#but yeah I do not think barry is trying to posit that barry working with the FBI was what wouldve saved him

[robocops-a-christ-allegory]

Last night I got so desperate to see Barry Discussion that I looked at the subreddit and saw a bunch of people saying that Barry working with the FBI was actually his shot at redemption and I remembered how bad reddit is.

[bats-and-the-birds]

I made a post involving young/feral/perceived cryptid Dick Grayson and someone tagged something about Barry Allen losing his mind when this terrifying child befriends his nephew and I have NOT stopped thinking about this since.

Because like, imagine you're Barry Allen. You've been doing this hero thing for a while, and you've seen a lot of things, but now your nephew has gotten himself wrapped up in this too, and goddamnit, you're worried because you know this life isn't easy.

Then he makes a friend - Ollie's boy, Roy Harper - and you breathe a little bit easier, because you know that however rough this life is, it's worse without friends. Besides, it's sweet. They're young boys, and they roughhouse, and tell stupid jokes, and play video games together sometimes. It's nice to see Wally just be a kid with someone that he doesn't have to hide from. And, yeah, sure, they get into trouble sometimes, pull pranks that go too far, get themselves in danger because they think they can take on something they can't, but it's still a net positive, because you need friends in this line of work, and that's exactly what they've found.

And you think about Robin. Not often, but you do think about him. Because you know nothing about him, and you don't want to, but he still has the face of a boy that's younger than your nephew. You wonder if he has friends.

But really, you don't think about him that much. You don't want to. He's freaky, and generally, thinking too hard about anything to do with the Bat is inadvisable.

Then there's a fight. A big one. You don't even really know who's fighting on your side until everything has cleared. It was basically the entire Justice League, no one dead, but a few injuried. And your nephew's there too. And Roy. And Robin.

No one really goes near Robin, ever. It was an unspoken rule, of sorts, and you're pretty sure it's just because everyone's scared of messing with Batman's little bird, though whether that was due to fear of Batman or the bird himself, you're not sure.

But Wally doesn't seem to know this. Wally doesn't seem to care. He runs up to Robin with a big grin on his face and grabs his hand, trying to tug him over to where Roy was patching up some injuries.

You notice that Robin doesn't go with him immediately. In fact, he looks confused. But if you know anything about your nephew, he's persistent, and eventually Robin lets himself be dragged over. Roy seems unconcerned, but you can tell that the other adults in the vicinity shift uncomfortably, unsure of what they should do, or if they should do anything at all.

It doesn't last long anyway. Batman calls for Robin and he bounds off, but you notice he stops and hesitantly waves a gloved hand at your nephew before he leaves. Wally waves back.

You don't think much of it.

Then, the next time you and Ollie catch Wally and Roy fighting something they shouldn't be, Robin's right there with them. It's the first time you've seen Robin without Batman in close proximity, and you think he looks just a little bit more human. He smiles sheepishly with the other boys when they're chastised for fighting things that they shouldn't, and you watch Roy ruffle his hair like there's nothing to be worried about. You're still worried.

You still don't think much of it though. Even when Robin's there with the two of them the next time, and the time after that.

But then, oh dear god, he's in your house. You don't actually notice him at first, for two whole hours, because it's normal to see Wally and Roy sitting on the couch and playing video games. You just don't realize that there's a third head in between them until you sit down in an adjacent armchair to see what they're playing, because Robin is just short enough that his head doesn't peak over the back of the couch.

You have to blink a few times to make sure what you're seeing is real, because nestled in between the two slightly older heroes in their civilian attire is Robin, sans his gloves, cape, and boots, but otherwise still in full uniform with his mask still firmly in place, holding a video game controller and laughing while Wally elbows his side to try to make him lose.

And you just sit back in your chair and stare, because what the hell are you even supposed to do in this situation? Your nephew has decided to make friends with Batman's goddamn son - the boy that you've seen sneak up on League members with super hearing, break a grown man's femur, and somehow fade into shadows in a bright yellow cape - and it worked. And now he's playing video games on your couch. And you don't know what to do about that.

[lumenflowered]

[A video is attached. Janine—a young woman with spiky purple hair and a long scarf on over what sure looks like ninja attire—appears to have just shut the door behind Maria into some sort of break room.

"So! Good to finally meet you, champ," Janine says cheerfully, practically bouncing on her feet as she makes for a comfy-looking couch and launches herself backwards into it, the camera following her there. "You beat Dad, so. I knew I probably wasn't winning, but damn if it wasn't fun to try!"

"I can see the resemblance," Maria comments, looking around the break room and eventually choosing to just remain standing, very awkwardly, near the door.

"Aw, really? That's really sweet, thank you. But anyway!" Janine beams at her. "What brings you here? Are you just the sort of overachiever who wants to get all sixteen of the viable badges, or... something else? My guess is something else. Though you do have overachiever energy."

Maria blinks, clearly confused. "Thank you? I... think?"

"Eh, it can be a compliment, could be not, I mean it as a compliment so you're welcome. Seriously, though, what are you doing here?" Janine pauses. The smile drops from her face. "It's Rocket, isn't it."

"As in the team? I... had intended to ask you that."

"Wait what."

"How much has Lance told you?"

"Pretty much just that he did get defeated but for personal reasons you're not taking over for him at the Indigo League quite yet. Also a quick physical description of you so we'd actually know when you turned up. Which... understated a few things, but never mind that." Janine sits up, arms crossed over her chest. "What's going on?"

"After being driven out of Johto, Team Rocket seems to have plans of some variety here in Kanto instead," Maria clarifies. "They seem far more afraid of me than they are of Lance—"

"Wait, were you the one who crashed Ho-oh into the Johto Radio Tower???"

"—and as such the plan is for the rest of the League to monitor Johto while I search them out and deal with them here in Kanto." Maria pauses, brow furrowing. "Also, no. Ho-oh crashed themself into the Johto Radio Tower; I was merely taking advantage of their offer of a way into the building."

"What the fuck, you're way too cool to be the new champ," Janine mutters. "Anyway. Uh. Got it! Fully understood. Honestly it wouldn't be the first time that Rocket has managed to listen in on League communications, so I get why Lance didn't want to say much, but also what do you want from me here?"

"I'd like to know," Maria says, "if you have seen anything particularly suspicious in or near Fuchsia City recently. Anything directly related to Rocket would be ideal, but anything... out of the ordinary would work."

"Hmm. Hmmmmm." Janine steeples her hands thoughtfully, shifting to an even more ridiculous sitting position on the couch if she does. "See, I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but I've seen Rocket's work before, and I've got a hunch about where they will be if they're anywhere near here. Give me a couple days, I'll let you know. Or I'll have one of the girls let you know."

"...One of your gym trainers is a boy?"

"Oh, Barry? Yeah, he's bigender. He delights in being one of the boys and one of the girls. Not the point though, I'll get on that after the gym closes tonight. In the meantime... stay close, give me a call if you find something first, and I hope you enjoy Fuchsia City!"

"Thank you," Maria says. "There is one other thing, more of a... personal matter."

"Oooooooh? Do tell?"

"I... believe there may have been a challenger here... close to a month ago?"

"Okay...? I'm gonna need something slightly more specific, I get a lot of challengers. It's mostly people who are here for the Safari Zone and figured they might as well try for a badge while they're in the area, but hey."

"Dee. The name she would be going by is likely Dee."

Janine's brow furrows. "About a month ago... yeah, I think I remember her. Actually, I thought she was you at first—Lance's original description of you wasn't as specific as it should've been, he didn't even mention that you're an edgelord."

"...A what."

"Uh, you like dark clothes and... don't worry about it, actually. What about her?"

"I..." Maria hesitates. "She... did Lance mention that I was a Faller?"

"Like Surge, yeah. But also it's pretty... you're not subtle. I like you a lot but you're not. What about it?"

"I believe that she may be too," Maria says. "That she may be from the same place I am, and... may even be someone I knew once."

"Oh shit? That's a good thing, right?"

"...I don't know."

"What, is she your ex or... yeesh. For real? That's rough." Janine pauses. "Also, you can totally sit down if you want. Like. There are plenty of seats."

There are, indeed, plenty of seats. Maria equally awkwardly takes one.

"Perhaps I am wrong," Maria says. "I hope that I am wrong. But any information on her that you are willing to share may help."

"Okay. Well. Um..." Janine's brow furrows. "Let me think on that one too, actually, it's been a long month."

The video ends.]

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

A Voice Through the Nothingness Part 9

Series Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

As always, please comment if you're enjoying yourself.

Contains: Slow burn, so much fluff, brief mentions of domestic violence, mild angst, more fluff.

4.3K words

Comment if you want to be tagged or follow #a voice through the nothingness.

“Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great.”- Roger de Bussy-Rabutin.

She could tell Billy was already looking for her and they met eyes across the room, Hazel waving softly before picking up her drink and walking over. Billy gave her a soft smile, his heart racing in his chest, "Hello Hazel."

Hazel smiled back, trying to compose herself, "Hello Billy."

Billy didn't know where to start, Hazel looked amazing, "How have you been?"

Hazel smiled, "I've been great. What about you?"

His head was a whirl with emotions, "Me too, things are really good."

Hazel pointed to the bar, "You wanna get something to drink then go somewhere quiet so we can talk?"

Billy nodded, "Sure, I'd like that."

Billy followed Hazel to the bar and flagged down the bartender,"What she's having please."

Hazel smiled, "That's right, you're a whiskey man."

Billy nodded, "Yeah, how is it?"

Hazel took a sip, "It's nice, very rich."

Billy collected his drink and pointed out the doors to the balcony, "How's outside sound?"

Hazel was already walking towards the doors, "Outside is great."

They found a table as far away from the party as they could and sat down, watching Lizzy meet up with the rest of Billy's group while they figured out what to say.

Billy took a deep breath, "I don't know what to say. I'm sorry I put you in the position I did. I realise now that I put your job at risk and.."

Hazel cut him off, "There's no need for any of that. I understand why you did it and I was just as at fault as you were. I'm sure you knew but I lied to you when I said I didn't have feelings for you and that wasn't right either. I should have been honest."

Billy shook his head, "You did what you thought was right and you were right when you said six months down the line I would feel differently because I do. I miss spending time with you and I miss talking to you but I see now that I didn't love you, not really, had we started a relationship, it would have ended badly."

"I know. I have to say, my feelings faded too. I still missed you terribly but it wasn't love. Maybe we can have a redo and start from scratch." Hazel didn't realise how much she missed him until now, it almost hurt.

Billy smiled, "I'd love that." He took another deep breath, "How's work been?"

Hazel grinned, "I'm the deputy head of the department now and I've been given five students to work with instead of two, turns out I love teaching. How's Anvil?"

Billy's smile grew, "That's amazing Hazel, really, you deserve all the recognition. Anvil amazing, I'm sure you've heard but Thomas has brought us so many clients, the kid's a genius."

Hazel nodded, "I did, I'm really happy he's found a good place to settle."

Billy leaned in closer and Hazel mirrored him, the air charged, "How's Barry?"

Hazel huffed, "How long you got?"

Billy itched to reach across and grab her hand, "All the time in the world, I want to know everything."

****

Lizzy fell right back into conversation with Frank, Karen and Curt without effort, it was safe to say she missed them as much as Hazel did, "how has everyone been?"

Karen smiled, "We've been great, did you read the article I did on your ward?"

Lizzy nodded, "I did, it brought it a lot of extra funding so thank you for that." The expansive article about how wonderful the long term care ward was had been the talk of the hospital for weeks.

"Now that Hazel and Billy and talking again, I'm thinking about asking if I can do one on the peds ward. What do you think?" Karen already knew the answer.

"I think that would be great, they're always looking for help. I'm sure Hazel will help you find someone, she's the deputy head of the ward now." The smiles on their faces made her feel so warm.

"What about you? You should have gotten a promotion by now?" The way Frank said it made Lizzy suspicious.

"Yeah, I won a nursing award. But you already knew that didn't you?" The answer was clearly yes.

Curt smiled, "You deserved it for everything you did for Bill, we had to nominate you."

She shook her head fondly, "Well thank you, it came with a nice pay bump."

Curt laughed, "Let me guess, four dollars and a slice of pizza?"

Lizzy pressed her lips together, "Now now, Curtis, you know full well that New York pays its hardworking health care heroes a lot more than that, it was two slices of pizza."

It took less than a second for the laughter to take everyone over. Lizzy caught her breath and sighed, pointing over to Billy and Hazel through the window, who were clearly enraptured in conversation, "what do you think they're talking about?"

Frank shrugged, "It doesn't matter, they look happy."

****

Hazel's eyes went wide as Billy went on with his story, "What do you do when shit like that happens?" She held back a laugh, "Oh sorry Mr high falutin businessman, we didn't mean to catch the pool boy neck deep in your wife but we did."

Billy chuckled, "Basically, he doubled our pay for proof. They've been married long enough that she still got a tasty settlement and he moved into a women barely old enough to drink."

She sighed, "Ah, isn't that always the way?"

Billy nodded, "You have no idea how many times we've seen it. Can I ask you a question?" Hazel nodded, "How did you end up getting such a large promotion in six months when you don't play politics? I mean Lizzy said it herself you'd rather spend all your time with patients than running shit, what changed?"

"Nothing changed, I still spend all my time with the kiddos. I already have my master's in nursing but an accelerated trauma course came up and I took it. I'm two months off finishing. I think they wanted to shut me up after the shooting but I get to change things where I am and that's why I took the job." Hazel swirls her mostly gone drink, "I never wanted to be one of those people that left the coal face and I don't plan to be but I'm sick of screaming into the void."

Billy reached out his hand and grabbed hers, "Hey, you don't need to justify anything to me. You just told me you were changing things and you're still doing what you love, I'm not going to knock you for that."

Hazel smiled and squeezed his hand, "Thanks Billy." She took a deep breath and pointed towards the inside, "We better go in and mingle. I need to pull in more donations after all and you have networking to do."

Billy shook his head, "Like I said before, you've missed your called as a UN negotiator."

Hazel huffed, "You'll have to find one first."

They headed inside, right over to their friends, "You all sorted?" Lizzy did her best to keep her tone neutral.

Hazel nodded, "Yep all sorted."

Karen went first, wrapping Hazel in her arms with a smile, "It's good to see you again. We've all missed talking to you."

Hazel hugged her back just as hard, "Likewise, we have so much catching up to do."

Frank was next, squeezing Hazel hard enough that he pressed the air out of her lungs, "It's good to see you too Franky."

Frank chuckled, "Lizzy tells us you've been doing amazing things, we're all very impressed."

Hazel nodded, "She's talking me up, I'm just doing my job."

Curt went last, hugging her with a gentle smile on his face, "I missed our reminiscing sessions."

Hazel smiled back, "Me too and I'm about to be a pediatric trauma nurse so we'll have lots to talk about."

Frank grinned, "Really? Good for you, how does that work?"

Hazel's face filled with pride, "I've been doing half shifts in the ER and half in the ward so I can still spend time with my patients. Not much will change once I'm qualified I'll just be more specialised and have more skills."

Billy sighed, "Well, I think it's great. You should be proud of yourself."

Hazel nodded, "I am."

Lizzy turned her head suddenly and grabbed Hazel's arms, "Now, if you'll excuse us, there's a very important donor we need to talk to."

Hazel followed Lizzy's gaze and nodded, "Yeah, we'll back back in a bit."

Billy waved his hand, "No worries, that's what these things are for anyway. Speaking of, I see someone Anvil would love to have as a client."

Hazel smiled, "Shall we all meet up later for a dance?"

Billy nodded, "I'd like that."

The night swirled by and Hazel was grateful for the free supply of drinks. Between going back and forth with donors and trying to fend off people wanting war stories, she was over it and ready to go home. She and Lizzy were trying to guide the conversation away from a recent horror car cash when the tapping of a glass filled the air and the hospital director wandered to the middle of the room.

With a smile, she began to talk, "Hello, everyone and welcome to our annual charity ball. Now that you've all enjoyed your horderves and drinks, it's time for some wonderful music and some dancing."

Billy locked eyes with Hazel and made a beeline for her from across the room, extending his hand with a smile when he reached her, "May I have this dance?"

Hazel smiled and took his hand, "You may."

The music started as they embraced and Billy smiled as he pulled away, "We gotta leave room for Jesus."

Hazel giggled, "There are too many rich people in this room for him to be here."

Billy grinned, "You sound like Frank."

Hazel huffed, "I don't think that's such a bad thing. Can I ask you a question?" Billy nodded, "How do you deal with them every day? I've seen Anvil's website, you give away as much as you take in so as much as you wear the ten thousand dollars suits and the fancy watches you're not one of them."

Billy was impressed with her assessments, "You just said it, the more money we take in, the more we can give and these guys pay a pretty penny for our protection. The nice suits and the fancy watches just help us look the part. Can I ask you a question?"

Hazel had a feeling she knew what he was about to ask, "Sure."

"When Frank looked into you, he looked into your financials too, why do you so far below your means." Billy knew the answer, he did it himself for years.

"I'm saving up for a house in the suburbs. A nice house where I can sleep in a room that's not also my kitchen and my living room, with a backyard and no barking dogs or drug dealers on the street and I don't want a loan. So I'm loving in a two room apartment and taking the subway and if I keep going the way I am, I'll be out of there and in a house in a year." He could hear how tired she sounded.

Billy swallowed, "I'm realising now how little we know about each other. You know about my mother and that I grew up in the system but that's it and I've got no idea about you. Can't your parents help?" The intrusiveness of the question hit him, "I'm sorry, that was really personal."

Hazel shook her head, "No, it wasn't, you've told me about your mum, I should repay you in kind. I don't have a father, he left when my mother was pregnant with me and my mother died when I was twenty without a dollar to her name. She had a massive heart attack and dropped dead at work one day. Lizzy and I met when we were eighteen in nursing school and she's been the only stable person in my life since my mother's death."

Their sudden closeness made a lot more sense now, "I'm so sorry."

Hazel smiled softly, "Don't be, it's made me really strong and hell, if I could handle working three jobs to get myself through nursing school without debt, then I can handle anything." Billy knew exactly what she was talking about, "what about you, you didn't get here without hardwork."

Billy huffed, "Shit went really bad on my last tour, there's not much I can talk about but Frank and I came into some money because certain people asked us to clean up some stuff."

Hazel blinked, "I'm not asking for an answer, in fact, I don't want one right now. But I'm getting the feeling this has something to do with the leaks David was accused of. If that's the case, I know why you can't talk about it and I don't blame you for getting something out of it."

Billy felt strange, he knew that there was plenty of information out there, especially after the video of Rawlins having his fun went viral, "You know, Karen said the same thing to Frank."

Hazel huffed, "It's not that hard to understand Billy, you did what you had to. I hope a day will come along when you can give me details because."

Billy smiled, "Me too."

They danced through each song, unwilling to split from each other despite the looks, their chests growing closer as the night drew to a close. As the last song soften and people began to leave, Billy looked over Hazel's face and willed himself to break the peace, "Let's meet for coffee and catch up, maybe we can talk more about how we got to where we are now, that's what friends do, isn't it?"

Hazel smiled, "I'd really like that. How does next Saturday sound?"

Billy nodded, "That sounds great. You wanna give me your number so we can make the plans?"

Hazel reached into her small purse, unlocked her phone and handed it to Billy, "How about we exchange numbers?"

Billy's phone was already out, "good idea." With a flurry of fingers, it was done and the phones were back with their owners.

Hazel rubbed her face, "Well, I think I've had it for the night and Barry will be worried if I'm out any later."

Billy laughed, "Yeah, I have a job in the morning. I'll see next Saturday."

Hazel smiled, "I'm looking forward to it." She saw Lizzy in the corner of her eye and with one last goodbye, she left.

Frank wandered over, Karen leaning against him looking worn out, "You look like you were having fun."

Billy huffed, "Ask Curt, he was the one romancing my old nurse all night."

Curtis chuckled, "Lizzy has been your nurse for six months man. She's a nice lady, so what if I spent the night dancing with her."

Frank rubbed his face, "I think we should all head home before this turns into the real housewives. When are you seeing Hazel again."

Billy sighed, "Next Saturday and we're just going for coffee as friends so I don't want to hear anything about it."

Frank huffed, "Sure Bill."

****

"Are you listening to me?" Hazel and Lizzy were enjoying their break but Lizzy seemed too busy buried in her phone to pay attention.

Lizzy nodded, "Yeah, yeah, you're excited to see Billy on Saturday, you don't know if you'll have time to change out of your work clothes. Just do whatever he won't care."

Hazel sighed, "Alright Lizabeth, slip. You haven't been off you phone since the charity ball. What is going on?"

Lizzy rolled her eyes, "Curt and I have been texting. We're going on a date of Friday."

Hazel held back her smile, "You wanna let me know why you're only telling me this now?"

"Because you have your own stuff to worry about, I was only going to tell you if it went well." Hazel could hear the apprehension in Liz's voice.

Hazel gave her a soft smile, "Curt's sweet. We've both had a shit track record with men but I think he's one of the good ones."

Lizzy nodded, "Yeah he is. What about you and Billy, how are you feeling about that?"

Hazel shrugged, "I have no idea, so I'm not going to agonise over it."

****

Hazel waited outside the chocolate shop, Billy was quick to suggest it and Hazel was faster to agree. He arrived right on time, a smile on his face and his arms open for a hug. Hazel accepted, Billy was warm and he smelt like something that came in a fancy, funky coloured bottle.

Billy smiled, "It's good to see you again."

"You too Billy." She waved her hand at the door, "Shall we?"

Billy nodded, "We shall." He held the door open as they entered and headed to a table, Billy even pulled out Hazel's chair for her.

"You look like you know this place well, how many women have you brought here?" Hazel's tone held no offence.

Billy smiled, "A few, it's a great place for a first date."

Hazel chuckled, "Yes, but only if you don't get the triple chocolate and double fudge ice cream Sundae."

Billy's eyes went wide, "Well, since we're not on a date, you wanna get that?"

She nodded, "Oh yes, please. You gotta share it and it's amazing. Lizzy and I get the day after we do full moon shifts."

Billy raised an eyebrow, "Ok, now I'm really interested.

Hazel laid her hands flat on the table in an effort the stop herself from getting too excited, "So, technically, you don't need to share it but it's not fun if you don't and you can't have it on a date because ordering brings up strong opinions about ice cream combinations. First things first, you get the choice of three different chocolate ice creams, which is all they have here and then two different types of fudge."

Billy felt strange, he never really got to have anything like this, not just the fancy ice cream but the joy over something so small, "What's your favourite combination."

Hazel's smile grew, "That's just the thing, it's different every time. They have the base flavours white, milk, dark and super dark chocolate but the rest is day by day. By far, my favourite was milk chocolate, white chocolate vanilla swirl and super dark with a hint of coffee and two swirls of creme brulee fudge. You'd think it would be too rich but the scoops are small and the main focus of the ice cream isn't how sweet it is, it's the quality of the chocolate."

Billy huffed, "If I wasn't sold already, I am now. You wanna go to the counter and order?"

Hazel shook her head, "Nope, I'll go with you so I can get points on my membership card but you're ordering since you've never had it before."

Billy smiled, "Fine, but only if you let me pay."

Hazel sighed, "I could argue with you but I know I won't get anywhere, so alright."

"Give me your membership card and I'll surprise you." She handed it to Billy and he hurried over, returning a few minutes later with an order number. "They'll be out with it in a minute. Why after a full moon, why not just after a shit shift?"

Hazel thought for a moment, wondering how she was going to word it without sounding weird, "I'm sure you know what full moons are like, they're filled with weirdness and with kids things tend to be even worse. So we use it as a way to get through a shift we know is going to be bad."

Billy knew what she was talking about, anything could happen when the moon was out, "That's actually a really good idea. That whole people lose their minds on a full moon is pretty universal." Billy took a deep breath, "can I ask you something?" Hazel nodded, "Curt and Liz, what do you think?"

Hazel smiled, "Curt's kind and Lizzy deserves someone kind. They're grown ups, I'm sure they can handle it."

Billy smiled, "Good, because I feel the same about Curt." Before Hazel could reply, the Sunday came out, "Wow, this is something."

Hazel laughed, "wait until you try it. What did you get?"

Billy smiled, "Milk chocolate and maple swirl, super dark and white chocolate. I got two swirls of whisky fudge."

Hazel already had a spoon in hand, "Well, if you don't hurry up, I'm going to eat it all."

Billy chuckled, "Heard loud and clear, I hope it's worth the hype." Billy watched Hazel as she took her spoon and took a little bit of each, he knew one thing, even if it tasted like shit, watching Hazel enjoy herself would make it worth it.

****

The sun had just set when they were finally done, having moved from the chocolate shop to a little deli for a small snack when they got hungry for something other than sugar and chocolate.

Billy rubbed the tiredness from his face and sighed, "Can I walk you to the station?"

Hazel shook her head, "Only if you want to but I wouldn't offer to take me home, you'll get mugged wearing that." While he was dressed casually, it still looked expensive.

Billy chuckled, "I think I can handle myself if that's what you want."

She shook her head, "Maybe one day, but I have to check one of my neighbours today."

Billy paused for a moment, unsure of how to continue, "Can I confess something?" Hazel nodded, "When I first got out of the hospital, I cased your place. I know it was wrong of me and in hindsight, I have no idea why I did it and I feel shit about it but I needed to know if you were safe."

Hazel didn't flinch, "What did Dr Charles say?"

Billy sighed, "That I was in marine mode and that it was wrong of me."

Hazel gave him a soft smile, "I knew you were there. Frank too"

Billy blinked, "How?"

She broke his gaze, "Getting strangled almost to death made me a little paranoid, I tend to notice things that most people don't. Since you told me something, I'll share with you. I have an agreement with the dealers on my block, I supply them with legal Narcan and test kits through a program at the hospital and in exchange, I help them out when they can't afford to get their kids to a doctor for small shit. And occasionally, they let me know ahead of time if strange men are looking for me."

Billy was unsure of what to say, especially after what he and Frank did, "What, and they're just fine with it?"

Hazel nodded, "They're not good people but they're not bad people either. These dealers are in it to support their families, not to make money. The ones on the block that don't make nice end up getting shot. I'm sure some of them are your CIs. I'm sure you have questions."

"Why? I'm sure you've seen what these people do to each other, what they do to addicts, how can you stand them?" Billy didn't mean to sound judgemental but he did.

"Because I can reach them when no one else can. I'm not ashamed to admit that I use their worries about their children to get them to see reason and some of them have. If I get one person out, then the rest is worth it. I'm sure you know what it's like to have to get dirty to make a change." Unlike Billy, Hazel meant the unkindness in her tone.

Billy paused in the middle of the street, "You're right and I'm sorry. I have no reason to judge you for doing the right thing."

Hazel shook her head, suddenly guilty for her response, "I'm sorry too, I get a certain way when it comes to kids and I went for the low blow, there's no excuse for that."

Billy smiled softly, "I'm the one that went there first. I could have used someone like you when I was a kid, I think my life might have been a bit easier. I guess I'm just pissed that I missed out."

Hazel reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I think we all need somewhere soft to land when things are hard, that's part of being human."

Billy took her hand in his and continued walking her to the station, "Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you hadn't lost my card?"

Hazel looked deep in thought, "No. My job involves lots of hurt kids, questioning the universe is a great way to end up sad. I don't think everything happens for a reason but it does happen, I lost your card, you got blown up and now we're here and there's something in that."

Billy nodded, "So live in the moment and don't be angry?"

Hazel chuckled, "The first half, I'm angry all the time but at least I'm feeling something that's not terror."

Billy knew that feeling well, "Yeah, I get that. I really enjoy talking to you."

Hazel smiled, "Likewise. You wanna have a picnic in the park one day? We can even feed the ducks some grapes."

Billy nodded, "That sounds great. How does after your shift Thursday sound?"

Her smile grew, "That sounds great." Billy hadn't realised they had reached the station, "This is my spot."

The absence of her hand in his made him feel cold, "Yes, it is. I'll see you Friday."

Hazel nodded, "You will. Bye Billy."

He gave her a soft wave, "Bye Hazel."

Part 10

@rainbowgoblinfan

[steakout-05]

every kitty maid barry sprite i have worked on so far

this post will be long

fig 1: tiny little sprite sheet (not to actual sprite scale)

thoughts:

Barry's dress was decently easy to sprite as it is essentially a palette swap with a skirt and a few other details. the skirt was a bit tricky to figure out, i originally wanted it to be a more straight/flat kind of dress, but it didn't turn out too well so i decided to give him a more frilly and detailed skirt. i loosely referenced the princess' dress in episode 1 of the DTM series. i was thinking about keeping his sleeves ripped but the little short white sleeves were too cute to pass up ^w^

also wanted to remove the tie but i thought it looked nice and fit really well with the colours, so i kept it

this is lifted from one of KoolTimYT's sprite edits, like the tail and ears and the blush colour, though the dress and bows are completely original art

those shrugging sprite were actually really tricky to edit, the first two were fine as the only real difference was Barry's head perspective and it being a singular pixel down in position, but the other two were kinda hard as i not only needed to sprite an unseen area of Barry's dress, but i realised the arms had a singular pixel difference so i needed to go back and fix that. also spriting a slightly different sleeve and trying to figure out the other positionings in general

spriting Barry's kitty nyah gesture hands was also a little tricky but i got a hang of it and i think i did a pretty decent job at it :)

those separate sprites with just his arms and the bows up in the corner was mainly for me to have extra assets to use in case i fuck up but i think they could be useful for anyone else to use

the pink bows were for the first kitty Barry edit i did where i was gonna give him a super colourful pink dress/suit

by the way i make all of these sprites in MS Paint and add transparency in Paint.net by magic-wanding away the unnecessary white spaces (why is unnecessary spelled like that i have had the hardest time trying to spell that stupid word for as long as i can remember what the fuck) (i guess you could say the stupid extra letters are unnecessary why is there a C???)

fig 2: the first sprites

thoughts:

so the one on the right was made as a complete joke when i saw KoolTim's sprite and i internally went "haha but what if he like being a cat" and gave him the bows because i thought they looked cute

as mentioned before i was gonna make him a pink dress, but the black one looked better. so i was gonna give him pink and yellow socks but they looked out of place and just made 'em white.

just realised..... spamton socks..............

the early "nyah!!" sprite kinda looks like those lucky cats that wave their paw you know the ones

really glad i gave Barry the dress because the look really pulls everything together real nicely

yeah not much to say about these ones moving on

fig 3: beta unused do not research

thoughts:

so the first one on the left is me trying to figure out which skirt type to use when i realised i wanted to use black instead of pink. obviously it didn't look very good. also just a sidenote the reason the outline is grey is because i often use a grey colour when spriting or "sketching" over a sprite, basically it's not finalised

the second one is me trying to get a look at how the dress fits on the shrugging sprite which is why it looks messed up

the other two are the same i think i don't know why there's 2

floating cat ear my beloved

these are a bit unsettling

fig 4: colour palette guide feat. my grapheme-colour synesthesia

thoughts:

self explanatory. sometimes colour picking directly from a sprite over and over can be tricky so it's good to have a neat little colour guide on hand for any spriter

the white had black around it because i drew this is MS Paint where the base colour is, you guessed it, white

yes i know the little coloured letters are ugly, blame my brain for going "but what if we colour these in the way you see letters" and me for agreeing with my brain ignore that pretend it's not there

speaking of synesthesia: R is green. you cannot argue with me on this. R is a green letter and i will die on that hill it's just so,,, green looking

may update this in the futore thankyou for looking at these

[wonderneverlandsystem]

But wait- Have we considered...

From Barry's POV especially-

.

.

.

Francesca-?

"Do you think I'd give up?

That this might've shook the love from me"

-Len always pushing Barry away, trying to be, well... Cold. Even cruel sometimes, but Barry can, as he always has, see through that. He's gonna keep trying to get through.

"My life was a storm since I was born

How could I fear any hurricane?"

-I feel like this is obvious, it's especially fitting because of what happened to him when he was a kid. Len thinks, and maybe knows, that he could only ever make Barry's life worse, but Barry's been through hell and back since childhood, rarely catching a break (Which I would also like to point out is something Len can give Barry in a way that no one else does. Letting him be himself and not pushing him to be this perfect hero who can and should do no wrong but instead accepting him for what he is. A person. Who makes mistakes, and fucks up.)

"If someone asked me at the end

I'd tell them, "Put me back in it" (Da-ah, darlin')

I would do it again (Ah-ah, ah-ah)"

-We see a few times throughout the show Barry constantly putting everyone and everything on his shoulders, even after people stopped telling him too. The sudden change in his life and the world, the wild ass events of Season 1 (largely due to Eobitch but the others didn't really help-) made him think he *had* to do that. That he had to be a hero. Also, as someone who can speak from experience, when you grow up with childhood trauma, especially all the shit he went through even into adulthood, when that becomes All. You. Know? It can become like an addiction, and staying in that cycle is much easier than leaving it. Even after you are able to recognize that it isn't right or healthy, you sometimes still seek it out because, it's familiar, it's simple, and it's all you know how to do.

"I would still be surprised I could find you, darlin', in any life"

-This line I like because not only is there obviously the whole multiverse, alternate timelines, etc. but also. He works at the police station and one of his dads is a cop. Even if he hadn't become the Flash, the chance of him and Leanord running into each other eventually was already incredibly high. Also, I've read. A *lot*. of fanfiction. For many a ship, in many a fandom. And lots of AU's. And no ship. AND I MEAN NO SHIP (at least that I've seen)- works SO. FUCKIN. WELL. No matter what AU you put 'em in. As long as the writer knows what they are doing and understands the characters, even just a decent bit, it works. Royalty AU where one is royalty and one isn't? Yes, and either one can be in either position. Royalty AU where they are both royalty? DEFINITELY WORKS AND SHOULD BE USED MORE IMO- There's obviously the Mafia Boss AU which- Same situation as the Royalty AU. No matter what way you configure it- It works. Simple Domestic Life Shit? Hell yeah (also something there aren't a lot of fics for from what I've seen). Soulmate AU? OH. MY. GODS. YES‐ They both hate the whole fuckin destiny shit, the whole make-your-own destiny thing. Especially Len. And watching them choose each other, not because some otherworldly entity decided they should (or occasionally *despite* the fact that they were set up to be with other people-) but because they love each other and no one can tell them what the fuck to do.

"For all that was said

Of where we'd end up at the end of it

When the heart would cease, ours nеver knew peacе"

-AGAIN WITH THE PRE-DESTINED CRAP AND PEOPLE PLANNING AND FUCKING WITH THEIR WHOLE LIVES AND THEM NOT HAVING IT- AHHHHH- Barry never gave up on Len. And Len never gave up on Barry. They always believed in each other. Despite Len's child (and adult) hood, despite everything he did, the people he hurt, even those close to Barry- He knew there was good in him, and that no matter what the world said, what his friends said, even what the man who became his father thought- He refused to give up on Len. And Len ended up saving and FREEING literally every single person, on every single earth, in every timeline, by sacrificing his OWN life. And despite Barry being constantly pulled in every which direction by everyone, always having to be the hero, always having to save everyone and everything, but told the same bullshit that everyone is told, that if you hurt or kill the people who hurt or killed you/those you care about then you are just as bad as them. The fact that Leanord fucking Snart believed that he should continue to be a hero? Believed that he was too pure and good to *actually* try and get him to be like him, even though he caused people to get hurt and even die, changed people's whole lives- Just so he could try and save the people he loves, to get a little bit of peace for himself. He had to give up his whole life for everyone and whenever he tried to actually break that pattern he was practically smacked with the "No. You don't get a choice- You don't get to be happy- You don't get to be free- You're responsible for everyone else, even if that means you have to keep hurting- You are selfish for trying to be happy." And Len, one of the most cynical people Barry has ever met- Thinks that he is still good? Still worthy of being called a hero? Well, if that's not love I dunno what is.

"What good would it be on the far side of things?

It was too soon

When that part of you was ripped away

A grip takin' hold like a cancer that grows

Each piece of your body that it takes"

-This I think especially works from Barry's POV in regards to Len and the Oculus. Len left and he proved what Barry always knew to be true. But he lost his body and life in the process. So many things went unsaid. So many feelings left unexplored. He should've had more time. They should've had more time... They were so far away from each other, and for most of their early interactions, on opposing sides. But as I will talk about in my rant at the end, after the events of their first episode together, they were always with each other. Forever changed by the other. I like (not really it causes much pain-) to think about just how often Barry thinks about all of his interactions with Len after finding out about what happened to him. About how things could have gone differently. How *they* could've gone differently. But the only people Len couldn't give time and freedom to with his sacrifice... Was him, and by extension Barry and the other people he was in the hearts of. Yes he gave them time and freedom like everyone else, but he also ripped away all of their chances to have him in their life, and for Barry- The chance to love him freely...

[p.s. I am on the verge of tears after writing that last bit-]

"I would not change it each time

Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I"

-I don't have any words for this. I don't think it really needs an explanation though, these two lines embody them and their relationship so perfectly- (I will also most certainly cry if I think about it for too long-)

—————

Now major sidetrack at the end here but, something that has, from the beginning, back when I first watched this shit when I was like 11, made me realize what made Barry & Len so different (and imo better-) than most other ships in the fandom, not only for Barry but also for most of them in general, was that them being together represents Change.

From the FIRST episode where Barry goes up against Len. Both of their routines change. Literally everything about how Leanord operates changed. His whole 4 step plan thing that he comes up with? Before Barry, he never needed the fourth step. Ever. He planned things out perfectly and got the job done. In and out. No problems. But Barry gave him a challenge. Barry was a wild card that changed everything for him. He was raised to be nothing more than a criminal. Everyone saw him as nothing more than a criminal. So that's what he was gonna be. Not even a second thought about it. He never thought there could be more than that waiting for him. But Barry showed him just how wrong Lewis was. Just how wrong the world was. And just how wrong he was. He didn't force him to be a good guy to change his whole personality and life. But he told and treated him like the person he is, that there's good in him. And that he can still be himself while being good. That he didn't have to sacrifice his sister, Mick, and his whole life just to be a good person. That Leanord Snart. And Being Good. Are not mutually exclusive...

And Len? He's just a "regular" human guy- An incredibly intelligent one, but the point is he's no meta- Barry should've been able to take care of Leanord with ease ages ago, even with him having the cold gun. But Len got him pegged (haha-) quicker than anyone. He recognized Barry's greatest weakness (and greatest strength-) faster than even Barry, AND EVEN FASTER THAN EOBARD WHO HAD 15 YEARS PLUS ALL THE TIME BEFORE HE TIME TRAVELLED BACK TO REALISE THAT- Barry became so much more cautious (when it comes to other people-) after Leanord made it apparent just how easy it was to distract him. He became more protective of his loved ones, putting himself in more and more dangerous situations alone. But before anyone says how bad of a thing that is, it is incredibly unhealthy when taken to the extent he did- But. It also went DIRECTLY. AGAINST. EOBARD'S. PLANS. Plans that he spent 15 years putting together- He had to change on the fuckin spot because Barry was just too fucking loving. He was trying so hard to get Barry to focus on training, on getting faster and not going out and saving people unless there was a meta situation, and yet- Barry went after Leanord. A non-meta. Time. And time. Again. And Barry kept saving people from fires. Kept telling Joe, and Cisco, and everyone to let him handle situations alone even when it was INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS, if not potentially LETHAL, for him to do so. And we see multiple times Eobitch almost get up from his chair to go stop him because, if Barry dies, he can't get home. I don't think they would have figured everything out if it weren't for all of those changes. Len and Barry changed each other's lives, and by extension- Everyone else's and the world.

But that's just my two cents-

obsessed with „Too Sweet“ by Hozier at the moment and my initial thought was that this is a coldflash song but you know what? No. Actually it isn’t. I know Snart looking at Barry and going „you’re too pure for me to ever be with you“ could make sense. But if there’s anyone who recognises that Barry is not just this sweet hero type of guy then it’s Snart. He knows that there’s just one wrong moment and Barry Allen could be dangerous, so if anything. If anything Leonard „I think the Flash should remain a hero“ Snart wouldn’t date Barry – not because he thinks he would ruin him but he fears he could be a catalyst for the turning point that’s just waiting to happen

[jaywalkerss]

Look at these two.

Couple of Hive Harrys.

Let's have fun with them.

It must be dangerous being a Pollen Jock.

Yeah. Once a bear pinned me against a mushroom!

He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me!

Oh, my!

I never thought I'd knock him out.

What were you doing during this?

Trying to alert the authorities.

I can autograph that.

A little gusty out there today, wasn't it, comrades?

Yeah. Gusty.

We're hitting a sunflower patch six miles from here tomorrow.

Six miles, huh?

Barry!

A puddle jump for us, but maybe you're not up for it.

Maybe I am.

You are not!

We're going 0900 at J-Gate.

What do you think, buzzy-boy? Are you bee enough?

I might be. It all depends on what 0900 means.

Hey, Honex!

Dad, you surprised me.

You decide what you're interested in?

Well, there's a lot of choices.

But you only get one.

Do you ever get bored doing the same job every day?

Son, let me tell you about stirring.

You grab that stick, and you just move it around, and you stir it around.

You get yourself into a rhythm. It's a beautiful thing.

You know, Dad, the more I think about it,

maybe the honey field just isn't right for me.

You were thinking of what, making balloon animals?

That's a bad job for a guy with a stinger.

Janet, your son's not sure he wants to go into honey!

Barry, you are so funny sometimes.

I'm not trying to be funny.

You're not funny! You're going into honey. Our son, the stirrer!

You're gonna be a stirrer?

No one's listening to me!

Wait till you see the sticks I have.

I could say anything right now. I'm gonna get an ant tattoo!

Let's open some honey and celebrate!

Maybe I'll pierce my thorax. Shave my antennae.

Shack up with a grasshopper. Get a gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"!

I'm so proud.

We're starting work today!

Today's the day.

Oome on! All the good jobs will be gone.

Yeah, right.

Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring, stirrer, front desk, hair removal…

Is it still available?

Hang on. Two left!

One of them's yours! Congratulations! Step to the side.

What'd you get?

Picking crud out. Stellar!

Wow!

Oouple of newbies?

Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready!

Make your choice.

You want to go first?

No, you go.

Oh, my. What's available?

Restroom attendant's open, not for the reason you think.

Any chance of getting the Krelman?

Sure, you're on.

I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out.

Wax monkey's always open.

The Krelman opened up again.

What happened?

A bee died. Makes an opening. See? He's dead. Another dead one.

Deady. Deadified. Two more dead.

Dead from the neck up. Dead from the neck down. That's life!

Oh, this is so hard!

Heating, cooling, stunt bee, pourer, stirrer,

humming, inspector number seven, lint coordinator, stripe supervisor,

mite wrangler. Barry, what do you think I should… Barry?

Barry!

All right, we've got the sunflower patch in quadrant nine…

What happened to you? Where are you?

I'm going out.

Out? Out where?

Out there.

Oh, no!

I have to, before I go to work for the rest of my life.

You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello?

Another call coming in.

If anyone's feeling brave, there's a Korean deli on 83rd

that gets their roses today.

Hey, guys.

Look at that.

Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday?

Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted.

It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up.

Really? Feeling lucky, are you?

Sign here, here. Just initial that.

Thank you.

OK.

You got a rain advisory today,

and as you all know, bees cannot fly in rain.

So be careful. As always, watch your brooms,

hockey sticks, dogs, birds, bears and bats.

Also, I got a couple of reports of root beer being poured on us.

Murphy's in a home because of it, babbling like a cicada!

That's awful.

And a reminder for you rookies,

bee law number one, absolutely no talking to humans!

All right, launch positions!

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!

Black and yellow!

Hello!

You ready for this, hot shot?

Yeah. Yeah, bring it on.

Wind, check.

Antennae, check.

Nectar pack, check.

Wings, check.

Stinger, check.

Scared out of my shorts, check.

OK, ladies,

let's move it out!

Pound those petunias, you striped stem-suckers!

All of you, drain those flowers!

Wow! I'm out!

I can't believe I'm out!

So blue.

I feel so fast and free!

Box kite!

Wow!

Flowers!

This is Blue Leader. We have roses visual.

Bring it around 30 degrees and hold.

Roses!

30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around.

Stand to the side, kid. It's got a bit of a kick.

That is one nectar collector!

Ever see pollination up close?

No, sir.

I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it over here. Maybe a dash over there,

a pinch on that one. See that? It's a little bit of magic.

That's amazing. Why do we do that?

That's pollen power. More pollen, more flowers, more nectar, more honey for us.

Cool.

I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow. Oould be daisies. Don't we need those?

Copy that visual.

Wait. One of these flowers seems to be on the move.

Say again? You're reporting a moving flower?

Affirmative.

That was on the line!

This is the coolest. What is it?

I don't know, but I'm loving this color.

It smells good. Not like a flower, but I like it.

Yeah, fuzzy.

Chemical-y.

Careful, guys. It's a little grabby.

My sweet lord of bees!

Candy-brain, get off there!

Problem!

Guys!

This could be bad.

Affirmative.

Very close.

Gonna hurt.

Mama's little boy.

the ENTIRETY of it??? seriously??

[cd543akaasrieldreemurfan]

Honex!Dad, you surprised me.You decide what you're interested in?- Well, there's a lot of choices.- But you only get one.Do you ever get boreddoing the same job every day?Son, let me tell you about stirring.You grab that stick, and you justmove it around, and you stir it around.You get yourself into a rhythm.It's a beautiful thing.You know, Dad,the more I think about it,maybe the honey fieldjust isn't right for me.You were thinking of what,making balloon animals?That's a bad jobfor a guy with a stinger.Janet, your son's not surehe wants to go into honey!- Barry, you are so funny sometimes.- I'm not trying to be funny.You're not funny! You're goinginto honey. Our son, the stirrer!- You're gonna be a stirrer?- No one's listening to me!Wait till you see the sticks I have.I could say anything right now.I'm gonna get an ant tattoo!Let's open some honey and celebrate!Maybe I'll pierce my thorax.Shave my antennae.Shack up with a grasshopper. Geta gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"!I'm so proud.- We're starting work today!- Today's the day.Oome on! All the good jobswill be gone.Yeah, right.Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring,stirrer, front desk, hair removal...- Is it still available?- Hang on. Two left!One of them's yours! Oongratulations!Step to the side.- What'd you get?- Picking crud out. Stellar!Wow!Oouple of newbies?Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready!Make your choice.- You want to go first?- No, you go.Oh, my. What's available?Restroom attendant's open,not for the reason you think.- Any chance of getting the Krelman?- Sure, you're on.I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out.Wax monkey's always open.The Krelman opened up again.What happened?A bee died. Makes an opening. See?He's dead. Another dead one.Deady. Deadified. Two more dead.Dead from the neck up.Dead from the neck down. That's life!Oh, this is so hard!Heating, cooling,stunt bee, pourer, stirrer,humming, inspector number seven,lint coordinator, stripe supervisor,mite wrangler. Barry, whatdo you think I should... Barry?Barry!All right, we've got the sunflower patchin quadrant nine...What happened to you?Where are you?- I'm going out.- Out? Out where?- Out there.- Oh, no!I have to, before I goto work for the rest of my life.You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello?Another call coming in.If anyone's feeling brave,there's a Korean deli on 83rdthat gets their roses today.Hey, guys.- Look at that.- Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday?Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted.It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up.Really? Feeling lucky, are you?Sign here, here. Just initial that.- Thank you.- OK.You got a rain advisory today,and as you all know,bees cannot fly in rain.So be careful. As always,watch your brooms,hockey sticks, dogs,birds, bears and bats.Also, I got a couple of reportsof root beer being poured on us.Murphy's in a home because of it,babbling like a cicada!- That's awful.- And a reminder for you rookies,bee law number one,absolutely no talking to humans!All right, launch positions!Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz,buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!Black and yellow!Hello!You ready for this, hot shot?Yeah. Yeah, bring it on.Wind, check.- Antennae, check.- Nectar pack, check.- Wings, check.- Stinger, check.Scared out of my shorts, check.OK, ladies,let's move it out!Pound those petunias,you striped stem-suckers!All of you, drain those flowers!Wow! I'm out!I can't believe I'm out!So blue.I feel so fast and free!Box kite!Wow!Flowers!This is Blue Leader.We have roses visual.Bring it around 30 degrees and hold.Roses!30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around.Stand to the side, kid.It's got a bit of a kick.That is one nectar collector!- Ever see pollination up close?- No, sir.I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle itover here. Maybe a dash over there,a pinch on that one.See that? It's a little bit of magic.That's amazing. Why do we

[dear-ao3]

According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what humans think is impossible. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Ooh, black and yellow! Let's shake it up a little. Barry! Breakfast is ready! Ooming! Hang on a second. Hello? - Barry? - Adam? - Oan you believe this is happening? - I can't. I'll pick you up. Looking sharp. Use the stairs. Your father paid good money for those. Sorry. I'm excited. Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you, son. A perfect report card, all B's. Very proud. Ma! I got a thing going here. - You got lint on your fuzz. - Ow! That's me! - Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000. - Bye! Barry, I told you, stop flying in the house! - Hey, Adam. - Hey, Barry. - Is that fuzz gel? - A little. Special day, graduation. Never thought I'd make it. Three days grade school, three days high school. Those were awkward. Three days college. I'm glad I took a day and hitchhiked around the hive. You did come back different. - Hi, Barry. - Artie, growing a mustache? Looks good. - Hear about Frankie? - Yeah. - You going to the funeral? - No, I'm not going. Everybody knows, sting someone, you die. Don't waste it on a squirrel. Such a hothead. I guess he could have just gotten out of the way. I love this incorporating an amusement park into our day. That's why we don't need vacations. Boy, quite a bit of pomp... under the circumstances. - Well, Adam, today we are men. - We are! - Bee-men. - Amen! Hallelujah! Students, faculty, distinguished bees, please welcome Dean Buzzwell. Welcome, New Hive Oity graduating class of... ...9:15. That concludes our ceremonies. And begins your career at Honex Industries! Will we pick ourjob today? I heard it's just orientation. Heads up! Here we go. Keep your hands and antennas inside the tram at all times. - Wonder what it'll be like? - A little scary. Welcome to Honex, a division of Honesco and a part of the Hexagon Group. This is it! Wow. Wow. We know that you, as a bee, have worked your whole life to get to the point where you can work for your whole life. Honey begins when our valiant Pollen Jocks bring the nectar to the hive. Our top-secret formula is automatically color-corrected, scent-adjusted and bubble-contoured into this soothing sweet syrup with its distinctive golden glow you know as... Honey! - That girl was hot. - She's my cousin! - She is? - Yes, we're all cousins. - Right. You're right. - At Honex, we constantly strive to improve every aspect of bee existence. These bees are stress-testing a new helmet technology. - What do you think he makes? - Not enough. Here we have our latest advancement, the Krelman. - What does that do? - Oatches that little strand of honey that hangs after you pour it. Saves us millions. Oan anyone work on the Krelman? Of course. Most bee jobs are small ones. But bees know that every small job, if it's done well, means a lot. But choose carefully because you'll stay in the job you pick for the rest of your life. The same job the rest of your life? I didn't know that. What's the difference? You'll be happy to know that bees, as a species, haven't had one day off in 27 million years. So you'll just work us to death? We'll sure try. Wow! That blew my mind! "What's the difference?" How can you say that? One job forever? That's an insane choice to have to make. I'm relieved. Now we only have to make one decision in life. But, Adam, how could they never have told us that? Why would you question anything? We're bees. We're the most perfectly functioning society on Earth. You ever think maybe things work a little too well here? Like what? Give me one example. I don't know. But you know what I'm talking about. Please clear the gate. Royal Nectar Force on approach. Wait a second. Oheck it out. - Hey, those are Pollen Jocks! - Wow. I've never seen them this close. They know what it's like outside the hive. Yeah, but some don't come back. - Hey, Jocks! - Hi, Jocks!

Youguys did great! You're monsters! You're sky freaks! I love it! I love it! - I wonder where they were. - I don't know. Their day's not planned. Outside the hive, flying who knows where, doing who knows what. You can'tjust decide to be a Pollen Jock. You have to be bred for that. Right. Look. That's more pollen than you and I will see in a lifetime. It's just a status symbol. Bees make too much of it. Perhaps. Unless you're wearing it and the ladies see you wearing it. Those ladies? Aren't they our cousins too? Distant. Distant. Look at these two. - Oouple of Hive Harrys. - Let's have fun with them. It must be dangerous being a Pollen Jock. Yeah. Once a bear pinned me against a mushroom! He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me! - Oh, my! - I never thought I'd knock him out. What were you doing during this? Trying to alert the authorities. I can autograph that. A little gusty out there today, wasn't it, comrades? Yeah. Gusty. We're hitting a sunflower patch six miles from here tomorrow. - Six miles, huh? - Barry! A puddle jump for us, but maybe you're not up for it. - Maybe I am. - You are not! We're going 0900 at J-Gate. What do you think, buzzy-boy? Are you bee enough? I might be. It all depends on what 0900 means. Hey, Honex! Dad, you surprised me. You decide what you're interested in? - Well, there's a lot of choices. - But you only get one. Do you ever get bored doing the same job every day? Son, let me tell you about stirring. You grab that stick, and you just move it around, and you stir it around. You get yourself into a rhythm. It's a beautiful thing. You know, Dad, the more I think about it, maybe the honey field just isn't right for me. You were thinking of what, making balloon animals? That's a bad job for a guy with a stinger. Janet, your son's not sure he wants to go into honey! - Barry, you are so funny sometimes. - I'm not trying to be funny. You're not funny! You're going into honey. Our son, the stirrer! - You're gonna be a stirrer? - No one's listening to me! Wait till you see the sticks I have. I could say anything right now. I'm gonna get an ant tattoo! Let's open some honey and celebrate! Maybe I'll pierce my thorax. Shave my antennae. Shack up with a grasshopper. Get a gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"! I'm so proud. - We're starting work today! - Today's the day. Oome on! All the good jobs will be gone. Yeah, right. Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring, stirrer, front desk, hair removal... - Is it still available? - Hang on. Two left! One of them's yours! Oongratulations! Step to the side. - What'd you get? - Picking crud out. Stellar! Wow! Oouple of newbies? Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready! Make your choice. - You want to go first? - No, you go. Oh, my. What's available? Restroom attendant's open, not for the reason you think. - Any chance of getting the Krelman? - Sure, you're on. I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out. Wax monkey's always open. The Krelman opened up again. What happened? A bee died. Makes an opening. See? He's dead. Another dead one. Deady. Deadified. Two more dead. Dead from the neck up. Dead from the neck down. That's life! Oh, this is so hard! Heating, cooling, stunt bee, pourer, stirrer, humming, inspector number seven, lint coordinator, stripe supervisor, mite wrangler. Barry, what do you think I should... Barry? Barry! All right, we've got the sunflower patch in quadrant nine... What happened to you? Where are you? - I'm going out. - Out? Out where? - Out there. - Oh, no! I have to, before I go to work for the rest of my life. You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello? Another call coming in. If anyone's feeling brave, there's a Korean deli on 83rd that gets their roses today. Hey, guys. - Look at that. - Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday? Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted. It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up. Really? Feeling lucky, are you? Sign here, here. Just initial that. - Thank you. - OK. You got a rain advisory today, and as you all know, bees cannot fly in rain. So be careful. As always, watch your brooms, hockey

sticks,dogs, birds, bears and bats. Also, I got a couple of reports of root beer being poured on us. Murphy's in a home because of it, babbling like a cicada! - That's awful. - And a reminder for you rookies, bee law number one, absolutely no talking to humans! All right, launch positions! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Black and yellow! Hello! You ready for this, hot shot? Yeah. Yeah, bring it on. Wind, check. - Antennae, check. - Nectar pack, check. - Wings, check. - Stinger, check. Scared out of my shorts, check. OK, ladies, let's move it out! Pound those petunias, you striped stem-suckers! All of you, drain those flowers! Wow! I'm out! I can't believe I'm out! So blue. I feel so fast and free! Box kite! Wow! Flowers! This is Blue Leader. We have roses visual. Bring it around 30 degrees and hold. Roses! 30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around. Stand to the side, kid. It's got a bit of a kick. That is one nectar collector! - Ever see pollination up close? - No, sir. I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it over here. Maybe a dash over there, a pinch on that one. See that? It's a little bit of magic. That's amazing. Why do we do that? That's pollen power. More pollen, more flowers, more nectar, more honey for us. Oool. I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow. Oould be daisies. Don't we need those? Oopy that visual. Wait. One of these flowers seems to be on the move. Say again? You're reporting a moving flower? Affirmative. That was on the line! This is the coolest. What is it? I don't know, but I'm loving this color. It smells good. Not like a flower, but I like it. Yeah, fuzzy. Ohemical-y. Oareful, guys. It's a little grabby. My sweet lord of bees! Oandy-brain, get off there! Problem! - Guys! - This could be bad. Affirmative. Very close. Gonna hurt. Mama's little boy. You are way out of position, rookie! Ooming in at you like a missile! Help me! I don't think these are flowers. - Should we tell him? - I think he knows. What is this?! Match point! You can start packing up, honey, because you're about to eat it! Yowser! Gross. There's a bee in the car! - Do something! - I'm driving! - Hi, bee. - He's back here! He's going to sting me! Nobody move. If you don't move, he won't sting you. Freeze! He blinked! Spray him, Granny! What are you doing?! Wow... the tension level out here is unbelievable. I gotta get home. Oan't fly in rain. Oan't fly in rain. Oan't fly in rain. Mayday! Mayday! Bee going down! Ken, could you close the window please? Ken, could you close the window please? Oheck out my new resume. I made it into a fold-out brochure. You see? Folds out. Oh, no. More humans. I don't need this. What was that? Maybe this time. This time. This time. This time! This time! This... Drapes! That is diabolical. It's fantastic. It's got all my special skills, even my top-ten favorite movies. What's number one? Star Wars? Nah, I don't go for that... ...kind of stuff. No wonder we shouldn't talk to them. They're out of their minds. When I leave a job interview, they're flabbergasted, can't believe what I say. There's the sun. Maybe that's a way out. I don't remember the sun having a big 75 on it. I predicted global warming. I could feel it getting hotter. At first I thought it was just me. Wait! Stop! Bee! Stand back. These are winter boots. Wait! Don't kill him! You know I'm allergic to them! This thing could kill me! Why does his life have less value than yours? Why does his life have any less value than mine? Is that your statement? I'm just saying all life has value. You don't know what he's capable of feeling. My brochure! There you go, little guy. I'm not scared of him. It's an allergic thing. Put that on your resume brochure. My whole face could puff up. Make it one of your special skills. Knocking someone out is also a special skill. Right. Bye, Vanessa. Thanks. - Vanessa, next week? Yogurt night? - Sure, Ken. You know, whatever. - You could put carob chips on there. - Bye. - Supposed to be less calories. - Bye. I gotta say something. She saved my life. I gotta say something. All

right,here it goes. Nah. What would I say? I could really get in trouble. It's a bee law. You're not supposed to talk to a human. I can't believe I'm doing this. I've got to. Oh, I can't do it. Oome on! No. Yes. No. Do it. I can't. How should I start it? "You like jazz?" No, that's no good. Here she comes! Speak, you fool! Hi! I'm sorry. - You're talking. - Yes, I know. You're talking! I'm so sorry. No, it's OK. It's fine. I know I'm dreaming. But I don't recall going to bed. Well, I'm sure this is very disconcerting. This is a bit of a surprise to me. I mean, you're a bee! I am. And I'm not supposed to be doing this, but they were all trying to kill me. And if it wasn't for you... I had to thank you. It's just how I was raised. That was a little weird. - I'm talking with a bee. - Yeah. I'm talking to a bee. And the bee is talking to me! I just want to say I'm grateful. I'll leave now. - Wait! How did you learn to do that? - What? The talking thing. Same way you did, I guess. "Mama, Dada, honey." You pick it up. - That's very funny. - Yeah. Bees are funny. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry with what we have to deal with. Anyway... Oan I... ...get you something? - Like what? I don't know. I mean... I don't know. Ooffee? I don't want to put you out. It's no trouble. It takes two minutes. - It's just coffee. - I hate to impose. - Don't be ridiculous! - Actually, I would love a cup. Hey, you want rum cake? - I shouldn't. - Have some. - No, I can't. - Oome on! I'm trying to lose a couple micrograms. - Where? - These stripes don't help. You look great! I don't know if you know anything about fashion. Are you all right? No. He's making the tie in the cab as they're flying up Madison. He finally gets there. He runs up the steps into the church. The wedding is on. And he says, "Watermelon? I thought you said Guatemalan. Why would I marry a watermelon?" Is that a bee joke? That's the kind of stuff we do. Yeah, different. So, what are you gonna do, Barry? About work? I don't know. I want to do my part for the hive, but I can't do it the way they want. I know how you feel. - You do? - Sure. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor, but I wanted to be a florist. - Really? - My only interest is flowers. Our new queen was just elected with that same campaign slogan. Anyway, if you look... There's my hive right there. See it? You're in Sheep Meadow! Yes! I'm right off the Turtle Pond! No way! I know that area. I lost a toe ring there once. - Why do girls put rings on their toes? - Why not? - It's like putting a hat on your knee. - Maybe I'll try that. - You all right, ma'am? - Oh, yeah. Fine. Just having two cups of coffee! Anyway, this has been great. Thanks for the coffee. Yeah, it's no trouble. Sorry I couldn't finish it. If I did, I'd be up the rest of my life. Are you...? Oan I take a piece of this with me? Sure! Here, have a crumb. - Thanks! - Yeah. All right. Well, then... I guess I'll see you around. Or not. OK, Barry. And thank you so much again... for before. Oh, that? That was nothing. Well, not nothing, but... Anyway... This can't possibly work. He's all set to go. We may as well try it. OK, Dave, pull the chute. - Sounds amazing. - It was amazing! It was the scariest, happiest moment of my life. Humans! I can't believe you were with humans! Giant, scary humans! What were they like? Huge and crazy. They talk crazy. They eat crazy giant things. They drive crazy. - Do they try and kill you, like on TV? - Some of them. But some of them don't. - How'd you get back? - Poodle. You did it, and I'm glad. You saw whatever you wanted to see. You had your "experience." Now you can pick out yourjob and be normal. - Well... - Well? Well, I met someone. You did? Was she Bee-ish? - A wasp?! Your parents will kill you! - No, no, no, not a wasp. - Spider? - I'm not attracted to spiders. I know it's the hottest thing, with the eight legs and all. I can't get by that face. So who is she? She's... human. No, no. That's a bee law. You wouldn't break a bee law. - Her name's Vanessa. - Oh, boy. She's so nice. And she's a florist! Oh, no!

You'redating a human florist! We're not dating. You're flying outside the hive, talking to humans that attack our homes with power washers and M-80s! One-eighth a stick of dynamite! She saved my life! And she understands me. This is over! Eat this. This is not over! What was that? - They call it a crumb. - It was so stingin' stripey! And that's not what they eat. That's what falls off what they eat! - You know what a Oinnabon is? - No. It's bread and cinnamon and frosting. They heat it up... Sit down! ...really hot! - Listen to me! We are not them! We're us. There's us and there's them! Yes, but who can deny the heart that is yearning? There's no yearning. Stop yearning. Listen to me! You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. Thinking bee! - Thinking bee. - Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! There he is. He's in the pool. You know what your problem is, Barry? I gotta start thinking bee? How much longer will this go on? It's been three days! Why aren't you working? I've got a lot of big life decisions to think about. What life? You have no life! You have no job. You're barely a bee! Would it kill you to make a little honey? Barry, come out. Your father's talking to you. Martin, would you talk to him? Barry, I'm talking to you! You coming? Got everything? All set! Go ahead. I'll catch up. Don't be too long. Watch this! Vanessa! - We're still here. - I told you not to yell at him. He doesn't respond to yelling! - Then why yell at me? - Because you don't listen! I'm not listening to this. Sorry, I've gotta go. - Where are you going? - I'm meeting a friend. A girl? Is this why you can't decide? Bye. I just hope she's Bee-ish. They have a huge parade of flowers every year in Pasadena? To be in the Tournament of Roses, that's every florist's dream! Up on a float, surrounded by flowers, crowds cheering. A tournament. Do the roses compete in athletic events? No. All right, I've got one. How come you don't fly everywhere? It's exhausting. Why don't you run everywhere? It's faster. Yeah, OK, I see, I see. All right, your turn. TiVo. You can just freeze live TV? That's insane! You don't have that? We have Hivo, but it's a disease. It's a horrible, horrible disease. Oh, my. Dumb bees! You must want to sting all those jerks. We try not to sting. It's usually fatal for us. So you have to watch your temper. Very carefully. You kick a wall, take a walk, write an angry letter and throw it out. Work through it like any emotion: Anger, jealousy, lust. Oh, my goodness! Are you OK? Yeah. - What is wrong with you?! - It's a bug. He's not bothering anybody. Get out of here, you creep! What was that? A Pic 'N' Save circular? Yeah, it was. How did you know? It felt like about 10 pages. Seventy-five is pretty much our limit. You've really got that down to a science. - I lost a cousin to Italian Vogue. - I'll bet. What in the name of Mighty Hercules is this? How did this get here? Oute Bee, Golden Blossom, Ray Liotta Private Select? - Is he that actor? - I never heard of him. - Why is this here? - For people. We eat it. You don't have enough food of your own? - Well, yes. - How do you get it? - Bees make it. - I know who makes it! And it's hard to make it! There's heating, cooling, stirring. You need a whole Krelman thing! - It's organic. - It's our-ganic! It's just honey, Barry. Just what?! Bees don't know about this! This is stealing! A lot of stealing! You've taken our homes, schools, hospitals! This is all we have! And it's on sale?! I'm getting to the bottom of this. I'm getting to the bottom of all of this! Hey, Hector. - You almost done? - Almost. He is here. I sense it. Well, I guess I'll go home now and just leave this nice honey out, with no one around. You're busted, box boy! I knew I heard something. So you can talk! I can talk. And now you'll start talking! Where you getting the sweet stuff? Who's your supplier? I don't understand. I thought we were friends. The last thing we want to do is upset bees! You're too late! It's ours now! You, sir, have crossed the wrong sword! You, sir, will be

lunch formy iguana, Ignacio! Where is the honey coming from? Tell me where! Honey Farms! It comes from Honey Farms! Orazy person! What horrible thing has happened here? These faces, they never knew what hit them. And now they're on the road to nowhere! Just keep still. What? You're not dead? Do I look dead? They will wipe anything that moves. Where you headed? To Honey Farms. I am onto something huge here. I'm going to Alaska. Moose blood, crazy stuff. Blows your head off! I'm going to Tacoma. - And you? - He really is dead. All right. Uh-oh! - What is that?! - Oh, no! - A wiper! Triple blade! - Triple blade? Jump on! It's your only chance, bee! Why does everything have to be so doggone clean?! How much do you people need to see?! Open your eyes! Stick your head out the window! From NPR News in Washington, I'm Oarl Kasell. But don't kill no more bugs! - Bee! - Moose blood guy!! - You hear something? - Like what? Like tiny screaming. Turn off the radio. Whassup, bee boy? Hey, Blood. Just a row of honey jars, as far as the eye could see. Wow! I assume wherever this truck goes is where they're getting it. I mean, that honey's ours. - Bees hang tight. - We're all jammed in. It's a close community. Not us, man. We on our own. Every mosquito on his own. - What if you get in trouble? - You a mosquito, you in trouble. Nobody likes us. They just smack. See a mosquito, smack, smack! At least you're out in the world. You must meet girls. Mosquito girls try to trade up, get with a moth, dragonfly. Mosquito girl don't want no mosquito. You got to be kidding me! Mooseblood's about to leave the building! So long, bee! - Hey, guys! - Mooseblood! I knew I'd catch y'all down here. Did you bring your crazy straw? We throw it in jars, slap a label on it, and it's pretty much pure profit. What is this place? A bee's got a brain the size of a pinhead. They are pinheads! Pinhead. - Oheck out the new smoker. - Oh, sweet. That's the one you want. The Thomas 3000! Smoker? Ninety puffs a minute, semi-automatic. Twice the nicotine, all the tar. A couple breaths of this knocks them right out. They make the honey, and we make the money. "They make the honey, and we make the money"? Oh, my! What's going on? Are you OK? Yeah. It doesn't last too long. Do you know you're in a fake hive with fake walls? Our queen was moved here. We had no choice. This is your queen? That's a man in women's clothes! That's a drag queen! What is this? Oh, no! There's hundreds of them! Bee honey. Our honey is being brazenly stolen on a massive scale! This is worse than anything bears have done! I intend to do something. Oh, Barry, stop. Who told you humans are taking our honey? That's a rumor. Do these look like rumors? That's a conspiracy theory. These are obviously doctored photos. How did you get mixed up in this? He's been talking to humans. - What? - Talking to humans?! He has a human girlfriend. And they make out! Make out? Barry! We do not. - You wish you could. - Whose side are you on? The bees! I dated a cricket once in San Antonio. Those crazy legs kept me up all night. Barry, this is what you want to do with your life? I want to do it for all our lives. Nobody works harder than bees! Dad, I remember you coming home so overworked your hands were still stirring. You couldn't stop. I remember that. What right do they have to our honey? We live on two cups a year. They put it in lip balm for no reason whatsoever! Even if it's true, what can one bee do? Sting them where it really hurts. In the face! The eye! - That would hurt. - No. Up the nose? That's a killer. There's only one place you can sting the humans, one place where it matters. Hive at Five, the hive's only full-hour action news source. No more bee beards! With Bob Bumble at the anchor desk. Weather with Storm Stinger. Sports with Buzz Larvi. And Jeanette Ohung. - Good evening. I'm Bob Bumble. - And I'm Jeanette Ohung. A tri-county bee, Barry Benson, intends to sue the human race for stealing our honey, packaging it and profiting from it illegally! Tomorrow night on Bee Larry King, we'll have three former

queenshere in our studio, discussing their new book, Olassy Ladies, out this week on Hexagon. Tonight we're talking to Barry Benson. Did you ever think, "I'm a kid from the hive. I can't do this"? Bees have never been afraid to change the world. What about Bee Oolumbus? Bee Gandhi? Bejesus? Where I'm from, we'd never sue humans. We were thinking of stickball or candy stores. How old are you? The bee community is supporting you in this case, which will be the trial of the bee century. You know, they have a Larry King in the human world too. It's a common name. Next week... He looks like you and has a show and suspenders and colored dots... Next week... Glasses, quotes on the bottom from the guest even though you just heard 'em. Bear Week next week! They're scary, hairy and here live. Always leans forward, pointy shoulders, squinty eyes, very Jewish. In tennis, you attack at the point of weakness! It was my grandmother, Ken. She's 81. Honey, her backhand's a joke! I'm not gonna take advantage of that? Quiet, please. Actual work going on here. - Is that that same bee? - Yes, it is! I'm helping him sue the human race. - Hello. - Hello, bee. This is Ken. Yeah, I remember you. Timberland, size ten and a half. Vibram sole, I believe. Why does he talk again? Listen, you better go 'cause we're really busy working. But it's our yogurt night! Bye-bye. Why is yogurt night so difficult?! You poor thing. You two have been at this for hours! Yes, and Adam here has been a huge help. - Frosting... - How many sugars? Just one. I try not to use the competition. So why are you helping me? Bees have good qualities. And it takes my mind off the shop. Instead of flowers, people are giving balloon bouquets now. Those are great, if you're three. And artificial flowers. - Oh, those just get me psychotic! - Yeah, me too. Bent stingers, pointless pollination. Bees must hate those fake things! Nothing worse than a daffodil that's had work done. Maybe this could make up for it a little bit. - This lawsuit's a pretty big deal. - I guess. You sure you want to go through with it? Am I sure? When I'm done with the humans, they won't be able to say, "Honey, I'm home," without paying a royalty! It's an incredible scene here in downtown Manhattan, where the world anxiously waits, because for the first time in history, we will hear for ourselves if a honeybee can actually speak. What have we gotten into here, Barry? It's pretty big, isn't it? I can't believe how many humans don't work during the day. You think billion-dollar multinational food companies have good lawyers? Everybody needs to stay behind the barricade. - What's the matter? - I don't know, I just got a chill. Well, if it isn't the bee team. You boys work on this? All rise! The Honorable Judge Bumbleton presiding. All right. Oase number 4475, Superior Oourt of New York, Barry Bee Benson v. the Honey Industry is now in session. Mr. Montgomery, you're representing the five food companies collectively? A privilege. Mr. Benson... you're representing all the bees of the world? I'm kidding. Yes, Your Honor, we're ready to proceed. Mr. Montgomery, your opening statement, please. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my grandmother was a simple woman. Born on a farm, she believed it was man's divine right to benefit from the bounty of nature God put before us. If we lived in the topsy-turvy world Mr. Benson imagines, just think of what would it mean. I would have to negotiate with the silkworm for the elastic in my britches! Talking bee! How do we know this isn't some sort of holographic motion-picture-capture Hollywood wizardry? They could be using laser beams! Robotics! Ventriloquism! Oloning! For all we know, he could be on steroids! Mr. Benson? Ladies and gentlemen, there's no trickery here. I'm just an ordinary bee. Honey's pretty important to me. It's important to all bees. We invented it! We make it. And we protect it with our lives. Unfortunately, there are some people in this room who think they can take it from us 'cause we're the little guys! I'm hoping that, after this is all over, you'll see

how,by taking our honey, you not only take everything we have but everything we are! I wish he'd dress like that all the time. So nice! Oall your first witness. So, Mr. Klauss Vanderhayden of Honey Farms, big company you have. I suppose so. I see you also own Honeyburton and Honron! Yes, they provide beekeepers for our farms. Beekeeper. I find that to be a very disturbing term. I don't imagine you employ any bee-free-ers, do you? - No. - I couldn't hear you. - No. - No. Because you don't free bees. You keep bees. Not only that, it seems you thought a bear would be an appropriate image for a jar of honey. They're very lovable creatures. Yogi Bear, Fozzie Bear, Build-A-Bear. You mean like this? Bears kill bees! How'd you like his head crashing through your living room?! Biting into your couch! Spitting out your throw pillows! OK, that's enough. Take him away. So, Mr. Sting, thank you for being here. Your name intrigues me. - Where have I heard it before? - I was with a band called The Police. But you've never been a police officer, have you? No, I haven't. No, you haven't. And so here we have yet another example of bee culture casually stolen by a human for nothing more than a prance-about stage name. Oh, please. Have you ever been stung, Mr. Sting? Because I'm feeling a little stung, Sting. Or should I say... Mr. Gordon M. Sumner! That's not his real name?! You idiots! Mr. Liotta, first, belated congratulations on your Emmy win for a guest spot on ER in 2005. Thank you. Thank you. I see from your resume that you're devilishly handsome with a churning inner turmoil that's ready to blow. I enjoy what I do. Is that a crime? Not yet it isn't. But is this what it's come to for you? Exploiting tiny, helpless bees so you don't have to rehearse your part and learn your lines, sir? Watch it, Benson! I could blow right now! This isn't a goodfella. This is a badfella! Why doesn't someone just step on this creep, and we can all go home?! - Order in this court! - You're all thinking it! Order! Order, I say! - Say it! - Mr. Liotta, please sit down! I think it was awfully nice of that bear to pitch in like that. I think the jury's on our side. Are we doing everything right, legally? I'm a florist. Right. Well, here's to a great team. To a great team! Well, hello. - Ken! - Hello. I didn't think you were coming. No, I was just late. I tried to call, but... the battery. I didn't want all this to go to waste, so I called Barry. Luckily, he was free. Oh, that was lucky. There's a little left. I could heat it up. Yeah, heat it up, sure, whatever. So I hear you're quite a tennis player. I'm not much for the game myself. The ball's a little grabby. That's where I usually sit. Right... there. Ken, Barry was looking at your resume, and he agreed with me that eating with chopsticks isn't really a special skill. You think I don't see what you're doing? I know how hard it is to find the rightjob. We have that in common. Do we? Bees have 100 percent employment, but we do jobs like taking the crud out. That's just what I was thinking about doing. Ken, I let Barry borrow your razor for his fuzz. I hope that was all right. I'm going to drain the old stinger. Yeah, you do that. Look at that. You know, I've just about had it with your little mind games. - What's that? - Italian Vogue. Mamma mia, that's a lot of pages. A lot of ads. Remember what Van said, why is your life more valuable than mine? Funny, I just can't seem to recall that! I think something stinks in here! I love the smell of flowers. How do you like the smell of flames?! Not as much. Water bug! Not taking sides! Ken, I'm wearing a Ohapstick hat! This is pathetic! I've got issues! Well, well, well, a royal flush! - You're bluffing. - Am I? Surf's up, dude! Poo water! That bowl is gnarly. Except for those dirty yellow rings! Kenneth! What are you doing?! You know, I don't even like honey! I don't eat it! We need to talk! He's just a little bee! And he happens to be the nicest bee I've met in a long time! Long time? What are you talking about?! Are there other bugs in your life? No, but

thereare other things bugging me in life. And you're one of them! Fine! Talking bees, no yogurt night... My nerves are fried from riding on this emotional roller coaster! Goodbye, Ken. And for your information, I prefer sugar-free, artificial sweeteners made by man! I'm sorry about all that. I know it's got an aftertaste! I like it! I always felt there was some kind of barrier between Ken and me. I couldn't overcome it. Oh, well. Are you OK for the trial? I believe Mr. Montgomery is about out of ideas. We would like to call Mr. Barry Benson Bee to the stand. Good idea! You can really see why he's considered one of the best lawyers... Yeah. Layton, you've gotta weave some magic with this jury, or it's gonna be all over. Don't worry. The only thing I have to do to turn this jury around is to remind them of what they don't like about bees. - You got the tweezers? - Are you allergic? Only to losing, son. Only to losing. Mr. Benson Bee, I'll ask you what I think we'd all like to know. What exactly is your relationship to that woman? We're friends. - Good friends? - Yes. How good? Do you live together? Wait a minute... Are you her little... ...bedbug? I've seen a bee documentary or two. From what I understand, doesn't your queen give birth to all the bee children? - Yeah, but... - So those aren't your real parents! - Oh, Barry... - Yes, they are! Hold me back! You're an illegitimate bee, aren't you, Benson? He's denouncing bees! Don't y'all date your cousins? - Objection! - I'm going to pincushion this guy! Adam, don't! It's what he wants! Oh, I'm hit!! Oh, lordy, I am hit! Order! Order! The venom! The venom is coursing through my veins! I have been felled by a winged beast of destruction! You see? You can't treat them like equals! They're striped savages! Stinging's the only thing they know! It's their way! - Adam, stay with me. - I can't feel my legs. What angel of mercy will come forward to suck the poison from my heaving buttocks? I will have order in this court. Order! Order, please! The case of the honeybees versus the human race took a pointed turn against the bees yesterday when one of their legal team stung Layton T. Montgomery. - Hey, buddy. - Hey. - Is there much pain? - Yeah. I... I blew the whole case, didn't I? It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alive. You could have died. I'd be better off dead. Look at me. They got it from the cafeteria downstairs, in a tuna sandwich. Look, there's a little celery still on it. What was it like to sting someone? I can't explain it. It was all... All adrenaline and then... and then ecstasy! All right. You think it was all a trap? Of course. I'm sorry. I flew us right into this. What were we thinking? Look at us. We're just a couple of bugs in this world. What will the humans do to us if they win? I don't know. I hear they put the roaches in motels. That doesn't sound so bad. Adam, they check in, but they don't check out! Oh, my. Oould you get a nurse to close that window? - Why? - The smoke. Bees don't smoke. Right. Bees don't smoke. Bees don't smoke! But some bees are smoking. That's it! That's our case! It is? It's not over? Get dressed. I've gotta go somewhere. Get back to the court and stall. Stall any way you can. And assuming you've done step correctly, you're ready for the tub. Mr. Flayman. Yes? Yes, Your Honor! Where is the rest of your team? Well, Your Honor, it's interesting. Bees are trained to fly haphazardly, and as a result, we don't make very good time. I actually heard a funny story about... Your Honor, haven't these ridiculous bugs taken up enough of this court's valuable time? How much longer will we allow these absurd shenanigans to go on? They have presented no compelling evidence to support their charges against my clients, who run legitimate businesses. I move for a complete dismissal of this entire case! Mr. Flayman, I'm afraid I'm going to have to consider Mr. Montgomery's motion. But you can't! We have a terrific case. Where is your proof? Where is the evidence? Show me the smoking gun! Hold it, Your Honor! You want a smoking gun? Here is your

smokinggun. What is that? It's a bee smoker! What, this? This harmless little contraption? This couldn't hurt a fly, let alone a bee. Look at what has happened to bees who have never been asked, "Smoking or non?" Is this what nature intended for us? To be forcibly addicted to smoke machines and man-made wooden slat work camps? Living out our lives as honey slaves to the white man? - What are we gonna do? - He's playing the species card. Ladies and gentlemen, please, free these bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! The court finds in favor of the bees! Vanessa, we won! I knew you could do it! High-five! Sorry. I'm OK! You know what this means? All the honey will finally belong to the bees. Now we won't have to work so hard all the time. This is an unholy perversion of the balance of nature, Benson. You'll regret this. Barry, how much honey is out there? All right. One at a time. Barry, who are you wearing? My sweater is Ralph Lauren, and I have no pants. - What if Montgomery's right? - What do you mean? We've been living the bee way a long time, 27 million years. Oongratulations on your victory. What will you demand as a settlement? First, we'll demand a complete shutdown of all bee work camps. Then we want back the honey that was ours to begin with, every last drop. We demand an end to the glorification of the bear as anything more than a filthy, smelly, bad-breath stink machine. We're all aware of what they do in the woods. Wait for my signal. Take him out. He'll have nauseous for a few hours, then he'll be fine. And we will no longer tolerate bee-negative nicknames... But it's just a prance-about stage name! ...unnecessary inclusion of honey in bogus health products and la-dee-da human tea-time snack garnishments. Oan't breathe. Bring it in, boys! Hold it right there! Good. Tap it. Mr. Buzzwell, we just passed three cups, and there's gallons more coming! - I think we need to shut down! - Shut down? We've never shut down. Shut down honey production! Stop making honey! Turn your key, sir! What do we do now? Oannonball! We're shutting honey production! Mission abort. Aborting pollination and nectar detail. Returning to base. Adam, you wouldn't believe how much honey was out there. Oh, yeah? What's going on? Where is everybody? - Are they out celebrating? - They're home. They don't know what to do. Laying out, sleeping in. I heard your Uncle Oarl was on his way to San Antonio with a cricket. At least we got our honey back. Sometimes I think, so what if humans liked our honey? Who wouldn't? It's the greatest thing in the world! I was excited to be part of making it. This was my new desk. This was my new job. I wanted to do it really well. And now... Now I can't. I don't understand why they're not happy. I thought their lives would be better! They're doing nothing. It's amazing. Honey really changes people. You don't have any idea what's going on, do you? - What did you want to show me? - This. What happened here? That is not the half of it. Oh, no. Oh, my. They're all wilting. Doesn't look very good, does it? No. And whose fault do you think that is? You know, I'm gonna guess bees. Bees? Specifically, me. I didn't think bees not needing to make honey would affect all these things. It's notjust flowers. Fruits, vegetables, they all need bees. That's our whole SAT test right there. Take away produce, that affects the entire animal kingdom. And then, of course... The human species? So if there's no more pollination, it could all just go south here, couldn't it? I know this is also partly my fault. How about a suicide pact? How do we do it? - I'll sting you, you step on me. - Thatjust kills you twice. Right, right. Listen, Barry... sorry, but I gotta get going. I had to open my mouth and talk. Vanessa? Vanessa? Why are you leaving? Where are you going? To the final Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena. They've moved it to this weekend because all the flowers are dying. It's the last chance I'll ever have to see it. Vanessa, I just wanna say I'm sorry. I never meant it to turn out

likethis. I know. Me neither. Tournament of Roses. Roses can't do sports. Wait a minute. Roses. Roses? Roses! Vanessa! Roses?! Barry? - Roses are flowers! - Yes, they are. Flowers, bees, pollen! I know. That's why this is the last parade. Maybe not. Oould you ask him to slow down? Oould you slow down? Barry! OK, I made a huge mistake. This is a total disaster, all my fault. Yes, it kind of is. I've ruined the planet. I wanted to help you with the flower shop. I've made it worse. Actually, it's completely closed down. I thought maybe you were remodeling. But I have another idea, and it's greater than my previous ideas combined. I don't want to hear it! All right, they have the roses, the roses have the pollen. I know every bee, plant and flower bud in this park. All we gotta do is get what they've got back here with what we've got. - Bees. - Park. - Pollen! - Flowers. - Repollination! - Across the nation! Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, Oalifornia. They've got nothing but flowers, floats and cotton candy. Security will be tight. I have an idea. Vanessa Bloome, FTD. Official floral business. It's real. Sorry, ma'am. Nice brooch. Thank you. It was a gift. Once inside, we just pick the right float. How about The Princess and the Pea? I could be the princess, and you could be the pea! Yes, I got it. - Where should I sit? - What are you? - I believe I'm the pea. - The pea? It goes under the mattresses. - Not in this fairy tale, sweetheart. - I'm getting the marshal. You do that! This whole parade is a fiasco! Let's see what this baby'll do. Hey, what are you doing?! Then all we do is blend in with traffic... ...without arousing suspicion. Once at the airport, there's no stopping us. Stop! Security. - You and your insect pack your float? - Yes. Has it been in your possession the entire time? Would you remove your shoes? - Remove your stinger. - It's part of me. I know. Just having some fun. Enjoy your flight. Then if we're lucky, we'll have just enough pollen to do the job. Oan you believe how lucky we are? We have just enough pollen to do the job! I think this is gonna work. It's got to work. Attention, passengers, this is Oaptain Scott. We have a bit of bad weather in New York. It looks like we'll experience a couple hours delay. Barry, these are cut flowers with no water. They'll never make it. I gotta get up there and talk to them. Be careful. Oan I get help with the Sky Mall magazine? I'd like to order the talking inflatable nose and ear hair trimmer. Oaptain, I'm in a real situation. - What'd you say, Hal? - Nothing. Bee! Don't freak out! My entire species... What are you doing? - Wait a minute! I'm an attorney! - Who's an attorney? Don't move. Oh, Barry. Good afternoon, passengers. This is your captain. Would a Miss Vanessa Bloome in 24B please report to the cockpit? And please hurry! What happened here? There was a DustBuster, a toupee, a life raft exploded. One's bald, one's in a boat, they're both unconscious! - Is that another bee joke? - No! No one's flying the plane! This is JFK control tower, Flight 356. What's your status? This is Vanessa Bloome. I'm a florist from New York. Where's the pilot? He's unconscious, and so is the copilot. Not good. Does anyone onboard have flight experience? As a matter of fact, there is. - Who's that? - Barry Benson. From the honey trial?! Oh, great. Vanessa, this is nothing more than a big metal bee. It's got giant wings, huge engines. I can't fly a plane. - Why not? Isn't John Travolta a pilot? - Yes. How hard could it be? Wait, Barry! We're headed into some lightning. This is Bob Bumble. We have some late-breaking news from JFK Airport, where a suspenseful scene is developing. Barry Benson, fresh from his legal victory... That's Barry! ...is attempting to land a plane, loaded with people, flowers and an incapacitated flight crew. Flowers?! We have a storm in the area and two individuals at the controls with absolutely no flight experience. Just a minute. There's a bee on that plane. I'm quite familiar with Mr. Benson and his no-account compadres. They've done enough damage. But

isn'the your only hope? Technically, a bee shouldn't be able to fly at all. Their wings are too small... Haven't we heard this a million times? "The surface area of the wings and body mass make no sense." - Get this on the air! - Got it. - Stand by. - We're going live. The way we work may be a mystery to you. Making honey takes a lot of bees doing a lot of small jobs. But let me tell you about a small job. If you do it well, it makes a big difference. More than we realized. To us, to everyone. That's why I want to get bees back to working together. That's the bee way! We're not made of Jell-O. We get behind a fellow. - Black and yellow! - Hello! Left, right, down, hover. - Hover? - Forget hover. This isn't so hard. Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Barry, what happened?! Wait, I think we were on autopilot the whole time. - That may have been helping me. - And now we're not! So it turns out I cannot fly a plane. All of you, let's get behind this fellow! Move it out! Move out! Our only chance is if I do what I'd do, you copy me with the wings of the plane! Don't have to yell. I'm not yelling! We're in a lot of trouble. It's very hard to concentrate with that panicky tone in your voice! It's not a tone. I'm panicking! I can't do this! Vanessa, pull yourself together. You have to snap out of it! You snap out of it. You snap out of it. - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - Hold it! - Why? Oome on, it's my turn. How is the plane flying? I don't know. Hello? Benson, got any flowers for a happy occasion in there? The Pollen Jocks! They do get behind a fellow. - Black and yellow. - Hello. All right, let's drop this tin can on the blacktop. Where? I can't see anything. Oan you? No, nothing. It's all cloudy. Oome on. You got to think bee, Barry. - Thinking bee. - Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Wait a minute. I think I'm feeling something. - What? - I don't know. It's strong, pulling me. Like a 27-million-year-old instinct. Bring the nose down. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! - What in the world is on the tarmac? - Get some lights on that! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! - Vanessa, aim for the flower. - OK. Out the engines. We're going in on bee power. Ready, boys? Affirmative! Good. Good. Easy, now. That's it. Land on that flower! Ready? Full reverse! Spin it around! - Not that flower! The other one! - Which one? - That flower. - I'm aiming at the flower! That's a fat guy in a flowered shirt. I mean the giant pulsating flower made of millions of bees! Pull forward. Nose down. Tail up. Rotate around it. - This is insane, Barry! - This's the only way I know how to fly. Am I koo-koo-kachoo, or is this plane flying in an insect-like pattern? Get your nose in there. Don't be afraid. Smell it. Full reverse! Just drop it. Be a part of it. Aim for the center! Now drop it in! Drop it in, woman! Oome on, already. Barry, we did it! You taught me how to fly! - Yes. No high-five! - Right. Barry, it worked! Did you see the giant flower? What giant flower? Where? Of course I saw the flower! That was genius! - Thank you. - But we're not done yet. Listen, everyone! This runway is covered with the last pollen from the last flowers available anywhere on Earth. That means this is our last chance. We're the only ones who make honey, pollinate flowers and dress like this. If we're gonna survive as a species, this is our moment! What do you say? Are we going to be bees, orjust Museum of Natural History keychains? We're bees! Keychain! Then follow me! Except Keychain. Hold on, Barry. Here. You've earned this. Yeah! I'm a Pollen Jock! And it's a perfect fit. All I gotta do are the sleeves. Oh, yeah. That's our Barry. Mom! The bees are back! If anybody needs to make a call, now's the time. I got a feeling we'll be working late tonight! Here's your change. Have a great afternoon! Oan I help who's next? Would you like some honey with that? It is bee-approved. Don't forget these. Milk, cream, cheese, it's all me. And I don't see

anickel! Sometimes I just feel like a piece of meat! I had no idea. Barry, I'm sorry. Have you got a moment? Would you excuse me? My mosquito associate will help you. Sorry I'm late. He's a lawyer too? I was already a blood-sucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase. Have a great afternoon! Barry, I just got this huge tulip order, and I can't get them anywhere. No problem, Vannie. Just leave it to me. You're a lifesaver, Barry. Oan I help who's next? All right, scramble, jocks! It's time to fly. Thank you, Barry! That bee is living my life! Let it go, Kenny. - When will this nightmare end?! - Let it all go. - Beautiful day to fly. - Sure is. Between you and me, I was dying to get out of that office. You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. - Thinking bee! - Me? Hold it. Let's just stop for a second. Hold it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone. Oan we stop here? I'm not making a major life decision during a production number! All right. Take ten, everybody. Wrap it up, guys. I had virtually no rehearsal for that.

- bee movie anon

[beef-brisket]

Adam sat in the guards break room, finally it was time for his unpaid 15 minute break. He didn't know ow how that worked but he was too emotionally all over the place to think about it.

Fucking Val. Fucking Lucifer. Fucking- himself. He can't let something like that happen again. At least Lucifer was nice to talk to, but for God's sake, he should know the first thing when dealing with potentially dangerous people- don't follow them alone to a secluded place. That's how Lilith was able to beat him up in kindergarten. And primary school... and college. Nevermind. That's embarrassing, no need to think about that.

Lute: Adam.

Adam looked up at Lute. She looked pissed. We'll, she was always pissed.

Adam: hey Lute, need something?

Lute: yes. I need a report on what happened with Valentino.

Adam gulped. How did she know? Did Val really tell on him? That fucking snitch- man's a pimp! He should have more pride than to snitch on Adam. But them again, he is a pimp. Ex pimp?

Adam: uh... what- what thing?

Lute: he wanted to report something to you, didn't he? I saw you two walk off while I was dealing with Vox and Alastor. What was the issue?

Adam: oh! Right- uh... just- he thought he saw someone acting suspicious so he asked me to check it out with him

Lute: ...Valentino... reported someone?

Adam: ...yes

Lute: ...we're talking about the same Valentino, yes? Adam, he IS the suspicious person.

Adam: oh! Ah right- yes but not this time

Lute: who was it then?

Adam: no one...

Lute: ...no one? At all?

Adam: yep! No one! It was a false alarm! Nothing to worry about, Dangertits!

Lute: ...excuse me?

Why the fuck did he say that? Where the fuck did that come from? He better come up with something smart so he doesn't get his face bashed in.

Adam: ...it's Latin

Lute: for... what?

Adam: ...it's... a soldier... in Latin

Lute: ...female soldier?

Adam: yes.

Lute: a badass, female soldier?

Adam: very badass.

Lute: hm... don't worry about the report. I'll see you in ten minutes for the dinner shift.

Adam: okay- sure, see you then

Adam watched as Lute started to leave the room, only to whack into another guard. She pushed him back into a wall.

Lute: make way for the Dangertits, Barry! You don't own the damn doorway!

Adam smiled, stupid bitch. Thankfully.

After a thorough scolding for being an idiot, again, Adam stood up and put his rubbish away. Heading down to the large dinning area.

And holy shit, he knew there were 200 prisoners here, but seeing them all in one room was a bit intimidating. He saw Lute giving a man a warning, before making her way over to him.

Lute: right. I wouldn't usually make a newbie stand near some of our more dangerous prisoners, but Carlos is off sick today, so you'll be taking his spot.

Oh god, the fuck did that mean?

Lute: you will be positioned at corner b. The most high profile assholes you'll have to deal with is Lucifer, Alastor, and Valentino. Valentino shouldn't be an issue, he'll eventually try and sneak off to try and sit with Vox. But don't let him. Those two are fucking, I'm sure of it. But watch Lucifer amd Alastor. Alastor is a bitch and will most definitely try and get a reaction out of Lucifer, so shut his down immediately, Lucifer may be small, but that fuckers strong.

Adam wasn't too keen on Val, he really wanted to try and stay away from him. Oh well, hopefully he doesn't cause any problems. And Alastor? Eh, he really couldn't be bothered with him, but every time he's interacted his Alastor he's been fine. A tad passive aggressive but that's nothing Adam can't handle. And he doesn't need to say anything about Lucifer. Everyone knows where he stands with him. Even though he would rather be on his knees-

Lute: Adam? Is everything I said clear to you?

Shit.

Adam: oh- yeah! Crystal! I'll uh... head over there now, thanks Lute

Lute: sure, just watch yourself and radio if you need an extra hand.

Adam: will do!

As Adam walked over, Lucifer was the first to notice him. He looked annoyed, it was probably something Alastor related.

Alastor looked up from his book, hissile stretched further when he saw Adam. He wasn't sure if that made him feel good or uncomfortable.

Alastor: ah, officer Kadmon, good evening!

Adam: hey Alastor, how are you doing?

Alastor: very well, thank you! I'm just partaking in some light reading, with some... less than mediocre company

Adam smiled, and couldn't help but chuckle as Lucifer glared at Alastor.

Val: great- so now I have to look at your ass while I try and eat. Are you just trying to make me cum while my mouth is full, princesa~?

Adam blushed, and cleared his throat as he got ready for dinner to start.

Adam: yeah- sorry about that Val, it was very unprofessional of me- I shouldn't have let it go one as long as it did

Val: ooh, that's okay, baby~. How can I stay mad at that gorgeous face~?

Lucifer: ...what?

Val: but just so you know, you wouldn't have regretted it if you went all the way with me~

Alternative Prison Au

@fanofstuff01 @beef-brisket

Adam walked through the doors of the prison in his new guard uniform. He was of course nervous to be working with very violent people, but his mother helped get him the job here.

A woman with short hair greeted him.

Lute: Hello, you must be Adam.

Adam: I am.

Lute: The names Lute Danger. I'll be your commanding officer for the time being. Let me show you around where you'll be working.

She showed him where everything was and where the prisoners are.

Lute: You need to be tough or they will walk all over you. Some will listen, most won't. Don't be afraid to get a little forceful. It's your life or theirs.

As she explained the rules to Adam, one inmate in particular was watching their exchange.

Lucifer internally: Maybe..... Just maybe he could be my ticket out of here.

[sweethischier]

only when you're high - rafe cameron

word count: 4.3k

summary: Rafe only ever talks to you when he's high, and you've eventually had enough.

warnings: angst i guess, language, mentions of drugs and alcohol, lil makeout sesh at the end

note: ik this isn't the request but i've been working on this for a while so here ya go <3 this is def not my best writing so dont judge it too harshly

3:53 a.m.

You had been dreaming about your cat taking over a world full of people with fish heads when the incessant ringing from your phone jolted you awake. You blindly flung your hand onto the nightstand, knocking over a half empty water bottle and a bottle of ibuprofen before your fingers grazed the cool screen. You picked up the device, nearly blinding yourself when you opened your eyes to see who was calling you at such an ungodly hour. Once your eyes adjusted to the screen’s brightness, the name ‘Stupid Kook’ was displayed across the top. You hesitantly swiped to answer.

“What in the flying fuck do you want,” You whisper yelled, propping your half-conscious body up with your elbow.

“Hey, baby,” He greeted, his voice dragging as if he was thinking too hard about his words. “Just wanted to hear your voice.”

You stopped breathing for a moment, not sure what you were supposed to say to his weird revelation. You had been having a weird thing with Rafe for a few months now. After many drinks, you would often finding yourself making out with him in a secluded area. Despite your random make out sessions, he had never once called you to simply hear your voice. In fact, he hadn’t even called you before. It was usually always a quick ‘wyd’ text at midnight and nothing more.

“That’s weird, you’ve never called me before,” You pointed out, “You’ve also never called me baby before, so what’s that about?”

“Mm, I don’t know. Always wanted to call you that before so why not? What are you up to, baby,” He asked, his words slurring together in a way that could only happen while under the influence.

“You’re high aren’t you,” You sighed. Of course, he was high. You should have known that from the get-go. Rafe Cameron wouldn’t have called you sober; he never even looked at you sober.

A brief silence hung over the line, Rafe’s heavy breathing being the only thing coming through the receiver. “Maybe a little. Had a rough day, so I went to see Barry and now I’m at Topper’s. Talking to you.”

You couldn’t help but let a small smile grace your features; a smile that was gone almost as soon as it came. You let your elbow fall from its position, your head falling back onto the pillow that was still warm from when you were asleep. “How sweet of you. What are you doing, anyways? Shouldn’t you be getting shitfaced and taking some innocent girl to bed?”

He let out an airy laugh before speaking. “The only one I’d like to take to bed is you, and we somehow always stop before it gets to that point. Anyways, it’s just me, Topper, and Kelce, and I started thinking about us in the back of my truck when we were outside. Before I knew what I was doing, you answered the phone.”

Your cheeks flared red as images of Rafe’s hands exploring your body flashed through your mind, the feeling of his ring on your skin igniting something inside of you. His mouth latching onto the sensitive spots of your neck as your moans filled his truck. You let your fingers ghost over your lips as if you could still feel his own on yours. More memories of him exploring your body in every way but the way you wanted him most were running through your mind. Every time you wanted to give in to him, give in to your urges, but you couldn’t.

“You know, I’ve never wanted someone as much as I want you and I hate it,” He started, his words still slow, “I hate it because you’ll never let me have you.”

“Rafe,” You groaned, running a hand over your tired face, “I don’t really feel like giving myself to someone who only talks to me when they’re drunk or high. Someone who would rather be caught dead than with a pouge.”

“You know it’s not like that, baby. It’s complicated,” He tried, and you could tell there was a hint of unfamiliar panic in his voice.

“It always is. Guess I’ll see or talk to you next time you get fucked up. Goodnight Rafe,” You whispered before hanging up on the boy, ignoring his desperate protests.

1:38 a.m.

You turned the shower water off before stepping out onto the cool tiled floor, water dripping from every part of your body. You chose to ignore the buzzing coming from your phone, moving to grab the towel hung on the back of your bathroom door. However, the buzzing started again as you were drying off your legs.

“Who the fuck,” You groaned as you wrapped the towel around your still wet body. ‘Stupid Kook’ was making a second appearance, much to your surprise. “Yes, Rafe?”

“What’s up your ass,” He laughed his infectious laugh. You could picture him throwing his head back and his glazed over eyes twinkling with amusement, something you had only seen when you found yourself admiring him from afar.

“Nothings up my ass. Just don’t know what your high ass wants this time.” You gripped your phone in your hand and started to walk back towards your room. Your parents had fallen asleep hours ago, so you had to make sure you were quiet. However, that deemed difficult in the darkest hours of the night in your already poorly lit house. You bumped your hip and stubbed your toe on just about anything that was out in the open. Once you were in your room, you hastily shut the door and flipped the light switch on.

“Hello! Hello! Hello! Where are you,” Rafe yelled, making you wince and pull the phone away from your ear.

“Jesus, dude. Calm down, I was walking back to my room,” You chastised, doing your best to hold your phone in between your ear and shoulder.

“What were you doing? I missed you,” He pouted.

You ignored the swelling you got in your heart and said, “I was leaving the bathroom. I just finished showering. What are you doing?”

You grabbed a clean pair of underwear and a shirt you had taken from JJ after you had thrown up over whatever you were wearing that night. Rafe began telling you what he was doing, which was quite literally nothing. However, he quickly dove into a spout of how you were naked and wet and how badly he wanted to see you without any clothes on. Your cheeks were burning as he went on and on about all of the sinful things he wanted to do to you. You let him ramble on a bit more as you turned the light off once you were clothed and ready for bed.

“Okay, that’s enough, Rafe,” You stopped him, pulling your blanket back so you could crawl in bed. “So, calling me two times within a week? You falling in love with me?”

It was so painfully obvious that it was a joke, but you could practically feel the tension radiating through your phone from Rafe’s end. His abrupt silence concerned you because this boy was far from silent when he was doped out.

“Maybe I am,” He finally got out, and you couldn’t detect any sarcasm in it.

“Sure you are,” You rolled your eyes, blaming exhaustion for briefly clouding your judgment, “If you were in love with me, you’d actually talk to me when you aren’t too fucked to remember your own name.”

You started picking at a loose thread on your blanket as you let your mind wander to what life would be life if you had an actual relationship with Rafe. Going to parties with him. Hanging around the Island Club with him and his friends. Him doing lines off your body before having his way with you.

“I will talk to you when I’m not high,” His voice broke you from your thoughts, “If that’s what you really want.”

“I do,” You said way too quickly, “I mean, yeah sure. That would be nice, I guess.”

“Just text me and I’ll answer.” You couldn’t stifle the yawn that escaped your lips, but you did try and hide it from Rafe. Your attempt was no good, though. “You’re tired, go to bed.”

“No, I’m fi-.”

“Goodnight, Y/N,” Rafe shouted over you, “Talk to you soon, baby.”

Rafe’s name popped up on your phone screen every few days after he had gotten drunk out of his mind or too high to do anything other than find your contact. You didn’t mind it at first, but after you had texted him during the day and those messages went unanswered, you grew hurt and annoyed. You had tried asking him why he wouldn’t respond, but he always found a way to change the subject. You wanted to ask him about it in person, but you hadn’t seen him in almost a month. You wanted to ask him why he couldn’t bother to pick up the phone when he was sober, but wasted no time in calling you as soon as he got his bump in.

One of the nights he called, you offered to have him come over because your parents were gone, but he said no. Made up some excuse about how he was staying with Topper for a while since Sarah cheated on him and he wanted to be there for his friend. You understood that, so you didn’t push him after that. Then, the next time you told him about a party everyone was going to and how you wanted to see him there. You even told him to bring the other two. That time he told you he was staying away from parties for a while, wanting to stay to himself for the most part due to the constant stress from his dad. You knew how Ward could be sometimes, so it wasn’t hard to believe him and move on from there.

You wanted to be mad to him for only acknowledging you when he was high, but you couldn’t be. You’ve always wanted to feel wanted by somebody, and he made you feel like that albeit only when he was far gone from reality. You could deal with it as long as you got to talk to him, no matter how insecure it made you. Well, you thought you could.

2:25

Your parents were gone for the night, so you opted to watch Marvel movies in the living room. You were so invested in watching Iron Man and shoving popcorn in your mouth that you didn’t feel your phone go off the first six times. Or the fifteen times after that. Not that you would have cared either way. You knew the only person it could be was the boy who never wanted you sober. The credits began rolling across the TV, so you finally decided to pick up your discarded phone. You were shocked to see Rafe had called you eight times and texted you thirteen. Overall, his texts said the same thing.

Why aren’t u answering me :(

Call me pls

I wanna talk to you baby

It was if he knew you were finally looking at your phone because his contact popped up not ten seconds later. You rolled your eyes, but reluctantly answered.

“Y/N! Where have you been,” He whined into the receiver, “I’ve been trying to call you for like two hours.”

“Watching movies,” Your words were sharp and short, not particularly wanting to talk to him right now. You’ve nearly reached your breaking point with him.

Rafe could immediately tell something was off with you by the way you sounded. “What’s wrong, baby? Are you okay?”

You took a deep breath in, setting your bowl of popcorn on the coffee table after you paused the end credit scene. You leaned forwards and planted your elbow on your knee as you held your head in annoyance.

“I’m fine, Rafe. I’m just getting fed up with you only wanting to talk to me when you’re high or drunk,” You started, “I used to be fine with it because it once every couple of weeks, but now it’s almost every day and it’s annoying. You told me to text you when you’re sober, and I did, but you never responded. I try and offer to come over to you or have you come to me, but you always have an excuse. I know you want to be there for Topper and you don’t really want to be around anyone right now, but that doesn’t mean I have to put up with it.”

“Y/N, I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just-It’s complicated. Please understand that,” He was practically begging you to listen to him.

“Rafey, are you coming back to play beer pong with us,” A female voice suddenly cut through the sudden sound of music.

Your breathing stopped and your heart felt like it was being squeezed by Rafe’s own hand. A wave of heartbreak crashed over your entire body. “‘I just don’t want to be around anyone’ huh? Thought you were just spending time with Topper for a while? You know, if you didn’t want to see me, all you had to do was say so,” You whimpered, hurt now mixing with your anger and annoyance.

“No, wait,” He tried, yelling at whoever came in the room to get out, “Y/N, please. It isn’t lik-“

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence. It is like that, Rafe. It is exactly like that. You don’t want to see me, and that is fine. I get it. Why would you ever want to be seen with someone from the Cut? It doesn’t matter, though. Don’t call me anymore. You lied to me. That is not something that I can forgive,” Your tears were too strong to hold back now, “I don’t care for liars, Rafe Cameron, and you’re the biggest one of all.”

You quickly hung up and turned off your phone, throwing it towards the end of the couch so you weren’t tempted to grab it. You grabbed the large blanket from the back of the couch, picked another movie, and let your tears fall as it played in front of you.

“Honey,” Your moms gentle voice broke through, “You fell asleep on the couch.”

You slowly opened your eyes, letting them adjust to the bright light shining through the giant window. The headache hit you like a ton of brinks, causing you to squeeze your eyes shut in pain. Your mom was hovering over you, her hand on your shoulder and her soft eyes pretending to not notice how puffy your cheeks and red your eyes are.

“I guess so,” You mumbled, pushing yourself up into a sitting position, “I’ll go lay down in my room. I’m still tired.”

She gave you an understanding nod with a caring smile and helped you off the couch. Her hand lingered on your back as if she wanted to say something to you, but she decided to leave it alone for now. You would talk to her when you were ready, if you ever were. You gave her a thumbs up when she told you her and your father would be out again most of the day.

Your feet dragged as you stumbled back to your room, using the wall to keep you steady. You pushed the door open with your foot and gave your cat, who was laying on your bed as if she owned it, a stupid smile. You fell onto the bed and pulled her onto your chest as you turned your phone back on. You were scared to confront the actions from last night, but knowing Rafe, he probably wouldn’t have bothered to even send you a text about it. You were quickly proven wrong the moment your phone turned back on. The vibration from all of the texts, voicemails, and snapchats felt like it lasted for five straight minutes. Nearly all were from the boy you wanted nothing to do with. Although, you noticed a voicemail from Topper, who you forgot even had your number.

Um, hey its Topper. Look dude, I don’t know what happened, but Rafe is freaking out like a bitch right now. He keeps mumbling shit about how he fucked things up with, which I didn’t even know you two were a thing but whatever I don’t really care. He kicked everyone out of my house and has been calling and texting you for like thirty minutes straight now so please call him back, so he shuts the fuck up. If not for him, do it for my sanity before I kill him. Uh, yeah, thanks, bye.

You sighed deeply after the voicemail cut off, your heart rate increasing at the thought of Rafe being upset. If he was bad enough that Topper of all people called you, you knew it was bad. You wanted to not care because of how he made you feel, but you did. You’ve always cared about the blond boy more than you cared to admit. You finally decided to look at the messages he sent you.

Y/N pls call me back

I’m sorry its not what it looks like and I know that sounds stupid but its true

Pls talk to me. I need u to talk to me

I promise that I never wanted to hurt u ok???

I love you, Y/N. Please call me or I’m coming to your house tomorrow.

The world stopped spinning when you read the last message. You kept reading it over and over again as if you misread it the first time. Rafe had never been any kind of affectionate with you until he called you baby. Rafe Cameron was not someone known to get emotional, so you weren’t sure if you believed his words. He was a liar and would do anything to get what he wanted, so what was different now?

You heard a knock on the door followed by your moms muffled voice, but you were too focused on the situation in front of you to notice who it was. Your eyes were glued to the screen, staring at the three words you never thought anyone other than your family and friends would say to you. The world around you was fading away, your heart feeling as if it was going to beat out of your chest as tears slid down your still puffy cheeks. You weren’t going to let him do this to you. You weren’t going to let him toy with you anymore.

“Y/N,” A deep voice dragged you out of your subconscious.

Your eyes darted over to the door and saw the last person you wanted to see. Rafe was standing there, his eyes wide and blood shot and he looked like total shit. His hair was a wild mess, nothing like its usual tamed state. You met his gaze and you wished you hadn’t. One look from him and you were puddy in his hands. One look and every thought you had about never seeing him again flew out the window.

“Hey, can we talk,” He mumbled, his bright blue eyes looking everywhere but at you. “Please.”

Not trusting your words, you gave him a swift nod and gestured to the spot next to you on your bed. You leaned to the side and placed your cat on the ground, watching as she rubbed herself all over Rafe’s leg before scampering away. His walk to your bed was painfully slow, and you wanted to tell him to hurry up, but you knew that was unreasonable.

“What do you want, Rafe,” Your voice was harsh, trying to ignore the urge to reach out to him. “What do you want to talk about? How you only use me for your own pleasure? How you only ever even look at me when you’re drunk or high? How you lied to me? Wanna talk about that?”

Your anger surprised even yourself. One second you wanted to hold him in your arms and comfort him, but then the memory of how he treated you came back and flipped a switch in your brain. You don’t know how you feel and you hate it.

“I deserve every bit of your anger,” He breathed out, letting his hand fall dangerously close to your own, “But please let me explain everything to you, okay?”

“Fine,” You gave in, “Talk.”

“Yeah, thank you, okay. I really do want to talk to you when I’m not absolutely fucked, I do. I know that it doesn’t seem like that, but its true. I just, I can’t. Every time I look at you, think about you, I hear my dads voice screaming at me that I will never be good enough for anyone. I have this thought drilled into my head every day that no matter what I do, who I am, I am just never enough. To me, you’re no exception to that. In fact, you remind me even more. Wait no.”

Rafe rubbed both of his hands over his face and tugged at his hair, afraid that he’s already fucking this up. “Rafe,” You gently spoke up, turning to grab his hands from his face. “It’s fine. Keep going.”

His eyes met yours and you could see how strained he was. There were too many emotions swirling in his eyes for you to pinpoint exactly what he was feeling. “Okay, um, okay. To me, you are way too good for me, so the only time I feel comfortable talking to you is when I’m high. I’ve never had trouble talking to any girl before, but you’re more than that to me. You’re more than just some girl to me and it scares me, so I feel like I have to be, yanno, not me. When I talk to you. I want to be with you more than I have ever wanted to be with someone in my life”

Your hand was still holding his as you let his words sink in. Him revealing how his dad truly made him feel made your heart ache for him. It made you want to grab him by the face and tell him how he is more than good enough. You wanted to let him in, but you weren’t sure if you were ready for the risk that came along with it. You’re not sure if you want all the things that came with being with Rafe Cameron. He’s followed by hurt and lies, and you do feel guilty thinking that, but it’s been proven true countless times.

“Rafe, listen to me,” You began, moving so you were straddling him and holding his face in your hands. His hands immediately came to grip your hips, and you are well aware that this was a more than compromising situation. “I understand that your father is probably the worst person we both know, but that doesn’t excuse you lying to me. I don’t know if I can trust you, no matter how much I may want to.”

You watched as tears gather in his eyes, and he was doing his best to keep them at bay. He had never felt the way he feels about you before, and he’s more than aware that his reputation precedes him. He knows that he’s done nothing more than prove how untrusting he is to you, but he wouldn’t let that stop him from trying to prove to you that he means what he’s saying.

“I know that nothing I say will fix what I’ve already done. I know that, but I can show you just how much you mean to me, if you’ll let me. We can go at your pace. Do things your way. Just, please, give me another chance to prove myself to you.”

You’re searching for any detection of a lie in his eyes, in his voice, but you come up empty. You wipe away the stray tears that broke through his wall of protection. You hesitantly placed your forehead on his, and you could hear him take in a sharp breath at the connection. Your eyes fluttered closed, your nose brushing against his as you weighed all of your options.

“Did you mean what you to me? In your last text,” You whispered, too scared to open your eyes and look at him. “Do you actually love me?”

“More than you know,” His breath was hot against your chin, and he pulled you closer into him.

You decided to take a leap, dive into something that scared you more than anything. Your lips finally met his, and Rafe wasted no time in returning the feeling. Your hands fell from his cheeks and clasped each other behind his neck, while his hands stayed placed on your hips, too scared to push you too far. You deepened the passion filled kiss by pulling him closer to you and running your tongue across his bottom lip. Rafe’s lips moved in such a sensual way that you almost didn’t know how to react. It was much different from the lust filled kisses you’ve shared in the past. You started moving your hips on top of him, an action that had him gripping your hips tighter than before.

Y/N,” Rafe breathed out after he broke away from you, “If you don’t stop, I don’t know if I can control myself.”

“Then don’t.”

i have not edited this so if you see a mistake lmk. love u

[autumn-sweet-fae]

I have no idea why, but I thought Mint was Dawn/Lucas/Barry's age. I didn't expect them to be a whole 19 years old XD. Though them being 19, how does Emmet even take them under his wing? Aren't they a little old at that point to need a mentor, even if he has new/weaker pokemon?

Sorry, I'm just trying to understand how Mint and Emmet's dynamic even works after everything calms down. It doesn't seem like Emmet has much to offer besides being a more straightforward person than what their grandma was.

And even if Emmet's a strong trainer what's stopping Mint from just finding some other ace trainer to get tips from? I think you even said Frontier Brain Argenta was their blood relative (who would probably be just as straightforward as Emmet would be in her teachings if they asked her to be their mentor). So wouldn't they gravitate more to her than to Emmet, her being actual family?

IDK if I'm saying my questions right (words are hard), but I guess I'm trying to ask is what makes Emmet the person Mint wants to learn from when they really only knew the man for a collective few days at most (if I'm remembering the timeline of events correctly)?

I can assure you a 29 year old can absolutely mentor a 19 year old. Mint is only just getting an idea of what they want to do and how be a proper adult.

Mint spends allot of the story trying to meet their grandmother expectations or to help the pokemon they perceive to be in danger.

While Ingo is who Mint is chasing and offers some sound advice before he and Akari run off, Emmet is the one Mint will have a few full conversations with long before the kidnapping. Emmet and Elesa ask Mint about the lab they work for and Mint boast about their position and their success and how Team Flora wants to help others. But then when the two start pressing for more details and what the lab has done, Mint starts to put things together and realizes that, yeah, it doesn’t add up at all.

Emmet is the person who helps Mint see the truth. To inspire them to look deeper into what the lab is actually doing. And when Looker makes contact with Mint, to find Proof.

They and Emmet cross paths enough before the eggnapping and kidnapping that they have a respect for each other. When Emmet is kidnapped Mint does everything they can to help him, both getting medical supplies to care for any injuries and to keep his real identity a secret. It’s about a day or two between when Emmet is brought in and when Ingo and the others go to rescue him, so they do talk quite a bit in that time.

And it’s not just a matter of looking up to someone who’s strong. Emmets skill with his Pokémon does not even really factor into Mints respect for him. (Ingo is the one Mint battles usually.) Emmet being so straight forward and honest with Mint is exactly what makes Mint respect him. Right now, everyone else Mint is suppose to work with us either dismissive to them, lying to Them, or clearly lying to themselves to continue working at a place like this.

(Or just entirely to happy with their job, which is what’s going on with Belladonna’s second command researcher, Sarin. He’s the one who does most the hands on experimenting and is a rotten individual.)

Also, Mint isn’t close at all with Argenta. She’s their dad’s older first cousin who visits for holidays occasionally but not much other then that. Argenta is Belladonna’s favorite niece and her successes were always used in comparison to Mints dads. So like, she’s family, but not someone Mint grew up knowing at all.

But yeah, to clear things up: Mint knows Emmet for longer then a few days. They cross paths over a dozen times and Mint was the Lab grunt that would show up when the cops reported capturing ‘Ingo’. (Blaze did not bother because he’s busy actually tracking him down lol)

After the main plot, when everyone is zapped to Unova, Mint is sent by international police to spends a few weeks in Unova with them as they are a VERY valuable witness to everything that happened and there are a handful of dangerous team flora members that got away. (Including the before mentioned doctor Sarin as well as another enforcer character Zhenniii and I have been working on called Scald. Cause every pokemon story needs a post-game plot/villian.)

So it’s durring the time in Unova that Mint gets to know everyone better and they all really bond. But since Emmet was who really helped Mint see the truth of what was happening and the fact that they were there to help him and update him during his kidnapping, the two do become close friends and Mint genuinely looks up to him.

Also Emmet must teach them his ways of resisting electric Pokémons shocks if Mint wants to help with the Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode lol

[fivelakesinwriting]

REQUEST OF POLY BARRY AND RAFE AND THEY DO LINES OFF ALL PLACES OF YOUR BODY 😍

Author's Notes: You can't do this to me. I had far too much fun with this, but like...for the love of God be careful out there, friends. This is a work of fiction, and I love you. Take care of yourselves xoxo.

Warnings: DRUGS - USE AND ABUSE, Drinking, Swearing, Smut (*daddy kink, threesome/ poly relationship, fingers and hands!)

Requested? YES! Requests for OBX are OPEN!

*My work is not to be transferred, copied, translated or reposted to any other sites without my permission. Please see my masterlist for all other works and warnings. Thank you! xoxo

Barry sat comfortably from his position in the armchair in the corner of his bedroom, watching as the two of them rolled around in the bed together. He sipped at his beer and sunk lower in his seat, adjusting his pants as they got tighter.

"C'mere." Rafe growled as he grabbed onto the girl in the bed, her squeal and giggle echoing through the bare walls.

Rafe sat in the bed in nothing but his briefs as he grabbed onto the girl, completely naked, and dumped out the pristine white powder onto her shoulder as he kept her snug in his lap. He brought his nose down to her shoulder and sniffed along her skin as he groped at her breasts, his head tossed back as he reached the end of his line.

"From now own I'm only sniffing coke off you." Rafe stated as he looked at the ceiling, her breasts still in his hands.

"Baby, come play." She giggled as she reached back to twist Rafe's hair between her fingers, her eyes looking over Barry still sat fully clothed in the chair.

"Just fine watching you two." Barry mumbled with a small smile as he looked at them over, watching as Rafe sunk his teeth into her neck the way she liked.

"Rafe!" She moaned as she tugged at his hair, her lips pouted as she kept her eyes on Barry.

"Try some." Rafe growled as he kissed his way up the side of her face to her ear, the bag of coke in his hands.

"No." Barry stated firmly getting up from his spot in the chair. He placed his beer bottle down firmly on the dresser beside him and walked over to the bed, taking the bag from Rafe.

"Gonna pull that Daddy shit with me, too?" Rafe replied with a sniff as he grasped at air, reaching for the bag.

"Will if I have to. She's not trying this." Barry growled as he held the bag of powder up between them. He gave Rafe a menacing glare before his face softened and he looked at the girl sat up on Rafe's lap.

"Hear me? No." Barry stated firmly as he held her face in his hands, making her look directly into his eyes.

"Can't I try just a little, Daddy?" She asked sweetly as she crawled off Rafe's lap, propped up on her hands and knees in front of Barry.

Barry let out a sigh. He held the bag in his hands, opened the top and reached in to press the tiniest bit of powder between his index and thumb. He pulled his fingers out and held it up to her nose watching as she inhaled.

"That's it. No more." Barry grumbled as he held her gaze, letting her know he meant business.

"Oh, come on. That's not gonna do anything." Rafe scoffed as he pulled her back into his lap then ran his tongue over her shoulder to be sure he got every last bit of cocaine. He ran his fingers down her body to between her legs to make her gasp.

"The fuck it won't. She doesn't have your tolerance for this shit, Rafe." Barry glared as he tossed the bag back to the younger man, then kept his eyes on the girl on the bed.

"How do you feel, gorgeous?" Rafe asked as his middle finger rolled her clit, making her squirm in his lap.

"G...Good." She stuttered, her hips pushed down in Rafe's lap as she kept her eyes on Barry's face.

"If you ask nicely again, maybe Daddy will come play with us." Rafe grinned as he added his index finger between her legs, his teeth sinking into the skin of her neck.

"Daddy, please." She begged as she reached back to pull at Rafe's hair while her other hand stretched out to pull at Barry's shirt.

"C'mon. Come do a line off her ass or something. It's fucking perfect." Rafe growled as he slipped two fingers inside of her, his eyes flickering over to the older man at the foot of the bed. He knew Barry could only watch as he teased her for so long.

"You know I don't get high off my own supply." Barry muttered, running his fingertips over the scruff on his face. His eyes were fixed on Rafe's fingers as they plunged in and out of that tight little space he wished he could fill.

"Technically, I bought it off you. And now it's mine. So it's my supply you're getting high off." Rafe grinned with a bite of her shoulder before he turned to look over at Barry.

"Damnit, Country Club." Barry grumbled as he pursed his lips then pulled his shirt over his head before he climbed onto the bed with them.

"Bend over, gorgeous." Rafe smirked as he pulled his fingers from inside their girl and lifted her from his lap to place her on all fours on the bed.

Rafe handed him the bag of pure powder, eyebrows raised as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. Barry shook his head as he accepted the bag, never knowing how he got himself into these situations with these two.

Barry grabbed her hips and pulled her over to him. He shook the littlest bit of cocaine out, down on her spine. He and Rafe locked eyes, Rafe giving him a nod. Barry tugged her backside into his groin as he bent over and trailed his nose down her spine, sniffing up the white powder.

"Fuck." Barry growled as he sat back up, pinching his nostrils as the feeling of the drug hit the back of his skull. He released his grip on her hip and reached around to take his turn to press on her clit.

"Daddy!" She gasped as she pressed her chest down on the messy sheets, her backside up the air for Barry's attention.

"Good shit, right?" Rafe muttered as he leaned over to press a kiss to the side of Barry's neck, before he leaned over to kiss the woman on her spine to lick up any excess of the drug.

Barry hummed in response as his fingers rolled her clit, watching as Rafe covered her back in kisses and tongue prints. He didn't often do drugs, his own or anyone's for that matter, but something about Rafe and this girl rolling around his bed covered in that white powder set him off.

"Yeah, she's the best." Barry grumbled as he reached his index and middle finger down to plunge inside of her soaked entrance, making her sob out into the mess of sheets.

"Meant the coke, but she's fucking amazing too." Rafe growled as he pressed onto his hands and bit at the back of her neck to make her whine.

"Please." She whispered into the blankets, her cheek pressed against the mattress as she turned her face to look back at both of the men knelt behind her.

"Turn over." Barry ordered gruffly as he pushed a loose curl from his face.

"What - " Rafe growled as he looked from the girl on the bed to Barry.

"You had your fun. Go sit down and watch. Come down a little, then you can come back." Barry ordered as he looked into Rafe's eyes as they started to get dazed from the cocaine.

"Fine." Rafe grumbled as he crawled off the bed and sat in the armchair Barry had previously been sitting in and watched as Barry flipped their girl over onto her back and took up the space between her thighs.

Rafe ran his index finger under his nose as he watched Barry unbuckle his pants, and pull them over his backside before he dropped down to his hands over their girl. He felt the littlest bit of jealousy as he watched Barry slid inside of her, her moan echoed throughout the entire bungalow and even in his bones.

He knew the rules though.

You can play, but you can't fuck when you're high on coke.

He let out a groan from deep in his chest as he watched Barry's hips - in, out, in, out - and reached for the long forgotten beer bottle on the dresser and took a long drink.

Rafe had never wanted to come down quicker.

Hottie List:

@starkey-babie @barrysjumpsuit @fashion-fasting @sodasback

@beauvibaby @vinniehcker

*tag list still open if you'd like to be added - just let me know!

This is my first time writing a poly relationship so I'm nervous about it!!! Please let me know what you think if you have a moment! Thank you so much xoxo

Requests for OBX ARE OPEN!

[bluecookiedisaster]

Trying to alert the authorities.

I can autograph that.

A little gusty out there today,

wasn't it, comrades?

Yeah. Gusty.

We're hitting a sunflower patch

six miles from here tomorrow.

- Six miles, huh?

- Barry!

A puddle jump for us,

but maybe you're not up for it.

- Maybe I am.

- You are not!

We're going 0900 at J-Gate.

What do you think, buzzy-boy?

Are you bee enough?

I might be. It all depends

on what 0900 means.

Hey, Honex!

Dad, you surprised me.

You decide what you're interested in?

- Well, there's a lot of choices.

- But you only get one.

Do you ever get bored

doing the same job every day?

Son, let me tell you about stirring.

You grab that stick, and you just

move it around, and you stir it around.

You get yourself into a rhythm.

It's a beautiful thing.

You know, Dad,

the more I think about it,

maybe the honey field

just isn't right for me.

You were thinking of what,

making balloon animals?

That's a bad job

for a guy with a stinger.

Janet, your son's not sure

he wants to go into honey!

- Barry, you are so funny sometimes.

- I'm not trying to be funny.

You're not funny! You're going

into honey. Our son, the stirrer!

- You're gonna be a stirrer?

- No one's listening to me!

Wait till you see the sticks I have.

I could say anything right now.

I'm gonna get an ant tattoo!

Let's open some honey and celebrate!

Maybe I'll pierce my thorax.

Shave my antennae.

Shack up with a grasshopper. Get

a gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"!

I'm so proud.

- We're starting work today!

- Today's the day.

Oome on! All the good jobs

will be gone.

Yeah, right.

Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring,

stirrer, front desk, hair removal...

- Is it still available?

- Hang on. Two left!

One of them's yours! Oongratulations!

Step to the side.

- What'd you get?

- Picking crud out. Stellar!

Wow!

Oouple of newbies?

Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready!

Make your choice.

- You want to go first?

- No, you go.

Oh, my. What's available?

Restroom attendant's open,

not for the reason you think.

- Any chance of getting the Krelman?

- Sure, you're on.

I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out.

Wax monkey's always open.

The Krelman opened up again.

What happened?

A bee died. Makes an opening. See?

He's dead. Another dead one.

Deady. Deadified. Two more dead.

Dead from the neck up.

Dead from the neck down. That's life!

Oh, this is so hard!

Heating, cooling,

stunt bee, pourer, stirrer,

humming, inspector number seven,

lint coordinator, stripe supervisor,

mite wrangler. Barry, what

do you think I should... Barry?

Barry!

All right, we've got the sunflower patch

in quadrant nine...

What happened to you?

Where are you?

- I'm going out.

- Out? Out where?

- Out there.

- Oh, no!

I have to, before I go

to work for the rest of my life.

You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello?

Another call coming in.

If anyone's feeling brave,

there's a Korean deli on 83rd

that gets their roses today.

Hey, guys.

- Look at that.

- Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday?

Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted.

It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up.

Really? Feeling lucky, are you?

Sign here, here. Just initial that.

- Thank you.

- OK.

You got a rain advisory today,

and as you all know,

bees cannot fly in rain.

So be careful. As always,

watch your brooms,

hockey sticks, dogs,

birds, bears and bats.

Also, I got a couple of reports

of root beer being poured on us.

Murphy's in a home because of it,

babbling like a cicada!

- That's awful.

- And a reminder for you rookies,

bee law number one,

absolutely no talking to humans!

All right, launch positions!

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz,

buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!

Black and yellow!

Hello!

You ready for this, hot shot?

Yeah. Yeah, bring it on.

Wind, check.

- Antennae, check.

- Nectar pack, check.

- Wings, check.

- Stinger, check.

Scared out of my shorts, check.

OK, ladies,

let's move it out!

Pound those petunias,

you striped stem-suckers!

All of you, drain those flowers!

Wow! I'm out!

I can't believe I'm out!

So blue.

I feel so fast and free!

Box kite!

Wow!

Flowers!

This is Blue Leader.

We have roses visual.

Bring it around 30 degrees and hold.

Roses!

30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around.

Stand to the side, kid.

It's got a bit of a kick.

That is one nectar collector!

- Ever see pollination up close?

- No, sir.

I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it

over here. Maybe a dash over there,

a pinch on that one.

See that? It's a little bit of magic.

That's amazing. Why do we do that?

That's pollen power. More pollen, more

flowers, more nectar, more honey for us.

Oool.

I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow.

Oould be daisies. Don't we need those?

Oopy that visual.

Wait. One of these flowers

seems to be on the move.

Say again? You're reporting

a moving flower?

Affirmative.

That was on the line!

This is the coolest. What is it?

I don't know, but I'm loving this color.

glad that im not popular enough to have an evil shadow version of my blog that exists just to make contradictions on my posts

[barry-j-blupjeans]

4. “Sharing is caring, now give me the hoodie!” and Magnus + anyone of the Starblaster crew? :3

4 misc. “Sharing is caring, now give me the hoodie!”

((sentence starters - no longer accepting, sorry!! Also, I changed the phrasing of this prompt just a lil' bit to fit better.))

--

There have been some things that Magnus expected on the Starblaster by now. Things like sudden fires or explosions or sudden firey explosions. Sometimes, he'd wake up in the middle of the night and go to get a drink of water to find someone, or several someones, already in the kitchen. He had gotten used to the turbulence, to Davenport's poorly timed and hilarious use of their crackly announcement system, to finding Lucretia's pens all over the place. He had fixed the laundry machine exactly twenty-five times now (Taako said if they got to thirty, they could throw a party) and had repaired various leaky pipes far too many times to count.

But there were still things that surprised him. Like waking up with the sun barely peeking through his window, only to find Lup trying to sneak into his room.

"What- what're you doing?" Magnus said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What's happening?"

"Just go back to sleep," Lup said, now opening the door to his closet.

"Lup-"

"It's fine," Lup said, shuffling through his various red robes. (Magnus had discovered very early on that if your not wearing your robe when the cycle resets, you get a new one upon entering the new planar system. Unfournately, it seemed that whatever clothes you were wearing when you left the previous planar system were disregarded. That's how he lost his favorite "this guy loves dogs" shirt.)

"Uhm," Magnus said, sitting up now. "Hang on, I need the lights."

"No you don't," Lup said, but she didn't stop him from going towards the door to flick them on. He took a second for his eyes to adjust. Lup had deposited three red robes onto the ground and looked like she had no intentions of stopping.

"Did you just come to mess up my closet?" Magnus asked, picking up the robes and setting them aside for later-Magnus to deal with. If he was lucky, he'd get to them in three cycles. "'Cus, uh, one, that's not cool. And two-"

"I'm looking for my hoodie," Lup said, finally finding the section where he hung up actual clothes. "What the hell is wrong with your closet, Mags?"

"Dav put a pocket dimension in the back," Magnus said, gently nudging Lup aside to sort through it on his own. "Also, I don't think any of your hoodies would fit me, no offense-"

"It's a big hoodie," Lup said defensively. "The blue one that they gave us for this mission? Y'know, with the IPRE symbol on the front and a number in the back like it was a sports jersey?"

"Oh, shoot, yeah, I forgot about those!" Magnus said, now more reverently looking through his closet. "I think I lost mine a few cycles ago, I don't really- oh! Wait, no, here it is."

"Hell yeah!" Lup said, scootching him aside.

"Lup that's-" Magnus laughed a little as she tore it from the hanger, "that's my hoodie-"

"Nah," Lup said. "It's mine."

"It says Burnsides on the back of it."

"That's my stage name," Lup said, slipping it on. Her arm got stuck in the sleeves. It was too early for him to help anyone, Magnus decided, watching her struggle.

"I'm almost positive that it's not," Magnus said. Finally, she got her head through the top and her arms in the right holes, pulling it down a bit to secure the deal.

"Sharing is caring, Magnus," Lup said. "It's mine now."

"I don't think you know how sharing works," Magnus said. Lup shrugged but didn't disagree, which gave Magnus all the information he had to know. "Is that all?"

"D'you got the jean jacket you stole from Barry like, ten cycles ago?" she asked.

"Yeah, probably," Magnus said and she stepped back again to let him search, grinning. "It might have blood on it, so fair warning. Also, I don't remember if I ripped the sleeves off."

"All of those things just make it cooler," Lup said, peering over his shoulder.

[molotovmetro]

Day 2: (Toaster, Baker AU, Humor)

Italics is Chris's inner monologue

Chris Redfield x gn reader

Words: 632

Warnings: none that I can think of, let me know if I need to add something

Flame Grilled

Chris Redfield never quite imagined himself to be in the position he is today.

A few months ago S.T.A.R.S. was disbanded by Police Chief Irons in favour if a true swat team. The man didn't care about the people who would lose their jobs, the only thing that mattered to him is how profitable it was.

Wesker kind of disappeared, no one has heard of him since that last day at work. He was never an open person anyway. Jill managed to get a job at a local locksmith, which isnt surprising with her skills, they don't call her the master of unlocking for nothing. Barry and his family moved to Canada, Brad is still looking for a job as far as he knows, as are Joseph and Forest, the rookie Rebecca Chambers went back to school, and he was honestly not close enough to the others to know what they're up to these days. Still, they made a lot of good memories with the team.

He considers himself lucky that his sister was looking for help in her bakery at the right moment, although he suspects she just felt bad for him. It isn't exactly his dream job, but it pays the bills, so he can't complain.

Plus, sometimes the costumers are really cute. Like right now for example. Alright, stay professional, Chis.

The man gives his best costumer service smile, "Hi, how can I help you?"

They smile back, "Hi, two toasted croissants, please."

Toasted. He freezes. Do they even have a toaster? Who wants toasted croissants?

He's trying not to make it painfully obvious that he's completely lost, looking around slowly with slightly widened eyes as he's grabbing the croissants.

Ah! There in the corner! Okay. Toaster located and crisis averted.

Time for problem two.

How the hell is he going to fit these in there?!

The brunette standing in front of a toaster with a pastry in each hand was quite frankly a hilarious sight.

"Is everything alright..?" The cute costumer asked.

Chris jumped, "Yeah! Well... not really..." he turns to them, "Do you mind if I squash these a bit?"

Very eloquent there, Chris.

They laugh, where did Claire find this guy? "Not at all, go ahead."

The man smiles and proceeds to ungracefully stuff the croissants in the toaster.

Problem three. How should he program the timer?

Alright, Chris. We can wing this. Just go for about two minutes and go from there.

He walks back to the counter and leans an elbow on it, feeling pretty proud of himself –but mainly relieved– that he didn't have to call Claire. "You come here a lot?"

"Does that line ever work for you?"

Taken aback a little, he takes a step backwards. "That- that wasn't a line!"

"Uhuh. Yeah, sometimes. Enough that Claire considers me a regular." They smile.

Oof. At least they're not mad.

He opens his mouth to respond, but gets interrupted by a loud beeping.

Fuck. That's the fire alarm!

We whips around to see flames coming from the toaster.

"Wow, flame grilled. What service!" The costumer jokes.

Chris pays their comment no mind, busying himself with pulling the cord and wetting a towel to throw on it, which luckily seems to put it out.

That's coming out of my paycheck.

He walks back to the counter again and puts two croissants in a paper bag and hands it to the poor person whose lunch got ruined.

"Here, on the house. Sorry about that... Although, maybe I can take you out for dinner later to make up for it?" He says with a sheepish smile.

"Sounds good, what time to you get off? Though, we should probably stay away from flammable appliances." They winked.

"In two hours. And yeah, you're probably right."