#for mac to make his own decisions without him asking

[sort-of-a-hero-that-way]

Thinking about Frank vs Russia again. And about the confirmation that the SINNED system was created at the same time as the DENNIS one. We know Dennis perfected his system for women but we haven't seen him ever date a man or keep a man. We have no confirmation of what he's done, and based on Dennis' eagerness in knowing if Dee and Mac got 2nd dates, I like to think he's never even tested it before. It was all based on observations. He kept it secret all these years and finally saw potential now to test it out through them. When's the second date? He's eager to know. Does it work.

And it does. Ofc it does. It was foolproof. He knew that.

Dennis isn't against a romance with Mac. The system exists since s6, Dennis clearly WANTS to keep a man. He just doesn't understand how that's already happened. Mac likes him? Wdym, he hasn't done the steps yet. Dennis just confirmed that the system works.

We know Dennis' outburst basically meant "You can't be in love with Johnny because he doesn't love you Mac, I don't love you. Move on."

But it also meant "You can't be in love with Johnny because Johnny is me! And you're not in love with me!"

Dennis is rejecting love on all grounds, in both directions. This isn't part of the plan, part of the scheme. This isn't his goal, not now. He's not ready and Mac isn't either.

The goal was simply to get Mac's attention back. To bring them back on equal footing. To be friends again. Dennis is fixing the friendship first, and Mac is being impatient and an idiot and jumping at romance and ruining the careful pacing Dennis is creating.

[steddieasitgoes]

Eddie, who, as a child, struggled with making decisions, so Wayne gifted him a Magic 8 ball that he could turn to for guidance. Eddie spends most of his childhood carrying around the Magic 8 Ball, using it to decide between mac and cheese (ask again later) or chicken strips (signs point to yes) at lunch or whether he should go talk to the new kid Gareth (without a doubt). 

Eddie slowly starts to make his own decisions but keeps onto the Magic 8 Ball for important, life-changing questions. He asks if he should drop out of school after failing his first senior year (my reply is no) and then again if he should repeat said senior year (it is decidedly so). He even asks if he should start working for Reefer Rick (reply hazy, try again) -- it’s the one time he chose to ignore the ball’s advice. 

Unfortunately, Eddie doesn’t have his Magic 8 Ball on him when the witch hunt starts. He wishes he could ask it if all this hiding and running is going to be worth it. But for once, Eddie has to rely on his own decisions. So he keeps going. Lets Dustin and his friends take him under their wing and protect him. Has to trust that Nancy’s plan is going to work and that Steve is going to make Vecna pay when he nods his head at his request. 

It’s hard trusting other people without having something to double check the universe’s whims on, but he has no choice. 

When he survives and gets sent to the hospital, the Magic 8 Ball is one of the first thing he asks Uncle Wayne to bring him from home. The first question he asks: was any of it real (without a doubt). Oh, how he wishes it was all a dream.

The second question he asks later when he’s all alone: will I get over my crush on Steve (very doubtful). Not pleased with the answer, Eddie pushes the Magic 8 Ball aside and rolls his eyes. What does it know anyway? 

As his recovery continues, Eddie comes to rely on his Magic 8 Ball less and less because he has a group of friends around him who are there to offer their guidance. The Magic 8 ball stays perched on the small hospital table though, always in reach if he needs it. 

He nearly tells Wayne to take it home one night, but he’s glad he doesn’t because in the morning he wakes to find Steve shaking the ball in his hands. 

“Didn’t strike you as a Magic 8 ball kind of guy, Harrington,” Eddie teases, voice thick with sleep and whatever drugs are still coursing through his body. 

“M’not usually, but I needed a little guidance with this question.” 

“Oh yeah? And what does the magic ball say?” 

“It just says yes.”

"Ah, the most definitive of Magic 8 Ball answers.” 

“So I should trust it then?” 

“That depends,” Eddie says, stretching out on the uncomfortable hospital bed. “What did you ask it?”

"I asked it if I could kiss you.” 

Without thinking, Eddie sits up and snatches the Magic 8 Ball from Steve’s hands. He ducks his head, closes his eyes, and mouths his question before violently shaking the Magic 8 Ball. 

It is certain.

“What did you ask it?” Steve asks, stepping closer to Eddie’s hospital bed.

“If you were being serious.” 

“And? What did it say?” 

Eddie turns the Magic 8 Ball so Steve can see the little triangle floating. When he looks up, he sees Steve barely containing the smile breaking out on his face. 

“Guess you better kiss me, Harrington,” Eddie teases. “Don’t want to upset the Magic 8 Ball gods.”

[cecekeating]

My 608 Jordayla thoughts/breakdowns pt.2

We are back at the therapist with Layla. She is about to start the treatment. She is again very nervous. The therapist wants them to talk about her mother. Just as an aside, if you are wondering how the therapist was able to pick topics off the bat to talk to Layla about, it was mentioned in the first scene with them that she has notes on previous sessions. So the therapist has enough info about Layla and her previous history and is making decisions about the sessions about them. Again, Layla is reluctant and at this point, the therapist makes it clear that she can’t help if Layla is not willing to co operate. Layla agrees. 

This is where we get to to the meat of the issue. When I was watching, I had concluded that the session was going to be about Layla just missing her mother or Layla just  confronting her abandonment issues as it related to her impending marriage to Jordan. I was not ready for the angle the writers took with this arc at all. 

We get the first flashback with baby Layla ( absolutely adorable actress playing Layla and perfectly casted). She is at the old house. Remember the house that Layla trashes in season 1? I want to pause here and have us reflect on the end of season 1. Maybe Layla trashing the house can be indicative of trying to destroy the traumatic memories she had in that house as a child. Just a food for thought for you. 

So we see baby Layla hearing her mother and father in a room. Remember this is an actual memory from Layla’s childhood. She is recalling the memory to the therapist. Because she is going deep into a buried memory, Layla becomes overwhelmed in the present and session is paused. 

We start the session again and Layla is able to continue relaying the memory to the therapist. We now see baby Layla open the door to reveal her parents. This was when my mind was blown away. I was GAGGED when I saw that the writers had Mike and Greta play JP and Monica Keating. I did not expect this at all and I need to give the writers their props for this brilliant writing. I also feel I need to pause to explain what was going on in this scene because I feel it was lost on some of the audience.

What we are seeing is an actual memory of Layla from when she was 6 years old. We see that at that time, her mother is deep in depression and her father is struggling to help her mother. Monica Keating is lost as to her identity, JP needs her and he tries to let her know that Layla needs her too. Monica also feels that JP lost his spark from having to deal with her. Do you see where the second question Layla asks Jordan at the beach house comes in? 

 Again, this is an actual memory from Layla’s childhood. Having Mike and Greta play JP and Monica is to show that specific memory from Layla’s childhood has now manifested as a fear in Layla’s head about her relationship/ impending marriage to Jordan Baker. 

We go back to the present and it all makes sense now for Layla. She is afraid her marriage will be like her parents’ marriage. 

We are now at the final part of this brilliant story. Jordan and Layla talking about the session. This was my favourite part of the entire episode. And so much was said in this scene without it being said explicitly. First of all, I want to call back to the light moment about breaking up with coach Mac. Jordan having his own podcast episode to say FU to coach Mac and “end things” with him is the right level of pettiness and dramatics that I expect from him and I love him so much for it!

Back to the conversation! So Layla explains to Jordan that she was able to figure out why the meds stopped working. The engagement. The next thing Jordan says is “The thought of marrying me made you unhappy?” In his head, his worst fear is about to come to pass. Call back to earlier in the episode. Layla asking those questions triggered him too and threw him off balance. This scene showed us the extent to which those questions threw him off. Layla says no but she continues to explain honestly. Again, she feels safe enough to tell Jordan everything - including the uncomfortable aspects of her parents’ marriage. As she speaks, you can see the hurt form on Jordan’s face. It now makes sense to him. Why she was dragging her feet and questioning his love for her. But also he understands. In this moment, Jordan shows so much compassion for the situation Layla is in. He understands that the engagement was sprung on her without notice and he takes responsibility for that. Before going further, I want to once again applaud the writers for their attention to detail. I did not think they would ever bring up how quick their engagement went but here we are. Because when you look at things panaromically, Jordayla got engaged really young and quickly and it is super realistic that there are implications of doing that. In this case, it triggered an unresolved trauma in Layla’s life. 

Jordan with all the love and compassion in his heart, offers Layla an out to end the engagement. Lets go back to episode 607 shall we? In this episode, we saw how Jordan was so worried about Layla and her well being. He was so worried that he nearly lost a very important game as a footballer. We saw him fight to make sure Layla was okay. Layla was his top priority in that episode. In that same episode he said “none of it matters until my fiancee is whole”. This episode showed us that Jordan meant every word he said in episode 607. He meant it so much so that he was willing to lose this same fiancee if it meant she would be whole again. Jordan chose Layla above the engagement, his feelings and his hurt. You could see him hurting but like he said in episode 607 “Your best is my best” If the best thing for Layla was to end the engagement so she could be whole, then it was the best thing for him too. He gave her an out because he will give anything to make her happy because he loves her.

On Layla’s end, she explains her fear of marrying him but she also comes to the realise that she and Jordan are not her parents. She also realises that in spite of all she has been through, Jordan has stuck with her and he has always looked at her with love. She realises in this moment, on her own, how unwavering and unconditional Jordan’s love is for her. If you recall in earlier episodes, she has had people talk and convince her to realise how much Jordan loves her - Ryan in ep 2 with the moving in, Patience in ep 6 and Olivia in ep 7. This time around she realised by herself that Jordan loves her by remembering that he has stayed with her in her lowest and through it all, he never gave up on her or stopped loving her. 

This realisation gives Layla the courage to choose Jordan, just like he chose her. Remember, love is a choice. She chose Jordan over her current circumstances and was willing to face her fears with him by her side. If she has to face her fears so she doesn’t lose Jordan, she would. If you notice the breakthrough happens when she assures him that she meant it when she said Yes to his proposal and when she confesses her love for him. You can see her struggle to get the words out but she fights to say it out. This was the moment, she chose Jordan regardless of what was going on in her life. In the difficult moment, Jordan and Layla chose each other and decided to remain committed till the end. She asks for more time and Jordan tells her to take all the time she needs. Of course he will say that. He has always been patient with her. From their first kiss to waiting for her before having sex with her to becoming a couple and agreeing to the secret dating, Jordan has consistently let Layla take her time to figure things out. I think its one of the reasons why she loves him. Again she is safe enough with Jordan to ask for some more time to heal so she doesn’t bring any baggage into their marriage because she knows he will accept her request. And he did!

I have enjoyed the writing for Jordayla this season so much and this episode really brought it all together. The writers have been A* with this mental health arc and how it relates to Jordayla as a couple. I am excited to see what is in store for them as the season progresses and I am confident that they will continue to grow stronger. I loved writing this piece and I really hope you enjoyed it. Apologies if it is too long or if I rambled. This is my first ever Jordayla breakdown. I have loved being part of the Jordayla fandom so I thought I’d make my own small contribution.

For everyone struggling with any kind of mental health issues, know that you are loved. Keep talking, find your tribe and get all the love and support available. I promise it gets easier.

For anyone helping or supporting a friend or loved one through mental health issues, thank you for showing up and being there. Know that you are loved and appreciated. 

If you want to yap about Jordayla, my DMs are open! Feel free to reach out. 

[quitealotofsodapop]

Wukong, upon learning what the Emperor did: Oh, so all I had to do was just ask!? Are you serious!?

Jade Emperor: You ruined my wife's birthday party and stole her entire peach stock.

Wukong: Only after I asked and was told, in no uncertain terms, "Ugly little beasts don't get to have immortality!" After I worked my tail off to make those peaches the best batch you've had in millenia!!

Wukong is also pissed he had given MK an immortality peach because he believes MK deserved the choice and that he's still a little too young and immature to make that decision without at least consultingthem first. Like, there's a reason all the monkeys have to be functioning, mature adults before he let's them near the immortal peach trees. He learned his lesson with himself, thank you very much.

referencing.

tbf in the JE's mind it's been a couple thousand years, things change man. Also Wukong has his own peach trees by now.

Wukong is rightfully pissed, not only at the sheer flagrancy of the royal couple to give his heir a source of immortality (now that he's "higher ranking" he grumbles), but also because Wukong genuinely believes that MK doesn't have to make that leap! In Wukong's mind, MK is barely a cub himself

Wukong and Mac still really encourage that MK consider the No-More-Baby Spring Water from the Kingdom of Women, it's there for a reason! He doesn't have to have the Stone Egg!

But ofc MK is still conflicted, and leaves the peach the Emperor gave him on the counter to rot.

[verdemoun]

i'm sorry i have to ask for more Callander boys stuff in the timewarp au please and thank you

yes i am a little in love with them

kieran is convinced the magic of friendship would have meant him and mac would have been friends even in canon era due to their love of horses and general complimentary personalities

mac would laugh at this suggestion. he had been the one to suggest the gelding tongs as an intimidation tactic, and if he had been there when they captured kieran it wouldn't have been just a threat. part of bill's enthusiasm to use them was to be able to tell mac the story afterwards (but mac never came home)

it really threw the gang that mac was the one who was able to settle down out of the two. davey had always seemed like the more level-headed, and sort of his brother's keeper. davey only had to say the word and mac would snuff out whatever red-tinted spree of violence he was on

the difference is, when mac was asked 'what are you good at other than robbing, smoking, shooting and killing', he admitted he didn't know. davey insisted that was all he was good at, and it was all he wanted to be good at.

mac had a very normal childhood. the callanders parents both worked, his mom was a seamstress, his dad worked at the general store. mac went to school. he wasn't a good student, wasn't a bad student. he had the perfect, average, nuclear 1870s life.

their father was crushed by a wagon in a freak accident, and their mother passed away of illness shortly after (she had turned to prostitution to keep her boys fed, which is something mac did not know. following her death, mac would react violently whenever someone mentioned it)

mac was raising davey from the time he was 10, and davey was only 4. mac would have done anything to give his brother a normal life - if davey had ever wanted a normal life. but when mac was insisting he would teach davey how to read and ride a horse, davey was asking how to shoot a gun, how mac steals things from stores without getting caught.

yes davey was too young to remember any different and yes maybe davey could have been a different person if he actually experienced a stable life but by the time he timewarped he didn't have the desire to. it was too alien. davey was a willfully lost cause

despite being brothers they just had insanely different mindsets based on their experiences despite sharing them. mac is capable of choosing good, but situations where he sees violence as the only option is most situations because he will catastrophic think into how it could be a threat to himself or davey's life so readily

davey, however, would always choose violence. people would rather rob with mac because sure there's a 90% chance of it becoming a shoot out but if a coach had women and children in it? mac would walk away. davey would argue that it just meant it was an easy target but because he could be reasoned with, unlike mac who would make a decision and stick with it, none of the gang saw it as a red flag

when mac was learning how to be a functioning adult post-prison in timewarp someone as a joke got him a bright 'nervous rescue give me space' shirt and it is unironically one of the comfiest things he owns so he wears it constantly

lenny never liked davey and this only worsens as post release. sean immediately offers to take davey out to a casino which becomes a regular thing because they were similarly reckless pals back in the day. except davey hasn't changed at all and sean loses hundreds if not thousands of dollars in poker before lenny puts his foot down

[steddieas-shegoes]

Headcanon sentences!;

1. "You're going to be a good sad someday, Teddy bear" teddy bear = Eddie's nickname

2. "Saying yes to you was the best decision of my life"

3. Based on me playing Steddie in the Sims 4: Steddie playing Sims 4 and "How do you keep setting the stove on fire making Mac and cheese?!"

🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🐼

Okay assuming that's a typo and you meant dad this one's gooooood shit

No one had expected Max to be the first one with a baby, or a baby at all for that matter.

But here she was, 22 years old, Lucas by her side, holding their newborn baby boy with the biggest smile on her face.

She'd only given birth a few hours ago, Lucas' family coming in to visit before she even got a chance to take it in.

Eddie had never held a baby. Not once.

But he knew how to comfort Max, had been the best at it for the last 8 years or so. She looked exhausted, and he immediately put his arm around her shoulders and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Proud of you, Red. Look at this little gremlin. Poor thing looks like Lucas. Hope he grows out of that."

Lucas interrupted his own conversation with Steve to glare at him.

"You wanna hold him?"

Eddie couldn't exactly turn that down, not when Max looked like she was kind of asking for a break without actually asking for one.

She gently placed the sleeping baby in his arms.

He felt it immediately: the why someone would put their body through this, the why people choose to throw a specific type of fun out the window to have kids.

"Decided on a name?"

Max leaned her head up from where she'd rested it on her pillow.

"Yeah. Steve? Stop talking to Lucas and come look at my baby."

Steve did as she asked, like he always did. It was no secret she was tied for favorite kid with Dustin.

"Steve, Eddie, this is Andrew Steven Sinclair."

Eddie and Steve looked up at her together, equally surprised by the name choice.

They both cried, and Max rolled her eyes, but didn't tease them about it, probably already warned to be kind by Lucas.

Steve held him for a few minutes, walking around the room and gently rocking his arms to keep him asleep.

Eddie watched until it was his turn again.

He held him for nearly 30 minutes before Steve finally told him they needed to go and let Max and Lucas rest and bond with Andrew alone.

As they left the hospital, Eddie kept rambling about things he wanted to buy for Andrew, things he wanted to do with him as he got older. It continued on for the entire drive to their apartment in the city and even over dinner that night.

Finally, Steve kissed him, effectively shutting him up long enough to talk.

"You're gonna be a good dad someday, teddy bear."

Eddie blushed.

He saw it now. He saw what Steve wanted so badly and now he wanted it too.

He'd make sure they had it somehow.

--------

2. This could be so sappy but what if it was funny instead

It was late.

They were tired.

Food didn't make itself and they were way too exhausted to do it themselves.

"I could just call in pizza."

Steve had turned down takeout already because of their budget or whatever, but Eddie was too hungry to care about a budget now.

"Fine. But just a small. No drinks or breadsticks."

Eddie jumped up before Steve could change his mind.

Because it was so late, the pizza was delivered quickly. Weird how no one else wanted pizza delivery at one in the morning.

They both let out loud moans at the first bite, smiling at their pizza slices like they found long lost loves.

"Aren't you glad I convinced you to order pizza?"

"Saying yes to you was the best decision of my life."

"And they call me the dramatic one!"

"Shut up and eat your pizza."

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

3. Okay but actually funny story one time I did forget I was boiling water to make mac and cheese (I was in like 6th grade leave me alone) and nothing caught on fire but the kitchen sure didn't smell good for a while

In a strange turn of events, Eddie took on a nanny job when they moved to Chicago. It paid well and he was guaranteed off for any shows his band played, plus all the major holidays and half of summer.

It paid so well, in fact, Steve could focus on his college classes instead of also having to work.

Every Monday, instead of going to the family's house, they dropped their five year old daughter, Emily, at Steve and Eddie's apartment.

They'd have a full day of walking to the park at the end of the block on nice days, or playing with Eddie's "for fun" guitar, or laying out tons of paper across the kitchen floor and finger painting, or playing princess and dragons.

Eddie was great at it. Except for the whole cooking part.

Usually, meals were prepped already when he went to Emily's house. But on Mondays, he had to make lunch and dinner for her.

He stuck to sandwiches for lunch, but dinner could get rough.

He managed to do okay with microwaving chicken nuggets or cooking frozen pizzas.

But he'd gone through two stoves from trying to make mac and cheese.

He was persistent though, knew if he just focused on only the mac and cheese, nothing would burn or catch on fire or break.

Unfortunately, Emily chose to have a Code Red Emergency just when he added the pasta to the pot.

It's fine, I have 8 minutes to fix what she needs me to.

Emily had broken one of the minifigures that Eddie used for D&D and she was heartbroken. Eddie explained it could be fixed, he'd just glue it tonight and she could play with it again next week, but she was inconsolable.

Naturally, he got distracted trying to help her and the smoke alarm started going off.

"Shit!"

"That's a bad word!"

"I know!"

Eddie managed to handle it before the fire got big, but their mac and cheese was burnt and he would just have to settle for some fish sticks.

Emily got picked up and her parents smirked at the smell and slight haze to the air, but didn't comment.

Steve, however, wasn't going to ignore it.

"Oh my God, you did it again didn't you?"

"Did what?"

"How do you keep setting the stove on fire making mac and cheese?!"

"Emily was having a crisis!"

"We're going to have a crisis if you don't get to it in time and burn the whole apartment complex to the ground!"

They made a new rule that night that he wasn't allowed to make any kind of pasta anymore unless Steve was home to watch.

He'd feel stupid if it wasn't such a good idea.

[angel-inked]

When they listen to music

Where words fail, music speaks 🎶

*This took longer to write than I expected 😅, but enjoy*

Taglist: @vvkingofgaybisciutsvv @thequeenofthewinter @thedevilshardy @mollybegger-blog @wandawiccan60 @cameleonhardyfan63 @inkwolvesandcoffee @potter-solomons @liliac-dreamer

3AM.

There's something therapeutic about the wee hours of the morning. It's like listening to music in a dark room at midnight. Feeling like you're the only person awake in the world, like everything is at a standstill. Tommy has been roaming the streets of Pittsburgh since 3AM, with his army green massager bag slung over his shoulder. The insomnia didn't help.

He figured the cause of it to probably be paranoia, whether it came from his time in Iraq or from Paddy's alcohol fueled mood swings was hard to say. That's how he got that split his eyebrow. Shortly after he turned sixteen, he was minding his own business when Paddy whipped around and punched him. He remembers waking up in a hospital bed to the sound of his mother's crying. That was the first and last time one of Paddy's beatings sent somebody to the emergency room. Tommy fled with his mom soon thereafter.

His dad's wedding ring was what cut into him, he figured, stitchs cause the bleeding wouldn't stop. He scratched at the scar, hell, just thinking about it, made it itch. Pressing the volume rocker on his phone to turn the music in his headphones up a notch, a vague attempt to take his mind off of his father. He had a vice of keeping his headphones in, even if he was being spoken to. Heh, mom always told him off for that...

It relaxed him.. to a degree. Sitting on a bench, staring out at the water of the Allegheny River, no one around, music in his ears. The sun was just barely on the horizon. People would be flooding the streets soon, and thus, his serenity would be ruined, but for now, he was peaceful.

Let's dance!!!

"So, what culinary delights will tickle the pickle tonight?" Eddie Brock asked into what looked like an empty apartment, and got no answer, except a dark snicker in the back of his head, in a voice that wasn't his own. "Not like that, you perverted para-" Venom forced Eddie's mouth shut, producing inky black tendrils from Eddie's back to help rifle through the kitchen cupboards.

Eddie sighed, realizing he'd have to go grocery shopping soon. "What is this?" The symbiote asked, holding a box in front of their host. "Mac and cheese," Eddie answered, "that'll do." He added, reaching over to turn on the radio before he began searching for a pot to boil water in. Not the end of the world by Katy Perry came on, and Eddie started to sing along to it.

"It's not the end of the world, no, not the end of the world. Throw on your fancy attire, fears in the fire. Don't lose hope"

Venom materialized their head, floating just behind Eddie, turning on the stove top with helpful tentacles.

"A fortune teller told me the power's in your mind. You might see a cliff, but I see a way to fly. Flipping off the flop, now I just enjoy the ride, just enjoy the world. Yeah, I just enjoy the ride"

Eddie continued his singing as he hauled himself up on the edge of the counter to wait for the water, swinging his legs back and forth to amuse himself. Venom bobbed their head to the beat and swayed their tentacles to the rhythm.

"You can make a wish even on a satellite, on a plastic lash or anything you like! You can tame a dragon if you're not afraid to fight, not afraid to fight, no, not afraid"

Eddie smiled, hopping off the counter and into a full body spin as he joined Venom's spur of the moment dance.

"It's no funeral we're attending, actually, just the beginning. Throw on your fancy attire, fears in the fire. Don't lose hope!"

As the song faded out, Eddie and Venom shared a laugh. Suddenly, the pair of unlikely partners heard a hissing sound, "Oh shit!" Eddie exclaimed, rushing over to the stove as the water boiled over. Immediately regretting his decision to grab the pot lid without a potholder. "Ow!" He yelped, thankful Vemon was in a good mood today as the burning sensation dissipated quickly. Vemon adjusted the lid before looking down at Eddie's crumpled position on the floor, leaning back against the floor level cupboards, "idiot." Vemon's voice rumbled.

Eddie scoffed, "Yeah, you could say that again!".

Opera debacle

"Yeah, but opera's not fuckin' singin' is it!" Alfie exclaimed. Your husband has been rattling on for.. You're not actually sure, a couple hours at least, and Tommy Shelby looks about done with him. Then again, when is he not?

"It's not singing. It is the sound that people make before words." Alfie sounds like he's arguing with someone, but he's the only one speaking. Lizzie Shelby looked at you from her chair, confusion etched into her features. You were surprised when Tommy showed up with his wife on his arm, him claiming that she wished to meet you in person, not that you had any qualms about her. It just wasn't often Tommy was accompanied by anyone other than his brothers.

Lizzie hadn't met Alfie until now, probably for good reason, if you asked Tommy. Judging by that look she was giving you over her cuppa, this was not what she expected. You leaned toward her, "Let him go," you whispered, "he'll run out of puff or get to whatever Tommy came for sooner or later." You smiled quietly. Tommy, on the other hand, quietly smoked his cigarette on the couch as he waited for Alfie to get to the actual point of the meeting.

"I always knew opera was just a bunch of fat people fucking shouting!" Alfie exclaimed, pulling the needle off the record and effectively silencing the gramophone. He moved to one side of the room, glaring at the floor. Finally, he went back to his seat.

Groaning as he sat down, resting his chin on a closed fist for a moment, "Bah!" He griped, waving off nobody. "Are you done, dear?" You asked, beginning to think maybe you should have let your spouse wake up naturally instead of waking him up yourself, considering how grumpy he's been since then. Alfie stared at you, scrunching up his face with a soft grumble.

"Am I done? Done with fuckin' what?" He questioned, throwing his hands up in confusion.

Songbird.

Garden trowel in hand, you covered the last of the seeds you had in hand with earth. You crossed your ankles for support as you straightened and popped your back, sighing with satisfaction at the feeling as tiredness set in. You and your fiancé had been planting all day, "you alright love?" Farrier asked, kissing the top of your head before kneeling next to you.

"Just tired," you smiled, "lot of work this, but it's worth it.". "Aye," Farrier agreed, finishing off his cigarette. A smirk appeared on his face, "I know how to make this more fun." He explained. "How?" You asked, slightly concerned about what he had in mind. "singing," he suggested. "Sing what?" You giggled. "Dunno." He smiled back at you.

Farrier stood, making his way over to the water tap, connecting the hose. You heard him start singing lowly to himself, something in french that you couldn't understand. "Is that a war song?" You questioned with a smile on your face. "In a way, more for ceremonies and the like." He explained. Farrier continued his song, like a songbird sat on the windowsill early in the morning, soaking in the golden rays of the sun and singing its juaty toon given way to dawn. You were more than content to lose yourself in the sound of the voice of your loved one.

Rock n' Roll

Forrest had always been the odd man out when it came to music taste. Howard and Jack just about always had bluegrass or country on the radio, Howard even listened to swing when the urge struck him. Sure, Forrest is not really a jazz man, and he liked bluegrass and country well enough. It's what he was raised on after all, but rock ballads are more his speed and occasionally some classical.

Slow and rhythmic, in a word, relaxing. Forrest didn't often give the old record player in his office the time of day, but when he did, like right now, it's probably best off you leave him alone. As this usually meant it had been a hard day, and he had no interest in being bothered, as Howard and Jack found out the hard way, as usual.

That was probably why Howard was currently standing in front of you in the small, dimly lit hallway. Giving you a very puzzled look with his somewhat brushy eyebrows looking like they were desperate to touch each other. "Where are you goin'?" He asked, eyeing the pair of iced glasses, bottle of bourbon, and the book you were holding. "Forrest' office." You replied simply, trying to sidestep past the eldest brother. Howard stepped in front of you, his tall 6'1" figure looming over you.

He glanced over his shoulder at the door his previously mentioned younger brother was behind, "I'm not so sure that's the best place to be headed right now." He explained, scratching the back of his neck. "He's expecting me, now move out of the way!" You grumbled, slightly annoyed with him. You were tired and It's been a long day for everyone, but luckily for Howard, you have a bit more patience than Forrest does.

Howard finally allowed you to pass and disappeared into the barroom. You pushed open the door, Forrest looked up at you as you shut the door behind you. You sat one of the icey glasses down in front of him, pouring the bourbon you knew to be a favorite of his. "Thank you." Forrest mumbled, turning back to his ledger. "You're welcome." You smiled, filling your own glass before sitting down across from Forrest and opening your book.

The slow rock and roll pumping out of the record player was the only source of sound in the room as Forrest continued his work, and you enjoyed your book and drink. The both of you quietly enjoying each other's company after a hard day's work, with some lovely music in the background that you both enjoy.

[fuzzydreamin]

Yo for the character breakdown, throw me a Danse(Danse revolution)

♞DANSE DANSE

-How I feel about this character

I am crawling through Todd Coward's window to bite him for not completing any of the companions quests. It is an insult that we reach such a thrilling peak with Danse just for... nothing. NOTHING?! *BITINGBITINGBITING*

Like others, I'm one of the people who didn't really care for him at first until I sat down and he invaded my brain of his own accord and now I am sitting here screaming "JUSTICE FOR DANSE!" and appreciating his hairy-beary greatness.

He's not my favourite character, but he's definitely up there in the high ranks.

-All the people I ship romantically with this character

MacCready. Look. Much like liking Danse I didn't expect it at all, it just invaded my brain one day. And it works. In my head it's all figured out and I actually love them together so much. Everytime this duo busts open the door to my brain I am left with feels. It's got the angst, it's got the fluff, and they are good for each other. Mac is good for Danse, vice versa.

Cutler. Not sure how many people read into their relationship as just friends or something more, but I'm definitely on the more side. I feel like Cutler had chaotic energy, but I think that's a bit of a requirement for any Danse pairing. He's the straight man of the act, the other has to be occasionally whacky. It's enrichment. Anyway, I think about Cutler. I think he would have been a fun guy and I think Danse still mourns/pines for him.

I think there's definitely room for him to fit in with Preston and Sturges too. Similar interests and whatnot, though they don't so much fit the chaotic energy I feel Danse needs from a partner. Also... Hancock. I can see it working. Maybe in an alternate universe though.

-My non-romantic OTP for this character

Haylen wins here. She's his bro, his ride-or-die, his "you're a synth fucking run" soul sister. In my heart I know she defects and shows up at Sanctuary after BB.

But also, for more friends, again I think he'd be getting along well with Preston and Sturges. I also think he would find common ground with Nick and X6-88 after everything. And I think he could have a fun mentor situation with Cait.

-My unpopular opinion about this character

I dunno really, I'm not sure I have any ideas about him that really stand out against anyone elses.

I suppose I do think he gets woobified a bit much, and can be a lot more dominant and mean than how people often portray him.

But I also know that that's a concious decision for the luls. People aren't making jokes and comments about the character along those lines seriously. It happens to all characters. This is tumblr the jokesite, ain't none of this that serious. So, 🤷

-One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

Like all companions: the other half of his damn story. I want to see him actually struggle with all that he's lost even though he's decided to continue living despite it. And not just the Brotherhood stuff. And I want to see him find a new way to live his life and a new place to belong.

I want him the join the Minutemen. Not because Preston or anyone else asks/suggests/pushes him towards it, but because being on the outside has let him see the harm the BoS really causes and the good created by those he had previously turned his nose up at.

I want him to deconstruct what 'good' and 'right' meant to him and rebuild it into something new and better that he can still feel pride in being a part of without it becoming a toxic devotion that eats him up from the inside.

[laurenairay]

This is My Home - N. Hischier

A/N: I wrote this for @antoineroussel​’s word prompt challenge, so here we are! I started writing this before PK retired, ergo he is still on the team. Just a bit of domestic fluff and a slice of home life.

Player: Nico Hischier

Word: Xenial (adjective) – warm, welcoming, and hospitable

Word count: 2.6k words

*

“I found the fresh baguettes!”

“The part-baked ones?”

“Yeah, that’s the ones! Managed to get all four, just as you asked.”

You grinned as your boyfriend walked into the kitchen, baguettes in hand as promised, and lent up to thank him with a soft kiss.

“Aww, only a little kiss after I braved the streets of Newark for you?”

“Oh yes, so brave, Nico Hischier risking everything to make it through the supermarket,” you said dryly.

Nico just laughed, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. “So mean to me. I don’t know how I’ll survive.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something, oh brave and mighty Captain,” you teased.

He rolled his eyes fondly, shaking his head. “Is there anything I can do to help? Any more prep you need doing?”

“Well, the dressing is ready for the salad, the salad is ready in the fridge, the pasta bakes are both in the oven on low, and I’ve nearly finished making the garlic butter – maybe you could slice the baguettes just deep enough for me to put the butter in ready for later?” you suggested.

“Done,” he grinned, nodding, “I’ll also wash up the million pans that you used.”

“Oh hush, you try cooking enough minced beef, onion, grilled peppers and homemade tomato pasta sauce for nine hockey players and little old me,” you shot back, laughing.

“Touché!”

Nico leant his head down, pressing a slow soft kiss to your lips again before leaving you with your heart racing, barely able to get yourself together again by the time he was gently slicing into the baguettes next to you.

This evening was a big night – the first time that the two of you were hosting a dinner party together. Even more so, it was in the apartment that the two of you had just moved into, your first home together, and you’d only just made it feel like home when Nico asked if you minded hosting something together. Just a small thing, he promised, for a few of the team. When you’d eventually gotten the whole story out of him – he wanted to do something nice for some of the core older guys and the younger guys, all those without partners of their own, as Captain now that the team could mix again – there was no way you could say no. The hope in his eyes and the fact that he was even asking in the first place made your decision for you. You knew that dating the captain of an NHL team came with responsibilities, came with a role of your own, and if you could do something as small as hosting a dinner party then you absolutely would. Maybe you weren’t quite a Michelin star chef, but you could hold your own – there were a few recipes that were home comforts that you knew you could adapt to pack with veggies for the team, and the pasta bake you eventually decided on was one of them. At least you hoped Jonas, Gravy, Dougie, Nate, Mikey, Jack, PK, and Dawson (the eventual guest list) would like it?

Sure, you hadn’t cooked for that many people before and certainly not with hockey player appetites, but you’d doubled the usual recipe so that would be okay, right? Damn, what if you hadn’t?

“Baby, what if there’s not enough food? I know how much you guys eat! I don’t have any back-up!” you groaned, “I don’t want to leave our guests hungry at our first dinner party!

“Woah, schätzli, breathe. They’re going to love the dinner, I promise. Like, they’ll all just be happy to have a meal cooked for them,” Nico said, smiling.

You knew he was trying to reassure you, really you did, but that did not help in the slightest.

“Really? Just happy to have a meal cooked for them? Should I have saved myself the stress and just made a huge vat of kraft mac and cheese?” you asked dryly.

Nico’s eyes went wide, cheeks flushing as he realised the implication of his words, and he quickly took your hands in his. You knew he knew how hard you’d been working on all of the preparation today, but right now his words weren’t what you needed to hear.

“The effort and love you’ve put into this food could never be replaced by kraft,” he insisted, pursing his lips at the brand name, “I really didn’t mean it like that.”

You drew your bottom lip into your mouth, hesitating briefly, but eventually nodded. Your boyfriend hadn’t meant any harm, you knew that, and the last thing you wanted to do was take out your frustration on him.

“Alright, if you say so,” you said forced-lightly, “I just hope everything goes smoothly.”

“It will. I promise. Tonight is going to go well,” Nico said firmly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

As always, you were unable to stop yourself returning that familiar smile, Nico just smiling a little wider before he leaned down to press a soft kiss to your lips.

“How long have we got before the oven timer goes off?” he murmured, warm hands leaving yours to  clutch at your waist.

“Mm, 30 minutes, why?” you asked a little breathlessly.

Nico just grinned sharply, hands sliding down to cup your ass before he lifted you up. You shrieked slightly, batting at his shoulder while he laughed, wrapping your legs around his waist regardless.

“Dreadful, awful man,” you mock-scolded, sliding your arms around his neck to draw your faces even closer.

“Yes, yes I am,” he smirked, “How about we rectify that?”

The promise in his eyes made you shiver.

~

Eventually, the two of you made it back into the kitchen, nearly the full half hour after Nico carried you down the hallway, and you knew at least some of your guests would be arriving shortly. Your boyfriend took out the required 8 bowls and cutlery sets, putting them on the kitchen island ready for serving the food up, while you placed the pre-prepared garlic breads into the oven too, hoping the delicious smells would travel through your apartment by the time Nico’s teammates arrived.

“Drinks? Should we get them out now?” you asked, trying to think of anything else you’d missed.

“I already stocked the fridge with beers and wine and sodas – we can just give the guys what they want when they arrive. Relax, schätzli, everything’s under control,” Nico said warmly.

“Easy for you to say,” you mused, nudging him with your hip.

Nico just nudged you back, grinning. “You look beautiful, the food smells amazing, and all I need to do is set the cutlery out – everything else can be done after the guys arrive. It’s all good.”

He was right. You knew he was right. So you tried to let his words sink in, forcing yourself to relax until it actually felt real.

Wait.

“Salad tongs! I need to find the salad tongs!”

Nico just groaned before laughing as you darted over to the drawers again, but you just ignored him. Whirling round with a triumphant smile, you brandished the almost-forgotten tongs like a sword, Nico giving you a teasing round of applause, but before you could retort, the doorbell rang. Your boyfriend sent you a reassuring smile to calm the nerves you knew he knew were simmering under the surface, and left you to put the cutlery and salad tongs out on the dining room table. To be honest, it gave you enough time to steady yourself as Nico greeted his friends.

You knew being so nervous was a little silly, but you’d never cooked a homemade meal for guests before. Like, this was your home, with your boyfriend, and it was his friends coming over to celebrate the two of you. It was important, right? It didn’t matter that you’d met them all so many times during the couple of years you’d been dating Nico, but it was different this time – this was your first home together, and you wanted it to be special. So so different from just heating up catered food. This was your food, and you wanted them to like it. Was that silly? Really?

“There you are!”

The sound of Jonas’s voice brought a smile to your face, breaking you out of your thoughts as you laid the last of the spoons down.

“Jonas! I’m so glad you could make it,” you said happily, hugging him tightly.

He just laughed, hugging you just as tightly in return before letting you step away. “Whatever you’re cooking smells amazing. I already reminded Nico that he’s clearly punching in this relationship.”

Hah, as if.

“Oh stop it, it’s nothing complicated. Just good homely food,” you grinned, “Can I get you a drink?”

“I think your lesser half has that covered – but I did bring you a bottle of wine, to say thanks for hosting,” Jonas smiled.

What a thoughtful man. Nico really was lucky to have such wonderful friends.

“You really shouldn’t have – but thank you. I’ll put this in the kitchen!”

Jonas trailed after you, glancing around the apartment that he had yet to see in full, Nico just smiling as he saw the two of you.

“I see you found each other,” Nico grinned, passing Jonas a freshly-opened beer.

“I just followed the sound of someone working hard,” Jonas shot back, teasing.

Nico stuck his tongue out in retaliation, making you laugh – and then the doorbell rang again. You stayed in the kitchen chatting with Jonas while Nico did his hosting duty again, and in no time at all he returned with Dougie and Ryan, both of them smiling widely.

“Hi! Welcome!”

“Thanks for having us all,” Dougie grinned.

“It smells amazing in here,” Ryan added.

“We shouldn’t have too long before food is ready,” you said simply.

“PK’s clown car was pulling in as we were walking up, so they should all be here soon,” Nico mused, reaching into the fridge for a chilled bottle of white wine.

Ah yes, PK had drawn the short straw (by having the biggest car) and had been the lucky person to pick up all the younger guys – you could only imagine how rowdy a car with Nate, Mikey, Jack, and Dawson would have been. Poor PK.

“Here, just a little something to say thank you for tonight, and as a little housewarming gift,” Dougie said, smiling.

He drew out a beautiful crystal vase from behind his back, Ryan revealing a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, making you gasp softly. Oh how thoughtful! That was the last thing you were expecting.

“That is so sweet of you two – thank you, so much,” you said, still a little stunned.

They both shrugged, looking pleased with themselves, Nico murmuring his own thanks as he passed them a glass of wine each. As the doorbell rang for, hopefully, the final time, you busied yourself filling the vase with water and arranging the flowers in it to stand proudly.

Your first home, your first dinner party, your first vase. Everything was happening tonight.

“The party has arrived!”

You turned around with a grin at the sound of PK’s booming voice, allowing yourself to get wrapped in a warm hug, squealing as he lifted you off your feet.

“It’s good to see you too, PK,” you giggled, once he’d placed you back down on the floor.

“How could I miss an evening at Chez Capitan?” he grinned.

“What can I get you to drink?”

“Well unlike the two giants and the other Swiss, I will actually need to drive the babies home, so I’ll just have the one glass of wine now, if that’s okay?” PK mused, ignoring the crows of protest from the younger guys.

“Of course! I picked up a bunch of sodas too, so you’ll have plenty of choice later,” you explained.

“You are a goddess and Nico does not deserve you,” PK said bluntly.

“Well that I do know,” Nico chimed in, making everyone laugh.

By the time all the guys had a cold drink in their hands (and by the time PK had given you a marble drink coaster set and the young guys had given you the basket of gourmet cookies, chocolates and candied fruit they’d put together, bless them), the food was ready.

“Alright, guys, if you can all take a seat at the table?” you called out to get their attention.

Jack’s whoop made you laugh, Nico just rolling his eyes. Jonas led the way, leaving you and Nico alone in the kitchen.

“Tell me what you want me to do. It’s your show, boss,” he said with a soft smile.

Boss. Hah. You could get used to that.

“If you could get the two large dishes of pasta bake out the oven while I lay the bowls out, then I can serve the first dish into everyone’s bowls while you chop up the garlic bread fully? Then I put all the garlic bread in those baskets we bought while you take out the bowls? I need to get the salad out of the fridge as well.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Nico mused.

You just rolled your eyes fondly, passing him the oven mitts as you headed for the fridge. The plan sounded more like a military operation and you knew it – but it was better than having half a dozen bodies to dodge around.

Thankfully the two of you got all the food to the table without dropping anything, although PK did have to smack Dawson’s and Nate’s hands away from the garlic bread while you were still bringing dishes in, and when you finally sat down with your drink, you felt a small weight lift from your shoulders.

“Alright, we’ve got two giant pasta bakes with minced beef, grilled peppers, onions, and homemade tomato pasta sauce, a giant leafy salad with homemade dressing, and four big baguettes baked with homemade garlic butter for a very tasty garlic bread, if I do say so myself,”

“My god you’re amazing. I’ll say it again, Nico doesn’t deserve you,” Jonas grinned, making your cheeks heat up, Nico just laughing.

“Please, dig in. And help yourself to the second dish of pasta bake!”

~

“So tonight went well, yeah?”

Nico smiled broadly around his toothbrush in answer, making you giggle as toothpaste foam dripped into the sink. He laughed softly himself, spitting and rinsing his mouth & toothbrush before smiling properly at you.

“It went so well. I told you it would, no? The boys were gushing about how good your cooking is, and I know you know they appreciated all the effort,” Nico nodded.

“I just wanted everyone to have a good time, in our new home together,” you said simply, cheeks dusting with heat.

“Schätzli you were so xenial, so warm and welcoming, and I’m so lucky to have you in my life wanting to spend time with my friends like that,” Nico said softly, “So lucky.”

His sweet words sent a pleased warmth through your body, and you couldn’t help the smile that spread across your lips.

“I definitely wouldn’t mind doing it again, for special occasions,” you shrugged.

“You’re amazing,” he sighed happily, making you laugh and bat at his bicep.

Ridiculous man. Your ridiculous man though.

“Can’t have them getting too spoiled though. Especially the young guys,” he added.

You just laughed again, rolling your eyes. Whatever he wanted to do as Captain for team dynamics was up to him – if you could help by cooking every now and again then you would, but the rest of it you were staying out of. It was just better that way, for your sanity if nothing else.

“Jonas is the exception though, right?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well duh,” he grinned.

[stellawolfearts]

How do Wukong and macquad act around the kids? Does macquad feel comfortable around the kids? How the like macquad when they first meet hime?

MACAQUE

okay so when macaque first comes into the family bb mk is the one that likes him the most bc well...hes a baby and OOOOOOH SHINY EARRRRSSSS.

bb mk is the first one to accept macaque because hes a baby and easy to persude. macaque is also around alot bc wukong doesnt know how to takecare of a baby monkey demon/celestial like himself. while macaque hasnt done it in a long timesince ffm he still knows what to do and teaches wukong. Macaque is the most comfortable with bb mk bc of tis as well, his lonely and depressed heart just lastches onto the kid as the kid does he and O- now theyre inseperable.

(c!macaque would beat the living shit out of canon macaque without hesitation. one look and suddenly c!mac has blood on his hands)

Mei was a little more hesitant.

you know those kids that ask you a million questions and bother you alot? those kids that just fucking STARE at you? yeah that was mei with macaque.

"why do you have six ears?"

"magic"

"why do you have white in your hair"

"magic made my fur black, it was originally white and then magic turned it black

"why is xiaoxiao furry?"

"because hes a monkey like your father and i"

"why do babies cry so much"

"because hey cant communicate any other way then noise"

"why does he make bird sounds if hes a monkey"

"*chirp*"

"*GAAAAAAAASSSSSPPPP*"

"*tiny high pitched dragon chirping*"

"hehe, thats cute kid"

and suddenly mei is turnign into her dragon form and draping herselfover macaques shoudlers

"BABA!!!"

"hmm?"

"I LIKE THE NEW MOMMY CAN HE STAY???"

"macaque chokes on air"

"yeah sure why not, i like the new mommy too kiwi"

"YAAAAAYYY"

"*loud baby noises*"

"i did not agree to this"

macaque is hesitant at first but after some time he cant seem to pry himself away from ffm and the kids and wukongs constant attention.

nezha is ofc the hardest to convice.

imagine a middle schooler walks up to you, looks up at you angrily, kicks you in the shins as hard as he can then walks away.

yeah. nezha.

at first he does not like macaque and he wants him gone. the only reason he does not kick him off himself is because baba seems to like the dumpster cat and so does bb mk. plus he does not know what baby monkeys need so thats another reason.

He watches from a distance, waiting and watching for any hint of deception. if he so much as makes one of his siblings cry he's setting that fucker aflame.

but he doesnt.

he doesn't catch anything suspicious, he watches the kids drag him around and get attached, he watches macaque's hesitance and the flashes of pain in his eyes. he eventually puts the pieces together and realises that macaque was alone for a long time, he became angry and spiteful towards wukong for what happened. but deep down all he really wants is a home. a loving home.

and the way he looks at the kids. he would never hurt them on purpose. its the same look he and wukong have. that they would tear the earth asunder, shatter the heavens above and overthrow the gods for them.

so as time goes on nezha accepts macaque into the family, hes still a bit awkward around macaque especially when hes in his older form and a little more comfortable in his younger form and when he allows himself to be a kid again. but overall he ends up caring for macaque as another father.

macaque ofc notices how hesitant and supsicious nezha is and doesnt pry, he lets the young lotus prince do as he wishes but wlecomes him whenever he gets more comfortable and begins to close the distance between them. macaque wont push or shove his way into nezhas heart. instead just let the kid decide on his own what to do and when to do it. he has no right to force anything. nezha is smart enought to make his own decisions.

Macaque knows the lotus princes tale, he knows that his original family was harsh and never understanding of such a young mind.

they eventually bond tho and become the only braincells in the family.

Macaque is the more stern parent of the two, not very stern tho.

SUN WUKONG

so its complicated with nezha.

nezha and wukong having a father son relationship is just a general hc and im working on a 3pt comic for it.

but to summarise. nezha and wukong met before nezha died. before the whole dragon thing happened. nezha never had a real and kind father and during wukongs trek to find a teacher he met nezha. he stayed around for a bit and they often played outside and away from nezhas home. although wukong did have to leave so he promised to come back after he was done learning from a teacher and take him to ffm to visit. nezha ofc agreed to this.

although when wukong came back nezha was...gone.

from what he heard the young boy had died.

he mourned for the child then continued his way back to ffm.

although he was quite shocked to find a soldier amongst the celestial army that resembled the young boy alot. he couldnt believe it when he saw that little boy in celestial armor, taller then he should be, older then he should be. he might not have his golden eyes of truth yet but he can clearly see the disguise (nezha wasnt very good at it bac then)

he let nezha go and nezha retreated.

after another couple of hundred years nezha and wukong met again and this time they got to really talk, talk about everything.

then wukong brought adoption papers to nezhas place.

Nezha laughed more then he had in ages, the kind of laughter that makes you tear up. and hold your stomach, at first wukong was confused but then nezha stood up straight and handed the papers back. while he cant sign that bc he doesnt want his "biological father" to try and mess with wukong and nezha bc of this he would be honored to be swk's son. then he moved to fmm.

when he and nezha brought mei home though it was different.

wukong was devestated for the child. she no longer had any parents, the samadhi fire was too much for any other family member to take care of the child. wukong and nezha were the only ones able to take care of her and her powers.

he blames himself for what happened, if he had just never tripped and lost a piece of the fire. then this child would have had her real family.

despite this wukong takes the role of father in full stride, she is the type of parent to spoil her kids like its christmas. at least she did alot when they were babies. shes the parent that makes sure the other isnt looking then sneaks the kids some candy. anyways.

wukong loves mei with all her heart. she would never abandon her, sometimes though she wonders if she'd be better off with her biological family. although mei makes it clear she loves her mother as much as she loves her.

when wukong brought baby mk home she was once again devastated, desnt help that she had to deal with macaque too.

she went through that grief all over again, because of her this childs parents are gone.

he will gladly welcome this child into the family, its just...why do children have to lose so much at such a young age because of him.

she loves baby mk, she loves mei, she loves nezha. she loves them so much and would tear the earth apart if anything ever truly hurt them.

she is a very kind and patient parent, she never raises her voice in anger, never raises her hands, and she doesn't believe in any of that and growls at the sight of other parents pulling that bullshit. dont even get me started on entitled teachers and caretakers. let's just say there's a reason mk and mei went to a private celestial school filled with young dragons and spirits and non-human beings like them. also why they never went to a daycare when they were babies.

"You put your hands on my child and i'll send you to diyu in a box"

meanwhile macaque and nezha are behind her, glaring daggers into the person wukong is mad at. .

soooo yeah macaque and wukong, overall chill and patient parents, wukong is ussually the one chasing after the kids and dealing with thier overflowing energy. ynow that meme where one dad is holding his kid by the ankle over water ont he beach while the other dad has thier kid cuddled up on thier chest. yeah.

wukong is the one in the water, holding mei by the ankle while macaque is holding mk and little nezha

[colemonroe]

Cole had learned a long time ago that if something looked wrong and felt even worse, then it probably was wrong. His gut rarely led him astray, if ever, and the more Rio spoke about the ADA and the mystery surrounding him and his intentions, the more the Sons President had to believe that they’d hardly even scraped the surface whenever it came to him– and that worried Cole. Men like the ADA were driven by two things: power and greed. With motivations like that, it meant there was no limit to what he would do to serve his own needs, and so Rio’s suspicions weren’t hard for Cole to wrap his mind around at all. “Well, I don’t believe in coincidences,” he mused aloud, shrugging a shoulder, “If it looks like a duck and quacks like one, it prob’ly is one.” It was one of the oldest cliches in the book, but it applied here. Cole nodded then, unsurprised to hear that this elusive ADA had eyes on the lot of them. “Don’t sit right with me either,” he agreed as he wondered what exactly Dante Parker was playing at. Why come at them with a rat when he had local law at his fingertips? Shaking his head, Cole shifted in his seat, unsettled by the thought and what it could possibly mean for all of them. 

“Wasn’t a bad plan,” he admitted, clearly referring to how this mystery third player had tried to pit the Sons and Los Santos against each other. Given their historic hate, it was a sensible play. “A couple of times, I was almost sure they were gonna get what they wanted.” Between Mac’s senseless outbursts and Matias’s clear hatred towards Cole, the biker figured there was certainly enough fuel there to ignite World War III, but the level heads in both groups had kept that from happening. So that begged the question, one Rio voiced aloud– what next? “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he murmured, head shaking, “They’re comin’ after local law now too– ain’t just us. That hit on Shepherd Decker? Has to be the same people gunnin’ for us too.” At least, that was the theory that was keeping Cole up at night.  He could have kept going on and on about his concerns, but when Rio answered his question in a most unexpected way, it derailed Cole’s current train of thought. Straightening slightly, he lifted a brow, suspicion spreading from every nook and cranny of his expression. Though as the other man continued, it soon became apparent to him. There’d been a change in leadership– a much needed one, in Cole’s not so humble opinion. As Rio confirmed what Cole was suspecting, a small grin curved at the corner of the biker’s mouth, “Can’t say I’m disappointed.” He didn’t see any point in sugar coating his feelings on the matter, not that they really mattered, but Cole would be remiss if he didn’t offer them up anyway. Rio needed to know how difficult Matias had been to deal with in the middle of a crisis– it would make what Cole was asking for mean a little more. “Y’know, I asked him for this same sitdown a few months ago,” he continued, scoffing softly, “All I got was a glob of spit on my shoe.” And busted knuckles, but seeing as he’d given Matias’s face the cuts and bruises to match them, he figured that part went without saying. Pushing out a soft sigh, he leaned forward in his seat, “Look, I got no delusions about you and me ever standin’ shoulder to shoulder,” he began, shrugging simply. If the damage was too deep, that was understandable. But right now? History didn’t mean shit. “But for now, I can put history aside because I love this town.” That was something Rio’s predecessor hadn’t been able to understand. “Just wanna stop the bleedin’ before it spills over onto everythin’ else I love. Don’t really care what that looks like,” Cole explained. It was that simple, but Matias hadn’t heard a word of it. Cole could only hope that Rio would be more sensible– more fit for the role and the tough decisions that were facing him. “On that, I think we can agree, no?”

It wasn’t surprising to hear that Cole had the same thought about a third player being in the mix. Whilst Rio didn’t typically rate the bikers, he wasn’t so out of touch that he didn’t notice even from a distance that their leader, Cole, had a smart head on his shoulders. A modern mind, if you will, smart enough to see beyond the scope set out by any predecessor, much like himself. “Might not be connected, that doesn’t mean it ain’t suspicious.” Rio shrugged a shoulder, again, just voicing his own thoughts. Anyone who had the means, the money, to be buying buildings in their little town was suspicious to him and the forever paranoid side of his mind. “He’s put eyes on both of us,” us being the the Son’s and Los Santos. “Just doesn’t settle in the water for me. Wanting eyes on us I can understand, it’s the secrecy of it, trying to move a rat into our house when he could be leaving that up to Detectives.” Rio frowned slightly, not entirely certain what he was getting at, he just felt like he was niggling at something, and why not share? Cole was essentially in the same half-sinking ship as he was now, any history between the gangs needed to be set aside. If it wasn’t, they would only be heading towards the bloodbath their common enemy wanted.

“Makes a little too much sense.” Raising a brow, he sat back and brushed a palm over his mouth, rubbing slightly at the side of his neck. The irony that his theories were being heard by Cole, rather than the man who was his own leader, certainly wasn’t lost on him. It only made it feel all the more fitting that Alejandra stepped in to remove that roadblock of a man. “Killing my guy, bombing yours,” shaking his head, “It was an almost sure way to start a war. So my question is, now that they, whoever they are, see we haven’t fallen for it… What’s coming next?” Rio smirks, elbows resting on the arms of the chair, fingers clasped together. His smirk wasn’t because it was a funny topic, it was more a personal amusement that came from understanding just how much his own thoughts aligned with Cole’s. Now, as soon as the Prez refers to Matias, Rio can’t hold back the chuckle that rumbles in his throat. “I just told you what I have to say about it,” he says firstly, planting that seed, that moment of ‘wait, what?’, before he jokingly adds… “And I wouldn’t say I’m fearless, but I’ll be keeping those fears to myself if you don’t mind.” With the amusement now written all over his face, he gives Cole enough credit to assume he’s already picked up on the clear hints. However, just out of a need to clarify in order to confirm, Rio wants to leave no room for confusion and so, he puts the final nail in the coffin... “Matias has been relocated, I’m in charge now.”

[swaps55]

Heartstoppers from Beyond the Veil

@pigeontheoneandonly shared a Treat headcanon on Halloween that due to a series of unlikely events, Kaidan had a single speaking line in a B-movie while in college.

I thought this was incredible, so I wrote about it. Set in the Opus!verse, pre-ME1, on the SSV Myeongnyang. Shockingly, it turned into a Sam & Kaidan first kiss AU. No one could have seen this coming.

Happy N7 Day!

mshenko/3.5k words | Ao3

~

Shepard thunders through the ‘Yang’s airlock like it’s a day of reckoning, and every single person between him and the crew deck makes the quick and wise decision to get the hell out of his way before they wind up being the one he reckons with.

He blows past the mess – where Kaidan, Aslany, and Beaudoin watch Pendergrass continue to add pepper to a bowl of macaroni and cheese – without a hello, on a trajectory for the gym. Some poor punching bag is probably about to see its life flash before its eyes.

“What the fuck is eating him?” Pendergrass asks. Kaidan’s already lost the bet on how much pepper she can add before it becomes inedible. Aslany and Beaudoin have more faith in her ability to consume ungodly amounts of pepper.

“Lunch with his mother,” Kaidan says with a sigh. The stars had aligned to put both the ‘Yang and the Hyderabad at Arcturus at the same time. Kaidan had tried convincing him to turn down Captain Shepard’s invitation – she’s sure set a precedent for it – but it had been like trying to reason with a brick wall.

And now they’re all going to pay the price.

“Who gets the short straw for sorting him out enough to have movie night?” Aslany asks as Pendergrass dumps more pepper into the bowl. Kaidan considers looking up if there’s a threshold where pepper becomes toxic. When they sat down for this experiment, Kaidan kept telling himself at least Pendergrass cooked the mac and cheese, unlike Shepard who eats it raw, straight out of the box with the cheese powder as a seasoning.

“Unless I get hazard pay, not me,” Beaudoin says.

“You’re a goat,” Aslany says. “That’s what you do.”

“Goat, sure, but I’m a goat with self-preservation instincts.”

“I could tape a note to Stabby,” Pendergrass offers. “That might be safest.”

“I’ll do it,” Kaidan says.

They all stare at him like he’s volunteered for a suicide mission. It’s not far from the truth. Even Kaidan rarely has luck talking him down from this kind of black mood, and just waits for it to blow over on its own. Surviving the attempt is going to require an ace he’s been keeping up his sleeve in hopes he’d never have to use it.

But the squad has rituals.

Kaidan sighs heavily. “I just need you all to understand the sacrifice I’m about to make in the name of movie night.”

~

Shepard’s still a bomb waiting to go off by the time they pile on the couches for movie night, but at least he’s there. Kaidan is the only one brave enough to sit beside him, and Shepard has the audacity to glare at him, like the whole thing is his fault.

“This better be as good as you say,” Shepard grumbles. “I’ve got shit to do.”

“No you don’t,” Kaidan replies.

Shepard’s glare could wilt steel, but Kaidan’s right, so the threat is empty. If only the Alliance brass knew how petulantly the Butcher of Torfan could pout.  

“Also,” Kaidan cautions, queuing up the movie and kissing any sense of peace he might ever have again in his life goodbye, “I never said it was good. I cannot state that clearly enough. All I said is it’s one of a kind.”

Beaudoin hands out beers to everyone before sitting down beside Aslany on the second couch, while Pendergrass drapes over an armchair in ways that hurt Kaidan’s back just to look at her. Beaudoin squints at the dramatic title scrawl when Kaidan hits play.

“Heartstoppers from Beyond the Veil. Well. It’s definitely a B-movie.”

Shepard eyes the screen warily. “I haven’t heard of this one.”

Kaidan hides a smirk. “I told you.”

“I’ve heard of all of them,” Shepard insists. “There’s no way you actually know one I don’t.”

“It had a limited release,” Kaidan says, eyes on the screen and not anywhere near Shepard, who is now very intrigued.

“What’s it about?” Pendergrass asks.

“Shapeshifters who come to terrorize the teenagers in a small town on Earth. They stop people’s hearts with a ray gun. But they have to shapeshift into the species whose heart they’re stopping for it to work.”

“…I have so many questions,” Beaudoin says.

“I can guarantee you all the answers have to do with budget, costuming limitations, and the age pool of people who owed the production crew favors.”

Shepard looks at Kaidan like he’s the shapeshifter. “How do you know about this movie?”

“Just watch,” Kaidan replies.

It’s just as bad as Kaidan remembers. The costumes look like someone decided to predict the future of fashion by going back to the 20th century and revisiting their ideas on the future of fashion. The relay is a flat image with a strobe light in the gyroscope to mimic the mass effect core. The shapeshifter ship is just stock footage of an Alliance cruiser with a badly superimposed ship name. The Temptation’s Berth.

“Little on the nose, isn’t it?” Aslany asks.

“They were aiming for symbolism,” Kaidan replies.

“They missed.”

“No,” Shepard says, reaching for Pendergrass’ bowl of popcorn, excitement creeping across his face. “It’s perfect.”

Kaidan stifles a smile behind his hand. Letting this particular skeleton out of the closet is something he’ll probably never live down.

That smile is worth it.

Kaidan settles back into the couch and awaits his fate.  

Aslany figures it out first.

“Wait,” she says, thirty minutes in, after the first heart-stopping death but before the ‘band of teenage heroes come together as a team to stop the shapeshifter threat’ part. Before anyone can react, she backs the movie up a few frames and pauses it. When no one says anything, she jabs a finger right through the holo projection.

Beaudoin nearly chokes on his drink. “Wait. Alenko. Is that you?”

Four pairs of incredulous eyes swivel towards Kaidan.

“Maybe,” Kaidan replies, and takes a sip from his beer.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” Pendergrass crows, dissolving into helpless laughter.

“Reflective mylar.”

It had crinkled to the point of distraction and been murderously hot to wear. Well, for the parts of him that were covered, anyway.

“Your tits are hanging out,” Pendergrass cries, actual tears forming. “Damn, Alenko, you were in your prime.”

“I’m still in my prime,” he protests.  

Aslany sniggers into the arm rest. Beaudoin’s face does a series of acrobatics trying to remain neutral while processing the sight of a twenty-year old Kaidan wearing a reflective mylar jumpsuit with the chest cut out.

Shepard, though, just openly stares.

“How, um.” Shepard stops, gathers his thoughts with a bewildered shake of his head, and finally tears his gaze away to look at the present incarnation of Kaidan Alenko. Who isn’t wearing a playboy mylar jumpsuit. “How did you wind up in this movie, exactly?”

Kaidan fights back some thoughts over the way Shepard just stared at his bare chest – sure, it was a digital version of it from ten years ago, but it was his chest – and clears his throat. “I did OCS in Mumbai and squeaked in some university credits while I was there. I, uh, accidentally wound up friends with a group of film students after my roommate dragged me to a party.”

“What, and you just said, ‘hey, sure, I’ll prance around half-naked in your shitty space movie?’” Aslany asks with a snort.

“No,” Kaidan replies, attempting to remain diplomatic. “A buddy of mine had a thing for the script writer. Or was she a producer? Hell, I can’t remember. She did a lot of things on that movie. He forced me to go to auditions with him as a wingman.”

“And?” Aslany prods.

Kaidan sighs. “She gave the part to me, not him.”

“Part?” Shepard exclaims. “You had a part? You weren’t just an extra?”

“One line. Just one line. That…she rewrote. After I got cast. Because, uh. Turns out she wasn’t into my buddy.”

Beaudoin once again fails to sip his beer without choking.

“She was into you,” Pendergrass yells. “She put you in a metallic sex jumpsuit because you were hot as fuck.”

“I’m sorry,” Kaidan says, in exasperation, “Why do we keep using the past tense about my appearance?”

“I’m just saying. Bet people wanted to climb you like a tree.”

This time Beaudoin manages to swallow his beer by downing half the bottle.

Aslany jabs at the holo controls. “Wait, so what’s the line?”

“Yeah,” Shepard says, an almost captivated look on his face. His eyes dart briefly back to the holo. “What’s your line?”  

Kaidan sighs in defeat and gestures to Aslany. “Go on. Play it.”

On the screen, a group of ‘teenagers’ – not a single one younger than twenty, Kaidan recalls – being targeted by the shapeshifters furtively discuss their plight at a table in a bar, while suspecting each other of being shapeshifters. Kaidan, credited as ‘Bartender #9’ despite being the only bartender in the movie, serves them their drinks.

“Aren’t you afraid one of us could be a shape shifter?” one of the women – the writer, who pulled double duty as one of the heroic ‘teens’ – asks him. Kaidan braces himself.

“Can’t stop my heart when I’ve already given it to someone else.”

Pendergrass howls and throws the entire bowl of popcorn, showering both couches. Aslany grabs a pillow and buries her face in it to smother her laughter. Beaudoin tries to say something and only manages a wheeze. Shepard just stares at him – both versions of him – like he’s walked into an MC Escher painting and can’t find his way back out.

“That’s your line?” Pendergrass cries. “That’s your line? What does that mean?”

Kaidan shrugs, side-eyeing Shepard.

“You even winked at her,” Aslany says in awe.

“Please tell me you get your heart stopped by a shapeshifter,” Beaudoin says.

“My fate is unknown,” Kaidan replies. “That’s my only scene. Shockingly, the royalties were not enough for me to retire on.”

Shepard rewinds and plays through it twice more, expression almost impossible to read until he turns back to Kaidan, a slow grin spreading across his face.

“This is fucking incredible.”

Kaidan’s stomach flips.

“How could you keep this from me?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a career highlight,” Kaidan replies, flush creeping up his neck. “But…you love these kinds of movies. Figured one day you might need a pick me up.” He takes a deliberate sip of his beer to avoid Shepard’s gaze.

He waits for Shepard to say something. For anyone to say something. Instead, Shepard slings an arm behind Kaidan and rests it on the back of the couch – not quite around Kaidan’s shoulders, but not not around his shoulders – and rewinds the scene to watch it again.  

“Fucking incredible,” Shepard repeats. Butterflies loose in Kaidan’s stomach.

“You’re so weird,” Pendergrass tells him with a snicker.

They watch the scene three more times, each time resulting in extended commentary on Kaidan’s outfit, before Aslany wrestles control of the holo away from Shepard and lets the movie just play. Beaudoin shakes his head the entire time. Aslany points out every gun-toting actor who’s never held a gun. Pendergrass attempts to make a drinking game out of the mylar costumes, but everyone quickly decides they don’t want to be that hung over.

Shepard just watches the movie, posture relaxed, easy grin on his face, no trace of the storm clouds. Every now and then he shifts his gaze away from the screen to look at Kaidan, and each time, Kaidan’s stomach does another somersault. By the end of it, their knees rest against each other and Shepard’s fingers brush Kaidan’s shoulder.

Yeah. It’s worth a future full of mylar jokes.

“That was terrible,” Beaudoin announces when the credits roll.

“I was rooting for the shapeshifters,” Aslany says.

“Do you think they sell mylar on Arcturus?” Pendergrass asks.

Shepard almost whacks Kaidan in the head when he retracts his arm to wrestle the remote from Aslany before she can turn it off. “Hang on, not yet.”

“It’s over,” Aslany protests. “Time for darts.”

“He wants to see Alenko’s name in the credits,” Beaudoin says with a shit-eating grin. Shepard, for his part, actually looks flustered.

“Yeah,” he admits.

“It’s no big deal,” Kaidan says, ears burning.

“Big deal to me,” Shepard says, knocking him in the shoulder. “One of our squad’s a movie star.”

“Hardly.”

Shepard ignores him and squints at the credits. Kaidan tries not to preen over the attention, which is easy when Pendergrass starts laughing again.

“Kaiden Alenko,” Aslany reads. “They spelled it wrong.”

“All the easier to keep it a secret,” Kaidan tells her. “I’m trusting the four of you with my life here.”

“Thought you were smarter than that,” Beaudoin says with a chuckle.

Pendergrass, who is now upside down on the couch with her feet in the air and her head dangling near the floor, eyes him. “So what happened with you and the writer?”

“What do you mean?” Kaidan asks.

“Did she get in your pants like she wanted?”

Beaudoin smacks her leg. She winds up sliding off the couch and onto the floor, before fumbling for some needlepoint she keeps stashed under the coffee table. Kaidan can only imagine the additions coming to the cross-stitch wall.

“Um, no,” Kaidan replies, rubbing the back of his neck, aware that Shepard is paying rapt attention. “Though, uh, I did wind up at her place.”

“Wait, but you said she didn’t get in your pants,” Aslany says, confusion on her face.

“Well, she said she wanted to talk about the movie.”

Beaudoin raises an eyebrow. “She put you in a mylar jumpsuit without a shirt, had you deliver a line about giving her your heart, and you thought she wanted to talk about the movie?”

He shrugs helplessly.

Beaudoin props his chin in a hand. “This is fascinating to me.”

“So…what happened?” Shepard says, twirling his beer in his hands and staring very intently at the remaining liquid swishing inside.

Kaidan glances at him, then shrugs again. “I left after she told me I wasn’t a good kisser.”

“I highly doubt that,” Shepard mutters under his breath, and Beaudoin chokes on his drink again.

“Well, yeah,” Aslany deadpans. “You hadn’t given her your heart.”

Pendergrass sniggers. Beaudoin offers Aslany a high five, which she accepts with a resounding smack.

Kaidan ignores all of them. Except Shepard.

“You, uh. You think I’d be a good kisser.”  

Shepard heaves to his feet. “What aren’t you good at?”

Kaidan stutters long enough on a response that Shepard is already halfway to the dart board, apparently already having left the topic behind.

Probably for the best.

Beaudoin makes a round of drinks, and each of them take turns quoting Heartstoppers when it’s their turn to throw darts. Kaidan does his best to forget about the whole thing, which is hard to do when Shepard keeps stealing glances in his direction.

“You’re off your game tonight, Alenko,” Beaudoin says with a grin.

Kaidan scowls at him before sinking a bullseye.

“Yeah, but can you do that in mylar?” Aslany asks.

This time it’s Shepard who chokes into his drink and hastily wipes his chin.

Don’t read into it, don’t read into it.

“I trusted you with this very humiliating fact about my youth, Aslany,” he says instead.

“Yeah, but you forgot you’re ours to humiliate,” Aslany reminds him. “It’s other people who try to humiliate you we’ll beat the shit out of.”  

He chuckles. Shepard’s lip curves in a smile that warms Kaidan right to his toes.

When they finally call it a night, Kaidan deviates towards the dark, quiet galley to dig some crackers out of the ‘hungry biotic’ stash he keeps stocked in a drawer. Shepard’s biotic field washes through him when he straightens. The other three are nowhere in sight.

“Hey,” Kaidan says, blinking at him curiously. “Still hungry?”

Shepard shakes his head, rocking back and forth on his toes, glancing from his feet to something behind Kaidan’s shoulder – anywhere but Kaidan himself.

“What’s wrong?” Kaidan asks, wariness flooding him.

Shepard opens his mouth, closes it again, then mutters, “Fuck it,” and closes the distance between them so fast Kaidan doesn’t register what’s happening until Shepard takes his chin in his fingers and kisses him right on the mouth.

It’s rough. Awkward, even. But it’s Shepard, kissing him like he’s going all in with every chip on the table even though he has a losing hand. His stubble catches against Kaidan’s, his lips are chapped, and he’s so tense he might snap.

Kaidan sucks in a surprised breath when Shepard lets him go, fingers still on his chin, mere inches of space between them. Shepard’s eyes are wide, like Kaidan’s not the only one trying to figure out what just happened.

“Told you,” Shepard murmurs, chest heaving like he just ran a sprint.

“Were you…” Kaidan tries to catch his breath. “Did you just kiss me to prove I’m a good kisser?”

“Yeah,” Shepard says, a panicked look coming across his face. “I think I did.”

He’s still right there. Kaidan lays a palm against Shepard’s chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his uniform.

“So, um. It was good,” Kaidan manages.

“Yeah,” Shepard breathes. “Thought it would be.”

“Kiss me again,” Kaidan whispers, trembling.

Shepard strokes his chin with his thumb, like he’s parsing each word and making sure they mean what he thinks they mean. Then he just nods, and leans in again.

Not rough, this time. This time it’s gentle. Slow. Soft. Filled with anticipation, maybe even hope. Kaidan wraps an arm around his neck, drawing him in until they’re flush against each other, Shepard’s biotic field like silk under his skin.

“Oh,” Shepard says when they part again. “I, uh. I think I’ve wanted to do that for a while now.”

Kaidan can’t speak. Even if he could think of what to say, it wouldn’t be the right thing. The only thing he can think of is kissing him again, so that’s what he does.

This time it’s messy, filled with want, and Shepard gives back every bit as good as Kaidan gives.

It’s really good. Good enough Kaidan winds up with his back against the bulkhead and Shepard fingers twined in his hair, a soft gasp against his lips.

When they come up for air, Shepard’s hand rests on Kaidan’s hip, and his eyes sweep Kaidan’s chest before lingering on his mouth again.

“I, uh.”

“We cannot tell anyone this happened after you saw me in a B-movie wearing reflective mylar.”

Shepard leans his forehead against Kaidan as laughter spills out. The hand on Kaidan’s hip circles his waist and traps him close.

As if Kaidan had plans to go anywhere.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Should keep that to ourselves.” Shepard trails up and down Kaidan’s chest with his fingers, lip between his teeth in a way that makes stripping his shirt right there in the galley a very logical course of action.

A slow smile spreads across Kaidan’s face.

“Are you…imagining me in mylar right now?”

A fiery blush lights up Shepard’s cheeks. It’s beautiful. “No.”

“You’re lying,” Kaidan says, with mock indignation “Wow, not even five minutes after you kiss me for the first time and you’re already lying to me. Can feel my heart stopping already.”

Shepard snickers, burying his nose against Kaidan’s neck. “Do I get any credit for trying really hard not to be thinking of you in a mylar jumpsuit?”

“Definitely not.”

“Come on.”

Kaidan chuckles, brushing his knuckles against Shepard’s cheek. “All this time, and it turns out all I needed to do was show you the most mortifying moment from my past.”

“I really love B-movies, Kaidan,” Shepard protests.

Kaidan swallows the rest of his defense in another kiss.

“You’re really good at that,” Shepard says when they catch their breath again. “That woman is out of her mind. Really glad she didn’t shapeshift and stop your heart.”

Kaidan walks fingers up Shepard’s chest, doing his best attempt at seductive. “Can’t stop my heart if I’ve given it to someone else.”

Shepard stares at him. Now it’s Kaidan’s turn to blush.

“Shit, did I ruin it?”

“Nope,” Shepard says with a very adamant, almost embarrassed shake of his head. “Uh, quite the opposite. But we should probably continue this…not in the galley.” He takes Kaidan’s hand, their fingers lacing effortlessly together like it’s something they’ve done their entire lives.

“Heartstoppers from Beyond the Veil,” Shepard mutters as they head hand-in-hand towards his cabin. “Can’t even believe it. What do you even think happened to your character, anyway?”

Kaidan eyes the door to Shepard’s cabin as it slides open and takes a deep breath. “I’ve got a few ideas. Want to find out?”  

“Yeah,” Shepard says, breathless. “I do.”

The door swishes shut.

…and then they fucked.

[strange-lace]

Macaque

I was in the mood to make more content for Inverted AU, so here’s a short-ish fic of how episode 9 would go in this AU with Macaque, Wukong, and MK! Enjoy the shadowpeach!

Another demon defeated but still no sign of Sun Wukong. Macaque let out a sigh before rolling his shoulders to bring relief to tense muscles. Oh well, he'll just have to keep looking, not like he hasn't been at it for years now. At least this city he wandered to was quite nice with pleasant people, nothing too out there aside from demon attacks.

"Hey! Hey you! Shadow monkey man!" Macaque wouldn't deny that the sudden voice made him jump, considering he was on top of a pretty tall building. Apparently not tall enough to stop the young man from climbing up the side, somewhat out of breath yet that didn't deter from the determined look on his face. He simply brushed his messy hair out of his eyes and adjusted his teal backpack, which looked surprisingly heavy. Macaque couldn’t help but be somewhat curious as to what was in that thing.

Wait was that the Monkey King's staff in his hands?

Indeed it was, he'd recognize that weapon anywhere.

“Ah, you must be the Monkie Kid I’ve been hearing so much about, am I right?” That got him a look of suspicion before the young man also seemed to remember the staff in his hands, causing him to let out an amused huff at his own paranoia.

“Yeah, the staff kind of gives it away, don’t it? Name’s MK though. Now whomst is you? Most of the time, demons who ask me who I am are five seconds away from trying to kill me.” Macaque couldn’t help but chuckle at that, already finding that he was starting to like this little guy and his attitude. Perhaps if a person like MK was chosen to wield Wukong’s staff, then perhaps that meant his love had finally started turning things around for the better. Maybe it meant he finally stopped being someone he wasn’t all for the sake of keeping a memory alive.

“The name’s Macaque, though, the Six-Eared Macaque is actually my full name. But what brings you up here exactly bud? I doubt you’d climb up this high just for anybody.” MK’s face showed that he wanted to argue that point out of principle before remembering his purpose for coming up here.

“Simple, teach me.”

Wait what?

“What what?” MK scoffed at the question.

“I want you to teach me to fight, like how you fought that demon back there. I don’t intend on leaving you alone until you do and that is a threat!” Macaque didn’t doubt that he meant it that way and could very easily follow through on that. Sensing he wasn’t going to get out of this, he let out a sigh before giving MK a smile.

“You sure your mentor won’t have a problem with me teaching you?”

“Bold of you to assume Wukong’s disapproval will stop me.”

“Well alright then, I think we’re gonna get along just fine, bud.”

---

“I see what you’re trying to do, you’re afraid of holding back and giving your enemy the opportunity to win. But the first strike isn’t the most important one. Every strike counts. Other people may tell you that patience and focus don’t matter but a fool allows himself to rush without restraint. While you have power inside you, you have to use it carefully. Take the power to defend others, not just destroy those who stand in your way. You’re not a weapon kid, you wield the weapon above all else.”

---

It started with a fairly innocent question from MK after one of their training sessions, him slowly going through a water bottle given to him by Macaque while the monkey made them something to eat. He needed a distraction to stop himself from taking over the cooking, years of feeding others making him feel guilt the moment someone else took over.

“So Mac, how exactly do you know the Monkey King?” To his credit, Macaque only fumbled the slightest bit at that sudden question and was able to save the plate before it crashed to the floor.

“Oh um well… funny thing about that is, well… we used to be together actually. Like y’know… together-together,” he explained while he plated their food, wincing internally at how awkward he sounded. With his back towards MK, Macaque didn’t notice him go tense and grip the couch arm so tightly that the wood underneath cracked at the pressure.

“Used to be together, huh? What happened?” Macaque couldn’t help but shiver at the chill which traveled down his spine. MK’s voice was perfectly even and calm yet he was filled with an overwhelming fear that warned him to not turn around and remain perfectly still until the danger passed.

His ears twitched at the sound of sparks behind him, magic power permeating through the air.

“I… I messed up honestly. We had an argument about something, I don’t even remember what it was so long ago. But I had to leave to just get some space and air before I said something I’d regret, something I couldn’t take back. It was only meant to be a couple hours but some stuff out of my control happened and by the time I got back… Wukong was gone. I had been looking for him for centuries after that and then… well then you found me.”

“What, you hoped getting on my good side would mean that you’d win the Monkey King back?” His tone promised nothing good if Macaque kept digging himself a deeper hole.

“No! No, nothing like that at all. I don’t expect Pe-...Wukong to take me back or anything like that. I just… wanted the chance to apologize to him is all. If he wants anything to do with me afterwards, then I want that to be his choice. Nothing more, I swear.”

MK remained silent behind him before the sudden tension in the air dissipated as quickly as it appeared. Macaque let out a sigh of relief, slowly turning around to see MK still sitting on his couch, placing the staff back in his ear nonchalantly.

“Fair enough, sounds like you both were just idiots who don’t know how to communicate. If you actually intended on using me to get to the Monkey King, you’d have actually mentioned him during our training and yet you haven’t. And you can’t lie to save your life anyway. Just don’t be an idiot again alright? Monkey King… Wukong, he’s a mess and I don’t think he could handle thinking he’s been abandoned again.”

Macaque could feel his heart break at the idea that his Peaches, his love, thought that he had left permanently. He wanted nothing more than to run to him now and make things right. But that was Wukong’s decision to make, nobody else’s.

The two ate their food in silence after that.

---

Sun Wukong may have supposedly “lost his edge”  but he was by no means dense or oblivious.

And while he was certainly happy about his successor’s vast improvement over the past couple weeks, a part of him sensed something was off. Like his successor was hiding something from him. And those moves he watched MK use to absolutely demolish the old mural, the Monkey King swore he had seen them before.

But it couldn’t possibly be. He hadn’t seen him in centuries. Not since he… left, like everyone else.

“I’m impressed, my boy! Tell me, how did you do that? Have you been seeing another mentor perhaps?” Wukong asked, his typically serene smile straining the slightest bit at the idea of his son student learning from someone who wasn’t him. The sensible part of his brain was gently poking at him, reminding him that it seemed silly to get upset about such a thing as, if anything, MK had appeared significantly calmer during their training compared to when they started. This could be a good thing, it told him.

Yet it was silenced by the majority of his brain which ran on fatherly protectiveness and had immediately been plagued by images of the worst case scenario. A demon had approached MK, promising him to make him stronger while also poisoning his student as a bid to turn him against the Monkey King before stealing his powers or, Heavens forbid, harming him.

No, Wukong refused to even allow a chance of that happening, logic and reasoning be damned.

“Hey, you’re the one always going on about ‘patience and focus’, I’m just finally putting what you said into practice,” MK answered, the picture of being casual which only set off further alarm bells within Wukong’s head. But before he could question him further, MK’s phone dinged to tell him of a new text message which he quickly read over, his eyes widening slightly at the message.

“Welp, looks like I gotta cut things short for now Wukong, something came up and I gotta head out. See ya later! Don’t forget to eat something tonight and sleep, I will know if you don’t.” And with that, MK was off through the hole he had created in the wall where the mural was before the Monkey King could get a word in edgewise. 

Wukong waited long enough to allow MK to get a reasonable distance away before transforming into a bird, flying after his successor.

Something fishy was going on and the Monkey King was determined to find out what it was.

---

“Why exactly are we climbing up to this giant mountain again Mac?” MK wheezed, hating to admit it but this hike had genuinely winded him despite all his training. He had immediately gone to Macaque’s place the moment he got his text only to be told to follow the six-eared demon, leading them to where they were now.

“Well, consider this your ‘final exam’ bud! I want you to use everything I’ve taught you to fight against me, no holding back. Think you can do that?” MK couldn’t help the twitch at the corners of his mouth at the sight of Macaque’s genuine excitement as he explained, all six ears twitching while his tail was wagging like a dog. A demon who was centuries old and had fought countless powerful demons had no right looking that endearing, but here MK was looking with his own two eyes.

MK gave a chuckle before straightening himself out, wordlessly pulling the staff out his ear.

“You sure you’re comfortable getting your ass kicked by me, Mac?” With a smirk, Macaque summoned his own weapon in a flash of purple with the beginning of two shadow clones pooling at his feet. They shyly peeked from the ground from behind their master.

“Oho, a couple training sessions with me for a month and you think you have what it takes to defeat me, bud? Well then, bring it Monkie Kid!” MK didn’t hesitate to charge forward with Macaque mirroring him, weapons at the ready and adrenaline already running through their veins.

“Enough!”

A sudden force landed in between them with enough force to send them both flying backwards.

MK and Macaque recovered in time to see who decided to interrupt their duel.

Both of their hearts nearly stopped at the sight of the enraged Monkey King but for vastly different reasons.

“You have 5 seconds to explain yourself for trying to harm my-” Wukong’s rage quickly deflated as the dust cleared enough for him to truly see who it was he had thought was attacking MK. “Mango Flower?”

“Um… hello again, Peach Blossom. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Macaque joked, voice weak as he restrained himself from acting out of bounds even if he wanted nothing more than to gather the other into his arms. It had been so long, far too long. 

He nearly broke at the sight of tears beginning to form in Wukong’s eyes.

His resolve finally shattered as the Monkey King ran towards him, arms outstretched, and before Macaque knew it his legs were moving on their own. The wind was knocked out of him at how tight Wukong squeezed him yet he returned the embrace back with gusto, ignoring the groaning of his ribs. He simply buried his face into the other’s fur, the smell of peaches still there even after all these years. Faintly, Macaque realized he was also crying once he felt a wetness on his cheeks.

Macaque let out a squeak in surprise as Wukong picked him up in the hug and spun him around, the sound of his laughter echoing throughout the mountain. The sight of such unabashed joy on his face was enough to make the six-eared demon to start laughing too, joy contagious in the best of ways. 

MK would deny it unless under the threat of death but he couldn’t help but smile as he watched the two monkeys get lost in their own little world. It made the guilt which nagged at his chest at having to manipulate the two to make this meeting happen ease up, seeing how happy the two were.

“It’s been so long…” Wukong whispered as he placed Macaque back on his feet, gently cradling his face as if afraid that if he stopped touching the other, that he’d disappear again. “But, why are you here? I had thought that you hated me, isn’t that why you…” Macaque went stiff in shock before taking the Monkey King’s hands into his own.

“What? No! If anything, I thought you hated me for leaving instead of talking things out and that’s why you were gone when I came back. I always intended on coming back to you Peaches, I swear on it.” Wukong’s eyes went wide at that, extremely close to crying again a second time that day. “I had been looking for you for centuries now to apologize.”

And now the warm feeling was gone, leaving MK to bite down on his staff to stop himself from screaming at how much those two had failed at the simple of communication.

“We’ve both been absolutely foolish, haven’t we?” Wukong couldn’t help but laugh at it all, which only worsened as he noticed all six of Macaque’s ears turn red in embarrassment.

“Yeah, I guess we have been-” His words were cut off as the Monkey King grabbed his scarf, pulling him into a sudden kiss that made Macaque jolt in surprise before he practically melted into the other’s arms. A purr rumbled in his chest and neither noticed their tails wind around each other.

The sound of MK clearing his throat, loudly, was enough to get them to break apart in embarrassment.

“If you two are done being romantic idiots, I have to beat the shit out of Macaque to prove that I’m better than him. I mean ace my ‘final exam’.” The grin on his face showed that he was lying through his teeth.

“Don’t think I forgot about all your trash talking, young man. How about it Peach Blossom? You willing to go all out with me and the kid?” 

Wukong’s face was the epitome of ‘Every part of my body wants to say yes but I shouldn’t.’ He was already terrible at saying no to MK and now with Macaque’s endearingly earnest face, he knew he was done for, at least with these two working together now.

“...Oh alright.”

The two mutual cheers at his agreement made Wukong feel slightly less guilty in letting his lessons go for a brief moment. But not completely.

But that was okay, Wukong was used to living with constant guilt.

[probablyacreep]

The…Other Children of Lir

Lost princes || A family dynasty || Judgment 

Continuing my (very very slooow and overly specific) journey through Irish tradition, I wanted to talk about some of the more mysterious personages.  Tw for two (brief) mentions of assault/dubious consent, without detail. Manannan mac Lir is probably one of the better known figures (which is why he’s the jumping off point for so much of my writing) alongside his foster son Lugh and his pupil Aengus - but he’s also given an extensive family of children, including Mongan, Eachdond Mor, and Gaidiar. None are quite as well-known or have stories so well-preserved (apart from possibly Niamh of the Golden Hair) but what we do know about them is interesting. Niamh could probably do with her own post so I’ll respectfully leave her out of this one. Aine is also given as Manannan’s daughter in certain sources but I couldn’t verify this and she would also need her own feature.

Mongan is interesting in that in most stories of his birth he’s half human, half tuatha de - if such a division can be considered clear cut. In The Voyage of Bran, Manannan stops Bran (another appearance of Lough Foyle) at sea to tell him that he’s going to concieve a son who’ll be a great hero. Stories vary but generally, Mongan’s father Fiachna (meaning crow) is fighting in Scotland. He’s losing, until Manannan shows up and says he’ll help, for a price. Fiachna makes the old mistake - “I’ll give anything” - and Manannan asks for his wife. In other (nicer) versions, Fiachna’s wife is well aware and the all three people involved consent. Mongan is raised in the Otherworld until his late teens, when he returns to start his job as King. Interestingly, he doesn’t seem that interested in ruling and spends his time drinking wine and playing games. He has to be prompted into making decisions by his father, and even then he retains a sense of ennui and longing to return to the Otherworld. He shapeshifts into children, a washerwoman, a priest - he has as many faces and is as fluid as you’d expect.

Eachdond Mor, Mongan’s older brother, is pictured sitting as Manannan’s left hand, accompanied by his ally Abartach, a trickster who shares a name with a character from the story of the Gilla Decair and a “wizard”/sidhe lord/creature from Garvagh in Ulster, and may be connected with Midir.

Gaidiar is Eachdond’s brother, and commits “adultery” with Becuma, a “woman of the sidhe” (in some tellings he assaults her, in others it is consensual) while they are both in prior relationships, for which she is expelled from Tir na Nog beginning a saga involving a king falling in love with her and accidentally cursing Ireland. Becuma, as the woman, is treated as solely responsible while Gaidiar - and the king - seemingly avoid repercussions. 

Both brothers in their very brief appearances are portrayed as powerful lords or kings in their own right, rubbing shoulders with Aengus, the Dagda, Finbhara and Bodb Derg. 

((I’ll probably come back and edit this since I know there’s a story I’m forgetting, but I’m too tired to remember it properly now, but hopefully somebody finds it interesting!))

[skellebonez]

You wanted more Macaque and Mei bonding, so here you go! With prompts 74 and 45! And you get to choose which AU! Cursed AU, Swap AU, the new Parents and Kiddos AU. Heck, even one of your own! For once, let's just not hurt them

Did I expect to become invested in Mei and Macaque in AUs with a mentor-student/parental bond? Nope! Do I jump at the chance to read and/or write any more of it given even half a chance now? HELL YES. Had I not already had a short and cute idea for Swap AU set after Mac's return that worked perfectly with 45 I would have jumped on Parents and Kiddos (I’ll get to you soon new AU just you wait).

It’s only just a little bit illegal./You may technically be an adult, but you’re still my child.

“What in the world are you doing?” Macaque questioned as he watched Mei fiddle with her phone at a table, tiny little screwdrivers and bits of phone pieces scattered around her. And something smelled of melting and burning metal... He lifted the tea cup he had brought along with him to his lips, hoping that the scent was enough to overpower the other (it wasn’t).

“Modding my phone so it’s less garbage,” Mei replied, sticking her tongue out as she carefully aligned something inside the phone’s casing before picking up the thing that smelled like burning and doing something that made the metal meld together. Mac thought that was called a soldering iron, but that wasn’t exactly his area of expertise. “I’ve been watching a ton of tutorials, this should give me way more battery and signal and everything else I need!”

“Couldn’t you just buy a new one instead?” Macaque asked with a chuckle, remembering that her parents weren’t exactly hard for cash.

“Hey now! I may be a kid to demons, but to humans I am an adult and I can make my own bad decisions thank you very much!” Mei said without a drop of real anger or annoyance in her voice, instead the tones of sarcasm and amusement lifting it through the air. “Besides, this is way more fun. And it’s only just a little bit illegal!”

“Heh,” Macaque couldn’t stop himself from continuing to chuckle, shaking his head and smiling down at the sitting young woman fondly. “Watch that you don’t get caught with that, then, or else it’ll be my responsibility to deal with the aftermath. You may technically be an adult, Little Flower, but you’re still my child.”

It took them both a couple seconds to realize exactly what Macaque had said, but once they did they both froze. Not stone still, just. Stopped what they were doing. Looked at each other for a moment. Macaque watched her face for any indication of a reaction, his own face a mix of shock and embarrassment for that slipping out unbidden, while her own remained a mask of pure surprise.

Macaque had never really... outwardly voiced what he considered Mei and his relationship to be now. Hell, they’d barely discussed her strained relationship with her actual parents, let alone their shifting dynamic before this moment. Even when teased by Iron Fan before he had vehemently denied that she was “his kid” in any capacity. But now... They’d been through so much, as mentor and student and (reluctant as he may have initially been to admit it) then as pseudo-parental figure in her life, that Macaque couldn’t deny he’d started to think of her as... well. Not just a kid he took under his wing to train. But as his kid, full stop. His child.

And in the context in which he had let this slip it was clear to anyone who heard him that was almost certainly what he had meant.

When Mei finally broke the silence, it was with a chuckle of her own and a smile on a slightly sheepish expression. Something rare for her.

“Course I am,” she said, smile growing wider and chuckling more as she put down the tools and her phone. “I mean... I guess I started to think that too. After I thought you... you know, it didn’t feel like I lost a teacher. It felt like I lost...”

He knew what she meant, though she trailed off he knew. Macaque breathed a small sigh of relief, though it was peppered with pain and regret remembering his time spent locked away with Wukong and the fake clone he had made to trick him into believing he had captured Mei.

He took a seat across from her, ears pulled back a bit at the memory. “I think that made most of us realize a lot of things. Things we should probably actually start to talk about.”

“Yeah...” Mei said softly as Macaque lifted his cooling tea to take another sip, a small but shaky smirk forming on her lips. Mac knew this expression well, knew it well enough that he was more than ready for the snarky quip she was probably going to throw in to lighten the mood. “So... does that mean I should call you dad now? Or is pops or old man preferable?”

The smirk vanished with a yelp of concern when Macaque proceeded to choke on the tea he inhaled in response.

He wasn’t nearly as ready as he thought he was.

(Later in the day, the others who saw Macaque around Fiery Cloud cave would notice that his usual grin was a bit wider and more earnest than it had been since his return. His eyes a bit brighter and more alive. Ears held higher as his tail swayed excitedly behind him.)

[rosieblogstuff]

I need to stop thinking about season 3 and I also stop messing around with this snippet so I can finish all the other things I said I’d do before the end of the weekend. I also need to stop posting unfinished things on AO3 though so here’s a lil bit of thing that will eventually be a larger thing. And THEN I’ll post it on AO3. 

--------

The last thing Mac needs to see first thing in the morning is his father looking sorry for him. James is loitering in the hallway outside the war room, looking like he has nowhere else to be except in Mac’s face. “How are you doing, son?”

Mac grits his teeth. “Fine,” he snaps in a tone that hopefully doesn’t invite follow-up. He doesn’t need to hear about Jonah Walsh again, doesn’t need to hear how Jack’s going off without him compares to Jonah’s betrayal of James. It’s not really the same thing, and he’s tired of his father coloring everything with his own history.

And if there’s one thing he never wanted to share with his father, it’s this sick feeling of loss he’s been swimming in all the time since Jack left. 

He starts to walk away, but as he moves he catches the shift of his father’s eyes, a sort of judgement making lines between his brows. Mac spins back and the words he’s been holding in for weeks come tumbling out. “It was your decision to send Jack off on so many separate missions this winter,” Mac says, anger boiling over. He’s resented that for a while, has questioned Matty about it a few times, only to be told that their separate skills were needed in different places. But he knows it wasn’t really Matty’s decision. It was Oversight’s. 

James’ eyes widen a bit, but he doesn’t back down, even though Mac is standing closer than he needs to, his fists balled at his sides. “His skills were needed to support other—” James starts.

Mac feels wild in his anger, too tired to reign it in adfter a series of sleepless nights. “Were they really though? And why now? Why not last year, or the year before?”

James’s expression has settled into a gently disapproving frown. “Other operatives were available to provide the tactical support deemed necessary for those missions.”

It doesn’t ring true. Not even a little bit. James has had enough operational experience to know how fast a mission can go south. 

Mac thinks how close he was to suffocating in the children’s hospital and how few seconds stood between him and the Ghost’s final bomb in Paris, and how far away and unreachable Jack was both times. And he can’t help but feel that Oversight has decided to teach him yet another life lesson about relying only on his own wits. Like he hasn’t already proven himself time and time again. The lack of trust, the manipulation, makes him even angrier. 

If James says one more word, he’ll be channeling his inner Jack and punching his boss in the face. If Jack had been on either mission, he might not be spending half of every night thinking about them because things might not have been so close in the first place. 

For the tenth time that week, he thinks about quitting the Phoenix again, and the only thing stopping him from spitting the words into Oversight’s face is that Jack asked him not to. He was very clear on that. And Mac promised, because he can’t help thinking that as long as he is there, doing the job, Jack will have to come back. Right?

That, and he is too stubborn to make the same mistake twice. 

Before Mac can say anything he might or might not regret later, Matty sweeps down the hallway and past where they are standing, looking for all the world like she can’t see the tension rolling off of him in waves. “Don’t make us wait, Blondie,” she tosses over her shoulder.

Her words cut through his thoughts, but he doesn’t respond immediately, still hoping James will open his mouth again. Instead, his father crosses his arms as if waiting to see what Mac will do. It feels like another evaluation–will he shatter like a glass hitting the floor, or will he pull himself together?

The desire to fail the test, just to spite James, washes over him. But the rest of the team is coming down the hall, and Matty will be watching from the war room. 

He turns and walks away. There are some people he isn’t willing to let down.