#checked what the ''perks'' are and yeah double no thank you

[goldfades]

https://www.tumblr.com/goldfades/768009162138517504/title-luke-hughes

What about luke’s reaction? coming into the room after the boys told him he was wrong at practice or something, maybe he saw the comments?

it’s a little past eight when you hear the front door slam. you’re curled up on the couch, scrolling through your phone with a smug grin on your face. the video you posted earlier is still blowing up, comment after comment pouring in. your favorite so far might be the one that reads “he’s so confident it’s actually heartbreaking”—but there’s stiff competition.

the sound of heavy footsteps stomping down the hallway makes your ears perk up, and you sit up straighter just in time for luke to appear in the doorway. he’s still in his practice gear, hair damp with sweat and his cheeks flushed pink, but his expression is what gets you: somewhere between confusion, betrayal, and... is that a pout?

“you,” he says, pointing at you with the kind of dramatic flair usually reserved for soap operas. “you set me up.”

you blink innocently, setting your phone down. “i have no idea what you’re talking about.”

luke steps further into the room, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “don’t play dumb. the guys wouldn’t shut up about your video during practice. jack kept reading the comments out loud! ‘cuticle pusher means nail thingies? HAHAHA.’ do you know how humiliating that is?”

you’re already biting your lip to keep from laughing, but when he mimics jack’s voice, the dam breaks. you burst into giggles, doubling over as luke groans loudly.

“it’s not funny!” he protests, though the way his ears turn pink suggests he’s more embarrassed than actually mad. “i was so proud of myself, and you—you let me think i was getting them all right!”

wiping a tear from your eye, you manage to catch your breath long enough to speak. “okay, okay, listen. it wasn’t my fault you were so confident! i mean, ‘tight lines’? really?”

he groans again, flopping onto the couch next to you with a dramatic sigh. “i knew something was off when you said i got ‘halo eye’ right. but you were so convincing!” he shoots you a look, half accusing, half amused. “you’re evil. actually evil.”

you snicker, nudging his shoulder. “oh, come on. you were having fun.”

“yeah, until i realized you were setting me up for the internet to roast me,” he mutters, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “look at this—this one says i belong in a museum for confidence alone.”

you glance at his screen and can’t help but laugh again. “they’re not wrong.”

he groans, tossing his phone onto the coffee table and sinking lower into the couch. “i’ll never live this down.”

“oh, stop being dramatic,” you tease, leaning your head on his shoulder. “you made people laugh, and isn’t that what really matters?”

he’s quiet for a moment, then tilts his head toward you, lips twitching like he’s fighting a smile. “did i at least look good in the video?”

you grin, reaching up to ruffle his curly hair. “you always look good, lukey. even when you’re confidently getting everything wrong.”

his laugh rumbles under your ear as he finally relaxes, letting himself sink into the moment. “you better watch your back, though. payback is coming.”

“oh, i’m shaking,” you say with a smirk, already planning the next video in your head.

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[foundationsofdecay]

wait wtf is all this premium stuff being advertised all over my dashboard

[rafeandonlyrafe]

ponytail

words: 1k

warnings: 18+ only, smut, blowjob, face fucking a bit, hair play?, mentions of thigh riding, public sex

“can i join you today rafey?” you ask, plopping down on his lap. 

“join me for what?” he questions, dropping his phone onto the couch, the weather app still opened up, checking the radar and wind direction.

“golf, duh.” you say like it's obvious. he does usually go on fridays, so it's no surprise that he would be going today, especially since it was pretty sunny out

“oh.” rafe says, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “you really want to go with me?”

“mhm.” you nod. “i bought a new golf skirt.” 

“ah, now it makes sense.” rafe laughs, pulling you into his chest when you pout. “of course you can come baby.”

“yay!” you press a kiss to his lips, your hands coming to rest on his strong jaw. “im gonna go get ready.”

you hop up off of rafes lap, but not before giving him another kiss. you head upstairs, excited to get dressed in your new golfing outfit. you apply makeup, figuring you'd get rafe to take some cute pictures of you for instagram.

you tie your hair up in a ponytail before adjusting your skirt and putting on your golf shoes.

“all ready, rafey.” you bound back down the stairs. rafe perks up instantly when he sees you in your tiny skirt.

“you look hot.” rafe says as he stands, coming over to deliver a kiss.

“thanks baby.” you smile, rafe still managing to make you blush even after you've been together for over a year.

“come on, let's go before it gets too busy.” rafe says, taking your hand in his as he leads you out the door.

--

“rafe, cut it out.” you say with a laugh as his hands find a way to your waist again.

“i can't help it baby, you look so good.” he groans, pulling your body against his, not letting you swing your club and hit the golf ball.

“i know, but i gotta hit this! don't you wanna move on to the next hole?” you question. it's an easy putt, which is all you really like to do. you always start your turn from where rafes first hit lands, it makes golf easier and more enjoyable for you. rafe even lets you drive the cart from time to time. 

“wanna move on to your next hole.” rafe says, making you lean against him as you howl with laughter.

“that was so stupid!”

“shut up.” rafe groans, burying his head in your shoulder, glad that you wore a tank top today that didn't cover too much of your skin as he kisses where your neck meets your shoulder.

“you are corny, rafe cameron.” you say with a roll of your eyes, pulling away from his grabby hands so you can finally make your putt.

you line up your shoot before tapping the ball into the hole, letting out a whoop in happiness at getting it in.

“good job.” rafe says, giving you a high five.

you retrieve your ball before heading to the next hole, frowning when rafe turns the golf cart the wrong direction.

“uh… rafe?” you question as he pulls behind a patch of woods.

“wanna suck me off baby?” he questions as he puts the cart into park, looking over at where you are perched on the golf cart next to him.

“oh!” you squeal, now understanding why he took you to the one secluded part of the course. “yes!”

rafe laughs, stepping out of the cart and moving to the other side. you get on your knees in the cart, not wanting to dirty them in the grass.

rafe tugs his zipper down as you work the button open, mouth already salivating.

you pull his pants down to his thighs, his underwear coming with it as his cock perks up, already hardening. rafe glances around, double checking that no one is around as you grasp his cock. 

you open your mouth, stroking over his cock as you rub the head against your tongue. rafe lets out a quiet moan, his hand moving to grip your ponytail.

“gonna fuck your mouth, yeah?” rafe questions. he wants to let you take your time, but he also doesn’t want to get in trouble with the country club if he gets caught. 

you nod, opening your mouth as rafe pushes your head down on his cock, his hips pushing forward at the same time. you place your hands on his thighs to keep yourself steady as he uses your ponytail to guide you up and down.

rafe only takes it slow for a minute before he begins to snap his hips forward, his cock growing inside your mouth.

he wraps your ponytail around his head for a better grip. you squeeze your eyes closed at the pain of your hair being pulled, you panties flooding with wetness.

“good girl.” rafe praises you, pumping faster. you moan around his length, glad that you have enough practice on his cock to accommodate him easily, remembering when you first blew him and was unable to take him all the way into your mouth.

you whine as rafe yanks on your hair, using your mouth to get himself off. your throat constricts around him as you resist the urge to cough, managing to squeeze your fists tightly and avoid gagging.

rafe picks his head up from looking at you to glance around again, but he sees no carts or players nearby. 

“gonna cum in your mouth baby.” rafe warns, imagining if you did get caught, if someone saw you being such a good slut for him, your jaw slack as his cock pulses in your mouth.

rafe releases quickly after his warning, cum spurting into your mouth. you moan around his length, sucking gently as you help him ride out his high.

rafe pulls you off by your ponytail, tucking his cock back into his pants and redoing them.

“you messed up my hair.” you pout, trying to smooth out your ponytail.

“sorry, baby.” rafe says, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. you wipe your mouth and move to sit back on the seat of the cart, stretching your legs out.

“wanna ride my thigh to make up for it?” rafe asks, sticking his leg out.

“oh, yes!” you squeal, sliding over to push your crotch into his thigh, straddling him.

taglist: @drewstarkeyslut @rafecamerongirl @f4ll-for-you @dilvcv @drudyslut @drewsbabygirll @jjmaybankswifes-blog @rafescokenostril @jjsmarijuana @jjmaybankisbae @seeingstarks @angelofcigs @cece45450 @babygorewhore @vanessa-rafesgirl @michelleisheres-blog @outerbankspov @drewstarkeyswifehoe @cutielando @kamninaries @buckyswhxre

[yuri-is-online]

Out of the Bag (Jamil, Ace, and Idia x Yuu)

"Oh can I help you? You seem to be lost." You attempt to cheerfully ask the vaguely familiar looking person in front of you. As if he is deliberately trying to rub salt in your wounds, Crowley ignored your request to leave campus for NRC parents day and is instead making you and Grim run errands. The person in front of you, blissfully ignorant to your inner turmoil perks up at your attention.

"Forgive me for asking, but are you the magicless prefect?" You and Grim exchange a confused glance. "You've got to be right?" They're practically glowing with how happy they are to see you. " Oh I'm sorry, I've just heard so much about you!" Wait, what?

notes: (so uhhhh Jamil and Ace were supposed to be a part of the original post but I cut them out because I had to go to bed but forgot to remove the tags, sorry </3) they/them pronouns used for Yuu, sibling snark (Jamil and Ace) vs light angst (the Shroud parents), light reference to certain events in Ch. 6, but nothing specific. If you liked this please check out the first version on my masterlist.

Jamil

"Oh yeah, you're Najma, right?" The younger girl looks pleasantly surprised you have remembered her from your visit to the Scalding Sands.

"Well that makes this a lot easier, do you know where Jamil is?" You internally cheer at how polite she is, some of the other families you have been dealing with today have really been testing your patience. "I've been looking everywhere for him, but couldn't seem to find a good opportunity to sneak up on him." Or maybe not, that doesn't sound like she hasn't seen him at all, why is she asking you?

"According to my schedule he's probably in the gym for the club activities program." You confirm with your clipboard and Najma sighs.

"Lame, he's gonna be all sweaty and gross." She checks her phone as you sneak a glance at Grim trying to figure out how much longer you have before you need to find something shiny to distract him. "Actually maybe I can just ask you." You turn your attention back to Najma who seems to be tapping her cheek with her phone and sizing you up. "Is there anywhere to get snacks on campus?"

"Now you're talkin!" Cheers Grim, bringing a really bright smile to Najma's face and a tentative one to yours. "Mr. S's Mystery Shop's got all the tuna you can ask for!"

"And other things to." You helpfully add and Najma happily begins to follow.

"So what do you like to do?" she asks almost ten seconds into your walk. "Like what fun stuff is there to do around campus?"

"Shouldn't you be asking your brother?" You ask, thankful Grim is too caught up in his tuna thoughts to make any snarky comments.

"About you?" Najma laughs and you feel a bit silly. "Nah he hates being honest about things like that."

"Well I don't have much free time..." but you manage to list off some things that you like as Najma nods, still tapping her phone on her chin for some reason.

"What about food?" she stops fiddling with her phone and just goes straight to texting on it as the Mystery Shop comes into view. "I know Jamil's food looks boring but it tastes super good."

"It sure does." Grim says, well more like whines. "He only ever gives it to Yuu and gets mad when I eat it though."

"That's because he asked for my opinion, not yours." It's a petty thing to say, but hey Jamil's a good cook. Najma seems to agree, giggling before you both jump ten feet backwards as a strangely shaped blur nearly knocks you over.

"NAJMA!" Jamil is indeed, sweaty and gross looking, his basketball jersey is practically drenched through, almost like he ran the entire way to here from the gymnasium. He's doubled over, hands on his knees as you fumble around looking for the water bottle Crewel made you bring with you earlier which he gratefully takes.

"Oh hey what are you doing here Jamil?" You don't know Najma super well, but she almost sounds disappointed to see her brother. "Prefect said you were at the gym."

"Don't start." Jamil passes you back the empty water bottle, hesitating just a bit before he lets you take it. "She didn't do anything weird, right? Hasn't said anything strange?" You blink in confusion.

"No? She's just been asking a bunch of questions about stuff. Jamil relaxes, letting you take the bottle with a genuine smile-

And gets cut off by a shutter sound effect making you both turn towards Najma, who doesn't bother looking up from her phone camera.

"Whoops thought I turned that off."

Ace

"Well, well, well, just what should I do with you?"  The ginger stranger is stroking his chin with an all too familiar look that puts you on edge, not because you think he is going to try anything illegal (yet) but because you can practically see the collar on this guy already.  There really is no beating around the bush about who this guy is, even if you really wished you had some plausible deniability.   "I could tell you about that time I told him if he kissed a frog it would turn into royalty and he actually did it-"  Too much information he technically just did.  "Or what about that time he only wanted to eat carrots so I freaked him out by saying he was turning into one because his hair was orange-"  So is yours big brother Trappola!  And where the hell is Grim he is supposed to be suffering through this with you.  "Nah those are too boring- oh I got it!"  Before you can break out in a dash for the mirror chamber, big brother Trappola claps an unintentionally (you hope) firm hand on your shoulder.  "Listen to this- wait I didn't introduce myself I-"

"Ace's brother."  He seems genuinely taken aback.  "He talks about you all the time." 

"Oh does he?"  Maybe you shouldn't have mentioned that, little Trappola's ego was insufferable already, older Trappola's has got to be worse right.  It's so obvious you can't even bring yourself to put the question mark on it.

"Funny you mention that, from my end it seems like all he ever talks about is Yuu."  He makes a big show of looking you over.  "Always talking about what a pain it is to look after you, but he never does stop."  He maneuvers himself to look directly into your eyes.  “You must be pretty special then, right?”

“Didn’t you used to go here?”  You ask, crossing your arms and fixing your best “not today Trappola” look onto your face.

“Sure did!  Also got put into Heartslabyul, must run in the family, we’re all a bit mad.”  Older Trappola breaks eye contact for just a second, something dancing on the tip of his tongue you have no desire to entertain at all.  You just want to ditch this overgrown root veg on his brother and then take a nap.

“So then, just to be clear, you don’t need me to show you around.”  You fumble around your clipboard looking for a map anyway.

“Oh no I absolutely need you to do that.”  You like it when Ace plays dumb better, at least it’s cute.  “Would be a really bad thing if you just left me all alone and I went somewhere I wasn’t supposed to.”  He stands up straight, looking off into the distance behind you with a dramatic sigh.  “Somewhere like Ramshackle Dorm maybe?  I hear that’s one of Ace’s-”

 A surprisingly strong pair of arms wraps you into an embrace from behind.

“Back off.” snaps Ace, a lot harsher than either of you have heard before “This one’s mine.”

Idia

"Dear! Dear! Come look it's the prefect!" A very excited very pink woman in a sundress and comically oversized sunglasses beckons to a very tall, very out place looking man who is... also wearing comically oversized sunglasses.

"The who?" he sheepishly walks over to his wife and gives you a little wave, clearly out of place but trying his best.

"The prefect! Ortho and Idia's friend." The realization seems to hit both you and Mr. Shroud at the same time, causing you both to retreat just a bit. You because you feel desperately dumb for not noticing the flaming hair and him because-

Well you hope it's because of the whole house thing but who knows.

"Oh sorry. Um we're Mr. and Mrs. Shroud but you probably already guessed that it's really nice to meet you." You awkwardly shake hands while Grim hides behind your legs.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Asks Mrs. Shroud. "I'd hate to interrupt things too much."

"Oh no that's not really an issue for me." You look down at Grim for half a second before adding. "For us."

"I'm sorry to hear that." whispers Mr. Shroud, gently taking his wife's hand and you stand around in silence for a little bit, trying to figure out how to walk the conversation from the ledge it's found itself on.

"Um if there isn't anything you need help with-"

"Idia speaks really highly of you." Mrs. Shroud says gently, and you have to keep yourself from fainting from shock. Idia speaking highly of- no forget that. Idia talks to his parents? And you were the conversation topic? If she had said it was Ortho that would make sense but Idia? "I know he can be a bit blunt, but he treasures your friendship. And as his mother, I am very grateful he has someone as kind as you in his life."

"We both are." whispers Mr. Shroud. "If you need help while you are here please don't hesitate to ask us." And with that they leave you and Grim

~~~

[Fullmetal] hey ortho said u ran into our parents irl

[Fullmetal] srry that had to be awkward

[yuu] it's cool

[yuu] I mean they spooked Grim but they were nice lol

[Fullmetal] UNACCEPTABLE

[Fullmetal] ...so do you think that he'd be cool to come over so I can like

[Fullmetal] apologize

[Fullmetal] u know for the stress

[yuu] and not for talking about me behind my back (￣ε￣)

[read at 6:57 pm]

[Fullmetal is typing... ... ...] [... ... ...] [... ... ...]

"I don't need to apologize if I said nice things... right?"

[sturnioz]

shy!reader meets up with nick for a little ice-cream date.

you stare down at the phone in your hands, the nae of the ice-cream parlour glowing brightly on the screen. after a moment, you look up at the sign in front of you, chewing the inner skin of your cheek as you double check that you're in the right place.

the words match perfectly, and the photo you found online mirrors the shop exactly. yet, as you scan the area and look through the clear windows, your heart sinks — there's no sign of nick anywhere.

panic rises in your chest, and you instinctively take a hesitant step back, ready to bolt until a loud, familiar voice yells from behind you, cutting through your spiralling thoughts.

you turn, your pulse quickening as you catch sigh of nick tumbling out of an uber, his foot catching on the curb. he stumbles dramatically, throwing an exaggerated glare at the ground as if the concrete were to blame for his mistake before adjusting the strap of the tote bag slung over his shoulders, striding towards you with a grin spreading across his face.

"sorry," he apologies to you immediately, and you open your mouth, prepared to reassure him that it's no big deal, even though you're not quite sure what he's apologising for. but he continues, "uber took like eight wrong turns to get to this fucking place, i thought i was getting kidnapped. so, it's his fault i'm late. you haven't been waiting long, right?"

"no," you reply with a shake of your head, managing a small smile as the tension in your chest eases slightly. "i just got here too."

"thank god." nick breathes out a sigh of relief, running his fingers through his mullet and adjusting his sunglasses before leading you toward the entrance, him mostly taking the lead while you follow closely behind.

as you step inside the parlour, the sweet aroma of waffle cones and fresh ice-cream greets you, and the air is filled with the cheerful chatter of other customers and workers. your stomach rumbles in anticipation of the treat ahead as you walk up to the counter beside nick, who is already scanning the colourful flavours displayed in the glass case.

his eyes widen as he points out various options, and you listen intently as he describes each flavour and shares how some are more sweeter than others, how chocolate chips taste better with these flavours, and how this flavour is better plain.

after considering the options, you finally settle on strawberry and vanilla. nick chooses bubblegum, the bright blue swirls matching the stripes on his shirt and the lenses of his sunglasses which makes you smile softly, and you feel even more relaxed when nick takes charge of ordering what you both want, allowing you to stand beside him in silence.

as nick pays for the ice-creams, you immediately reach into your purse to grab the cash you set aside, but he scoffs and sways your hand away as if you've just offended him, insisting that he's fine with buying and your cheeks warm at his generosity.

with the ice-cream cups in hand, you follow him to a cosy corner of the parlour, settling down into the booth opposite each other. you grab your plastic spoon, swirling it through the creamy ice-cream before taking your first bite.

"right?" nick grins as he sees your reaction; your eyebrows raising and eyes widening at how delicious it is. "i told you. this place is fucking magical."

you take another spoonful, trying your best to keep the conversation flowing. "do you come here a lot?"

"sometimes, but there's this one dessert stall in the city that's just as good. makes the best chocolate fudge and cherry sundae," he explains to you, and you perk up a little but, knowing exactly which place he's talking about.

"i like that one too."

he raises his eyebrow, "you know it?"

"yeah," you hum softly with a nod. "chris brought me there."

suddenly, nick's ice-cream filled spoon pauses halfway to his mouth, and he stares at you. you frown at his sudden silence, feeling the weight of his gaze, and you awkwardly take another bite of your ice-cream, your gaze flicking away as you struggle to handle being stared at.

nick lowers his spoon from his mouth, pointing it at you instead. "chris brought you to that dessert stall?" you nod your head slowly in response. "and he bought you one?"

"no," you reply, your voice steady but quiet. "he got one for himself but he let me try it."

"chris shared with you?" nick presses, seemingly baffled by this information. "like, we're talking one spoon shared between you two?"

"yeah," you nod again, chewing on your bottom lip as you gather your thoughts, admitting confusingly at this topic. "i.. don't understand what's happening right now."

nick just hums at that, his expression shifting as he takes a moment to process your words, studying you for a few seconds longer before he resumes in eating his ice-cream. now, you're stuck staring at him, wondering about the implications of his constant questioning while you mindlessly swirl your spoon around the cup.

"speaking of the city," nick begins, suddenly changing the subject, catching you off guard. "kitty and i are heading there this weekend, you should come—actually, neither of us are taking no for an answer. you are coming."

you chuckle lightly, your cheeks feeling warm as you ask, "why are you going?"

"i need to take photos for this project i'm doing for my class, and she needs to thrift some clothes and pick up other supplies for hers," he explains to you simply. "we're gonna make a day out if it, y'know? shopping, dinner, all that shit."

"i don't know.." you murmur, hesitation creeping into your voice.

"i'm not taking no for an answer," nick deadpans, blinking at you with feigned seriousness that makes you want to laugh. "our company is literally better than that frat house chris has got you cooped up in every weekend. you need a break."

you can't lie, a break does sound really nice. the overwhelming energy of the frat parties, filled with the frat brothers and other students, often leaves you feeling absolutely drained. and more often than not, you always find yourself retreating to chris' bedroom to get away from the chaotic mess when it gets too much.

"i'll think about it.."

"less thinking, more doing," nick counters, a grin spreading across his face as he leaves his spoon hanging from his mouth, his hands diving into his tote bag and you watch with curiosity as he pulls out his digital camera. "smile, bun. i'm taking proof of you finally leaving the frat house today. this is monumental as fuck."

© STURNIOZ

[luxaofhesperides]

I'm not sure if you're still taking Ghostlights requests, but if you are: Dick asking Duke to take Haley to the dog park for him in order to set up a meet-cute for him with the guy with the weird green rottweiler

And if you aren't, just know that you're doing great and I appreciate the hell out of you

“Oh, shoot!” 

Hearing Dick rush around as a frantic mess is not uncommon while he’s in Gotham. There’s too many people wanting to spend time with him that he ends up pulled in a bunch of different directions. Dick’s always in a rush, always busy, always making time for people because he has more love than Duke has ever seen in a person.

Dick’s also got pretty good time management skills after years of doing this. He’s only cutting out a few minutes early for their designated three hour catch-up session. 

That doesn’t mean he’s going to do it gracefully, though.

“Almost lost track of the time!” he says, moving to the couch to pick up his jacket. “Hey, Duke, can do you me a favor while I’m out?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you take Haley to the dog park? I usually take her twice a week around this time, but I totally forgot to include that in my calendar this week so I’ve got plans with the Titans just outside the city, and no time to take her out.”

“Yeah, man, of course I can take her to the dog park. The one attached to Robinson Park, right?”

Dick nods, shoving his shoes onto his feet. “That’s the one! Her treats are also in the bag hanging next to her leash. Oh, and she has a friend at the dog park! Don’t be scared when you see him, he’s just green.”

“Oh…kay?”

“Great, thanks! Bye, Duke, I’ll see you later!”

And with that, Dick is gone, closing the door to his safehouse as he dashes into the hall. 

Duke is left alone in Dick’s Gotham safehouse, blinking dazedly at the empty space where he once was. He’s certainly a whirlwind of activity when he realizes he’s going to be late. He’s also skilled in just saying things and leaving before any questions can be answered.

Haly jumps up onto the couch next to Duke. They share a look, then Duke shakes his head. “You have to deal with that every day, huh?”

Haly, the good girl that she is, doesn’t say anything bad against her owner and just puts a paw on Duke’s thigh, her tail wagging. 

“I hear ya, girl. Let’s go to the dog park to meet your green friend,  I guess.”

He has no idea what that means, honestly. Is Dick just talking about a dog that got its fur dyed green? Or is Haly’s friend like… a mutant dog? 

Well, he’s not going to find out by stalling. 

Duke pets Haly, then stands up and walks to the door. Her head perks up as soon as she hears the jangle of her leash being moved, and then she’s running to the door, looking up at him expectantly. Smiling, Duke slips the harness onto her, then attached it to the leash. He gives her another quick pet before shoving on his shoes and grabbing her bag of treats and waste disposal bags. 

He double checks that he has his phone, then takes hold of Dick’s spare safehouse key and steps out into the hallway with Haly. She waits patiently as he locks the door, checks that the lock holds, then runs down the hallway, ripping the leash right out of his hands.

“Haly! Wait! Stop, girl!”

She happily ignores him and goes straight for the elevator, leaving him to run after her and quickly scoop up the leash as soon as he’s close enough.

“Of course you’re a little escape artists,” he says to her, “Just like your owner.”

Haly woofs softly, then stands up and scratches at the doors of the elevator. Shaking his head, amused, Duke pushes the button to call the elevator and wonders if Dick has to deal with this every time they go to the dog park. 

On one hand, it wouldn’t surprise him since Dick is absolutely the kind of guy to give in to his dog’s every whims and spoil her rotten. On the other hand, Duke fully believes that Haly is smart enough and cute enough to misbehave only when Dick isn’t around so he never believes people when they try to tell him about all the mischief she’s caused. 

Dogs and their owners really do reflect one another. The internet was right about that.

Duke makes sure to keep a tight grip on Haly’s leash once they leave the apartment building. The streets are busy, as they tend to be on weekends, and the sight of Haly straining against her leash, ready to run, brings a smile to more than one face. 

He plots the route to the dog park in his mind, then starts up a light jog, tugging lightly on the leash to prompt Haly to follow him. 

It’s nice to run just for the sake of it. Haly makes a good running partner as well. 

How long has it been since Duke had time to relax and not be prepared for the worst? All the running he usually does these days is to catch up with criminals or run for his life. Being out during the day, moving through the city, without any lives in danger? Genuinely nice and relaxing. 

Maybe he can offer to take Haly to the dog park from now on. Join Dick whenever he goes. Create a set few hours where he doesn’t do anything but enjoy being outside in one of the few places where the smog of pollution and chemical toxins isn’t so thick in the air. 

He’ll just have to make sure Dick doesn’t agree to something else during those days. It’s still strange to think that Dick could forget to do something involving Haly when he’s such a good dog owner and a pro at juggling various responsibilities and a busy schedule. 

Well, they all have off days. This must be one of Dick’s.

The sidewalks get wider once they reach the street that leads to the park. Families fill up the space, walking with strollers in front of them or lined up at a food cart. The vivid green of spring fills the grassy fields that lead to the large patches of trees, marking the edge of Poison Ivy’s territory. Clovers decorate the ground, bees moving from flower to flower. 

There are other dogs on walks as well, making circuits around the park or running after toys. Duke spots a cat in a walking harness as well and wonders if he can convince Damian to get one for Alfred the cat. 

The dog park is on the other end of the park, as far away from Ivy’s territory as possible. The fenced off areas are separated into big dogs and small dogs, with a helpful guide as to which dogs go where posted at the entrance. 

Duke slows to a walk, breathing deeply to help settle his heart rate back down to something normal. Haly walks by his side, tail wagging, as she watches the other dogs run back and forth behind the fence. 

She’s still small, just growing out of puppy size, so Duke leads her into the small dog area, carefully making sure the gate doesn’t open enough for any quick dogs to make a break for it. He walks over to a bench and sits down before undoing the harness on her, setting her loose. 

Haly licks his hand once, then darts away, barking lightly as she joins the other dogs tumbling around each other. 

Amused, Duke leans back at watches as the other dogs sniff her, then do their funny little bowing stomps, moving back and forth before running off so she can give chase. 

He figures staying for an hour will be good enough. That should get the most of her energy out, and then they can make the long trek back to Dick’s safehouse so he can pick her up before he heads back to Bludhaven. Pulling out his phone, Duke settles in to wait, keeping half his attention on Haly just in case any of the other dogs decide to get a little too rough.

The first twenty minutes pass peacefully. Haly runs around and the owners of the other dogs give her pets when she runs up to them. One even went over to Duke to offer him a pack of fruit gummies. 

Then a loud bark fills the air and Duke jerks upright, watching with wide eyes as a colossally large dog, green and glowing and slightly transparent, comes barrelling down the street, headed right towards them. 

He doesn’t have time to yell Haly’s name before the dog is in the fence. None of the other dog owners look alarmed, though, so he watches carefully, prepared to jump up and save Haly at a moment’s notice.

“Cujo!” someone yells from down the street. A guy with dark hair comes running up and smoothly jumps over the fence. “Cujo, how many times do I have to tell you not to run off like that?”

The green dog, apparently Cujo, barks happily.

“And you’re too big for this park right now, buddy. Shrink, boy. It’s time to be small.”

And then Cujo… obeys? The dog shrinks, and instead of being the size of a bus, it’s now small enough to be carried in someone’s arms. 

Green dog is not enough warning for all of that. Dick owes him so much for this.

Actually, he’s kind of shocked that Dick never mentioned this to anyone. Surely a giant green dog would get people’s attention. Why is this the first time he’s heard about it?

“You new around here?” someone asks, and Duke turns to see the person who gave him the fruit gummies.

“Kinda? It’s my first time coming to the dog park. I’m looking after Haly, that one right over there.” He points out Haly, who is running in circles around Cujo.

“Ah, I see. Dick mentioned someone new would be coming today.”

Duke narrows his eyes. He’s starting to get the feeling that he’s been set up for something, but he’s not sure what. 

“I’ll give you the spiel we tell all newcomers, in that case,” they continue. “Cujo is a ghost dog. Poor thing died during some animal testing, far as we know. Danny looks after him, since Cujo got attached to the kid years ago before he moved to Gotham. He’s a kind one, but very nervous, and we’ve all got an agreement to keep quiet about him and Cujo round this parts. You better be holding your tongue, as well, ya hear me?”

“Sure thing,” Duke nods. “My lips are sealed.”

He’ll just ask Dick about the ghost dog situation and do his own investigation if needed. But Cujo is just a dog, and his owner is just a guy. Nothing threatening, nothing requiring a Bat’s attention.

“Good,” they nod. “I’ll get out of your hair now.” They’re gone before Duke can reply, adjusting the hat on their head as they head back to their group in the back left corner of the dog park. 

Satisfied that things are under control, Duke relaxes back into the bench, watching Haly and Cujo tumble around with the other dogs, barking happily. Haly’s still growing into her paws, so she trips and falls often, but gets up without a moments pause, ready to keep playing.

From the corner of his eyes, Duke catches sight of someone walking towards him. 

He looks over and finds Cujo’s owner—Danny, wasn’t it?—approaching. Their eyes meet, and Danny offers him a sheepish smile and a wave. His eyes are a dark blue that seem to glow with some otherworldly light, and Duke can swear he sees something shifting around him, as if the air has turned visible and twists around his body like wisps of smoke. 

“Mind if I sit with you?” Danny asks, and Duke moves to the side a bit.

“Go ahead,” he says.

“You’re Duke, right? Dick told me about you last week.”

It’s looking more and more like Dick is up to something, and Duke will need to get his revenge. “Did he? All good things, I hope.”

“Aha, yeah, all good things. Um, actually I think I should apologize? I maybe said you sounded like my type so Dick promised that he’d get you here somehow. Sorry if this is messing up your plans for the day.”

Oh. Oh! 

Well. That’s interesting. 

Duke quietly shelves his plans for revenge against Dick and takes a proper look at Danny. He’s shy, but with a bright smile, glowing eyes and strange smoke curling around him still, and messy black hair windswept from chasing after Cujo. There’s a flush in his cheeks and his long fingers fiddle with the string of his dark red hoodie. 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t have any plans today. This is way better than just sleeping all day.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Danny laughs, “There’s nothing I like more than being able to sleep all day. That would fix me for sure.”

There’s a loud bark, and Danny’s eyes snap back to Cujo, who is growing bigger. “Cujo!” Danny yells, voice sharp. “Shrink down, or we go home.”

Cujo grumbles, whines, then goes back to being little. The green dog only has a moment to look sad before Haly is tackling him, sending them back into another chase around the park. 

“Sorry about that,” Danny says, slouching against the bench. 

“It’s all good,” Duke replies. “So. I’m your type, huh?”

Danny’s cheeks turn a deep, charming red. He looks away, then nods and ducks his head down. 

“And that hasn’t changed after meeting me?”

Danny shakes his head, then peeks over at Duke, gaze slowly moving up his body until he meets Duke’s eyes. “Definitely hasn’t changed,” he says.

Now it’s Duke’s turn to feel his cheeks burn, flustered and pleasantly surprised by Danny’s boldness. It doesn’t help that Danny is cute, someone he can see himself falling for. 

“Good,” he says, then knocks his knee against Danny’s. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you more. On one condition.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“Tell me what Dick told you about me. I wanna make sure he wasn’t sharing an embarrassing stories about me. If I’m gonna make a fool of myself, then I’ll do it myself with no outside help.”

Danny’s laugh is bright and warm and sends butterflies dancing in Duke’s stomach. “Fair enough!” he says. “And you know what? I’ll trade you for embarrassing stories. Trust me, I have so many. Nothing you’ve done can be worse that the dumb shit I do on a regular basis.”

“Woah, woah, woah, confident, aren’t we? Don’t say that until you’ve heard about some of the stupid situation I choose to throw myself into.”

“Please, I’m an younger brother. If anyone knows how to be stupid, it’s me.”

“I’m part of the disaster that is the Wayne family. I think that has you beat.”

“My parents are mad scientists and my dog is a ghost. Try again.” The teasing smile on Danny’s lips makes him want to be reckless, to keep pushing, to go down this path as far as he can.  Duke can’t remember the last time he clicked with someone so instantly, to be so comfortable with them so soon. 

Damn. He’s gonna have to thank Dick for this, isn’t he?

As if on cue, his phone buzzes in his pocket. Duke pulls it out with an apologetic smile to Danny, who leans back a bit to give him some privacy.

The text that pops up is from Dick. It’s a photo of him and Danny from the side, heads bent close together as they talk with bright smiles. He can just make out the wild red curls of Kori’s hair. 

“I’m gonna put jello in his socks,” Duke says cheerfully, already looking around to find where Dick is hiding. 

He probably already moved locations, the ass. 

“What’s up?” 

He holds out his phone so Danny can see the screen. Danny stares at it, then looks around, then stares at the screen again. 

“...Is he watching us?”

“Yep.”

“...Should we do something about it?”

Duke shrugs. “I mean, I’m up for hunting him down and tackling him if you are.”

“I can do you one better,” Danny says with a sharp grin. He whistles, and Cujo comes running over, Haly at his heels, and he skids to a stop to sit before Danny. “Cujo. You remember Dick?” Cujo barks, as if answering. “Fetch! Go fetch Dick!”

Cujo jumps to his feet, grows from the size of a pug to a bear, and takes off for the art instillation farther into Robinson Park. Moments later, they hear a yell followed by loud laughter, and Cujo and running back, Dick hanging from his mouth, with Kori, Donna, and Roy following after him at a leisurely stroll. 

“I think we’re gonna get along great,” Duke says. “He’s gonna wish he never set us up.”

“That’s the way to do it,” Danny agrees.

“Say, wanna grab lunch together tomorrow?”

Danny blinks, then blushes again. “What, like a date?”

“Yeah, as a date. You up for it?”

“How could I say no? I was promised embarrassing stories.”

He watches as Cujo drops a rumpled looking Dick to the ground, half his shirt soaked with saliva. He dramatically mimes being shot in the heart when he sees them both looking at him, and goes limp when Kori picks him up and tries to set him on his feet. 

Then he tries to act very calm and cool as Danny leans against him. “Think he’s gonna follow up on our date?” Danny asks in a low voice.

Duke closes his eyes and tries not to despair. He didn’t even think of that. “Worse. He’s going to tell everyone else, then we’ll have every available Wayne kid stalking us on our date.”

“Guess I’ll have to rely on you to chase them off, huh?”

“Or we can sic Cujo on them again.”

“Or that,” Danny nods. “It’s always effective.”

He’s really going to have to bring his best to the date tomorrow, just to stay a step ahead of everyone else. Maybe he’ll ask Barbara for a favor and get her to lead them off? And if Bruce gets involved, then Duke is fully prepared to flashbang him, grab Danny, and run. 

It’s going to be a disaster.

It’s going to be fun.

He’s already looking forward to it, and from the mischievous smile on Danny’s face, he’s not the only one.

[hbdttg]

Part 1 / tag list below the cut

“I’m quitting,” Eddie declares, “I’m out. Call me a tree, ‘cause I’m leaving. Call me a banana, ‘cause I’m splitting. T-t-t-t-that’s all, folks!” he adds, doing his best impression of Porky Pig’s signature stammering.

Chrissy’s laser focus doesn’t stray from her monitor, even when Eddie bodily throws himself into the chair across her desk with a long, strangled groan. Wordlessly, she raises her left index finger at him in a silencing gesture. With her brows furrowed in concentration, she drags her mouse around on its pad and double-clicks something on her screen before nodding decisively to herself. After another few clicks, she finally lowers her finger, raises her eyes, and meets Eddie’s gaze.

“Would you mind grabbing what I just printed? Please?” she asks, smiling at him imploringly.

Chrissy could ask Eddie to bleach his hair and shave off an eyebrow and he’d do it. She’s actually who he has to thank for landing such a cushy job with HHH—a referral from a trusted associate like her goes a long way in a place like this.

And despite Eddie’s many complaints about becoming a corporate sellout, he can’t deny that it certainly has its perks. The office is only a ten-minute commute from his apartment, the compensation agreement he signed amounted to more money than his last two jobs combined, his benefits package is frankly ridiculous, and he gets to work with one of his best friends in the world. Overall, not a bad gig.

Even so, he makes a show of sighing, loud and longsuffering, before doing as Chrissy asks, leaving her office to grab her job off the printer. Eddie knows she works in HR and some of her stuff can get pretty confidential, so he doesn’t even try to skim the contents of the page as he walks it back over to her.

“Here,” he says, thrusting the paper at Chrissy facedown.

“Thanks!” she says. She makes no moves to take it from him. “That’s for you, actually.”

Curious, Eddie takes the paper back and flips it over. In the center of the page is a graphic of safety sign one might find in a cartoon factory, though Chrissy had edited the original from “[___] Days Since Last Accident” to “[___] Days Since Eddie Last Threatened to Quit His Job”. There’s a big red zero in the counter box.

Eddie tries to glower down at Chrissy, but it’s sort of hard to maintain when she bursts into laughter. It’s been years, but the sound of Chrissy laughing like this, all bright and breathless and unrestrained, never fails to transport him back to his (third) senior year of high school, when they first became friends over a failed drug deal.

“Don’t be cute,” Eddie says with a laughable lack of authority, dropping heavily back down into the chair.

“Do you know who you’re talking to?” Chrissy counters, brow raised archly.

Eddie rolls his eyes, crumpling the page into a ball and lobbing it in between them.

Chrissy lets the ball land harmlessly on her desk before sweeping it into the trashcan by her feet.  “Just so you know, I’ve had that saved on my desktop since Monday—and I haven’t had to edit the days count a single time.”

Eddie scoffs, but it’s hard to defend himself when this current visit marks the fifth day in a row he’s floundered into her office, vainly announcing his resignation. “Yeah, well,” he says weakly, “printing it seems like a gross misuse of company resources.”

“What are you going to do, report me?” Chrissy says with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

“Let me guess: you’re the one who receives those reports?” Eddie says dryly.

“Yep!” she says cheerfully. “Now, go on and tell me about your latest trainwreck of an interaction with Steve Harrington.”

“Christ, Chris!” Eddie hisses, leaping to his feet and immediately spinning around to check if anyone was around to hear her damning words. The coast is clear, luckily, but he still scrambles to shut her office door before falling back into his chair. “You can’t just go around saying his name all willy-nilly.”

“He’s not gonna suddenly appear if you say his name three times, Eddie. See, watch. Steve. Steve. St—”

“Don’t risk it!” Eddie squawks loudly, cutting her off.

“You’re an absolute mess,” she says through a laugh, shaking her head at him.

And well, Chrissy’s not wrong.

Eddie’s been a mess since Monday morning, when he unknowingly produced, directed, and starred in The Roast of Steve Harrington. He blames his shitty memory for forgetting what floor his new office was on—if he’d known he was sharing the elevator with someone he could have potentially worked with (let alone someone whose surname made up a third of the company name), he wouldn’t have opened his big, fat mouth in the first place.

When he finally gathered the courage to make it back down to the fifty-second floor and show his face at the HHH office, he kicked off his onboarding with Chrissy with a strangled, “I know it’s my first day and I technically just started ten minutes ago, but I quit. Thank you for the opportunity and good-bye forever.”

Chrissy, the traitor, spent a full five minutes laughing in his face over his shamefully recounted story before patting him twice on the head and informing him he wasn’t allowed to quit for at least six months. The overly saccharine tone of her voice alone told Eddie there was no room for argument there.

Still, that didn’t stop him from following her into her office after the all-hands meeting on Tuesday, all the while whining in her ear, “I can’t thrive in these conditions, Chrissy. Please, I beg of you—accept my sincere and humble resignation from this cursed hellscape.”

‘These conditions’ consisted of any rooms and/or conversations that contained Steve Harrington. Eddie hadn’t been expecting to see the guy doting over the catering when he walked into the conference room that afternoon, and he certainly wasn’t expecting his supervisor and trainer, Murray, to lead him over to Steve to introduce the two of them (though that was likely just an excuse to head straight for the sandwiches that were laid out for the meeting).

While Eddie choked on his own tongue trying to spit out some generic, inoffensive greeting, Steve merely watched him with an amused smirk before thrusting his hand out and offering a perfectly friendly “It’s nice to meet you, Eddie, I’m Steve”, as if Eddie didn’t have Steve’s name and face (and stupidly fit body—who the fuck looks that good in a pair of khakis?!) burnt into his memory from the day prior.

Afterward, Murray, who most assuredly did not have a filter of any kind, bluntly commented on Eddie’s awkwardness, then spent the next five minutes trying to determine if it was normal, strangers-meeting-for-the-first time awkwardness, or something more sensational. Eddie stubbornly kept his mouth shut until the meeting started.

Wednesday followed a similar pattern, with Eddie flouncing into Chrissy’s office with a dramatic “I choose to break my blood oath. At this point I’d welcome the sweet release of death if it meant I didn’t have to work here anymore.”

Chrissy just corrected him, patiently explaining that he was employed at-will, rather than by blood oath, and that if he left before his sixth month, she’d personally skin him alive. Eddie had to pause and weigh the pros and cons of being skinless. Surely it couldn’t be worse than his latest exchange with Steve—via email this time, mercifully.

He’d just learned how to field helpdesk tickets and received one from Steve Harrington himself. It was a simple enough software request ticket, so he assigned it to himself and replied with next steps, asking Steve for a code so he could remote into his computer and install the program.

Steve replied back, asking where he was supposed to find the code. It was an innocuous enough question, but then Eddie noticed something a little off about his email signature: his last name was bolded.

Eddie ignored it, assuming it was a stylistic choice—nothing to read into, surely—but then Steve sent another email shortly after to let him know to disregard his last email; he’d found the right app and was just waiting for it to generate a code. This time, Harrington was bolded and at least two sizes bigger than his first name.

Then, in Steve’s third email, sent not a minute later with the requested code, Harrington was bolded, two sizes bigger than his first name, and highlighted yellow—a tactic Chrissy found so hilarious that she had to shoo Eddie out of her office with tears in her eyes so that she could compose herself and actually get some work done.

Thursday was a blessed reprieve from Steve’s unique brand of psychological warfare, but Eddie still somehow managed to royally humiliate himself in front of him. After he slunk into her office and silently pushed a scribbled-on napkin across her desk—

Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from my position as Systems Analyst II at HHH, effective immediately. Effective yesterday. In fact, I’ll pay you back the entirety of my wages earned if we just forget I ever worked here.

—Chrissy tutted at him sympathetically before taking the napkin and reaching over to dab it at the large wet stain on his shirt.

He’d been walking back to his desk from the breakroom when he rounded a corner and bumped into Steve in the hallway. Literally bumped into, bodily contact and surprised yelps and everything. And it probably wouldn’t have been such a big deal, really, if not for the fact that he had a newly refilled mug of coffee in his hand.

“Eddie, oh my god, are you okay?”

No, Eddie wasn’t okay, because he just splashed himself with hot fucking coffee and now Steve Harrington was worriedly fussing over him and tentatively trying to mop up the liquid with his own fucking hands for some reason, and he was embarrassed (and a little turned on?) and he had to get the fuck out of there now.

“I’m okay, sorry, it’s fine—” he managed to squeak before whirling around and scurrying to the bathroom.

So yes, Eddie’s been an absolute mess the past few days, and today is no different.

…Actually, scratch that. Today is different. Today is worse.

“Okay, now spill,” Chrissy says. “What happened?”

With another drawn-out, pitiful groan, Eddie sinks down in his seat and lets his neck hang off the backrest, blinking up at the ceiling.

“Talk to me, Eds,” Chrissy says, concern starting to bleed into her voice. “If he’s actually bullying you, you can file a complaint. I have a form here somewhere.”

Eddie hears her open one of her desk drawers and reluctantly sits up. “He’s not bullying me, Mom,” he says with a huff. “We actually…we talked.”

“You talked?” Chrissy asks, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, about the elevator. Buried the hatchet and everything. I said sorry, we laughed about it, it’s over and done with.” Eddie’s gaze darts around Chrissy’s desk, searching for something to distract him from the warm and fuzzy feeling growing in his stomach at the memory of their conversation.

“That’s great, I’m so proud of you!” Chrissy says cheerfully. “But wait, if you two are good now…”

Eddie doesn’t want her to ask what she’s about to ask, because the answer might be more embarrassing than all of his other Steve stories combined.

“Why are you still going on about quitting?”

Eddie drops his face into his hands, feeling totally and utterly pathetic. “Um, because I think I’m sort of, kind of, just a little bit…in love with him?”

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

tbh I didn’t think I’d be writing a second part, but if strangers on the internet validate me enough, I guess I’ll do anything~

Y’ALL. I’m blown away by the response to part one of this silly lil au. I didn’t reply to any of the lovely comments or tags, but please know if you engaged in any way (or even if you just read the fic and snorted a little through your nose at a bit you found funny) I love you with my entire heart and you’ve made my entire life.

[Now for the tag list, which I’ve never done before. Sorry if you didn’t actually want to be on here! Or, sorry if you’re stumbling upon this post on your own after asking to be tagged and I missed you oops.]

@messrs-weasley @n0-1-important @bornonthesavage @thing-a-ling @eddiemunsonswife @changenamelater @ispyblu @thesuninyaface

@invisibleflame812 @4nemo1egend @ikolanatari @mavernanche @songbird-garden @trashpocket @original-cypher @over7joyed 

@commonxsenss @justdyingontheinside @mojowitchcraft @maya-custodios-dionach @justmiiriam @imzadidragonfly @lillemilly @gay-stranger-things @child-of-cthulhu @bleedingoptimism @lemanzanabizarra @melaniehere91

@iswearitsjustme @silver-snaffles @csinnamon-fox @paint-music-with-me @epicsteddieficrecs @sweetcreaturetm @hxneyfarms @bossyknow-it-all @vecnuthy @stevethehairington @anything-thats-rock-and-roll @nburkhardt

@gayngerthings @patchworkgargoyle @violetsteve @henderdads @2btheanswertothequestion

[in1-nutshell]

Hey, love your work, and my sister loves it a lot as well, so this request is manly for her. Would you be open to doing a opposite personality buddy to wheeljack, like buddy is thier little sibling or something, or thier human buddy, idk, dont do this kinda thing. Anyway, sorry for all the writing, keep up the great work.

Your and your sister's request has been fulfilled!

Hope you enjoy!

Wheeljack's younger sibling with the opposite personality

SFW, Platonic, Familial, Mention of injury but nothing graphic, Cybertronain reader

TFP

One of the greater mysteries of the universe.

How were Buddy and Wheeljack related.

Buddy was much more of a rule follower as Wheeljack broke said rules.

Now this didn’t mean that Buddy followed the rules religiously, even they knew there were times where rules did not have a reach. Same went for Wheeljack.

As a scientist, he knew that there were certain things that had to make sense to make other things make sense.

Wheeljack holding a grenade in one servo and some engex in the other.

“We can—”--Wheeljack

Buddy taking the engex and grenade out of his servos.

“But should we…”--Buddy

“Buddy, I’m a scientist. I have questions and I’m going to get answers.”--Wheeljack

“And I’m the only one of us with most common sense, and I say no.”--Buddy

“To bad, I’m the oldest.”--Wheeljack

“Hard to tell some days.”--Buddy

“What was that?”--Wheeljack

“Nothing!”--Buddy

Another difference drawn between the two was their line of work.

Buddy worked closely with the Elite Guard, basically Ultra Magnus’s second in command.

Wheeljack was a Wrecker.

Now Buddy was on relatively good terms with most of the Wrecker’s thanks to being related to Wheeljack.

Bulkhead earned a sibling when they met.

Wheeljack placing a servo on Buddy’s shoulder.

“And this is Bulkhead. Bulkhead meet my little—”--Wheeljack

Buddy jabs him in the gut causing him too nearly double over.

They offer Bulkhead their servo to shake.

“I’m Buddy, Second in Command of Commander Ultra Magnus, and… Wheeljack’s younger sibling.”--Buddy

Bulkhead blinks before shaking their servo.

“Second in Command of Ultra Magnus, huh? You got your work cut out for ya.”--Bulkhead

“Magnus isn’t all bad. He’s a nice bot once you get to know him.”--Buddy

Wheeljack snorts.

“Yeah right, and Screamer is going to create an army of himself.”--Wheeljack

Buddy knew that the two mechs weren’t on the best terms, especially when Wheeljack decided to antagonize their Commander.

Buddy often tries to play the mediator between the two when Ultra Magnus becomes the Wrecker’s leader.

Buddy did as much as they could to keep Wheeljack on the team.

To say they were a bit spark broken that he left them was an understatement.

Magnus standing by the door seeing Buddy’s back trying to organize the ammunition rounds for the 5th time today.

He walks over and puts a servo on their shoulder.

Buddy freezes but knows who it is.

“…I just can’t believe he would leave… just like that… without even saying good-bye… Sorry you have to see this sir.”--Buddy

“Buddy… if you need some time to collect your thoughts, your more than welcome to do so.”--Magnus

Buddy shakes their helm taking in a shaky vent.

“I’ll be fine Commander.”--Buddy

“Very well then… I will be in the main room if you need me.”--Magnus

Magnus begins to walk away.

“Magnus—I mean—Ultra Magnus sir.”--Buddy

Magnus stops and looks at Buddy.

“Thank you for checking in Commander… it means a lot.”--Buddy

“…You’re welcome… and you have clearance to call me Magnus.”--Magnus

Buddy perks up a bit.

“But in closed quarters.”--Magnus

Buddy smiles a bit.

“I won’t ruin your reputation Magnus! Thanks!”--Buddy

Buddy stood by their Commander’s side as the war seemed to have grown longer without Wheeljack by their side.

Soon Magnus sent them on a shuttle to do some atmospheric patrolling, they got spotted by the Decepticon lookouts.

The seekers managed to follow them out into space before they started firing their long-range weapons on the shuttle.

Buddy hit their helm at one point trying to comm in Ultra Magnus.

It was a miracle that they managed to get into an escape pod and get shot out before the shuttle exploded.

Magnus was on the other line getting his shuttle ready to get his second in command when the line went dead, and all signatures went dead.

After a couple of days of searching for any remains, Buddy’s name was listed on the KIA list.

Wheeljack got noticed from the final list before Cybertron went dark.

In space they say that no one can hear you scream, tell that to Wheeljack when he nearly made himself deaf from the screaming.

The pod eventually lands on Earth but gets stuck and remains closed for a while in the woods.

Time skip after Magnus comes to Earth…

 Miko was running from the Insecticons.

Somehow one of the cons managed to take the Apex Armor from her leaving her at the mercy of the Insecticons while the rest of the Wrecker’s tried to fend them off.

Of course, a couple strays followed her into the woods.

One of the Insecticons accidentally stumbled on the abandoned pod activating its hatch.

The shaking somehow managed to get Buddy out of stasis and woke up out of their pod.

The first thing Buddy saw was a small organic creature cornered by those blasted Insecticons.

“HEY UGLIES!”--Buddy

Miko and the Insecticons look over to see Buddy aiming their blaster at them.

Buddy doesn’t hesitate and blasts them in the face.

Miko runs out of the way as the Insecticons go down.

She looks up at her savior and eyes fall on the Autobot symbol.

“You’re an Autobot!”--Miko

Buddy raises their optic.

“Yes? How do you know that…”--Buddy

“I’m Miko, I’m actually a Wrecker myself.”--Miko

“Buddy—Wait what?”--Buddy

“You’re name is Buddy?”--Miko

“That’s not important right not Miko.”--Buddy

“I feel like it should be.”--Miko

BANG!

SSSSHHHHRRRRIIIIEEEEEKKKKKK!

“Sweet Solus Prime what was that?!”--Buddy

Miko goes up to Buddy and tries to move them to the direction.

“That’s Predaking and he is going to tear them apart if we don’t get there in time!”--Miko

“Woah, woah, woah. Predaking? Them? Kid I need a little bit more information.”--Buddy

Miko throws her arms in the air.

“Big bad dragon bot is going to Tear Magnus, Bulk—”--Miko

Buddy’s optics widen.

“Magnus? Like Ultra Magnus? And Bulkhead?”--Buddy

“Yeah and—WOAH!”--Miko

Buddy grabs Miko and begins running towards the noise.

“You know them?!”--Miko

“Know them? That’s my team!”--Buddy

Miko did her best to give directions till they came to the edge of the wood.

A giant Predacon was fighting the Wreckers.

Buddy put Miko down behind some rocks and activated her blaster and shield.

This was going to be messy.

Buddy immediately charged in, jumping on a rock, and slamming Predaking in the face.

Buddy continued to shoot their blaster at the Predacon while the others momentarily hesitated before going back to the fight.

Magnus knew from the slam that it had to be his second in command.

No one did a shield slam like they did.

Bulkhead wasn’t sure who this bot was yet, but they were helping in the fight which was good enough for him.

Wheeljack focused more on the fight than the strangely familiar looking color scheme.

Finally, Predaking was called back to the Nemesis and left the Wrecker’s.

Buddy panted a bit.

They just woke up and had to dispose of two Insecticons and battle a beast… they needed a break not blaster to the face.

Miko starts running towards the group.

“THAT WAS AWESOME!”--Miko

Bulkhead looks over at Miko in relief.

Buddy turns to Ultra Magnus, straightens out and salutes.

“Ultra Magnus sir… Sorry I was a little late on patrol…”--Buddy

Magnus slips out a rare smile and places a servo on their shoulder.

“At ease soldier. Its good to hear from you Buddy.”--Magnus

“Buddy!”--Bulkhead

Buddy gets picked up from the back by Bulkhead.

Buddy laughs a bit while patting his arm a bit.

“At ease Bulkhead. I’m fine.”--Buddy

“Fine? Last we heard you name was on the list… Hey Jackie, aren’t you going to say anything?”--Bulkhead

Buddy freezes a bit looking at Wheeljack in front of them.

They both just look at each other.

One with more shock and the other with a more neutral face.

Buddy straightens their back struts more.

“Wheeljack… it looks like you’re in good health.”--Buddy

Wheeljack snaps out of it and begins running to Buddy.

Buddy instinctively slams him with their shield knocking him back a few feet away.

“OW! What was that for?”--Wheeljack

Buddy narrows their optics at him coldly.

“As instinctual as that was, I don’t regret it. You deserve more for what you put me through.”--Buddy

“Hey, Buddy, what’s your deal with Wheeljack!”—Miko

Bulkhead gently grabs Miko close to his chassis.

“Umm… Miko I think you better leave them to it…”--Bulkhead

Buddy walks over to Magnus.

“Sir. Permission to resume my position?”--Buddy

“We will discuss it with Prime.”--Magnus

“Optimus is here. I missed so much…”--Buddy

Magnus and Buddy begin walking to the groundbrigde, Wheeljack sulking right behind them and Bulkhead holding Miko.

“Is Buddy, like, his ex or something?”--Miko

“No, Buddy’s Wheeljack’s younger sibling and Magnus’s Second in Command. They had a bit of a falling out from what I heard around before Jackie left.”--Bulkhead

“Buddy…and Wheeljack… are related?”--Miko

Bulkhead shakes his helm a bit.

“Don’t try to connect the dots on this one. No one knows how their related.”--Bulkhead

[nyoomfruits]

for the ask meme: 5 + 68, landoscar!

THANK YOU TO @ocontraire FOR HELPING ME OUT WITH THIS ONE <3

bar/restaurant au + heroic sacrifice

It's the calm before the storm, that small moment right after family meal and right before their first reservations, tables all set and silverware shined. Lando's standing in front of the bar, double checking the reservations, while Oscar's behind it, cutting a lemon.

"How's the apartment coming along?" Lando asks, when he's made absolutely sure all reservations have a corresponding table. "Managed to find a couch yet?"

Oscar wrinkles his nose, tosses the ends of the lemons and sweeps the rest into an ingredient container next to the limes and the maraschino cherries. “Logan thought he found one but when we went to look at it,” he shudders. “There were stains, Lando. Stains. Questionable ones.”

“Oh, yikes.” Lando mimics a retching motion. “Well, have to keep looking then I guess.”

Oscar hums, grabs a glass and fills it with water, two ice cubes, and a singular slice of lemon, places it in the exact spot Lando always keeps his drink, hidden out of sight from the rest of the restaurant by the coffee machine. When Lando raises an eyebrow at him Oscar sighs, and adds a pink straw. “We were planning on doing a thrift store run on Sunday but Zak gave me the opening shift, so.”

Lando drops the pen he’d been fiddling with. “Zak did what?” He asks.

Oscar shrugs, a dismissive little motion that Lando learned long ago to not actually dismiss. “It’s fine, it’s just this once. Bella has this family thing, so.”

“No,” Lando says, “no, he can’t do that to you. You hate the morning shift.”

Oscar rolls his eyes. “We all have to do things we don’t like as much sometimes.”

“Yeah, but,” Lando frowns. “Last time it took you weeks to recover. Months! You do realize you have to get up at 7am right?”

Oscar looks at him, bemused. “Lando, seriously. I’m fine. And it wasn’t months. It was two days max. I’m just not a morning person, I’ll live.”

“No, no, no, do not worry. I will relieve you of your duties. I will fall on this sword for you. For you are my brother in arms and I have sworn to protect you with my life,” Lando’s reached over the bar to grab Oscar by the shoulders, and Oscar’s face is doing some kind of crossover between fond and exasperated.

“That’s sweet, Lando, really. But I’m fine.”

“For death,” Lando says, completely unfazed. “For glory. For brotherhood. Fear not, my beloved. I will save you from these atrocities.”

Oscar pinches the bridge of his nose. “We’re not even. I’m not your beloved, Lando.”

Lando perks up, smiles. “But you could be,” he says, winks.

“Sure,” Oscar says, dubiously. “Anyway, really, I’m fine. One morning shift won’t kill me.”

“No, no, no, let me do this for you. Just promise me one thing,” Lando says, still dead serious. “If you have children someday, if they point to the pictures, please tell them my name. Tell ‘em how the crowds went wild. Tell ‘em how I hope they shine.”

“Okay, now you’re just quoting Taylor Swift at me,” Oscar says throwing up his hands, making Lando’s hands drop off his shoulders.

Lando pouts at him. Oscar frowns. Lando pouts harder. “Fine,” Oscar relents, shoulders sagging. “Fine you can have your weird heroic sacrifice or whatever you want to call it. Take my Sunday morning shift.”

“Yay,” Lando says, beaming brightly. “Think of me, when the sun falls behind the heavens. I’ll go tell Zak.”

“Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated, you absolute dumbass,” Oscar drawls after him, as Lando skips off in search of Zak. With his back turned, Lando misses the ridiculously fond, endeared smile Oscar sends after him.

[lululandd]

rabid; (iv.)

pairing: simon ‘ghost’ riley x gn!reader

word count: 1,671

warnings: comedy, unhinged topics, ghost has feelings

note: this is the last one i promise, thanks for reading and sticking around :3

summary: “We need your interrogation magic, LT. We don’t have a lot of time.”

part i. | part ii. | part iii.

“Ghost?” Soap nudged him.

The day was sickly humid, temperature rising by the minute as sweat beaded down his forehead. His mind was somewhere far away when Soap called him, “Yeah. Here.” He replied as he placed a gloved knuckle on his eye, getting rid of the sweat gathering on his lashes.

“We need your interrogation magic, LT. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Ghost sighed deeply at the situation they got themselves into. He looked around the makeshift interrogation room–if they can even call it that–as half of the wall was torn down and there was no roof above them. There could be a UAV coming to pinpoint their location any time now. Soap was right, they don’t have much time.

He stared at his men, all of them looking tired but otherwise alert. He checked his pockets for anything that can be used in an interrogation and took out two of his knives. Gaz and Soap picked up on what he was doing pretty quickly and they handed him pliers, a magnetic pickup tool, while Gromsko and Enzo handed him wire cutters and a swiss knife. To his surprise, Arthur produced a 45° double angle hook from the pocket near where Merlin dangled on his backside.

The man held onto the hook for a moment longer than necessary as Ghost took the item from him, subtly indicating he wanted the item back.

The unnamed Cordis Die member kneeling in front of them stayed silent as Ghost stood in front of him. The others had stayed a little bit away, either keeping watch or just giving them some space. He looked young, late twenties at most, Ghost couldn’t tell very well with all the muck and grime. He crouched down in front of the bound man, asking him in the nicest voice he could muster. When he refused to answer at all, Ghost weighed the items in his hands with vexation as he knows these aren’t the correct tools to make this man talk. His expression didn’t even change when he eyed them in his hands.

He would need to think of something else, and fast.

—

Simon had to hold in his laughter as he loaded his dishwasher, as you and your online friends were onto something wicked which had you laughing and giggling the whole time ever since you started. He heard something about a little celebration but he didn’t quite catch what it was for, but he knows you’re celebrating with a couple drinks.

As he got ready to wind down for the night and crawl into bed for another possibly sleepless night, he perked his ears up to listen in harder on your conversations as you’re getting quieter to probably not disturb him, your only neighbour. It’s cute that you think of him after the soap incident, lowering your voice if you’re going online later in the night. He sort of wishes you didn’t, because of the things he’s gonna miss. Just like tonight’s.

Oh how he would love to hear all the sides of the conversation.

“No, I don’t know what a sheep’s dick looks like. Why would I know what they look like?” A pause. “Nah, I was raised in the city.”

Another info he jolts down in his mind. “Okay. is it more fucked up looking than echidnas?” Simon realised he had no idea what an echidna looks like. He knows what Knuckles—Sonic’s friend—looks like, but not the actual animal. So he googled.

“Man, I really don’t wanna click that link.” He heard you say. He thinks echidnas are cute. They're like pet hedgehogs but with longer snouts and large mole-like paws. He was lost in his thoughts as he scrolled before hearing you squeal out, “No!! What is that! Why does it look…Like that..?” Imagining you wildly gesture at your monitor brought a smile to his face.

Self-restraint was second nature to him at this point, but bloody hell if it didn’t take all of his power to not google what sheep genitalia actually looks like, especially when you continued, “Are you sure you didn't just come across one that’s brok– Oh yeah I see them now. Holyshit they’re all look so fucking mangled.”

Swearing under his breath, Simon typed the words he didn’t want to type onto his search engine. Regret with a capital R hits him and he was too late to hold his voice in and lets out a disgusted noise that was louder than intended.

His notification bar popped up on his phone from you.

SORRY HAHA i was trying to be quieter DID YOU GOOGLE THEM

i did. guess im not sleepin tonight

thats what you get for listening in heheh >:3  maybe you can traumatise your friends with this newfound knowledge?

:)

—

Groaning, he racked his brain on how to word what he was going to say in the most atrocious, horrific, macabre way possible but also came off nonchalant.

He mulled over the thought and dug in the deepest crevice of his vest to produce his phone. Soap fidgeted in his peripherals.

“LT, what tae fuck.”

He heard the tied-up man snort.

Oh. He thinks the Lieutenant in the skull mask is an idiot for bringing his phone to the battlefield. This is a start.

“It’s all right, Sergeant. This is important.”

He powered his phone on, typing his password the moment the screen lit up. The battery showed 62%. It should be more than enough. The sim card was taken out and he had one of the IT staff tinker with it when it was brand new. Opening the gallery and scrolling a little bit, he found the picture he was looking for.

He puts the brightness up to max before talking to the man. “So. Do you know what a sheep’s dick looks like?” Not waiting for an answer, he showed him the picture on his phone. It doesn't look like anything but shredded meat. “Yours will look like this if you don’t tell us what we want.”

Flinching a little, the man tried so hard not to react but Ghost can see him breathing harder.

“I don’t have a picture for the second option, but you’ve heard of anal prolapse, right? It’s when the last bit of your large intestine drops out of your arse. Nasty thing. You can’t control your bowel movement, there’s blood and mucus comin’ out, all that shit.” He handed the tools he was holding over to Arthur, the closest one standing to him. “But did you know there’s a urethra prolapse? I can’t describe it very well because of all the blood but it looks like a lil’ purple doughnut on the tip of your dick. Magenta If I can be fancy with my words.”

Arthur tensed next to him, making the dog let out a distressed whine.

“There will be three choices for you today. One. You tell us the info we need. Two, I mangle your mediocre cock so bad you wish I’d cut it off, or three, I make two doughnuts. Back and front.” He pointed downwards, vaguely to where his crotch is.

“Ghost that's against the Geneva Convention.” Soap spoke up.

The man comically nods.

“Nah. If I start using him as a meat shield out there, then it's against humanitarian laws.” came his cold and calculated answer. “Does he look like he’s surrendered? He’s not even hors de combat. If we do this to him after he gives us good intel, then we'll get tried at the Hague. No. This guy fell into a paper shredder dick first you see. Pure accident.”

Gaz cleared his throat uneasily, realising what could have happened with the raccoons they collected a couple months back. “Ghost…”

He stood up, asking for the tools he handed over earlier. Tilting his head towards the man, he commanded, “Soap, take his pants off.” 

It was silent for what seemed like an eternity with no one daring to move before the unfortunate Cordis Die member gritted out the information they needed with what looked like hot tears in his eyes. Soap relayed the info to Laswell while they moved to a more secure place, preferably with a roof and all four walls intact.

Arthur spoke up for the first time as they checked their weapons and placed all their tools back in their respective pockets. He walked closer to the man, “Y’ Should learn about humanitarian laws, does a lot of good in these situations.”

“Oh come oan Arthur, why tae fuck are you teachin’ him tings?”

His face was completely hidden under his golden metallic mask but everyone could tell he’s frowning, “He’s young, maybe if more people taught him he would have known better than to join Cordis Die.”

Laswell had estimated their extraction would not be for another three hours so they all had a little time for themselves. Arthur had let Merlin out of what Soap called “the arse papoose” and the rest of the men had joined in giving the dog pats and bellyrubs. Merlin had been relieved off of work, and Ghost would be lying if he didn’t eye the pup with envy.

Soap approached him with the widest grin he has ever sported on his face while holding onto the top part of his vest and Ghost wishes he could disappear into thin air right now. He has seen the same gesture and expression coming from Price, so he knows he’s gonna get made.

“So… Urethras eh?”

“What, Johnny?” He glared at the Scot with all the leftover anger he could muster, which is barely any since their mission went well and he didn’t have to use excess force on another soldier.

His Sergeant didn’t even regard him seriously and continued, grin wider than ever. Man was practically beaming. “Was the raccoon their idea too, then?”

Soap couldn't see Ghost’s face, but he has been around Simon long enough—been in many dire situations together enough—to know just by looking at his eyes that the stupid Brit is smiling brightly.

[ivy-is-fine]

Murder Kratts

Part Four! Woah.

“I believe your human survival suits are in this closet,” Areos said, opening a door with one of the eldritch arms.

N shined the light in there, and there were indeed rows of equipment.

“Very good,” Tessa said.

“Thank you,” N added.

They went in there and each grabbed a piece of equipment. N was quite ready to get away from Areos, he was too much like Cyn with his movements.

“I could make oil tea!” Areos said cheerily. “You Murder Drones like that, yes? You should stay for a minute. I haven’t talked to anyone since the last eldritch attack which was a pretty long time ago.”

“Oil tea is not my thing,” Tessa said flatly. She was double checking the equipment to make sure it worked properly.

Areos’ expression fell a little. “Oh. Well… um… perhaps we could talk a little? Did you happen to run into the others? And could you tell me how you got in at all?”

N and Tessa looked at each other. Tessa looked back at Areos. “Sorry, we’re in a hurry.”

“Oh.”

N perked up. “Do you know anything about the absolute s—” He was cut off by a fleshy hand over his mouth.

Areos’ face was a scowl now. His many fingers were curled in anger. “Leave,” he said firmly.

N removed the hand from his face. “Wait— but we—”

“THERE IS NOTHING FOR THAT HERE,” Areos bellowed.

Tessa cocked her gun, aiming right at Areos. “You have to know something,” she said.

Areos’ arms were raised up high. N looked at Tessa. He would be able to survive being ripped apart, but the human would not, and he couldn’t stand to lose her too, so soon after V. “It only has one goal. To infect and destroy,” he said, fangs bared.

“Is there any way we could say… get rid of it? Or possibly disinfect someone who may or may not have it? Hypothetically?” N asked, taking a very quiet step backwards.

“HA. HA! Magnets and death, bud,” he said. “The latter is obviously more effective. No host, no power.”

Tessa looked at N. He didn’t look back. He knew what she was thinking, and he didn’t want to think about it. He couldn’t lose Uzi too. Not after ten minutes after V DID NOT die. She was simply killing the rest of the sentinels to make an easier escape later.

But his hopes of that were growing slimmer and slimmer.

“Let’s get these to Chris and Martin then,” Tessa said as if N wasn’t going through emotional turmoil right now.

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly.

Areos’ arms sunk back down to rest on the surrounding environment. “If you see Alice, tell her I say hello. I do think I would like to speak with her again,” he said, much more solemn this time. One of his arms rested on the doorway. His normal arms didn’t appear to function.

N winced. He felt bad. There was no way she could still be alive after the release of the sentinels. He felt even worse leaving Areos sitting down here waiting, all alone. “I don’t think she’s… you know… with the sentinels loose…” he said.

Tessa had been shaking her head and hands frantically the entire time he spoke, sighing at the end.

There was a small sound coming from Areos, starting as a small whimper before it gradually gathered volume into a loud wail. He fell onto his knees, arms grabbing onto everything around him; the doorway, desks, and himself.

“I think we should leave now, N,” Tessa said, as if she were growing impatient with him.

N nodded, feeling horribly guilty, as Areos buried his face in those human hands, starting to sob.

The two of them hurried back, flew over the hole and passed the suits to Chris and Martin. Martin was holding a finger and wincing. “Does she usually bite?” He asked, indicating towards Uzi.

“Bite me!” She snapped. Well at least she’s feeling a bit more like herself, N thought. Though it also may have been her trying to cope.

The brothers got into the bulky suits. Chris took a deep breath of relief. “Wow, I can breathe now!” Their faces could be seen through the helmet, unlike Tessa’s.

From the corridor the fivesome could hear the wailing. N felt a bit too compelled to go back into that darkness with Areos and cry with him.

That sounded pretty nice, actually. Put all of this on pause for a bit. Forget all of this for a bit.

“Magnets, huh?” Tessa mused, looking at Uzi.

Uzi glared at Tessa. “Yeah? So? They blocked the Solver while V and I were with Alice,” her voice started breaking and she looked away. N wanted to reassure her somehow. He patted her head slowly, and instead of slapping his hand away like she did last time, she dropped her head against his side.

They were both blushing profusely. Chris and Martin looked at them, slightly amused. Tessa was not amused. But at least she didn’t say anything. She just crossed her arms. “Let’s get some magnets or whatever and repel it or something,” she said.

“There was a bucket of magnets back there,” N said. “I could grab a few.” Tessa nodded and he hurried back, Areos’ sobbing fainter now, also followed by the harsh scraping of either nails or metal.

N grabbed two, both sticking to his hands. He returned. I could try lightening the mood, he thought. That might help.

He took a magnet off of his hand and stood in front of Uzi. “I compel thee!” He declared, sticking the magnet on her face.

She giggled, but only a little bit. She tested it, and the solver glitched away. “I guess that’ll hold for now,” she said. Until I have to kill you. Well, you or the rest of the world, N thought. “What even is that noise?” She asked in her usual brash tone.

N looked over at the doorway. “It’s a mutated worker drone named Areos. He’s part eldritch or something with those inky arms.”

Uzi considered that for a moment.

“Well now that we have the suits and the magnets, we can go on,” Tessa said, giving N another look. She knew that he was postponing the inevitable.

“So. The magnets. What’s up with that?” Chris asked. Martin was twisting and untwisting the battery cap of his flashlight.

“They apparently mess up the Absolute Solver’s connection, so it should stop her from getting all messed-up again,” Tessa explained. “And the Solver is a recurring problem, so far it has destroyed Earth and sent this planet into an eternal winter.” She still sounded like she was hiding something.

“Earth is destroyed?” Martin asked, eyes wide.

Tessa flinched. “Then where have you been for the past so many years?!”

“EARTH!” The brothers said in horrified unison as the group walked on.

N couldn’t help but notice the massive craters in the walls, and the eldritch Disassembly Drone pieces scattered around were not reassuring.

“Alice did say that they’ve dealt with those mutated ones before,” Uzi said, punting a robot’s head at the wall, where it was speared on a twelve foot long claw.

N wanted to hold her hand, except he was scared that if he did he would have to cut that one off too. It was also blazing hot compared to what he was used to, and he was wary that his system might overheat soon.

He looked over his shoulder, where the elevator sat at the end of the hallway. It was the only light in the hall.

It flickered, and for just a millisecond, a many-armed silhouette stood with arms outstretched.

He blinked and it was gone.

<- Part Three Part Five ->

[a-french-coconut]

Travis Stoll (Part 13)

"We're here."

Indeed, the valley of Camp Half-Blood with Long Island Sound gleaming under the setting sun.

He checks his watch, 20:03 pm.

He's made it.

"Thanks dad, I wouldn't have done without you.", he hugs him again, relishing in the action.

Child Travis would be screaming with joy if he knew he was hugging his father.

"You're welcome son, now go save your brother. I'll meet you both tonight after your dinner."

He shuffles his hair affectionally then disappear in a flash.

Travis takes a moment to pet Peleus, the dragon purring loudly when he scratches his head.

Dinner should begin in one hour so Kayla and Austin should be at the infirmary right now.

However, when he opens the building's door, he is not met by the two children of Apollo.

"Travis !", screams Will Solace crushing him in rib-breaking embrace, "you're alive ! Thanks the gods !"

"Yeah, yeah, could you please-" he winces, "let me go ? You can hug me all you want and make Nico jealous after we save Connor."

His friend immediately sober up, going in what Travis likes to call "doctor mode".

"His state worsened, as expected, but Kayla and Austin kept him sedated so he didn't suffer much. The poison gained on his body, infecting his lungs and it's almost at his heart. He's having some serious trouble breathing, his airways are constricted but with the flower, he'll go back to normal don't worry."

"An awful lot of people are telling me not to worry today."

"Really, who ?"

"Hermes."

"Right, and Apollo teaches me how to dance Zumba in my dreams."

"Please tell me that's a lie."

"He really did tried to convince me."

"Will you dance at my birthday ?"

"I'd rather do pole dancing."

"Even better."

This result in a mean jest to the stomach, making him double over.

"Bitch, I'm injured !"

"You deserved it, but wait, Hermes talked to you ?"

"Did you go deaf William ? Where did you even go with Nico ?"

"I'll tell you later, let's first give the flower to your brother."

Will pulls the curtain, revealing his brother impossibly pale, a tube going in his nose and sweat covering his entire body.

"How are we going to give it to him ? He's not conscious."

"We'll crush it into a fine powder then I'll put in a syringe mixed with a very small dose of nectar and tada ! He lives."

"It's not gonna work."

Will's face falls, "Why not ?"

"It stayed intact after a grenade exploded, it's not a hammer that will destroy it."

"A grenade ? What the fuck did you do ? No ! Actually I don't want to know."

"You will anyways but not now. We have to find another way to get the flower into Connor's body."

"Maybe Miranda will know what to do ? She's our best chance."

When they knock at Demeter's door, a girl Travis doesn't recognise open the door.

"Hey Billie, is Miranda here ? We need her help." Will asks.

Billie nods, disappearing inside the cabin before coming back with her older sister.

"Travis ! It's been such a long time !" Miranda hugs him and whispers, "I'm so sorry about Connor, if you need anything let me know."

"Well actually, we're here for that."

"Really ?" she perks up, "how can I help you ?"

Will shows her the flower and explains her the situation.

"I have never seen a flower like this before," she marvels, "it's... so powerful. I can feel the life insider her pulsing !"

"Is there anyway you can extract that life from the plant ?" he asks, hopeful.

"Sure, I can try."

Miranda closes her eyes and in her hands, the flower start glowing, emitting a green glow so strong both Will and Travis have to advert their eyes.

When they look again, Miranda now have a small golden petal in her hands.

"There you go !" she hands them proudly the petal.

"Oh by Demeter, thank you Miranda !"

Will takes back the cure and they sprint back to the infirmary.

On his watch, the hands shows 20:30 pm.

He watches Will dissolves the petal in a vial of nectar before transferring it to a syringe.

He watches the cure enter his brother's veins and Will putting a bandage on the his arm.

"Now, we wait until it cleaned his system from all the poison."

"I'm staying here."

"I don't think so, you are clearly dehydrated, famished and lacking sleep. It will take the whole night for Connor to recover. You are coming with me to dinner and then you'll go sleep in your cabin. Understood."

"You're an insufferable bossy brat."

"Travis."

"Okay, okay, understood."

"Great, let's go then, dinner begins in ten minutes."

Will, as always, was right.

As soon as he touches his bed, Travis falls dead asleep. His siblings have pestered him all dinner and he was forced to tell his quest at campfire, Ares cabin cheering loudly at his little grenade trick while he's sure he almost send Will into cardiac arrest.

He dreams of Connor and him, the day they promised each other to visit the whole world together, to never lie to each other, to always be there.

He dreams of his eyes gleaming when he tells him about a new prank he conceived, of teasing him about falling when he saw Malcolm execute perfectly a complicated sword trick, of his laugh resonating in the chilling evening when he remembers Huguette, the goat Travis thought would be a good way to charm Katie.

He dreams of Hermes looking at them from above and he feels safe.

We're reaching the end !!!

[caluski]

@moldavite tagged me to post my current music faves (thank u kalli a big fucking MWAH goes out to u in this gloomy april evening) so yay!!! i love posting spotify links of course... more belowww. trying so hard for everyone to only post things i havent shared before... trying!!

obviously justice is on repeat - both incognito and saturnine, but im putting here incognito bc it does have the coolest intro and outro everrr like ouuughhhh like justice goes so fucking hard when they choose to have some retro synths................ actually have you listened to planisphere today? you should (talking to everyone)

i havent actually talked about my thoughts on khruangbins new album... which is obviously good but i simply didnt have the time to get into it :/ ive been hoping to give it a good listen, no skips no nothing, on a day off but work has been kicking my ass a bittt... anyway! Pon pón is fun. it came out as a single few weeks back and ive gotten really into it.... sooooo groovy

vampire by sholto is what some of you might recognize from love and food playlist? but ohhhhhh fuckkkkkkk its so good. i dont even know this guy and i didnt think much of it other than "yeah its cool" when i added it to my library. such a great and sinister feeling jazzy number.... AND WHEN THE SAX HITS!!!!!!!!! thats so good. please listen to vampire.

more radio pop!!!!! MORE MAINSTREAM KEVIN PARKER!!!!!!!! i do love tame impala's older/more niche sound just as much as i love him "selling out" (whatever, i will defend his minions and elvis tracks until i die and i will MEAN it) so i am STILL excited for this album even though the roll-out of singles has been consistently awful. but i guess dua lipa is a slow riser always (however long did it take her to peak on charts with 'dont start now'???). plus obviously DANNY!!!!!! YAY FOR DANNY!!!!!

its been a really good spring so far, with so many of my faves releasing music, and obviously that includes sebastian. i remember watching the runway show this was made for, but for some reason i didnt hear the whole track - maybe it was just highlights or something? i really love the synths in this one. its unusual for him to bring the choral singing in the start instead of the climax of the track, but its really well done (as always)! i wish, i wiiiiiiiiish there was something happening about the new album, too.

charli's really being weird recently about everything but goddddddd this slaps so good. im usually not that big on gesaffelstein but i do love ag cook so much. its going to be such a good clubbing record like literally.... its crazy she STILL gets labeled hyperpop. i also like club classics, but b2b is TRULY superior out of this double drop....

the beat of this one is just stuck in my head at all times. its cute! fun! perfect for spring. theyre soon to release their debut album, i need to remember to check it out. while its not SOTY material so far, its just cool and pleasant.

more dance sounds - i like this one a lot! really catchy. ive never really been into 1tbsp but yeahhhhh with this one, i get it.

ok i for sure posted this one before, but its ok bc it got like 0 or 1 likes or something. starwolf is a band im really hopeful for!!!! their 2020 album was pretty interesting, but its their three last singles that got my ears all perked up. some daytime disco vibes in them, and its really cool considering i was somewhat.... underwhelmed by poolside's last album. so, i feel good about starwolf now! fingers crossed for summer, as it would be a perrrrrrrfect record to replay over and over during hot sunny days.

and SUUUUUUUUUUUCHHHHHHHHH a spring favorite for the end. kind of getting lost in this one.... number one song i keep thinking of during sweet sunny walks recently. unbelievably cute. 10000% recommend.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

For anyone who wants to check in on the Healthcare Boys, here's what they're up to :)

As soon as he stepped outside, a smile immediately lit up his face. The day was a beautiful one, air crisp, wind prevalent but not overwhelming, and the sun was just hidden enough in the sparse clouds to offer reprieve from the heat without losing daylight. His red motorcycle was waiting for him, and Sky eagerly hopped on. At first he gently guided his bike through the gravel driveway, enjoying the way the breeze blew across his face as he hadn't put his helmet on yet. Once he reached the main road on the mountain, he got himself situated, settled his helmet over his head, and gunned the engine.

The air was so loud he couldn't hear anything but the sky's constant push. The world whirled around him, his worries and heaviness and exhaustion left behind in a whirl of adrenaline and speed and air. He laughed, leaning into a turn before straightening out and nearly spreading his arms out like he was flying.

Heavens above, it felt so good to go out and ride. He couldn't wait to get to the skydiving site.

XXX

Four glared intensely as he moved his hand slowly. Legend watched him scrutinously.

With the utmost concentration, Four slowly drew a circle. Then he slashed a line through three circles, smirking. "Three in a row."

Legend did a double take. "Wait, wha--"

Three in a row. Three in a row! How had he gotten through his defenses so easily?! This wouldn't stand!

Crossing his arms defiantly, Legend huffed. "Rematch!"

Four laughed. "If you say so. I've beaten you twice already."

"Yeah, and I beat you three times before that! I'm a king at tic-tac-toe."

"We'll see about that," Four said with a challenging smirk as he drew out a new board for them to play on.

XXX

The day was perfect for swimming.

Not that Warriors was a particularly good swimmer, but Wind was, and the boy was so excited to go to the water park.

So excited, in fact, that he kidnapped Warriors for all the attractions.

The nurse had to admit, though swimming wasn't exactly his favorite pastime, seeing Wind giggle in delight as he dragged him up the stairs of the next water slide was worth it.

XXX

It was a slow, comfortably warm afternoon as Time traced over Malon's temple with a finger. He slipped his hand into her hair, brushing it out of her face and onto the pillow as she smiled up at him. He dipped in for another kiss, feeling her rise up to meet him, and the world slipped back into ecstasy for the lovers.

XXX

"I still can't believe this ratty motel actually has a hose we can use," Wild muttered as he watched Twilight set up the little pool.

"Miracles never cease," Twilight commented before saying in a higher pitched tone, "You ready buddy?"

Little Wolfie stared between the two, his head cocking to the side as Twilight talked to him. Wild swore he heard his friend squeal in delight at the sight of it, especially since one of Wolfie's ears was halfway perked up.

Wild himself still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of the puppy, but... by heaven, even he had to admit it was being unbelievably adorable right now.

That didn't mean he was going to help with this, though.

Twilight turned on the hose to a gentle trickle, easing his fingers through the puppy's thick fur as he soaked the little one. Wolfie, to his credit, took it, seeming to enjoy the cool water, though he trembled a little. Wild felt bad for the little guy. He was probably scared.

"You mind gettin' the shampoo?" Twilight asked.

Wild grabbed the item and held it out.

Twilight took the item, releasing the puppy for a moment, and chaos immediatly ensued.

Wolfie decided now was the time to not only dig and pounce around in the water, but try to escape the pool and eat the hose. Twilight yelped, catching the pup before he could get far, and Wild laughed.

"So, you still think this is a good idea?" Wild asked.

"You could help, you know!"

"Nah, I'm not getting bitten. Nor am I getting fleas. No thanks."

Twilight huffed, an annoyed pout crossing his face, and Wild had to laugh again. His mirth didn't last long, though, when Twilight grabbed the hose, cranked up to full throttle, and sprayed him in the face.

Yelping, the amnesiac tackled Twilight, and both young men fell into the pool alongside the puppy.

XXX

It was damp and chilly, a nice reprieve from the daylight as Hyrule held his flashlight carefully. He stepped gingerly over rocks and tried not to touch the stalagmites and stalactites all around him, as delicate and old as they were. The cave practically sparkled as he shone the light around, moisture glistening in reflective delight.

Hyrule's lips pulled into an enormous, excitable grin. He'd mapped out the locations of six different caves in this area, and he was going to explore them all.

He loved spalunking so much.

[fictomorph]

Any Objections? (Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth TF/TG/MC)

This story contains female to male TF, character TF, and identity death as well as Wrightworth shipping/romance.

———————

“Looking for something in particular?”

A voice disturbed Griffin, who was currently hunched over the top of a display case, filled with rings, all of them beautiful, finely crafted….and expensive. He jolted up, meeting the eyes of the clerk.

“Oh...yea.” He rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly chuckling. The clerk looked him over, trying to read him for what he wanted. Decently groomed short chestnut hair, a purple polo shirt and pressed jeans, brown leather dress shoes...probably had something decently important later today. And considering what kind of jewelry he was looking at….

“You’re proposing later, aren’t you?” Griffin paused, nodding.

“How did you?...” He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Ugh, yeah. But everything’s so expensive...I’ve been saving for practically a year and even then I can barely afford any of the good ones!” The clerk watched him as he went back to pouring over the rings, struggling between getting his loved one something they deserved and something he could pay off.

“Actually..” He perked up, holding a finger in the air as his icy blue eyes pondered a thought. “I think we might have a set of rings in the back for decently cheap, $100, $120….but they still look rather nice and are of high craft. Would you like me to see if we still have them?”

Griffin nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. “Really? Oh thanks, man, you’re a lifesaver!”

“Ah, no problem. My job is to help people find what they’re looking for, after all! Now if you’ll excuse me…” He walked off, headed into the forbidden parts of the store unknown to the commoner. After a few minutes, Griffin (who had started scrolling through Twitter) was brought back to reality by the sound of something being set on the glass in front of him, along with the clerk’s statement of “Take a look”.

Two small ring boxes were laid in front of him, one coated in red velvet and the other in blue. He lifted the red box, popping it open to reveal the contents inside. A rose gold band, with two small diamonds and one ruby crowning it. The edges of the band flares, giving it a ruffled pattern almost like creased fabric. Ooh...this would be perfect for her! He picked up the blue box, inspecting its hidden treasure as well. It was a similarly simple pure gold band, two sapphires on either side of a diamond tucked away in a golden four-pointed star. He looked back to the clerk, grabbing both of them as he fidgeted his wallet from his pocket.

“You said these were…$120?” The clerk nodded, leading to Griffin slamming the money on the counter. “Oh man, thank you so much! She’s gonna love this, I-I can’t thank you enough!” Placing the ring boxes in a bag for him, the clerk waved as another satisfied customer ran off.

The rest of the day was as normal as it could be for a day leading up to such a big event. Griffin called to double and triple-check his reservations were still in place, re-washed and ironed everything he was wearing for later, and took an intensive shower. Everything had to go perfect for tonight. Soon enough, after what felt like both no time at all and a full eon, his doorbell rang. Answering it, he was met with the face of his beloved Kelly. She had dressed similarly nicely, a long somewhat shimmery orange dress accompanied by a pearl necklace. Her blonde hair had been neatly curled at the edges, letting it frame her face in a rather flattering way.

“You look nice.” Griffin stuttered, eyes darting across the room as she chuckled.

“Thanks. You too.” She grabbed his hand, leading him out the door. “C’mon, we should get going. You said this place was expensive, and I don’t wanna miss our chance to eat $100 steak.”

The car ride over was nice, Kelly looking out the window at the late-night city’s lights. Her eyes drifted over the scenery, soon enough settling on the restaurant they had arrived at. She had known it was a fancy place, but she didn’t expect it to look quite this nice. The building had strings of fairy lights dangling from it, and as they walked in, she took note of how well everyone was dressed. She started to think she might’ve underdressed for the occasion.

“Mr. West? Ah yes, we have your reservation. Please, follow me.” The waitress led the two to an empty table, one which happened to be on the patio. A nice open space, no one else outside, illuminated by the moonlight….it was perfect. Griffin kept a hand on the two ring boxes in his pocket, waiting for the perfect moment.

Whatever was above must’ve taken a shine to them that day, as the dinner went perfectly. Their food was cooked to perfection, the wine the servers brought out was a rich palette, and all night the moon and stars were perfectly visible and bright. As Kelly polished off her second glass of wine, he gripped the boxes tighter than he ever had before and sighed.

“Hm?” Kelly placed her glass down, focusing on her partner. “Something wrong, Grif?”

“No, it’s just….we’ve been together for a while now and...you’re really important to me. I

realized I found something I don’t wanna lose. So….” He took the red box from his pocket and held it out to her, letting her see as he popped it open. “Will you marry me?”

She gasped, grabbing the box as she teared up. “Oh my God….yes!” His heart pounded out of his chest as she slipped the ring on, admiring it. He had taken the shot and hit a bullseye.

“The best part?” He held the blue box in his hands, showing its contents to her. “They’re a set. We match!” Putting his own ring on, Kelly practically pounced on him as she pulled him into a hug that turned into the two holding each other’s hands, rings resting against each other. It felt like a moment that would last forever…..until they withdrew their hands in shock.

“Ow, something shocked me!” Kelly rubbed her hand, surprised by the indignant interruption.

“Yea, me too….might’ve been some static electricity or something in the rings.” Griffin explained to the best of his knowledge. That was a thing that could happen, right? Metal conducted electricity.

“Mhm...probably. Felt a bit stronger than static, though. It was just...weird.” She unconsciously flexed her fingers to fully shake the feeling, although a new, even stranger one replaced it. Her hands began to shift, growing broader and more well-groomed, like they belonged to someone from the upper class. Though the expected tightness of the ring becoming too small for her fingers was strangely never present…

“Maybe you just aren’t taking your wine well.” Griffin chuckled, taking her hand in his in an attempt to comfort her, only to realize how large it was compared to mere moments ago. He gulped, feeling his hands become a bit more comfortable in holding hers, the change nowhere as near as drastic as Kelly’s but still something concerning. His arms tensed, swelling with a slightly toned layer of muscle new to his form. He took his hands from Kelly’s, looking over them. Sure, he admittedly never held his wine the best, but he’d never hallucinated before, and he’d definitely never actually felt it.

“Grif? Do you think someone put something in our food?” She took a longer, more well-built arm to her chest, feeling the fat layered on it melt away and replace with an admittedly not too shabby set of pecs. “Wh-What?” Her face flushed, eyes widening at the realization that whatever was happening to them had decided to shift her sex around.

“I’d like to see whatever drug can do something like this at all, let alone this fast!” He gripped onto a chair’s back, groaning as his back popped, leaving him slightly taller and, as a cursory scan of his new body would reveal, sporting a new set of abs. “Woah...this is...something.”

Kelly, meanwhile, was not as enthralled with her changes as Griffin was. She felt awkward enough in her dress already, and the cracking of her spine and toning frame didn’t serve to help. What only made things worse was the notable pressure she felt from her high heels, confirming her fears as the sides of the shoes gave, leaving her feet exposed in the cold night air. “Ugh….just kill me now….”

“Hey, cmon, don’t be like that.” Griffin pulled her into a hug, grinning in an attempt to ease her fears. “This probably won’t be that bad.” She looked up at him, desperate for some form of comfort. It was probably just the changes, but...he looked so much more handsome than usual. His jawline was sharper, his eyes had cooled to a soft smoky grey, and his formerly chestnut hair had burnt to a dark black, even changing how it was styled into a striking slicked back and spiked look. Something about it was…..familiar and comforting.

Griffin swept a bang from her face, letting him look at her shifted face. He let out a quiet gasp, her heart sinking.

“I-Is it bad?” She clasped her hands together, still feeling the ring.

“No, you’re...you’re gorgeous.” His hand rested against her cheek, taking everything in. Her face had gained this strong stoic look to it, almost statue-esque. His hair had faded to a platinum, combed into a set of bangs that perfectly framed his face and made similarly pale eyes stand out. “I...wow.” He’d never felt this strongly towards...anyone. He took one of her pearls in his hand, only to let go of it as he realized it had gained an odd fabric like texture.

Kelly watched as her pearl necklace flattened and softened, the chain around her neck becoming the same silk as the pearls now were. She brushed over it with her hands, the string now a rumpled scarf of some sort...what was the term? The word “cravat” suddenly popped to mind, albeit she didn’t know where from. Yes, that was right.

Griffin coughed as something tugged against his throat, looking down to see a bright red tie had formed around his neck. More notably, where it touched seemed to sap the red from his shirt, leaving it pure white as the still-blue edges tugged away from itself, leaving him with a formal white undershirt topped with a sapphire blue suit jacket. “Guess they have a stricter take on business casual than I thought…” He awkwardly joked as he watched the blue spread down to neatly pressed dress pants, his changes finishing with his shoes expanding slightly and shifting into dark leather.

Kelly brushed her face, slightly flushed from Griffin’s new form. …..Griffin? Was that right? No, that...that wasn’t it. What was his name, though? As she thought, her clothing underwent its own metamorphosis, bleeding into a combination of a black vest and a deep red suit jacket, albeit this one more high quality than her partner’s. The material shared its conquest of her wardrobe with her partner’s changes, as the ends of her dress wrapped around her legs into fanciful perfectly tailored wine red pants. Her shoes even got a second shot as the heels flattened to the ground, a refined pair of leather dress shoes.

“Is...is it over?” The two looked at each other, Griffin pausing at his new voice. It was young, nothing too outstanding on its own but probably could be with some power put behind it, like some form of objection.

“I...I believe so.” Kelly gasped, putting a hand to her throat as she felt her new Adam’s apple. The voice it had given her was a rather pleasing one, deep and proper, the voice of someone who really knew what they were doing. “My...this is all so….” She didn’t get to finish her thought as she trailed off, Griffin taking her hands one again.

“Not what I expected to happen tonight, either. Can’t say I’m too mad though.” Kelly blushed, Griffin’s face equally red as he leaned in for a kiss, which she gladly reciprocated. That simple act sealed the two’s fates as when they pulled back, a different, more fitting set of memories and personality traits belonged to the pair.

“Wright....must you be this extravagant?” He looked around the patio, taking in the almost storybook-like picture the two found themselves in.

“Of course. Nothing else for my Miles.” Edgeworth turned his head, leading Phoenix to giggle.

“You’re an embarrassment.” He tried to come off as his usual stern self, but the slightest hint of a smirk on his lips was his lover’s cue to keep going.

“Hey, you know how I get when drunk.”

“I suppose I do, Feenie.” Miles slipped his hand into his partner’s, only for the two of them to pause and investigate the rings they didn’t remember putting on.

“Guess I was a bit more drunk than I thought….” He looked away, rubbing his neck in that ever-so-Wright way. A pause of awkward silence, before he sighed and reconnected eye contact. “Hey um….even if we don’t remember it...would you still...you know…”

“Of course, you idiot.” Edgeworth full on smiled, a rare sight, and grabbed Phoenix’s hand once again, planting a kiss on his cheek. Even if they didn’t quite remember how they got here, this proved to be the best night of their lives.

[aceofstars16]

Chapter 13 is up! It's the last full chapter of the fic...we're almost there...

It's time for Mabel and Dipper to go home…

You can read the whole fic on A03 or this chapter below the cut.

Chapter 13 – Back to the Future

“I never was good with girls…” Ford frowned, his brow furrowed as he tried to remember more details about his childhood.

Stan poked Ford. “You can say that again. You and your kissing machine.”

Ford looked confused for a moment, then his cheeks grew red from embarrassment as he seemed to recall the memory. “How about we don’t talk about that-”

“You built a kissing machine?!? That’s amazing!” Mabel blurted. Relishing in both the details of her grunkle’s childhood and at this new information.

“Better than a leaf blower, right Mabel?” Dipper smirked, then laughed as Mabel punched him.

 “Hey, that leaf blower saved our butts!”

It had been almost a week since the memory gun incident, and Mabel was beyond thrilled at Ford’s progress. And even more relieved that Stan seemed to be doing better too. Sure, there still seemed to be gaps in his memory, but it was way better than it had been! Even Fiddleford had helped a little, filling Ford in on some of his college years. Though at the moment, the inventor was downstairs. Mabel had a sneaking suspicion that he was working on the time machine, but seeing as she didn’t really want to think about that, she pushed the thought aside.

“You have to tell us about the kissing machine, Grunkle Ford!”

“Oh, it was great, he even tried to hide it from me. But there wasn’t much he couldn’t keep from me.” Stan grinned and Ford pouted, his face growing redder.

“Let’s talk about something else.” He mumbled, then perked up. “You had a girlfriend, right Stanley?”

Stan let out a breath of disappointment, he clearly enjoyed poking fun at Ford. “Yeah, Carla.”

“OH MY GOSH! What was she like?!? How long did you date? What happened? Where is she now?” The questions spilled out of Mabel’s mouth almost faster than she could say them.

Stan chuckled and shook his head. “I thought we were supposed to be talking about Ford’s memories, not mine.”

“Well, they are kind of connected…” Dipper said, smiling sheepishly when Stan shot him a look.

“You asked her out our sophomore year…right?” Ford asked, his brow once again furrowed.

“Yup, though only at the very end.” Stan said, crossing his arms. “But then she fell for some hippie looser in senior year and I never saw her again.”

“Aww, that’s so sad.” Mabel frowned, then straightened up. “Maybe you could find her again!”

Shaking his head, Stan laughed quickly. “Nah, I bet she’s married off to that loser by now, or someone else. It’s not important.”

Mabel opened her mouth to object when there was a knock on the wall of the parlor.

Looking up, she saw Fiddleford standing there, holding the time machine.

“Uh…sorry to interrupt but,” he held up the tape measure. “I think I managed to fix this here time machine.”

“Really? You fixed all of the parts?” Dipper asked, seeming genuinely interested in the progress that had been made. However, Mabel couldn’t help but wish that it’d taken a little longer to fix.

“I think so. I tested it and everything seems to be worki-”

Mabel jumped in before he could say anything more. “Maybe you should double check it? And it’s getting kind of late, we should probably wait until tomorrow!”

“Mabel…we’ve been here for over a week…” Dipper said quietly, giving her a concerned look.

“But…”

“Your brother’s right kiddo.” Stan said, ruffling her hair. “You really should get back home.”

Mabel glanced at Stan, and despite his words, she saw sadness lining his gaze. “But…you still need us here! Ford still needs to remember more and-”

 “And thanks to you, I know he’ll keep remembering.” Stan gave her a smile, then crouched down to her level. “And of course, I don’t want you to go, but you have a whole life ahead of you. Besides, you’ll see us again. Faster than we’ll see you I’d imagine.”

 Biting the inside of her cheek, Mabel wrestled with her feelings. She knew he was right, but it didn’t make her want to leave any faster. “You sure you’ll be okay?”

Stan laughed lightly. “Yeah, I’ll be okay, kiddo.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Mabel glanced at Ford, who was smiling at her. She knew he was still healing but his smile was genuine and from what she had seen over the past few days, he meant it.

“What do you say, Mabel?” Dipper asked, holding out his hand.

Sighing, Mabel closed her eyes and tried not to think about how much she didn’t want to go.

“I’ll help you get Waddles as soon as we get back.”

Opening her eyes, Mabel saw Dipper smiling at her and she hesitantly smiled back. “Okay…”

Despite hating goodbyes, Mabel knew she couldn’t leave without one more thing. Turning to Stan she flung her arms around him, and he returned the hug without hesitation.

“Don’t forget to invite us to Gravity Falls.” She said quietly.

“I won’t. I promise.”

Pulling back, Mabel smiled at him before looking at Dipper then Ford. “I guess we should go but…”

“Awkward group hug?” Dipper asked.

Laughing, Mabel nodded. Stan pulled Ford into the hug and Dipper joined in. At the very end, Mabel even pulled Fiddleford in for a second. She wanted it to last forever, but after a few seconds, they pulled away.

“Here ya go.” Fiddleford held out the time machine.

Mabel looked at it, but couldn’t make herself take it. Instead, Dipper accepted it then looked at Mabel.

“Ready?”

Looking at the younger versions of her grunkles one last time, she took a breath and nodded. “Ready.”

Then Dipper pulled the tape measure out to the right time and let go. Mabel grabbed his hand and the world went white.

-----

It was quiet in the house. Fiddleford had worked on the portal a little more before realizing he needed to go back to his apartment to check on some things. Stan had let him borrow his car, leaving Stan and Ford alone. The kids couldn’t have left more than thirty minutes ago, but Stan missed Mabel. It was silly really. He knew she had to go; he’d told her as much. But she’d brought so much light to his dim world. Her absence made everything seem dark.

“Stanley?”

Ford’s voice shook Stan out of his thoughts. He glanced at his brother, surprised to see the concerned look on his face and even more surprised when Ford placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll see them again.” Ford gave him a small smile.

Stan tried to return it, but it was easier said than done. He was thrilled that Ford was remembering more, and even more so that their connection as kids was slowly being restored. But deep down, he knew that there was still one gaping memory in Ford’s life that he hadn’t remembered. And Stan had no idea how his brother would react if he did remember it. Was it bad that Stan hoped he never would?

“I am curious…” Ford trailed off, as if not sure that he should continue.

Stan tried to brush off his worries. “‘Bout what?”

“Well…I remember college. Or at least, some of it. And I remember high school graduation. But…for some reason, you aren’t in any of those memories.”

Stan’s stomach dropped. Why couldn’t Ford be curious about something else? Swallowing, Stan tried not to let his anxiety show. “Eh, I was busy traveling…that’s all.” He tried for a carefree smile, even though he was feeling anything but carefree.

Ford frowned; his brow furrowed.

“Hey, don’t think too hard, remember? Don’t want any bad headaches!” Stan spoke quickly, hoping his desperation didn’t show through. Back when Ford had first started remembering, he’d gotten headaches, especially when he tried too hard to remember. Sure, it was a way to get him to stop asking questions but…it was a good excuse.

“Oh…right…though I haven’t gotten a headache in a few days.”

“Can’t be too careful.” Stan forced a grin.

Ford hummed and looked away, still looking lost in thought.

“Well, I’m getting hungry, maybe-”

“Stanley.” The seriousness in Ford’s voice effectively cut off his tangent. “I…something happened between us. What…what was it?”  

Swallowing, Stan glanced at the kitchen, wishing he could just ignore Ford’s question and do something else to distract him. And maybe he could but…what if Ford remembered later? And Stan couldn’t explain what happened? About how it really had been an accident?

Letting out a breath and trying to ignore the knots in his stomach, Stan gestured to the couch. “Might want to sit down…it’s…” He looked away. “It’s not…fun…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Stan saw Ford frowning, but he did as he was told, sitting down on the couch.

Stan expected him to say something else, but his brother was silent, looking at the ground. Trying not to think about the can of worms he was about to open, he sat down next to Ford and fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie.

“Senior year…do…do you remember any of it?” The words felt heavy on Stan’s tongue, but it felt safer than just going straight to the point.

Humming, Ford glanced at Stan, then back at the floor. “A little…I remember taking some AP classes…and not having a very good time at a school dance…” His brow furrowed and he glanced at Stan. “Did you dump punch on yourself?”

Stan let out a quiet laugh. “Yeah…some girl was a jerk to you, and I thought…it might make you feel better if you weren’t the only one with punch on your suit.”

A small smile grew on Ford’s mouth. “You always tried to cheer me up…”

Swallowing didn’t get rid of the lump in Stan’s throat. “Yeah…”

“So what-” Ford’s voice cut off.

Stan glanced at him and saw shadow pass over his face. Something had changed…and fear gripped Stan’s heart.

“My project…”

Just two words. But they were exactly the ones Stan was afraid of. “Ford I should-”

“It was broken…and…” Ford sat up straight and the anger that crossed his face made Stan shrink away. He felt like that seventeen-year-old kid again. So scared of a future without Ford’s support and companionship.

“You broke it.” The accusation hit Stan as hard as it had the first time, though Ford’s voice was more of an icy calm now, not the accusatory yelling of when they were teenagers. But one thing had changed. Stan had spent ten years living with the consequences of his actions. He knew what life was like without Ford. He could survive but…he didn’t want to lose his brother again. Not after he had just gotten him back, and especially not because of a stupid mistake he’d made when he was a kid.  

Forcing himself to look at his brother, Stan did what he hadn’t been able to do all those years ago. He told the truth. “I didn’t mean to, Ford. Honest. I…I was mad at the machine, and I did visit the gym. But I swear, when I left, it was still working. And I…” Looking at the ground, Stan sighed and shook his head. “I never meant to hurt you, Ford…I never wanted to…” He closed his eyes, trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him. “I was scared and…I…I’m sorry I ruined your future.”

Silence filled the room. Stan couldn’t bear to look at Ford, so he kept his eye closed. Waiting for more accusations, more anger.

Then Ford spoke.

“You didn’t ruin it, Stanely.”

Looking up quickly, Stan saw Ford looking at the floor, his gaze unfocused. A few moments passed before Ford continued.

“Sure I…I would’ve loved to go to West Coast Tech and maybe…maybe things would be different if I had. But…” Ford sighed and looked at Stan, regret lining his face. “I made some stupid mistakes too. With Bill and the portal and…” He looked away, frowning and for a moment, he didn’t speak. Then his shoulders drooped and he looked at Stan again. “And not standing up for you.”

For a moment, Stan just stared at him, sure that he hadn’t just heard what he thought he had. “You…” Swallowing he looked away, trying to wrap his head around what Ford had just admitted. It felt too good to be true and...it wasn’t as if Stan hadn’t messed up. Sure, maybe Pa throwing him out had been a little extreme. But Ford had been hurt, and he wasn’t the one that had thrown him out. “It’s okay you…you were upset and-”

“No Stanley. It’s not okay. You stood up for me countless times growing up. And Pa was wrong to kick you out. Even if it hadn’t been an accident you…you were just a kid and…you didn’t deserve to be kicked out.”

Stan couldn’t make himself look at Ford, though he could hear the shame in his voice, the regret from his past actions. Stan knew those feelings all too well. His emotions were going a mile a minute, he didn’t know what he was feeling. Relief? Confusion? Joy? It was all so much. He didn’t know what to say. Then a hand rested on his shoulder and Stan glanced up to find Ford looking at him.

Genuine concern glittered in his brother’s eyes. It was such a foreign expression on Ford’s face, Stan could barely maintain eye contact.

“You always had my back, Stan…even…even now, when you came here…after everything. You got rid of Bill and stayed up for days trying to help me remember my life. I…I’m sorry that I doubted you. And I’m sorry for not having your back.” Ford closed his eyes, regret lining his face before he opened them to look at Stan again. “Will you forgive me?”

Stan’s vision grew blurry as the words sunk in. Never in a million years would he have expected Ford to apologize to him. But if he was honest…it was something he had longed for his entire time on his own.  However, he knew there was something he needed to do too. “I…o-on one condition.”

Ford responded without hesitation. “Anything.”

The smallest smile grew on Stan’s mouth. “That you forgive me too.”

Letting out a quiet laugh, Ford pulled Stan into a hug, his voice thick as he spoke. “I think I can manage that.”

Letting out a small laugh – that turned into a hiccup – Stan returned the hug and tightened his arms around Ford. He ignored the tears on his cheeks as he mumbled a response. “Good. Cause the second option was way more embarrassing.”

This time, Ford laughed a little louder and Stan joined in. A wave of relief washed over Stan, taking with it all of the weight he’d been carrying for a decade. And for the first time since he had arrived in Gravity Falls, he truly believed that everything really was going to be okay.

-----

The world flickered into place. Sun replaced the snow, and the warmth on Dipper’s skin was a welcome change from the freezing cold he’d been experiencing for over a week – even if he knew that meant he’d have to deal with his sweating problem again.

“It worked!” Mabel said, looking around the forest, though there was a sadness still lingering in her gaze.

Looking at the time machine, Dipper noted that it looked just fine. Fiddleford had done a good job with it. “I guess we should-”

“There!”

A loud voice interrupted him and Dipper quickly looked around and saw two tall futuristic looking guys step out from behind the trees. They were led by the time traveler that Mabel and Dipper had stolen the time machine from.

Glancing at Mabel, Dipper held out the time machine. “Hey…uh…sorry we borrowed this, but we-”

“Do you realize what you did!?” The time traveler - Blar Blar? Something with a B – pointed at Mabel and Dipper.

“Look man, we did mean to get stuck, we just-”

“Mabel and Dipper Pines, you two are in violation of countless time crimes.” One of the other time travelers, Lolph, spoke up.

“Wait what?” Mabel looked at Dipper who found himself gripping the time machine tighter. He knew that messing with time might have its consequences, but he’d been trying not to worry about it. Now it was staring him in the face.

“The number of paradoxes that you two created will take ages to clean up.” The other time police dude, Dundgren, shook his head in frustration.

“We didn’t mean to-” Dipper started, but Mabel cut him off.

“Wait, clean up? You can’t! We just spent days getting Ford’s memory back. You can’t undo that!”

“We can and we will. As for you two-”

“But you can’t!” Mabel pleaded, looking desperately at Dipper then the time travelers. “Stan just got Ford back and they are happy!”

“Y-you two messed with time. Paradoxes are serious!” The B dude – Blendin? That sounded right - spoke up, pointing at them angrily.

“We didn’t plan to!” Mabel’s voice was shaking and Dipper quickly jumped in, not exactly sure what to say, but knowing he had to back Mabel up.

“Yeah, it was an accident. Isn’t there any way we can like…fix it but still let Stan and Ford stay together?”

“You c-can’t just fix time like that! It’s a delicate balance and it’s not like you have a Time Wish!” Blendin fumbled, his frustration evident despite the googles over his eyes.

“Wait, Time Wish?” Dipper and Mabel looked at each other.

“It grants the owner one wish, paradox free.” Dundgren said, his face stoic.

“Where can we get one?” Mabel asked, looking around the forest as if maybe they could find one somewhere. Though in Gravity Falls, finding something like that might not actually be too farfetched.

“You can’t just find one.” Blendin huffed. “A time wish can only be awarded to the winner of Globnar!”

“Globnar?” Dipper asked. It sounded just as silly of a word as Blendin was a name.

“Gladiator games.” Lolph said, hefting his gun. “The most intense games you will ever play. If you win, you get a Time Wish. If you don’t, your opponent decides your fate.”

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other. He knew that they’d messed with time, and it was their fault. But when he saw the desperation on his sister’s face, he didn’t hesitate. Stan and Ford deserved to be together. And Dipper would do whatever he could to keep them that way, and he knew Mabel would do the same. With a nod, they looked at the time travelers.

“Alright, we’re in.”

“What?!?” Blendin stared at them. “Y-you messed up the past and n-now you expect to just win Globnar to fix it?!?”

“You do need an opponent.” Lolph spoke up. “And the opponent has to agree to the challenge.”

“Uh…” Dipper looked at Mabel who was frowning.

“Blendin!” Mabel pointed at the stuttering time traveler.

“What?” Blendin stared at her. “You really think…”

“You are in for intense punishment for your slip up with your equipment. A Time Wish could be used to fix that as well. To shift all of the blame – and consequences – onto these kids.” Dundgren pointed out.

For a moment, Blendin pouted in thought, then a smile slowly grew on his face. “I do have the upper hand…training and experience watching Globnar…O-okay, I accept!”

-----

“A whole day on the beach without sunscreen, what were we thinking?” Ford laughed quietly as he looked the picture in his hand. Stan had shown him plenty of pictures, but this one was by far his favorite – a picture of both of them standing in front of their broken sailing ship, The Stan O’ War.

Stan let out a short laugh. “We weren’t thinking! Just having fun.”

Glancing at his brother, Ford couldn’t help but smile. Despite the emotional conversation they’d had not long ago, he felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. Sure, it’d taken him a while to remember the rift that had existed between them, but before that, he had noticed a tension in the air whenever him and Stan were alone. But now that tension had eased.

“I suppose so. Though…” Ford shook his head. “I do recall us not being able to sleep well for a few days afterwards due to the burns.”

“Eh.” Stan waved his hand, a grin on his face. “It was worth it.”

Glancing at the picture again, Ford tilted his head in agreement. “Agreed.”

“Hey, you remember when we got a bazillion splinters while trying to clean it up?” Stan held out his hands. “We had bandages covering our hands all summer!”

Shaking his head in amusement, Ford was glad when he realized that he did indeed remember that summer. “But then we put it in the water and it was finally floating in the ocean again.”

“Heh, yeah, that was a good day.” Stan leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes in contentment.

For a moment, Ford just looked at him. Memories played in his head, as if his mind was scrambling to find all of the pieces and put them together. It was a little disorienting, but compared to the first few days, it wasn’t bad. However, the one memory that kept coming back to him was the Stan O’ War.

“Do you know what ever happened to it?”

“Hmm?” Stan opened an eye. “What?”

“The Stan O’ War. I…I don’t remember what happened to it.” Ford frowned, glancing at the picture again.

“Oh…” Stan sat up. “Honestly? I don’t know. I had to leave Jersey not long after…well, I never saw it again after that.”

There was a wistful sorrow in his voice that Ford couldn’t help but relate to. Sure, he’d wanted to go to college. More than anything. But…he’d never hated the Stan O’ War. Back then, he supposed he would go to college and sail with Stan in the summers. Or at least return to it after he graduated. After Stan had been kicked out though, that dream had died. Replaced instead by Ford’s desire to make a name for himself. Even thinking about it made him cringe. Sure, making a name for himself in the scientific community still sounded nice but…he hadn’t reached that goal. And striving for it had cost him his relationship with Stan. Which he realized now was far too high a cost.

“I bet some other low lives took it.” Stan muttered, pulling Ford from his musings.

“Hmmm, maybe…” Ford looked at the picture again. “Do you think we could find another one?”

“What?” Stan straightened up, looking at Ford in shock.

“Oh…I don’t know…I mean…” Ford ran a hand over his neck, a little worried that it might be too late to make amends. But he had to try. “It’s winter now, but…maybe…one day we could find another Stan O’ War and…go sailing for a bit.”

For a moment, Stan just stared at him. Then he asked in disbelief. “You…you really mean that?”

Ford smiled at Stan and nodded. “I do. I mean, I’d have to figure out what to do with my house while we’re out. But those are details that we can work out later.”

A grin slowly grew on Stan’s face. “So, you’re saying that you want go hunting for treasure and babes?”

Laughing, Ford nodded again. “I really do. I…I’ve been on my own for far too long and…it’s long overdue.”

Stan punched him. “Yeah it is! Where should we go first? Not Columbia. I can’t go back there, oh maybe-”

A bright flash of light interrupted Stan, causing them both to jump to their feet.

As the light faded, a few figures slowly came into view. Ford didn’t know one of them, but the other two…

“Kids?!?” Stan spoke at the same time as Ford, and they looked at each other before looking back at Mabel and Dipper. Both of them looked a little more beat up than they had been when they’d left.

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel raced forward and hugged Stan, a grin lighting up her face.

Ford watched, a smile on his face, then surprisingly, she released Stan and hugged Ford too. He gently returned the hug before speaking up.

“What are you two doing here? I thought you returned - did the time machine not work!?” He looked around, only to see the machine in the hands of a man he didn’t know.

“No, it worked but…well…” Mabel and Dipper looked at each other, then back at Stan and Ford.

“It doesn’t matter.” Dipper said. “What does matter is-”

“We got you a Time Wish!” Mabel interrupted her brother, a grin lighting up her face.

“A…what?” Stan asked, clearly just as confused as Ford.

“A Time Wish.” The strange man spoke up, hitting a button on his watch. A moment later, a shining ball appeared, floating in the air. “It’s a wish that grants you the ability to change anything in history, paradox free.”

“That…” Ford looked at the orb with interest. He’d never heard of such a thing before. Then again, even if he had, he might not have recalled the memory yet.

“Wait, you can change…anything?” Stan was looking at the wish in awe.

“Yes. A-anything. These kids beat me…and won it…but they wanted to come and…give it to you t-two. And as I was reinstated, I’m here to give you two the wish.”

“They were going to ‘fix’ everything we went through!” Mabel jumped in. “But we couldn’t let them!” She glanced at Ford then Stan. “And now you can use it to…well…” Mabel looked at Dipper and the grey suited man. “I guess you can wish for anything.”

Wish for anything. Ford couldn’t help but feel skeptical. It sounded far too good to be true. “How do we know we can trust this…wish?”

“People will give a-anything for a Time Wish!” The man said. “It’s as real as Time Baby himself!”

“Time what?” Stan asked, which reflected Ford’s thoughts exactly.

“He’s this giant futuristic baby.” Dipper said. “But it’s real.”

“We wouldn’t give it to you if it wasn’t!” Mabel added.

Ford glanced at Stan and saw that his brother was already looking at him.

“Anything? What…what do you think, Sixer?”

For a moment, Ford considered all of the possibilities. Never meeting Bill. Understanding girls. Getting into West Coast Tech… Then he met Stan’s gaze. Stan had been through so much. And yes, Ford had too. But…he’d let his own desires get between them before. He didn’t want to make the same mistake again. So…

“You decide.”

“What? Ford, seriously, the kids got this for us and-”

“I am serious Stanley. I…” Ford closed his eyes for a moment, making sure he really did mean it. Then he opened his eyes and looked at Stan, resolution settling in his chest. “I want you to decide.”

Stan looked at him like he was crazy. “Why? I mean, you could change so many things and-”

“But I’m not the only one who would change things and…I want you to have what you want, Stanley. I’ve been selfish before, and I…” Looking at the floor for a moment, Ford found himself thinking about the memories he’d recovered. He regretted so many of them. But in this moment, he knew that this was one thing he wouldn’t regret. “I want to give you this.”

For a moment, Stan seemed too shocked to speak, but then he met Ford’s gaze and it melted away. “You sure?”

“Positive.”

Stan glanced at the orb. “So how do I…?”

“Just touch it and make your wish.”

“Okay…” Stan glanced at Ford one more time. Ford gave him a smile and a nod. For a moment, Stan just stood there, looking at the wish. Time ticked onward. Then, with a deep breath, he reached forward and touched it.

The world was engulfed in white. And as it faded, the world came back into view. Everything looked the same - aside from the kids looking a little more cleaned up than when they’d arrived.  

“Stanley what…what did you wish for?” It didn’t look like anything had changed. If Stan had wished for something in the past to change, Ford assumed the present would’ve looked different.

Stan shrugged. “Eh…I thought about a few things…” He paused a moment and Ford knew he was thinking about the perpetual motion machine. “But I realized that…even if I changed something, I had no guarantee that things would actually work out. We’ve gone through so much the past few days and…I like where we are now, so…I just wanted to keep things as is.”

Ford couldn’t help but be surprised. He didn’t know if he would’ve made the same choice, but at the same time, he wasn’t upset with Stan’s decision. Like Stan said, the past few days had been a lot. But things were better now and the future looked brighter than it had in a long time.

“Oh, and I cleaned these kiddos up some.” He ruffled Mabel and Dipper’s hair which resulted in them laughing.

A smile grew on Ford’s face. “I’d say that was a pretty good wish.”

“Yeah!” Mabel said, tossing her hands in the air.

“This is sweet and all, but these t-two need to get back to their own time.”

“Oh, right…” Stan said, his face falling. Ford stepped forwards and gently rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

Stan glanced at him and Ford gave him a reassuring smile, which he returned. Then he looked at the kids. “You heard the guy in the bodysuit.”

“Are you sure?” Mabel asked.

“Heh, I’ll be fine, kiddo. And I bet we’ll have plenty to tell you two when you get there.” Stan winked at them and Ford laughed, nodding in agreement.

“Definitely.”

“Okay…” Mabel hesitated for a moment, then looked at Dipper. A second later, they both attacked Stan and Ford in a hug.

For a moment, they just stood there, enjoying the closeness of family. It was a foreign feeling to Ford, but he had to admit, it wasn’t an unwelcome one. However, it couldn’t last forever. The kids stepped back and Dipper looked at Stan then Ford.

“See you later?”

Ford gave his nephew a smile and nodded. “We’ll see you both in the future.” He glanced at Stan who grinned.

“We promise.”

With a nod, the kids grinned back before stepping back. The time traveler pulled out his time machine and pulled the tape. Mabel and Dipper waved bye before once again disappearing in a flash of light.

For a moment, there was silence, aside from the wind blowing outside. Then Stan broke the tension. “So…about the Stan O’ War…”

Ford couldn’t hold back a laugh. Leave it to Stan to continue right where they had left off. Slapping his brother playfully on the back, Ford shook his head in amusement. “We can figure out all the details in time, Stanley. How about for now we just catch up? After all, I haven’t heard anything about what you’ve done for the past ten years.”

Stan let out a huff but he couldn’t hide the half smile on his face. “Alright, fine. But I’m saving a few stories for when we are on the boat.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Ford nodded, and has he did, a memory sparked in his mind. It was one that he'd recalled before, but he couldn’t help but smile thinking about now. Hesitantly holding out his hand, he recited the old saying Stan had come up with when they were kids. “High six?”

For a moment, Stan just stared at Ford, then a grin broke out on his face and he slapped his hand against Ford’s. “High six!”