#hey <3 artemis being violent

[bcneheaded]

gURGLES INCOHERENTLY @ THIS OLD WIP

[northsealight]

Hey, when you said RHATO Jason is the worst version on your last ask, were you referring to the first comic, second comic, or the Webtoon? (Honestly annoyed the Webtoon took that name, makes things even more confusing)

I have problems with all 3 (Webtoon most of all for sure, with the second and first switching places behind it based on what characters or plots I’m thinking about tbh), but I was just curious haha

oh. oh. oh you're not ready for this. I've been trying this entire week to find a good time to air out my thoughts:

so! in my opinion (again, this is not shaming anyone for liking what they like! if you happen to like RHATO!jason all the more power to you! dont read this!) all three reiterations of RHATO!Jason .. are not great. the one I think might have potential to be salvaged is the second one with Artemis and bizarro! (although roy harper is in my heart of hearts)

the way Jason is written in rhato... the rhato written by Scott Lobdell anyway, (who is actually a sexual predator and when you start to think even a LITTLE about how the women are written in RHATO makes so much sense) portrays Jason as yet another cookie cutter anti-hero-deadpool-esque personality who's mainly confined by the narrative restraints of his character.

I say this because hes so.... the way he goes about his vigilantism is so .. shallow. It's like the narrative is finding excuses to make him violent so the reader can be stimulated with Michale Bay explosions lol. You hardly see any stories in there where Jason is an actual champion for the people, and you hardly see his background as a street kid come into play... its like... he became... a vigilante because....he knows how the system can fail those... alienated and forgotten by those sworn to protect them... and thus channels his energy into said people through acts of radical protection... (also because the whole bruce thing yeah I know)

I keep thinking about injustice!Jason's monologue where he literally says something along the lines of "while bruce and clark were fighting I fought for the people who were being caught up in the whole thing" like if that doesn't just tell you who he is idk what will! and sure, injustice isn't Jason source material, so look at under the red hood! he literally becomes a drug kingpin TO CONTROL crime ... and then instead of getting these immense shows of care he has for the community in RHATO, we get panels like this:

like ok get it I guess 😭😭😭😭

this is the new and improved Jason!! he's suave.. hes American... he's... just like every other antihero now!!

I don't know how to explain it without sounding like an idiot- best bet is to read the comics yourself to kinda get what im saying! but even rebirth Jason is (kind of) getting what RHATO Jason doesn't-- he's a product of his huge heart. rebirth Jason has countless stories where we see how Jason ACTUALLY operates as red hood, and what his symbol means to the citizens of Gotham!

if you pour too much grit and "edginess" into Jason, then you kind of miss what he's all about- he can still be silly and sarcastic! in fact, one of my favorite Jason moments is from red hood: lost days, a series where he's portrayed as an edgy, "misfit" ruffian:

like. hello this is hilarious. and we can still have moments like these while balancing his emotional range as a vigilante that's motivated by his big fat heart! (ignoring the fact that he slept with Talia in the next issue 😭 Jason fans can't have shit 😭)

but anyway! ill likely add more when I'm not feeling so tired, but god!! is it so hard to show Jason's propensity for kindness!! is it so hard to realize that his character to the core is revolved around a deep understanding for others based on personal experience!!

there's a reason why DC (in the rare moments when they know what to do with his character) always writes stories with Jason consoling children, or Jason being good with kids in dangerous situations!

it's because he's been there before. he's felt the grief and confusion of being helpless in a situation of his control. he's felt the consequences of adults who were supposed to protect and raise him! he's been killed for daring to cling on to the notion of trust even after all he's been through!

and I don't know, I think his dedication to the people, children especially, is his way of forgiving himself- his way of telling little Jason that it wasn't his fault.

[mochegato]

Capturing a Dream

Chapter 4 – Recovery

Chapter 1       Chapter 3

Conner’s fists were clenched so tightly they were past white, verging on translucent.  Everything about this day was terrible and it seemed to get worse with every passing hour. They had been invaded.  Their home had sustained significant damage and was no longer safe.  Red Tornado had betrayed them and the Justice League was cutting them out of the capture efforts.  Chimera had been hurt, she had almost died and he hadn’t been able to do anything about it.  

It had been hours since they had received an update on Chimera and she was alone in the Watchtower.  She was protected by the Justice League, but as they had just violently discovered, that didn’t mean she was safe.  Although one saving grace was that by being here, she had been saved experiencing the attack by Red Tornado.  From the description Aqualad had given on her status, he wasn’t sure she would have been able to survive it.

The Team needed to pull together right now.  They were the only ones they could trust and Chimera had been isolated from them. The rest of the Team had been busy freeing themselves, checking each other for injury, working with the Justice League to assess the damage to the Cave, figuring out how the Reds got into the Cave in the first place, figuring out where their security had let them down, and recovering from Red Tornado’s attack.  All of that meant that none of the Team had been able to be with her until now.  Kid Flash, Robin, and he had finally been able to come and check on Chimera and bring her back to the Cave with the rest of them, while Artemis and Aqualad stayed in the Cave and tried to figure out what needed to be done next.

Batman met the Team at the doors to the infirmary.  “I should warn you, I’ve given her quite a bit of pain medicine and I just woke her up for you so she could transform, so she’s a little out of it right now and honest… extremely honest.  Beware.”  Batman warned them wryly.

“Was she honest with you?” Robin asked with a smile.  He would pay to have heard what an unfiltered Chimera would say.

“Yes.” Batman answered, not looking at him.

“Care to share?” Kid Flash asked with a grin.

“No.” Batman responded turning to peek through the door to assure she was fully transformed before letting them in.

They made it through the door just in time to see Chimera fall as she tried to stand. Kid Flash was there to catch her before she hit the ground.  She looked at him slightly dazed, her movements sluggish.  “I know you, right?”  She concentrated harder on his face.  “Right?  We know each other.”

The Team gasped in fear and looked over to Batman for an explanation. Batman took a deep breath.  “She needs rest.  She doesn’t have a concussion, but her body has been through a lot.  Combined with the pain killers, like I said before, she’s a little out of it.  She should be fine after a rest.”

“No, it’s okay… it’s not… I just… I’m okay.  I just need to sleep… or to wake up… I’m not sure which.  This is… I’ve done this before… I think.” She slurred her words slightly as she tried to assure them.  She looked at Kid Flash with a guilty expression.  “I sometimes go too long without sleeping.”

Superboy moved over to her and picked her up, cradling her in his arms, holding her close enough to speak quietly to comfort her.  “Hey Chi, it’s okay.  We’ve got you.  You know us. You’re safe.  I won’t let anything happen to you.  You can sleep.”

She leaned her head back to study his face.  She smiled sleepily at him and ran her finger along his jaw.  “I definitely know you.”  Conner blushed deeply, but then balked at her next comment.  “You’re the flirty one.”

Robin came over to double check for signs of the concussion that Batman must have missed.  “Maybe she doesn’t recognize him after all.”

Chimera tried to turn over to him but stopped when she saw Kid Flash again. “No, wait… You’re the flirty one.” She tried to point in his direction.

“She may not recognize Superboy, but she definitely remembers Kid Flash.”  Robin smirked.

Chimera looked back and forth between the two boys a little too quickly and groaned in pain.  “You both are the flirty one.”  She pushed her head against Conner’s chest trying to alleviate the pain in her head and stop the spinning.

Batman nodded to someone behind them and stepped forward.  “Since you guys are here I’ll let you know now.  Green Arrow and Black Canary have already discussed this with Aqualad and Artemis while you have been here.  With Red Tornado… missing, the Team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors.  Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift.”

Superboy turned around to see a man larger than Batman walking toward them next to Superman.  “I’m really looking forward to hanging with you guys.” Captain Marvel said with a smile.

Superboy scowled at them and adjusted Chimera slightly.  She turned to face the newcomers.  She quirked her head at Captain Marvel and concentrated on him for a few moments.  “Who’s the kid?”  Captain Marvel’s eyes widened in surprise.  “Oh no.  Do I know you too?  I’m sorry. It’s been a… day.  Night?  Day…  I think.”  She scrunched her face trying to figure out what general part of the day they were in.

“I’m not a kid!” Captain Marvel exclaimed a little too loudly.

Chimera snorted at him.  “Whatever you say, kid.” She settled her head back on Superboy’s shoulder and closed her eyes.  “It’s really bright in here.”

“We’re going home now, I promise.” Superboy said quietly.  She hummed in response and curled into him a bit more.

“It’s going to be a short visit.  I have a new mission for you.” Batman unceremoniously informed them.

“Chimera can’t go on a mission right now.” Superboy said lowly.  “And I’m not leaving her alone in the Cave.”

“Someone will be there to watch over her.” Batman assured him.

Kid Flash scoffed and shared a dubious look with Robin and Superboy.  “Another Justice League member?  No, thanks.” Superboy argued.

“It’s normal to be paranoid after an experience like this.  There’s a lot of new things you don’t know how to process yet.  Perhaps if you let her stay here in the Watchtower, you can feel more secure.” Superman offered awkwardly.  

“It isn’t the Cave I don’t trust.” Conner narrowed his eyes at Superman.

“I understand wanting to keep her close.  Your team means a lot to you and you guys weren’t able to keep her safe. It’s natural to overcorrect to overprotective and suspicious.  But I can assure you she would be safe here.”  Superman tried instead.

“Excuse me?” Kid Flash demanded angrily.  Robin and Superboy scowled in anger next to him.

“You all assured us we would be safe in the Cave as well, and that Red Tornado was trustworthy.  Your assurance doesn’t mean anything to us.” Superboy hissed at him.

“Black Canary will stay with her at the Cave while you guys are on the mission.” Batman assured him.  “She trusted Black Canary with her identity.  You should trust her too.”

“Did she trust her or did you tell Black Canary and Chimera had to accept it?” Robin asked skeptically.

“Regardless, she accepts it and trusts her.  Her identity is more important to her than almost anything else.  If she trusts Black Canary that much, you should too.” Batman answered coldly.

Superboy stared at him unsettled.  His whole body tensing.  They were trying to distract them from what was going on, from what they let happen. It had ripped the Team’s lives apart and the Justice League wasn’t going to let them react, was blaming them for allowing it to happen.

Chimera furrowed her brow sensing a shift in his body and temperament.  She looked up at Superboy and followed his eye line. She blinked a few times at Superman before speaking.  “Oh hey, it’s the Boy Scout.”  She turned back to look at Superboy.  “Look Conner, it’s the cold bastard.”  She leaned her head back on Superboy’s shoulder before realizing what she said. She popped her head back up once she realized.  “Oh my God! I remembered your name!”  She smiled at him, proud of her accomplishment. “I usually can’t remember names until after I sleep.”

Kid Flash and Robin started laughing hysterically.  She frowned at Kid Flash and tried vaguely to figure out where the rest of the laughter was coming from or was it just her ears playing tricks on her and figure out why he, or they, were laughing.  They only stopped laughing when Batman walked next to Superman and glared at them.  But the glare only reduced the laughter instead of eliminating it.

After a few moments Chimera’s eyes widened in mortification as she realized what she had said just after Conner’s name.  “Boy Scout!” she exclaimed loudly looking at Superman apologetically, or trying to, and trying to sit up straighter in Superboy’s arms.  “I meant to say the Boy Scout.” She cringed and tried to hide her face in Superboy’s neck, but still mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear, “I mean, not that I was wrong. I just didn’t mean to say it out loud.”

She looked up again when she heard raucous laughter coming from all around her. She looked slowly from Superboy to Kid Flash to Batman to Superman to Robin.  “Why are all the people I work with either incorrigible flirts or cold bastards?” she asked nobody in particular.  “At some point that says something about me, doesn’t it?  Is there something wrong with me?”  She looked up to Superboy as she said the last part.

Superboy smirked at Superman and held Chimera tighter against his chest as he turned and made his way with the Team to the zeta tubes.  She burrowed deeper into his arms and started to fall asleep to the rhythm of his walk.  Just before she fell asleep he leaned down to whisper into her ear.  “There is nothing wrong with you.  Other than working yourself so hard that you forgot our names, you are absolutely perfect.  You’re doing everything right.  I’m proud of you.”  She smiled peacefully as she fell asleep.

<><><><><> 

“So this is where you are.” Chimera called out to Conner after she finally found him sitting on the rocks outside the Cave.  He was staring out at the last bits of light reflecting off the ocean with an angry concentration.  “I don’t think I would have found you without this little chiot’s help.”  She smiled at the wolf and ran her hands through his fur. “I guess ‘little’ isn’t really accurate, is it?  He’s bigger than me.  How was the mission?”  He grunted but kept looking out at the water.  She gave him a concerned look and moved closer to him.  “Conner?” She asked carefully.

“You shouldn’t have gone in to wherever it is you go.  You’re still recovering.  It was stupid, Chimera.”  He growled at her, refusing to look at her.  “Stupid and dangerous.”

She looked at him in surprise at his tone.  “Ah.” She started delicately, looking around awkwardly trying to figure out if she should approach him or let him continue to brood alone.  Brooding is best done alone, after all.  

She hadn’t gotten a report on the mission they had just returned from yet, so she wasn’t sure how bad it had been.  She had rushed to find him as soon as she got back to the Cave after the showing and clean up.  She had stayed for enough of the celebrations to satisfy her supervisors then rushed home. But it appeared that whatever did happen on the mission, it had taken a severe toll on Conner.  He was in a significantly angrier mood than usual.  She wasn’t sure if he wanted to sit alone, sit quietly with someone, or talk through the anger.  

“What do you think, mon petit chiot?” she whispered barely loudly enough to be heard over the tide washing in.  “Stay or leave?  What should I do?”  Wolf whined and bumped gently into her.  She smiled gently at him and patted him reassuringly.  She turned back to Conner and approached him slowly like he might explode at any moment.  She decided to see if he wanted to talk.  If he didn’t, she could always back off.  She started by trying to lighten the suffocating, dark mood.  “Is it okay if I sit and glare at the sunset too?”

He sent her a devastating glare that caught her completely off guard.  She stumbled back a half step in surprise, backing into Wolf.  Conner stood up and stalked toward her as he roared in anger at her.  “Why did you bother coming back to the Cave to recover with people you trust, people who can keep you safe while you recover, if you were just going to leave immediately?  What is the point of helping you recover if you’re just going to go out immediately and make yourself worse?  Run yourself into the ground… again? And what happens if we get attacked again?  What happens if Red Tornado comes back and tries to finish the job his siblings started and you’re too tired to fight?  Then you die, or we die trying to save you.”

She reeled back like he struck her, staring in shock at the seething mass of teenage boy in front of her.  Wolf moved closer to her and angled himself so he was slightly in front of her, keeping his eyes on Conner.  

As soon as the words left his mouth, Conner wanted to take them back.  The look of betrayal and hurt in her eyes was heartbreaking.  She hadn’t even looked that betrayed when she found out Red Tornado actually did betray them. But now, at his words, she looked absolutely devastated.

Wolf nudged her lightly and whined quietly.  The nudge was enough to wake Chimera out of her stupor.  “Don’t. Do. That.” She scolded Conner suddenly, slapping his arms and chest punctuating each word.  “You. Are. Large. And. Intimidating. And. You. Scared. Me. You. Big. Broody. Jerk.” She huffed at him with one final slap.

He made a show of protecting himself from the hits that were barely hard enough to even gain his attention regularly.  He stared at her in shock, eyeing her cautiously, waiting for her to start up again.  When he decided she was done, he frowned guiltily and looked over to Wolf, scratching behind his ears to reassure him.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” he said quietly, darting his eyes over to her.  The dejected frown she had didn’t suit her at all. He needed to figure out a way to put a smile back on her face.  He watched her quietly for a few moments while they both pet Wolf.  A smirk suddenly appeared on his face.  “I just forget how small you are sometimes.”

She glared at him, “That is not how you apologize!”  

He chuckled at the pout she sent him.  “Sorry.” He repeated more seriously this time.

She pet Wolf as well for a few moments.  “What is his name?  We haven’t been properly introduced yet.”  Her tone was still guarded, but soft.

“Wolf. It’s okay that I brought him home, isn’t it?” he suddenly realized he hadn’t asked her before bringing a new and massive creature into the home they shared.  “I should have asked before… but I thought you were sleeping.” There was a sharper edge to his last comment.

She looked at him with a touch of guilt.  “Yeah, it’s okay.  I’ve always wanted a pet but I was never allowed to have one before.” She answered quietly.  She looked down and pet Wolf quietly for a few moments, giving her anxiety something to focus on.  After a few moments she spoke up again, “I had to go today.  This is…”

“Yeah, yeah, an important time of year.  You said that already.”  He grumbled, glaring at Wolf’s fur as he pet it.  He didn’t want to look in her eyes and see the betrayed look again, but he also couldn’t stop from reprimanding her.  “You’re hurt.  You could have died in that attack.  You can skip a few days while you heal from almost dying, Chi.” He finally looked up to shoot a glare at Chimera who seemed to wilt under his glare.  “You didn’t even come home at all last night.  We got here this morning to check on you, to make sure you were okay, and you were gone.”  Wolf whimpered quietly at him and nudged against him.  Conner looked over to Wolf for a moment and frowned in annoyance at his interruption.  He looked over to Chimera and sighed at the conflicted, guilt-stricken look on her face.

“… the reason I can be here.  I couldn’t skip today.  Today was the culmination of months of work, not just mine.  I skip, I not only lose out on seeing everything come together, I let down that team, and I get fired.  I get fired, I go home.  I go home, I’m not only no longer part of the Team, I’ve lost my career.  The only reason I haven’t been fired already for missing two days ago is because Batman somehow talked Bruce Wayne into calling my boss and vouching for me personally and promising to appear at… and promising to give them some Wayne Enterprises support.  Apparently, it took promising to get Oliver Queen to agree to… to promise Queen Industries support as well in order to get them not to fire me.” She said defiantly but tears she refused to shed were still lining her eyes.  She subconsciously leaned into Wolf for support.

Conner huffed and looked down at his feet.  “It’s not worth your life.” He grumbled.  He wasn’t trying to make her feel worse but she needed to stop, to pull back, to heal.  She had pushed herself too hard because of them, for them.  And she was still pushing herself.  She was going to push herself into a grave because of him.  He couldn’t save her during the attack and clearly, he couldn’t save her from this either.

She followed his lead and looked down for a few moments as well trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall.  She absentmindedly pet Wolf as she processed what was happening.  He wasn’t mad at her, not really.  She knew that.  He wasn’t mad, he was scared.  But it still hurt and that was worse.  Things were spiraling out of his control and he needed something he could rely on. She was only making things worse by having to leave.  She was hurting the Team by not being able to devote her full attention.  She was hurting him by splitting her focus.  She had stayed in the Cave so she could help him, give him someone who was there for him, but she wasn’t and she was hurting him instead.

“I’m sorry I scared you.  I wasn’t risking my life.  It’s chaotic, yes, but it’s a chaos I understand.  It’s a chaos that soothes me.  I know my place in that chaos.  But it’s over now.  I have the rest of the week off and I can stay in bed and relax.  Not even school.”  She gave him a strained smile.  “I’m sorry it was making things worse for you.  I’m sorry I’m making things worse for you.” Damn it, she berated herself.  That wasn’t what she wanted to say.  This wasn’t about her.  It was about him.

Conner’s heart dropped.  Damn it, he berated himself.  He made her think she was hurting him.  That wasn’t what he wanted to do.  He was making it about himself, but it wasn’t about him.  It was about her.  He reached out to comfort her but hesitated.  He didn’t know how welcome it would be.  After yelling at her just a minute ago, she might not feel comfortable with him hugging her.  He winced internally thinking about how he treated her as soon as he saw her tonight.  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.  I didn’t have the right to… I didn’t mean to make you feel like I was angry with you.  Like you were doing something wrong.  You’re not.  I mean, I do think you push yourself too hard, but you’re not making things worse. You make them better.  You’re amazing.” He blushed when he realized what he said and grasped for something to change the topic.  “I mean the way you talked to Superman was amazing.”

Chimera barked out a laugh and hid her face in her hands in embarrassment.  “I can’t believe I called Superman and Batman cold bastards.  Well, Superman more than Batman.  I’m sure Batman has heard it lots of times before… and I’m pretty sure I said more devastating things before I fell asleep in the infirmary.  But, it was probably new information for Superman.”

Conner hummed in agreement.  He sat down and leaned back against the cliff, looking out to the ocean, not wanting to discuss Superman anymore, despite him being the one to bring it up in the first place.  Chimera sat on the ground next to him, stretching out her legs and watching the tide wet the sand in front of her.  She burst out laughing when Wolf laid on her legs.  “Conner!  Help me!” she managed to squeak out between laughter.  “I can’t move.”  Conner laughed and gave Wolf a gentle shove to get him to move.  Wolf made a dissatisfied grunt but moved off of her and next to Conner.

They looked out to the ocean in a contented silence, watching the last bits of light glitter on the distant waves.  After a while Chimera spoke up, still keeping her eyes on the water. “Did you know Kaldur and I had to stop Superman from making the entire situation worse?  He wanted to rush into the Cave with no idea what to do then.  Like his very presence would be enough to end it.  All brawn and no plan.  Idiot.” She scoffed.  “Luckily, Batman backed us up or he would have rushed in and gotten you killed.”

Conner scowled and growled.  “He blamed us for what happened, like we didn’t react the way we should have, like I let it happen, and the whole time he would have made it worse.”  He balled his hands into fists, his hands shaking in anger. He turned to punch the cliff side then did it again and again.

“Conner!”  Chimera gently touched his arm, careful to stay out of the punch arc.  He turned to her with wild, angry eyes that softened as soon as he saw her.  “Please stop. You’re going to hurt your hand or cause a rockslide.”

He hung his head with a huff and sat back down.  “You’re lecturing me about doing things that hurt myself now?”

She shrugged taking his hand to examine it for injury.  “I guess there’s a reason we get along so well.  We can keep each other’s self-destructive tendencies in check.”

Chimera sat close enough that their bodies were touching, still holding his hand, running her thumb over his knuckles to soothe them.  After a few minutes she bumped her shoulder into his. “You know, if you ever want to talk, I’m here.  I have a few other good friends with terrible… authority figures in their lives. Authorities that barely acknowledge them let alone give them the respect and love they deserve.”

He considered her words for a while, keeping his eyes on the horizon.  “Must be nice for you… having authority figures that support you and don’t critique every move you make as a hero.” He said bitterly.  

She scoffed.  “I’d hardly call Batman supportive.  Plus, I’m pretty sure I told him I thought turning out like him was a fate worse than death.  So he’s probably even less likely to be supportive now.”

He raised an eyebrow at her.  “Interesting.  But I meant your parents.”

“Oh.”  Her smile faltered and she let go of his hand as she looked away and hummed in agreement.

“Chimera?” He prompted her.  He squeezed his now free hand.  It felt strange on its own.

“Yes?” She asked innocently.

“If you want me to talk, you have to too.”  He gave her a pointed look.

She scowled playfully at him and looked back out to the ocean.  “I don’t like your rules.”  He chuckled at her and stayed quiet, allowing her to get her thoughts in order.  “My parents are extremely supportive of me. Extremely.” She started tentatively.

“But…” He urged her.

“But they don’t know… about this.” She sighed. “They don’t know I’m a hero.  They don’t know I fight villains.  Nobody can know, remember?  That includes parents.”

“Your parents don’t know?” He furrowed his brow at the thought of her parents somehow not noticing her missing during crises and not having anyone to support her.  “Where do they think you go?”  He looked at her incredulously.

“They don’t.  They think I’m in my room, or hiding during attacks.  Right now they think I’m at an internship in America, which I am, that’s why I can’t always be here, that and school, but...”  She turned away with a guilty look.  “God, I hate lying to them.”

He furrowed his brow and frowned at her. “So who supports you?”

She smiled up at him with a coy glint in her eyes, like he had fallen into a trap.  “My team did, as much as they could without knowing my identity.  That’s what teams are for, supporting each other, helping each other.  You’re on my team, so I’m here to support you, if you want.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and looked away. “I see what you did there.”  He looked out over the water again, watching the tide ebbing and flowing.  “I was right there with you… all, the Team, and let you get captured.  I couldn’t save you or the team.  I wasn’t good enough to.  I’m not good enough.  What am I even doing here?”  

“Hey,” she chided him gently, “Wally didn’t save me either.  Do you think he’s not good enough?  That he doesn’t belong here?  Kaldur didn’t save me.  He helped me but he didn’t stop it either.  Is he not good enough to be here?  Do only Artemis and Robin deserve to be here?”

“No,” he grumbled.

“You need to give yourself a break.  You are amazing.  You can do amazing things.  But we’re a team.  We rely on each other sometimes.”  She gave him a soft smile.  “Sometimes you have to just let us save you and not take that as a fault.”

He turned away, blushing slightly.  After a few moments in silence he punched the ground in front of him.  “What does it matter?  He’s never going to accept me or treat me as an equal anyway.”

She paused while she thought about it.  “I think he will.  He’s scared and unsure right now but he will eventually get over himself.  But however long it takes, it’s on him.  It is a sign of his inability to process his emotions in a healthy way.  It has absolutely nothing to do with your worth or skills. It says nothing about your value.”

“That’s not how it seems.” He grumbled into the sand.

“Yeah.  I get that.” She nodded in agreement.  “The downside of being the offspring of an idiot.”

He laughed at that and leaned in conspiratorially. “I believe the official term is ‘cold bastard’.”

She groaned and hid her face in his shoulder. She turned her head to rest it on his shoulder and look out at the crests of the waves in the moonlight.  “What people say about us can affect us.  It can hurt, especially family because we’re supposed to have a stronger connection to them than anyone else.  But he doesn’t.  He doesn’t know you better than we do.  He doesn’t have better insights.  He isn’t your family.  We are. And we say you are more than enough. You are amazing.”  She hugged his arm.

“You’re my family?” Look at her hesitantly.

“Found Family, baby.  One of the best tropes.” She grinned widely at him.

“Tropes?” He looked at her questioningly.

“Found family, friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, and they were roommates. All good.”  She nodded with a smile.  “I highly recommend them… well maybe not to you.  But to other members of our family.”

Conner slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug.  “I like this family.”  He gave a small smile as he leaned his head on hers.  He frowned suddenly when a thought occurred to him.  “But, found family rules aren’t the same as regular family are they?  Because I don’t think… Wally wouldn’t appreciate that.”

Chimera giggled at the thought.  “No, no he wouldn’t.  How long do you think before he and Artemis start dating?”

“You think they’ll date?”  He pulled back and looked at her like she was crazy.  “They hate each other.”

“Oh God, yes they will.  That tension has nowhere to go but on a date.  I give it a month.”  She laughed. Her laughter quieted after a few moments and she moved further into Conner’s embrace.  “Found family is about loving and supporting each other no matter what.  Understanding we all have problems and helping each other deal with them and loving each other in spite of them.  You can definitely date within a group that offers you that.” She confirmed, circling back to his original question.  “Most people do.” She added quietly.

He looked at her softly and laid his head back on hers watching the stars twinkle on the ocean surface like a distant, enticing dream.  “Good to know.”

 Tags:

@mickylikesstuff​ @mystery-5-5​ @roguishredaxion​ @vroomtaka​ @laurcad123 ​​ @just-an-observer-ignore-me​ @emimar7​ @moonlightstar64​  @maribat-writing-and-prompts​ @aespades​ @yokomisaki​ @glastwime859​ @mysticknown​ @fan-written @stackofrandomstuff @jalaluvsu @ultimatetornshipper @charme-de-malchan @lozzybowe @kaithehero

[zoefandom127]

this literally came up out of nowhere. I was thinking about this YJ fic i read a while ago when Artemis got poisoned then i started thinking about Mikasa's family line and how she has SUPER STRENGTH (don't try to argue with me, just let me believe what i want to believe lol) So i got to thinking and this is what came to be. This totally does not correlate with the plot and i think it may a little all over the place...but let's see how well i did!

The Durability of an Individual

She had never heard of another person with her last name. The last people she knew with the name Ackerman were her parents and her memory of them in her life was pretty short-lived.

Kenny the Ripper. Kenny Ackerman.

Captain Levi. Levi Ackerman.

Ackerman.

What a fucking family tree. She was related to an expert killer and a blunt, emotionless captain. Well, at least there's somewhat of a personality resemblance with Levi.

When Levi had finally brought Kenny into custody, she thought she'd get some answers. But the man was as silent as a dumbbell, refusing to say anything until his hearing. She'd been watching him be interrogated by Levi and Erwin and hoping for a little slip about her family.

Where are they from? Why were they persecuted? Where is everyone else? Anything would suffice her need to know. It had been a good ten minutes before her legs got tired and the fluorescent light started to burn her eyes. She made a beeline for the exit and was met with the afternoon breeze of Ehrmich.

"Hey." She turned to meet the voice and was met with the two boys who were always by her side.

"You okay?" Eren said with a worried expression at her dejected face. Of course, her face remained neutral but with a simple glance, he could always understand what she was feeling.

"Yeah, I just...I finally found my...I don't know what they are and—" Mikasa looked down at the floor she stood, suddenly finding the cracks in the stone pretty interesting. "I want to know more about myself. You know, where I come from, what I am, who my parents were." Her voice cracked at the end.

She felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her body into the side of his. She heard Armin shuffle to her other side and place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Letting out a heavy sigh, Mikasa laid her head on Eren's shoulder.

She typically refused to think or talk about anything that involved her parents in fear of having the memory of that night replay in her mind. It still haunted her to this day though she wished it didn't. Not just her parent's death but the people she murdered. That was enough trauma to last a century.

Before she basked too long in the presence of her friends, a door opened only to reveal a stone-faced Levi.

"Ackerman." Mikasa quickly turned her head to salute her captain, feeling Armin and Eren do the same on either side of her. Levi waved them off and set his eyes on her. "You can try to get answers out of the bastard but I guarantee he won't budge. Good luck." Levi stepped aside to allow Mikasa to enter.

Hesitating, Mikasa strode through the door, hearing her friends shuffle in behind her. Making a left on the second door of the hallway she stood before the man who was her supposed "family". Her breath hitched when she saw him bloodied and bruised. Not that she had expected anything less, this has become the Scout's forte now.

Kenny lifted his head slowly, taking in the sight in front of him. He gave a wide, toothy smile and let out what seemed to be a laugh. "Really, kid? You gave up so you sent in the girl? I know I didn't raise a quitter."

Mikasa almost flinched when he yelled the last part. "I…" Mikasa pushed her shoulders back farther than they already were and made her face colder than it was before, "You're a part of the Ackerman clan. Tell me more about them."

"Heh. Not a lot I can tell you, kid. I don't know much more than you." Kenny spoke with a menacing tone, keeping his eyes firmly on her causing her to shuffle slightly on the balls of her feet.

"You don't know anything? What about where we're from? How we got scattered? What makes us able to do the things we do?" Mikasa almost sounded desperate. "Who we were? Just give me that much."

"Sorry. Beats me." Kenny smiled condescendingly and proceeded to look Mikasa up and down escalating her discomfort. "But...you do look familiar."

Mikasa's eyes narrowed at the outward thought. She'd never met him until now so what the hell could he possibly mean by that statement.

"Ah. I get it now. You're Linda and Jamun's daughter."

Mikasa tensed immediately. Her whole body stiffened and her eyes widened, the only indications that his words surprised her. "How did you—"

"You were the girls they were after. You know I dabbled in human trafficking myself, right Levi?" He nodded his head towards the expressionless man leaning against the wall next to the door. "A real doozy business. Quit after about 3 months. But for a short while, I became the commander. You know; calling all the shots, deciding who to kill and who to take."

Mikasa felt her fists clench and unclench repeatedly, trying to figure out where he was going with this whole spiel.

"I remember seeing the name 'Ackerman' on the list and thinking 'Huh, what a small world'. Honestly, I just wanted to test if these were true Ackerman's, you know? Strength and all. Of course my men, dumbasses I'll tell you, killed one too many. I asked the system the next morning why they gave me a group of incompetent shitheads and—"

"What are you saying?" Mikasa demanded, voice shaking.

Kenny seemed a little irritated at the interruption and looked at Mikasa through one not swollen eye like she asked the dumbest question ever. "My, my. You got one almost as dumb as you, Levi." Kenny smiled a menacing smile and gave Mikasa a look that sent chills down her spine. "I sent out the order to kill your parents."

Her feet went cold. Her heart started to beat hard against her ribcage that she thought it might bust out. There was a faint calling of her name from the hallway but she couldn't quite place the voice. She stood frozen in front of "The Ripper", his smile never wavering. Her nails dug into the palms of her hand as she tried to keep her composure but even she could feel her body trembling.

"Well, parent. Singular. Like I said those men were stupid as he—" Kenny didn't even get the full sentence out before a fist made contact with his face in record time and strength. A satisfying crunch filled the silence of the room. As soon as the first hit happened it didn't stop.

Punch after punch rained upon Kenny's body and with his hands tied firmly behind his back he was left defenseless. Usually, Mikasa was the calm one. She was always level headed and never one to fight unless it's needed. But something inside of her snapped. Either it was the careless way Kenny confessed to her parent's murder or the fact that this sick man was her relative; she had no idea. All she knew was that he was in front of her and he was punchable.

"Mikasa." She faintly heard Eren's voice caution her in the background but she didn't stop. The punches became faster and more forceful. She was blinded by rage, she didn't even notice Kenny loosening himself from his bindings.

She felt multiple hands attempt to pull her back but she shrugged them off with a strength none of them could attend to.

"Ackerman!" The commanding voice stopped her in motion, her fist suspended in mid-air. She turned her head to meet Commander Erwin's calm but serious eyes. "Leave."

Her fist throbbed as she slowly lowered her arm. The shaking in her body was less prevalent but still noticeable. Her face was etched in what seemed to be a dangerous scowl as she looked around the room.

She could feel everyone's gaze on her which only made her more uncomfortable. Armin gave her the same worried look he'd give Eren when he went off the rails. The concern that showed in Eren's face was almost alarming but she paid no attention to it.

Sparing one last glance at Kenny, Mikasa turned on her heels to leave the room. But before she could get too far, a strong hand grasped her wrist with an unyielding grip. The hand yanked her forcefully towards the body it was attached to and turned her so that her arm twisted painfully behind her back.

"Ah!" Mikasa let out a cry of pain as she wiggled to release herself but the hand only tightened more around her wrist.

It happened fast. Everyone stood straight in alert and turned their attention to Mikasa in a split second. Eren's eyes scanned the scene and narrowed in a frightening way.

"Now, now. Don't resist. It'll only hurt more. Right, Levi?" Kenny spoke, sadistically.

Mikasa struggled mercilessly against his grasp, almost releasing herself but Kenny simply reevaluated his grip and squeezed harder. Her strength wasn't going to get her out of this.

As for Levi, his eyes turned dark and colder than they already were. He was starting to get tired of Kenny addressing him as if he was still his caretaker. If you could even call him that.

Kenny was always one to have tricks up his sleeve. How had he not seen it sooner?

"Let her go," Eren growled, his eyes never leaving Mikasa.

"Aw, stop being so serious, kid. Learn how to smile." Kenny chuckled in Mikasa's ear. She nearly cringed at his breath.

Mikasa's wiggles became more violent but Kenny kept his hold firm. "She definitely has that Ackerman strength," Kenny muttered as he used one hand to try to keep Mikasa still and the other to reach into the back of his pants and pull out a syringe. The syringe was filled with a clear green liquid from top to bottom.

"Levi, you remember this? 'Only a true Ackerman with immeasurable strength can take this vial'," Kenny looked at the vial then shrugged. "Or whatever bullshit that bishop told me."

Kenny positioned the needle of the syringe inches before the skin of Mikasa's neck. Eren started to charge almost immediately at the older man but Levi pushed him and spoke first.

"What do you want?" Levi all but glowered at his Uncle. Huh. Never thought he'd be saying that.

Kenny's smile grew wider, showing his bloodied teeth. "Easy there, buddy. I just wanna see what the drug does. 'Course I'm not gonna test it out on myself. That would be dumb!" He moved the vial closer to Mikasa's neck. "Nah. Why not try it on someone I don't know."

"Wait!" Eren yelled. Kenny paused his movement. "Why does it have to be her? Can't you find someone else?"

"Sorry, but it has to be Ackerman blood that takes this thing, and unfortunately, no one else but me and my stupid nephew have it in this room. It's nothing personal. Just taking advantage of the opportunity I'm given...just like I taught you, Levi."

With that, Kenny plunged the syringe into Mikasa's neck. She jutted at the sudden insertion and scrunched her face in pain as she felt the liquid be injected into her body.

Loud noises of protest filled the room. Kenny had been ripped from behind her and shoved to the ground but the damage had already been done. He just laid there with a satisfied smile as guards began to point guns at his beaten body.

It was excruciating. The substance entered her and left a fiery, hot path as it passed through the blood in her body. Her knees buckled to the floor, suddenly feeling that her body was too heavy to hold up. The veins within her boiled beneath her skin and her senses became overwhelmed.

She suddenly became aware of every scent, every sound, and everything around her. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. She didn't even notice how her bruised hands reached up to cover her ears and how a guttural scream ripped from her throat. Her eyes were scrunched shut in order to block out the dim light that illuminated the room, even with how dim it was it still blinded her. She heard her name get called repeatedly from the side of her as her back hunched over but it sounded so distant.

Her eyes flung wide open as she gasped for air that was all around but couldn't seem to be inhaled by her. Wavering on her knees, she slumped to the ground. Her eyes grew too heavy to keep open and the world spun around her.

Eren's face popped into her line of sight, the panic evident on his face. She could see his mouth moving but she didn't hear a thing. Suddenly too exhausted to keep up, Mikasa's eyes shut once again, finally succumbing to the darkness that enveloped her vision.

this was really fun to write! I'm not used to adding or rewriting plots and details like this tho so i'm not sure if it's good but i like it. hopefully you guys did too!

[greekbros]

"greek-Bros: The Return of an Old Enemy"

Chapter 3: The Hunt Begins

As the wolf attacks continue throughout Greece, Olypmus's greatest huntress is hot on the trail of the beasts. Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the moon and Apollo's twin sister, had been following a trail of destruction from the 'wolves' since her first sighting in Delos, where she witnessed a pack of these 'wolves' dragging a man into a cave alive. This behavior was not something wolves do on a normal bases. She understood these things were strong, sizable animals that have been seen mostly at night. These were definitely something worth hunting down. Her search had recently taken her to forest near Mount Parnassus on the other side of Delphi, where she has found fresh tracks.

Hours had passed and all she could find was what looked to be the foot prints of something. It looked like elongated wolf prints with human like features, a small curve of the middle food, a mild arch and the depth of the print heavily betrayes the size and weight of these creatures. "....this....this can't right?" She muttered. She walked along the trail to measure the gait, to her surprise, the prints were longer than the gait of an average wolf and closely matched a human's stride. Artemis could also notice that the tracks didn't just have the trailings of quadripetal animals, but some of the track having only landed bipedal steps. This perplexed her, there hasn't been any beast she has encountered like this, a bipedal wolf? "What are these things? Is...this someone's idea of a sick joke?" She again muttered, "these can't be natural....even so....who would go out of their way to do this to an animal?". She continued on, trekking through brush and dense forest, to find more information on these....anomalies.

Artemis felt a deep sense of dread inside of her, the more information she gathered, only worsened the feeling; the fur she found had human hair entangled with it, she counted five claws instead of four for every marked tree and she traces of tattered clothes from people who've already disappeared. Nothing about this made any sense.

She could feel a chill down her spine, could have been someone or something watching her? Grabbing her bow and unquivering an arrow, ready to lock on to whatever was triggering her senses. She readied herself, preparing for what could possibly her end, aiming at what she felt was-"~hello" Hermes appeared next her ear startling her nearly to death, making her let go of her arrow that shot out somewhere off into the distance, with a yelp following closely after.

Artemis understandably, currently wanted to strangle Hermes, thus proceeded to do so. "YOU LITTLE BASTARD I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU OR WORSE THAT ARROW WOULD HAVE RICOCHET TO SOMEWHERE ELSE DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT COULD THAT MEAN!" she angrily screamed at him while grabbing him by the collar, shaking him violently.

As he was being shooken like a rag doll, "iM sOrRy I dIdNt KnOw!" Hermes tried to apologise.

As Artemis continued to teach Hermes a valuable lesson in "Archery Range Safety", it dawned on her that she heard something make a noise. She stopped for a few seconds and looked towards where she heard the sound.

"um.... Artemis?.....ugh what's wrong?" He asked. Hermes could see the focused stare Artemis was giving.

".... Hermes....did you hear something when I shot that arrow?" Artemis asked, she slowly let him go and side stepped to the direction of the where see saw the arrow go.

Hermes kneeled there, looking at Artemis do her thing, tilting his head in curiosity, he stands up quickly to follow hoping to see a glimpse of what could she be looking at. "Ugh..." He quietly exclaimed.

"SHUSH." She replied, as she walked to a bush between two trees, her expression was that of horrified discovery. "...by the...gods." were the only words she could muster to say.

Hermes scrambles to get a closer look, he lays eyes on what Artemis was looking at, just as horrified as his sister, he couldn't believe his eyes. "...it's...ugh..it's a wolf in people's clothing?" He loudly thought. He couldn't help but stare at the sight.

The two were looking at what appeared to be an amalgamation of a man and wolf, with clawed hands and feet, wearing what looked like tattered clothes from your average man, a short tuff for a tail and with Artemis's arrow through it's mouth as if it was shot mid scream. The creature was dead, purely out of dumb unfortunate luck it seemed to have been in the arrow's direction.

Inspite of Hermes's coping mechanism of joking about the situation, she knew this must have been what Zeus was worried about...."is...this Lycaon?......you know, that story he would tell us before bed. I knew it was a real story...but....this...is.. something else" she asked. Her mind was running with questions, she was aware Zeus had only done this to one person, could he have embellished his story?

Hermes looked at her with confusion, "um...well...if it was...he'd be...I don't know...dead...don't you think?" He again joked. "I mean he's dead but it's a little overkill don't you think?", Hermes was on a roll.

Artemis glared at Hermes, unamused, "yeah...but....dad said sometimes....when gods curse people, sometimes they can out live other mortals to get more out of the curse....but....this...thing is...." she gets a closer look at examines the body, "this... whatever it is...is actually around 20 years old" she estimated.

"Wait what?" He questioned.

"...and he probably lived as a fisherman, I mean he's got some rough looking paws but I know rope burns when I see them" she continued.

"sto-stop stop stop....you can tell all THAT?" He questioned even further, not believing Artemis could guess all that.

Artemis turns to him and shows the corpse's pawish hand, showing deep scars on it's palms. "Ugh yeah duh. I can 'read' you know. Reading isn't just book smarts you know." She scoffed. "ANYWAY. We need to tell dad about this." She took the arrow from the mouth of the beast man, carefully not to cut her skin on it's teeth. "It has some nasty teeth....is that....venom?" She looked at the bloody drool, it had a mild blueish color to it. Looking at her arrow she just freed from the corpse, she felt that she need to wrap it in something to prevent anyone touching whatever toxic saliva it had.

Hermes, busy watching Artemis, didn't notice the movement of the previously deceased man-beast's foot twitching. "So, who's going to bring the dead weight to dad? Cus well...I don't want to... touch...-" he slowly became distracted at the increasing movement of the body. "HEY Artemis I think you missed a vitals spot." He shakingly warned her. The body started to growl, twitching to stimulate more movement and twist it's previously stiffened neck, eyeing the two gods ferociously.

Artemis finishing off wrapping the arrow now looks up at the reanimating creature. Steps back, puts the arrow away and gets out a new one in a matter of seconds. She shoots an arrow at it, but the creature catches it in its claws and crushes it. It coughs up a little blood and stands up to roar at the two.

"KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT! " Hermes shouted, he was so terrified at the sight he actually was in shock and didn't move, for the first time in his life, he actually felt a little bit helpless.

As fast Artemis could reload her bow, the creature dodged and avaded every arrow she shot out. Having had fun with the two, the beast fleds on all fours into the thick forest howling triumphantly, escaping two of Olympus's fastest gods. "HERMES WHAT THE HELL! Why didn't do anything!" She yelled at him only to find his shaking, "Hermes are you ok?" She asked.

Hermes, still shaking, nods his head 'yes' and does a solute. Clearly, he isn't ok, but he survived and assumingly that is all that matters. "yeah. I'm fine." He lied knowing damn well that a wolf person coming back from the dead when it should have died from what clearly a "in-mouth headshot".

Artemis decides to help Hermes and embrace him in hopes of making him feel better, or in her own consolation, to get him to stop shaking before he faints. "It's ok buddy, it wasn't that bad." Pats his back, "but I'm going to kick your ass later for not helping." She tenderly assured. "We need to find dad.... he'll know what to do.... at least I hope he know about THIS." she hissed.

End of Chapter 3

[lightpunster]

Ambiguous-Immortal-Teen Relationships: A (Very Long) Precedent-based Plea for Tolerance

Hey so I know this is going to make people mad but I need to get if off my chest. We all know that pedophiles have organized and invaded a lot of social media sites (Tumblr, Twitter, etc.) and are attempting to label themselves as an oppressed group. This has made a lot of fandoms increasingly vigilant and intolerant of any content that could be construed as pedophilia. While I condemn pedophilia and agree that we need to fight this movement, I am concerned that a lot of the hyper-vigilance and virtue signaling I have seen in this regard is misguided. Let me explain. The fandoms I am referring to are for animated shows, whose casts are often comprised primarily of teenagers. While there are adults present in these shows, I have seen little content pairing them with the underage cast in this context (although I acknowledge it exists). Instead what I see a lot is pairing of underage main characters with characters who appear to be a similar age, but are “ambiguously immortal”. Some examples of this are the ship Stevinel from Steven Universe, which pairs a 17 year old boy with an immortal ageless alien, and Rosegarden from RWBY, which pairs a 16 year-old girl with a 14 year-old boy who, in addition to his own soul, has the reincarnated soul of another man inhabiting his body.

Now to some of you, especially those of you familiar with discourse around these shows, these ships may sound like pedophilia; and I could argue that despite clear age differences, they have similar values and experiences and are at similar stages in development and blah blah blah. However, I am always worried about these arguments (on their own anyway) because I know these are pedophile talking point in real life; “They acted older!” or “I have a young soul!” are NOT EXCUSES for pedophilia (there are no excuses, get help). So why should fictional media be any different?

Do any of you remember the YA series Percy Jackson and the Olympians? In one of these books, the titular Percy, 16, is trapped on an island with a teenage-looking girl named Calypso who falls in love with him and they kiss. It turns out that she is an immortal Titan who has been cursed to live on this island forever, falling in love over and over with the teenage guys who wash up on her island. What about the animated series Avatar the Last Airbender? Aang, 12, is the reincarnation of thousands of past Avatar, and those past lives watch over him and he can commune with them through meditation. In the series, he falls in love with and kisses Katara, a 14-year old girl, who he later marries. Multiple of his past lives and his next life are also shown to have relationships with teenagers. Any Twilight fans out there? Remember when 100+ year old vampire Edward made out with 17-year old Bella? That was mainstream for a while. I know we’ve got some Adventure Time watchers out there. Remember when 800+ year-old candy-elemental Princess Bubblegum kissed 14-year old Finn in season 3? I think she actually kissed him twice in that season. Finally, I think it’s a little less mainstream, but in YA novel Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox, 14-year old boy genius Artemis and 80 year old elf Holly Short (80 is basically a young adult elf) travel back in time. Because of some weird timey-wimey stuff, Artemis is “aged up” to 18 and Holly is aged back to her 30s (equivalent of “adolescant”/teenager) although they retain all of their memories. And you guessed it; they kiss. If you think all of this media is pedophile propaganda, then my argument is not going to convince you so you might as well leave. However, I hope that some of you are thinking “Wait a minute, I remember that! Why didn’t I think it was wrong at the time?” Well I’m here to tell you that it was not wrong. All of the things I’ve just mentioned do not actually exist. Not only are they fictional characters in works of fiction, but the actual mechanics which enable them to happen do not exists and are impossible; there are no immortal aliens or titans, no reincarnation, no vampires, none of it. So when you call those things pedophilia, a sexual attraction of humans above the age of 18 to humans below 18, it is not correct legally or morally. Essentially, I believe that when we talk about magical beings who live a long time, it makes no sense to judge a relationship appropriate or inappropriate because the other character is under 18. For some relationships, it will be fine and healthy and beautiful; for others, it would be toxic and dangerous if they were 17, 18, 19, 35, etc. Age is an ok metric for teenage and young adult humans when it comes to maturity and ability to avoid being taken advantage of (less good for older adults, but of course absolutely critical for children). However, it does not transcend all fictional species or scenarios when you start throwing things like magic and immortality into the mix. So all I’m asking is that when you see content for ships likes these, whether cannon or fan-created, please do not rush to call those creators pedophiles purely because of age of the characters; make a judgement base on the character of the characters: are they really toxic for each or might they actually be good together? And if you decide that the relationship IS toxic or IS pedophilia, feel free to point that out...but make sure you are criticizing the ART, not the PERSON. I’d like to remind everyone that art is not reality; you may FEEL differently, but actual evidence has shown that depictions of pedophilia do not encourage pedophilia any more than playing violent video games encourages violence, and everyone has a right to enjoy media in their own way. Save your energy for fighting real pedophiles, not imaginary ones.

[excaliefur]

Maybe it is meant to be

Woah ok, first time writing in a l o n g time.

Don’t judge too hard I have no clue what this is. 

Also side note: Story is changing a lot I changed a lot of elements after I finished writing this so just take whatever written here as a temporary thing.

TW: Suicide thoughts, brief mention of death and death from suicide. mention of alcoholism. if there are anymore ask me to tag. 

Word: 2405

Not edited, just reread a couple times.

Cold. Cold and bitter, that was the best way he could have described it. The wind howled in his ear and slapped his face and exposed skin. It hurt,  hurt like mad, the wind felt like thousands of sharp steely knives stabbing him at 100 miles per hour. He didn’t care. Stab away, he thought. He watched the cars and trucks honking and yelling and crying at each other below him. His legs dangling carelessly off the edge. All that noise for something so menial, they’d all reach home eventually, and it didn’t matter if one car was driving too slow,  it’d pick up speed eventually. The traffic noise grew quieter as he stared up at the stars. Glittering brightly, the stars were always a constant in his life. No matter what happened, no matter how many times he had to move or change lives entirely or if he was deep in the city or far away from civilization on a farm. The stars always watched over him. 

His father left each day, nobody knew which one would be his last. His mother grew pale every time she heard of an accident on the news, he would watch as she grabbed a bottle to calm herself. He stayed up all night, listening to her soft crying as she waited with bated breath, praying that the noises she heard were his father returning home. The door opened and light spread in the living room. The door always opened. He could hear his mother run out and give a tight hug to his father. He could hear the sobbing from both ends. One day his luck will run out though, and the door won’t open again. 

Opening his eyes, he looked at his grimy hands. The nails were long and sharp, and his hands were covered in small cuts and bruises. Manual labor takes a toll on the body, especially since he was too young when he started out. Wiping his hand on his tight jeans, he let out a short laugh. What did he do to deserve this life? He had nothing but an alcoholic mother, a father who was a ticking time bomb, and the stars. He knew he was lucky to have parents at all. School was nothing but a drag, his classmates ignored him, his teachers ignored him, they all knew he wouldn’t graduate and gave up on him before he could prove himself. The loneliness was killing him. His voice scratchy from barely being used, his hair messy and long, it took too much effort and money to cut it. 

He shivered, the thin jacket he was wearing did nothing to block the wind. Sitting up, he held his legs close to him, trying to maintain a little heat. Why was he even trying? What was the purpose? He didn’t know and he didn’t care anymore. Everyone gave up on him, why didn’t he give up on himself yet? The 15 year old boy shook his head, it was too cold. The noise from the cars grew even quieter as he stared at the flashing lights and sirens. Maybe he should do it, it would end his suffering quicker, and nobody would miss him, god knows if his parents even realise he’s alive. The concrete below him looked so inviting. If he could just, push himself-

“Hey” came a voice from behind. The boy shook, not having realised a girl standing behind him, at the door of the roof. The voice was soft and caring, so different from the voice he was used to hearing. The lack of roughness and quietness calmed him. He sucked in some air before replying. “H-hey” he said, his voice nothing more than a whisper. He coughed quietly. His voice had become deeper and he didn’t even realise it. 

“Mind if I join you?” That caught him off guard. Why was she here? He stared blankly at her as she slowly stepped forward. She could see the reluctance on his face. He began to shift backwards as she got closer and she stopped. Putting her hand up she spoke “Woah, ok, I’ll stay here.” He shifted again, but just to position himself in a way to see her clearly. She had brown curls dangling down her face. She sat down slowly, she was clearly trying not to make him uncomfortable, and spoke again “Can I ask what you’re doing up here on a night like this?”

“Came to see the stars” He replied. It wasn’t a lie technically. He just needed to get out of his apartment. She nodded, and looked up. He could hear her breath hitch for a second. “Woah” she whispered, staring at the millions of tiny white lights blinking in and out of vision. “It’s- beautiful” he could hardly hear her speak. The wind still howled in their ears. “Yeah”

“Hey, look, those ones there,” She said, pointing. “They form Orion’s belt. That one’s Alnitak, next to it is Alnilam and the one on that side is Mintaka,” He scanned the sky searching for them. “They form that line, you see?” she informed, pointing at 3 bright stars, brighter than the other ones. He nodded, he could see them now. “I’ve always loved astronomy, never could see stars as clearly as I can right now though” she murmured.

They sat there, staring at the sky, in silence until she broke it again. “Can I ask why you’re up here this late?” it was another murmur, he strained his ears to hear it. He stiffened up. “Like I said, the stars” His voice cracked and his mouth went dry, she wasn’t believing it. “Is it, because of, you know the, the thing” She stuttered, clearly she was uncomfortable. He sighed. “Yeah” He whispered, pulling his knees to his chest and staring at the ground. He could feel tears threatening to fall, praying that she wouldn’t notice. Why did he even care about what she thought of him? They literally just met. 

She interrupted his stream of thoughts as she put her hand on his shoulder. The soft touch made him melt. He’d never felt like this before. “It’s not worth it, trust me please.” she whispered. He glanced up and caught a glimpse of her face. Fixed in a small frown, her hazelnut eyes stared deep into his. He felt a surge of sudden anger, who knows where it came from, certainly not him. He jerked her hand off “How would you know” he spat. Honestly, he didn’t mean it, it just came out. 

She sighed, putting her arm down and kneeling beside him. “I’ve been there, I understand.” His anger came back but more violently this time. He stood up and walked around her, to the other side of the roof. “You don’t understand my situation, you don’t understand anything about me” She stood too, a small fire in her eyes that he hadn’t seen yet. 

“I understand more than you know, and if I truly don’t get you then help me understand. I just want to help” He scoffed. How could she understand this? Who the hell was she even. “I’m serious. I don’t want to watch another life waste away for a fixable problem.” Another? She couldn’t have been more than 15 though. “Have you-” He was cut off. “My brother”. Her voice was sharp, startling him. He softly mouthed a small “oh” She sighed again, turning and walking to sit beside a vent. He stood for a second, before choosing to sit next to her. 

“I’m sorry” he whispered. This was his first conversation with someone his age for a long time and he went and messed it up again. “It’s fine, It was a long time ago and I’ve come to terms with it. I just, don’t want to see anyone go through it again. It hurts people more than you know” She said. He nodded. They sat in silence again, for a few seconds. Till he broke the silence for the first time. 

“Right, we’ve been talking for a long time and I don’t even know your name, what is it?” The bluntness kind of shocked her. He felt like a kid again and blushed, hoping she didn't notice. “Well, I suppose I could ask you the same question.” oh so she was avoiding it, who was this girl? He shook his head tiredly, he couldn’t give her his name, not when he bore a big title with it. Even without the words she seemed to understand as she nodded. 

“Well I can’t just call you roofboy.” she said, he laughed softly “And I can’t just call you stargirl.” he replied. “Touché’. They sat silently with bated breaths, until she giggled softly. He smiled and put his head down, afraid of being seen. Her giggle grew into a laugh which fueled his laugh which fueled her laugh until they were both red and holding their stomachs from pain. It was nice, nice to have laughed so freely and truly, after so long. 

“Well then roofboy, how about we get a name for you?” she said, in a lighthearted tone. He laughed and stood, holding his hand out for her to stand. As she grabbed it and stood he replied, matching her singsong tone “Ok then stargirl, do you have an idea?” She gazed up again, he could almost hear her thinking. 

“I do actually” she replied, softer and more serious this time. “How about, Sirius,” she asked. Sirius, Sirius. That, sounded really nice. It just, fit. He didn’t know how to explain it, it just felt right. Taking his silence as displeasure she stammered “I mean if you don’t like it we can think of another one-” He placed his hand on her shoulder. His eyes locked in with her, and for the first time he could see the fire in her eyes, her willingness to never give up. “I love it”

She sighed, and her shoulders dropped as her mouth curved into a slight smile. “That's good.” For the first time, the boy, Sirius, truly smiled at her. 

“Wait wait wait, we’re not done just yet. I need to think of a name for you first.” He reminded her playfully. She laughed and beckoned for him to continue. His smile dropped into a small frown as he thought. 

His thoughts drifted, from the stars and the moon to the sun and all above. All of it just reminded him of greek mythology. Oh how he loved greek mythology. He spent hours of his youth poring over books and stories and tales in the library. That's it, greek mythology. “How about, Artemis?” he suggested. Her eyes lit up and he could see a small blush on her face which she tried to hide. 

“That's perfect. Thank you” she replied after a moment. Sirius smirked. “No need to thank me, m’lady” he said, exaggerating an accent and bowing before her. “Oh shut up Sirius” She laughed at him, and smacked him slightly. He stood before her again, they were both around the same height, not much of a surprise as Sirius wasn’t a very tall boy. He rubbed his neck awkwardly, as she blushed again. 

“Hey Artemis, It’s nice to meet you.” He said. “It’s nice to meet you too, Sirius” she replied. The honking of the cars below and the bitter wind long forgotten, as they smiled at each other. 

Artemis jumped. “Oh no, what time is it? I’ve probably got to go home soon before my mother notices I’m gone” Sirius frowned. He glanced at the tiny watch he hand strapped around his right hand and raised his eyebrow. “It’s almost midnight woah” he said. 

Artemis gasped “Oh no, she surely noticed by now, I need to go.” Her voice was strong, but Sirius could hear the worry creeping in. She raced towards the door and opened it, the fluorescent lights blinding them momentarily. “Wait before you go- will I see you again?” He asked, speaking without thinking. What kind of question was that? So stupid and cringey he hated it. “If fate allows for it I’ll be here again soon.” she responded. That was an oddly poetic response. He hadn’t expected that. 

She turned to walk down the steps but just before she closed the door she stopped. Opening it up again she asked “Can I ask you something really quick?”

That caught Sirius off guard. “Uh sure, go ahead” he said, not really sure of what was happening. “Why Artemis?” she murmured. “Why did you pick artemis for me?” she clarified.

“Uh, it just, fits, it fits for you.” He replied. What was he supposed to say? That’s just it, it just seemed perfect for her. She nodded, lost in thought. “Yeah, yeah I understand. Thanks.” She said as she began to close the door again. That question actually made him think. Why did she choose Sirius for him? She didn’t seem much like a Harry Potter fan. “Wait- why did you think of Sirius for me?” She paused. Walking back out onto the roof she stared straight up, searching for something. Probably a star. When she found it she beckoned him over. 

Following her outstretched arm, he caught sight of a star, it was tiny, one of the smallest one he could see, but it was incredibly bright. “That star there is called Sirius. I thought it fit for you, because no matter how small or insignificant it seems, it's the brightest star we can see. Nothing will ever compare to it.” she murmured to him. Woah. Ok. This girl is definitely a poet. He stared at it, Sirius huh. Brightest huh. She turned around and walked out. Just before she left she turned to him and smiled. “Until next time. See you soon” and she shut the door. 

Staring at the spot she was standing in he muttered a few words he hadn’t said in a long time. “Goodnight, goodnight, Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.” 

He sighed. Staring back up to the sky. Who was this girl that made him feel like this. Taking one final look at it all, the roof, the traffic below and the stars above, he smiled to himself again, and turned back to his house, back to his prison. However this time it felt a little more free.

_______________________________________________________

Welp that was something

[jasonp43]

Jondami week 2019 Day 3: Dancing in The Dark

Prompt: Homecoming

Synopsis: Its prom night, members of the league, young justice and teen titans have gathered at the gala. It's all smiles for everyone.. everyone but Damian Wayne. His date was late... 7 years late by Jon's count.

A/N: I suggest listening to the song Damian plays when reading through that part of this fic.

Damian Wayne, youngest son of the Bat was once again alone. Standing by the sidelines, much to everyone's surprise. He's barely talked to anyone and hasn't eaten a thing since the night started. He was cold, colder than usual and no one could really figure out why.

Artemis with Wally, dancing like they owner the place, the Question with Helena, earning a few curious looks, hell, even Jaime found the balls to ask out Bart, the latter of which only responded with "That's totally crash", a smile on his lips as he kissed Jaime, before dragging him onto the dance floor.

Damian stood alone, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against a wall his pressed suit getting a few wrinkles. He hasn't danced with anyone tonight, and it's not for a lack of people trying.

Zatanna, Raven, Maya hell even Garfield asked for his hand on the dance floor. All of whom were immediately shot down by a blunt "No." And a "Fuck off." For beast boy when he wouldn't stop asking.

Jon made Damian promise he would be his first dance of the night. Damian obliged, honestly he wanted Jon to also be his last dance of the night, not caring to be with anyone other than him.

That promise is one Damian intended to keep, and so he waited. And waited. And waited.. and waited...

Unmoving from the spot he Jon agreed to wait for one another. Even as the rest of the guests left, and the ballroom went dark Damian wouldn't move a muscle. Kent wouldn't lie to him, Kent wouldn't break his promise! Would he...?

He kept his head bowed, arms over his chest, eyes closed tightly.  He would wait, he would listen, he would wait to hear Jon's voice break the deafening silence.

Then he heard a voice, a voice that broke the silence.. albeit not the voice he was expecting.

"Hey- uh.. kid?" An old janitor part of the clean up crew- or well.. he was sum total of the clean up crew, said to him. His voice unsure.

"Get out." Damian demanded, his voice harsh and bitter. The man recoiled, grumbling something along the lines of 'spoiled brat.' As he left the room.

Damian slowly opened his eyes, his gaze moving from end of the room to the other. Looking over the messy white cloth tabe tops, the discarded glasses and plates streamers and confetti on the floor other clutter in the room.. hoping to see Jon there, waiting for him to spot him.

But Jon wasn't there.

Damian tightened his fist, as he felt his face contort into something almost no one ever saw.. a face only ever saw.

He felt a single tear drip down the side of his cheek, falling to the floor. Damian let out a pained growl as he turned and plunged his fist into the wall, cracking it.

Breathing heavily, he felt the rest of the tears in his eyes threatening to break as he fell to his knees. Tears began to stream from his face, mixing with beads of sweat as Damian clutched his sides. Wails of agony and whimpers of sorrow reverberated throughout the halls, filling the previously joyous gala with a sense of.... emptiness.

"I can't..." Damian managed to say, between breaths. "Why did you-.... Kent.. how could you..? After I finally opened up to someone.." Damian said, sounding defeated.

"No! Why did I... choose to finally open up?! Why the hell did I choose to trust.." Damian said.. tears streaming down his face as he grabbed lochs of his hair, tugging harshly on them "WHY THE HELL DID I CHOOSE TO LOVE." Damian spat like venom, before his furious growls turned to.. empty broken whimpers.

Damian stayed there, a shivering, whimpering broken mess. Falling over to his side, by some miracle he managed to cry himself to sleep, his arms around his chest, wishing Jon could be there.. there with him.. like they promised each other.... instead he was greeted with emptiness.. the cold... bitter.. void.

Damian stirred lightly in his sleep, tears still dripping when a figure flew through an open window.

The figure's gaze moved from left to right as it remained otherwise motionless in the air, seemingly trying to find someone.

The figure flew over to Damian, staring down a the broken mess of a boy, letting out a pained sigh. He felt his boots touch the floor, walking over beside him, he slid his back against the floor and sat down, his knees to his chest.

"Hey... wake up, sleepy head" the figure said sweetly, gently adjusting the stray strands of hair on Damian's face, though their skin didn't touch.

Damian heard the voice it was... familiar...

"Mmn...." Damian groaned, slowly opening his eyes, his eyelids crusted with dry tears. His vision was blurred but he could just barely make out a silhouette of a boy sitting beside him. The moon light shines through a nearby window, making it impossible to clearly see the figure from Damian's point of view.. but that voice... the messy hair resting haphazardly on the boy's head... he could recognize that silhouette anywhere.

"J-" Damian coughed, "Jon...?" Damian asked, his vision hazy.

"H-hey there, Dami" Jon let out a nervous laugh, his features still unseen.

"Sorry I'm late for the- oof!" Jon was cut off by Damian who had tackled him to the ground, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face into Jon's chest humming in content at the contact, but... something was different.. Jon was.. taller?

"Uhhh, Damia-" His voice was deeper. Damian broke the hug, pulling back and sitting up.

Damian could finally see Jon clearly... 3 weeks without seeing the boy of his dreams... seeing him now? He had a scar running down his left cheek, he was more muscular, dressed in Kryptonian battle armor and.. he looked.. older. Much older.

"Kent, what.. what happened?" Damian, reaching for Jon's face and cupping his cheek. Jon froze, his breath hitching in his throat before he willed himself to relax, avoiding eye contact.

"Haha.. remember how I said I was a little late..?" Jon said, looking anywhere but Damian's eyes, a fake smile on his face. "Yeah.. by that I mean... really late.. like- 7 years late." Jon said, a pained laugh escaping his lips.

Damian's eyes went wide at the remark. "S-Seven Years?!" He asked, desperation in his voice.

"Yup!" Jon tried to sound peppy, his voice was.. deeper now. "But that doesn't matter, what matters is I'm here and we can-" Damian cut him off.

"Kent. Look at me." Damian demanded. And when Jon wouldn't oblige, he pushed the boy's face so they were facing each other. Jon kept his eyes closed.

"Open your eyes, for me Jon." Jon didn't want to, shaking his head violently.

"Please.." Damian pleaded, and Jon finally complied. He couldn't resist his voice 7 years ago, and he couldn't resist his voice now.

Jon slowly opened his eyes, pained emeralds meeting tortured and regretful sapphires.

His smile broke, he couldn't lie to  Damian's eyes. No amount of torture, training, beating or war could ever change that.

Jon began to cry, wrapping his boyfriend in tight embrace, careful not break him with his strength.

"D-damian! Y-you were right.." Jon cried out, tightening his grip as he dampened Damian's suit with tears.

Damian stayed silent. Hugging him back. Despite now being older, he was still the boy who broke the ice around his heart, the boy he fell in love with; and no power on earth or any other could ever change that.

"I never- never should have gone with my grandfather!" Jon's breath was heavy, his voice was pained.

"Shh.. shh.. Its ok, Jon. "Damian cooed, running a hand through the half kryptonian's hair, while the other returned the hug.

"I- I missed you..." Jon's voice hitched in his throat. "So.. so much..." Jon barely managed to get out between whimpers. "Damian...!" he cried, his eyes tightly closed.

"Its ok Jon.. I'm here now.." Damian said as he closed his eyes. "I'm here now..." he felt tears begin to well up in his eyes but he knew he had to be the strong one.. he had to be strong for Jon. So he held them back.

"Hey, Kent?" Damian asked, in as  sweet a voice as he could.

"Y-yeah?" Jon said, sniffling.

"You.. still up for that dance?" Damian asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Y-you mean you still want to-" Damian cut him off, nodding, a smile on his face. He had a thousand questions.. but those could wait. For now, he had to be here for Jon. The way Jon was there for him.. all those nights ago.

Standing up and dusting himself off. He offered a hand to Jon.

"O-okay.." Jon took his hand, and at that moment Jon felt it. The spark he shared with damian, the fire he missed so much.. after all this time.. it was like feeling it for the first time all over again.

"What song?" Damian asked.

"Y-you already know the one." Jon said, his voice still shakey wiping away tears.

Damian smiled and nodded, choosing the song 'All about us' by He is We. They chose the song because it would be perfect for their first dance, for them coming out, proud to be in love with each other... that was the original thought.. its definitely.. different now, but why put all that planning to waste?

Damian walked over to Jon, grasping the boy's hand as the started to play.

(play the song while you read)

"You ready?" Damian asked

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Jon answered, his voice pained yet.. happy.

The boys said, as the song started to play, their words matching that of what they said last time they danced.. all those nights ago.

The boys moved slowly to the sound of the song, their eyes locked on to each other. The ball room was dark... but the light in each other's eyes was all they needed..

Jon turned his hand slowly, a cue for Damian who obliged and twirled, leaning away, their hands never separating as he pulled back, landing perfectly in Jon's strong arms.

"You've been practicing..?" Damian asked, impressed.

"Yeah, I have-"

"Ouch!" Damian yelped, Jon stepping on his feet.

"S-sorry, Dami" Jon looked away, blushing.

Damian smirked, feeling the heat in his cheeks. "Every bit as cute as I remember, Kent." Damian said, planting a kiss on Jon's cheek.

Jon touched his cheek, feeling himself smile, truly smile.. for the first time in years.

"Let's keep going." Damian said, bluntly yet sweetly, Jon giggled and happily complied.

The boys danced the night away, despite all the time spent apart.. it was still them. Superboy and Robin, Damian and Jon. The unbreakable duo, the super sons. Bound first by friendship, now by love and nothing could ever change that. Nothing could ever break their special bond.

The bond of true love between two boys.

A/N: Alrigt, there we go. My submission for Day 3, oh btw this is linked with my submission for day 2. Also, this is how my other story "Just Don't Ask" was supposed to end before I changed my mind. So if you wanted to know the original ending for that, here it is. Check the story out if you're curious. Anyway, with that out of the way I hope you guys enjoyed! -Jason

[thearchmanofgreenfield]

Minos Lore: Mortal Dynasties

Hey, everybody. So you know how the White Lord says in Chapter 7 of Book 3 that the Fangmire line was actually the fifth dynasty to rule the Mortal Kingdom? Well I thought I might as well clarify that so here are all the dynasties along with the amount of time they lasted: 1st Dynasty: Mortallus - (2110-9112 AC) 7012 years 2nd Dynasty: Hyrinius - (9112 AC - 112 DC) 2111 years 3rd Dynasty: Nyrshires - (112 DC - 220 AC) 909 years 4th Dynasty: Firemayne - (220 - 982 AC) 762 years 5th Dynasty: Fangmire - (982- present) 150+ years

There are several other things to mention. The Firemaynes would later be named Bloodmaynes and Redmaynes in later generations due to most of them being considered bloodthirsty and slightly deranged, something that most people associated them with after oe of their princes, Prince Heralidion, did the most gruesome and violent acts imaginable earning him the nickname 'The Scorcher'. One of the Firemaynes defining features were that all of them had red/orange hair which contributed to their name.

The Hyrinius and Nyrshire lines were both related. The Nyrshires were actually a branch of the much larger family of Hyrinius. So while the Hryninius line were kings the Nyrshires took their former place as Lords of Azerheim and Lords of the Hypoint, their castle. The only reason the Nryshire's came to power was because all the members of the Hyrinius line died in the Crisis which left the Nryshires as the next family in line for the throne.

The transition between the Firemaynes and the Fangmires happened because of a two year war known as 'The Smothering of Flames' due to Lord Artemis Fangmire, Lord of Fort Fangmire, falling in love with Firemayne princess and declaring war on her slightly insane brother who no one really liked (which is why many states ended up supporting him).

I would say the most peaceful transition was between the Hyrinius's and Mortallus family. After the last king of the Mortallus line, King Mayridius IX died at the age of 127 (since the kings of of the Motallus line lived longer than regular Mortals due to them being related to the gods) and his son Mayridius X was allegedly assassinated before he could become king there was no one left in their line so before his death the king had every noble gather in a place now known as Castle Mortaly (later known as Seeker's Keep) on the island of Oridia (Later known as Seeker's Point) and let the choose who would be fit to rule after his death. Most of them picked the Hyrnius's as they were the largest and most powerful non-royal noble family at that point and they had the added bonus of King Mayridius being childhood friends with the grandfather of the current Lord. So he didn't object at all ( although there were several minor disputes and battles between the people who voted for the Hyrinius's and the people who voted for their competitors the Lirmonts of Orheim).

So that's about it. I couldn't go into any detail or this post would be a book in itself.

[itsanerdlife]

It’s Complicated 12/25

Pairing: Clint Barton x Fisk Niece!Reader

A/N: Reader is Wilson Fisk’s Niece. I’m tired of the same old villains so keep your eyes peeled for who just might be the one lurking in the dark.

Warning: This is very match and lighter fluid type of burn. Feels of abandonment. Talks of Psychopaths. Overprotective male. Lies. Secrets. Language. Kidnapping. Violence. I think that’s about it.

Sometimes in life there are just certain people worth breaking the rules for. No matter the hell that may rain down. Is it possible to fall in love with someone in just a matter of one conversation? To be utterly and completely obsessed with someone in a matter of weeks? But what if they aren’t who you think they are? What if one day the person you love, they just disappear? Learning to live again is a bitch. Specially just when you think you’re doing fine, he shows up on your doorstep. Wanting to explain his secrets. But now you’ve got your own secrets but do you really ever just get over that type of love? Can you really just move on and pretend it never happened? Even when you’re carrying around proof inside you?

Tag List Is Open

“MJ is there.” Peter fills them in as Clint picks the lock on the roof stairs.

“Is that her voice?” Buck’s brow pulls down.

“I hate you both.” Clint mutters, popping the lock finally.

“Put in your hearing aid old man.” Peter chuckles. Buck punches Peter in the shoulder. “Ow!” Peter cries, rubbing his shoulder as they move across the roof toward the side facing Y/N’s apartment. Clint pushes the ear piece in, adjusting the frequency on the device in his hand. He squints at it, before Peter takes it. He swipes a few times, adjusting, pinning the location.

“Make an old comment and I’ll push you off this roof.” Clint warns him when he takes the device back.

“Fair enough.” Peter nods. He looks across at her apartment. The balcony door open, like normal, she’s pacing around, annoyed. MJ watches her walk back and forth from her place at the kitchen island.

“How dare he!” She scuffs, throwing her hands up. She’s wearing the massive sweatshirt still, from earlier. “Showing up five, god damn months later, like he has any right to explain a fucking thing!” She snorts in irritation.

“I can’t believe he showed up.” MJ nods.

“Take a shot.” Y/N waves her hand at MJ. She picks up the open tequila bottle next to her and pours a shot, before throwing it back.

“Is that weird to anyone else?” Buck wonders.

“Very.” Peter and Clint reply together.

“We keep going at this pace and Peter is going to have to pick me up.” MJ winces, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.

“God!” She throws her hands up again. “Who does he think he is?!” She continues the pace. MJ snickers into her hand.

“Well,” she grins. Y/N stops turning to glare at her friend. “I’m just going to do another shot.” MJ nods, pouring another.

“What the fuck am I going to do MJ?” She whines suddenly.

“What does your gut say?” MJ asks, making a face as she swallows the shot. Y/N’s head tips, her eyes up at the ceiling.

“Eat pizza.” She nods.

“So do that.” MJ nods. “I mean about Clint.” She points a tipsy finger at Y/N, who’s flipping open a pizza box.

“Jump him.” Y/N replies with a mouthful. Peter snorts, Buck laughs. MJ laughs loudly. “Don’t laugh at my pain.” Y/N huffs at her friend.

“Just checking, violently or sexually?” MJ shrugs.

“Both.” Y/N hands a slice over to her friend. “Sober up bitch, it’s going to be along night.” She smirks.

“Man, I’m going to send naked selfies in your bathroom again.” MJ tipsy giggles.

“Don’t ask me to take them again.” Y/N laughs. Buck and Clint look over at Peter who is beat red and refusing to make eye contact.

“Nice.” Buck smirks.

“I don’t even have a comment.” Clint shakes his head, looking back at Y/N’s apartment.

“Want to run away again?” MJ asks. “I hear Bahamas are nice this time of year.”

“We wouldn’t be able to stay long, or we’d be there another six months.” Y/N pouts.

“Right, no flying.” MJ gives a tipsy bobble head nod.

“Christ I’m having another hot flash.” Y/N mumbles storming out of view.

“We could set you up. Make him think you moved on.” MJ calls after her.

“Oh yeah I’m sure that would totally work.” Y/N laughs.

“Hey Barton. I know you’re old as fuck, but you had Sex Ed back in the day right?” Peter looks over at him. He looks at Peter confused. “I spy, a baby bump.” Peter points looking at Y/N’s apartment.

“Whoa.” Buck whispers.

“What?” Clint’s head snaps over, looking at the open door. Y/N stands in the kitchen, leggings and a white tank top, hugging the roundness in her center.

“Do I claim this is just beer or do I claim complicated weight gain?” She laughs.

“Good point.” MJ laughs. “You’re getting too round to hide.” She nods.

“Five months and packing.” Y/N snorts.

“Dude she’s pregnant.” Buck looks over at him.

“Alright I deserved the slap.” Clint nods.

“You have to tell him.” MJ points out.

“Take two shots for saying stupid shit.” Y/N folds her arms over her chest.

“Damn.” MJ pouts. “What are you going to do? You start up the research study again this week. You’re just going to interview a psycho, five months pregnant? Is that even allowed?” She blinks at Y/N.

“Hell no its not!” Clint scuffs.

“I talked to Sue. They’ll chain him, for precaution.” Y/N shrugs. “I’m not giving up my study. Besides Cross won’t interview with anyone else.” She waves her hand.

“I still think he should know. It’s his kid too.” MJ sighs.

“Do you want to throw up tonight?” Y/N scuffs.

“Do you want to be alone?” MJ squints at her.

“Did you know?” Clint turns on Peter.

“Not a clue.” Peter blinks wide eyes. “I thought she was acting weird. But I thought it was cause I’ve bailed a few times.” Peter shrugs.

“I have to talk to her.” Clint doesn’t get a step away, before Buck pulls him back.

“Maybe give her tonight.” Buck shrugs. “She’s already slapped you. Baby hormones, she might beat the hell out of you next.” He had a point.

“Fine, I’ll wait.” Clint grumbles.

“Wow.” Peter mumbles. “A baby.” He nods.

“Where are you going?” MJ laughs, when Y/N suddenly disappears.

“He’s on my bladder.” Y/N calls back. MJ snorts.

“A boy.” Buck’s head tips.

“My heads spinning.” Clint drops his head into his hands.

“This is fucking eventful.” Peter nods, scrapping a hand down his face.

“Welcome home Barton.” Buck nods.

“Is it, is it bad, I wish he would just tell me it was all a lie?” Y/N asks as she comes back into the room. “That it meant nothing, he never loved me.” She sighs, looking defeated. Like a swift kick to the ribs, Clint’s breathless.

“You only want that, so you don’t have to tell him about the baby.” MJ points out.

“I hate myself for the excitement I got seeing him standing on the other side of my door, finally. I hate myself for not being angry.” She admits. “I’m angry, but not that he left, but that it took him this long to come back to me.” She runs a hand through her hair.

“You’re mad, he left you, destroyed you and you’re still in love with him.” MJ nods, picking up her glass. “We’re in the same boat.” She mutters.

“Fuck it, I’m eating ice cream.” Y/N mutters, heading for the fridge.

“You both are in the same dog house.” Buck smirks at them.

“Are not.” Peter scuffs. “He knocked her up and disappeared.” He throws Clint under the bus. “I just, I fucked up a little.” Peter shrugs.

“I didn’t know I knocked her up! I wouldn’t have left.” Clint scuffs. “What did you even do?” He shakes his head.

“Sort of bailed on a few dates.” Peter admits in a small voice.

“How many?” Buck smirks.

“Four, in a row. Than I broke my phone and it took me a week to get a new one.” He winces.

“Same dog house.” Buck chuckles. Clint sighs, looking back at the girls. MJ pours another drink, Y/N is eating ice cream out of the carton. The roundness in her center, not massive, but very noticeable. It was going to be a lot harder to get her to hear him out.

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

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