#de-aged sam (physically)

[goodtoembrace]

Reading about book characters is so weird because Lestat has just described Gabrielle's physical appearance and I still can't imagine her? With me, I need to feel the *essence* of the character first in order to have a clear picture in my head...

[puppetmaster13u]

Hear Me Out

Yokai Amity. What are yokai? Japanese spirits. And not just ghosts, a majority of mythical creatures? Yokai.

So how did this happen? Well, like most things, it can be blamed on the ghost portal in the Fenton Basement. And a lot of ecto contamination. Because while they're a small city? They're also in the middle of nowhere, meaning a lot of their foods and crops, they grow themselves. And the ectoplasm? Started sinking into the ground first. Y'know, where every plant grows and then both humans and animals proceed to eat it? Made even worse when those like Overgrowth or Vortex came through? Yeaah, it'd be a miracle if they didn't get contaminated and no surprise that most don't notice their humanity slipping with time with how it's happening to everyone.

Which kind of makes the situation Danny has found himself kind of hilarious? At least to him. The trenchcoat dude seems to be having an aneurism or something similar.

"So... not a meta?" the tiny vigilante child clarified again, head tilting from where he stood at the head of his group. Honestly Danny was enjoying this from his place sprawled across the park bench Honestly Amity had spoiled him with benches designed for extra limbs.

The blonde man seemed absolutely done with everything, hands twitching as though about to cradle his head in his hands or grab something. "No," he wasn't shouting but it was close. "For fuck's sake- your all lucky not to be cursed or worse-" He turned towards Danny. "Why the fuck didn't you?"

The hainu shrugged, wings doing more of the motion than the rest of him. "They're babies-" Or at least one of them was, borderline liminal as they were. "You play along with toddlers." Honestly he saw why his old rogues found this fun, even if he'd never go as far as they did.

The entire team of vigilante children bristled, one opening their mouth to protest before trenchcoat-soul-dude glared at them all before turning back towards him.

"Though what the fuck do you need that for that you'd steal it- not that any artifact like that should be in a bloody museum and not locked away where idiots can't get to it."

He snorted, the sound more dog-like. Or really more yeti-like, what with how he was taking lessons from Frostbite which meant large chunks of time in the Far Frozen.

"Technically I don't need it, my kid does," Danny held up a finger, marveling slightly at the clouds. It was quite different compared to Amity, what with how everywhere was so ecto-infused that the sky was effected.

"And what does a hainu need with-" the trenchcoat man motioned to the cursed object, which honestly wasn't that bad. But...

"Oh no, he's not a hainu, he's furaribi." Danny honestly wasn't surprised that Jordan wouldn't turn out the same as he, de-aged or not. Not that he was memory-less or anything, cores didn't lose that easily, but he did still have the physical brain of a child.

"Adopted?"

"Nope," he hummed, going over the list of things he still had to do today before returning to Amity. Sam had asked him to get a few more flowers to test how ecto would effect them and he had to pick up some computer parts for Tuck.

"How the fuck."

"My sister's a kitsune, my other sister is a shirouneri, my mom is a shishi, my dad a baku, godfather's an itachi, my boyfriend a raiju, my girlfriend a kirin, and my other girlfriend a yosuzume," he ticked off his fingers, not seeing anything wrong with it. Not like people could get into Amity easily after the whole GIW thing.

"... what the fuck does your family tree look like, mate, because that should be bloody impossible."

Danny shrugged, giving a sharp toothed smile. Yeah, the realms didn't care about that with how malleable ecto was.

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(In case it's not clear: Hainu Danny, Furaribi Dan, Kitsune Jazz, Shirouneri Danny, Lion Dog Maddie, Baku Jack, Itachi Vlad, Raiju Tucker, Kirin Sam & Yosuzume Valerie) (Also feel free to come up with what everyone else might be) (Highly recommend yokai.com for a quick summary of each creature)

[tanglepelt]

Dc x dp idea 92

I’ve seen prompts with Jack fleeing with a de-aged Danny hiding in Gotham. Here he doesn’t stay with him. He drops Danny and Danielle in the very capable hands of red hood.

Danny reveals himself as phantom to his parents and introduces his mirror sister. Both ready to dip if it went bad. Immediately jack feels so guilty for hunting his kid.

He is ready to welcome them both.

Maddie disagrees. This leads to both Danny and Danielle being seriously injured. Jack barley got them out. There ghost half protecting them lead to them both being turned around 4-5

Jack isn’t a dumb man as he seems. He may have gotten b minuses but that was in advance physics and science courses. So he does research.

Creates two brackets that hide his newly made twins ecto signatures so they can’t be found. He didn’t have enough time to make something that allowed their powers to work with them.

He knows the Giw and His soon to be ex (he hasn’t had the ability to get her to sign the paperwork) are after him. They didn’t see the twins be turned to toddlers.

So he has a plan to take down the Giw and Maddie’s sister wouldn’t be safe for the two. Sam and tucker wouldn’t be safe. Jack has to find a safe place for the twins with a bounty on their thankfully teenage heads.

He does a deep dive. He finds online a supposed crime lord. Enough digging he can tell that guy doesn’t let kids get hurt. The stuff he doesn’t isn’t all bad and well… He can’t trust heros. So he packs up and heads out.

Jack pleads his case to either just Red Hood. Or maybe just shows up in the middle of a mission jason is on with the outlaws for a bit more chaos.

[bulkyphrase]

De-Aged Steve Rogers - a fic rec list

Some of my favorite stories featuring Steve (and sometimes others) turned into a child or younger adult.

Chase All The Clouds From The Sky by written by IndigoNight, with podfic read by reena_jenkins (@jeminamoonnight, @reena-jenkins) (Gen, General Audiences, 15,421 words)

Summary: Magic is the worst. The Avengers are prepared to deal with a wide variety of crises, but an abruptly six-year-old Steve Rogers is not one of them. Especially not when their resident Rogers-expert is reluctant to cross the Winter Soldier-sized gap separating him from his miniaturized best friend.

5 Times an Avenger Realized They Don't Know Steve + 1 Time One Did by WendyDarling95 (@cap-is-bi) (Samsteve, Teen And Up Audiences, 22,876 words)

Summary: A witch sends Steve back mentally and physically to who he was in 1941, and now the Avengers are starting to realize that while they've known Captain America for years now, they may never have met Steve Rogers. Takes place in 2016 5 chapters of an Avenger realizing Steve is more than he seems + 1 where someone knows him very well

More below the cut!

Baby Steve Adventures by catty_the_spy (@cattythespy) (Gen, General Audiences, 2,955 words)

Summary: Captain America gets hit by a spell during a battle. The rest of the Avengers look after him. Also available as a podfic read by blackglass

The Adventures of Not-So-Baby Steve by catty_the_spy (@cattythespy) (Gen, General Audiences, 2,070 words)

Summary: Steve's adjusting to not being a baby. Everyone else is adjusting too.

Small, Not Stupid by @rsadelle (Gen, General Audiences, 346 words)

Summary: Bucky's not going to let the kid fall - even if it weren't a tiny version of his former best friend, he wouldn't do that - but he's not real thrilled about having a small version of his former best friend - who he hasn't seen in seventy years - clinging to him.

The Kids Weren’t Alright by lettered (@letteredlettered) (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 56,199 words)

Summary: Tony accidentally turns himself into a twelve-year-old using alien tech. Steve is stuck as bodyguard, Bruce is stuck trying to fix him, and Pepper is stuck trying to ward off a twelve-year old’s attempts at flirtation. And then things go from bad to worse.

For I Am Crystal Chrome by IamShadow21, kath_ballantyne (@iamshadow21) (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 8,116 words)

Summary: “Don't touch that,” he forces out, his throat as rough as gravel. “Don't.” “Okay,” the person says, and doesn't try to pull out of Tony's grasp. “Okay, I won't.” Tony sucks in a sharp breath and opens his eyes. “You're American. The terrorists got you, too?” The man he's holding on to is young, very young. He's slender and frail looking with a pale, wan face, and Tony would know him anywhere. “Terrorists?” Steve Rogers asks, with confusion. “Oh shit, I really am dead, and there's an afterlife, and it sucks,” Tony moans.

Mixed-Ages Classroom by harcourt (@haforcere) (Gen, Not Rated, 5,114 words)

Summary: For this prompt, where the Avengers are de-aged, but to different ages; Clint & Tony to young children (below 10), Bruce to a toddler (whose tantrums involve hulking out to bb!hulk), Natasha & Steve back to teenagers (with scrawny!Steve). In which Hulk is a baby, Natasha and Steve know they aren't real teenagers, Clint and Tony behave badly, and Maria Hill is not a parent but Coulson might be. Also available as a podfic read by blackglass

The Tactical Applications of Caramel Apples and Ring-Tailed Lemurs by @caffienekitty (Gen, General Audiences, 2,342 words)

Summary: Loki de-ages Captain America. This is not the best idea he's ever had, but he can work with it.

Meet Tomorrow If You Choose by Dira Sudis (@dsudis) (Samsteve, Explicit, 9,440 words)

Summary: "Not quite like the other me, huh," Steve said, because there was no point pretending. "Nah, actually I was thinking I can see it," Sam said. "The way you stand--you project, you know? Like in a way you really always were the big guy, just your body took a while to catch up."

De-Aged Steve Rogers by @sabrecmc (Stony, Not Rated, 8,458 words)

Summary: Steve gets de-aged and clings to Tony

Second Childhood by @navaan (Stony, General Audiences, 2,006 words)

Summary: Steve and Tony get de-aged and it brings some problems, but maybe it gives them a chance to start over.

Smells Like Teen Spirit by @jenthesweetie (Stony, Teen And Up Audiences, 7,363 words)

Summary: Because that’s what the magic explosion had done: it had turned all of his friends into hormonal, pimpled, unbelievably obnoxious teenagers. When he called Fury to ask for advice, Fury laughed, hung up on him, called him back just to laugh some more, and then said, “If nobody’s dying, Stark, I really don’t care” and hung up again. Tony wondered vaguely who he had pissed off, besides all the usual suspects. This felt more as though he’d pissed somebody off in, like, a cosmic way.

Clint Barton And The Adventures In Terror Twin Rearing by @attackofthezee (General Audiences, 3,074 words, No Archive Warnings Apply)

Summary: “Maybe it’s aliens.” Steve hisses at Barnes. “Aliens don’t look like people Steve.” Barnes says with all the surety of an eleven year old. And ho boy, does Clint kind of want to introduce this version of these two to Thor. In which Steve and Bucky are somehow turned into their ten and eleven year old selves and Clint Barton is somehow nominated to take care of them. It goes about as well as can be expected. Also available as a podfic read by quietnight (@quietnighty)

They Could Never Be the Same by ABrighterDarkness (@alwaysabrighterdarkness) (Thundershield, Teen And Up Audiences, 1,234 words)

Summary: The situation at hand being a magically-miniaturized Steve Rogers who had hardly spoken a word but followed either Thor or Natasha around like a tiny shadow ever since they’d been released from Medical. SHIELD medical were, of course, every bit as shocked to have the Avengers show up en masse to deliver an apparently four-year-old Captain America to get checked over.

[drurrito]

I wrote this fairly quickly bc my crim prof is painfully hot and I am suffering as a result. All mistakes are mine.

Pairings: LawStudent!Reader x LawProfessor!Wanda

Warnings: like one cuss word lol -- reader's age is not specified and neither is Wanda's at this point -- if you want to be a K-thru-JD, be my guest.

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You’re staring at the heavy wooden door in front of you. Your eyes trace over the markings, this building is your favorite on campus because of the architecture. It was once a grand library in the late 1800s and now it holds most of your 1L classes. It’s also home to the office of your Criminal Law Professor whom you’re supposed to be meeting with in a few seconds.

You let out a long exhale as you stare at your watch. You try to ignore how sweaty your palm is as you clench your hand into a fist to knock on the door.

“Come in,” your professor’s voice is calm, with no hint as to why you were summoned to her office in the first place. It came through an email yesterday afternoon after class. You blinked at your screen while your friends teased you about being in trouble. 

Are you in trouble?

You step into her office and she’s sitting at her desk writing something down. 

“You wanted to see me, Professor Maximoff?”

“Yes,” she sets down her pen, “can I get you anything? Water? Tea?” She gives you a warm smile that would normally disarm anyone but it only makes you stiffen with nerves.

“No thank you, professor. I’m good.”

“Sure," she leans back in her chair and gives you a serious look that makes you flinch, "what did you think of the lesson yesterday? Any questions?”

Did she really call me in here to talk about yesterday’s lesson?

“No, professor, none that I can think of. Inchoate crimes seem pretty straightforward,” you nervously nod and her lips twitch into a smile.

“I look forward to reading your analysis on it for tomorrow’s discussion board then.”

“I’m just about done with it,” you breathe, it was the truth. You know you won’t see your class ranking until after your first year of law school but it seems to already be obvious to everyone that you’re top of the class. It’s not by luck, you've always had to work harder than everyone else to get where you needed to be. It does help that you’ve wanted to go to law school since you were a child. Now that you’re here, everything just clicks.

“Y/N,” Profesor Maximoff’s voice makes your eyes snap to hers. Her usually bright shade of hazel eyes are now much, much darker.  

“You’re a good student, you know that right?"

That makes you clear your throat, “thank you, professor, I’m just trying to make the most of this opportunity — it’s pretty busy at times.”

“You must be too busy to realize how you come across as well.”

“I’m sorry?” You have to ask to make sure you heard her correctly. 

“You realize this is the first time you’ve held eye contact with me for more than three seconds?" She crosses her arms and that makes you tense even more.

“You’ve been counting?”

“At some point, yes. It’s like clockwork," she unfolds one arm to frame her face and you can't help but appreciate her jawline and the perfectly manicured finger that's tapping away at her cheek.

You have to look away and take a breath. You feel like an idiot for having such obvious tells. Of course, if Sam and Bucky can clock your nervous habits, Professor Maximoff can too.

“You don’t let your eyes land on me for too long, they bounce around the room a lot, like right now.”

Your eyes fall on her again, but this time you make it a point to hold it for as long as you can physically bear it.

“I’m sorry, Professor. I’m not rude, just shy at times. I can see how that comes off as standoffish.”

“It’s okay,” she gives you a nod with a smile. It’s the same combo she gives during her lectures. You only know this because you’re its number-one fan. Your jaw reflexively drops but you quickly pick it back up before she notices.

“You know,” she slides out of her plush leather chair and saunters out from behind her desk, “at first I did think you were just rude.”

She shrugs for a beat before stepping closer to you, “but then I think about how often you hold the door for me.”

And closer.

“And how you say ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ whenever you pass me on campus.”

And closer.

“Now, it all makes sense.”

Your cheeks begin to burn, you want to step back to give her space but she’s already a breath away from you by the time your brain can form the idea.

“Y/n.”

“Yes, professor?”

“Do you like me?”

Fuck.

She asks it so innocently you almost forget where you are. You're not two people casually exploring each other's fascination with one another. You're not on some kind of date, she’s your professor and you’re just a 1L. She watches your throat squirm as you swallow. Your mouth is now bone dry. 

“I…it’s--just a little crush, yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, professor,” you respond so quickly and she hums in praise. Something pulls deep in your belly but you don’t have any time to figure out what it is before Professor Maximoff speaks again.

“Just a little?”

She leans impossibly closer to you. Your eyes don’t have a single corner to escape to, your breathing is shallow and sporadic. 

“Yeah.”

She doesn’t correct you this time and you can’t help but feel a heavy pang of want. You watch a smirk stretch across her face and you feel like prey that’s about to fall victim to--

“That’ll be all, y/n—please close the door on your way out.”

She backs away before you do, turning on her heel to sit at her desk just the way you found her.

You stand there dumbly nodding for a moment. She subtly raises an eyebrow in your direction and that’s when your limbs begin to move towards the door. You quietly shut the door behind you before slumping against it, air filling your lungs once again. You shake off whatever you're feeling and head home, still trying to wrap your head around what just happened. 

[deanscherrypie420]

Demon Blood - Part 1

A/N : Hi! This is my first public fan fiction I've written. I hope you enjoy! (Supernatural storyline is not followed) I didn't word count but uh.. It's.. It's long :D

Characters: Dean Winchester, Reader (Y/N), Sam Winchester, Bobby, Castiel.

Pairing: Dean Winchester X Fem!Reader, Sam X Reader (Platonic) Castiel X Reader (Platonic)

Warnings: Angst, demons, blood, injuries, mild detail into injuries, cursing, arguing, physical fights, supernatural hunts, slow burn (Let me know if I missed anything :) )

Summary: You were born a demon. You never found out why, but you have demon blood in your veins. Your father left when you were young and you've lived with Bobby ever since. One day, the Winchesters come storming back into your life for a place to stay. Sour memories are brought up and you and Dean can't stop fighting..

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She woke up to commotion in the main room. She glanced around her bedroom and pushed the blankets away. Grabbing her gun from underneath her pillow, she quietly walked to her door, listening in for any context. All she heard was men laughing. Groaning slightly, she made her way out to the living room. Immediately Bobby turns to her, a weary smile on his face.

"Y/N! The Winchester boys are gonna be staying here for a bit between hunts."

She glanced at them. Sam had changed a bit, he was tall, very fit. He'd grown his hair out more and he had an awkward smile. Dean was.. Dean. She didn't need to get into more detail.

"Why? Can't they just motel surf?" She said bitterly. She glared at the older Winchester. He had a small shit-eating grin on his face and it made her sick. "Or did you miss me, De?" She said with a tight smile, sarcasm lacing her words line thorns on a rose.

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She was coloring at the dining room when two boys arrived. The older man dropping them off seemed to be in a hurry and just as quickly as he was there, he was gone. Bobby had guided the two over to her and she smiled big.

"Hi! I'm Y/N! What are your names?" She said excitedly. One of the boys was older than her, taller too. He seemed to be about twelve years old. The other one was definitely around her age, maybe just a little older. The older one glanced down at his brother and he answered, "I'm Dean. He's Sam."

This was the start of a friendship between Sam and her. They were best friends, always drawing or reading together. One time she even stole a book from a library for him. Dean on the other hand, didn't like her that much. He wasn't outright mean or anything, he just didn't spend time with her. Everything was fine until one day..

"Guess what! Look what I can do!" She giggled as she dragged Sam closer. Intrigued, Dean came over as well, glancing over his little brother's shoulder. She closed her Y/E/C eyes, and when she opened them again they were like a sea of ink. Dean grabbed Sam and pulled him back, shoving the little girl to the floor. Her eyes quickly went back to normal but they were filled with tears. "W-what's wrong?" She asked.

"You're some sort of demon freak! Stay the hell away from me and my brother!" Dean shouted at her. Bobby soon rushed into the room and went to Y/N's side. She was crying now. Bobby had to explain to the boys how she was indeed, a demon.

It was never the same after that.

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At dinner they ordered take-out from a nearby fast food restaurant. It was quiet. The air was a bit tense, just the sounds of food packages moving around occasionally and beer bottles being set down. She wasn't legally allowed to drink for another six days, but who's counting?

"So, what's it like being a demon? Bein' all grown up now I'm sure you use your bullshit in some way." Dean said casually, a smartass grin on his face. He was taunting her.

She took a deep breath before responding, "It's great, y'know. I live normally. Just like any hunter would." She took another sip of beer and gave a unamused smile.

Dean cleared his throat, taking a swig of beer himself. "Yeah well, I bet your family is scared, huh? Never knowing when you might kill them.." He said coolly. It was such a random comment. He was trying to get a reaction out of her and she knew it. It was making her blood boil.

"Good thing I've never hurt any human before, huh?" She was tense and everybody could tell. Bobby and Sam were allowing the conversation to continue, cautiously glancing at her to make sure she was alright.

She's not sure exactly when the argument escalated but it did. They were yelling at each other and she was pissed. He brought up a time when she got violent, and for some reason he was so hell bent on bringing up her family. God, it infuriated her! She screamed at him, "Good thing I don't have a family to kill! Nobody has to worry about fucking shit!" She then stormed out and sat on the porch, trying to control her breathing.

Shortly after her, Sam walked out. "Hey, you okay?" He said quietly as he sat down next to her. She scoffed and nodded. "Yeah, golden." It was quiet for a moment. "We don't have much family either. Our dad is.. who knows where, and our mom is dead." He said quietly. She glanced over at him and smiled softly, "Yeah, but you have each other. I got no one." Her voice was gentle. Sam wrapped an arm around her and sighed, "You have me."

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Bobby had taken them to a playground for her seventh birthday. He was trying to distract her from the thought of her dad. The boys had been staying with Bobby for a year now, Dean was thirteen years old and Sammy was nine. Sam and her were still okay, despite his older brother's wishes. Her, Sam and Dean were at the top of the tallest slide and she was yelling for Bobby to watch her go down.

"Bobby! Bobby! Look at me! Watch!" She squealed excitedly. She was such a bubbly kid. Bobby looked over and smiled. "Go! C'mon now." He cheered her on the best he could. She was giggling and as she was about to go down she felt the wind knock out of her. Before she knew it she was falling down to the ground, and then It went blank.

She woke up moments later to Bobby and Sam next to her, helping her up. She was crying hard. Bark and dirt covered her new "birthday dress" and she was bleeding from scrapes all over. Sam hugged her tightly as she cried while Bobby scolded Dean for pushing her.

"I got you, it's- it's okay, Y/N. I'm here." Sam said, squeezing her tighter.

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She was in the Impala with the boys on a hunting trip. The only reason she was brought along - and the only reason she agreed - was because they suspected it was demons. She was in the backseat with her earbuds in, listening to Taylor Swift to block out whatever the hell Dean was listening to.

It was night time when they arrived in Colorado. They were in a small town, a rather trashy town to say the least. They booked a motel room because, as Dean said, "We aren't gonna book two rooms and change routine just 'cause you wanna feel special, sweetheart. Suck it up."

She set her stuff down by the couch while Sam went to shower. Dean grabbed a beer and made himself comfortable on his bed. He turned on the T.V and started watching a show she couldn't care less about. She made a makeshift bed on the sofa and laid down. She was exhausted.

When Sam came out of the shower, Dean went in. She cursed him under her breath for not letting her shower first.

"Hey, earth to Y/N." Sam said, waving his hand In front of her. She snapped out of her thinking and gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry, I was just zoning out." She rubbed the back of her neck. He ruffled her hair as he walked past and smiled. "Yeah, I noticed. Take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch." She rolled her eyes at the suggestion, "No. I'm fine, Sammy." They bickered about it for a minute before Dean stepped out of the shower. "She gets the couch, Sam. End of discussion."

The room was filled with tension and she told Sam she was gonna clean up really quick. She went into the bathroom and showered. The water was cold, Dean purposefully using as much warm water as he could. When she was finished, she wrapped herself in a towel and peeked out the bathroom door. "Sammy," She said sweeter than usual, catching both the boy's attention, "Can you please grab me a shirt? I kinda forgot one." He smiled and nodded, "No problem." He reached into a bag and grabbed a t-shirt. Once he gave it to her she retreated back into the bathroom. Her face was flushed and she felt like an idiot. What the fuck was that, Sammy, can you pretty please grab me a shirt? She mocked herself, Sounded like you were trying to fuck him, Jesus.

She left the bathroom and made her way over to the couch. Dean stared at her the whole time, making her slightly uncomfortable. "Can I help you?" She said, more attitude in her tone than she intended. Dean gave a tight smile back. "You're wearing my shirt." He said calmly. For some reason, everything he did seemed to irritate her. "Oh, boo-hoo. Cry about it. It's just a shirt." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Don't give me attitude, I'm just pointing It out." He winked at her, a grin on his face. Is this fucker serious right now? She thought to herself. "Fucking. Gross." She said as she peeled the shirt from her body, leaving herself in nothing but sweats and a bra. She tossed the shirt at him and flipped him off, "Go bang a bartender or something, don't flirt with me." She scoffed and shook her head, "I might kill you, remember?" The room went silent as she lay down on the couch, quickly falling into an uncomfortable sleep.

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"Rise and shine, doll face! We got work to do." Dean announced as he opened the curtains to the motel window, the bright sunlight causing her to cringe. She forced herself up and immediately noticed a new face.

"Who the fuck is that?" She said bluntly, staring at the man.

"I'm Castiel, the Winchesters guardian angel. Nice to meet you." He said almost robot-like as he stuck his hand out to shake hers. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head, going over to the coffee machine and pouring herself a cup. Castiel tilted his head and quirked a brow at the brothers. "Was I inappropriate?" He questioned. Sam quickly answered before Dean could, "No, she's just not a morning person." Castiel seemed to accept this answer and remained seated.

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"Fucking bitch!" She yelled out as the demon sliced her chest, throwing her to the floor. It grabbed her by her throat and squeezed, nearly crushing it before chucking her to the wall.

She got into the predicament because she was playing bait. "A demon can't kill you, so just go in there and distract him while we figure something out." Dean explained to her. She had rolled her eyes and agreed, now wishing she hadn't.

"Not so strong now, are you, little girl?" The vessel cooed, making her teeth grind. She flung herself forward and shoved it to the ground, her eyes pooled with black. She heard a gunshot as she fell to the ground with it, but she didn't care, she was determined to kill this demon.

Suddenly, after tearing it apart, she was pulled off of It. She went to attack whatever the fuck interrupted her but she was quickly soothed by Sam's voice. 'Hey, calm down. Shh.." He whispered in her ear. Her muscles relaxed and she exhaled, her eyes returning to normal. "Fuck, we didn't mean to shoot you. Dean, wheres Cas?" Sam asked urgently. She was beginning to feel lightheaded and she realized that she was the one who got shot. The bullet went in right by her hip, the soft flesh around it soaked in blood. She couldn't make out what the boys were arguing about, but before she knew it she was laying flat on the ground while Dean tried to remove the bullet from her side. Sam was above her, definitely talking to her but she couldn't hear him. Black spots formed in the corners of her eyes and soon it consumed her.

She was out.

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She woke up in the motel bed, a groan leaving her throat. Both of the brothers perked up and looked over at her. Sam rushed to your side and began rambling, asking if you were alright and such. Her headache was banging against her temples and she shut her eyes tight. "Sam, shut up. I'm fine." She said sternly, quickly silencing the younger Winchester. Dean cocked a brow, "He's just making sure you're okay. Son of a bitch shot you, be grateful he gives a damn." Dean all but nearly yelled, his tone clearly pissed off. "Dean, shut the fuck up. I'm not in a mood to bitch with you right now." She snapped back, pushing herself up out of bed. She had bruising underneath each of her eyes, it was mild but it was there. Her forehead was scratched and she had a long incision down her chest. It felt like the wounds were burning through her clothes and It just pissed her off more.

Pulling her out of her thoughts, Dean shouted at her. "I'm sick and tired of you thinking you're some sort of fucking god because you're a demon. Get off your fucking high horse and be grateful we patched your ass up!" His brows were furrowed and his fists were balled up, his knuckles white. She grit her teeth and shoved him back. "It's your fucking job." She said as he banged against the wall. "Your job is to protect people, whether it be me or Sammy. Don't give me the "be grateful" speech when you aren't appreciative of shit!" She yelled back at him.

He sprang forward, not knowing what came over him. He slapped her so hard across the face her mind shook. "Good thing you're not a person. You're a disgusting fucking demon, sweetheart!" He chuckled dryly, "We should have left you for dead."

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It's been hours since she's been back at the motel. She checked her phone and it was nearing three in the morning. 2:37 AM. Great. She laughed to herself. She was freezing, the cold wind and rain chilling her to the bone.

By the time she made it to the bus stop, there was only an hour left until it took off. She sat down on a bench, the warm heaters inside the building making her head lull back. She closed her eyes and exhaled.

"5;00 AM Bus to South Dakota Leaving In Five Minutes." The intercom said, waking her up. She hopped on the bus and made herself comfortable in a seat closer to the front. She would be back home within a few hours.

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

When she returned home, her clothing was still damp and she looked pretty.. rough. She quickly made her way past Bobby, and into her bedroom. She changed into a new set of clothes and took a deep breath. She knew the boys would be home soon, so she had to figure out a way to explain the situation to-

"Are you alright?" Bobby yelled through the door, knocking quickly before opening it. She smiled at his familiarity, the comfort of being home. He quickly rushed over to her and grabbed her face. "Who in bloody hell laid a hand on my kid?" He said through gritted teeth. She just shrugged and waved his hand away, sighing. "Hunts are rough." She remarked dryly. Bobby exhaled and turned her head to the side, not caring that she waved him off. "Only a demon would hit a woman like this." He said coldly and a part of her inside smiled.

Who's the demon now, De?

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

"De! De! Look at what I drew for you!" She said, wobbling around as she ran up to him with a picture in hand. It was Deans thirteenth birthday. He was waiting for his dad at the kitchen table. He was supposed to come.

The picture was in bright colors and it read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEDE!!" In big pink letters. There was a cake drawing on it with three candles, she explained It was for the three of them. "One is for you, the red one! See, see! The green one is for Sammy, because he really likes trees! And- and the pink one-" Dean cut her off, "I don't care! Get your stupid ass picture away from me and stop calling me that!" He shouted as he grabbed the paper and ripped it, throwing the two halves back at her in little crumpled balls. Her eyes watered and she nodded, picking up the scraps. "I'm sorry, De.." She said quietly, and he pushed her hard. "Don't fucking call me that!" He yelled.

"Do not cuss at her like that, boy!" Bobby had said when he came in, yelling at Dean. She ran to her room and cried.

She couldn't stop crying.

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

When the boys got home Bobby immediately approached them. Dean was prepared for Bobby's wrath. How he would yell at him for laying a hand on her.

"You boys! I swear to God! You need to take better care of her, that evil creature got 'er good! Cut her up and slapped her hard." Bobby said with the shake of his head. Dean's eyebrows quirked in confusion, cautiously answering, "The demon slapped her?" Sam glanced down at his brother and shook his head. "Who else woulda done it, Dean? Monsters are sick people.." Bobby said before waving the boys off and walking away.

Before Sam or Dean could say anything, Y/N appeared in the doorway, mimicking Bobby's voice.

"Only a demon would hit a woman like this." She said with a smug grin. Dean's eyes darted towards her and he seethed. "Bullshit. He didn't say that." Y/N just smiled, walking over to him and placing a hand on his chest. Sam raised a brow, a bit antsy. Dean's heartbeat was racing. He cheeks grew flushed and she just chuckled softly. Her hand trailed up Dean's collar and found its way to his cheek, cupping it gently.

"Only a demon, De."

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

A/N : That's the end of part one! I wrote this all in one sitting and I didn't exactly proof read, so let me know If there are any mess ups! I hope you enjoyed :)

Thank you so much for reading! If you have any rec's feel free to send them over :)

[ca-suffit]

sam confused me a bit when he said the show will always be about the unholy little family, I really don’t know how is that possible.

I was seeing some lestacels talking about nickistat and how it couldn’t be like in the books bc of the age gap, like in the book Nicki was the experienced and cultured one and lestat was a naive young boy, it’s obviously not like that in the books, there’s 9 years gap, lestans are upset about that and i cheer

I think aging Lestat is a big big change from the books and is gonna affect the plot no matter what, like a 34y old will be pathetic to seek the kind of validation and guidance he looks for from Marius and David, can you imagine?lol

Also Rolin says he wants 8 seasons but I’m sure he is trolling, that would mean Sam would be over 50 and playing Lestat de lioncourt like 🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭

"sam confused me a bit when he said the show will always be about the unholy little family, I really don’t know how is that possible."

claudia never stops being a theme in the books and their life together is ever present. I think anne could have written a lot of it better, but louis and lestat are forever haunted by their failures with claudia and their relationship then. it affects everything they do forever.

"I was seeing some lestacels talking about nickistat and how it couldn’t be like in the books bc of the age gap, like in the book Nicki was the experienced and cultured one and lestat was a naive young boy, it’s obviously not like that in the books, there’s 9 years gap, lestans are upset about that and i cheer"

idk how it doesn't occur to ppl that someone being physically older but still more sheltered wouldn't be *more* devastating in ways. unless they change lestat's experience with paris, he might be older but still clueless how to navigate that city, have any independence of his family, have experience in relationships. I think that would be interesting.

"I think aging Lestat is a big big change from the books and is gonna affect the plot no matter what, like a 34y old will be pathetic to seek the kind of validation and guidance he looks for from Marius and David, can you imagine?lol"

I mean, not rly tho?? like I just wrote, if he's still been sheltered and unable to escape his home life that whole time, he won't be a worldly 34 y/o. he's also got major daddy issues, that doesn't just go away cuz ur older. aging him up obviously makes him physically older but doesn't rly make it a stretch of reality for his mentality about some stuff. a lot of ppl who live in abuse live like this bcuz surviving however many years thru that means typical milestones and certain developments can pass u by. also none of us ever stops needing validation and guidance anyway.

the show was also always supposed to run long, so they've known from the start what they were casting for. I don't think there'll be much visible difference in actors. I actually think that's why they cast them older. the diff between 20s and 30s is p obvious but 30s to 40s isn't.

[duskyashe]

NaNoWriMo Day #17

[masterlist] [part one] [part three]

=============‹«⟨···•···⟩»›=============

While Danny was infinitely grateful for Clockwork and all the things he'd done for him over the past three years, he was really regretting giving the ancient ghost carte blanche when it came to his safety. The dimension travel was cool, he'd been able to see a crap ton of various superhero fights since getting dropped here, he'd even got a hoodie from Captain Marvel, but the de-aging thing? He was seventeen, not ten! How did being physically younger than he was chronologically protect him from anything? He'd learned to apply his mom's martial arts at fourteen, at ten he'd still only been learning the katas! Honestly, it was a good thing his being de-aged had only taken his muscle memory, and he still had his ghost half; without his powers, he would have been roadkill by now.

He'd just flown from the shining City of Metropolis all the way to a city Sam would have loved, if only for the aesthetic, when the sun touched the horizon. Looking around, Danny figured it'd be best not to be out on the streets after dark, and started looking for a place to crash for the night. There were a surprising number of empty and deserted apartments in the area of town he'd flown into, but most of them weren't the most defensible, so on he went, until he felt something... Different, something he hadn't felt in years. Not since Ellie had almost destabilized. This, though... This was different. This wasn't a young core crying out in terror, this was a strangled core crying out in pain and rage and confusion. And it wasn't a full ghost, either. It was another halfa. Danny was phasing into a highly fortified apartment before he even knew it.

Carefully picking his way through the apartment, Danny made his way to the back room where he knew the other halfa was. He could hear them gasping and hyperventilating, their core fighting its bonds yet gaining no headway. Rounding the doorway to the bedroom, Danny froze, his core aching at the sight of the state the older halfa was in. How the guy wasn't in the middle of a murderous rampage, he wasn't sure, but helping him would be significantly easier with Danny not having to protect a bunch of civilians at the same time, so he'd take it.

He settled his feet onto the ground, rolled the sleeves of his too large hoodie up slightly, and let out a couple small chirps. The effect was instantaneous, the older halfa's attention drawn completely to him. Seeing those glowing green eyes under a patch of white hair, focused with laser intensity on him, Danny shifted a bit as he relaxed. He'd managed to break his mental spiral, now all he had to do was interact with the guy and his core would do the rest of the work. Hesitantly, he shuffled forward and chirped a few more times, trying to encourage the guy to respond.

Danny had never been more relieved than he was when the guy chirped back, tears welling in his eyes as his shoulders relaxed. A sob worked its way out of the guy as he reached a hand out, as if grasping for a lifeline, and who was Danny to deny him that simple comfort? Ghosts were nearly as tactical as humans were, sometimes more so, in fact.

=============‹«⟨···•···⟩»›=============

Admittedly, falling asleep cuddled up in the older halfa's arms had not been his intention, but, well... Having someone freely give him comfort in return for receiving comfort had been something he'd missed terribly. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to his friends or his sister before Clockwork had sent him to this dimension. It had been... Way too long since he'd had a hug, especially one as warm and all encompassing as that one had been.

He didn't want to move from the safety of those strong arms holding him, didn't want to leave the comforting rumble of the older halfa's purr, but Danny desperately needed the restroom, and he still had some dignity left. Reluctantly, he tried to shift enough to slip out of the hug, only for those arms to tighten their hold on him ever so slightly. Tired blue eyes fluttered open, studying Danny's face for a moment before closing for a wide yawn.

"Where do you think you're going, kiddo?" The other halfa asked softly, his sleep-rough baritone voice weaving a layer of peace-calm-safety into the air around them.

"... I need the restroom..." Danny mumbled, fighting the urge to just stay right where he was. He hadn't felt this peaceful since the last time he'd visited Jazz at her college dorm.

The chest he was still half curled up to jiggled as the guy huffed an amused laugh. He was hugged a bit tighter for a moment before being released. "Just across the hall, kiddo. Do your business, then meet me in the kitchen for breakfast, alright? I have some questions I'd like to ask you, starting with what flavor of pancakes you like." Danny blinked but nodded. He was up and almost out the door when the guy spoke back up. "Oh, and kid? The name's Jason. Thanks for what you did for me last night."

Danny paused and turned to look back at Jason. The guy was already looking better now that his core wasn't being restrained by the sickly green gunk that had been strangling it. His blue eyes were almost glowing with life, and his skin held a warm peachy color that hadn't been there before he'd fallen asleep. Even his hair, black with a patch of white, seemed healthier. Danny smiled, small and content. "Danny, and you're welcome. You looked like you needed some TLC."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Tender love and care?"

"Nah," Danny smirked. "Tons of love and cuddles."

=============‹«⟨···•···⟩»›=============

Tehehe (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠) I'm very happy with how this turned out! We finally got Danny's point of view! Now, admittedly, when I wrote the first part, I didn't have a concrete age for Danny, or really any backstory for him being in Gotham except for he was on the run due to a Reveal Gone Wrong™. I just really liked the idea of Danny getting de-aged and punted into another dimension for his own safety, and meeting Jason as a byproduct. They've adopted each other, now lol

Here's some fun people who asked to be tagged if I continued this! @treepainting, @fancydelusionluminary, @blacksea21090, @undead-essence, @fisticuffsatapplebees, here's part two!

Have a good morning/day/night!

[graysparrowao3]

Sam Drake - A Character Exploration

About 4 years ago, I wrote a character analysis for Sam Drake from the Uncharted series. It sat in my documents folder ever since, but it seems like Tumblr is the right place for this sort of thing, so I'll share it should anyone have interest in that sort of thing.

(Turns out I have a thing for writing about sibling relationships in games, especially focusing on the older sibling, who knew!)

This analysis explores Samuel Drake as a tragic example of a man surviving through childhood trauma and loss. We will look at how his early experiences shape who he is, and demonstrate how Sam survives through adversity. Let's look at some of the facts of Sam's life and break them down to explore how Sam came to be the person we see throughout Uncharted 4.

This contains spoilers for the Uncharted game series.

Profile: Samuel "Drake" Morgan, White male, mid-40s.

Sam is born five years before his brother, Nathan. When Sam is ten years old their mother dies and their father surrenders them to the state and sells their family possessions. They find their mother's notes on pirates with an elderly explorer who speaks highly of her and Sam changes their surname to Drake. When pursuing pirate treasure with the aid of wealthy Rafe Adler, Sam is shot and left for dead. After thirteen years, Rafe discovers Sam is alive and pays for his release from prison. Sam reunites with his brother and constructs a lie in which his life being threatened to convince Nate to join him again. There is clear tension between Sam and Nate's mentor, Victor Sullivan. When Sam ultimately finds the treasure he sets off a trap that leaves him unconscious; Nate saves him. Sam takes some treasure which he discreetly gives to his brother. Sam and Sully become business partners.

From Very Small Beginnings

Sam is born five years before his brother, Nathan. When Sam is ten years old their mother dies and their father surrenders them to the state and sells their family possessions.

These first two sentences tells us a lot about Sam's start in life. When Sam is barely an adolescent he becomes the sole caregiver to a five-year-old, abandoned by his father and with no connections to a mother who dies under tragic circumstances.

The only male role-model in Sam's life, his father, is remembered by Sam as "always the asshole". Unsurprising, given that he voluntarily gives up parental rights to his children leaving them in the care system. Without consistent caregivers, a permanent residence, or financial resources, a ten-year-old boy suddenly must provide safety and stability for his five-year-old brother.

His role as Nate's de facto parent is clear on multiple occasions, through his leadership and mentoring of Nate as children and through his protective nature which is shown to be genuine and powerful; both as a teenager and in his middle-age Sam steps in front of a loaded gun that is pointed towards his brother. Though his effectiveness as a mentor could be questioned, Sam does the best he can given that he had no positive role-models to demonstrate love, compassion, or guidance for him to give his brother.

As an adolescent with basic needs, both physical and emotional, that aren't met, legal ramifications are low on the list of priorities, and Sam engages in petty theft and other anti-social behaviors as a matter of survival in a world that has shown it does not care for him. Sam's delinquency that results in him leaving the care home he was placed in is a direct and necessary result of the environment in which he was forced to grow up.

Before he even hits puberty, Sam has lost both parents, the ability to enjoy his childhood, any sense of safety or stability, and any meaningful relationships aside from his kid brother. The amount of traumatic loss that he is required to carry is huge, and his greatness comes not from any subsequent treasure hunting, but from the resilience he shows in adapting to this childhood trauma and becoming the support his brother needs in spite of that absence of any support for himself.

Finding Meaning in Life

They find their mother's notes on pirates with an elderly explorer who speaks highly of her and Sam changes their surname to Drake.

Sam therefore finds himself as a young man with a purpose: to take care of his younger brother. When he discovers the location of their mother's possessions, it means more to him than simply recovering some artifacts; he discovers the possibility of a physical connection to their mother. This gives Sam a secondary motivation that follows him throughout the game.

Upon finding their mother's journals in the home of Evelyn, an elderly explorer who worked with their mother, the boys have the opportunity to speak with someone who can tell them about their mother. She person emphasizes their mother's exemplary historical and archaeological work, describing their mother's theory that Sir. Francis Drake has living heirs as potentially her "crowning achievement" before promptly dying and forcing the boys to flee with the knowledge of the pirate legacies their mother had been chasing.

Adopting the Drake name is about more than needing a new identify to escape potential murder charges; it legitimizes a connection between Cassandra Morgan and her sons. Sam doesn't necessarily care that a long-dead pirate sired forgotten children, but if Sir. Francis Drake has heirs, their existence would be the "crowning achievement" of Cassandra Morgan's life. What Sam wants most, as an 18-year-old with no life prospects taking care of his kid brother, is to for his mother to be proud of him, and so he quite literally names himself and Nathan as the "crowning achievement" of their mother's short life.

Sam acts upon these two purposes throughout the game, showing his desire for a connection to his family: 1) To be a mentor to Nathan, and 2) to pursue the pirate legends to continue the legacy of his mother.

Samuel Morgan is a worthless care system statistic, Samuel Drake is the heir to his mother's pirate legacy.

The Destruction of a Boy's Self-Esteem

When pursuing pirate treasure with the aid of wealthy Rafe Adler, Sam is shot and left for dead. After thirteen years, Rafe discovers Sam is alive and pays for his release from prison. Sam reunites with his brother and constructs a lie in which his life being threatened to convince Nate to join him again.

Whilst we don't get much verbal exploration of Sam's feelings about his childhood, it is true that children may blame themselves for negative events out of their control. His recklessness and questionable moral compass give away the internal pain caused by being voluntarily giving away by his remaining parent; the person supposed to love and care for him threw him away like trash. How can we expect any child to understand the complexities of compassion when he believes that he is so worthless that even his own father did not want him.

When remembering Father Duffy at the orphanage, Sam comments "I don't need the guilt". The orthodox orphanage that they are homed in reinforced the idea of shame through the idea of behavior as sin and by not recognizing the boys' behaviors through a lens of attachment and trauma. Rather than recognizing Sam's delinquency as a survival strategy in the face of trauma or the brothers' aggression as an external expression of internal distress, the orphanage staff take a punitive approach.

Jump forward a couple of decades, and Sam has spent thirteen consecutive years in prison. When Rafe bails him out, he does this so that Sam is indebted to assist him in continuing the hunt for treasure. Compare this to when, in Uncharted 2, Sully bails Nathan out of prison simply because he cares about him.

The presence of just one supportive adult can facilitate a child to effectively manage experiences of trauma. Nate had Sam, Sully, Elena, and a cast of well-rounded contacts and friends to support him. Even when released from prison, Sam is nothing more than a tool for someone to use. Aside from Nate, who believes him dead for a third of his life, there is not a single person in Sam's life with whom he has a meaningful relationship.

Furthermore, when the brothers reunite their lives are now in complete juxtaposition. Nate has a wife who loves him, a steady job, a consistent home, a mentor, and a list of achievements finding lost legacies and treasures. Sam, the elder of the two, has nothing.

Nathan is better looking, more charming, more successful, and has more meaningful relationships in his life. And Sam knows it.

A Threatened Purpose

There is clear tension between Sam and Nate's mentor, Victor Sullivan.

In spite of the numerous physical dangers that the Drake brothers finds themselves up against in the action and adventure sections of the game, it is the emotional dangers that are at the core of the games narrative.

Given that we have already identified that one of the most meaningful aspects of Sam's life is his relationship with his younger brother, it makes sense that for Sam, Victor Sullivan represents a real and significant threat. If, during Sam's multiple incarcerations, Sully has taken over the role of being Nate's main caretaker and mentor, then Sam's entire purpose of existence from the age of ten is called into question. Having seen Sully's presence and the relationship between himself and Nathan in the prior games, we know this to be the case.

Interestingly, given that Sam is retrospectively inserted into the story, we as the audience see Victor Sullivan as Nathan's original long-term mentor and not Sam, and so we can empathize with Sully's reluctance to trust him. When Sam is convincing Nathan to join him to restart their search for the treasure, Sully outright says that the reason he is joining the brothers is that "someone's got to keep an eye out for him [Nathan]", heavily implying that Sam is either not capable of doing so or is the person from whom Nate needs protecting. From Sully's perspective, Sam was a naive and brash teenager who is reckless with his brother's well-being. From Sam's perspective, with Sully in Nathan's life there is no longer a role for Sam to play. This is particularly tragic given that his thirteen years in prison during which time Sully and Nate's relationship developed were due to Rafe's actions, not Sam's.

Though both Sam and Sully could be viewed as unhealthy relationships for Nate, in that they both encouraged Nate to pursue a 'life of crime' (and, euphemistically, 'treasure hunting'), the secure, emotional connections that they provided in the absence of any attachment to a parent figure helped Nathan to adapt better than Sam was ever able to.

Consider also the impact of Nate's reluctance to rejoin Sam. Not only does Nate initially refuse due to his newly stable life, but multiple times throughout the journey he expresses doubt regarding their quest. He outright states, as does Sullivan, that there better ways to go about saving Sam's life. However, we know the truth that Sam's desperation to find Avery's treasure is in actuality a desire to fulfill a connection between the brothers and their mother. He's buying his life back, but not from Hector Alcazar; from a stolen childhood.

When Nate challenges the importance of finding the treasure, what Sam perceives is a challenge to the importance of himself and of their family.

On top of this, we have the added embarrassment of Nate's previous successes as a treasure hunter. As Nate puts it when they find Libertalia, "this isn't my first lost city". Sam's jealousy is routed in the previous discussion on self-esteem; in comparison to Nate, Sam has achieved nothing. To add insult to injury, it was Sam who was the catalyst for the boys adventures and interest in lost treasures, and he ends up falling far behind his kid brother in the pursuit of following their mother's work.

A New Beginning

When Sam ultimately finds the treasure he sets off a trap that leaves him unconscious; Nate saves him. Sam takes some treasure which he discreetly gives to his brother. Sam and Sully become business partners.

Since their abandonment by their father Sam has lived in financial insecurity, and if all he cared about was treasure he could have found it with Rafe. Afterall, Rafe was only invited to join their mission due to his wealth and the contacts it afforded. Whereas Nathan, who has earned enough to "pay off the house, the car, [and] the engagement ring", Sam has lived either under the poverty line or in prison for the majority of his life. For him a fistful of gold is life-changing (as he also leaves to Nate at the end), and he leaves the adventure with several.

Through the act of saving Sam's life, Nate demonstrates not only his own competence, but also that the role of his protector is not longer necessary; not because it has been replaced, but because it is redundant. Then, by providing his brother and sister-in-law with the spoils of his quest, Sam is able to secure them financially and prove to Nate the literal value of his life's mission.

Sam at the end of Uncharted 4 now has access to wealth that means he is not living in a constant state of crisis, he has followed his mother's work on pirate legacies, and his brother has demonstrated his own independence. He has closure on his concern for his kid brother, and on showing his mother that he is also worthy of being her son.

From tragically small beginnings, Sam's resilience and determination to not give up on himself or his family brings psychological relief and an acceptance of self so that his own adventures can finally begin.

[fluffystevefest]

Fluffy Steve Fest really flew by! Thank you so much to everyone who shared their creations or showed their love and support - the round-up of daily masterlists (with a side of fun statistics) is coming on July 10. In the meantime, be generous with your likes, kudos, reblogs, shares, and comments! 💙

THEME ★ STEVE'S...

Fluffy Steve Fest Day 7 - Steve's...less common friendships by @bulkyphrase ★ Rec list ★ Pairing: Multi ★ It's the final day of @fluffystevefest! Sunday's theme is "Steve's..." and I've decided to focus on Steve's rarer friendships. So please enjoy this list of lighthearted stories featuring some lovely platonic Steve rarepairs.

Fluffy Steve Fest Rec List: July 7: Steve's... by @ephemeralbutterfly ★ Rec list ★ Pairing: Multi ★ Hello everyone! I am doing daily themed rec lists for @fluffystevefest. The fics are related (some more loosely than others) to the daily prompts. The number of fics for any given day and prompt varies, but I have at least one fic for each day. There's also a wide variety of fic types and ratings, so I hope there will be something for everyone. The lists are vertically long, so I've put them behind a cut. The longest list for the last day. Once again a grab bag.

Coming Around Again by @polizwrites ★ Fic: 572, G ★ Pairing: Steve/Bucky ★ When Bucky calls Steve out on an old habit, he remembers the first time they shared an apartment.   

Day 7: His Wickedly Wild Menace by @mercurial-chuckles ★ Fic ★ Pairing: Steve/Reader ★ As a Systems Engineer, you were working on a machine in the gym. To your great dislike, a rookie bullies your trainee, and you can't help but show the rookie his place. Unbeknownst to you, the Avengers were vetting out the recruits before physical strength tests, and they see the whole thing. You capture Steve's interest.

yours, steve rogers by @meidui ★ Fic: 1k, G ★ Pairing: Steve & Avengers ★ Life seems to slow down, gentle and forgiving in a way it has never been before, and Steve gets into writing letters.

PROMPT ★ CHILDHOOD

For the First Time by @thebrooklynnway ★ Fic: 3.2k, M ★ Pairing: Steve/Tony ★ Steve is six years old when he meets Tony. He kisses Steve on the cheek, declares that they are best friends for life, then makes his way down the ladder of the treehouse. Steve watches with a blush on his freckled cheeks, a mixture of happiness and something he doesn’t really understand swirling in his heart.

I Drew it for You by @darthbloodorange ★ Fic: 100, G ★ Pairing: Steve & Sarah ★ Steve draws something for his mother.

de-aged steve fic recs <3 by @meidui ★ Rec list ★ Pairing: Steve/Tony ★

PROMPT ★ HABITS

Expensive Habit by @darthbloodorange ★ Fic: 100, G ★ Pairing: Steve & Tony, Steve & Avengers ★ It sort of just happens...

PROMPT ★ FIRST TIMES

Name Change by @ijustreallylikecaptainamericaok ★ Fic: 396, T ★ Pairing: Steve/Scott, Steve & Cassie ★ Scott had seen a similarly shocked pause before, back when Paxton went from Jim to Papa.

Thawed Interest by @darthbloodorange ★ Fic: 300, T ★ Pairing: Steve/Bucky, Steve & Avengers ★ Steve experiences his first crush since coming out of the ice. The Avengers have thoughts...

PROMPT ★ HAPPY ENDING

World's Best Dad-Venger by @darthbloodorange ★ Art ★ Pairing: Steve & Avengers ★ Summery: A retired Steve wakes in the morning to find a gift left by the young heroes he helps train.

Happy Ending by @americas-ass-writing ★ Fic: 1.3k ★ Pairing: Steve/Reader ★ Happy endings were something from fairytales. The real life didn't offer this. Steve would know. Every single piece of happiness was taken from him after way too short. His dad, his mom soon after, Bucky (who luckily returned to him), his own life. After trying to reclaim what he could of his life things looked better. He had friends, a found family, a sense of purpose... only for it to be taken far too soon. After the fight with Thanos everyone went their separate ways. Tony quit to be with his family, Natasha went on a lengthy solo mission. Sam and Bucky went on their own adventures after Steve gave the shield to Sam, too tired to continue being cap. Being someone he just isn't anymore. Thor went back to new Asgard. Bruce went to California. Which leaves Steve alone in New York. Alone to pick up the shambles of his and everyone else's life. Alone.

[the-trinket-witch]

New TWST OC Hub!

(NOTE: All art depicted is a combination of freehand art and sprite manipulation, So I cannot say this is wholly my own hand. As well, SD sprites are created via this picrew and edited further by me.)

Albert Eastwind (アルバート・イーストウィンド):

(TWST OF: Mary Poppins)

Age: 17

Pronouns: He/Him (わたくし)

Birthday: Aug 27

Height: 5'9" (175cm)

Class: 2-C (Student 64)

Homeland: Altus (Queendom of Roses)

Best Class: Practical Magic

U.M: 'Step in Time'- Can slow time around up to 15ft (4.5m), can only use up to an hour of time (passes as 5 minutes IRT). Buildup of blot makes use of <1hr dangerous.

Likes: Taking care of others

Dislikes: 'Piecrust Promises' (lying or sparing someone their feelings)

Personality: Cheerful, practical, self-flagellating, one to suffer in silence, truthful, wordy, uplifting, formal

Nicknames: Swordfish (Floyd), Monsieur Parapluie (Rook)

Eugenio 'Yuu' Hernandez (エウヘニオ・ヘルナンデス)

(TWST OF: N/A)

Age: 16

Pronouns: They/Them (僕)

Birthday: May 15

Height: 5'4" (162cm)

Class: 1-A (Student 13)

Homeland: Alameda, CA, USA

Best Class: P.E

U.M: 'Beast Tamer'-not magical, but the threat of La Chancla upside one's head tends to put rowdy schoolboys in line

Likes: Cooking, learning about Twisted Wonderland, days off

Dislikes: Overblotting, Some of the Dorm Leaders, having to do Crowley's go-for work, going hungry

Personality: Pragmatic, wry, inexperienced, mature, tired, fun-seeking

Nicknames: Shrimpy (Floyd), Monsieur Trickster (Rook)

Tidus Rhin (ティダス・ライン)

(TWST OF: Archimedes-The Little Mermaid (TV Series))

Age: 16

Pronouns: He/Him (自分)

Birthday: Nov 17

Height: 7ft (213cm)

Class: 1-C (student 50)

Homeland: Coral Sea

Best Class: History

U.M: 'Fathom's Below'- Can use infrasound frequencies to cause a variety of physical/psychological effects

Likes: Human Culture

Dislikes: Being used exclusively for his strength

Personality: Bubbly, curious, naive, scholarly, headstrong, tame, protective

Nicknames: Jinbei (Floyd), Monsieur Vaste (Rook)

Lázaro Muertinez (ラサロ・ムエルティネス)

Age: 18

Pronouns: He/Him (俺)

Birthday: Nov 2

Height: 6'0" (182cm)

Class: 3-D (Student 42)

Homeland: Land of Dawning

Best Class: Music

U.M: 'Recuérdame'-digs up lost memories of those who hear him playing music. Memories are random.

Likes: Playing any instrument he can get his hands on

Dislikes: Art theft

Personality: Cheery, familial, boisterous, spontaneous, savant, festive

Nicknames: Celebes (Floyd), Roi de la Guitare (Rook)

Aadesh Sona (アーデシュ・ソナ)

Age: 28

Pronouns: He/Him (俺-様)

Birthday: Oct 18

Height: 6'5" (195cm)

Subject: 'Counselor' (Inside Trader/Intel Gatherer)

Homeland: Sunset Savannah

Species: Beastman (Constrictor)

U.M: 'Silver Mist'-lowers brainwave activity, putting people to sleep. Cannot influence actions via UM itself, but has a degree in psychology so only needs to have one in a more suggestible state.

Likes: Having the upper hand, Praise from Mr Khan, power

Dislikes: Things not going his way, Knots in his tail, Kids too smart for their own good

Personality: Conceited, intelligent, scheming, two-faced, obsequious, manipulative, eloquent, self-serving

Nicknames: Scaly Bastard (various), Creepy Constrictor (various) Doctor (clients)

The Janitor (管理人-さん)

(TWST of: Myself! My Actual 'Self insert')

Age: 6 months

Pronouns: They/Them (自分)

Birthday: Sept. 15

Height: 5'4" (163cm)

Role: Janitor

Homeland: Nightraven College Science Lab

Species: Construct (animated anatomical model)

U.M: N/A (Has a charm that makes their sign language understood by those they communicate with)

Likes: Cleaning, free time, learning about 'Life'

Dislikes: Purposefully messy areas, People not understanding their signs, (eventually) being treated as a slave

Personality: detail-oriented, tidy, tired, sassy, overworked, nonchalant, wry

Nicknames: Handybones (various), Bones Malone (various), The Assistant (Sam), 'Oh Shit You Scared Me' (various), The Walking Halloween Decoration (various) Glassfish (Floyd), Souverain de Propreté (Rook)

Rajesh Khan (レージェシュ カン)

(TWST of: Shere Khan-Jungle Book)

Age: 53

Pronouns: He/Him (俺-様)

Birthday: Nov. 17

Height: 5'9" (175cm)

Career: CEO (Khan Corp.)

Homeland: Scalding Sands

Species: Beastman (Tiger)

U.M: 'King of the Jungle' Magically amplifies his infrasound roar, making it easier to intimidate.

Likes: Exotic food, smooth business dealings, news from Aadesh, opera, body building

Dislikes: Insubordination, lack of information, kicks to the knee

Personality: Austere, collected, explosive, cutthroat, confident

Nicknames: Sir, Mr Khan

Finally also: the Voice Claim Trailer

[hollywoodbabylondean]

We're bringing HBO supernatural back in 2023 and that means

Claire is a Nephil But Wrong because her grace has been eating away at her soul for years

Alex never got cured from her vampirism but she became a lab tech at a hospital and feeds off expired blood and platelets

Patience struggles with everyday tasks because visions come on with no warning and can get physical so stuff like driving is too risky

There are ghosts trapped in the impala

Monsters never stop telling Sam how wrong he smells

Trees pop up where angels die

Dean and his tattoos and his smoking but also Wrong Like Sam because he was reassembled.

Cas ages and de-ages as his power varies over time

Sometimes rifts between dimensions open and close along things Jack touches

[axiina]

CHARACTER LIST

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Genshin Impact:

Mondstadt:

Albedo

Amber

Bennett  (aged up only)

Diluc

Eula

Fischl (aged up and platonic only)

Jean

Kaeya

Lisa

Mona

Noelle  (aged up only(?))

Razor  (aged up only)

Rosaria

Aether

Sucrose

Venti 

Liyue:

Beidou

Chongyun  (aged up only)

Ganyu

Hu Tao

Keqing

Ningguang

Xiangling  (aged up (?) and platonic)

Xiao

Xingqiu  (aged up only)

Xinyan  (aged up only)

Yanfei

Zhongli

Shenhe

Inazuma:

Arataki Itto

Gorou

Kaedahara Kazuha

Kamisato Ayaka

Kamisato Ayato

Kujou Sara

Raiden Shogun

Sangonomiya Kokomi (platonic only)

Thoma

Yoimiya

Yae Miko

Yun Jin

Snezhnaya:

Tartaglia

Khaenri’ah:

Dainsleif

Arcane:

Caitlyn

Ekko

Jinx

Mel

Vi

Viktor

Vander (platonic only)

FNAF:

Glamrock Freddy

Glamrock Chica 

Montgomery Gator

Roxanne Wolf

Sun/Sundrop/Sunrise

Moon/Moondrop

Vanessa (platonic only)

Michael Afton

Eldarya:

(I can also write character x character)

Ezarel

Nevra

Valkyon

Leiftan

Chrome ( A New Era)

Karenn ( A New Era)

Miiko

Ykhar

Ewelein

Keroshane

Koori

Huang Chu

My Candy Love:

(high school era only)

Lysander

Castiel

Nathaniel

Kentin

Armin

Alexy (platonic only)

Rosalya (platonic only)

Amber

Iris

Kim

Violette

Melody

Final Fantasy VII:

(I can also write character x character)

Claud Strife

Tifa Lockhart

Aeris Gainsborough

Sephiroth

Vinvent Valentine

Zack Fair

Rufus Shinra

Genesis Rhapsodos

Reno Sinclair

Haikyuu:

Karasuno (aged up, 18>):

Kōshi Sugawara

Yū Nishinoya

Tobio Kageyama

Shōyō Hinata

Kei Tsukishima

Tadashi Yamaguchi

Kiyoko Shimizu

Keishin Ukai

Nekoma:

Tetsurō Kuroo

Yaku Morisuke

Kenma Kozume

Lev Haiba

Aoba Johsai:

Tōru Oikawa

Hajime Iwaizumi

Shigeru Yahaba

Yūtarō Kindaichi

Akira Kunimi

Kentarō Kyōtani

Fukurodani:

Kōtarō Bokuto

Keiji Akaashi

Akinori Konoha

Shiratorizawa:

Wakatoshi Ushijima

Eita Semi

Satori Tendō

Tsutomu Goshiki

Kenjirō Shirabu

Johzenji:

Kenjirō Shirabu

Itachiyama:

Kiyoomi Sakusa

Inarizaki:

Shinsuke Kita

Atsumu Miya

Rintarō Suna

Osamu Miya

Tears of Themis:

Artem Wing

Vyn Richter

Marius Von Hagen

Luke Pearce

The Arcana:

Asra

Nadia

Julian

Muriel

Portia

Lucio

Valerius

The Witcher:

(I can also write character x character)

Geralt of Rivia (platonic only if x reader)

Yennefer of Vengerberg (platonic only if x reader)

Ciri

Jaskier

Eskel

Lambert

Fringilla Vigo

Emiel Regis

Tissaia de Vries (platonic only)

Rience

Milva (sfw only)

Avallac’h

Eredin Breacc Glas

Imlerith 

Caranthir Ar-Feiniel

Coën

Vesemir (platonic)

Iorweth

Hunger Games:

Coriolanus Snow (young Coriolanus only)

Lucy Gray Baird (platonic only)

Sejanus Plinth

Tigris Snow

Katniss Everdeen

Peeta Mellark

Effie

Haymitch

Johanna Mason

Finnick Odair

Stardew Valley:

Sam

Elliott

Sebastian

Shane

Abigail

Emily

Haley

Maru

Baldur's Gate 3:

Astarion

Gale Dekarios

Karlach

Shadowheart

Wyll

! I do not write works with children characters/characters who are physically children !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I might have forgotten someone, so ask me if you are interested in a character and they are not on the list

[dizzy-n-busy]

★ CARNE DE VACA ★

Carne de Vaca means Beef (direct translation being 'meat of the cow) - Alexis and Darlin' have beef lmao

{cws: insulting, vague threatening, aggressive body language but no actual violence, intrusive thoughts and basically how I imagined Darlin' goin abt it!!}

• • • ★ • • •

Darlin' wanted to ignore her.

Hell, Darlin' had to ignore her if they didn't wanna get put on a hit list. But the roadkill of a woman all but ran up to them just to talk shit.

At first they just looked away from her, crossed arms making them burn crescents into their sides; denting their newly tailored suit, which pissed them off more given how it was a gift from David.

Yet it was difficult to stop with her nauseating scent infiltrating Darlin's senses - like they were getting waterboarded in rubbing alcohol - and her lack of personal space with them.

She should've been at least 6 feet away from them, not 6 inches where Darlin' could almost feel the stagnant metallic blood permeating from her mouth; then again Alexis has a bad track record of respecting boundaries.

Darlin' glanced at her when evaluating this big ass place, mostly wanting to see if their pack had made it already. Alexis was nothing more than an irrelevant face amongst the snobbish ones in attendance.

" What are you all quiet for? I saw you glaring at me like a stupid little child in time-out. "

Liar.

Alexis laughs dryly, leaning in closer which automatically repelled them to move away; worried that if she got any closer they might actually hit her out of instinct.

" You look like a car wreck, everyone here has looked you - " Darlin' side eyes her, mouth curling back into a snarl, " you're nothing special. " willfully not tacking on the bitch that crawled at the back of their throat.

" Is the little outcast still pissed that I got Sammy first? " She pouts in false sympathy. Darlin' barks a laugh, smirking down at her and baring their teeth.

" No reason to be when I have his fine ass lovin' on me 24/7 now. " Their eyes glimmer with spite, " can't say the same for you. "

Alexis' eyes darken and her smile wavers a bit; pride pushes Darlin's chest out.

" I wonder how long that'll last, given your age and all. " She recouperates herself quicker than expected, " only so much time before I'm the only one left for him, when I can finally get my hands on him again. "

Alexis relishes in the growl that almost bubbles past Darlin's throat; their smile having dropped and hands fixing around their biceps, picturing the muscles under their palms as her neck.

" Like I'd ever fucking let you, you raggedy ann ass bitch. " The hatred uncurls in their stomach making them loom over Alexis, fully facing her and practically cornering her - hands flexing tighter around their arms to satiate the urge to wring her neck.

" you better shut it, mutt - don't want him getting mad at you now do you? " Despite being completely incapsulated in Darlin's shadow, Alexis smiled up at them and they had to give it their all to not jump her and beat her face into the polished floors.

But every word she spoke pissed Darlin' off, it was like she - Darlin' pauses, and thinks - like she's intentionally trying to provoke them.

The realization makes them drop the hostility; slumping their shoulders and leaning back, face falling neutral. They should know by now when their getting tested.

Alexis was smug, only confirming their assumptions. They decided to put a leash on their physical reactions, internal ones are fair game so long as there's no telepaths.

What I wouldn't give to put this bitch in her place, Darlin' thinks while relaxing back into their spot against a wall, to have my shifted teeth against her turning marks.

To feel the rippling of her scream from her esophagus onto my tongue.

The thought of her hurting Sam made their thoughts run wild, the ones that Darlin' was normally ashamed of - the ones that they wouldn't think of doing to anyone.

But this was an exception.

She was an exception.

...sometimes.

Darlin' feels guilt trying to knaw at their bones, tearing at their muscles and clawing at their skin. Sam being upset or disappointed in them flashed in their eyes and it made them sick.

Alexis kept talking; Darlin' had seen her mouth moving but they couldn't hear her, not pass their conflicted thoughts.

Just smash her face into the food table - shut up and behave, we're not like that anymore.

Darlin's sigh reels them back into reality, back to the woman's mind numbing voice that made them wish they could mute her.

Just ignore her.

Their eyes search for their cowboy, wondering how long until they get their damn ice cream.

It's just a little beef.

• • • ★ • • •

[hrny-song-tournament]

Inspired by other song brackets like @crysongz, @best-overplayed-song, @weird-song-bracket, @lovesongbracket, @songcharshowdown, @songshowdown, @movingmusiccomp.

Also tagging @tournamentdirectory, @ultimate-poll-tournament, @thedilftournament, @ultimatemilvesbracket. Pls let me know if you are uncomfortable with being tagged in this bracket.

Btw, it's a safe space for aspecs if you aren't sex repulsed etc.

It's time for horny. 69 songs, but which is the horniest/makes you most horny?

Cardi B - WAP vs Nine Inch Nails - Closer

Hey Violet - Guys My Age

Hudson Mohawke - Cbat vs Lilianna Wide - Grind Me Down (Jawster Remix)

Ok Go - I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe vs Prince - Soft and Wet

Arctic Monkeys - I Wanna Be Yours vs Gunther - Ding Dong Song

Britney Spears - 3 vs Daft Punk - Something About Us

Ty Dolla $ign - Or Nah vs MCR - F.T.W.W.W.

Rihanna - S&M

Lady Gaga - G.U.Y. vs Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know

Reinaeiry (Sam Smith Cover) - Unholy vs KiNG MALA - she calls me daddy

Jen Foster - I Didn't Just Kiss Her vs Mariah Carey - Touch My Body

Depeche Mode - Master And Servant vs NEFFEX - Rumors

Justin Timberlake - SexyBack

Heathers: The Musical - Dead Girl Walking vs 5 Seconds of Summer - Teeth

Ayla D'Lyla and Miss Madeline - Life Could Be Sweet vs Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On

Simon Curtis - Flesh vs Hozier - Dinner & Diatribes

Nanne Grönvall - Håll om mig vs Arctic Monkeys - Knee Socks

Beyonce - Rocket vs Transviolet - Girls Your Age

George Michael - Careless Whisper vs Lemon Demon - Two Trucks

Shakira - She Wolf vs K/DA - Villain

Hozier - Talk

The Orion Experience - The Cult of Dionysus vs Moulin Rouge Cast - El Tango De Roxanne

Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls vs Miike Snow - Genghis Khan

Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) vs Dove Cameron - Boyfriend

Khia - My Neck My Back vs Kim Cesarion - Brains Out

Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka - Magnet vs Rick James - Super Freak

mazie - girls just wanna have sex vs Queen - Get Down, Make Love

Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) vs Santana - Smooth

Todrick Hall - I LIKE BOYS vs Dead Or Alive - I Wanna Be A Toy

Olivia Newton-John - Physical

Neon Trees - Animal vs Hozier - Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene

Fountains of Wayne - Stacy's Mom vs Ashnikko - Slumber Party

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Cast - Strip Away My Conscience vs Holychild - Bathroom Bitch

Jhameel - Feisty vs Arctic Monkeys - 505

Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment vs Ofenbach - Be Mine

The Weeknd - Earned It vs Jeangu Macrooy - Shake Up This Place

Hozier - Moment's Silence vs annapantsu - Hellfire

[she-karev]

B-Team (Andrew DeLuca x Alex Karev's Sister)

Age Rating: 12+

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Canon Episode: B-Team Shorts on YouTube

Ship: Andrew DeLuca x Amber Karev (Alex Karev's Sister)

AN: Sorry for being away for so long but hopefully this makes up for it. Amber Karev is taking Sam Bello’s spot from season 14 so there won’t be a love triangle.

Summary: Amber starts her first day as an intern and is met with expected obstacles. Meanwhile DeLuca tries to navigate his feelings for Amber after discovering her relation to Alex and goes to Carina for help who takes matters into her own hands.

Words: 8260

I walk around the dozens of boxes in my studio apartment frantically as I look for my keys. Today is my first day at work and I already lost my keys as if the universe hates me and wants me to be late. I probably look insane no doubt with my hand trying to hold my hair up in a ponytail, my other hand holding my coffee mug and wearing my pink panties with my casual sweater for the day.

“Damn it come on where are you?!” I sip my coffee when I feel something metal hit my lips. I stop suddenly and look down to find my keys inside the mug to my relief and disgust, “Of course two sugars, crème and keys like I always take it.” I don’t know why I’m talking to myself, so I pull my keys out and clean them.

After throwing the mug away I go to a mirror and try to put my hair in a ponytail when the band snaps to my frustration, “Grrr!” I throw the band away and opt for a hair clip instead praying it suffices. I grab my backpack, put my jeans on, grab my Adidas and open the door. I hop down the hall as I put my shoes on trying not to fall. I finally put them on and run to the elevator exhaling as it closes.

I run to my black 2012 Ford Mustang in the parking lot and hurriedly go inside and hope the engine starts. I turn the key in the ignition and by some miracle it starts the first time and I skid out of the spot and drive to the hospital as fast as I can.

Later

Andrew walks to the hospital across the park trying to keep his head together after last night’s revelation. He looked around hoping to find Carina so he can talk to her and figure out what to do. Ever since he figured out who Amber really is his mind has been wrestling with images of her in the bar, flirting with her and having fun and images of her brother beating him up and the pain he faced after.

If she was a regular resident who was related to an attending, he wouldn’t be so conflicted but a regular attending wouldn’t have hit him. He and Alex were amicable after everything but he highly doubted Alex would be okay knowing his little sister slept with Andrew and start a fantasy football league together. It would make things more complicated for both of them especially for Andrew. And then there’s Amber who would be caught in the middle of it. The idea of that makes Andrew feel equally uneasy due to how fast and hard he developed feelings for her.

“Hey, didn’t I meet you at a bar somewhere?”

Andrew eyes widen at the familiar voice and turns around to find Amber smiling at him wearing a black sweater with her hair in a clip. Even in a slightly disheveled state he couldn’t help his physical attraction towards her natural beauty. Andrew grins slightly trying to remain cool despite his stomach being in a twist in her presence.

“Hey, I-I didn’t think I was gonna see you so soon after last night.”

“Well it’s my first day and I’ve had perfect attendance since 1st grade and I want to keep that up. You’re not carrying a coffee are you because I don’t want coffee on my cleavage the first day.”

Andrew chuckles, “No I’m weaning off caffeine I’ve uh got enough keeping me up.” He didn’t add that she was the reason he was up all night and not in a good way.

“Well your stronger than me. So, have you told anyone about us hooking up? Besides Dr. Robbins, your sister and Jo I mean.” Amber asks.

“Uh no not really I figured that’s not an impression you want to make with the other interns.”

Amber grins, “No definitely not, I don’t want them thinking I’m using nepotism and sex to work my way into an O.R. Plus, if it got back to Alex, it would go back to my family who would be freaking out that I wasn’t being usual responsible Amber.”

Andrew nods trying to keep a calm face over mention of her brother, Amber is oblivious as she teases him, “Even though we were totally responsible…twice.”

“It’s cool I get it.”

Amber looks at her watch, “Oh shoot I gotta go, my shift starts but we should hang out after and…catch up.” Amber makes her voice breathier at catch up.

Andrew looks at her and is more conflicted the more he spends time with her so he opts to escape, “Um yeah maybe I’ll let you know.”

“Okay see you later.” Amber rushes inside with Andrew watching her as his anxiety increases causing him to walk briskly inside the building. He tried to stay calm as he put on his scrubs and finally finds Carina in the MRI room that she’s using for her study.

Andrew sits next to her as she writes down her data, “I need your help.”

“I’m busy as you can see my patient is about to reach climax.”

Andrew groans, “You know there are other ways you could explain that without making it dirty.”

Carina continues writing without looking at him, “Andrea if you want my help for something don’t insult my work before or I will kick you out.”

“Right sorry. Um I have a personal problem and it’s pretty big so I need you to swear it won’t get out of this room, can you do that?”

“I am studying women during the most intimate and private moments of their lives of course I can keep a secret, what is it?”

Andrew tries to find where to begin, “Do you uh remember that night I walked in on you and Dr. Robbins?”

Carina doesn’t look up from her notes, “It’s hard to forget, it was a very nice night for us regardless. Once we went our separate ways of course.”

“Right well do you remember the girl that I brought with me?”

“The blonde who looks a little like Princess Diana, I remember her, did you get her number?”

Andrew bitterly chuckles, “No she wanted to finish med school in New York with no strings attached so we decided to save a date if she ever came here again and she did.”

His sister still doesn’t look up, “Okay why is she here? Is it just for you?”

“No, she’s a surgical intern here.”

Carina still doesn’t look up despite that information, “And that’s a problem? We work long hours and she’s a surgeon like you so she doesn’t have to pretend to be interested.”

Andrew grimaces, “Believe me I wish us working together was the only problem. Do you remember when I was beat up last year by my boss after I helped his girlfriend walk home after she got drunk?”

“Yes, it was very scary I remember you saying to me I didn’t have to travel 14 hours just to see you even though I was okay with it.” Carina gets confused, “Wait a minute what does that have to do with…” Carina doesn’t know her name due to Amber quickly leaving after meeting her when she was fighting with Andrew.

“Amber.” Andrew finishes for her.

“Amber, what does this have to do with Amber?”

Andrew purses his lips in cruel irony, “Well the boss that beat me up, Alex Karev.”

“Uh huh.” Carina nods, still looking at her notes.

“Amber is his sister and I slept with her that night.”

Carina finally stops writing and looks at Andrew with wide shocked eyes and he bitterly nods at her response.

“Do you see why I need your help?”

Meanwhile

I walk down the hall and find the intern locker room. I enter the room and I see that it looks how it sounds, a locker room. It’s like the lockers we get at high school only it smells like ammonia which frankly is better than sweaty socks. I’m not the only one here I spot approximately 20 people in here all in light blue scrubs with their stethoscopes hanging by their necks.

I go to my assigned locker and open it to find my own scrubs and lab coats. The sight of the rest of my life is both exciting and dauting but I push through it and put them on. The only thing I brought from home that I’m using are my adidas and burgundy stethoscope my mom sent me as a graduation gift. I don’t know why she sent it maybe as a way to make up for being out of it most of my life but I took it because it’s not good to pass up free stuff in my position. I put the stethoscope in my pocket as a woman wearing a hijab next to me pulls out her flashcards.

“What are those?” I ask curiously.

“Their study material’s.”

“For what? The exams aren’t for another three months.”

The woman looks at me, “No I know it’s just that it helps me remember what I learned so I don’t forget it and accidently kill someone my first day.” She chuckles nervously.

I raise an eyebrow at her, “You don’t have to laugh I can tell your nervous.”

“So nervous!” The woman shows her true face and it is fearful, “I’m Dahlia by the way or Dr. Qadri I mean I’m still getting used to that title.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, I’m Amber.” We shake hands.

“I mean it is crazy I wanted this for so long and now I’m actually here and it’s…” Dahlia looks around in amazement, “You know I grew up in Utah and went to state school pre-med, it was the only thing my parents could afford at the time.”

“Yeah, I went to Iowa State pre-med, I don’t even think some of these people even know what Iowa is.”

Dahlia chuckles, “You know I heard a rumor that one of the new interns is Dr. Karev’s sister, he’s the chief of pediatric surgery here.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Really? What do you think of that?” I want to know her opinion of me before finding out who I am so I can know who I’m dealing with. And so I can mess with her.

Dahlia scoffs, “I mean come on most of these guys are legacies and they don’t know the true meaning of hard work not like us. Their parents donated to their alumni so they can get in with a median MCAT average. I mean this girl coincidently matches at the same hospital her brother works. She obviously taking the easy route if you ask me and that route is named nepotism.” I nod at her statement and try to act like I don’t want to punch her. She’s oblivious of course and she asks me something she’s gonna wish she didn’t, “Sorry I don’t think I caught your last name what is it?”

“Karev, it’s Dr. Amber Karev.” I say with a grin as Dahlia’s eyes widen as she realizes she just called me easy and spoiled.

Dahlia stammers, “Uh y-your-”

“Taking the easy route named nepotism I think you just said.” I say as I glare at her offended.

“I-I am so so sorry I didn’t know.” Dahlia tries to rectify her mistake but makes it worse, “And can I just say your brother is a pioneer and I think your about to continue that legendary legacy of his.”

It isn’t even an hour into my first day and I’m already being compared to my brother. I’m starting to get annoyed by this so I need to walk away, “I’m gonna walk away from you now before you make this more awkward.”

Dahlia nods, “Smart you seem really, really smart and so pretty I mean it.”

I roll my eyes and focus back on my locker and she gets the hint and goes back to her cards. I knew I was gonna be accused of nepotism and favoritism when I got matched here but it still irks me when they think I’ve had it ‘easy.’ I mentally chuckle at that assumption, if only these asshats knew how ‘easy’ I really had it. Of course, if they actually knew about the crazy mom, absent dad and crazy brother who attacked me the stares would increase and instead of being accused of nepotism I would be accused of being schizophrenic.

I immediately remember my morning routine and pull out my small sudoku book and work on one page of puzzles. One page a day has been my routine since I was 16 and I realized there was a strong possibility my genes could turn on me. I know it’s silly to think a kid’s puzzle will keep the hallucinations at bay but solving puzzles makes me feel better for some reason.

I go through the grids quickly even with the guy next to me, Casey Parker, chanting something that sounds like, “Don’t stand out, don’t throw up and call it a win.”

Dahlia asks something from her flashcards, “Okay which is the artery that splits to the right common carotid in the right subclavian?”

Casey and I immediately answer even though I’m at the 3rd grid right now, “Innominate.”

Dahlia scoffs, “No that’s not it, it’s…” Dahlia checks the answer in the back and realizes we were right, “Crap!”

I don’t even look up from my book when Levi walks in chipper as ever. Frankly I’m amazed he even got into this program after he botched his first day here. It was the day of my interview and also the day he dropped his glasses into the body cavity during a surgery. And that was before he became a doctor, which says a lot.

“Good morning!” I wave dismissively at him too caught up in finishing the page before my shift, only three grids to go, “I think my mom forgot to pack my stethoscope, is it gross to borrow one?”

“Yes.” I look to find Taryn Helm sitting on the bench with her headphones on clearly stressed, “And shut up I need to get in my zone.”

“Nobody is talking except him.” I blankly say as I get to my final grid.

Casey explains to Dahlia, “Taryn’s nervous.”

“I’m not nervous!” Taryn snaps, “I’m in my zone.”

A voice I unfortunately recognizes whoo’s as he enters the lockers, “Day one baby! Let’s go!” Vik Roy tries to high five Levi who is carrying stuff. I roll my eyes at him and try to focus on my puzzle even when he tries to high five all of us even Taryn who is just as annoyed by him.

“No.” Taryn says dismissively causing Roy to retreat.

“What’s her deal?”

“Zone.” We all explain.

“How are you so not freaking out right now?” Dahlia asks.

Vik smugly grins, “Because Dahlia I don’t freak out, I don’t get jitters and I crush first impressions.”

I snort at that as Casey sarcastically dismisses, “Clearly.”

Vik catches my book as he chuckles and asks me, “Sudoku? What are you 13?”

“No that’s you.” I say as I finish the puzzle and Casey chuckles at my insult, “You know if you did as many puzzles as me, you’d probably be capable of an intellectual conversation. And that’s required by doctors…dude.” I say the last word with venom and he rolls his eyes.

“She’s right about that Dr. Roy.” I turn to find Chief Bailey behind me and I get my act together closing my locker to stand in front of her.

“Good morning chief Bailey.” The others gather in front of her with me at the front center. The chief doesn’t looked the least bit impressed with any of us and honestly I wouldn’t blame her.

“Explain to me why I was just in the conference room and you all were not?” We all look at her confused since none of us got the memo to meet her at the conference room, “If I’m somewhere you are supposed to be you had better be there too, any questions?”

“Uh Chief I heard a rumor that one of us will get into an OR today and be able to scrub in.” Taryn says eagerly. I can tell she’s hungry for surgery and will be hard to deal with this year.

Bailey answers, “Today you will have the opportunity to prove that you’re ready to scrub in, one of you might surprise me.” I grin at the opportunity to scrub in on my first day. I took the initiative before I came in to memorize the steps of basic procedures from appys to lap choles. It helps that I’m a pack rat who didn’t throw out her medical textbooks. The others are getting giddy as well including the douchy one who thinks he’s got more of a chance than any of us.

“So, there’s a chance?”

I decide to step in and show off, I would kick myself for not trying harder to beat this arrogant jerk, “Chief I would like to point out that I know all the steps to a basic procedure. If you ask me about an appy I can-”

The chief has none of it as she interrupts me, “I have five rules memorize them; rule number one don’t bother sucking up. Rule number two nurses will page you will answer every page at a run. A run!” The chief walks out and we all follow her as she continues to list all of her rules while we walk around the hospital, “That’s rule number two. Your first shift starts now and lasts 24 hours. You're interns, grunts, nobodies, bottom of the surgical food chain. You run labs, write orders, work every second night until you drop, and don't complain.

We stop outside an on-call room, she opens the door revealing bunks inside clearly used, “On-call rooms. Attendings hog them. Sleep when you can where you can, which brings me to rule number three. If your resident is sleeping, don't wake them unless your patient is dying. And you better sleep alone in here and not with anyone else especially attendings.”

I raise my eyebrow at that comment. I wonder if that rule applies to one night stands with senior residents before you were even hired. I decide not to think on it and just listen, “Rule four: The dying patient better not be dead when they get there. Not only will you have killed someone, you woke your resident up for no reason. We clear?”

I notice she left out one rule so I gingerly raise my hand like I’m in elementary school again.

“Yes?”

I put my hand down, “Um, you said five rules that was only four.”

Bailey finishes, “Rule number five, when I move you move.” We follow her to Jo Wilson who stands by the nurse’s station with a tablet on hand, “This is Dr. Wilson she is a senior resident and will assign you to someone’s service, Wilson they’re your problem now good luck.”

The chief walks away and we stand in front of Jo.

“Um okay let’s see what we got here.” Jo reads through the tablet, “Parker and Helm you’re with Hunt in trauma, Qadri you’re with Dr. Webber, Schmitt you’re with DeLuca and Karev your with the chief of peds” At least she didn’t call Alex by his last name but I’m still bitter at this unfortunate turn of events. I try not to let my distaste show as Jo dismisses us.

I walk through the hospital and thanks to the directory I find the peds floor pretty quickly. I look around trying to find Alex in the sea of nurses and little kids. I see him by the nurses station talking to a couple I assume are parents of his patient. I wait till the parents leave, I don’t want to cause a scene in front of them.

I know I should be a professional and normally I am but when you’re working with the brother who left you during the worst time of your life all bets are off. As soon as the couple walk away I walk towards Alex and clear my throat indicating my presence. He turns to me and look off guard by me but manages to speak in an even tone.

“Hey what are you doing here?”

“I’m on your service believe it or not.” I try to speak as numbly as I can, there are kids and they don’t need to see a unstable blonde while their recovering.

Alex’s eyebrows are raised as if he’s just as shocked as I was, “Jo sent you?”

“Dr. Wilson sent me yes, is she the kind of person who arranges a family reunion in the guise of an intern working for an attending?” I ask genuinely because I don’t know Jo but from what Aaron said Alex has a habit of hooking up with unstable women.

Alex narrows his eyes, “No she’s not and I would appreciate it if you didn’t make assumptions of a woman I love.”

I inhale to keep my emotions in check and get into the mindset of an intern, “Look can you just give me an assignment so I can get through your service and end this day quickly?”

Alex sees he hit a nerve and relents, “Fine Oscar Montez he’s in for a gall bladder removal. I need you to prep an O.R. take his labs and prep him before surgery.”

I nod tersely and walk away from him to prep an O.R. for my first patient.

Later

Andrew sits next to Carina as they speak in Italian so they won’t get overheard. Carina is upset with her brother over unknowingly sleeping with the sister of the man who almost killed him. Andrew is still in a mind boggle over this situation he somehow got himself in.

“How did you not know who she was? Didn’t she tell you her last name? Karev isn’t that common.” Carina admonishes in Italian.

“It just happened.” Andrew responds in Italian, “We met at the bar we got to talking she said her name was Amber that’s it.”

“And she didn’t tell you her brother works here?”

“No well…” Andrew pauses as he remembers what she told him after they walked in on Carina and Arizona.

“Well, what? She told you didn’t she and you didn’t connect the dots like an idiot.”

“I mean she mentioned having two brothers and one was a surgeon named Alex but I just thought it was a coincidence and he didn’t tell anyone about a sister named Amber. There weren’t any dots to connect neither of them gave that much information or no information at all.”

Carina raised an eyebrow, “So you slept with a woman you didn’t know anything about beyond her first name?”

Andrew rolls his eyes, “You know I don’t shame you for having random one-night stands with women you know nothing about.”

“Yes, you do, you did that the other night remember?”

“I walked in on you about to sleep with my boss and roommate, and now you’re doing the same thing but with Hunt.” Andrew states annoyingly, “How am I supposed to react?” Just then Levi Schmitt knocks on the door agitating Andrew, “What?!”

Levi looks at them timidly, “S-Sorry um I’m Dr. Schmitt and they put me on your service Dr. DeLuca.”

“Of course, they did.” Andrew says under his breath at the unfortunate timing.

Levi looks at the screen curiously, “What kind of research is this? Can I help?”

“No look I’m busy at the moment so go help Dr. Karev with Oscar Montez do his labs and pre op, tell them I sent you.”

Levi looks at him confused, “Uh but he already-”

“Go now that’s an order.” Andrew says tensely, causing Schmitt to walk away in fear. Andrew leans back and pinches the bridge of his nose trying to keep his mind together, “Where were we?”

Carina repeats her question, “Why did you sleep with her when you knew nothing about her?”

Andrew sighs, “…She seemed nice, I mean she was sarcastic and she had a bad attitude but that was because I kind of hit her and spilled coffee on her when we first met.” Carina’s eyebrows raise at that as he continues, “We ran into each other at the bar and I bought her a meal to apologize. We ate, we talked and eventually she dropped the attitude. She was nice, she was funny, smart she made me laugh and you saw her that night she is hot.”

“Very hot.” Carina adds.

“Yeah, the point is we got around the personal information and I started to like her and she started to like me we flirted and…after we left you two, we went back to her hotel room. I think you know the rest. It was all a coincidence.”

Carina looks at him curiously as a dark thought comes to her, “And she didn’t know who you were? Did you tell her your full name?”

“Um yeah what does that have to do with anything?”

Carina sighs at her brother, “Oh Andrea your still such an innocent bambino.”

Andrew looks at Carina confused, “What are you suggesting?”

“Maybe she knew who you were and wanted to get back at you. Maybe she planned to meet you and sleep with you so she can report you to the chief and get you fired.”

Andrew chuckles thinking it was crazy, “Carina she’s not some KGB sex mole I think I would know that. And why would she target me specifically? I dropped the charges against her brother.”

“Yes, but before that you almost sent him to prison for two years. When I heard about what happened I wanted to punch that man after what he did, perhaps she feels that way about her brother too. Does that sound so crazy?”

Andrew looks at her in thought as the idea starts to make sense. Now that he thought about it Amber was light on the details concerning herself especially her last name. He didn’t think much of it but perhaps his sister was on to something. However a thought stops him from fully considering it.

“She was eager to leave when we were fighting, if she really wanted to get back at me she would have stayed. Why did she leave?”

“You would have thought it suspicious if she stayed. Does she seem smart enough to come to that conclusion? Plus, you chased after her maybe she anticipated that too so she could seduce you back in bed. Was she forward when you came to her?”

Andrew pales at that logic as he has fully considered it now and wants to get ahead of it before another Karev comes after him, “Damn it. And just when I thought this nightmare was over for me.”

Carina looks at her brother sadly over his predicament, “I’m sorry Andrea.”

“So what do I do? Do I report her or something?”

Carina rolls her eyes, “You want to report an intern you slept with while you are technically her boss? I don’t think she needs to fire you if your gonna do it yourself stupid.”

Andrew closes his eyes in despair, “I guess I’ll just ignore her unless it’s about work. Speaking of work, I have to go.” Andrew stands up and walks out the door before adding, “And I know what you want to do but don’t Carina I don’t need my big sister fighting my battles for me. Please leave this alone and do not interrogate her.”

Andrew leaves Carina in the room. Carina looks at her notes before deciding to ignore her brother and find out more about this girl for Andrew’s sake.

Later

After I reserve an O.R. I go to Oscar Montez’s room to do his labs. I wrap the tourniquet around Oscar’s upper arm with my gloves on and grin assuredly at him to make it easier for him. He grins back either to be polite or because he finds me attractive. When it came to teenage boys, they usually fall head over heels for me because I’m fire, whatever that means.

I found from the chart most of his labs were already done and Oscar told me another intern was also here taking his labs. The only thing left was his bloodwork and I didn’t want whatever hungry intern swooping in and stealing my patient. By some coincidence that intern, Schmitt came in stunned by my presence while I wipe an alcohol rub over the vein.

“Oscar’s my patient.”

I raise an eyebrow at his excuse, “No he’s not he’s mine go find your own and try not to steal them this time.”

The guy doesn’t leave as he walks to my side, “I’ve already done the rest of Oscar’s labs, his pre op, he knows me.”

Oscar chimes in, “I-It’s cool.” He looks at me with a smile confirming his attraction to me, “I’m cool with it.”

I smile at him, “Thank you Oscar.” I turn to Schmitt with a glare that catches him off guard, “And you, I don’t know who sent you but you can tell them Dr. Karev sent me here first and to check twice before they screw up again.”

“Well a senior resident specifically instructed me to draw his blood.”

I scoff, “Well Dr. Karev asked me and he’s the attending so I win and you lose now walk away with some of your dignity left.” I try to insert the needle into Oscar’s vein but I miss causing him to yell ow, “Sorry Oscar.”

Schmitt tries to step in, “That’s the wrong angle.”

“Back off.”

“You’ll miss the vein.” Schmitt tries to grab my arm to take over.

My patience reaches its limits, “Schmitt if you don’t take your hands off me in the next two seconds you won’t have hands.” He relents and I try again but miss the vein again causing Oscar to yell ow again. Alex walks in and I put the needle away.

“What’s going on?” Alex asks.

“Dr. Karev, I was just running Oscar’s labs like you asked.” I say in a clipped tone directed at Schmitt.

“There might have been some confusion on who exactly was supposed to do it but…” He looks at the glare I give him and he cowers, “But we’ve totally got it under control.”

Alex puts his gloves on rolling his eyes, “Your butchering his arm Glasses move.” I’m glad Alex thinks it was him and not me because the last thing I want on my first day is to be seen as an incompetent intern who can’t even find a vein.

“Oh no that wasn’t me that was…” Schmitt tries to explain but Alex has none of it as he takes over and we walk to the other side of the bed.

“Don’t expect much from intern’s Oscar, that way you’ll never be disappointed.” I roll my eyes at his comment, “Karev present.”

“But she isn’t even-” Schmitt underestimates me but fortunately I looked at his chart and thanks to my almost eidetic memory I know what the prognosis is and what the surgery is.

“Oscar Montez, 16 has cholestasis that is currently not responding to dietary changes, he’ll need to have his gall bladder removed.”

“And the approach?”

“It has to be open. The scans show adhesions and it’s too difficult to take them down with a minimally invasive approach.”

“Very good Karev.” Alex says and Oscar notices the similar names we have.

“Karev? Is she your sister or something?” The kids question causes a silent moment for me as I come up with an answer.

“Or something.” The response clearly hurts Alex, he’s acting like it doesn’t but I know him well enough that those are his ‘I’m in pain but I’m gonna act like I’m not shoulders’ I guess a small part of me feels bad but I made it clear he’s not family to me and I’m not his family either.

Schmitt chooses now of all times to ask, “Dr. Karev, chief Bailey mentioned that one of us might be able to operate today. I do have O.R. experience.”

I snicker lightly, “O.R. experience, is that what you call it?”

“Do I get a say?” Oscar asks, scared for his life.

Alex glares at Schmitt specifically, “You dropped your glasses in the surgical field.”

I nod amused by it and add for Oscar, “It’s true, I was there it would’ve been a lot less hilarious if the patient didn’t make it.”

Levi looks at me insulted and tries to rectify it, “And I promised that nothing like that will ever happen again.” He points at the stupid sports band holding his glasses in place which doesn’t impress me or Alex.

“Right because I told the nurses I want you on B team today.” Schmitt looks pleased but for some reason I can see this heading south for him.

“Oh, what’s B team?”

Alex explains, “Well if it’s in a bed pan you clean it, if it’s in a barf bucket you clean it, if it’s blood you clean it.” I grin slightly at this as Levi’s face falls from despair while Alex goes back to the patient, “Oscar, well get you prepped in a bit.”

Alex leaves the room and I decide to point out the obvious to Schmitt who probably doesn’t have enough social skills to realize.

“He hates you. And frankly I’m not crazy about you either.”

Levi nods, “I might have slept with Dr. Wilson.” That statement causes me to laugh out loud as I would never see a gorgeous woman like her reduce herself to getting in bed with this fumbling mess. The only reasons I could think was she’s desperate, dying or lost a bet and I haven’t seen any of those in our interactions so far.

“I’m gonna go now try to double glove when you’re picking up shit Schmitt.” With that I leave to get Oscar prepped for surgery. Along the way I find DeLuca in the surgical floor sitting at the station going over charts and decide to brighten my day just a bit.

“Hey.” Andrew looks up and sees me before turning his eyes toward the desktop again.

“Hey.” Andrew sounds aloof for some reason but I try to look past it and engage him in conversation.

“So, first day here is a bust so far. I was supposed to do labs for a peds patient but then Glasses comes in saying he was sent by a resident. I practically had to fight him over the damn needle and like an idiot I botched up the bloodwork…twice. Don’t tell anyone though.”

“Well, uh you’re an intern and interns are supposed to make mistakes.”

“Did you stab a person twice in the arm on your first day here?”

“No but I did accidentally pose as an attending and got caught when a resident tried to get me to stabilize a woman’s spine on my first day.”

I widen my eyes at that statement and my curiosity is peaked, “Really?” For some reason hearing that he has war stories at work makes him more attractive. Maybe it’s because I’m comforted in not being the only messed up one out of the two of us.

“Yeah it’s as bad as it sounds trust me.”

“I would be shocked if it wasn’t.” Andrew grins slightly at my comment, it’s a first real reaction I got out of him today so I go for the kill, “Maybe you can elaborate more tonight assuming I’m still alive and not exhausted to death. I was thinking a night in town like we said.”

Andrew looks up at me with a solemn look that I haven’t seen in him since we first met. I don’t know what his problem is, could he already know about my past from working with Alex? I don’t know why Alex would tell people that part of my life that is mine to tell alone. Especially since he was clearly so ashamed of our family that he left as soon as he could and never looked back. I know I did the same thing but there weren’t any loose ends to tie when I left.

Aaron was somewhat sane, and I kept my distance from mom, there was no one to leave behind in that hell hole. Could Andrew have figured it out somehow and that’s why he hasn’t given me a clear answer?

I mentally shrug it off, he’s a doctor he’s probably had a long day and doesn’t feel like going out tonight.

“Unless you’ve had a long day and you want to reschedule?”

He chuckles lightly for some reason, “I have had a long and stressful day, you wouldn’t believe it.”

I nod understanding, “Okay so how about tomorrow night then? You can pick out the place as long as it’s not that disgusting bar we met at last time. I can still feel the sticky residue on my fingertips.”

He licks his lips and looks at me in thought before answering, “Um…yeah tomorrow night would be good for me. I’ll text you the deets assuming you’ll give me your number this time.”

I grin at him, “Okay but let’s not exchange phones out in the open. I’m not up for exposing my sex life in public so…” I write my number discretely on a sticky note by the station and drop it in front of him. He takes it and puts it in his coat pocket. He looks somewhat tense and I want to ask what his problem is but he speaks before I ask.

“I’ll uh I’ll text you.”

“Great I hope it’s soon. I have to go see you later.” I turn and walk away from him as I walk down the hall and enter the elevator, I exhale a sigh of relief at my good fortune when someone stops the doors from closing all the way. I see a woman I think I recognize entering the elevator with me where only two of us occupy the space. She has a serious look on her face like she means business and after a few seconds I know where I’ve met her. She’s Andrew’s sister.

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

Carina enters the elevator slowly and stands next to Amber who looks at her strangely. When she saw her passing her number to Andrew at the station, she knew she had to do this if her brother didn’t. She wants to protect Andrew from having his heart broken and possibly getting fired because of some vindictive woman who holds a grudge for her brother and will do anything to exact revenge no matter who gets hurt.

Amber looks at her curiously, “Um hi I almost didn’t recognize you with clothes on.” Amber chuckles to ease the tension, “I don’t think we properly met, I’m Dr. Amber Karev and-”

Carina stops her midsentence when she pulls the stop button stopping the elevator. Amber looks at her confused as Carina faces her with a serious look.

“W-Why did you just do that? Is there something wrong or-” Carina ignores her question and instead grabs her face so she can look her in her blue eyes as she interrogates her. She notes that her eyes are a unique blue with a greenish tint but she moves on from that. She needs to know what is going on and if her brother is in danger once again. Amber stands still clearly intimidated which is exactly what Carina was hoping for before speaking to her for the first time.

“Are you a good person?”

Amber blinks with Carina’s hands still on both sides of her head, “What?”

Carina clarifies, “Are you a good person? Not perfect just morally do you consider yourself a good person?”

“I…This is very confusing for me.”

Carina ignores her comment and repeats herself, “Are you?”

“Um…Y-Yes.”

Carina continues, “Have people called you a good person before? Have you ever been accused of being manipulative or used anyone to get your own way?” Amber still looks at her confused but answers fearing what will happen if she doesn’t.

“Um no I haven’t if I did, I would’ve gone into politics instead of medicine.”

“Your funny.” Carina states matter of fact, “How many sexual partners have you had? I won’t judge.”

“Men or women or otherwise?”

“All of the above.”

Amber mentally counts, “…8 well 9 but I don’t know if it counts by your standards. I’m sorry, what is this about? I am very confused and a little scared right now.”

“It’ll be over soon; do you have a criminal record?”

“No well yes but it’s a juvie record and it was sealed when I turned 18.”

“What was the crime?”

Amber looks at her shyly as if ashamed of herself, “I might have possibly bashed a man’s knee with a crowbar but I don’t know you well enough to get into it and I was sent to juvie for three months after that.”

Carina tries to look past that as she can tell this girl has a rough past that led her to do that to someone, “Do you have any siblings?” She knows the answer but wants to hear Amber’s response.

“Two brothers. One works here and the other is in Iowa, he’s a mover.”

“Are you close with them?” Carina keeps a close eye on her reaction.

Amber shakes her head, “I’m close with one hate the other, it’s…it’s complicated and until last month I haven’t talked to the brother I hate for almost a decade.”

“Why is that?”

Amber sighs as if old memories are haunting her, “Because he left me when I needed him the most and I have resented him for it. I would elaborate but I don’t think a horror story is what you need before going to bed tonight.”

Carina sees that Amber is telling the truth, when the subject turned to her brother she didn’t flinch or grovel. She just gave an honest answer, “How old are you?”

“23.”

Carina looks at her slightly shocked at her age, “That’s awfully young to be a doctor, were you a genius baby?”

Amber shakes her head, “N-No I was just really desperate to get out of town and my mom was a librarian so I spent a lot of time reading books.”

Carina is impressed with her but stays on task, “Okay final question, what did you know about Andrew DeLuca before sleeping with him?”

Amber looks at her even more surprised if that was possible, “I guess he’s closer to you than he let on that night.”

“He is my baby brother.” Carina states coldly, “I love him and it’s my job to protect him, even if he can be an idiota sometimes. Now tell me what you knew about him that night before you two had sex. Tell me the truth and I won’t be mad I swear.”

Amber swallows but decides to be quick about it and state the facts, “Um…I didn’t know much about him. I met him at a bar after we ran into each other at work that morning, that’s how we recognized each other. When we first met he spilled cold coffee down my chest and elbowed me in the nose. I was pissed at him when we saw each other again but he offered to apologize in food and I took it because he seemed sweet and he wasn’t creepy about it like most guys. I knew he worked here but I didn’t get matched here until a month later so…now I’m just waiting to see where it goes if it goes anywhere.”

Carina looks into her eyes and sees what she was hoping for, complete and udder lack of malice. She knows now that this girl isn’t out to get Andrew and it was all just some coincidence on both of their parts. For once her brother was right and she was wrong making it both reassuring and annoying.

She shakes her head at her, “Your just another innocent bambina in this aren’t you?”

Amber looks at her blankly trying to process what just happened, “…If I say yes will you push that button and let me walk out of this elevator alone?”

“Yes.”

“Then yes I am an innocent…whatever you called me.” Carina finally stands back, pushes the button and keeps her hands to herself. Amber is still standing there frozen from shock until the elevator doors open and Amber walks out like her life depends on it.

That Night

My shift is over, it’s been a grueling 24 hours but I survived them with my sanity intact. Although my mind is still at a fog from my encounter with Carina DeLuca at the elevator. When she was interrogating me in there I was taken back and frightened. I don’t know what about me gave the impression I was manipulating Andrew that night we first saw each other. I barely said two words to her because she was preoccupied with reuniting with Andrew and I was in the middle of it along with Dr. Robbins. If anything her behavior that night was more alarming than mine at least one of us was wearing a shirt. I shake it off and decide to just get home and rest before the next day.

I try to ignore the blisters on my feet as I walk inside the locker room with Casey and Helm where I find the others just as exhausted.

“Wait did you scrub in?” Dahlia asks Casey after noticing the blood on his top.

“No but I was really close to Dr. Kepner when she shoved her hand in a gaping leg wound.”

I sit on the bench massaging my knees, “At least you saw a gaping leg wound.”

“I didn’t even get to see a leg.” Helm adds.

“Did anyone scrub in today?” I ask and they all say no to my relief. It would kill me if Glasses or Roy got to scrub in before I did. All of us are disappointed that the job we’ve always wanted is just B level grunt work.

“Are we ever gonna set foot in an O.R.?” Casey asks.

I chuckle, “Schmitt won’t in our lifetime.” He looks at me offended.

Helm smiles, “Hold it Schmitt was the first to kill a patient, Vik you owe me 20 bucks.” I chuckle at that as Schmitt tries to defend himself.

“I didn’t kill a patient.”

I grin at him before deciding to tell the others, I’ve had a weird day and I need something to take the edge off and making fun of Glasses is working so far, “No he just dropped his glasses in an open body cavity in the O.R. before he even started here.” All of them laugh and are shocked by my statement.

“Wait.” Dahlia chimes in, “Your Glasses?!”

I laugh, “Oh yeah I was there and it was worse than I made it sound.”

“You were all over Twitter!” Roy tells Schmitt with a laugh.

“Wasn’t the patient a little kid?” Helm asks.

“Yeah, I said it was worse than I made it sound.”

Schmitt stands up clearly having enough of the jokes and yells out, “My face was sweating and they accidentally slipped off!” I continue to laugh until I see chief Bailey approach behind him with a blank expression.

“Hello chief Bailey.” We all stand up and face her like soldiers going into battle which isn’t that far from what we’re doing.

“Who’s on call?” Bailey asks some of them raise their hands but I don’t since my shift ended, “A big rig flipped over on the five. Incomings about 8 minutes out.”

Helm is still hungry for surgery like us and asks what’s on our minds, “This means that one of us will get to scrub in tonight, right?”

Bailey looks at us confused, “Why would you say that?”

“This morning you said that one of us will get the opportunity to operate today.” Vik clarifies.

The chief looks at us astounded, “What I said was that today you would have the opportunity to prove yourselves ready to scrub in, not that you would scrub in today. Now, seeing as how all of you are doctors, I would think that you were smart enough to understand that difference.” We all stand there shocked at her statement, even me as I also hoped to scrub in on a surgery, “I don’t see anyone moving.” The interns on call exit out, “And what are you all still here for? You just finished your first day as a surgeon. Congratulations, go home.”

Bailey leaves us and I purse my lips at the cruel intention of getting us amped up only to be sourly disappointed in the end. It was like high school all over again, only I didn’t have black hair with green streaks. And instead of a promposal from Connor Lendel it was a surgery I was hoping for.

Casey is just as shocked, “The chief played us.”

I bitterly nod, “Yep like fiddles with MD’s”

Schmitt tries to chime in for some reason, “I mean she technically didn’t say that we-” We all groan and admonish him over his bad timing.

I put my casual clothes on, grab my backpack and get out of the hospital for a much needed power nap.