on, you guys, don't you realize what this means?

Yeah, that you're just an average, every day not special human again.

Oh, come on, Sam. think of how great this is gonna be. I won't have to fight ghosts anymore. Now we can all just be normal teenagers and hang out as much as we want.

Yeah. Normal rocks.

Hey, if it's what you wanted, then I'm glad for you, man.

It is, thanks.

Looks like we'll have to find other things to occupy our time, huh?

Looks like.

There's this new Masters' Blasters video game we can play. It's cool. You hunt ghosts. See ya.

I really can't believe you did that. It feels like a lost a good friend. Someone I was just starting to get to know.

Why is everyone but me bummed about this? Danny Phantom's not needed anymore. From now on, Danny Fenton is just a nice, normal kid from a nice, normal family. Now let's go get Mom & Dad out of jail.

Thanks for getting us out of jail, kids. I knew there must have been some sort of mistake.

I was never worried. I was this close to tunneling us out of there with my trusty ice cream spoon, but then they served ice cream, so, well... you know.

By the way Danny, I think it's cute what you've done to your hair.

Yeah. Kinda reminds me of the band I was in back in the 80s. The Skunk Punks.

The Skunk Punks Stink?

Yeah we walked right into that one.

Um, you guys head on home. It's such a nice normal day that I thought I'd kinda walk around and be, you know, normal.

Alright. Just be normally careful. Bye bye.

Don't worry. I plan on being careful for a long, long time.

And it's been another busy day for Mayor Master's Masters' Blasters, who are now charging a small fee to cover their growing expenses.

Yes, quality ghost fighting is getting very expensive these days. Time, equipment, storage, it all adds up. And since that cowardly Danny Phantom disappeared, not that he ever was helpful, there's no one else in town to assist us. Oh there are certainly a few crack pots out there, who think they have what it takes, but they only get in our way. It seems that when it comes to fighting ghosts we're the only game in town. And I do so love games. I-I mean...have a nice day.

Ah this is the life. Just sitting around, not fighting ghosts with my totally ordinary pals. Could you pass me a corndog? Sam. Wait! There's no reason to get mad the corndogs are made of tofu.

I'm not mad about corndogs. You're not you anymore. You're just a normal kid. And a selfish one at that.

How am I selfish? Because I don't want to endanger the people I care about the most?

Danny don't you get it? Your powers gave you a chance to change things. A chance that no one else had, and I was thrilled to help you. But now you're just one of the crowd again.

What's wrong with that?

Everything. You got to fight ghosts after school while other kids fought acne. And you don't seem to care what you gave up.

I care. I just care about you and my family more.

When you had your powers I knew that this town was protected from evil. But now, who knows where we're headed. I'll always be your friend Danny, and I'll always be there for you. But I can't live life just sitting on the sidelines. I'm surprised you think you can.

Blech. Tofu.

How dare they serve veggie burgers today?! And how dare you students eat them?!

Aaah! Somebody help!

No more sitting on the sidelines. Hang on Dash-

Masters' Blasters stop disasters.

Chill dude.

What's with you, Fenton? Who do you think you are? Danny Phantom. You guys are the coolest ghost fighters ever.

Thanks dude. That'll be three hundred bucks.

I'm going ghost! 

There, there dear. So the ghost portal exploded. It's not the end of the world. You can always make another one.

I don't want another one. That portal and I have been through a lot together. And all because I wanted to download music faster. Oh curse me. And my impatience.

We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news from the universal observatory.

Earlier today our stellar readings indicated that a massive asteroid is hurdling across the solar system.

Where its trajectory will send it crashing directly into the Earth.

If immediate action is not taken our entire planet will be completely destroyed.

We estimate we have one week before impact.

The fate of the human race is at stake. One week. Use it wisely.

News of the approaching asteroid, which some are now calling the Disasteroid, circulates around the globe. Countries are combining their greatest technologies to stop the oncoming threat. Sadly it appear that our best may not be good enough. And speaking of not good enough, let's go live to Fenton Works.

Thanks, Shelly. I'm here ringside where a privately funded mission to stop the Disasteroid is underway.

I can't believe I'm just sitting here at a computer console when I should be out there stopping this. And I really can't believe we have to do this with him.

We would have never been able to get this mission up and running so fast if he hadn't paid for everything. So at least until the world is saved, chill.

How's it going young man?

Uh. My dad Jack Fenton is piloting our new--

--My new.

Fenton Rocket. And is on his way to destroy the asteroid.

He looks very serious about his mission.

You'd be serious too if you had to eat this freaky astronaut food. Freeze dried yam smelt surprise. What the heck is that?

With me now is Amity Park's mayor Vlad Masters. I understand you've sent in your own team of experts.

Oh yes. Seeing as the world is in jeopardy, I felt that the Masters' Blasters presence was an absolute necessity. Plus, think of how well their action figures will sell.

Dad. Mission status?

Reading seismic drill charges. Now!

Detonation in three. Two. One.

Everyone cheers.

Ha! I knew we could do it. There isn't a rock anywhere that could outsmart Jack Fenton.

That's the Disasteroid. You had us blow up the wrong one, you idiot.

But I-I couldn't have. Vladdie punches in the asteroid's coordinates for me. Yam smelt surprise?

That…that was our last chance.

Oops. Looks like I set the wrong coordinates. Silly me. You know how bad I can be with computers. Looks like your father has failed once again, and when I time needs a hero the most.

At least he tried, Vlad. What have you done except send others to do your work for you?

And where are you Danny Phantom? It looks like my plan to shame you into hiding was even more effective than I could have hoped.

I'm just getting word that scientists now know that the Disasteroid originated from the rings of Saturn two weeks ago.

Saturn? Your satellite exploded. That's what moved the asteroid. You're the one who caused this catastrophe.

Defeating you was just the first act of my little show. Get ready for act two.

Tell me again, why are we here?

Because we've got to see what Vlad's up to. He says he's got new that will impact the entire world.

Citizens of the Earth. I have news that will impact the entire world. Though every attempt at destroying the Disasteroid has failed, I come to you today offering an alternative solution. One I think you will find most surprising.

No!

I did not see that coming.

Yes, though I use my human half to walk among you, it is obvious that I am a far superior creature.

Who are you?

Though the world has come to know me as Vlad Masters billionaire mayor of Amity Park, I prefer you call me by my chosen slightly more evil name…Vlad Plasmius.

Vlad's a ghost?

I have a proposition to make. The nations of the world must agree unanimously to pay be five hundred billion dollars and make me absolute ruler. In return I shall use my ghost powers

To destroy the Disasteroid?

No. To turn it intangible.

Evil. But ingenious. That way it'll just pass harmlessly through the Earth.

It's your choice world. Be destroyed or me saved. Oh, and ruled by me. I eagerly await your decision.

What happens now?

Looks like we either change the name of the Earth to Vladsylvania, or I somehow figure a way out of this mess.

And that concludes act two of what I like to call one nation under Vlad. On to the finale.

How could you hold the world hostage like that Vladdie? And after the good fortune you've had in your life.

Good fortune?! You infect me with ghost DNA then steal the love of my life and you call that good fortune?

I infected you? You mean…

Yes fool. It was your bumbling that made me what I am today. But, I suppose I should be saying thank you. For without you I wouldn't be moments away from becoming ruler of the Earth.

I never meant to hurt you. What happened was an accident. I'm your friend, Vladdie. I've always been your friend. I even voted for you!

I'll remember that when I steal Maddie from you and make her my queen.

Asteroid contact in five hundred meters oh future ruler of the Earth.

Ah. No. No. No! What is the meaning of this?

Asteroid composed entirely of the unique anti-ghost element ecto-ranium. Ecto-ranium. Ecto-ranium.

Ecto-ranium? Then I can never touch it. No ghost can. That means…the Earth is doomed. And even if it wasn't I could never go back. I've revealed…my true self. I'll be forever hunted. Jack, you have to help me. You wouldn't turn your back on an old friend, would you?

An old friend? No. You? Yes.

Jack!

What are we gonna do?

What if we don't make the asteroid intangible?

Then it would obliterate the Earth

Not if we made the Earth intangible.

The whole Earth? Intangible? Are you kidding?

Yeah you'd need like a bazillion ghosts to do that.

Behold…the addresses of a bazillion ghosts.

Now that's the Danny I know. So much for sitting on the sidelines, huh?

But how are we going to get into the Ghost Zone? Your portal is ruined and we're never gonna get near Vlad's place now that everyone knows who he really is.

I've got it covered. Come on. The Infi-map can lead us into any entrance into the Ghost Zone anywhere on the Earth. And according to the map one's about to open right here.

Now I know how my chili fries feel.

I-I don't believe--

Believe it Jazz. Welcome to the Ghost Zone. Sort of a Ghosts R' Us.

But all the shelves are empty. Where the heck is everybody?

What's going on?

Foolish of you to come here in your human form ghost child. Seeking refuge in the Ghost Zone like all the others?

What others?

All these ghosts! They returned here because you humans put your world in danger. Now the Ghost Zone is bursting at the seams.

But it's the flip side of our world. If the Earth gets destroyed, the Ghost Zone goes, too.

You guys get into the escape pod.

But Danny…

Activate cloaking.

It's not enough you destroy your own world, now you have to destroy ours, too?

Wait. You don't under--

Fire!

You just made a big mistake. Well gang, there's good news and bad news. Good news my powers are back. Bad news…my powers are back!

Danny! It's you! Well, it was always you, but…

I know what you mean Sam. Thanks.

Those ghosts are going to come back and something tells me they're not gonna be too happy about helping us.

You're right. We better get out of here until we've got this thing figured out.

If we went into the billboard's mouth I don't wanna know where we're coming out.

Danny Phantom is back. After a strange absence the teen ghost fighter has returned with a message for the world.

Uh, hello there. I have a plan that could save us all from the asteroid. And this one is absolutely free. How great is that?

If ghosts can't touch the asteroid, then how are you gonna stop it?

Because we're not gonna turn the asteroid intangible, we're gonna turn the Earth intangible.

Ahem. Ladies, gentlemen, various nations and stuff. My name is Tucker Foley and I…am a Techno Geek.

Hi Tucker!

Dudes. The new plan is very simple. With a strong enough ghostly power source and a big enough transfer device, we can send the ghost intangibility across the entire planet. This way the Disasteroid will pass harmlessly through.

That's the plan. Who's with us?

They never put that much effort into their school work.

Tucker Foley will lead the construction team in building the transfer device while Jack and Maddie Fenton's team will spread the transfer cables across the globe. If we all come together, not as separate nations but as one world, we can do this.

Not bad, huh? Now all we need is a massive ghost power source. You sure you don't want us to go with you?

I'm sure. I can move faster on my own. By the way, where do mom and dad think Danny Fenton is right now anyway.

With them. I redressed the Tuckbot 9000 to look and act like you. They'll never know the difference.

Nothing like saving the world with your old man, eh Danny?

Comment does not compute.

Your voice is changing already? Man they grow up so fast.

Gotta go. According to the map a portal is gonna open up over the pole any minute now.

See ya back here soon little brother. And thanks.

It's the ring you were gonna give Valerie. You asked me to hold it, remember? Something tells me it was really meant for me. Take it with you, but promise to bring it back. If you promise, then…then I know I'll see you again.

I-if we make it through this.

When we make it through this.

Right. When we make it through this. I have a few things I need to talk to you about.

I think I'd be willing to listen. And no matter how this thing ends, this whole ride we've been on together, I wouldn't change it for the world. Not one bit.

Me neither. I--. Wow. Remind me to save the world more often.

Go.

Right on cue. Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. One ghost power source coming up. Okay. One down. Ninety six bazillion to go. Awesome! I think this is gonna work.

Auto eject.

What?

We warned you once, ghost brat.

Wait let me explain. Our worlds are linked. If mine goes yours goes, too. I have a plan. Look, I know you hate my world and wouldn't lift a finger to help it, but I thought you might care about saving your own.

He's coming back!

Danny. No.

He…he can't be.

It's coming!

Listen, I just want you all to know that…I love you. And I'm so proud of each and every one of you for trying your best.

We love you too, dad.

At least we're all together.

I…oh mom. There's something you need to know.

A robot? Where's Danny? Jazz where's your brother? Jack, where's Danny?

Look! The portal!

I still can't believe you guys agreed to help me. Looks like there is a heart under all cyber armor.

Don't get too sentimental. We're not here to save you, we're here to save us.

Let's just get this party started. Tucker. How. Much. Longer?

Now!

Where's the asteroid?

Phew.

Awesome.

Nice job, little brother. Or should I say…hero.

I don't know what to say other than, thanks Skulker.

Don't get too mushy on us, ghost child. Remember, I'll never stop hunting you. And now that you've saved your world, you're a much more valuable prize.

Nice job, Danny. Or should we say, Danny...

What? Uh. Sorry citizens, but I have no idea what you're talking about.

Isn't there something you wanna tell us?

It's okay, Danny. They know.

Citizens of Amity Park and of the world. As the youngest mayor in Amity Park history, it's my great honor to present this commemorative statue honoring the hero who bravely saved us all, Danny Phantom. An exact duplicate of this statue stands proudly in the capital of every nation of the world. And each will stand for as long as we have our world, because thanks to Danny Phantom, we still have one.

I still wonder how Danny was able to fool us for so long.

Good question, but I gotta admit, he was good. After all, it's nearly impossible to fool me. Isn't that right, Danny?

Affirmative, father.

That's my boy.

Where the heck are Danny and Sam?

I don't know. He said he had some unfinished business to attend to.

I can't believe you didn't want to attend your own ceremony.

Eh, you know me. I kinda like sitting on the sidelines sometimes.

And your folks are cool with knowing your secret identity?

Yeah. The time for secrets is over. The world is safe, time for new beginnings. My dad says he even wants me to team up with him now. Says I can be his sidekick.

You're a big star now. Probably the biggest in the world.

Yeah. It's weird, huh?

You'll probably get pretty busy.

What else is new?

And I probably won't see much of you anymore.

Oh, I wouldn't count on that. Sam, I could never have done any of this without you. And I don't care what's coming next I just hope that whatever it is, you're there to share it with me.

I will be. I just have to warn you, I'm no push over you know. I still have my own way of doing things.

That's what I'm counting on.

Actually, being a free roaming space nomad isn't half bad. At least it's quiet and I--

What do you say, wanna go for a ride? See where the future takes us?

Why not? Cool statue. Personally I would have made it out of recycled materials but, you know, that's just me.

[lazuli-writes]

What if Joffrey Waters was a hero?

summary: A extremely brief look on turning one of the most hated brats into someone decent.

pairing: none

genre: rabbit hole rambles

estimated word count:

a/n: Apologies, this is ancient as heck and as such almost all of my former information that made up the rest of this au is a tad bit gone and nonexistent. I hope y’all can enjoy what little I have to offer. Remember folks, copying other people’s works is plagiarism and that’s illegal. Don’t be that kind of person. Anyways, hope you all enjoy it :)

©little-lazuli. Do not copy, repost, or translate without permission

Okie dokie, today’s topic of discussion follows this small tiny idea I had. What if Joffrey was a hero and lemme get y’all into it. This is gonna be a lot of gray areas and ooc-ness. But anyways, let’s start.

So I have three fixed aspects that changes the course of Joffrey’s story: 1) Joffrey discovers the truth of his heritage, 2) Joffrey lives on the isle of faces for a time and 3) Joffrey changes his name. And let me explain why I picked these three. Joffrey needs something horribly drastic in my opinion to make his head spin, what other way to do that then for him to discover his dad is his mom’s brother. That’s rough buddy. The isle of faces was a place I always wanted to explore. And Joffrey’s name change was a move I thought would be perfectly symbolic of him taking on a new life and also, the name “Joffrey” makes me gag every time I say out loud. So now let’s go on.

Boom Joffrey walks into a room and sees Cersei and Jaime doing the “utu bang bang” (islander term for sexc times) and his mind cannot handle the mental fallout. At first he’s filled with rage. He thinks his uncle is assaulting his mom. Trying and failing to attack his uncle who holds him still. Cersei tries and fails to comfort her son. He’s disgusted at the revelation that Jaime is his father. And does the only thing he can think of. He runs.

Fleeing a castle, then a city and then an entire territory under the control of one’s “parents” is a hard thing Joffrey comes to discover. Hiding in the red keep for a couple days to be alone with his thoughts is something that aids in helping Joffrey with digesting the news. Escaping kings landing in an effort to separate himself further was another hard feat. He wasn’t just trying to escape his mother so that she could try to feed him more lies. Cause turns out, his entire existence was a lie. He was a bastard born of incest. His father wasn’t his father. His mother and uncle were living it up. And it was clear that Joffrey’s life could never be the same again now that he was inadvertently enlightened to this whole damn conspiracy. Everything went out of whack real quick, too quick for Joffrey to properly process and accept. So instead of competing with his true parents in trying to maintain a secret, he instead decided “why not run instead?”

So he ran and ran and ran some more. Life on the road was EYE OPENING for the former prince. He didn’t know peasants really lived in such… poverty. It was disgusting at first. But soon when Joffrey discovered what it felt to be truly hungry in the same sense as some of the smallfolk did, cleanliness seemed liked the last thing on his mind. Bridlewood was a quaint village that Joffrey had found himself in eventually. The food he stole was really good there and he sold the last of the jewels he had for a night in an inn. But of course that lasted like five seconds before he had to go on running once again from his mother’s men.

Whitewalls or at least the ruined lands of whitewalls was not so much of a nice place. Though the land was salted in the distant past, some tough weeds seemed to grow anew. The castle’s foundations were decrepit and broken, but just enough to provide a stable place for Joffrey to nap. Right on the edge of the gods eyes, smallfolk were always passing by, whether they were camping on the grounds, sailing up and down the god’s eye or just traveling through. Obtaining food and water became less of a hassle with his stay there. By this point it has been months since he took flight from kings landing. Joffrey’s biggest concern was always being dragged back to face his mother who Joffrey genuinely believed to be sick in the head.

That was another fear Joffrey had come to realize eventually. Was he sick like his mother? He did not find any of his family members attractive. Then again no one caught Joffrey’s eye. He knew deep down he thought some were enough to give another look to, but the idea of being a romantic relationship with anyone was weird and uncomfy for Joffrey to consider. It wasn’t long before Joffrey’s temporary haven at Whitewalls were interrupted by the coming Lannister and Baratheon search parties that have become almost routine throughout much of the kingdoms, all searching for the lost prince.

So what did Joffrey do, run. Again. Well, not so much run but instead stole a raft and rowed himself across the gods eye. It was nighttime when the soldiers came so when he finally reached shore the first thing Joffrey did was pass out, exhausted from the manual labor he still had not become accustomed to due to his pampered origins. And it was these same pampered origins that made him freak out when he woke up in a cell of sorts. He thought that his mom had finally caught him and for a split second believed that she was gonna kill him to keep the secret. But no, turns out it was the green men of the isle of faces who had captured him.

For the sake of this large tangent of a what if, imma summarize Joffrey’s time in the isle of faces. So going off of the aging of the show, Joffrey was born in 282 AC, when he is twelve (294 AC) he leaves and spends months on the run before winding up on the isle of faces. Here he lives as a smallfolk amongst the green men. He learns how magic exists in the world and how everyone has a role to play in the war to come. Joffrey at the behest of the green men decides to take on a new identity, a new name for the new man he is to become so he takes on the name Jason (yes how unoriginal but that’s not the point). Now known as Jason, Jason learns the basic survival skills of any person lingering in the wilderness in Westeros. He learns how to start a fire and hunt using a bow and arrow. He learns how to fish and even skin game to make him clothes. And it’s through these strenuous acts that Jason learns to humble himself. Jason still has his issues, mostly mommy and daddy issues and how he lacks the ability to maintain trust in those he lacks a relationship with. Only few of the green men people are able to maintain a friendship with the new Jason because of his trust issues.

After spending three years on the isle of faces, Jason has become almost a man grown in the eyes of Westeros. He had learned to take of care himself and have even witnessed the inner magics of the Green Men. His greatest experience is when he was given a prophecy by one of the green seers on the islands;

“You will be the salvation of many animals in the forest young one. A lion, a wolf, a falcon and a trout. All of whom you will save. All of whom will betray you in the end”

The prophecy is something that shakes him to the core though he’d never… and now my train of thought is completely gone because I started this four years ago and found it again only now. Apologies, I truly didn’t want to end it here but I’m literally drawing ten thousand blanks on continuing this au so for now this will have to suffice. Please share any thoughts on how this au should play out cause I do remember that the people he saved was Jaime, Sansa, Sweetrobin and Edmure Tully. Some other prophecies I had pertaining to this au included :

Green men prophecies:

“You will be the salvation of many animals in the forest. A lion, a wolf, a falcon and a trout. All of whom, will betray you in the end”

“Four gold lions will dance with a dragon, one lion will flee as green flames fly, another will dance until the dragon dies, one will wear a golden crown and the last will crumble to the ground”

“Your gold crown is muddled with truths you will never have assured”

“You will always find refuge in the lands of the emerald crown”

Ghost of High Heart Prophecy:

“I see an ocean of broken fires is where the pride is waiting. A pride with a roar so powerful, even the dragons will calm at it’s sight, but only barely. Only waters can claim the pride, and with that pride, the waters will swallow up the last dragon in the world and see to the end of a kingdom”

Old Crone of Valyria Prophecy:

“If one wishes to go east, they must go west, only there will the waters see forth the future it desires. But be warned, yellow flames, red flames and green flames will come, waiting to swallow a man whole”

Joffrey’s Prophetic Dreams

“I saw a frail little falcon, and it was singing to the forest… trying to at least. But another bird, smaller but visibly stronger sang the same song as the little falcon. The other bird would sing so loud that the falcon could not be heard”

“A herd of horses are abusing a small wolf until a lion comes to slaughter all of the horses”

Do with that as you will, thank you for reading and again feel free to share any thoughts and possibilities of the au, thank you and bye!

[myahawkins]

#1 A place for me - After college I wasn't the most clueful person on really what to do with my life... and because I've never really been the most social of people (Me being the poster child for Introverted shutins) I kind of didn't have... anyone... so I was left with the decision to either stay in Nebraska or move back home to Kansas.

Nebraska had nothing for me really (Except a fresh start) and Kansas wasn't bad for someone like me especially since... I left a lot of people behind when I went to college. People I wish I had kept in contact with all throughout the years. So I decided about 3 1/2 months ago to come home and try and rekindle the flames I once had with old friends.

When I got home, I stayed with my mother for a week before ending up finding/leasing my current apartment for a dual contract (one years lease) while staying in my old room, pretty much just as I left it. I started to spiral a bit, I wasn't ever the one to feel depressed really, I kind of just... idk feel sad and mope, but never felt... depression... or at least I wouldn't classify myself as depressed.

So as I sat in my room alone. I watch as my little somethings that kept me satisfied normally, slowly fade to big ol nothings. I moved into my apartment via a moving company, and was setup completely by the end of the next day.

It wasn’t until then I realized I had enough money to honestly sit back for awhile (take time to figure things out) so I did, and in that time I tried to find those old friends of mine online through social media.

I thought honestly it'd be the easiest thing in the world, but as I searched for their names and profiles everywhere... I didn't just find nothing but other people with shared names or empty blank dead profiles... but nothing at all.

I searched for EVERYONE, but... no one came up... I was filled immediately with this existential dread, for the first time in my life, I fell into a spiraling panic and depression state... I... was so... scared.

Then... I found someone... the last person I'd ever think to find after such a long time... such a dreadful, painful figure that brought nothing but suffering and douchbaggery to everywhere he went. Someone who truly gave no fucks. Someone with no allegiances whatsoever.

The Demon, The Rage Creature, The Attacking Beast, The Devil Himself... The Destroyer. He in the past was nothing short of every fathers worst nightmare boyfriend for their daughter's.

The Destroyer was someone who did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted... at the cost of everyone in his life or any unfortunate passer-by. He was a biological robot. Dead eyes and reactions based on the emotional responses he could force from you.

His hands completely tatted, with a big vapor wave lobster upon his kneck. He was made of muscle, someone who walked into a store and eyes were locked on him from start to finish (granted because he looked like a dirty street rat, because he was)

He was kind of terrifying, especially since he was always in some kind of fight or illegal activity, he was a thief, a thug, a lying manipulating abusive power addict with an authority complex with no emotional barrier to stop him from hurting others. He was... the worst.

But, There he was. A lone active record pinged by my D.L.R.B. (Software that allows full record searches of a name spanning across internet archives that can be connected to regional data to ping a person's location)

I had everything I needed to find him, but one dosen't simply just approach someone as feral as this, no. I found through the search, his forklift license, and to where it was currently registered to aka his work.

I scouted out the area and his work building for a couple days, so I could get eyes on him, and figure out his schedule somewhat. I seen him one day and couldn't believe it was him.

He was smaller and less jacked, looked like a skeleton of his prior self. And I couldn't see his bright kneck tattoo. I was... confused to say the least, a little... angry? for some reason.

I walked to the front door of his work and banged on it, to garner the attention of that fucking rat. I was met with a lackey that worked with The Destroyer. I asked for him. He said ok ill get him. I hid behind the stairs leading out from the door.

He came out, and I snuck up behind him... leg sweeped him, knocking him on his ass, putting my boot on his kneck, asking all the questions I was owed... especially as to why... he looked like shit.

[casspurrjoybell-29]

Frayed Ties - Chapter 8 - Part 1

*Warning: Adult Content*  

By the start of Danya's third day at the camp he felt much less exhausted and his wounds were starting to truly heal.

In a few more days there would likely be no sign left he had ever been hurt.

He had already read through his book once and though he was itching to read it all again from the beginning he couldn't bring himself to touch it until he had done something productive.

Maybe Simon didn't care but the idea of being a useless layabout was abhorrent to Danya.

Even if he couldn't truly earn his keep, he would do what he was able to.

And what he was able to do was repair Simon's armour.

He took the pieces out of the chest and carefully laid them out in front of him and then he got stuck into it.

There was a sort of calming rhythm to repairing things.

It wasn't difficult or particularly demanding.

Danya could do this kind of work for hours without problem.

Fanner had hated it.

He hadn't been bad at it but having to sustain his focus had been a constant struggle for him.

Simon should have been gifted him instead.

For all he lacked, Fanner at least had the beauty and charms to stand a chance of making something of this situation.

Perhaps he even could have convinced Simon that he didn't look so unlike a girl from behind.

Duran was already spoken for but Danya bet he could have made the situation work for himself as well.

He had more sense than sentimentality.

He would have already given up on Simon and found his way into Hamish's bed.

Danya ought to be doing the same, if he had any sense.

He wasn't nearly as beautiful as Duran but Hamish didn't seem terribly fussy.

But... he couldn't let go of Simon.

He wanted more than sex, more than Hamish could offer him... but more than Simon could, either.

He knew he would not win this one.

It was afternoon by the time Danya finally felt he had made enough progress on his task to justify going back to his book.

He wasn't quite as well balanced as he had been going into the task but it had drained him very little.

The book Slone had given Danya had already become his new favourite, which perhaps wasn't much of an achievement.

They had not been permitted pre-war books at the House, nor much in the way of fiction.

This was the first book Danya had ever read where the hero was a mage.

It was... odd.

It was almost uncomfortable, in a way because this was not how Danya had been taught things were before the war.

And, certainly, it was fiction but surely it didn't entirely lack grounding in reality.

Had mages really not always been slaves?

Had they once been equal to humans or at least expected to be treated that way, despite tensions between their kinds?

That was how the book made it seem.

Perhaps Slone would know.

Danya would ask him the next time they spoke.

There had been something that had piqued Danya's curiosity on his first read through but he'd been too tired to really think about it.

When the main character was training his young apprentice in shielding, the book went into an awful lot of detail on the methods.

Was that really how that was done...?

Danya read through the passage again.

He knew he shouldn't try it.

He was still recovering and it was illegal and Simon surely wouldn't approve if he knew.

But... what if he needed it one day?

Maybe if he'd been able to shield, a vampire wouldn't have nearly torn his throat out.

There was no harm in trying, right?

Just... to see if he could.

Nobody would know and it would be fine.

The first step to creating a shield was to externalise his magic, which Danya thought he was used to doing until he tried it and fire burst out in front of him, narrowly avoiding setting the side of the tent on fire.

So... not like that.

He could make fire or he could make light or he could externally apply his magic to something like repair work... but externalising pure magic?

That was new.

It was also extremely uncomfortable.

Energy was naturally drawn into a mage when it was close to them, so pulling it out of himself and holding it at a distance felt wrong.

Like he was trying to turn himself inside out.

Every time he managed to make progress, his energy would escape his grasp and suck back into him.

He tried painting it with a glowing light, as the book suggested and that helped a little bit.

It was easier to perceive it as an external object that way and easier to manipulate it when he didn't have to hold the visual aspects of it entirely in his mind.

He broke the energy up into threads and practised moving them in front of him.

At first they moved around without much grace, like cooked spaghetti but with a little focus he managed to bend them into geometric shapes and then arrange them into patterns.

Interlocking hexagons was what the book recommended for a shield.

The hardest part of the whole thing was fighting the reflex to pull his energy back into himself but once that stopped feeling quite so unnatural the whole thing wasn't so hard at all.

He practised dropping his shield and pulling it back up quickly.

It still made his head spin and his stomach churn but he could do it.

He held the curved, hexagonal grid out in front of him and let himself fall forward against Simon's armour chest.

The chest slid against the ground.

The shield held strong.

He could do this.

Danya collapsed down on his cot, his head spinning and let out a long breath.

Maybe nobody else would ever know but he had done it.

The power of his ancestors was alive in him.

Danya tried to push himself up and immediately dropped back down as the whole world swung to the side.

Panic set in in a strange, throbbing way, too intense one minute and then fading to detached apathy the next.

He was out of balance.

He had been, increasingly, as he recovered but the sudden drain on his energy had knocked him completely out of alignment.

He felt sick and starving and desperate and absolutely nothing at all and everything at once and then... and then some uncertain time later, Simon was back.

[tehuti88-art]

1/27/23: This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Isaak Schindel, sans cap (top drawing) and with cap (bottom drawing). He's the Lagerälteste (kapo) at the labor camp in the story...considering that today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day (I only found out as I was drawing him), I felt it'd be terribly inappropriate to submit his art on Reddit, so he'll just go here instead.

Regarding his design, he's a fawn boxer; his character is somewhat short, stocky, and tough, so it fit. He has hazel eyes and black hair, though the latter is kept shaved throughout the series. Kapos were often granted favors such as a private room and civilian clothes; I couldn't find anything about them being allowed to keep their hair, and my character still wears striped clothes with a yellow-and-green star (he committed manslaughter before ending up in the camp), though he also wears a civilian jacket/coat with armband over top of them, and a civilian cap. He has a scar over the bridge of his nose.

TUMBLR EDIT: I was well through Schindel's sketch before a news item on TV mentioned it was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. o_o; So submitting his artwork to Reddit seemed not just potentially disrespectful but a bad idea as well, my character portraits are my least popular art and sometimes get downvoted. So I've posted him separately. Schindel's background is still HIGHLY in development and so may change drastically still, but here we go.

Isaak Schindel and his wife Rebekkah are poor, working-class Jews residing in the unnamed city of the story; they end up moved into a ghetto, which for some reason I haven't figured out, not all of the city's Jews end up in, since Josef Diamant, for example, is never sent there. (Don't know why this is. Maybe it's the poor Jews who are targeted first, whereas Diamant is middle class. This ghetto is a recent concept so still being ironed out.) Anyway, I needn't get into how difficult ghetto life is, partly because I haven't read into it a lot, partly because it's obvious. The Schindels just barely manage to make do. When Rebekkah gets pregnant, there are mixed feelings; obviously they're overjoyed at the thought of their first baby, yet worried about how they will provide for it. Schindel starts taking on shady jobs to get by, to the dismay of Rebekkah, though there are few other options.

The ghetto is patrolled by Jewish police officers. It's a complicated issue that has similarities to what Schindel himself later ends up doing. Some of them are sympathetic, some of them are Nazi collaborators. Schindel, while getting warned away from an illegal situation one day, happens to run into a sympathetic policeman who knows him and Rebekkah. He steers Schindel aside and whispers a different warning: The Nazis are planning some sort of special action centered on the ghetto. "Special action" is a term you never want to hear the Nazis use--it's NEVER good. He can't give many details, but he suspects it has something to do with the new camp that's been constructed at the edge of the city. He urges Schindel and Rebekkah to try to get out of the ghetto and out of the city while they have the chance. When Schindel presses for more info, and asks how the hell are they supposed to get out of there, the policeman has nothing else to offer, he just stresses his warning, cuffs Schindel with his nightstick, and yells at him to get lost, for appearances' sake. Schindel returns home to Rebekkah, increasingly anxious. He keeps his ears open in the following days and starts catching further rumors: The ghetto is soon to be liquidated and the able-bodied men sent to the new camp for hard labor. The women and children and the feeble...who knows. Easy guess, though. The Nazis consider pregnant Jews to be especially useless, so...you get the idea.

Let's take an aside to look at this camp. It's just begun operations, and like its fellow camps, is run by the SS-Totenkopfverbände. It's not intended as an extermination camp, though of course it can't make use of the sick, weak, or injured, so those men are subject to execution via firing squad, followed by cremation. A high-ranking SS-TV officer briefly takes charge of the camp while it's being set up and organized, but then they need to find a permanent replacement to serve as commandant. This officer requests that he be brought the files of camp guards with complaints on their records--"Excessive force, being a little too strenuous with punishments, those sort of things." He and an underling sort through these before the underling brings out a file of a guard accused of causing the death of an inmate. Big deal, the officer thinks, that happens all the time. What makes this one so unique? Well, this guard just happened to force a prisoner to go running right into the camp's electric fence. All right, so that's intriguing; the officer asks for the guard's name. Underling replies that his name is Ernst Dannecker.

Sturmbannführer (Major) Dannecker is promoted to Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) and called to take over. He arrives in time to watch final preparations and the first arrivals of prisoners. He isn't splashy; he seems almost bored as he observes things, and doesn't make much of a strong impression. He does select an adjutant, Maj. Lars Franke, and tells him to keep things in order as he gets settled in. The other guards get to asking around and gradually more of a picture of him emerges: In his teens he was apparently forced into the military academy by his father, against his and his mother's wishes, and several fellow students-to-be witnessed some drama between the three on the railway platform; his mother collapsed after he got on the train, and one of the others jokingly called him "mama's boy,"* leading to laughter. He was doing moderately well in academy when the Great War broke out and everyone headed off to the front without the chance to say goodbye to family first. By chance, Dannecker and the former student who'd teased him came across each other--several years older now--in a trench and the other exclaimed cheerfully, "Hey look, it's Mama's Boy!"--only to promptly get decked in the face and then pummeled before several others could stop Dannecker. The other guy insisted it was just a joke, and apologized repeatedly, but people made sure to steer clear of pissing Dannecker off again: Turns out he has a hair-trigger temper concealed behind a smarmy oily exterior, and no one can really be sure what will set him off or when. There were some other rumors of him engaging in unsavory activities during the war, though he did well, earned the Iron Cross, all that. He didn't lose his military position after the armistice, though when the Schutzstaffel formed he resigned his military post to join them instead, and was assigned to a camp as a guard. (I don't think he ever serves in the Waffen-SS, though I'm unsure.) While new prisoners were arriving, several of them put up a fuss, insisting that as soldiers who'd fought for Germany, they should be freed; Dannecker recognized one of them as the man who'd taunted him (this is figured out only in retrospect)--he's now wearing a yellow star, as he's Jewish--something that was well known during the Great War as well. Witnesses said they didn't speak to each other, though the prisoner went pale, and Dannecker smiled. (Dannecker...has a f**king creepy smile, and everyone knows it's bad news.) In the following weeks he went out of his way to psychologically torment the prisoner by various means, until one day, while he was merely walking in the prisoner's direction, the other man panicked, turned, and ran at the electric fence, apparently committing suicide; the guards had to turn off power to the fence to pry his blackened fingers loose while Dannecker stood and watched. Nobody could prove he'd actually done anything, witnesses clearly saw that he didn't even touch or threaten the guy, but the incident went in his file along with several lesser offenses in which he terrorized inmates. Despite his unpredictable temper, he's also very, very patient when it comes to people who anger him in a particular way--he makes those people his "pet projects" and keeps at them until they snap. The officer who puts him in charge of the labor camp has no idea of the future consequences of this choice.

(*EDIT, OH MY GOD THIS IS A THING. It's called Muttersöhnchen, and apparently there's a sort of "psychological diagnosis" for it. Hahahaha!! Oh my I need to look up slang phrases in German more often...anyway...Dannecker's situation doesn't ENTIRELY line up with that concept. He IS a "mama's boy" of a sort, but...well, I can't get into the details, at least not here. Maybe if I ever get his profile written up. Suffice it to say it's, uh...well, skeezy, just like the rest of Dannecker's life. And it explains a lot of his behavior toward his stepfamily later. But moving on.)

Anyway, even without knowing all this stuff about Dannecker, Schindel has heard enough: He heads home in the middle of the day, surprising Rebekkah, who's not used to him being home so early. Sits her down, and insists that she help him out with a plan, since "You're the smart one, the one with a head for things." Rebekkah can't understand why he wants them to pick up and leave NOW, and tries to protest, but his demeanor is such that she finally realizes how serious he is and they make tentative plans to flee the ghetto; she knows a weak point which isn't as well patrolled by the police, and has some distant family still on the outside; perhaps they'll provide shelter. Schindel hates asking for help, which is why she knows her husband is serious about this now.

When the Nazi officials sweep through the ghetto, it comes completely by surprise--no warning aside from what the policeman had already told Schindel. They wake up at the noise and chaos going on outside and unlike many of the others, know what's happening; Rebekkah has a little pack ready to go (supplies for the baby to come--she's visibly pregnant by now) and they head out, furtively hurrying in the direction of the ghetto's weak point. Before they can reach it, however, one of the policemen accosts them, swinging his club at Rebekkah; he hits her in the arm before Schindel attacks him in return, punching him in the gut and face and sending him falling back against some bricks, where he strikes his head--killed instantly. More police arrive--Schindel yells at Rebekkah to run, and that's the last he sees of her, running away, before the police take him into custody.

Schindel (after being smacked around a little first) finds himself brought before a Nazi official who's told of how he killed a policeman. Schindel insists it was an accident, he was just protecting his wife. Nazi official says this is what men are supposed to do, defend their wives and families, so--"Manslaughter," he says to Schindel, "You can't say we aren't generous, can you?" Schindel protests, "Don't I get a trial?--a court, a judge?" Nazi official just laughs a little. "Look around, do you see a court? Your people don't get a court. But I'll make sure you get transportation."

(Brief note to say I'm fairly certain what this guy is doing isn't entirely legal, but do you really think any of his fellows would care...?)

Well, he keeps that promise--the men are herded out of the ghetto and toward the nearby railroad spur--the ghetto was placed here intentionally. They're loaded onto the waiting train and the doors are closed. The cars are so crowded the men have to stand. It takes a while to start moving, and stops not long after, just sitting on the tracks; "Why are they doing this?--if we were in a truck we'd be moving a lot faster," somebody says, to which someone else replies, "I think that's the point." And indeed, although the camp is not so far away, the train ride takes an inordinately long time, and yes this is intentional.

By now you probably know the routine, arriving at camp, selections (Schindel is told to go right), getting stripped, showered, shaved, tattooed. Schindel is utterly demoralized by the time he's presented with striped clothing and has to provide his name and have a photo taken. An officer recognizes his name--"This is the one, the one they said killed a policeman"--and a patch is placed on Schindel's shirt: A yellow-and-green Judenstern, or six-point star. He's sent out into the camp and made to get into formation with the rest of the new arrivals. An SS officer briefly details what they're to expect from now on, and they're given their new "jobs"--basically, working themselves to death, since it isn't an extermination camp but as it's put later in the story, EVERY camp is an extermination camp, just that some kill you more slowly than others.

Schindel resigns himself to this new situation--what options are there? He's surprised to find that the ghetto police, most of whom are deeply hated by the other ghetto residents, are incarcerated in the camp along with the rest of them. They were Nazi collaborators--some of them even seemed to enjoy what they were doing. What are they doing here? He locates the policeman who'd tipped him off to the raid and asks what's going on. The former policeman--now a prisoner just like him--tersely explains that it doesn't matter how useful you may have been--to the Nazis, an Untermensch is an Untermensch at the end of the day, and as soon as you outlive your usefulness, you're equal to the rest of them. Here in the camp, especially, it's expected to be every man for himself.

Schindel tries to believe this isn't true, but he sees how the regular prisoners target the former police officers, most of whom don't last very long--the SS guards, while technically not allowing fights, don't really do much to stop them, and indeed seem to find them amusing, occasionally making bets on the outcome. Schindel watches silently one day as the body of the policeman he knew is carried off, battered and bloody, to the crematorium. Thus when another inmate picks a fight with him, he has no choice but to fight back, and win. He pummels the other guy into the ground before the guards step in to stop the fight, striking Schindel a few times with their clubs and then having the other guy--unconscious, dead, Schindel doesn't know--carried away. Shortly after, a guard instructs Schindel to follow him: The commandant, Dannecker, wants to see him. Full of dread, Schindel obeys.

He's heard stories of Dannecker--the other inmates call him "Der Teufel," the Devil--but hasn't had the chance to interact with him personally, and has seen him only from afar. He's now led to the commandant, who's standing in the yard smoking a cigarette. He's taller than Schindel, and fit, but not exactly intimidating on first glance; he doesn't look like a devil. He gives Schindel a look (Schindel keeps his head down) and says, "So you're the Jew who likes killing so much." This makes Schindel wince--of course he doesn't like killing--but he doesn't protest.

Dannecker: "Name."

Schindel: "I...Isaak Schindel, Herr Kommandant."

Dannecker: (taps Schindel's chest with his crop) "Why do you wear that green patch?" [NOTE, it's actually green and yellow, but Dannecker knows what the yellow part means.]

Schindel: "M...manslaughter, Herr Kommandant."

Dannecker: "Who'd you kill?"

Schindel: "I...I killed a ghetto policeman."

Dannecker: "A policeman, huh?"

Schindel: "It was an accident, Herr Kommandant, I didn't mean to kill him."

Dannecker: "So what did you mean to do?"

Schindel: "I was just trying to protect my wife and child, Herr Kommandant."

Dannecker: "Your family...? It's always important for a man to protect his family, ja?"

Schindel: (silence)

Dannecker: (drops and stamps out cigarette, steps closer) (puts crop under Schindel's chin and forces his head up) "You like killing people, Jew?"

Schindel: "I...I don't like killing people, Herr Kommandant."

Dannecker: "Really? You seem to do it a lot, for someone who doesn't like it."

Schindel: (silence)

Dannecker: (looks around) "I don't see your wife or child. Who were you protecting this time?"

Schindel: "M...myself, Herr Kommandant."

Dannecker: "Ah...?"

Schindel: "The...the other man picked a fight with me, H-Herr Kommandant...I had to defend myself or he'd kill me."

Dannecker: "So you do like killing, ja?"

Schindel: (silence, though he's just about in tears by now)

Dannecker: (leans close, lowers his voice) "You also like an extra helping of food...? A nice, warm place to sleep, perhaps...?"

Schindel: (silence)

Dannecker: "Hm?"

Schindel: "I...I d-don't know what you mean."

Dannecker: "I mean you like killing so much, why don't you make use of it?"

Dannecker briefly lays it out: The camp needs a Lagerälteste, or kapo, to help the guards oversee the prisoners. Dannecker's camp isn't a big one, so technically he could do without a prisoner functionary, but Franke accidentally put the idea in his head that this might be interesting: In effect, it pits the prisoners against each other, which is the sort of thing he finds entertaining. The job of kapo generally goes to criminals, since they're the ones most likely to be okay with committing violence against their fellow inmates; Schindel is an especially good candidate, given that he's already killed one person and likely another (Dannecker never clarifies whether he killed the prisoner or not, though he hints that he did--this is pretty typical of him). If Schindel wants the job, it means putting up with the fact that EVERYONE will now hate him--both the SS guards he serves, and his fellow prisoners, whom he'll oversee on the Nazis' behalf--he'll have a giant target on his back. But it also means extra food rations...a private room to sleep in...and no beatings. Schindel despises the very thought of working for these awful people who took him from his family...but his family is the only thing keeping him going so far. Dannecker offers him the chance to survive long enough to get back to them. He's already killed somebody...it can't be that bad, just to try to stay alive. Anyone else would do it, right? Although it nauseates him to his core, he takes the offer. And Dannecker smiles his devil smile.

Schindel assumes it's going to be a trick, but nope, he's given a small but private room, extra food, better shoes, a cap and jacket to wear with an authoritative armband, and a club to carry. He rises every morning with the guards and rouses the prisoners from their barracks and out into the yard for roll call, then wanders through the yard throughout the day, making sure everyone's doing their jobs. It grows easier over time to tap, then smack someone with his stick, then to give someone a beatdown if they get too far out of line. (For a while he even socializes, in a sort of way, with a guard named Jan Delbrück, who occasionally stands in the yard with him and shares cigarettes, at least until Dannecker decides Delbrück is better off sorting papers in a file room.) Dannecker holds up his end of the arrangement in that Schindel is never on the receiving end of any beatings, but Dannecker never said anything about his trademark psychological torture--he inflicts that on everyone, prisoners and guards alike--even his own adjutant, Maj. Franke, isn't exempt. Watching him target others this way, including occasionally himself, Schindel finally gets why they call him Der Teufel. He's fortunate that he never ends up one of what everyone calls Dannecker's "pet projects"--these are relatively rare, since their execution takes such a massive amount of time and effort, and most people are careful not to piss Dannecker off enough to go through with this. Simple beatings (usually performed by his guards or Schindel) or gunshots to the head are usually enough to do the trick.

Schindel gets the chance to witness Dannecker pull off a pet project firsthand when a new prisoner named Josef Diamant arrives at the camp. Diamant is Schindel's opposite in many ways--not a family man, a skilled worker (he's a jeweler/watch repairer with his own shop), middle class, educated. But still--Jewish. And like Schindel, he sports a yellow-and-green star, marking him as a criminal--except his offense is even worse than Schindel's--he didn't kill anyone, but he did forge documents that helped numerous other Jews escape the country. The SS vandalized his shop and tortured him with his own jeweler's tools to get the names of his clients, but he didn't give them up; so, to the camp he went. He doesn't capture Schindel's, or anyone's, attention when he arrives, just another prisoner, but that changes one day when Dannecker loses his temper--actually a rare occurrence--and starts beating an inmate. Everyone just stops what they're doing and watches--nobody intervenes. Then, a noise--a prisoner (probably Lukas Mettbach) lets out a short, cut-off warning, but Diamant is already on the move. As Dannecker is bringing his stick down at the cowering prisoner, Diamant strikes it from his hand and sends it flying into the mud. Commandant and prisoner stand there frozen, staring at each other. Everyone--Dannecker, Diamant, Franke, Schindel, the other prisoners--has the exact same expression. Absolutely nobody can believe Diamant just did that.

Everyone expects Dannecker to lay into Diamant next, but he simply lowers his arm, turns, and walks back toward the administration building. Diamant tries to help up the beaten prisoner but is shoved away--"What have you done? You've only made it worse! He'll kill us both, now!" And indeed, a murmur ripples through the camp: Dannecker is striding back, seemingly having composed himself. The prisoner gets on his knees and starts begging for forgiveness--Dannecker doesn't even stop to look at him, just pulls out his revolver and shoots him in the head. Schindel and everyone else watches as Diamant panics and goes running, Dannecker fiddling with his gun as he just continues walking after him. He corners Diamant against a wall, puts the gun to his head, and fires--nothing happens, yet Dannecker smiles and says, "Your lucky day, Jew." There's a reason Dannecker prefers carrying a revolver--easy to play Russian roulette, one of his favorite torture methods. He doesn't kill Diamant that day, but later that night, he arrives at one of the prisoners' barracks after dark and motions the guard to let him in. Schindel isn't there to see it, but other prisoners who are wakened by Dannecker's unexpected appearance murmur about it the next day. Dannecker singles out Diamant's bunk, kneels down, presses his gun to his head, and whispers a promise. Diamant is officially his new pet project.

Schindel admittedly doesn't feel too sorry for Diamant over the following weeks--he was too uppity for his own good, didn't know his place, and raised the potential of danger toward the rest of the prisoners, so of course he deserves what he gets. (A recurring theme I've noticed throughout the story is the differences between the social classes, and I figure that's part of Schindel's lack of empathy as well--Diamant used to be better off than he was, in Schindel's view he had life handed to him on a platter, it's about time he was taken down a notch.) He knows how Dannecker gets while pursuing a pet project, however, and even if he isn't the target, it makes him nervous--it's easy, as an innocent bystander, to get sucked in. And this is exactly what happens, not just to him but to others. The dominoes unintentionally set up by that SS-TV officer so long ago finally start to fall, and one of the first is Dannecker's own stepdaughter, Margarethe.

Margarethe, or Gret, is by now well known to the prisoners and guards. The oldest of Dannecker's four stepchildren and in her teens--petite (she's only about five feet tall and looks quite childlike next to her stepfather), fair skinned, blond haired, blue eyed, and stone faced--she's become Dannecker's frequent companion when he arrives at the camp in the morning (technically Dannecker should be residing on camp property, but he instead lives in a house nearby); he always helps her out of the limo and parades her, in her immaculate dress, boots, and braids, past the guards and prisoners to the main building and then to his office, where she keeps him company throughout the day. He's exceptionally proud of showing her off, and appears to spoil her, gifting her her numerous colored dresses, hair ribbons, jewelry, toys; every time they see her she's arm in arm with Dannecker or holding his hand, or he has his hand on her shoulder, the very picture of a doting father. It's only when Schindel and others look a little bit past the surface that a different picture emerges. Dannecker never brings his wife or three other stepchildren to the camp--although he spoils the others as well, Gret is the one on whom he lavishes all his attention. He's frequently seen whispering in Gret's ear, putting his arm around her and holding her a bit too close, smiling that devil's smile at her while her face always remains blank--she never laughs--never smiles. They spend a lot of time alone in his office. And a guard mentions one occasion when they were leaving, Gret's normally pristine braids were a little bit mussed and her stare a little bit glassier and more vacant than usual, and when he wished her farewell her voice was faint and hoarse. It's obvious something unpleasant is going on behind the loving facade, but nobody speaks up about it, it's not their business.

(Later in the story a character sees an old family photo of Dannecker with his parents, Walther and Margit, and despite the lack of blood relation, remarks on the resemblance between Margit and Margarethe--petite, beautiful, fair skinned, blue eyed, long blond braids. Remember "Mama's Boy"? I'll just leave it at that.)

Schindel, like the others, suspects something weird is going on, but also keeps mum. It's Diamant, of course, who acts, and sets off a complicated and dramatic string of events. It starts out with him watching Gret every time she arrives at camp; she glances at him, and he smiles at her. Diamant's smile is not like Dannecker's. Gret responds by blushing and turning away, but she starts looking for Diamant more often as she goes by. She never smiles back...but one day, she does arrive in a yellow-and-green dress. This catches Diamant's attention unlike anything else, and it catches Schindel's attention, too. He'd noticed the looks shared between the two and let it pass, but for some reason he can't explain, this incident alarms him; he shoves Diamant against a wall later on and demands to know what's up with him and Fräulein Gret. Diamant denies anything's up, insinuates maybe Schindel's the one who has a thing for the commandant's stepdaughter, gets Schindel's club shoved into his gut in response. "Mind your business, Jew!" Schindel snaps, "And eyes off Fräulein Gret." He can't think of much else to do on so little, though, and lets him be after that.

I need to pause here and back up a bit. Schindel has never liked Diamant, as I said, but by now he has an even bigger reason to despise him. I also already mentioned the tendency for Dannecker's schemes to suck in innocent bystanders; Schindel is one of them. Dannecker spends a great deal of time making Diamant's life a living hell in every way he can think of without outright killing him; just killing a pet project is no fun, it's much better to watch them slowly destroy themselves--he got a taste of that when his mere presence was enough to send his old foe running straight into the electric fence. Well, despite his patience for such things, after a while Dannecker begins to grow tired of just how long it's taking Diamant to break, so he racks his brain trying to think of something new and creative to try. And he does come up with something, and it involves Schindel. Why Schindel?--he's never crossed Dannecker, always obeyed orders, a good well-behaved obedient kapo. And that's exactly why Schindel: Dannecker has Franke bring the two prisoners to his office, where he points this out to Diamant, how obedient and broken Schindel is, and that's exactly what he has in mind for Diamant. And now he thinks he knows how to do it. Diamant is different from Schindel in another respect: Schindel is looking out for himself, whereas Diamant still has some of his altruism left. Of course Dannecker can't break him by threatening or humiliating him. He might be able to break him, however, by having him humiliate someone else--namely, Schindel.

I can't go into any detail about what exactly Dannecker does here. (Even in my writing, Diamant simply relates it himself, somewhat in passing.) When he calls Franke back, however, Diamant does indeed look positively broken inside, and Schindel is outright crying. Dannecker doesn't explain to his confused adjutant what's happened, just cheerfully tells him to return them to the yard. They leave without a word. Yet a few days later, while Schindel is overseeing the prisoners as they leave their barracks, without provocation he hits Diamant in the back of the leg, knocking him down; he then commences beating the s**t out of him, all the while screaming, "Fight back! FIGHT BACK!" Diamant covers his head but does nothing to defend himself; Franke, hearing the commotion, approaches, only to accidentally get hit in the face by Schindel. The guards knock Schindel out and he, Diamant, and Franke all go to the medical building for attention. Franke, his nose broken, warns the other two--when they regain consciousness--that they better not do such a thing again. When they've recovered enough to go back to work, they do; camp life returns mostly to normal, though Schindel does still target Diamant for a brief beatdown here and there, and unlike previously, Diamant never fights back. Franke is worried that when Dannecker finds out about the fight, he'll be angry, but all he does is smirk a little and go on with things. The dynamic between the three--Dannecker, Diamant, and Schindel--has changed.

So of course, now that Diamant seems to be up to something involving Gret, Schindel is full of dread that he hasn't learned his lesson, and could end up sucking him in again. He isn't quite clever enough to figure out what Diamant is planning, though; just that every day, a guard starts calling him away from the yard for extended periods, and he returns only when the workday is over. Then one day Schindel has actually been permitted inside the administration building to help transport some boxes of files to the back file room where Delbrück is currently occupied. He's just carried in another box and is heading back to close the door when the sound of running footsteps coming closer catches his attention. As he watches, somebody flies past, abruptly stumbling to a halt as soon as he sees Schindel looking--it's Diamant, and he has no guards with him. The two of them stare at each other for a moment, eyes wide. More footsteps come running and now Gret appears, also giving Schindel a look; the three stare at each other in silence a brief moment before Gret grasps Diamant's sleeve, urges, "Come on," and the two hurry on up the hallway and out of sight. Schindel can't be sure, but he could've sworn that for at least the last few seconds, Diamant's eyes were pleading for him to go with them. His feet are rooted to the spot, however, and he stays--good obedient Schindel. His legs start to work again and he shuts the door and slowly walks back into the room, his brain belatedly recalling something else odd about what he just saw: Diamant was carrying a revolver--and Gret was carrying a giant Ehrendegen--an SS honor sword, exactly like the one Dannecker wears. He returns to the files and to Delbrück, who hasn't noticed anything amiss; he jumps when Franke arrives, expecting some sort of awful news, but Franke just wonders why they're taking so long with the files and says to hurry it up, then leaves. Schindel waits, and waits, filling with more and more dread, yet nothing happens. After about an hour, he's almost convinced himself he imagined the whole thing, when the camp alarm finally starts to sound. Something awful has indeed happened.

Delbrück, just as startled and confused, exits the room with Schindel close behind to figure out what's going on. Other guards are racing back and forth through the building, eyes wide, faces pale; Delbrück accosts a few, catches a few comments, grabs Schindel's sleeve and goes running himself, toward Dannecker's office. A big crowd of guards is gathering here, and Franke is berating one of them loudly. When he spots Delbrück and Schindel he lays into the kapo immediately--"And YOU! Where were you? What did you have to do with this?" Schindel, of course, has no idea what's happening, and cowers behind Delbrück, who fortunately vouches for him: "He's been with me all day, in the file room! What's going on? What's with the alarm?" Franke says there's been a prisoner escape--that much Schindel had guessed on his own. Then he says that Commandant Dannecker is dead--THAT, Schindel had had no clue.

The rest of the details seep out over time. A while back, Gret Dannecker had requested a gift from her stepfather--a ring. Always willing to spoil her, Dannecker had his guards fetch Diamant--a jeweler. Sure, Dannecker had been torturing him for weeks, including ramming a jeweler's file through his hand, permanently damaging the nerves--but Diamant agreed to design and make a ring for Gret, with the right tools and materials. Dannecker set up a temporary workshop near his office and gave Diamant the required tools--under strict supervision--and materials (including gold bits taken from prisoners' teeth); the reason for Diamant's daily visits to the administration building was to work on Gret's ring. Nobody's quite sure of the details after that, but apparently supervision of Diamant's activities slacked off a little, enabling him to be alone with Dannecker when he presented him with the ring--somehow, he acquired a gun, and shot and killed Dannecker before escaping with about a dozen other prisoners in what was obviously a coordinated effort, plotted ahead of time. Even more alarming is that Gret Dannecker, who was visiting that day, is also missing--presumably taken hostage by Diamant. He hates that he has such thoughts--Schindel has nothing against Gret, she's been polite to him the few times they've interacted--but he suspects the situation isn't quite as it appears. It isn't long before these suspicions are confirmed.

Franke attempts to assume command of the camp, a decision which doesn't go over well with the other guards; when one of the guards stands up to him, he orders Schindel to beat him. Schindel freezes--he doesn't mean to disobey, but he's not permitted to touch the SS guards, so he has no idea how to react. Franke loses his temper, grabs Schindel's club, and beats the guard unconscious himself while everyone else watches, before warning the other guards not to provide him with help or he'll do the same to them; he storms back into the building, and locks himself in Dannecker's office. Schindel notices the other prisoners edging toward the unconscious guard with murder in their eyes; he picks up his club and brandishes it threateningly so they back off, though one of them spits at him first. He sits by the guard for the rest of the day and night; the other guards never announce meal time, never call the prisoners back to work or to their barracks. The camp is in effect left to itself until another Obersturmbannführer arrives the next day, alerted by a guard who'd fled during the beating; he approaches Schindel first and demands to know what's going on. Schindel explains the best he can. The Obersturmbannführer tells the other guards to take the injured guard to the medical building, heads to Dannecker's office, orders Franke to open up and get out, and without much ado takes command of the camp himself. This is Hasso Reinhardt, and he's quickly authorized as the new commandant as the SS investigation of Dannecker's murder picks up speed.

I already mentioned the escape didn't go QUITE as the initial SS story of it insisted. It's actually worse. Nobody knows HOW Diamant and the others fled the camp, and the SS doesn't figure this out until the end of the war, when Reinhardt and Delbrück, his adjutant, discover a hidden passage system under the camp--there had been rumors of it, but nobody knew where it was, except Dannecker--and Gret. Turns out Dannecker had taken Gret down there one day, telling her the walls and door were so thick nobody would hear her scream, and he was right. By chance, Reinhardt and Delbrück discover the entry to the main passage not far from Dannecker's office, hidden behind a tapestry. So, how did the prisoners find out about the passage...? This is the most scandalous part of the story: Gret told them. She was in on it the whole time.

Schindel's suspicion was aroused at the sight of Gret's yellow-and-green attire that one day. Gret's always made a point of being immaculately dressed, almost always in matching colors--so for her to wear a yellow dress with green ribbons was odd. Schindel couldn't place what it reminded him of, but Diamant, whom the message was intended for, got it immediately: He and Gret had been making eye contact each time she arrived, and he'd even been able to pass along to her a ring he'd fashioned out of found scraps. When she showed up wearing the same colors as his identification badge, it signaled she was willing to communicate with him. From there, the two managed to plot to meet privately on camp grounds to make a plan for Diamant's escape; Gret was invited along. Diamant instructed her to find a way to get him in close contact with Dannecker; Gret came up with the idea to ask for a ring, knowing her stepfather could never refuse her a gift. Diamant told her to procure him a gun, preferably a revolver, and hide it near his workspace; he'd tell her the day and time to be at Dannecker's office to cover for him in case anyone heard the shot. The final day, while Dannecker was admiring the ring Diamant presented to him, Diamant brought out the gun Gret had left for him and played Russian roulette on Dannecker until it fired; Gret, out in the hallway, prevented the guard who came running from entering, claiming she'd accidentally fired Dannecker's gun and he'd sent her out before locking himself in--he was angry, best not disturb him. (The guard didn't even think twice before retreating.) She then entered herself, saw that Diamant had finished the job, but refused to go get the other prisoners waiting at a side entrance to the building and take them to the hidden passage until Diamant fetched her a trophy: her stepfather's Ehrendegen. The two were racing to get the other prisoners and let them inside when Schindel had spotted them. Gret was never a hostage at all, but a willing participant in her stepfather's murder, and she even got a souvenir out of the deal.

The SS don't find out about the secret passage until much later, though they do soon realize Gret Dannecker isn't the victim they thought she was. Quietly, they change out the posters describing her as such and replace them with wanted posters like those for Diamant and the other prisoners, with one additional detail: Execute on sight. Diamant, as horrible as his actions were, is just a Jew, and a criminal at that--he's expected to act like a criminal. Gret's actions, however--not only patricide, but betraying her race--are unforgivable.

Although this means the end of Dannecker, who, despite never beating or technically punishing Schindel, terrorized and demoralized him in every other way possible, Schindel is even more afraid now, not less. He agonizes over not following Diamant away from the camp, but the fear of what's on the outside, ironically, is worse than the fear of what's inside--the devil you know and all that. He's used to the routine of camp life, and the unknown terrifies him--yes, his main goal in staying alive is to reunite with his family, but he doesn't even know if they're still alive. And now there's a new commandant to deal with--and Schindel knows nothing about him. Commandant Reinhardt is big, imposing, with a frequent glare or scowl on his face; he seems quite displeased with the chaotic way Dannecker was running his camp. He vows, from day one, that there will be changes. Although he was gruff yet tolerable toward Schindel when he first arrived, Schindel dreads whatever might come next--change is never good, and he feels even more spite toward Diamant for triggering this situation. As the days pass and Reinhardt starts implementing his changes, however, Schindel's fear shifts into confusion. Supplies are brought in and the prisoners renovate their barracks; there's somewhat more food at their meals; and their jobs are gradually switched out. Previous labor had consisted of useless breaking of rocks, digging of holes, filling them in again--working for the sake of working oneself to death. These new jobs, some of them are about as strenuous, but they serve a purpose now, aiding in construction and the manufacture of goods; plus, smaller and more skilled jobs are added, and given to those who previously would have been sent to the firing squad. Far fewer prisoners are sent left at selections (eventually they're sent to other camps instead), and the crematorium stops running for weeks on end. Schindel is never ordered to beat anyone; when the other guards attempt to beat prisoners, Delbrück, now named Reinhardt's adjutant, puts a stop to it. Sure, there's still a swat or a cuffing here and there, but nothing like before. A few of the guards quit in protest, a few officials show up to complain, but the rest of the camp settles into its new routine.

Reinhardt has Schindel brought to his office. Dannecker's similar requests--especially the visit with Diamant--were never good news, so Schindel braces for the worst. He takes off his cap and stands before Reinhardt's desk with his head lowered, shaking a little. Reinhardt stands up--he's a lot taller than Schindel, and towers over him. First he asks Schindel's name again (a sort of running joke is he can never remember Schindel's name for a while)...then, oddly, starts asking him about how Dannecker formerly did things, since he's been told Schindel likely knew him best. He seems displeased by most of the answers, and mutters a few times, "Well, that's going to change." He finally says he'd like Schindel to help him out with various personal tasks. While true that Dannecker had had Schindel run a few personal errands for him, it wasn't a regular thing, and this really isn't the sort of thing a kapo is meant to do; Schindel is confused by the request. He doesn't ask questions, though, just ducks his head a bit lower and mumbles, "Ja, Herr Kommandant," when appropriate. Reinhardt comes around the desk to see him off, but does something extremely odd--he takes Schindel's cap from his hands and puts it back on his head before sending him out. The inmates NEVER keep their caps on when directly addressing the SS--it's a huge breach of camp "etiquette" and often rewarded with beatings. So Reinhardt's casual gesture is very strange, and Schindel doesn't know what to think of it.

Reinhardt does indeed assign various mundane tasks to Schindel; the way the camp is running now, his actions intimidating the other prisoners aren't needed quite as much, freeing him up to run errands in the administration building. He again frequently comes into contact with his old acquaintance Delbrück, who still shares cigarettes with him now and then, and then with new employee SS-Helfer Britta Azinger, who comes to the camp to work as secretary (Schindel is the one to first find out when she and Reinhardt get romantically involved). Just as with Dannecker, he's loyal to Reinhardt, but the loyalty gradually takes on a different form: He starts to think of Reinhardt as literally saving his life and grows fawningly devoted to him, trailing after him, hanging on his every request, eager for his every "Danke, Herr Schindel." Reinhardt treats him human--like a favored slave or servant, yes, but still human--and he's grown so unused to that that he gladly takes every bit of it that he can. It's by no means an egalitarian relationship, but Schindel was so badly broken by Dannecker that in comparison, he would follow Reinhardt to the ends of the earth.

This ends up happening, in a way, when the Allies storm the city and approach the camp. Reinhardt knows that no matter how he tried to improve the situation, he'll still most likely be executed as a war criminal; after sustaining a serious wound, he returns to the camp (many of the guards and other staff, including Delbrück and Azinger, have already fled), announces over the loudspeaker that he's turning off the fence and opening the gate, advises those who are well enough to leave the camp (also warning them of SS officers patrolling the city) while those who aren't will be attended to by the enemy soldiers when they arrive, then sits and waits. Schindel listens to the message over the loudspeakers, then stands aside and watches many of the prisoners mill around aimlessly for a moment, nonplussed--they can't quite believe what they just heard. They hear the ever-present hum of the fence stop, but have no way to test if it's actually off; yet then the metal gate under the ARBEIT MACHT FREI sign pops open. The first few prisoners gingerly approach--there are no guards left in the watchtowers or at the gate to shoot them--and peer out. Slowly step outside. Start walking away, then jogging, then sprinting. As soon as it becomes clear nobody, including Schindel, will stop them, more and more of them exit the camp, hurrying for cover. A handful stay behind, due to illness/injury or fear of the SS officers still in the city; Schindel is among them, though his reason for staying is different. He knows Reinhardt is still there, probably alone. He hurries inside to find him.

He at last locates the room containing the controls for the electricity supply; here Reinhardt is, slumped on the floor and bleeding. He's surprised by Schindel's arrival and wonders why he hasn't left; Schindel, while trying to tend to his wound, stammers that he isn't even sure if Rebekkah and his child are still alive or not. He's literally too afraid to leave, as he's gotten so used to being a prisoner and having his life laid out for him, he has no idea how to deal with the uncertainties of freedom. When Reinhardt passes out, Schindel stays by him, pressing his cap against the wound and trying not to cry. Soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms, speaking an unfamiliar language, arrive and point their guns at the two--Reinhardt wakes at the commotion--and start yelling; Schindel holds up his hands but can't understand a word they're saying, and he nearly panics. Reinhardt speaks their language, and Schindel starts picking up bits and pieces: These are Americans (the Germans had been expecting--and dreading--the approach of the Soviets, instead), and they want to know their names, ranks, and numbers. Reinhardt offers his information, but the Americans don't believe him or Schindel when they both insist Schindel is merely the kapo--they can't understand why a prisoner would stay behind to help an SS officer. Surely he's an SS member in disguise. Reinhardt does everything he can to vouch for him, including saying to Schindel, "Show them your arms, bitte," and the soldiers take note of Schindel's ID number, as well as his lack of a blood group tattoo. A soldier heads off to fetch the log of prisoner IDs that includes Schindel's information while the others decide to take both men into custody. Schindel tries to stay by Reinhardt as the soldiers unceremoniously drag him to his feet and haul him off--he manages to reach out and shove Schindel's bloodied cap back onto his head before his arms are seized--but shortly after, Schindel is forcibly separated from him and taken away for medical attention elsewhere. The soldier returns with the info that yes, "Isaak Schindel" is listed in the camp records as the Lagerälteste, and his ID number and photo match. They still can't figure out what he was doing with Reinhardt, but obviously he's not SS. They ignore most of his pleas for information on "Herr Kommandant" and make arrangements to question him for information and then figure out what to do with him as both a former prisoner yet also a collaborator. He does learn, eventually, that Reinhardt has been arrested and will stand trial after questioning--he'll almost certainly be hanged or shot. The Americans frown pensively when Schindel breaks down crying.

Everything after is a confusing whirlwind. Schindel provides what information he can under questioning, but it's limited, and the Allies are frustrated by his frequent pleas for updates on Reinhardt's situation. He tells them of Rebekkah, but doesn't know where she is or if she's alive; same with extended family, for all he knows they were sent to other camps to be killed. The Allies decide to keep him in protective custody for the time being. He learns after some time that Reinhardt also provided useful information--including how Diamant most likely escaped from the camp undetected, through the hidden passageway--and that a military tribunal indeed found him guilty, yet sentenced him to prison, rather than execution; Schindel is overwhelmed with relief. Then, more news: They've managed to locate Rebekkah, alive and well...with their young daughter, Hanna. Schindel puts his hands to his face--"I have a daughter"--and bursts into tears again. He's finally released from Allied custody--they decide not to bring charges against him--and he goes to see Rebekkah for the first time in years.

This is the moment he's been literally living for and dreading. Rebekkah has moved into a tiny house in a new, crowded neighborhood set up at the edge of the city. Schindel arrives and nervously knocks--she's been informed ahead of time to expect him, and answers, holding a little girl in her arms. Schindel can barely keep himself from crying again when he sees her; Rebekkah introduces Hanna to "Herr Isaak," then sets her down and tells her to give them a few moments alone. Husband and wife share a few halting, awkward comments, asking how each other is doing, what they've been up to, nothing too indepth. Schindel is overjoyed to see his Rebekkah again, but he immediately senses something is off; Rebekkah doesn't seem nearly as happy as he'd thought she'd be. When he finally asks if something is wrong, and why isn't she inviting him in, Rebekkah averts her eyes and murmurs, "I think...maybe it would be best if you found someplace else to stay." Schindel is stunned mute for a moment; Rebekkah haltingly explains. She's heard by now of what, exactly, Schindel's position was in the camp: a kapo, a collaborator with the Nazi guards. To the Jews, the kapos have become perhaps even more despised than the Nazis themselves, as sellouts and traitors to their own people--the very word kapo has become a terrible insult. Schindel isn't seen as a victim like the other camp inmates--he's seen as one of them. Schindel stammers in protest--he didn't WANT to do the things he did, he did it only to survive so he could come back to her, he was only following orders. Rebekkah winces and says, "That's exactly what THEY said." She adds that his presence there could endanger her and Hanna's lives, so he should find another place to go for now. Almost at a loss for words, Schindel asks if he can at least hug Hanna and tell her goodbye--he's never had the chance to even touch his own child. Rebekkah replies this would be too confusing and upsetting--she's already told Hanna her father died in the camps--and wishes Schindel farewell, retreating inside and closing the door. Schindel stands staring at the door for a moment before turning and silently leaving, his world collapsed, his heart broken. He fought so hard all those years to stay alive, all for nothing.

He holds on for a brief while, trying desperately to find a connection, any connection, to his former life. Nobody he once knew wants anything to do with him. It's like he's cursed, and his mere presence taints things; everyone avoids him. None of his old relatives, friends, acquaintances from the ghetto will take him in or give him work or even stop for a brief conversation. He has no one, but really, it's only Rebekkah and Hanna he wants--he could do without anything else. The fact that his wife and child are lost to him after all at last hits him like a truck and he sits alone in a park one evening sobbing his eyes out. He sees no point in continuing without them. He lifts his head and looks around, sniffling and rubbing his eyes; he has no drug, he has no gun, but there, leading out of the park and over a river, is a tall bridge. Schindel can't swim. The longer he stares at the bridge the more his resolve grows; seeing a way out of the pain, he finally gets up and heads toward it. By the time he reaches the middle of it he's as determined as ever, yet as soon as he finds himself on the other side of the guardrail, leaning over the river far below, that determination wavers. He stands there for a few moments to gather his courage, annoyed that it's fled him when he needs it most.

He's even more annoyed when he hears a voice--somebody is standing behind and below him on the formerly empty bridge.

Voice: (hesitant) "Hallo, mein Freund, what are you doing up there...?"

Schindel: "Go away."

Voice: "You'd like to talk...? Maybe?"

Schindel: "I said go away!"

Voice: "I can't do that, mein Freund, not while you're standing up there like that; think you can come down for a minute and talk...?"

Schindel: "I'm not your friend and I don't want to talk! Now leave me alone!"

Voice: "Not a nice thing to say to your friend. If you don't want to talk then maybe we could share a smoke instead, ja...?"

Confused, Schindel finally turns his head. The man standing below him is dressed in civilian clothes and Schindel doesn't recognize him; he removes his cap, however, and then realization dawns. It's Jan Delbrück, the SS guard--then adjutant--who used to share cigarettes with him, and vouched for him when Franke accused him of being involved in Dannecker's murder. "H...Herr Delbrück?" he says anyway, perplexed; Delbrück had disappeared shortly before the camp was liberated. "Lehmbruck," Delbrück says, confusing him further; then, "Bruno Lehmbruck, now," and it makes sense--he's obviously assumed a new identity while in hiding. He makes a few more efforts to coax Schindel down; Schindel can't help it, against his own wishes he starts stammering out why he's up there. He refuses to descend, however, until Delbrück changes tack, asking him to tell him about his wife and daughter instead; finally, reluctantly, he climbs back over the rail, freezing briefly so Delbrück has to climb up and help him back down. Delbrück leads him back to the park and sits him down, offering a cigarette before taking one for himself; they smoke together for a while, like old times, and Schindel tells him about Rebekkah and Hanna. It's a very long, slow process, but Delbrück convinces him it's worth holding on at least a little longer, to see what might happen; he points out how he's still alive, and despite the way the war ended, he managed to find someone who helped him through. Maybe Schindel will find this person, even if it isn't Rebekkah.

Schindel hates the thought that he may have to go on without Rebekkah--they've known and loved each other since childhood--but decides to try to find whatever other connection he can. There's one he knows of already; he visits an old castle which has recently been converted into a prison for war criminals. Here is where Hasso Reinhardt is being kept, following his trial; he's been sentenced to around ten years, after making himself useful providing information to the Allies. Reinhardt is glad to see him, yet saddened to learn of the situation with his wife; he offers advice similar to Delbrück's, as well as the thought that Schindel may try to make amends to those he feels he's wronged. Schindel mulls this over even as he manages to find a job in a print shop (his boss, learning he's been sleeping in the park, offers him a cot in the back room until he can get on his feet); he finally decides to go looking around the city.

On one street, a sort of "memorial" has been left: an old jeweler's shop whose windows were broken out and insides torched, the words "DER JUWELIER" crossed out and replaced with "DER JUDE." Also on the remaining portion of window is the name "J. DIAMANT." The Nazis left the gutted shop standing as a warning following Diamant's capture; after their defeat, the citizens leave it alone as well, though they put a fence around the front to keep out potential vandals. Schindel visits the shop next door; the proprietor, Jutta Bentz, confirms Diamant used to own the shop, and is still alive; word is he started a new shop in a mountain town. Schindel heads there, finds the shop. Within, he's surprised to meet Margarethe Dannecker; she recognizes him also, tells him, "I'm glad you're doing well, Herr Schindel," and retreats to fetch Diamant. Diamant is even more surprised than Schindel was, and seems uncomfortable as well, yet invites Schindel to join him for tea when Schindel has difficulty saying why he's there; Schindel declines but at last haltingly apologizes for the way he treated Diamant while he was kapo. As he speaks, Diamant looks more and more confused, and finally cuts in to say, "I'm not sure why you're apologizing to me, Herr Schindel; if anything I feel I should apologize to you." Schindel is perplexed to learn that Diamant feels just as guilty as he does, especially regarding the humiliating situation Dannecker forced them into, and doesn't even blame Schindel for beating him afterward. To hear the same issues he's agonizing over coming from his former foe's mouth puts things in a bit more perspective; Diamant says he owes him no apology, and Schindel departs, his heart feeling at least a little less heavy.

A week or so later, while Schindel is busy typesetting, his boss informs him he has a visitor, and to take his lunch to talk to them. He's stunned to find Rebekkah waiting for him. The two talk a little, awkward and shy, before she says, "I miss you," and invites him to stop by that evening for supper: "And...maybe you could stay, if you like." She doesn't mention that Diamant had visited, explained a little bit how difficult Schindel's position in the camp had been and he'd done it all for her--he doesn't blame Schindel for what he did, perhaps she should give him another chance. Of course Schindel agrees. He meets Hanna when he arrives, and has to force himself to hold back his tears, though when Rebekkah leaves the room for a moment, Hanna slips off her chair, trots over to Schindel, and hugs him; surprised but overwhelmed, he hugs her back. Rebekkah, coming back in the room, admits that she's since told Hanna the truth about who he is; she hopes they can start over. Schindel wipes the tears away from his eyes and murmurs, "I'd love nothing more."

[Isaak Schindel 2023 [‎Friday, ‎January ‎27, ‎2023, ‏‎5:00:16 AM]]

[Isaak Schindel 2023 2 [‎Friday, ‎January ‎27, ‎2023, ‏‎5:00:26 AM]]

[michaelsbigreddick]

Bad at Love-E.M x f!reader

Y/n and Eddie are far from perfect but they always find a way to make it work. Or at least she thought. After a petty argument over what movie they should watch, y/n goes to apologize to eddie. Only to find out he already had company.

Warnings! Mentions of drug and illegal activities! Mdni 18+

Pairing- Eddie x female reader (she/her)

I didn't post this yesterday because I worked all day then stayed up to watch V2 and then proceeded to cry the rest of the night, so my apologies for being late.

This is pt 1 out of maybe a 2 or 3 part series:) Hope yall enjoy! <3

_________

"Robin I can't deal with what I just saw! I think its because I just can't, I can't fucking believe it! 

“What happened this time y/n?” her tone was flat, tired of anything and everything that had to do with your relationship. But it didn't stop you from sharing anyway. 

“Guess! Guess what happened!” you were pacing around her room. Yelling once more about your on and off boyfriend, and love of your life, Eddie munson. 

She was used to it by now, the fight picking you both did because neither of you felt good enough for the other for one reason or another. Maybe you would feel insecure when some chick would try flirting with him during your trips out of town together, or he would feel like you found someone at college. Regardless of what it was, or who was in the wrong you were never on the outs for long. And when you were, Robin would have to sit there and listen. Sometimes over the phone, but when you were in town, in the comfort of her room. 

She was laying comfortably in bed running ger glittery green fingertips down the back of her purring cat. A bored expression sitting her face. 

“You know what? Don't guess because, Jesus it's so unbelievable you won't be able to guess it.’ you took a deep breath trying to put the words together. 

“I was, I was going to Eddie's house, ya'know, like I told you I was going to. I started it this time, my turn to apologize. As im pulling up to his house, I see fucking,” the tears begin to swell in your eyes. “fucking Chrissy Cunningham!” 

She sat up mouth agape. “No way. No, Y/n tell me youre joking.” she walked across her bed on her knees. “No way, are you sure it was her?”  you nod your head scared you'd break into tears if you said another word.

“Maybe he was like selling her something? Or or or, god I don't know,” she started to bite on her lip looking for something to comfort you. 

“No he does his fucking drug dealing. anywhere but home Robin. Why else would they go to his trailer after the game?” you sat down at the edge of her bed. She moved herself next to you. 

“Maybe he forgot it?” she gave you a weak smile. You offered one back but your trembling lips couldn't hold it together for long.  A sob escaped them. 

You never thought it would ever end, Not really. You would yell and scream and swear it was over, but then you would both cool off. Everything would fall back into place and you would have the best make up sex imaginable. 

You thought there was nothing that could ever really keep the two of you apart for long. Especially if the fight was over something as dumb as what movie you were going to put on to pretend to watch but them ultimately end up catching up on all the sex you missed out on during college. 

“Its alright. It probably was just a drug thing. And doesn't she have a boyfriend? ” she tries to reassure you. 

“Everyone knows she's as clean as a whistle Robin, and... I had a boyfriend when we first started hanging out too, remember?” she hummed remembering. 

“Yeah well you guys are in love. He's literally stupid for you y/n! Thats part of why he's still in high school. You distracted the hell out of him last year, remember? It's a miracle you even graduated.” She wrapped her arm around your shoulder and pulled your tear stained face into her.

  You sniffled remembering the good times. When things were still fresh, all the angst and build up to him finally having the guts to make his first move. You were both such bad influences for each other when it came to school. You couldn't help it, and neither could he. As cheesy as it sounded, you couldn't stand being apart from each other. 

“I just, I'm really scared I finally pushed him over the edge. And God chrissy? She is easily the second prettiest girl in school.” Robin smiled, accepting that you were calling her the first. 

“He couldn't go for the first of course, That's my best friend.”

“That would be crossing a whole other line.” she laughed. “Look, why don't you just call him tomorrow? Talk things out when you're a little more calm…I mean really, what are the chances he and the top chear leader are hooking up right now?”

Your stomach churned at the idea. You imagined him laying her down in the same bed you were supposed to be laying on instead of the soaking chest of your best friend. A loud sob escaped again followed by more. 

“God I am not very good at this huh.” your best friend said sighing at her failure to make you feel better. She leaned you down on her bed, taking your shoes off that you were too distracted to take off earlier. 

Getting into bed she sat up against her headboard, and threw the blanket over the both of you. You scooted over to her and lay your head on her lap.She begins to caress your head letting you spill out your fears and worries, and the last of your tears till you ultimately fall asleep. 

_._._._

You wake up the next morning to the sight of Robin wiping last nights eyeliner off. 

“Morning.” she says groggly.

“Morning.” you smile. You would apologize for coming to her house and crying so hard you stayed the night, but you were so close all you had to offer was a thank you. 

After having a quick breakfast, you dropped her off in time for work. Nearing your house a knot began to grow in your chest. Three cop cars were pulled up in front of it. You were barely able to park. 

Exiting your car your mom comes out of the door screaming your name. 

“Jesus, Y/n honey! You're safe.” she engulfs you in a breath squeezing hug. 

“Why wouldn't I be mom?’ that was when you remembered that you hadn't called home to let her know you were going to stay at Robins. 

“I was at Robin's mom. You should have called hers instead of…” you looked around at the police officers. A mixture of relief and concern plastered on their faces.

“I'm home. You can all go now.” you rub your moms back slowly trying to pry her off of you. 

“Thats, that's not the only reason they're here hun.” she looked at you with sorry eyes. They led you inside to your living room. 

'Let's take a seat lovebug.' You sit down on your couch facing the officers across from you. 

When the words left their  mouth you didn't think you were hearing them correctly. You couldn't believe that the words had even come out of their mouths just then. 

“We found a student of Hawkens High, Chrissy Cunningham, dead in your boyfriends trailer.”

"And so what? You think Eddie did this?" You knew you probably sounded like a delusional girlfriend. That was exactly what all the signs made it look like that, but it was Eddie. Your Eddie, you couldn't help but get defensive. 

“We're not saying anything. But his uncle was at the plant all night. Can you tell us where you were again, Miss Henderson.”

“For christ's sake I told you guys once I got here! I was at Robins last night!”

“Your mother told us that you were going to spend the night with,”

“Yea well that didn't happen. If you're so concerned about where I was you can ask the Buckleys. I'm sure they heard my embarrassing crying last night.” you roll your eyes, holding on tighter to your mothers warm hand. 

“Why were you crying honey?"

“Was there an altercation with Mr. Munson? If that were the case did he try,” you held your palm out signaling them to stop. 

“Don't you even dare try finishing that sentence. Eddie wouldn’t hurt a fucking fly. I need you to leave my house.” you got up from the couch, dropping your mothers hand. You were trembling, with anger, fear, frustration, whatever it was it had taken over. "Get out of my fucking house!”  You were confused on so many different levels. But there was one thing you were completely sure of, Eddie didn't hurt her. 

You saw your brother peeking his head out of his room.You knew he was hearing everything from the other side of the wall, he wasn't dumb, and the walls were thin. Eddie meant a whole lot to him too and there was no way you were going to let them make such claims under your roof. 

“Get out!” you screamed at them one last time. The slim cop with a mustache jumped, and slowly backed his way to the door. The sheriff took a quick glance at your mother then back at you. He nodded at your mother. She walked them out. You could hear them talk behind the door. The sound of them pulling away from the house followed.

You sat back down on your couch with your face in your hands. This felt worse than any feeling you had felt the night before. You couldn't keep it together. The facade of the strong older sister, the role of the supportive daughter, it was slipping away, melting off with each tear. 

Your mom came back in and sat on the recliner aside from you. Dustin finally slipped out of his room.

“Y/n?" He walked over to you slowly. Maybe he was worried you'd snap on him too. Regardless he knelt down in front of you and placed his hand on your knee. 

“I don't know what happened last night. Or what your dumb fight was about, which was probably the reason you went to Robins house… Whatever it is..whatever happened. It's gonna be okay.” you leaned down onto him, holding him as tight as you could.

When you get up from the couch and give him another quick hug. 

“I'm going to take a quick shower then we’ll talk more okay?” 

Dusting nodded. There was a loud knock at the door. He walked over swiftly to answer it. Your face softened when you saw who it was. Max Mayfield. She greeted you all quickly, pulling Dustin into his room. She looked different. Sadder even. You didn't expect her to be the same after the death of her brother. But there wasn't a touch of paranoia in her eyes that was unsettling. 

“Hun, the police want you to go in for questioning. They also want to have you escorted till they find him.” your mom says pulling you from your thoughts. 

“What? I told them to screw off and they want to baby sit me now?”

“They just think he might come looking for you…honey I think it's better to be safe than sorry.” she was looking at the ground when she said this. You couldn't believe she would consider the thought of it being true. She knew him. He was always so great with her. And even with your constant bickering, she knew the both of you loved each other like no one else in the world. 

“ I don't think he did what they said he did, I really hope not.” she said, squeezing your hand. 

“Mom!”

“Im being honest here bug. I just, even if he didn't do anything, I don't think it's a good idea to be seen anywhere near him right now. Not till things cool down.” she caressed your cheek. You knew she was doing her best. But god was it annoying that she didn't believe in his innocence.

You showered till the water went cold. Leaving the warm safety of the running water would mean that it was all real. You took even longer to get ready. Just as you were about to leave for questioning you noticed your open window. You had sworn that you closed it before going to Eddies. 

You started to look around your room for anything that was out of place. The last place you checked was where you found what you were looking for. A sign of him.

You plop onto your bed. Your hands shake a single folded up piece of paper. Your name was written across the first fold. 

"y/n, I really wish i let you choose that movie. You're right, you're always right. The Breakfast Club is one of the best movies to ever exist."

You chuckle knowing he was just saying that to stop the fight. 

"You might start to hear some things about me. Maybe you already have. I just want you to know that whatever it is that they say, it isn't true. I know that you're able to see over everything else that they've ever said, but this is different. I wish I could tell you what happened but I don't even know what went on. Chrissy Cunningham, the cheerleader, slipped me a note after class. She wanted me to deal her something. I met with her after the game because she wanted something stronger than weed. I didn't want to carry that shit around with me. I'm not an idiot. So I drove her to my uncles so i could give it to her there. She was in the living room when I was looking for the stuff. When I came back with it, she was off, and then everything happened. I don't know how to explain it. I came here to tell you what happened, to apologize about the dumb fight. I wanted to see you one last time before whatever happens, happens. I'm scared but I'll be okay knowing you believe me. At least I hope you do. I'm going to where we had our first kiss.  

Love you so fucking much

Eddie"

You were relieved that he was safe. The place where you had shared your first kiss was the lake across from his dealers house. The guy was out of town and Eddie took advantage of that. You spent a day there. Turning the music up as loud as you could, smoking and drinking, making the dumbest jokes imaginable. By the end of the day, still high and a little drunk but definitely more sober than before, he pulled out the boat from the shed and you paddled to the very middle before realizing it had a motor. You were laughing so hard you were on the verge of rocking the boat. 

It was perfect the way the moment just presented itself. On the lake, both of you high enough to hear the water beneath and around you move with such a clarity, the reflection of the stars above you cascaded off the water, lighting up his pale skin, and showing you the lustful look in his eyes. 

“I want to kiss you” he had said to you. 

“So kiss me.” he smiled and leaned into you. His soft lips fit into yours like they were made for them. You'd never felt that before. The need or want to kiss someone the way you did him. With others it felt like something you had to do, up down, take a breath, touch their neck, maybe slip some tongue in. But with him, it was easy. No thought was necessary, you could kiss him all day if he'd let you. 

Your mind went back to how he said he couldn't explain what happened. The last time you had heard someone say that to you it had to do with the upside down. You hoped to god that it didn't have to do with it. You were so grateful he'd gone so long in the dark about what has been going on in Hawkins. This was the last thing he needed. 

If it wasn't official before. It was now, you were going to find him and help him prove his innocence.

[blairwritingscript]

"Partners in Crime p1"

WORD COUNT: 2.1K

PAIRINGS: Venom/Eddie x Reader

SUMMARY: It all comes down to you being a very nonchalant bounty hunter desperate for a vacation or distraction, you got what you asked for and found... a partner?

WARNINGS: Mentions of fighting. little cursing. little alcohol.

A/N: B/N = bounty's name imma leave the name to your imagination. Venom's text is written like this :) also I DO take requests.

* Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 *

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God did you want a vacation, but sadly your job didn't really work that way. It was your third bounty this month and it was only the 8th. Normally you would be hunting the lesser dangerous kind of people such as drug dealers or small gangs.

Your previous and first bounty this month was an example, it was someone who was illegally shipping stolen objects for a little while. It was rather easy since he was quite sloppy in "erasing" any traces.

this one was different. it felt.. different.

it took you long before you got a lead about B/N's whereabouts, but you found one anyways. It was all the way over in San Francisco though. At least it was a city with mostly little crimes so there shouldn't have been anything major to worry about.

As soon as you arrived at the airport you ordered a cap to a hotel downtown. Being a bounty hunter has its perks such as having quite a great loan. you didn't go to a 5-star hotel, you didn't want to have to much attention on you right away so you went for the slightly less expensive 4 star hotel.

Immediately plugging in your laptop you search the web a bit, news and blogs mostly helped you with finding locations of sketchy places.

Apparently it wasn't your lucky day cause you found absolutely nothing. Looking outside of your window you saw that the sun had already began to set. then your eyes moved to the bed and boy did it look comfortable right now.

You stood up from your spot on the sofa and and went through suitcase, picking up short and a thin tank top.

the night went by fast, too fast for your liking if you had to be honest.

You stayed in your improvised pajama's as you spend yet another part of your day looking online. it finally payed off when you saw something about suspected dealing in a bar only a few streets away from your hotel. you decided to go there later in the evening.

Well later came. You had dressed up nicely and went ahead on your 'mission' to find more info or perhaps find your bounty right away.

When you arrived at the bar you sat down at the higher stools on the right corner of where the bartender was toying around with the drinks, from this angle you could keep the whole place in check. Thinking you totally deserved it you ordered a Bloody Mary for yourself as well.

There were a few loners sitting around (probably trying to drink their problems away) you also spotted 2 couples and a little party in the other corner of the bar. You sighed quietly and sipped your drink.

"Eddie"

Eddie flinches slightly at the sudden voice in his head. "what?" He whispered.

"I'm sensing a weird smell in this place" Venom told him making Eddie look around a bit.

"I don't smell anything, maybe you smell the beer or something" Eddie dismissed venom's sense.

"You don't smell it because you're an idiot, Eddie"

Eddie frowned "ouch" he whispered annoyed. He on the other hand was already working on his 7th glass. "quit it man" he continued grumpily

Venom really wanted to smack Eddie right there and then. instead of doing that he just casually used Eddie to look at where the smell could be coming from.

Eventually he traced it to.. you. at first he wasn't sure if it actually came from you or the spot where you were currently seated. For now he's just gonna stay low.

Back to you and lady luck seemed to be on your side again. a man entered from one of the doors behind the bar. he wasn't much taller then you, blond hair, tattoo on his wrist and he definitely did not skip arm day!

Of course you have dealt with worse then him, even going as far as hunting down some sort of robot from Sokovia? But that didn't mean you could underestimate anyone that came in your path.

When he was about to walk out you paid for your drink and followed him from a few feet away.

Venom noticed it and he just left, not even feeling the slightest of guild for the bartender whatsoever. First as Eddie since he was out because of his low tolerance for alcohol.

When he was outside he walked after you a little wobbly and then went into an alley and became himself. climbing up a building and following you from up there.

After some minutes of following B/N he finally went into an alley himself. you thought nothing of it and did the same. big mistake.

Right when you turn the corner he holds out a knife towards you. "You think i'm so stupid that i wouldn't notice you tracking me, doll?"

you frowned at the little nickname, taking out a pair of daggers. you moved a bit so that your back wasn't vulnerable from behind as it was turned to the main street.

The guy put on a scowl when he didn't get an answer from you. He charged at you, his blade swinging every way except yours. you were better at dodging then fighting and that gave you countless opportunities to take him down.

you had to counter his blade with yours a few times but managed to make him run head first into the wall, giving you all the time you need to grab the handcuffs out of your pocket that you had carefully tucked there before you left your room.

It went all so smoothly, but all of a sudden something made a loud thud sound behind you. you were ready to turn around and face whoever was standing there. that was the original second plan but then you were roughly (and rudely) shoved against the wall. it took you a second to get your vision back, you looked at where you bounty is supposed to be but of course! he was just running away! escaping you just when you were so close to having the job done!

You shook your head and looked the direction of whoever or whatever made that happen.

that's when you say it.. him? her?

"You shouldn't do bad things, but i'm sure you'll make a good sn-"

honestly you didn't even care at this point. you stomped towards it like an angry toddler. pointing up at him aggressively.

"What is your problem!? Now my bounty is GONE because of YOU!"

Venom's eyes widened, not having expected a reaction like that from.. well.. anyone. he was frozen in place.

"i don't know what you are but have you ever heard of minding your own business?!" you shoved your finger into his chest, making him stumble back a little bit.

Everything hit him then. You're a hunter for bad people, like them.

"i am sorry" He said. it was so out of the blue that now you were frozen.

your shoulders slowly relaxed, a deep and bottled up sigh coming from you while rubbing your face in frustration. it was kinda cute to the symbiote.

you gave it one last glare before turning around and walking away.

Venom followed you, he made at first sure that there weren't any (or at least not a lot) of people walking in the street.

"you're not scared?" he asked quietly, walking a few meters behind you. it was annoying but it was a distraction from the silence that the night brought.

"why would i be? you're just an ass who messed up my hunt" you actually were a little freaked out because it's not on a regular base that you get followed around by an alien or whatever that thing is.

"i said i am sorry" venom got closer.

"you already said that but sorry doesn't make this situation better" you check your phone if there is anything on someone with maybe half a concussion walking through the street but yet again nothing show up.

"where are we going?" venom was now beside you, staring at you with those eyes?

you stopped "we?" you asked genuinely confused. "why would you want to come wherever i go?"

"i want to make up for it, that and you are interesting" you squinted your eyes, looking him up and down. interesting? you weren't sure if you had to take that as a complement, but besides his earlier attempt to do who knows what he seemed to be calm right now, friendly even.

"I'm going back to the hotel i stay in" you continued to walk again, it wasn't far and you were only a couple of streets away now but you were tired of today's events even when you stayed in your pj's for half of it.

"Do you want a lift?" Venom offered. "a lift?" you thought.

"but yo-" you started but were cut off when venom picked you up bridal style. He jumped up and latched onto a flat with his free arm. you hid your face from the wind and the only place to do that was his chest.

You wanted to scream your lungs out as venom casually hopped building after building. Your stomach began to feel like it wanted to scream too. You tapped Venom against his chest, hoping he would see it as a sign to stop. he did stop only not because of your tapping.

He looked down at you. "which hotel are you staying in?"

"first put me down please" you rubbed the bridge of your nose.

He did as you asked, you stepped closer to the edge of the roof. "Be careful" it was kinda sweet that he cared about your safety so you backed away for him. "501 Geary St, you know where that is?"

he nodded and was about to pick you up again. "ho ho, wait a second" you put your hands in front of you, gesturing to not do that.

"What's your name big guy?" you ask as you cock your head to the right.

"We are Venom" He said with confidence.

"We?" you questioned.

"ehh don't worry about it" He gives you a toothy smile. just the fact that you know that that is a smile considering how he almost always looks like he's smiling.

"okay? anyways, can i hold onto your back this time?" you smiled back.

He turns just like that, his back towards someone who is used to hunting people down (both legally and illegally). though you do have to admit that you wouldn't just try to hurt or capture some alien out of nowhere.

You climbed onto his back and we took off into the right direction this time. it was already past 1.30 am by the time you finally arrived at the window to your room. you opened it an got inside, happy when the warmth of it hit you cold skin.

the smile from before had returned to your face, hair a bit messy from the ride "you have anywhere you can stay, Venom?"

It took him a second to reply "i do, but it's very late" is what he said because he didn't want to admit that he didn't want to go, not even for Eddie who was still out cold.

you step aside, making room for him to come inside "then stay here"

He looked around. Eddie would have never been able to afford this. it was a large room with everything someone would need including a massive bed and TV.

you watched him admire the place, a small smirk forming onto your lips. you wanted to offer him the sofa but the you remembered his size. you sighed "you can take the bed if you want, i will sleep on the sofa"

Venom wanted to protest but he understood your decision. "thank you"

"lemme change real quick" you rushed over to your suitcase that was neatly placed on a rocking chair next to your bed, grabbing the pj's your wore the night before. you excused yourself again as you went to the bathroom to put them on.

Meanwhile Venom walked around until he got reminded that he was still with Eddie. He heard a soft grunt coming from the man within. feeling that he hadn't woken up he continued waiting patiently for you to come back.

as soon as you came back you flopped down onto the sofa, sleepiness overtaking you making you almost forget about your guest. you looked up "you can go to sleep if you want, or you can do.. ehm.. whatever you do?" you yawned halfway through that sentence.

"Goodnight" he passed you the bed's blanket which you happily accepted "Goodnight, V". he lay down on the bed. you wrapped yourself up in the blanket and fell asleep some minutes later while Venom was indulging in your smell that was printed in the bed. He smiled at himself and closed his eyes, ready to dream.