#casey jr: i thought it was just the vibe you were going for

[thedawningofthehour]

Do you guys think Casey Jr. knew that mutants and Yokai were supposed to be like...in hiding, or do you think he came back and was super confused why the guys didn't have like licenses or why cloakers were a thing?

[sibillascribbles08]

Big Ol' Rottmnt Fic Rec List

Hi, I've needed to do this for a while, so here's a big bundle of fic recs from me !

I've broken it down between one shots, chaptered fics, and series. I'll try to mention what the character focus is along with a brief summary and some personal thoughts. If you need more details I encourage you to check the fics summary and tags for yourself! I will only include an author's tumblr account if it's easy for me to find haha

One Shots

Mama's Boy - ashtreelane: Technically two chapters but it feels like a one shot. Casey Jr. angst, involving him finding out that maybe you can fix kraang infections and that he failed to save his mother. I love when people really pile the grief on Junior after all the fighting is over and the fic does it so well.

Forget-Me-Nots - GibbousLunation (AKA @klunkcat ): Hi, oh my god??? Leo and Mikey centric angst, in which saving Leo from the prison dimension has an insane ripple effect. Mikey dying? Nah he's going to start getting erased from every timeline and Leo slowly watches it happen (and refuses to do nothing about it). I utterly adore how this fic handles this concept. You see almost all of it from Leo's POV, noticing the little changes but writing them off as memory failures, because of how subtle some of it is.

Fight or Flight - pickledcarrotsandradish: Leo centric, post movie, Leo keeps waiting for his family to start lecturing him about all the dumb stuff he did during the invasion, and they aren't, so it's getting to him. A very neat narrative about how self loathing can warp our perception of how others see us. A++++

The Friend Zone Sounds Pretty Good, Actually - Cryptvokeeper: Eating this, eating this. You probably already know I love aroace Leo and this fic is an INCREDIBLE exploration of that. Even as just an ace person it hit SO many notes where I was just like "Oh god... I've been there buddy". And as a bonus the dynamic between Leo and Yuichi is v sweet. Love this a lot I've read it like five times.

Pink in The Night - unnamedmystery: Incredible April/Sunita fic. Like seriously this author wrote April's crush so well I think I was starting to fall in love with Sunita. Just incredibly cute all the way through, and great April writing, adore it.

《 until then, matriarch 》 - chiangyorange: HI OH MY GOD A nice chunky oneshot about Karai, about her being a leader, and it's phenomenal. It hits and hits and does not miss, really going in depth about her emotions involving her father turning into something wicked and having to destroy him, and how it ruins all of her good memories.

The Kindness of Collision - SpoonerizedSwiftness (AKA @splickedylit ): Hi I still remember the fic and the art suddenly showing up in the tag and then I was thinking about it for the next like five weeks aslkdjf A very interesting idea that when the turtles reach the age they were in the doomed timeline before things got reset, all the memories of their other life more or less hit them like a train. All of them have to comb through that information and it's a wonderful and emotional ride.

Chaptered Fics

Hamartia - Punable (in progress): Hi this is one of my all time favorite rise fics, mainly because in a way, it helped me come to terms with my chronic pain. It's Donnie centric and smack full of angst in all the best ways. Shorthand summary, an explosion in Donnie's lab almost takes him out (or kind of DOES take him out) and the recovery is not only long and agonizing, it may only go so far, and Donnie doesn't cope well with that.

Kick It Up a Notch - Brokenpitchpipe (completed): Hi this is my other all time fav rise fic. Donnie centric separated AU in which Donnie is raised by Draxum. My love for it stems a lot from the characterization of Donnie though, and even Draxum in this case. Not to mention that in a lot of cases it matches the vibes of the show. And in spite of all the humor, there's a few really gut wrenching moments. 10/10 will re-read.

Lightning in Our Fingertips Today - DaFlangsLairde (AKA @daflangstlairde-art) (completed): Leo and Donnie centric, mostly angst, with body swapping between the twins which results in Donnie finding out that Leo's ninpo hurts him. Love love love the character writing in this, and also how the swap is written.

Under Pressure - ParvumAutomaton (completed): Not sure this is a single character focused fic, but basically April goes cave diving and is out for a while, and the turtles get worried and go looking for her. This might be personal bias but as someone who gets really into caving stories, this fic hits the spot for so many reasons. A really great emotional ride, and if you wanna see April go through it then I super recommend it.

Nothing Haunts Us (like the things we don't say) - mad_and_thick_as_theives (completed): A lot of great fics by this author btw, but this one personally stood out to me. It starts of silly and light only to sweep in with the emotional weight. Turtles are all cursed with a truth spell, basically, but I think my favorite bit is who gets out of it first (and why). V sweet.

Creation of a Philospher's Stone - IgnisCanis (completed): Whoooo boy, if you want some Draxum centric character exploration this is a great one. It really fleshes him out as a morally grey character and also does a fantastic job at writing Mikey when he finds out.

The Ol Switcheroo - radishhqueen (AKA @radishhqueen) (completed): Haha not going to lie I have a few by this author (so I'll only tag them once) but MAN. Hands down my favorite take on future leo coming to the past, and maybe I'm biased because I like when those fics actually explore Junior's character in the process buuuuut I love it. Junior's already struggling to adapt himself to the present, and after getting caught up in a foot clan spell which summons his sensei to the present too it really doesn't get any easier.

Vigilantism for Fun and Profit - radishhqueen (completed): The Cassandra Jones fic ever. Zero contest. If you're uncertain about writing Cassandra because she had so little development in the show I encourage you to read this for inspiration (I know it inspired me a lot). It does such a great deep dive into her character post show and a bit of the movie too. Honestly anytime radishh has a Cassandra fic I am clicking.

Tried to Grow Up Good - Sroloc_Elbisivni (AKA @sroloc--elbisivni )(completed): The Casey Jr. fic ever. CRAZY in love with this post movie take on him. It's messy, it's fun, it's so so real and you get a good chunk of Casey Sr. in here too. Adore it.

Hold On (Or Three Times Donatello's Soft Shell Almost Killed Him, and One Time it Saved His Life) - dunk_on_em (AKA @spockazilla )(completed): If you ever want a bit of angst involving Donnie's shell this is my go to. Every chapter has an emotional swing, even the positive ones. And shows something most people might see as a disadvantage as a good thing, actually.

Atlas, My Brother - swampcryptid (AKA @the-name-is-rizzotherat)(in progress): Get your Raph angst, specifically involving him always shielding his siblings, this time via a curse. My guy is already going through it and I think it'll get worse if a solution isn't found.

I've Got You Under My Skin - Cass_Phoenix (in progress): More Raph angst, and some Donnie, a truly chilling exploration of the possible consequences to connecting with the kraang. This fic constantly has me on the edge of my seat, and constantly stressing for Raph.

What We Leave Behind (How We Start Anew) - iam57311 (AKA @iam-57311)(in progress): Any Baronjitsu fans here? An alternate take on canon in which Draxum and Splinter co-parent the kids since they're first born (made?) Hilariously while I love the Baronjitsu content in here, I think some of my favorite parts are actually with the sisters, Big Mama, and Draxum's sister who is so so cool I love her.

Proof of Redemption - iam57311 (complete): Another one of theirs! A short and sweet lil close to canon fic about Draxum steadily gaining the trust and affection of the Hamatos, with each chapter focused on a different character. I love how they're all paced out from each other, really hits how some are much slower than others to trust Draxum hehe.

No Crime* Only Brooches - OllieTheScribe (AKA @olliethescribe) (in progress): Well I have to get THE HypnoWarren fic in here. Such a fun take on these characters, I love love love the backstory they built up for Warren too, plus the dynamic between these two and the turtles after (eventually) become friends haha.

Minor Interference - bambiraptorx (AKA @bambiraptorx) (in progress): What can I say? This fic is delightful. Between the hilarity of the turtles going with Draxum just to mess with him, the lore additions for yokai and the Hidden City, HoH Donnie, and their slowly building dynamic, always eager for a new chapter with this one.

Series

A Butterfly with a Mechanical Wing - Amethyst_Goldenwind (AKA @amethystgoldenwind ): Donnie centric series about being a non-verbal autistic. I'm always fond of non-verbal/mute explorations of characters, and so far I really like how, because his family has grown up with it, all of it is very normal for them. The various forms of communication are delightful. Excited to see further entries.

Analogous Hues - alwerakoo (AKA @alwerakoo): It's a separated AU with similar titling themes as my own, needed to check it out. The titles are just about all they have in common though! This AU focuses a lot on the turtles (Raph and Leo with Splinter and Donnie and Mikey with Draxum). I love how this explores not only the dynamics of the two groups and how different they are, but also the dynamics between each of the siblings, also how some magic sibling connections can influence that. Not to mention the different home life in more ways than one. If you're into separated AUs that really dig into the turtles dynamics try this one out !

[batsplat]

It actually kills me that Pecco is Valentino’s #1 protege bc I kinda feel like had they both met in like…2000 (let’s say they were the same age somehow) I feel like the mutual vibe between them would’ve been kinda like…“hm this guy SUCKS”.

Do u agree? I can see younger Vale being a little intrigued by Pecco, & Pecco being a little starstuck (like younger Casey) but I just think their vibes are so incompatible. Particularly compared w the other academy boys, who I think are slightly better fits…(except, hilariously, I would also say Luca is another kind of outlier).

IDK. Anyway thank u for all your amazing answers & historical knowledge batsplat <3 I so appreciate all the time you take to answer these questions & lay out the full surrounding context to things <3

first off, thank you!! that's really lovely!! secondly. hm this is a fun one I hadn't really thought about. the thing about the young casey comparison + what his relationship with valentino looked like is that he is six and a half-ish years younger than valentino... which feeds into why he's so starstruck. that's a very different dynamic from being valentino's direct peer, I feel. I kinda think the problem you have for any italian in vaguely that same age bracket is that it's just going to be tough to handle being so completely outshone by valentino. like, let's not speculate about results here because that's a fool's errand - in terms of actual popularity, there just isn't really any rider you could put alongside young valentino for that to be a remotely equal contest. and that inequity is worse if you're italian... you're not even going to have your home crowd rooting for you, right. the media attention will be 98% focused on the other guy. melandri's a good case study here, as a guy who's just a bit younger than valentino and highly rated in his junior years, but whose own relationship with valentino seemed to kinda sour over the years for various reasons. melandri is admittedly a bit of an odd bloke in his own right and is also a bit odd in the way he talks about valentino, but he's spoken a fair bit about how tough it was feeling like nobody in italy gave a shit about him with valentino around. which must be tough! there's 'working in silence' and then there's being 'practically invisible'... and that does also inevitably affect the relationship I reckon. you have to have an ego at pecco's level - and that kind of ego would always take some bruising if you have to come up against valentino in his full pomp

in terms of their actual interpersonal dynamic, it's always important to remember valentino got on pretty well with basically almost everyone!! especially in those early years, you don't even really have the same wariness of potential rivals. like, once he gets to the premier class it's more or less 'biaggi' and 'not biaggi'. he never has any issues with his title rival in 2000, kenny roberts jr. he's always gotten on very well with countryman and 1998 title rival capirossi, who he remained good friends with even when they were kinda *hand wiggles* title rivals in 2006. capirossi should have been more of a title contender that season and could well have gone on to win that title, but he got taken out in catalunya through no fault of his own - so not really any time for tensions to develop, which makes it a bit tricky to judge what that might have done to the relationship. when valentino and him have a tight duel in sepang later that season and valentino puts on a rather stern last lap defence to win that race (got to be one of his most underappreciated rides, he has like three classic race wins in 2006 I never see anyone discuss), capirossi climbs on his lap during the podium ceremony. so, y'know. capirossi is admittedly a way milder character than pecco, but it is notable how fond he remains of valentino throughout. though unlike pecco he does play into one of valentino's core weaknesses - valentino's fondness for having a little guy around. if you shave off ten centimetres from pecco then he'd basically be set for life

that being said, I agree they probably wouldn't be particularly close lol. prime valentino is probably a little too much for pecco, like you imagine they'd be cordial but pecco's just a tad reserved and wants to assert a bit of autonomy. which actually places him in a pretty decent position for that relationship to not blow up completely in his face - you kinda feel like he'd straddle the line between not being as abrasive as biaggi and not having *gestures vaguely* whatever that was between valentino and sete. the nicky hayden principle, right - who got through two teammate stints with valentino and actually beating him to a title with that relationship completely intact. cf hayden saying that valentino never played any mind games with him, that valentino didn't change his behaviour towards hayden depending on the points gap etc. valentino might "know how to play people", but he's not doing it with just anyone

some of this does inevitably depend on how much of a competitive threat pecco is in this hypothetical timeline. and if you actually put him in the dani/casey/jorge age bracket then all bets are off. it's basically the opposite of what I was saying with casey and jorge, where you'd imagine valentino-the-mentor-figure would have been an incredibly helpful presence for those two guys specifically. the thing about valentino is that he's very adept at being both valentino-the-rival and valentino-the-mentor-figure, but those two roles just look completely different. decent mentor all things considered, considerably less fun to have as a rival. and with pecco... I mean, you're basically dealing with a less prickly less neurotic casey-type, aren't you. pecco has the edge over casey in that he's not quite as... you know. how do I say this diplomatically. I don't think pecco would spend half the season complaining about valentino 'moaning and whinging' and then feature valentino's name on his title-winning shirt, let's put it that way. even with the italian factor, I reckon he'd manage to be at least 2% more normal about valentino, which probably would also help make the dynamic with valentino a bit more normal. and I'm sure valentino would come up with some horribly inventive ways of tormenting pecco and I do reckon he's absolutely up to that task, but I don't think something like laguna 2008 specifically would be the way to go about it. doesn't feel like you could quite blow up that relationship with a single race. the thing about laguna 2008 is that it's very bespoke casey torture, like that does not hit nearly as well against any other rival. ... I just realised I spent a good five minutes daydreaming about what advice I'd give valentino to crack pecco, which. anyways. let's cut it off there. but yeah, that would've been quite a fun match-up actually - specifically because pecco is such an annoyingly excellent defensive rider. arguably better at that than any of valentino's major rivals, which given valentino's MO you'd think would throw up its own distinct challenge

where the casey example IS instructive is in reminding you what an annoyingly charismatic bastard valentino is. I kind of feel like if you can have that kind of an effect on baby casey, you probably can make any of these undersocialised brats fall head over heels for you if you have a good swing at it. there's also the interesting question of what happens to pecco if you take away the vr46 support structure (obviously we're assuming he's still making it to motogp). my sense is you take away a little bit of... not his self-belief, exactly, or even his confidence necessarily - just a sense of security, of comfort in his own skin. I do reckon it makes him a bit more casey-ish in some aspects, just a touch more brittle and likely to take things personally... but, well, obviously we are now in the realm of very far-flung speculation. idk! whatever the exact age permutations between him and valentino would be, my sense is that valentino is charming enough and pecco is susceptible enough to being charmed that it's not like. open revulsion from day one. and to some extent, pecco's canonical willingness to let valentino hog the spotlight would stand him in good stead - it's like when casey said he didn't want to be the next valentino... these aren't necessarily guys who would even want that kind of attention on them. which does feel like a different dynamic to melandri doing his own showy celebrations. they DO want to be liked, maybe more than either of them are willing to admit, they both have a similarly pronounced sensitivity to being misinterpreted - but I don't feel like pecco would be killing himself with envy over valentino's reach in italy. maybe just a little bit, because that is probably normal in that situation... but I reckon he'd work through it

anyway, yeah. my thing is I don't actually give anyone a particularly high chance of surviving valentino's initial charm onslaught unscathed and I... don't feel like pecco would be an exception to that? the closest exception is jorge, but valentino never tried to charm him - and also jorge was still aggressively deeply weird about valentino so I'm not sure that's the template. cf how jorge still not managing to shut up about how fantastic valentino's celebrations were even when they were in an actual title fight. so yeah, idk. I don't see any reason why valentino would react that negatively towards pecco, who definitely comes across more like casey than he does like jorge and wouldn't immediately register as an active nuisance to valentino. I don't think they'd be FRIENDS and maybe they wouldn't match each other's vibe particularly well... interesting question actually if they'd have better or worse interpersonal chemistry than casey and valentino. maybe a bit worse? pecco's perhaps somewhat more guarded and world-weary from day one, so maybe a tad better at just keeping his distance and playing things by ear. pecco's natural wariness would probably do him quite a lot of good there and just make sure things... maybe get a bit unpleasant between him and valentino but never actively terrible. maybe the closest analogue would be a snippier, slightly brittler version of dovi, actually. two guys who get on pretty well but just move in different circles - with relatively restrained open animosity unless the competitive situation demands otherwise

[hermit-searching]

Terrible Casey Jones HCs (from a hockey fan):

87 Casey:

-it actually makes sense this guy wears the old style hockey mask since the fiberglass helmets with face cages were only starting to become popular in the 80s. Friday the 13th also came out in the 80s so he totally uses the face hugger mask for those reasons.

-he literally only met the turtles twice so I think it'd be funny if he just. forgot they existed. like "who are you small weird cosplaying kids"

-he'd probably be loyal to the Rangers because the Islanders play too close to Jersey. no he isn't bitter the Islanders were better, shut up!

-mans built like a football player, he wouldn't play. he just has the equipment to be a menace.

03 Casey:

- both him and Raph are devastated during the 04-05 lockout. it's the hardest battle they've ever fought.

-Leo: what about all the times we fought the Shredder and almost died?

Raph and Casey: the lockout was harder.

-that man shares his entire half of a braincell with Raphael /affectionate

-he would pound his fist into the table seeing the Devil's go to the Finals in 2000, 01 and 03.

-he probably genuinely forgot Anaheim is owned by Disney.

-he WILL complain during off-season. There are 0 worthy sports to watch from June to October.

12 Casey:

-oh you thought he was a Rangers fan? Maybe the Islanders? Buffalo? nah he's a Bruins fan.

-despite being afraid of rats his favourite player is Marchand.

-he ABSOLUTELY got into Reddit arguments with Vancouver fans in 2011.

-probably the only Casey that has actually played hockey. bro has the missing front teeth drip

-he wanted to be goalie so bad but the second he stepped out wearing the face hugger they said no and made him a winger.

-he lost his front teeth because he doesn't wear a cage.

-he not only forgot Anaheim was owned by Disney, he forgot they existed. he only remembered because they won the Cup in 07.

Casey Jr:

-i like the concept he learns to play hockey after the Invasion but I think he'd get ragdolled around by the people his age. yeah he can kill a Krang with one hand. but he's so stringy and spindly that he'd get knocked over by accident while on skates

-Casey Sr teaches him how to skate, but the first time he tries he immediately faceplants because he never learned what ice is.

-none of the Rise characters have hockey fan vibes. like, they all like basketball (even if Donnie pretends not to know anything about it) Raph likes wrestling and football. Leo would have a shrine dedicated to Michael Jordan, and that's about it. Mikey probably would watch anything his brothers put on. hockey is still very much a white person's sport, we don't have many POC players in the League so it doesn't appeal as much to POC as other sports like basketball, football, or baseball which are more diverse. All this to say Casey wouldn't know there's a pro-league until he stumbles upon it on TV one night.

-he's probably not into it the way the other Casey's are but he'll casually watch a game if there's one on.

-I don't see Casey having many interests for a while post-invasion because his entire life was basically surviving the apocalypse. He'll learn to appreciate the small things gradually.

-he would probably pick up on Leo's....appreciation...for Michael Jordan though lol

[pianocat939]

I just finished watching the movie , and now I’m wondering what if Yandere romantic Leo either rivals or working together with platonic Yandere Casey jr with a reader who acts motherly to them HCs please if possible thank u 💕

It's 2 AM and I stayed up the night before so this is all sleep-deprived writing.

This is kinda long so prepare your attention span. Also I didn't add much motherly aspects only because I focused more on their rivalry between each other rather than their reactions to MC.

Tw: Manipulation, Mentions of trauma (not that surprising lmao), just a younger father and son having a cat fight

Rivalry with Romantic Yandere Leo and Platonic Yandere Casey Jr. with Motherly MC Hcs

(Jfc that's a long-ass title. Also gonna confirm that although motherly and such terms are used but MC is gender-neutral as always).

If someone were to summarize the rivalry between the two it's really bickering back and forth until push comes to shove. I suppose the level of severity can differ based on their relationship (as in what point of the movie/or how long they've known each other).

I'm gonna use the plot of the movie because the plot of the movie.

At the start, before Casey even arrives at the lair, Leo's "unhinged" feelings haven't awakened yet. He harbours romantic attraction but has no urge to be crazy.

He flirts with you, but of course, he's a dumbass sometimes and ends up being the flustered one.

Then, Casey arrives. Let's just say in the future, you're the other substitute parent of Casey. So obviously he's gonna be clingy in the first place.

Casey will praise you for being so nice/caring/mom-like and is giddy. Meanwhile, Leo's frozen, resting face is present, his thoughts like 'This random dude with a photo of us is talking to my crush?' or 'Am I not the center of attention now?'.

During the interrogation, he'll ask Casey "Who does Y/n get married to?" very quietly though. His presence is slightly threatening, enough that Casey dislikes it.

The boy won't answer, and instead say, "He's nothing like you." *Cue intense glaring from both of them*.

The reason why Casey doesn't approve of current-time Leo is because Dilf Future Leo has manipulated future you to the point of acceptance. So, Casey has a very engraved view of what his secondary parents act and look like.

Present Leo gives murderous and unsettling vibes to Casey that he feels he needs to block off whoever this phony is.

Leo, who has newly unlocked his darkest feelings, doesn't like the attention being stolen from him. He's the only one you should rely on! Not this weird kid that oddly enough has a family picture of not just the group but also you + him!

Ok, I'm done with that proportion of the rant.

How will the two express their feelings/thoughts? Leo, who's opened a new eye to reality, will pull his usual card, manipulation. Meanwhile, Casey is like a clingy child who won't let his parent be taken away from him but is more mature obviously.

Throughout the plot, Leo will try to use his familiarity as an advantage saying things like, "I don't think we should use his plan, since we don't really know him that well." Casey, who's intelligent enough to see through the manipulation, blocks the comment. "Look, I know the Kraang better than you, so we'll have a higher chance of success if we use my plan."

Skip to the part where the group gets split up. You're with the 'B' team and like in the movie, Leo and Casey are stuck together. Casey says the trauma lines but at the end of it he'll point out how Leo is nothing like Future Leo (like goes into much more detail). This breaks Leo and starts a whole era of war between the two.

When you guys reunite they're gonna be clinging to your back, insulting each other quietly. If you try to ease the rising tension they're pulling a whole 180. Praise and compliments all the way.

After all the self-sacrifice shit and like everybody going through hell, they can't seem to detach themselves.

Surprisingly enough the two start to tolerate and work together more. As they see a common purpose: keep you safe. However, when it comes to attention, they're going at each other's throats.

In a humorous scenario, Leo's trying to flirt and be all lovey-dovey but Casey is asking for head pats and hugs which leaves Leo unable to succeed through his awkward methods of romance.

As a small bonus, if only the three of you are in a specific place Casey might call you and Leo "Dad/papa" and "(preferred parental name)". This triggers Leo's ego as he realizes that he is in fact the spouse.

People that crush on Dilf Leo are just people who like his triple-layer forehead wrinkles. Convince me otherwise.

——————————————————

I desperately need to sleep...Wanted to write this before I do.

- Celina

[eene-fangirl]

Premonition: Never Too Ed Chapter 2 [An Ed, Edd n Eddy Fanfiction]

Edd cringed feeling the warm rays from the sun hit his eyes. He groaned, slowly waking up. Rubbing his eyes, Edd wanted no more then to return to sleep. He had no desire to do anything today. As much as Edd couldn’t stand the thought he had to take a day off from school. His heart wasn’t in it.

Lying back in the comfortable pillows Edd noticed he didn’t have a headache from the night before. At least sleep helped get rid of it. Though he knew it wouldn’t be gone long.

Sniffing the air the scent of pancakes filled his nose. Chocolate chip pancakes. He could also faintly hear Casey. She sounded cheerful. Best to distract her from the the awful events occuring right now.

Edd opened his eyes.

He was in his bedroom.

Edd sat up, confused. He was dressed in his striped pajamas instead of the clothing he was in last night. Did Eddy’s parents decided to take him up to bed so he could be more comfortable?

It was five minutes to seven now. He had the privilege to sleep in but Casey’s laughter was beginning to concern him. After ignoring his daughter last night Edd felt that he needed to be with her this morning.

Exiting his room, Edd noticed the door to the guest bedroom was open. It did not look as if anybody had slept in there.

He walked down the stairs. Something felt all the more off. The TV was on. Jeopardy was on. Eddy always watched Jeopardy in the morning.

That’s when Edd heard a voice.

Eddy didn’t sound that much like his father, did he?

It was like one of those suspenseful movies. Edd’s heart pounded as the TV grew louder along with the voices.

Edd could have fainted when he walked into the kitchen.

There was Eddy enjoying a plate full of pancakes and drinking coffee, laughing with Casey.

“E-Eddy...”

Eddy briefly glanced at him upon hearing his name. Then he completely turned around looking alarmed.

“Double D? What’s the matter?” Eddy asked with clear worry in his voice.

Edd couldn’t speak. His hand grasped the counter. He was waiting to wake up back on the couch cuddling their wedding picture. This all didn’t feel real. Unless yesterday wasn’t real.

“I-I just had...” Edd stuttered trying to gather his thoughts. “Had a horrible nightmare. You- you...”

Eddy walked over holding his arms. Casey also looked alarmed, watching her parents curiously.

“Are you feeling okay? I thought you just wanted to sleep a bit longer.” Eddy said, quietly. He placed his hand against his cheek seeing if he was feverish. Edd leaned into the touch, needed to feel Eddy’s body. To make sure he was there and that he was not imagining all this he touched his hand. It was warm. He was there.

“I’m fine,” Edd was relieved, wanting to cry. How could his imagination create a world in which his beloved died?

“Are you sure?” Eddy asked him. ��You want me to drive Casey to school? The Monday traffic is always horrendous.”

Monday? Yesterday was...

“I-I’ll go change.” Edd smiled at his daughter, reassuring her that everything was okay. He thought he was going to have to take the day off today. Edd was looking forward to that. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or scared. The events from the day prior did not feel like a dream at all. They were so real.

Eddy was still by his side. He had a hand on his back as they walked up the stairs. “Edd, are you sure you’re okay?”

No. Edd nodded.

Just then his cell phone went off. It was only his planner telling him that he had a meeting in a half hour. Edd was scared to let his husband go. The sorrow, dread and anger that he felt were all still there.

“I gotta go. Nazz’ll be waiting if I don’t get...”

“Nazz?” Edd questioned.

Eddy looked all the more bewildered at Edd. His hand clenched around his even tighter. “Nazz is the new receptionist. I told you that.”

Edd nodded. “Right. I just... forgot...”

Eddy kissed his cheeks and went off to work. Edd watched from the window until Eddy’s car disappeared.

Once he was dressed and had his own satchel packed with his supplies Edd drove off to his daughter’s school. It was the same morning traffic, usual line up, along with parents arguing with crossing guards. Edd couldn’t get his mind off yesterday.

“Did you study your spelling words?” Edd asked Casey.

Casey looked at him as if he were crazy. “Daddy and I studied them on the couch last night. Remember?”

Edd blinked. No. “Yes, that’s right.”

“I’ll see you at Uncle Ed and Aunt May’s after school!” Casey called to him when she exited the car.

Edd gasped. “Casey, don’t forget your... lunch...”

Casey came back and did the same motion with her fingers and whistled.

Now Edd was deeply bothered by yest... the dream.

He arrived at Starling High School right when the bell rang. His boss give him a look making Edd’s discomfort worse. The man made him nervous. He didn’t know if he was the only one out of all the teachers. That’s what he missed from his old job. Having a cheerful boss who was so understand was the highlight of working at the elementary school. That’s where he wanted to be right now.

His class was all settled in. Now he felt the Monday morning vibe. Most of them were asleep.

“Okay, um... class, we have a lot to learn,” Edd announced trying to distract himself in anyway he could. He looked through his bag for papers.

He found the quizzes. They were not marked up. Yesterday they were... or... he had no idea anymore!

The class took their time with their quizzes. Instead of teaching Edd waited for them to finish and give them to privilege to have a study. Maybe he should go to the doctor to see if something was wrong with him.

“Turn in your quizzes,” he announced once the bell rang.

Glancing at each paper the answers looked very reminiscent. Edd joked to himself that it wouldn’t take long to grade the papers. It didn’t lighten the mood so well.

“Thank you, Mr. McGee.” His student placed an apple on his desk.

Edd stared at the apple. “Didn’t you give me an apple yesterday?”

She turned, confused. “Yesterday was Sunday. We weren’t here.”

Edd’s eyes lowered, staring into the desk. “Correct.”

Edd’s headache returned by the end of the day. He drove off to the market needing to buy food anyway. At least that was something distinct compared to the nightmare. However, while driving, Edd thought back to Officer Kevin’s words. Eddy died in a...

Edd gasped immediately stomping on the brakes when a car rushed passed honking its horn at him. Oh, he didn’t stop for a red light. What....

It was a mix of relief and anger when a cop car pulled up behind him sounding its alarm.

Groaning, Edd prepared his license.

“Quite a stop,” The voice said.

“My apologies, I...” Turning to meet the cop it was Kevin. “Oh, hello Kevin...”

Kevin’s face immediately brightened. “Double D! How are you? Are you okay?”

“Um... yes, I was distracted,” Edd answered, glancing at his side mirror.

“As long as you’re okay. How is Eddy?”

Eddy was killed on the highway yesterday. He died instantly. “Fine.”

“These Monday’s always catch up with you, don’t they!” May beamed when Edd picked up Casey from their house. She carried their youngest, Ed Jr, as Casey ran around with Ed and May’s twins, Jenny and Alexander. Ed was also playing with them. He rolled around in the grass as the children toppled on him.

“Come along, Casey. I have to start dinner!” Edd called out. He sounded more frustrated which alerted May. Edd opened up his trunk placing a couple of plates Ed had borrowed from he and Eddy.

Casey said goodbye to her friends and placed her bag into the car. Her socks where covered in dirt and her pants were also stained. Normally Edd wouldn’t be so annoyed but with today’s events he was fuming.

“You should have asked us to come to the park yesterday,” Ed said. He had tossed his son of his shoulder, playing around.

Now Edd gripped the trunk of the car. “Park?”

“Yeah. Eddy took Casey to the park yesterday. He texted me, yesterday,” Ed explained.

Edd turned his head to look at his longtime friends. “Did I call you yesterday?”

“We talked to Eddy,” May answered, a bit confused.

“No! Me!” Edd’s frustrated voice rang out. “Did I leave you a message?”

Ed and May looked at each other, concern etched in their faces. “No.”

Edd angrilly sighed. He adjusted his groceries inadvertently knocked a bottle of wine out of its bag. “Shoot!” Edd cursed himself.

Ed put his son down and walked over to his friend. He put a comforting hand on Edd’s back. “Double D, is everything okay?” Ed asked quietly. He squeezed harder and continued, “With you and Eddy?”

“... Yes...”

Returning back home Casey did her homework as Edd cleaned the house. There were no messages this time. The laundry was in a pile. A load was finished.

Edd hung up everything on the lines outside. It was windy as the clean sheets waved around. Edd had to admit it was calming. Taking a deep breath he looked up at the cloudy sky. It was just dream.

Taking a step back Edd tripped and fell on the ground.

Is hand touched something wet when he went to pick himself up.

Flies buzzed all around. He smell of a rotting, dead crow filled Edd’s nose.

“Oh!” Edd whimpered. He sprinted back into the house. He opened the sliding door only to leave a bloody hand print behind. “Filthy, filthy, filthy!” Edd uttered.

“What is it, father?” Casey asked, alarmed.

“It’s nothing! I’m okay. Could you please wash off the glass?” Edd asked immediately scrubbing his hand clean from the blood and germs that had been manifesting the crow. He spent at least twenty minutes at the sink until he felt his hand was clean. Edd grasped the counter taking a deep breath. He just wanted to go to bed.

Putting on a rubber glove Edd went back outside, picked up the putrid crow and threw it into the garbage.

What was going on?

Eddy returned home not too long after the incident with the crow. Edd was relieved, kissing him and giving him a hug.

He didn’t even have dinner prepared yet. As Edd stood in the kitchen he listened to Eddy helping Casey with her homework. They laughed and joked around. Edd sighed. What was he doing wrong?

He family was quiet as they sat at the table.

Edd didn’t know what to say. Glancing at Eddy he also looked as if he were struggling to say something. The sounds of forks hitting the plates was the worst sound any family could listen to. Looking back on this morning Edd never told Eddy about the nightmare. Should he? Or would it only alarm him further?

Edd was first to go to bed, feeling completely drained. Although he was ecstatic that Eddy was alive, something else bothered him. He’d felt this strange mood for some time now. All his life Edd stuck to routine. He liked routine. But change scared him. Were things going to change in the near future?

A mere hour later Edd heard Eddy crawl into bed. Some time passed before Edd heard his husband snoring. Turning over Edd was face to with Eddy’s sleeping face. His hand smoothed along Eddy’s hand. The man flinched in his sleep, turning his back to Edd. Feeling his heart swell, Edd just went to sleep in hopes for a better day.