#family secrets fic

[gremnda]

i read @hopepetal's fic sunflower days, went insane for a few days and this appeared-

i am so weak to pearl and scar being besties and this fic is basically that and more :,) <3 genuinely so so good, i already cried to zera about it and yall should read it and do the same ù_ú <3

[superbat-lmao]

A “buddy” vigilante story where Jason and Tim go back in time during Dick’s time as Robin, when the Worlds Greatest Detective was still young.

Basically, they significantly change the past and in the most annoying way possible. Tim knows that no one will know it was them and has been pretty morally flexible about the whole thing. They go down the list of rogues, down the list of siblings, bickering about it the whole time.

Jason kills the Joker, Tim rescues Cass, and both of them try and get one over on the other about their past selves.

Because Tim tries to talk baby Jason into stealing the Bat’s tires early while Jason’s out murdering Zucco, and Jason’s out snatching Tiny Tim and his camera from rooftops trying to leave him gift wrapped in the batcave while Tim’s out stealing info from Luthor.

It’s one giant clusterfuck but they’re successful because Tim and Jason combined are absolutely lethal and no one ever saw them coming.

Meanwhile, they keep running into Robin and absolutely losing it over seeing their oldest brother so young and angry.

Dick tries to track them down after they killed Zucco, he wants to ask why. What the hell they could possibly be doing or why that would matter to them.

Tim pushes Jason off a roof.Jason lights Tim’s ancient computer on fire. Tim tears a book in half. Jason takes pictures of Tiny Tim and sets them as his wallpaper. It’s a comedy, your honor.

And probably the worst headache Batman will ever get.

[superbat-love]

Teacher: Hello Mr Kent, this is Mrs Smith speaking, Jon’s teacher. Will you be picking your son up from school?

Clark: Give me half an hour. I’m just…caught up in something urgent right now. [someone screeching in the background]

Teacher: [alarmed] What was that? Mr Kent, is everything all right?

Bruce: Oh, he’s probably dealing with that nasty pest problem. [takes the phone and puts it on speaker] Clark, it’s me. Do you need help?

Clark: No, I can handle it! Take that! [more screeching in the background] Bruce, there’s more of them! The spiders are pushing us back!

Bruce: Just as I suspected, a spider infestation. [sounds of explosions on the phone] Large spiders. HUGE. Well, you know how big spiders can get in Kansas.

Clark: [incomprehensible yelling]

Bruce: Hang in there Clark, I’ll call the pest control. Jon can stay at the manor tonight with Damian, don’t worry about it. [ends the call and hands the phone back to the teacher] Come on, boys. Good day, Mrs Smith.

Jon & Damian: Bye Mrs Smith!

Teacher: [looking shell-shocked]

Superbat Family Fics

[pjs-everyday]

alright back on my bullshit 🙏

[ifyoucandaniel]

exactly one person asked and i’ve been DYING to make this, so here are all of my favorite long batman fanfics in general and for new readers @twisted-tales-told :)

cards on the table by @wesslan ! 69k, completed. this is one of my all time favorite fanfictions, it’s so funny and tim is a mastermind genius and a little liar <3 he basically pretends to be a fortune teller and gives scarily good predictions and advice by stalking the upper class and eventually gets involved with the batfam and has to maintain his lies while dealing with his issues :) 10/10, very found family, good angst, so much lying

Dark Matter by @mysterycyclone , 221k, ongoing. this is a batman fanfic rec, of course my bbg dark matter is going to be here <3 this is a MCUxDCU crossover where after infinity war (spoilers for that if you haven’t seen it!) peter parker gets sent to the DCU dimension with part of the soul stone and basically is haunted by the ghosts of the avengers while trying to survive in gotham and get back to his dimension. this is so well written i’ve read it at least three times, it’s still ongoing but trust me it is SO GOOD. i can’t properly describe it, but if you like spider-man and you are interested in batman, you’ll love.

Red is the Color of Sinners by @bluelotuswrites , series, 120k, ongoing, M. i want you to look me in my eyes when i tell you this is my favorite series on ao3. it is set after under the red hood and daredevil 3 where jason and matt meet in a church after jason loses his ability to speak following the events of UTRH. they keep running into each other both as matt and daredevil and eventually jason begins helping matt out with injuries and tech. it’s not finished yet, but there is something so compelling about their dynamic in this series as well as jason’s overall character and how he is portrayed. i’m a sucker for mute jason after UTRH and this series does so well giving him a fresh start and a place away from gotham to heal and build relationships. i cannot recommend enough.

buy back the secrets by @vinelark , 71k, ongoing, T. THIS!!! oh my god, so this is a timkon fic where kon still doesn’t know tim’s civilian identity, but whenever he’s in trouble tim calls for superboy which leads to them meeting without kon knowing. shenanigans ensure when kon starts spending more time with tim! it’s still ongoing but the author is currently working on the next part and it is so so worth the wait. chapter 4 ends on a cliffhanger though so be warned :))

Sales People Know (listening is the most important part) by Mayhem10, 77k, completed, T. this has the coolest urban magical realism ever. tim basically runs this magic shop that shows up places and people who need something find it in his shop :) it’s kinda a slow burn found family fic with magic themes and a smidge of angst!

Retrograde Motion by Lysical, 112k, completed, T. this is best de-aged kid fic ever. jason gets turned into a 7 year old and basically the outlaws, artemis and biz, join forces with the batfam to take care of him. but trust me when i say this is worth your time, it might sound tropey but in the best way possible!! and jason’s relationship with artemis is sooo important to me in this!

Hand in Unloveable Hand (a chokehold) by britishparty, 54k, completed, M. this is one of the best psychological torture/grooming fics i’ve ever read. pretty much what if while our taking photos of batman and robin, little tim gets kidnapped and black mask gets his hands on him and decides he’s the perfect size for a protege. years of psychological abuse and insane mind games ensue. also tim is a Badass™️

If He Had Come by bronwe_iris, 45k, completed, T. so i’m a little freak and i love the angst of arkham knight jason, but more specifically the aus where bruce saves jason before he becomes the arkham knight! this is an au where bruce finds jason and saves him from the joker after 9 months of torture and brings him home. focuses on his healing mentally and physically and rebuilding his relationship with his family

Banshee in a Well by liverobinreaction (bugbee), 43k, completed, T. veeeery good angst. basically what if tim couldn’t die? 43k of tim drake whump where he just dies a bajillion times and eventually his family notices <3

The Birds: Hatching a Family by Oceanera12, 81k, completed, T. this is like “what if the batkids weren’t adopted by bruce, but instead they were all foster siblings who can’t seem to stay out of gotham at night and batman happens to find them and decides obviously he can’t leave these kids to their own business, he has to stick his nose in it” and there’s some angst and heaps of found family

The Hellblazer’s Apprentice by @bluelotuswrites, 29k, ongoing, M. what can i say, im a simple woman, i love to see jason with literally any older male mentor :) basically in UTRH what if he took up an apprenticeship under constantine to learn magic to piss off batman! so good, i really love constantine so seeing him and jason interact in a long fic is so good. also ALL BLADES JASON TODD SAVE ME… ALL BLADES JASON TODD-

something in the static by bonerot19, 101k, ongoing series with three main completed works, T. this is a jason centric series where jason still lives in crime alley with his mom and dad and never stole the batmobile tires. it follows his life in crime alley with an addict mom and an abusive dad and one night when his dad is whaling on him nightwing finds him and the bats just can’t seem to leave him alone after that. steph is his neighbor and best friend also and their relationship is so good. this is a “what if jason took a different way home to the wayne’s” fic series and i love it so much <3

catch the asteroids that come your way by ThePackWantsTheD, 54k, completed, T. i don’t read a lot of ships in the batman fandom i’m sorry, but this kyle/jason one is sooo lovely. basically the two of them growing up together and falling in love and then dealing with the aftermath of A Death in the Family and finding each other again :) really sweet and nice!

hope you find something you like! i realized the majority of these are tim or jason centric, and i love them all dearly, but if anyone has any recs for long fics focusing on any of the other batkids lmk! and any other recs in general, i am a fiend for new fics

[forgetme-eternally-blissfully]

“So, babysitting?”

Alberu follows after the delinquent. From the record the vice-principal gave him access to, Cale frequently drinks alcohol, he often gets himself into a lot of fights, and he barely passed his classes at the end of the grading period. The teachers never call on him in class, girls and boys avoid him alike, and he is- supposedly- completely intolerable.

Which is why Alberu Crossman, who’s only a little older yet infinitely more mature has been assigned by the principal (his father) to get the troublemaker under thumb. Cale's father is quite wealthy, actually, and since there isn't much known about the successor to the Henituse family... it'd be bad if he had to be expelled.

Cale scowled. “Yes, babysitting, your highness. Please, leave if you must,” He jeers at Alberu, but internally he thinks, 'No, really. Please leave.' Otherwise, he might get caught in the act.

Of not actually being Cale.

Roksu aims a sour expression at Alberu, who returns it with a more flowery one. Acting as his twin for the day had been easy enough, mainly because being trash is great!- until Alberu Crossman strolled into his lunch period and introduced himself.

He is even following him out of the school to his job. Well, this job is Roksu’s and not Cale’s, but because he can’t ditch work nor can he get glib-tongued Alberu off his tail-

Well shit.

Thankfully, the kids call him hyung. Except Raon, who calls him human. Hopefully Alberu doesn’t look into it too much. If everything goes right, Alberu Crossman will be Cale's problem to deal with tomorrow. As it should have been.

“I didn’t know you liked kids, Cale,” Alberu smiles charmingly, walking side by side with Roksu. “Can you introduce me?” Roksu struggles to not put on his own disarming smile out of spite, instead plastering on a classic Cale Sneer™. It fits on his face perfectly, like he’s playing a character in a play.

They enter the building and ‘Cale’ guides Alberu to a colorful playroom, decked out in toys and a fountain of running water as the centerpiece (A gift from his father, who is still upset that Roksu doesn't visit more often). There’s a tray of fruits and oatmeal on the small table in the corner of the room, except not a soul to be seen. Picking up a bowl of oatmeal and finding the ceramic to still be hot, Roksu almost smiles.

Alberu frowns. Where are the kids he's supposed to babysit?

Roksu tells the empty air, "Come on out."

Three children appear out of nowhere in front of them.

“Hyung!”

“Human! You’re back!”

“Hyung, nya.” On examines Alberu some more.

All of the kids had been revealed the moment that Roksu spoke, as Raon unveiled the invisibility on them.

Raon runs up and grabs Roksu’s hand, who places it on his head, rubbing the black hair comfortingly. “Mm.” Raon beams at the affection.

“Raon, On, Hong,” they each look up at him at the call of their names. “This is Alberu Crossman, he is doing a report on my trashy behavior. Don’t be rude."

All three children become hostile immediately. “He isn't trash!”

On observes Alberu with an intense glare. Raon shifts under Roksu’s hand, his deep blue eyes glinting with magic. Roksu positions him away from the older teen’s view. Raon grips onto Roksu’s pant leg with a vengeance. Hong stares openly, offensive.

Alberu smiles at them.

"I'm visiting with Cale Hyung for today, nice to meet you."

Hong gasps suddenly.

“He-!” On gives her brother a look, and he clamps his hands over his mouth. Alberu feels a deep curiosity, as if something isn’t quite as it seems.

Roksu sighs. It’s going to be a long hour.

At the midway point, Alberu has easily disarmed the children. They look fascinated at the magic he shows them, while Roksu can only rub a palm over Raon’s shoulder as a warning to keep his dragon magic under control. He's still just a child that wants to brag. Everything is going well.

Bang!

“Hey Roksu! How was-“ Cale bursts through the door, bright red hair equipped with a shit-eating grin, wearing clothes far less fancy than his usual. He tenses up, frozen in place when he spots Alberu on the floor, politely sitting "crisscross applesauce" with the children. Roksu narrows a withering glare at his twin.

“… Roksu?”

Alberu looks at ‘Cale,’ sitting next to him, the one he's spent the entire day with, who is trying to send what must be the real Cale into the sun with his eyes.

“Ha… ha?” Cale winces. Roksu wipes his expression from his face.

“Cale-hyung, run! That’s the human’s bad look!” Alberu’s eyes widen as he watches the confirmed real Cale bolt back into the hallway and out of the front door. Alberu whips his head back toward the stranger behind him, who is a perfect replica of the Cale who ran like Hell. Cale has an identical twin?? Since when? Why doesn't he go to school?

Roksu levels an emotionless gaze at Alberu. “Hello, your highness. Don’t mind me.”

Alberu can only watch in astonishment as this stranger walks out of the playroom, with a smooth and deadly gait as he hunts down his twin like a predator would to prey. He recalls the look 'Roksu' gave him and it sends a shiver down the principal’s son’s spine. That gaze held secrets.

Something about this stranger is even more interesting than the sudden appearance of a twin.

On walks up to him, sitting down in his lap and looking into his eyes. “Roksu-hyung will be back soon, nya!” Hong bounds over and sits next to his sister, grinning widely. Raon huffs and looks at the door. He wants his human to come back.

[bellarkeselection]

1 - Welcoming the Bridgerton’s

Part 2

The Venus Muse

Here's the first chapter y'all! I am sorry to say that I couldn't tag some of you that asked to be added. If you could give me an update profile tag I will add you that way.

Buckingham Palace was always busy with something going on. The royal castle had many children over the years running around it. I knew this place better than anyone else could imagine. And that truth will help me change my life forever. 

“Your highness, which tiara would you wish for today?” One of my handmaidens named Sunset asked me. 

She was standing by my table vanity that had quite a few tiaras sitting on top of them. Sitting on my bed the fabric of my golden dress swayed when I walked up to her. “The one with three center jewels and the pearl necklace.” 

“Of course, my lady.” She nodded where I lowered my head and she set the tiara in the center. 

The tiara sparkled when the light bounced off the light coming through the window. I stood in front of the tall mirror eyeing my gown that was golden, short sleeves decorated in lace and was long where you couldn’t see the short brown boots I wore unless my dress flew up from the wind. “Sunset, do you think my mother shall begin pressuring me this year?” 

“It is not my place to speak on.”

I reassured her otherwise. “Don’t worry about prying ears. I am asking for your opinion.” 

“I would say she seeks what is best for you, Lady Y/n.” Sunset answered with a shrug of her shoulders. 

Someone knocked on the outside of my door before another lady in waiting peaked her head inside. “Princess, your mother is coming this direction.” I nodded brushing my hands down the front of my dress. 

The door of my bedroom opened for me to see my mother, Lady Danbury and Brimsley all walking up to my room. “I yearn for someone fresh, someone unexpected,  to turn this season on its head. That is what we need. There is no room for indifference.  Apathy is a blight the monarchy simply cannot endure.” 

“Of course, Your Majesty. But remember, a young lady cannot be a diamond until you anoint her as such. So if for any reason you do not find one among the candidates today…” 

My mother cut off her friend. “Do you think she will return?  We have heard nary a peep from Lady Whistledown since last season ended. Perhaps the writer came to her senses. Perhaps she realized taking on her queen was a bad idea, and she will never publish again.”

Lady Danbury responded. “It is a convincing theory, ma'am.”

“Or she simply left for the country, as the rest of us did in the off-season, bored by the lack of any real gossip.”

Lady Danbury made a noise. “Hmm. “

“You do know what that would make her, then?” My mother Queen Charlotte trailed off. 

I finished her sentence being fair too noisy, needing to listen to the conversation of the famous gossiping writer. “One of us.”

“My darling daughter, you look radiant as ever.” My mother turned away from her friend to face me. 

I sent her a smile waving to Lady Danbury to not be rude. “It’s good to see you, Lady Danbury.” 

“Good to see you too, Princess Y/n.” She smiled. 

My mother clasped her hands together in front of her puffy white dress. “I have been needing to speak with you and what this evening needs to entail for you and your happiness.” 

“You wish for me to marry a prince and provide heirs for the crown.” I rolled my eyes already thinking of the answer she would say. 

Yet to my surprise she said almost the opposite. “I wish for you to have happiness and many children. It would help if your husband was royalty, but it is not a requirement.” 

“It isn’t?” Knitting my brows in confusion. 

She takes my hands in hers. “I didn’t get the chance to search for love on my own. My brother arranged my marriage with your father. So I secretly hope that you, my firstborn daughter, can have some fun.” 

“Mother, I…that means so much to me.” I smiled through some happy tears. 

Footsteps came down the long hallway and around the corner before we saw my father’s servant named Reynolds. “My Queen, my princess. I have news.” He bowed with a hand behind his back. 

“What is it, Reynolds?” I asked him. 

He shifted his gaze to mine. “You're father is having an episode, Princess.” 

“Oh…” I made a noise in discomfort. I knew of his illness 

That was the secret my mother and the rest of my siblings and I kept hidden from thr world. They needed to believe that the king was just always busy and so his wide made the appearances out on the town. “Hmm it appears we may have to cancel the ball tonight for the Bridgertons.” My mother sighed in defeat knowing her husband came first. 

“We shall not cancel.” My mother and Reynolds’s both shifted their attention over to me when I had spoken up the opposite of what they assumed would need to be done. “We should not cancel because I can represent the family in your place, mother.” 

She tapped her chin in thought. “I suppose that could solve our problem. I don't wish to cancel the months of preparation that were put into this.” 

“Exactly that would be a tragedy.” 

The queen turned to her husband's helper with instructions. “Inform my husband I will come to his aid. Brimsley?” 

“Yes, your Majesty.” 

She gave him a different set of orders. “Inform the Viscount Bridgerton that my daughter shall be appearing tonight before myself.” He bowed and went in a different direction then Reynolds. 

“Thank you, mother.” I smiled curtseying to her before we parted for the evening. It was quite a few hours before the ball with our castle subjects and the Bridgertons would even begin. By the evening the moon was shining up in the sky and the grand ballroom was lit up like a christmas tree. 

Standing silently outside the currently shut double doors I stopped fiddling with my dress when one of the royal guards gave me a head nod saying it was time. I could hear the announcer's voice before the doors had even begun opening. “May I present to you her royal highness. The daughter of King George and Queen Charlotte, Princess Y.n of England.”

“Thank you, sir.” I whispered to another guard that came to me when I had made my entrance through the doors feeling all eyes on me. Sucking in a tiny breath he escorted me to the small throne before we unlinked arms leaving me on my own. The small crown on my head had never felt so heavy as it did right now. “Greetings my subjects. I am here to announce that my mother got called away tonight for an emergency. But she saw no reason why this event couldn’t go on as planned. So with that in mind let me extend a warm welcome to Violet Bridgerton and her family for traveling here for a few months.”

Everyone began clapping and cheering with an older looking woman who had dark brown hair up in a crown on her head that came up to me and gave a lovely curtsey. “Princess, it is a pleasure to get an invitation.”

“I hope I can get to meet your family greatly over your stay, Lady Bridgerton.”

“Princess Y/n, may I ask you something?” Someone called my name causing me to lift my gaze up noticing someone moving through the crowd. The figure paused beside the Bridgerton woman who seemed to give the man a confused but amused depression on her face. 

I clicked my tongue and answered the stranger's question. “What is your question, my lord?”

“I was wondering if you would accept my offer for a dance together this evening.” The stranger seemed similar to the woman he was standing beside him. I was fairly certain they were related, but which son was he if they were. 

He extended his hand up to me and I smiled, placing my smaller hand in his larger one. “I accept so long as I know which Bridgerton are you?”

“Benedict, Benedict Bridgerton.” He replied leading me out and onto the dance floor with the entire room having theur eyes focused on the two of us.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

Tag list - just ask to be added @abq654 @your-musicguru @imgondeletedis @eruannaaa-blog @cherrylovers-world @benedictbridgertonss @callmedarlingsstuff @carrotcaratsworld @sillynilly27 @emmampl-blog2 @bright-molina @erynel1zasworld @ynbutbetter @stranger-chan @blckbarbiedoll @sanaar3006 @ritz-hell-hotel

[autisticlancemcclain]

“Hey Keith.”

Keith, who is not a twelve year old child, easily ignores Lance’s dramatic flop forward, arms hooked over the back of the couch. He glances out of the corner of his eye and finds Lance already looking at him. He grins when he notices Keith looking. Keith rolls his eyes, not even bothering to try and tamp down his own smile.

“Keith,” Lance says again.

“Mm,” Keith responds.

Lance doesn’t say anything for a moment. Keith can hear his legs kicking. He’s so fucking — he’s so fucking. Ugh. Keith is going to — bite him, or something.

Lance hums, dark eyes tracing over the other people in the room. There’s something Keith can’t name in his expression, something sharp in those deep browns that Keith recognises; the look he gets when he lines up a perfect shot, when he stands grinning in the middle of the training room pointing his broadsword at Keith in challenge, when he leans in close, breaths heavy and teeth clamped lightly on the lobe of his ear. There’s amusement, there; mischief.

“Keith,” Lance says again, face schooled into something prim and serious — but his eyes don’t change. Keith hides a smile. “You need a boyfriend.”

Across the room, Shiro chokes. Pidge’s tablet clatters to the floor. Hunk’s jaw drops. Allura’s hand claps over her mouth. Coran, a notable outlier, watches them with a knowing smile.

Keith, suddenly, gets the game.

Like any of their planned missions, Keith plays along. He schools his face into something casual and unbothered, looking to the side with a shrug.

“Well, there’s this one guy I’m into.”

Some kind of deranged groaning noise eeks its way out of Shiro’s throat. Hunk appears to be praying for Lance’s soul. Keith is, suddenly, more amused than he’s ever been in his life.

“Oh?”

The corner of Lance’s mouth twitches. Keith’s hand matches it, struck with the urge to press his thumb to his cupid’s bow.

“Mhm. He’s cute, but…very dumb.”

A strangled garb of a sentence comes from Pidge. She reaches out like she wants to pinch Lance’s mouth with secondhand mortification. The twitching of Lance’s mouth gets faster.

“No way!” he exclaims, comically surprised look on his face. “What’s his name?”

Coran snorts. Keith looks over at him, unable to hold back his smirk any longer.

“…Lance.”

Lance gasps. So does the rest of the room.

“He’s got the same name as me?” He presses his hand to his chest, a ridiculous caricature, now, mouth dropped exaggeratedly wide. “Nice!”

“For fuck’s sake!” Hunk curses. Shiro wheezes and falls to the floor. He twitches a little. Something must be going around. Coran laughs out loud.

Keith grins, wide and ridiculous and showing his teeth. Lance meets his smile, equally as unrestrained, and this isn’t how they talked about doing this but it’s a thousand times more fun and a million times funnier.

Keith looks away, making eye contact with Allura and winking. She looks at him like he has four heads.

“Yeah,” Keith agrees. “He’s real cute. Curly hair, big brown eyes. One of those pretty boys.”

Lance scoffs. “Bet he’s ditzy, then.”

“Oh, a little. I love him, though. He makes me laugh.”

Lance does some dorky little half flip move, rolling over the back of the couch and landing with his head sprawled on Keith’s lap, grinning up at him.

“Does he?”

Keith hums, reaching down to run his fingers over Lance’s cheekbones, tracing the bump of his nose. “Yep.”

“Ugh. He sounds like the worst. You have garbage taste.”

“I dunno. I really, really love him.” He leans in close. His hair flips into Lance’s face, making his nose wrinkle. Keith laughs. “He makes me happy.”

“What the fuck is going on,” Shiro croaks.

Pidge nods frantically. “We’re in a mirror realm, we gotta be, something’s not —”

“You should date me instead,” Lance says. There’s a question in his eyes; a challenge.

They say, are we ready?

And Keith responds by brushing the hair out of his face, cupping his cheeks, and kissing him.

“About time,” Coran says.

Keith smiles, and kisses him harder.

———

based on this post

[starry-bi-sky]

pouring one out for luo binghe in my disciple SQQ fic, poor guy has taken a backseat here. we're nearly 30k words deep and he hasn't even shown his face once. it'll be much longer before he even actually talks to Shen Qingqiu.

(i say im pouring one out but in reality im sitting in my director's chair chewing on a cigar and wearing a beret as he tearily and unsuccessfully pleads with me for more scenes with Shen Qingqiu)

[fauvester]

nicktoonsunite's tigerghost haunting my brain

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

Soap has a box that sits under his bunk and stays locked at all times. Everyone’s seen it at one point or another but nobody actually knows what’s inside and so they’ve all got their bets on what could be in it.

Gaz said there was a bunch of porn mags in it and got so severely judged for it that he considered changing his bet, but nobody would let him do so.

Price bet that it was family stuff. Pictures, heirlooms maybe some trinkets or what have you from family members (eg. a hair clip from his sister, a cigar from his dad, etc.)

Alejandro said it was different bottles of booze he had picked up from missions, reasoning the man was Scottish so it would make sense.

Rudy had gone the opposite direction and said it was food cause they all knew how much of a foodie Soap was and how severely pissed he got when any of them took his food form the common rooms.

Ghost had shrugged and said it was filled with his old journals since he knew Soap worked through them so fast, and he had never seen what Soap did with old ones anyway.

Soap knows about the bet and he refuses to tell any of them what’s in the box, always deflecting and shrugging whenever he’s asked about it. Because it’s his box of secrets and for once, he doesn’t want to share it with anyone else.

While him not telling is in part due to his own embarrassment it’s also because the box is filled with what the others would consider trash, but they’re special things to him.

It’s filled with trinkets and little bits and bobs from his team members. Different things they picked up during a mission and gave to him or something he had picked up to remember a particular mission for whatever reason.

There’s pretty rocks from Gaz that caught his eye and he just brought with him. They always end up with Soap cause the other man just leaves them in his pockets and forgets about them.

Price gives him snacks and foods from the regions he’s gone on a mission to and Soap keeps the packaging. Cleans it out and keeps them cause he’s a bit of a hoarder like that.

He’s got bullet casings and beer cap lids from missions and nights out with Rudy and Alejandro. No two beer caps are the same cause the two like giving him different alcohols to try and the bullet casings are from the last bullet that ended a mission.

Ghost gives him little vials filled with dirt and he always claims that it’s only because he had picked up too much to fit in his mason jars but Soap knows he does it on purpose. He knows that Ghost picks up his dirt jars and thinks of Soap and getting him some and it’s so heart touching.

It’s also got photos of the team from the ends of missions or night outs and some sketches that he considers too private to leave in his journals. Nothing erotic or anything but things that show the softer moments of their lives or, on occasion, Simon’s face.

So yeah, maybe it is filled with trash and useless crap but it’s his and he doesn’t find any of it to be useless. He loves his little box of trinkets that remind him of times with his team mates, it’s a home away from home for him.

[lulublack90]

Prompt 14 - Secret Identity

@wolfstarmicrofic July 14, word count 948

Because of his family, Sirius often used another name when dealing with people he didn't know. Especially when dating. Once they heard Black, that was it, they were suddenly obsessed with being introduced to his parents. He’d grown his hair long, and he avoided suits like the plague. If you put him next to a picture of his younger self, it would be hard to guess they were the same person. 

He was being set up by a friend of a friend. He’d been adamant that his real name wasn’t mentioned. He had a rule that he only revealed his actual name if he thought it would go anywhere and, so far, that hadn’t happened. 

He was nervous. Something about this date was making him jumpy. He tried to shake it off and think about the nice meal he was going to have tonight. He’d chosen his favourite restaurant, all the staff knew him and knew not to call him Sirius or Mr Black. 

A tall, thin man in faded blue jeans, a slightly rumpled white shirt and an honest-to-god brown cardigan. Sirius looked around the restaurant to see who he was meeting. The man leaned in to ask the host something and, to Sirius’s astonishment, Celeste led the man over to his table. He jumped out of his seat when they stopped beside him and the man looked at him expectantly. 

“Thank you, Celeste,” He held out his hand to his date. “Simon White,” He introduced himself. 

“Remus Lupin,” Remus replied politely. They sat down and opened their menus. 

Sirius already knew what he was ordering, so he observed Remus instead. He was very handsome now that he was closer, with gorgeous sandy hair that wound into cute little curls. If only he had a sense of style, he’d be batting them off instead of going on a blind date with him. 

They made polite conversation and Remus seemed very nice, but Sirius was bored and not for the first time he wished he hadn’t come. Then Remus came out with the most outlandish, unexpected thing. 

“You look like a good shag, wanna have a bit of fun?” Sirius spit his water out across the table.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” He mopped up the spilt liquid as best he could. Remus put his hand on top of Sirius’s.

“Simon, calm down, it’s only water. Now if it had been red wine I think the staff might throw you out,” He stage whispered. 

“Nah, they love me in here,” Sirius waved him off. 

“Do you come here often?” Remus asked, his brow furrowing. 

“Er, yeah, it’s my favourite and I don’t cook so…” He didn’t dare say it was where he brought all his dates. 

“So, Simon, what do you do?” Sirius felt like squirming, he hated that Remus was calling him by his fake name. 

The man was growing on him, and he could almost see a possible future with this man. 

They were tucking into their desserts. Sirius had ordered the lemon cheesecake and Remus had the chocolate fudge cake. Remus was regaling him with a prank he’d pulled at his boarding school that nearly got him kicked out. 

“The toilets blew blue water everywhere, and they had to get in a line of portaloos on the front lawn to accommodate all of us while the plumbers tried to sort out the mess I made.” Sirius laughed a genuine laugh. He had tears in his eyes and was finally enjoying himself. “Did you ever get up to mischief when you were younger, Simon?” Sirius did shudder that time. Remus looked at him concerned. “Are you alright?” Sirius swallowed and braced himself. 

“Sirius,” He said, screwing his eyes shut. 

“Huh?” Remus asked, confused.

“My name isn’t Simon, it’s Sirius. I use a fake name on dates or else people want to know about my parents or the rest of the family and I can’t deal with that.” He confessed.

“So what is your real name?” Remus asked him. 

“Sirius Black,” He watched as Remus’s eyebrows crept up his forehead. 

“Oh,” He said. Sirius closed his eyes, a bit disappointed that he wouldn’t get to see Remus again and just when he was starting to have fun. “Well, I can happily say I have absolutely no interest in your family. No offence but they’re terrible,” Sirius’s head snapped up. Wait, what?

“You really don’t care who I am?” Sirius asked in wonder. Remus shook his head. 

“Who cares where you come from? It’s about who you are that matters, and I can tell you’re nothing like them. A bit lonely, but you show me a single person who isn’t.” Sirius could have cried. Where had this amazing, caring man come from and how could he have ever wanted the date to be over because he was boring? Remus Lupin was anything but boring. 

“Want to finish up here and come back to mine for coffee?” He dared to ask, putting himself out there in a way he never had before. Remus grinned a smile so big it took Sirius’s breath away. 

“Turn it into a hot chocolate, and I’m yours,” Remus joked. Sirius felt his stomach doing summersaults. He’d never eaten a cheesecake so fast in his life. The bill was charged to his account, and they left. Sirius grabbed Remus’s hand on the way through the door and Remus linked their fingers together. Sirius felt like he could fly right now. It was ridiculous. He made a mental note to thank Marlene for the set-up. But for now, he had hot chocolate to make, he was just glad that he had the good stuff in.

[sarahsmi13s]

Tell Them

pairing: jake ‘hangman’ seresin x wife!reader

characters: jake seresin, y/n seresin, grayson seresin, kennedy seresin, javy ‘coyote’ machado, the dagger squad, doctor, ty (mentioned - grayson’s friend)

warnings: third person pov, she/her pronouns used, language, car crash, drunk driving, mentions of dying, fear of losing a child, hospitals, mentions of surgey, description of injuries, i believe that is it

word count: ~3.4k

a/n: 1/3 (this is a three part story -- however i might expand on it if you guys want) 

secret family trope! who doesn’t love that?

loose summary: after nearly losing someone very important to him, jake decides it’s final time to reveal his secret to the dagger squad

pt 2  pt 3   

tell them universe

*******

Jake was in the middle of training when a voice came over the comms, “Maverick, Hangman! Payback, Fanboy! We’re cutting your session short, land now!”

The four groaned, “We almost had him, sir!” 

“Seresin, I need you to land now and meet me in the ready room.” The urgency in Admiral Simpson’s voice made Jake’s stomach uncomfortably heavy. “Yes sir!”

Jake landed in record time, running off the tarmac.

Cyclone met him at the door and Jake stood at attention. “At ease.” Jake relaxed, “May I ask what this is about, sir?”

“Jake…” 

A voice from further in the room spoke up and the broken tone made him clench his jaw. Cyclone let him pass and he immediately embraced his wife. “Honey, what's wrong? What are you doing here?”

She looked up at him, her (e/c) swimming in tears. “Jake, Grayson was in a car accident.” Hangman’s heart dropped to his feet. “I tried to call but you weren’t answering and I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sorry, I know we talked about-“

He gently covered her mouth to silence her rambling, before slowly cupping her face, “Is he okay? Do you know anything?” She nodded and gripped his wrist, “He’s in surgery. I-I can’t remember wh-what they told me about his injuries. The-the police said that it was some drunk driver, he ran a stop light.” 

Jake just held her again, finally let his (and her) body weight fall back to the couch. “I’m scared, Jake…” “I know, I know Baby.”

Maverick appeared in the doorway next to Cyclone, “Sir?” “Cut training short, everyone had time in the air, correct?” “Yes sir.” 

The Admiral left and Pete stood in the doorway for a second longer before turning and going to tell everyone that training was over for the day.

When he was met with confused faces. 

“Wait, where’s Hangman?” Rooster asked, glancing at the crew in the men’s locker room, Mav having already let Phoenix know when he met her in the hallway. “Yeah, why did Cyclone need him to land so suddenly?” Payback asked.

Coyote checked his phone seeing missed calls and a few texts from Hangman’s wife, trying to get ahold of Jake. “He’s in the ready room.” 

Coyote grabbed his jacket and left the room without a word. “Machado? Where are you going?” Fanboy asked, but Coyote was already halfway to the ready room.

He burst in, “Jake, hey, Mav cut training early, Y/N’s been-“ He finally noticed that she was sitting on the couch. “Hey, Javy, sorry for blowing up your phone…” He shook his head, “It’s okay.”

Y/N rested her forehead on her husband’s, “I should head back to the hospital, I need to be there in case anything else happens.” 

“Wait, where’s Kennedy?” “She’s with Amelia and Penny.” “Does she know?” She shook her head, “Not yet.” Jake kissed her gently, “Please drive safe. I’ll pick her up and then meet you at the hospital.” Y/N nodded and hugged him tight. “I love you.” “I love you too.”

As she left the room, Hangman broke. His hands started shaking, his throat hurt, but he didn’t want to cry. He could cry later, right now he needed to collect his things and leave.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Javy asked when Jake stood up. “Grayson was in an accident, drunk driver… he’s in surgery, but I don’t know anything else.” Coyote nodded, “Come on. Let’s go.”

****

When they reached the locker room they were met with happy banter about their plans for the rest of the day. 

Bob was the first to pick up on how shaken up Jake looked.

“Hey Hangman, you okay?” Jake just moved to his locker, which happened to be beside Bob. The unnatural silence from the normally mouthy pilot was unsettling.

Hangman checked his phone, and the amount of times Y/N had tried to call him finally opened the floodgates. It hadn’t really hit him about how serious it was until he saw how desperate she was to get ahold of him.

He still didn’t say a word as he changed, collected his things, and left.

Every pilot in the locker room just sat there in silence, the jovial energy now drowned in confusion and sympathy. They had never seen him act like that, they definitely never saw Hangman cry.

“Coyote, what’s up with Hangman?” Rooster asked, concerned. Javy sighed, “It’s not my place to tell you.” “Come on man. Hangman has never acted like this before.” “Look, if you want to know, ask him. If he doesn’t want to tell you, then respect that.” With that Javy also left the locker room.

*******

Jake picked up his 5 year-old daughter from Penny’s house, “Thank you for watching her.” Both Penny and Amelia shook their heads, “Of course. Call us if you hear or need anything.” Jake nodded and hurried down the steps.

He buckled Kennedy in and slid into the driver's seat. “Where’s Mama and Gray?” Jake sighed, “At the hospital, hun.” “Is Gray sick?” 

Jake didn’t know how to tell his daughter that her brother was probably fighting for his life on that table. “I don’t know, baby.” He hated doing that, but he had no idea what to tell her with the little information he had.

****

When he pulled up to the hospital, he got Kennedy out and carried her in.

It took him a minute but he managed to find Y/N. “Mama!”

She whipped her head up at the sound of her daughter’s voice. Jake put Kennedy down and she ran to her mother. “Is Gray gonna be okay?” Y/N sniffled and pushed some hair out of Kennedy’s face, “The doctors are doing the best they can, baby.” “Is he sick?” “No, Ken, he’s hurt.”

Jake sat down beside his wife, trying his best not to break down again.

Kennedy reached up and wiped the tears from her mother’s face, nearly making her break down. The young girl just embraced her mom, “Bubs will be okay, Mama.” Y/N embraced her back, holding her for dear life.

“Hey,” the three Seresin’s looked up to see Javy. “Uncle Cy!” Y/N let Kennedy slide off her lap and into Javy’s arms. “Hey trouble, did you have fun at Penny’s?” She nodded, and then leaned into his ear and whispered something. “That’s a great idea,” he whispered back. 

“Hey, I’m gonna take her to the vending machine, said she was feeling snacky. Do you want anything?” He asked the couple who just shook their heads. Javy nodded and was off.

Y/N turned to Jake and could see the turmoil swimming in his eyes. 

Her gaze softened, “Baby…” She cupped his cheek and he pushed his cheek into it, a shaky inhale entering his nostrils. “I’m trying to be strong right now, but I’m fuckin’ terrified,” he pulled away and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes.

“Jake… Honey, you do not have to be strong. You may be some badass Navy pilot most of the day, but right now you are a dad. You’re allowed to be scared for your child.” 

He looked back at her, “How can I support you and Ken if I’m crying like a bitch?” He bit his lip and shook his head, looking down. “Hey, stop that. There’s no shame in crying, Jacob. Plus, I think we’ve got a pretty good support system. And they aren’t just there for me, or Kennedy and Grayson. They’re here for you too. So can you stop holding back the tears and just cry with me, please?” Jake finally let himself go and pulled his wife into his arms.

It was like that for about 30 minutes before Coyote was coming back with Kennedy on his shoulders. 

“Sorry it took so long. None of the vending machines had what she wanted.” Y/N and Jake chuckled at their daughter’s pickiness. 

He sat her down and pulled Jake and Y/N up to hug them. “I’m here if y’all need anything. Please don’t hesitate to ask.” “Thank you man.” “Thank you, Javy.”

He pulled back, “Do you want me to stay? Keep Ken occupied?” Y/N wiped her cheek, glancing back at the little girl playing with the ends of her blonde hair, tiny feet kicking back and forth. “If it’s not too much to ask.” “Of course, I just need to talk to Jake for a second, that okay?” She nodded, pulling Javy in for a hug before pulling away and sitting with her daughter.

Javy pulled Jake a little further away. “Hey, I think you need to tell the rest of the squad about them.” Jake sighed, hands on his hips as he looked back at his wife of nearly 15 years and his 5 year-old daughter.

The only people in the Navy that knew about them were his superiors and his best friend. 

He liked to keep this close to his chest, this was his and he didn’t want to share it. 

He had built this asshole, ‘care-about-no-one-but-myself’ persona because he had to. It was his way to protect his family and to make sure he made it home to them.

“Javy-” “Look, you don’t have to, but they were worried about you when you left.” Jake pulled out his phone. He saw multiple texts, both individual and in the group chat. It lifted his spirits a little to know that they cared.

His friend patted his shoulder, “Just think about it.” He brought Jake into a hug before joining Y/N and Kennedy.

********

Two hours later a doctor was walking out. “Lieutenant and Mrs. Seresin?” 

Both Y/N and Jake stood up, Kennedy on Y/N’s hip. “That’s us.” The doctor walked over, “The surgery went well, your son is currently resting.” Y/N let out a relieved sob, covering her mouth as Jake smiled and bit his lip, once again trying not to cry.

“Can you tell us anything about his injuries?” Jake asked. “The impact caused multiple lacerations, broken ribs, a concussion, a sprained wrist, a torn right ACL and a broken left femur. We’ve done surgery for both the femur and the ACL.” Jake wiped his face again, “Thank you. When -uh- when can we see him?” 

“He won’t be awake for a few more hours. But you can head back right now, he’s in room 405.” Y/N nodded, reaching out to shake the doctor’s hand, “Thank you, Doctor.” Jake did the same and the doctor left.

Javy stood, “Do you need me to take K? Give you both a minute alone with Grayson.” Jake looked at his daughter, who was resting her head on her mom’s shoulder. “I wanna see Gray…” “Okay, baby, we’ll go see Gray.” 

Jake turned to his friend, “Thank you man. You should probably head back, get some rest for- Shit…” “Language!” Jake covered his mouth, “Sorry, sweetheart.” Y/N rolled her eyes and giggled a little bit at the habit her daughter had picked up for whenever adults swore in front of her.

“Hey, I’ll talk to Mav. Give him the rundown on what’s goin’ on, you focus on them.” “You’re the best, J.” Javy nodded and patted Jake on the arm, giving the two girls a kiss on the head, “Call me if you need anything.” The couple nodded and thanked Javy before going to their son’s room.

Y/N gently sat Kennedy on her feet when they entered the room. 

“Oh my- Grayson…” Jake bit his fist at the sight of the 16 year-old covered in bruises and cuts.

Jake had seen combat and seen a few friends in the hospital after ejections, but the sight of his son would be burned into his brain forever.

All three moved to sit in the uncomfy chairs by the bed, Kennedy in Jake’s lap. “Is Gray sleeping?” Jake ran his fingers through his daughter's hair, “Yeah, he’s sleeping. He’ll be okay though.”

Kennedy wiggled from Jake’s hold and stood in front of Y/N, where she bit her nail and looked at her son on the bed. 

“Mama,” Kennedy grabbed Y/N’s hand with both of hers and moved it away from her mouth, like she’d seen her father do. “What baby?” “Why are you crying? Gray’s okay, he’s just sleeping.” She wiped her face, “I know, hun. I’m just happy is all.”

Kennedy wiped her mother’s eyes again and kissed her nose. Y/N giggled through the tears, “Thank you, Ken.” The girl nodded and yawned. 

“Are you tired, sweetie?” She nodded, “Mhmm.” “Why don’t you lay on the sofa? Get a nap in, okay?” Jake suggested as he patted the arm of the sofa next to the chairs. “I don’t have a blanket, Daddy.” He slipped off his jacket, “Here we can use this, for now.”

Kennedy climbed up onto the sofa and rested her head on the little pillow there. Jake covered her with his jacket and kissed her forehead. Kennedy had no trouble falling asleep with the comfort of her father’s jacket and cologne wrapped around her.

Jake sat back down next to Y/N and held her hand, eyes fixated on the rise and fall of Grayson’s chest.

“Was there anyone else in the car?” Jake asked, squeezing Y/N’s hand a little tighter. She nodded, rubbing the tension from her neck with her free hand, “Yeah, his friend, Tyler. He’s okay though, police said it was a T-bone to the drivers’ side. He’s got a concussion, a few cuts, and a broken nose from the air bag.” Jake relaxed, “That’s good. Both of them are alive.”

He clenched his jaw, “What about the drunk driver?” She bit her lip, “Coma, went through the windshield. By some miracle he’s alive…” Jake pulled his hand away and ran it through his hair.

He hated whoever it was that put his son in a hospital bed, whoever thought he had the right to reduce his normally energetic wife to a part of herself that he hadn’t seen in years. It was harsh and maybe even a little dark, but he wished the person was dead.

“Is it bad that I don’t think that’s enough?” Y/N shook her head, “I’m gonna be honest, I thought the same. But he’s 18, he’s just a kid, Jake.” “It doesn’t excuse what he’s done to Grayson.” 

She shook her head, “No, but you know that feeling we both feel right now? His family feels the same thing, only added with the major guilt for what their son has done.”

Jake sighed, she was right, she always was. But the anger was still a bitter taste on his tongue, and it would only go away when Grayson was awake.

They sat in silence, just listening to both of their children’s soft breathing as they slept and the heart monitor.

**********

A few hours in, Jake’s lids felt heavy and he kept jerking himself awake.

“Baby, you can sleep, I’ll be here. You’ve had a grueling day.” “Like your day has been any better?” “I didn’t pull g’s all day. Please, get some sleep. I’ll wake you when he wakes up.” 

Jake could see the bag’s under her eyes, she was fighting off sleep too. “Wake me up in 30 minutes, we’ll take shifts.” She started to shake her head but he held her face, “Either that or I don’t sleep.” She sighed, “Fine.” He smiled a little and kissed her, “Good.” Jake got as comfortable as he could and fell asleep.

Y/N stood up and placed her hand on Grayson’s cheek, brushing his brown hair up off his forehead. She closed her eyes and shakily exhaled, saying a silent prayer and praise that her son was okay and would recover completely.

A knock came from the door and it made Y/N turn to check on Jake and Kennedy before kissing Grayson’s forehead and moving to the door. 

“Can I- Maverick?” “Hey, Y/N, Jake here?” She pointed over her shoulder, “I told him to get some sleep. Do you need him?” The captain shook his head, “I just wanted to tell him he’s got Monday off. Give you all some time to get everything sorted out. I tried to give him Tuesday off, but-” “No Pete, it’s okay,” Y/N gave him a thankful smile.

Pete glanced over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Grayson. “How is he?” She sighed, “Doctor said he’ll be okay, should wake up in a few hours. A few broken ribs, lacerations on his left side, a sprained wrist, his right ACL is torn and his left femur is broken. They did surgery for both.” 

Mav nodded, “Do you guys need anything?” Y/N shook her head, “Not at the moment, but thank you for coming by. I’ll let Jake know you came by.” He nodded and hugged her, “Call me or Coyote if you need anything.” She nodded, “Thank you again.”

She sat back down and cuddled Jake’s arm, unknowingly sealing her fate. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep.

****

Not too long after that Grayson woke up.

After he fully understood where he was and remembered why, he noticed that his sister was awake. 

“Kennedy, Kennedy!” 

It was a whisper shout, pretty much all he could manage with his ribs. “Bubba!” She squealed, sliding down off the couch and going to the side of his bed.

“Hey, Kenni,” he pushed some hair out of her face. “Are you okay, bubba?” He nodded, “I’m okay, baby. Will you wake up Mom and Dad?”

Kennedy nodded and climbed into Jake’s lap, patting his face until he woke up. “Why are you hittin’ me, Ken?” “Gray’s awake.” He sat up straight, startling his wife awake. 

“Honey what’s wrong?” “Gray’s awake Mama!” Y/N all but shot up out of her chair.

She had to keep herself from embracing her son, opting to cup his face in her hands. He winced and she retracted slightly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He shook his head and grabbed her wrist with his good hand. 

Jake placed his hand on the top of Grayson’s head, “How are you feeling?” Grayson shrugged as best he could, “Pretty good, all things considered.” Jake let out a relieved chuckle, shaking his head. 

“What’s the damage?” “Broken ribs, broken left femur, torn right ACL, sprained wrist, concussion, and lacerations,” Y/N said, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Is-is Ty okay?” Both of his parents nodded, “Got out with a broken nose, a concussion, and some superficial wounds.” Grayson sighed, relieved his friend was okay. 

“Will I get to play football, or any sport?” “That’s a question for your doctor, baby,” Y/N told him gently, pushing his hair out of his face again.

“Daddy?” Jake looked down where Kennedy was gripping his pant leg, “Yeah Princess?” “Can I see Gray?” “You’ve got to be careful okay?” She nodded and Jake picked her up, taking her to the right side of the bed.

He gently sat her on the bed and Grayson smiled at his little sister. “Hey, Kenni.” Kennedy frowned, tiny hand gently touching the injured side of his face. “Why is your face cut up? Did someone think you were paper?” 

He had to suppress the laugh, “I’m okay. And no, someone did not think I was paper.” “Well good, cause then I’d treat them like paper. No one hurts my big brother.” None of them could hold the laughs back that time, Grayson wincing a bit, “Thank you, Kenni. My big brave protector.”

He tickled her a bit with his good hand, causing her to wiggle and jostle his right knee. 

“Hey, bug, careful,” Y/N said gently, knowing it wasn’t really her fault. “Right, sorry, Gray.” “It’s okay, K.” Y/N kissed both of her kids on the head, “I love you both so much.” “We love you too Mom.”

Jake had a watery smile as he watched 3 of the most important people in his life. “And we love Daddy!” Kennedy said, smiling at Jake. “And Daddy loves you, both of you.” 

That was the reason he told himself he had to keep them private. He loved them, almost to fault.

And watching how close they could have been to losing Grayson, who had his whole life ahead of him, he knew what he had to do.

“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone.” Y/N nodded, giving their kids a smile before following Jake into the hall. “What’s going on, Honey?” Jake took a deep breath.

“I think I wanna tell the squad.”

**********

hiiiii! i’m happy you’re here! thank you for reading!

i hope you enjoyed this first part! i have two more parts ready to go and we’ll hopefully get them out in a timely fashion

if you want to be notified of up coming parts comment and i can add you to the tag list! and if you want to be added to top gun tag list lmk! <33

top gun tags <33: @roosterscockpit @luckyladycreator2 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @sebsxphia​ @milesdickpic​

thank you guys for being here!!!

[pjs-everyday]

*immediately loses their cool* lmao 🤓 // linework >> grayscale // ko-fi

[therealvinelle]

From what I can tell, in the actual books there's just one line from Sirius saying Alphard left him some gold, and not much other canon mention of him. How did Alphard become such a big character in your fics/Tom Riddle's love interest?

You know, that's a very good question.

The true and full story behind how Alphard Black became an important character in our fics is laden with a lot of spoilers and back-and-forth, though I will say it wouldn't have happened at all if @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin hadn't already used him in When Harry Met Tom. When we later then needed to add a character for The Man Who Would Be King, Alphard's name lent itself easily and on discussion we found he was the only that really fit the role we needed a character to play. He went on to become a surprisingly large part of secret fic, now we've imprinted on him like baby ducks and he's in everything.

So, what makes Alphard Black so fitting for what we need him to be?

We have little to go on from canon, but compared to some of the other characters fandom has decided on characterisation for, we at least have something to go on when we make stuff up. Oh, we have to conjecture, fabricate, and headcanon away, and for every possible Alphard Black we draft up someone could have used those same clues to create a different Alphard, but we would both be following certain constraints.

By contrast, characters like Alice Longbottom or Abraxas Malfoy have very strong fanon characterizations, a lot read into them, but I'd argue we have just as much, if not slightly more, to go on with Alphard Black.

With that said, here is the information we have on Alphard and how Muffin and I used every bit of it to make up as much as we could.

Teen pregnancy 1.0: Pollux edition

Alphard's sister was born when their father Pollux Black was twelve, and his father married her mother. Going by his young age, I assume this was so Walburga wouldn't be a bastard. Walburga, by her painting's ravings, appears to have spent all her life in 13 Grimmauld Place, she feels a connection to "the house of my fathers" and always had a strong sense of Black identity she tried to pass on to her sons: I think it's a very fair assumption that the Blacks raised the baby, and not her mother's family (as her mother would have been in Hogwarts as well or else a statutory rapist, either case spells a grim homelife for Walburga).

Now, Alphard's birthdate is unknown since he's struck off the family tree, but it was sometime between 1925 and 1938.

Muffin and I have decided that he was born the next year, since this gives Tom a dorm mate, and more importantly it gives Alphard a teen father, one who learned nothing from last year and assumed no responsibility. Tom now has a fucked up dorm mate, and we didn't have to (completely) invent a character.

You now have two kids raised by family members not their parents since their father is a literal thirteen-year-old, and the generational age gap is so narrow that when Walburga starts school her paternal aunt Dorea is canonically a fifth year. They want for nothing materially and the family does step up, but the complete parental absence in their life has an impact.

For the sake of funny, we thought Arcturus Black, who is already raising Lucretia and Orion, is our candidate for raising his cousin's spawn. Now Walburga's marriage to her second cousin is to someone who was raised alongside her, which is funny and so awful. Another feasible candidate is Cygnus Black, Pollux's father and currently raising four kids, but... not as funny.

Teen pregnancy 2.0: Cygnus edition

Cut to 1951. Alphard is a happy bachelor, his father has stopped having kids (legitimate ones anyhow), Walburga's happily married to their cousin, and then... their brother Cygnus does a booboo.

Bellatrix is born, Cygnus is thirteen. Andromeda's birthdate is unknown, but must have been while he was in Hogwarts because Narcissa is born in 1955, while he is still seventeen.

The same problem as with Pollux arises with Bellatrix: who wants baby? And, as with Walburga, I think a fair argument could be made that the Blacks took her in, not the Rosiers.

There are many options here (and can't rule out the Rosiers), but I think it's fair to assume Bellatrix went to live with close family.

Per the Black family, this gives us three options that I find feasible: Walburga, Alphard, and Pollux.

I don't think it was Walburga, I think that would inevitably have come up in canon, either as Walburga lost her shit when Andromeda eloped, handled her grief differently after Regulus died if she had surrogate daughters, or Sirius had a different dynamic with Bellatrix. The Orion-Walburga-Sirius-Regulus family unit doesn't come across at all as having had three nieces raised alongside the boys, so Walburga's a no.

Which leaves us with Alphard, Pollux, someone in the Rosier family, or extended Black family raising Bellatrix.

Pollux, per his wild youth, might not be topping the lists. One could posit that Pollux wants a second shot at parenting and would take in his granddaughter based on this, but he already has Cygnus if he wanted a second shot at parenting. Still, he's a candidate.

So is Alphard, however, who is living alone and has no wife to worry about, no children of his own, and a pile of gold. Per his choice to give Sirius gold after he ran away, one can also assume he's one to come through for family, which fits with taking in his much younger brother's daughter.

TL;DR: we can't prove Alphard Black didn't raise the Black sisters, or at least care for them in their early years, but someone must have and it might as well have been him.

Let there be no pregnancies and no marriages

We then enter the bit that had Muffin go "oh, gay. I will use him in my fic" long before any of the detective nonsense to come up with the above, which is that Alphard did not marry. Now, that could mean anything, perfectly straight people don't marry and gay people do marry.

However, from 1938 through 1960, no Black heirs are born. Which isn't necessarily a long time, on the contrary, Cygnus has been supplying the family with children for years now, luck just had it so they're all daughters who can't pass on the family name.

Still, taking a step back, Orion, Walburga, Alphard, and Lucretia (who married a Prewett) are all adults who are just not having any children. The Orion and Walburga are perhaps not even married, we don't know when they married, and it could be they married specifically because neither of them had found anyone else to marry and there were no sons. Alternatively, they married earlier but then did not have children until they were in their mid-thirties. Considering Lucretia's childless marriage, it might be some Blacks struggled with infertility.

A bit of nerding about why I think Walburga waiting so long to have children is odd

The tldr for Western European demographics is that if you can afford to have children and provide for your family, you will marry and have children early. The upper classes have historically married and had children much younger than the lower classes because of this. The mother's education will also impact when she has children - higher education means having children later.

I think we see this reflected in the wizarding world, in that education is both low (arguably nonexistent, considering the curriculum at Hogwarts) and in magic making material considerations Muggles must make obsolete. And we do see a lot of young parents - Lily and James are both 20 when they have Harry, Andromeda is maximum 24 when she has Nymphadora Tonks, Molly Weasley is 20 when she has Bill, Narcissa is 25 when she has Draco, Fleur would have been 23-25 when she had Victoire, Harry and Ginny are 26 and 25 when they have James Sirius, Hermione and Ron are 26-27 when they have Rose...

Young is the norm.

And with the Blacks, who were lineage obsessed, and where Walburga is never reported to have had a career keeping her busy, I find it very interesting that Walburga doesn't have children until she's 35.

There are three possible explanations I can see:

Walburga and Orion didn't want to have children, and waited for Alphard or Cygnus to get on with it, only for Cygnus to only have daughters and Alphard to have no children at all (bit unlikely since they had two sons, a couple who pointedly did not want children would have called it quits after the first)

They had fertility issues

Walburga and Orion did not instantly marry, but waited for years until it became clear Orion wasn't going to find anybody else, Alphard apparently not either, and Cygnus said "fuck you all, I've contributed three kids already", at which point Walburga and Orion were both single, both cared about the lineage, and went for it.

We've gone for option 2 since it's just funnier to have a pair of cousins all over each other at Hogwarts, "Aren't they-" "Yes and they're very happy together :)", but I think option 3 is pretty feasible too.

Either way, you can read into Walburga and Orion from the late births of their children and you also get free Alphard characterisation, because his choice not to marry starts to look rather pointed.

Back to Alphard

While the Blacks were not dying out at the time, they also weren't swimming in children. Only Cygnus was passing on the family name, and that was exclusively to daughters, and he went on to have no more (legitimate) children after leaving school. Pollux wasn't having any more (legitimate) children, and while there are and grandfathers uncles on the family tree who could do the deed they were quite old, many unmarried, and most importantly they canonically had no children.

We're down to Alphard, Orion, and Cygnus having to pass on the family name, with Orion and Walburga a decade into their marriage with no sons to show for it. Sure, Cygnus could have sons, but that would be placing all their dragon eggs in one dragon basket (and indeed, he had no sons).

Why doesn't Alphard marry?

The family must have brought it up, if not pressured him. Alphard not marrying in a world where arranging a match would have been the easiest thing in the world looks to me like a deliberate refusal.

The giving of the money to the Sirius

This all brings us to the one thing we know for sure that Alphard did in his life: he willed money to Sirius after he'd been disowned.

We know Alphard was not a blood traitor prior to this, or he'd have been burned off earlier.

I frankly take this to mean Alphard most likely subscribed to pureblood supremacy, or at least he did not mind it enough to do anything else to cross his family. Giving money to Sirius isn't a political act, it's an uncle providing for a family member who has suddenly lost everything.

(And, if we assume Alphard himself is gay: it's an uncle who sees his nephew run away from home to be with his best friend, and perhaps drawing a few conclusions of his own about the strength of Sirius's friendship to James. There are many ways to interpret his choice to support Sirius financially, is what I'm saying.)

It also seems a distinct overreaction to me that Walburga would burn him off the family tapestry for something like this, and... it seems very much like one angry, mourning, woman's way of hurting a brother she can no longer confront. If she had been hoping Sirius wouldn't make it out in the wild and be forced to return, then Alphard giving him money would be a betrayal of the highest order.

Walburga putting a cigarette to her wallpaper isn't the same as the entire Black family disowning Alphard posthumously, it's an act of grief and anger.

Where we make things up wholesale

I'll go ahead and assume Alphard was gay, had a good and stable but slightly fucked up family life, and got overly attached to his dorm mate Tom Riddle as a stranger to all of this who perhaps seemed above it all. I also vote he raised Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda, because it's a more interesting option than Pollux. (In case you didn't notice, Muffin and I subscribe to the Black family being as fucked up as we can reasonably make them.)

Vinelle, what was the point of this?

My point is that we may not have any canon appearances to go on with Alphard Black, but we do have dates, biographical facts, what he did with his will, a few statements from Walburga's insane painting and other characters, and a whole lot of imagination. And an obsessive tendency.

And a willingness to say "Mm, no. Can't read. Sorry, that fact's just wrong." when we don't like things (more specifically, Sirius's phrasing making it sound like Alphard died not too long after Sirius ran away from home, which would make him dead for The Man Who Would Be King, a fic that takes place in 1982. We will assume Sirius meant "gave", not "left".)

Wee.

[youngyoo-apologist]

Regressor OG!Cale and Regressor!Kim Roksoo based off of that one Skip and Loafer panel