#honestly he might go to see lonnie before giving up and going to the police station

[heavencasteel420]

I still wanna write the impulsive S1 Stoncy three-way that’s predicated by Joyce going missing instead. There’s no UD and she’s fine; she just got accidentally locked in a weird closet at work or something. Both because I don’t want to deal with too much sci-fi or tragedy, and because I think it’s very funny for the rumor mill at Hawkins High to abruptly switch from “the weird kid’s crazy mom went missing (probably because she’s crazy)” to “the weird kid, the most popular guy in junior year, and some cute but dorky sophomore all had a threesome.”

[marvelslut16]

Can’t fight this feeling I

Pairing: Jim Hopper x Wheeler!reader

Synopsis: A reader insert where the reader is Mike’s oldest sister, who has already graduated and works at the police station. She has always been infatuated with Hopper, and he seems to be quite taken with her as well. This part takes place in season 1 episodes 1 and 2.

Word count: 4616

Warnings: swearing probably. Age gap relationship. And eventual Stranger Things canon gore. 

Author’s note: this is going to be super long, eventually I’ll do all three seasons. So read at your own risk. I may continue into season 4, it depends on the fate of Hopper honestly.  

“Hey (Y/N),” Dustin calls from the doorway. “There's a slice left if you want. Pepperoni and sausage.”

“Thanks sweetheart,” I walk over to him, grab the piece of pizza from the box and kiss his cheek. “How about I walk you out?” I wink at him. 

“Okay!” he gives you a toothless smile as heat rises to his cheeks from the kiss.

“How long were you guys in the basement for?” I ask as we walk down the stairs.  

“So far it was ten hours, but the quest still isn’t over yet.” 

“Well if I ever get time off, maybe I could join you guys for the next one.”

“That would be awesome!” Dustin exclaims as we walk out to the garage. 

“Bye Lucas! Bye Dustin!” I call as they start to bike away.

“The roll was a seven,” Will says to Mike before turning to me. “I’ll see you tomorrow right?”

“Yep,” I smile at the younger boy. “I’m hanging out with Jonathan tomorrow after work. Have a goodnight Will.”

As Will bikes away I throw my arm around Mikes shoulder and pull him into my side. He leans into my side as the lights flicker. 

“That was weird,” I murmur. Mike shrugs it off before walking back into the house. 

--

The next morning we’re all sitting down at the table eating eggs for breakfast. The phone starts to ring and mom groans. Mike and Nancy are bickering, dad is watching the tv, and Holly starts crying. I smooth my dress pants down as I hurry towards the phone so mom doesn’t have to. 

“Hello?” I ask as I glance over at the time, shit I’m running late. 

“(Y/N)? It’s Joyce.” The bickering behind me gets louder, I snap my fingers at my siblings to get them to quiet down. 

“Hi Joyce, is something up with Jonathan?” I ask. 

Jonathan Byers, my best friend for as long as I can remember. I’m two years older than him, meaning he’s the same age as my younger sister Nancy. Not that they talk to each other, Nancy may not be the Queen of the school, but her friend group still doesn’t mix with him. Jonathan has always been shy and kept to himself, but we just clicked when we met each other. 

“Nothings wrong with Jonathan,” the slight smile can be heard in her voice. Joyce always loved that I could get Jonathan out of his shell, and that I never judged him. “But was that Will I heard?”

“No, just Mike and Nancy,” my eyebrows furrow in confusion. 

“Will didn't spend the night?” The worry in Joyce’s voice grows more prominent. 

“No, I saw him off around eight last night,” I frown and glance back at Mike. “He's not home?”

“I-I was working late last night, and so was Jonathan. I'm sure he just left early for school.”

“If you want to talk to Hop, I’ll sit with you while he fills out the report. I’m leaving for the station in like five minutes.”

“Thanks (Y/N),” Joyce sighs in relief. “I’ll see you there,” and the phone clicks. 

“I’ll see you guys later,” I smile at my family as I grab my bag. 

“Who was on the phone?” mom asks. 

“It was Jonathan,” I lie effortlessly. “He was telling me we might have to change our plans for tonight.” I kiss Holly on the head and ruffle Mike’s hair before heading to the door. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m already running late!”

--

Being late didn’t matter, I was still earlier than Hop. Police Chief Jim Hopper, I’ve been smitten with the older man for four years now. There was just something about his brooding and slight beer belly that was all pure man that made me crush on him and his cynical personality.

“Good of you to show,” Flo gives Hopper a look as he walks through the door. I give Joyce a reassuring smile before heading into the bullpen behind Hopper, my heels clicking as I walk. 

“Mornin' to you too, Flo,” Hopper heads straight for the coffee machine. Callahan and  Powell look up from a game of five-card draw, their boots kicked up on their desks.

“You look like hell, Chief,” Callahan points out the obvious. 

“Your girlfriend looked worse when I left her,” Hopper retorts. I sigh rolling my eyes at the men. Powell cackles at this.

As Hopper is making himself a cup of coffee Flo walks up to him and takes his cigarette out of his mouth and snubs it out. I can’t help but laugh at the interaction.

“While you were drinking or sleeping or whatever it is you deem so important on Monday mornings,” Flo starts laying into him.”Phil Larson called, said some kids stole the gnomes out of his garden again-”

“Gnomes again, huh? Yeah, tell Phil I'll get right on that-” he cuts her off. Hopper already has another cigarette in his mouth and coffee in his hand. Flo follows him as he makes his way towards his office, which I’m in his way of getting to. 

“You’re late,” I snap at him. “Joyce Byers called.” 

“I’ll call her back in a minute,” he fake promises.

“This is actually important,” I snap again. His brows furrow at my attitude, no matter how annoying he is, I’ve never been this snippy with him. 

“What have we talked about? Mornings are a time for coffee and contemplation,” he grins down at me. 

“You’re so annoying,” I roll my eyes at him.

“Why do I even employ you again?” he teases me.

“I don’t know, ask yourself that. You’re the one that hired me, not the other way around. Now back to Joyce-”

“Coffee and contemplation,” he brushes past me.

I quickly follow behind him as he makes his way to his office. Hopper almost spills his coffee when he sees that Joyce is already in his office. He spins around and looks at me accusingly. 

“I tried to warn you!” I threw my hands up in defense. “But like I said, this is actually important Hopper.”

“I’ve been waiting for an hour!” Joyce exclaims. “Luckily, (Y/N) was here to keep me calm.”

Joyce and Hopper go back and forth for a while, debating if Will is really missing or just playing hookie. 

“What’s wrong with his clothes?” Hopper asks when Joyce mentions that he gets picked on for them. 

“I-I don't know. Does it matter?” Joyce questions.

“Maybe,” Hopper responds.

“No,” I roll my eyes at him again. 

“Lonnie...Lonnie always said he was queer-” Joyce whispers. “Is he?” Hopper asks.

“He’s missing! His sexuality has nothing to do with that!” I glare at him.

“Maybe he’s with Lonnie,” Hopper says, stroking his beard.

“No,” Joyce and I say in unison. Hopper and Joyce continue to bicker about whether Will is with Lonnie or not. 

“Find my son Hop,” Joyce says sternly. She gives my hand a quick squeeze before heading out. 

“Hopper-” I start.

“Not now (Y/N),” he sighs.

“I guess you don’t care that I’m one of the last people that saw Will then?” I smirk as I plop down in the seat across from him. 

“What?” his eyes snap up to meet mine as he lights yet another cigarette. 

“Yesterday, Will was at my house all day. He was with Mike and their friends. I saw all of the boys off around eight last night. He didn’t seem like he was running away Hopper, he told me he’d see me today.”

“Was he planning to see Mike again today?” Hopper asks.

“No. I was supposed to go see Jonathan after work today. Will seemed set on seeing me later today, Hop.”

“What are the kids names?” he asks grabbing a pen and paper, but not before squinting his eyes at me. 

“Michael Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair.” He grabs the paper and heads out of his office.

“You coming or not?” he calls over his shoulder, and I hurry to follow him.

--

At the school I sit on the arm of the couch that the threes boys are squished on. Across from us is Hopper and Callahan. I put my arm on the back of the couch and rest my right hand on Mikes shoulder while Dustin holds onto my left hand, and I give Lucas a smile and a nod since I can’t reach him. 

“(Y/N) says she saw you guys off, was this before you guys were- uh- racing?” he asks Hopper asks the boys.

All three boys start to talk over each other, but I’m used to it and can follow what they’re saying. Hopper on the other hand keeps growing more and more frustrated with their antics. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. One at a time,” Hopper points at Mike. “You. You said he takes...what?”

“Mirkwood,” Mike says and I smirk. 

"Mirkwood?" Hopper turns to Callahan. “You ever hear of a "Mirkwood?" “Sounds made-up,” he responds.

“It’s from Lord of the Rings. Well the Hobbit actually-” I smile at the older men’s confusion. 

“You remember?” Dusting gives me another toothless smile.

“Of course I do!” I laugh and squeeze his hand. “You kept telling me I had to read them.”

“That’s not important!” Lucas glares at Dustin. 

“I know but-” Dustin starts talking over him. 

“Hey! What'd I just say? One at a damn time,” Hop snaps before pointing at Mike again. “You.” “Mirkwood. It's a real road. It's just the name that's made-up-” Hopper cuts off his explanation. 

“What's its real name?”

“It's where Cornwallis and Kerley meet,” I look Hop in the eye as I speak. He doesn’t tear his eyes from me as he writes down the roads. 

“We can show you where it is,” Mike adds hopefully. 

“No!” Hop and I snap at the same time. 

“After school you all go straight home,” he glares at the boys. “No biking around looking for your friend. This isn’t some Lord of the Rings book-”

“The Hobbit,” Dustin corrects him. I can’t stop my laugh from coming out, and Hop’s glare shifts from the boys to me. I hide my face Dustin’s small shoulder and giggle quietly into it. 

“Do I make myself clear?” Hop borderline yells. The boys all nod, and Dustin squeezes my hand. After Hop and Callahan head out of the office Mike stands and gives me a quick hug. 

“I love you little man, but listen to Hop. All of you,” I look at Dustin and Lucas. “This is dangerous. We’ll find him.”

“(Y/N)!” Hop yells from down the hall. 

“I’ll see you three later,” I give them a small smile before leaving the three alone in the office. 

“You think they’ll listen to me?” Hop asks me.

“Honestly? Probably not,” I sigh before getting into the back of his truck.

--

“Stay in the car,” Hop looks at me as he heads towards the woods.

“Not likely,” I mutter when he’s a little ways away. Slipping off my heels I head out to join the officers in their search for Will. 

“Hey I got something here!” Hopper calls. I run over to his side and see the bike.

“It’s Will’s,” I whisper. His glare softens when  he sees the tears welling up in my eyes. “He’d never leave his bike behind. If he was hurt he would still manage to take it with him.”

Hopper turns to Callahan and Powell, “follow us to the Byers’s house.” He grabs the bike and heads back to his truck. I quietly slip into the passenger seat and slip my heels back on. 

“I thought I told you to stay in the car,” Hopper says sternly as he slams his door shut. 

“I’m not helpless, ya know. I’m just trying to find Will.” Hopper doesn’t speak for the rest of the car ride. 

As Hopper and I pull up to the house, Joyce and Jonathan come running outside. Their faces fall as Hop pulls Will’s bike out of the back of the truck.

“(Y/N),” Jonathan whispers. My face scrunches as I fight back the tears. I open my arms wide and he immediately runs into them and buries his face in my neck. 

“We can still find him, he could still be out there,” I run my fingers gently through his hair. 

“What’s Hopper doing,” he asks looking up. 

I catch the tail end of a glare Hop sent our way before he goes stomping into the house. “He’s just making sure Will isn’t hiding somewhere in the house.”

“He can’t honestly think we haven’t checked-”

“It’s just to make sure Jonathan. Before they set up a search party.” I grab his hand and pull him inside. Callahan and Powell are searching his room, so we head that way. Callahan is staring at Jonathan’s Evil Dead poster while Powell is checking under the bed. I frown at their lack of enthusiasm, they aren’t even trying. 

“Who’s is this?” Powell holds up one of my shirts. He raises an eyebrow at Jonathan.

“Uh-” he stutters.

“That’s mine,” I rip it out of Powell’s hand. “Thanks for finding it! I was looking everywhere for it.” Powell and Callahan share a look before they start laughing at us. I shoot them a deadly glare, and they actually shut up.

“Hey kid, you got some water or juice or something? Dying here,” Powell bugs Jonathan. The teen nods and leads the group to the kitchen.

After a few minutes Callahan heads out to check on Hopper, who was checking the shed out back.

“Did you two find anything other than a beverage?” Hopper gives them a disapproving look when he walks in. 

“Yeah, (Y/N)’s shirt was under Jonathan’s bed,” Callahan laughs and wiggles his eyebrows. 

“Just because I sleep here sometimes doesn’t mean I sleep with anyone,” I glare at the two laughing officers.

“I didn’t hire you two to gossip,” he snaps at them.  

“You know (Y/N), if you ever want to lose a shirt again,” Callahan grins. “I definitely wouldn’t mind if you lost it at my place.”

“Callahan!” Hopper roars. I shrink back slightly, not used to the threatening tone. Hopper turns to me and his face and voice soften, “c’mon. I’ll take you home.” In the car Hop fills me in on the search party and what time he’ll pick me up so we can meet up with everyone else. 

--

“We've been over this. The chief said-” Mom starts telling Mike he can’t leave the house tonight as we eat dinner. 

“I don't care what the chief said,” Mike grumbles. 

“Mike!” a look of disbelief crosses my face. 

“He's not even real police, Mom,” Mike continues. “We have to do something! Will could be in danger!”

“More reason to stay put,” mom argues. “End of discussion.”

“So...me and Barb...we're gonna study for the chemistry test at her house tonight. That's cool, right?” Nancy asks. I’m flabbergasted that she thinks mom will say yes to her. 

“No. Not cool,” looks up from her food and at Nancy. 

“What? Why not?” Nancy whines. 

“Why do you think? Am I speaking Chinese in this house? Until we know Will's okay, no one leaves,” mom says sternly. The two argue back and forth for a while, even going as far as to blame Will for why she can’t leave. 

I quickly stand up from my seat and clear my dishes. “And where do you think you’re going?” Mom asks me. 

“Out to look for Will,” I look at her like she’s crazy for thinking I wouldn’t.

“How come she can go out?” Nancy’s voice goes up an octave as she whines.

“It’s my job,” I deadpan as I pull on my gym shoes. When Hopper dropped me off earlier I changed into more comfortable clothes that I could trek through the woods in. “And Hop’s here now, so I have to go,” as if on cue there's a honk from outside. “I promise I’ll be safe.” I run out the door and into the Blazer. 

“Look at you all casual,” Hop jokes, lighting up a cigarette. 

“What can I say? It’s search party chic,” I softly smile. But that drops soon after as thoughts of Will and Jonathan flood my mind. 

“What are you thinking about?” Hopper gives me a quick glance, before turning back to the street. 

“I can’t imagine what Jonathan must be feeling,” I play with the hem of my sweater. “If it was Mike I would be a wreck. Especially if I was supposed to be there when he got home instead of work, like Jonathan.”

“We’ll find him,” Hop promises, as his right hand reaches across the car and engulfs my left one.

“Good,” I blink back my rising tears, squeezing Hops hand for reassurance. I’m so upset I almost miss the butterflies fluttering because of our contact, almost.

--

I’m walking beside Hop in silence as a middle aged man with a mustache walks up to us. “He’s a good student,” the man tells us. 

“What’s that?” Hop asks. 

“Will. He's a good student. A great one, actually. I can't fathom him getting into any kind of trouble,” the man says, Hop nods before looking away.

“You’re Mr. Clarke, right?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he smiles at me. “But feel free to call me Scott.”

“I’m (Y/N) Wheeler,” we briefly shake hands. “Mike loves your class and AV club. All of those boys do,” I smile at him.

“They all talk fondly of you too, Dustin the most,” he admits.

“I’m not surprised,” I laugh and smile brightly. “Dustin isn’t that good at hiding his feelings. He’s a sweet boy who wears his heart on his sleeve, some girl is gonna come and steal his heart one of these days.”

Scott turns back to Hop, “I don’t think we’ve officially met. I teach at Hawkins Middle.

Earth and Biology.” Hopper shakes his hand, then averts his gaze.

“Always had a distaste for science,” Hop admits, I smack his arm lightly. 

“Maybe you had a bad teacher,” Scott tries to save the conversation.

“Ms. Ratliff was a nasty piece of work,” Hop says, and I nod in agreement. 

“Ratliff? You bet. She's still kicking around, believe it or not,” Scott adds.

“Oh I believe it. Mummies don't die, or so (Y/N) keeps telling me,” Hop smiles down at me. 

“So you're local?” Scott tries again.

“Class of fifty-eight,” Hop murmurs.  

“Sixty-two. Just missed each other.”

“Class of eighty-three,” I add with a small smile. Scott laughs lightly as Hop stares off into space, lost in thought.  

“Sara, my daughter. Galaxies, the universe, whatnot: She always understood that stuff,” Hopper suddenly says. My eyes soften as I turn to look at him, he’s only ever talked to me about her once. He was drunk off his ass when he called the house late that night, I’m sure he doesn’t even remember it. “Maybe she got it from her mother, I dunno. There's enough down here, I don't need to go lookin' elsewhere.”

“Your daughter. What grade is she?” Scott asks, as I silently cringe. “Maybe I'll get her in my class.”

“She lives in the city. With her mother,” Hopper lies, and my heart breaks. He’s in so much pain.

“Oh,” Hopper slaps Scott on the back.

“Thanks for coming out, teach,” Hop walks ahead of us, trying to distance himself from the conversation. 

A nearby volunteer whispers to Scott, “She passed a few years back.” My fists ball up at my sides, who does this lady think she is?

“Sorry?” Scott asks rightfully confused. 

“His kid,” the volunteer specifies. Scott’s face darkens as he looks back up at Hop.

“Gossiping gets you nowhere,” I glare at the lady. “Hop wait up!”

--

I yawn for the hundredth time as Hopper and I walk up to the Byers’ door. The door opens almost immediately after Hop knocks on it. 

“We’ve been waiting six hours,” Joyce complains, I just yawn in response. 

“I know,” Hopper sighs. “We came as soon as we could.” 

“Six hours,” Joyce repeats. 

“A little trust here, alright?” Hopper asks. “We've been searching all night.” 

“Went all the way to Cartersville,” I add as Jonathan pulls me into a side hug. We both slump into each other, holding each other up. 

“And?” Joyce asks.

“Nothing,” Hop sighs. Jonathan’s grip on me tightens. “Flo says you got a phone call?”

“Oh, yeah,” Joyce nods, leading us to the phone, which is now charred. 

“Storm barbecued this pretty good,” Hopper observes. 

Jonathan pulls me into his room and immediately digs around in his drawers. Soon enough he’s chucking a pair of sweatpants and a warmer sweater at me. 

“You’re the best,” I smile at him. Jonathan exists the room so I can change.  

“And you think I don't know my own son's breathing?” Joyce’s voice raises, and I quickly rush out of the room so I can join the other three. “Wouldn't you know your own daughter's?”

“You hear from, uh, Lonnie yet?” Hop changes the subject.

“No,” Joyce admits.

“It's been long enough,” Hop grunts. “I'm having him checked out.”

“Oh, come on!” Joyce protests. “You're wasting your time,” calling after us, as Hopper guides me towards the door. 

“Hey, Hopper,” Jonathan says as he walks us out of the house. “Let me go.”

“I'm sorry?” Hop asks.

“To Lonnie's,” Jonathan clarifies. “You know, if Will's there, it means he ran away,” I squeeze Jonathan’s hand as his voice wavers. “And if he sees the cops, he'll think he's in trouble. He'll...He'll hide. You know, he's good at hiding.”

“Yeah?” Hop asks again “Well, cops are good at finding.”

“I’ll go with him,” I intervene. 

“No,” Hop snaps. “ You are going home and sleeping.” Turning back to Jonathan, he points at him, “Stay here with your mom. She needs you.”

“I’ll return your clothes later,” I kiss Jonathan’s cheek before climbing into the truck. I wave at his shrinking figure as we drive away.

“Get some sleep kid,” Hop says to me. “No looking around on your own.”

“Let me come search with you,” I protest. 

“You need sleep. And my guess is that Mike stayed home today,” Hop’s voice softens. “He needs you right now.”

“I guess you’re right,” I sigh.

“Always am,” he grins at me, eliciting a giggle from me. “I’ll pick you up again tonight.”

“Pinky promise?” I ask, sticking my pinky in front of his face. He laughs and shakes his head at my antics, before hooking his larger pinky around mine. 

“I promise,” he says softly.

--

When I enter the house I can hear Mike's muffled voice coming from his room. He’s probably on his walkie talking with Lucas. My heart rate picks up when I hear a girls muffled voice responding to him. Mike doesn’t talk to girls, so why is there one in his room?

I quietly make my way to his door, where a girl around his age with a shaved head is sitting on his bed. I let out a long sigh as I lean against the doorway. Mike jumps at the sound, while the girls eyes widen and she cowers. 

“Mike?” I ask in disbelief. 

“It’s not what it looks like!” he assures. 

“So you don’t have a girl I’ve never seen before in your room when you thought you were home alone?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “You’re as bad as Nancy.”

“We found her out in the rain last night-”

“You three went out in the rain after Hop and I told you guys no?” my voice goes up an octave. “I can’t lose you Mike, you guys need to listen to us.” I slide down the door frame and sit on the floor. 

“Yeah, yeah, save the lecture for later,” he rolls his eyes. 

“This isn’t a joke Michael! You can’t go back out with us tonight.”

“He’s my best friend!”

“And your my little brother! My first priority is making sure you’re safe. And you need to be safe and healthy for when we find Will.”

“Speaking of finding Will, El can help us!” Mike insists.

“El?” I ask

“It’s short for a Eleven, that’s her name.”

“That's quite a unique name,” I smile at the girl, who is still sitting on his bed. Oh I wish I was curled up in a bed. 

“She has powers,” Mike insists. 

“Like from your comics and game?” I ask slightly annoyed now. 

“You look tired,” Mike tries to change the subject. 

“I was out all night looking for Will, I haven’t slept in more than twenty-four hours,” I roll my eyes. “Sorry I don’t look like Farrah Fawcett.”

Before Mike can come up with some witty remark, mom pulls into the driveway. Freaking out, Mike shoves El into the closet.

“Ted is that you?” mom calls up the stairs when she hears Mike arguing with El to get in his closet.

“It’s just us mom,” Mike calls, pulling me down the stairs with him. “I just... I don't feel good. I woke up and my head, it really hurt bad,” Mike lies when we reach her. “And my throat was all scratchy, and I wanted to tell you, but the last time I told you I was sick you made me go to school anyway, and-”

“Michael,” mom cuts in.

“Yeah?” he asks nervously.

“I'm not mad at you,” she looks down at him.

“No?” he asks confused. 

“No, of course not,” she sighs. “All this that's been going on with Will, I can't imagine what it's been like for you. I want you to feel like you can talk to me. I never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. I'm here for you. Okay?” 

“Okay,” Mike says back and I shoot him a look. A thud comes from his closet upstairs and his eyes widen.

“Is someone else here?” mom asks.

“No, it was probably just my bag falling off my bed,” I wrap my arm around Mike’s shoulders, before yawning yet again. 

“How was last night?” mom turns to me. 

“Long,” I sigh. 

“Anything new?” I shake my head and look at the ground. “You look tired.”

“Exhausted,” I weakly smile at her. “I should sleep, Hop demanded it.”

“He did?” he eyebrow raises and Mike smirks up at me. 

“I fell asleep in the truck on the way to the Byers’ house this morning. Plus he’s picking me up again in a few hours for the search.”

“I don’t like you spending so much one on one time with him,” she crosses her arms. 

“He’s my boss, Mom! What, do you just want me to quit or something?”

“I want you to go to college,” she gives me one of those mom looks.

“I’m not having this conversation again,” I huff turning to head up the stairs.

“You’re wasting your perfect GPA,” she calls after me.

“And that’s my decision to make!” Mike runs up the stairs after me.

“Hopper huh?” he teases.

“Shut it,” I warn, playfully pushing him to the side. 

“Which one of us is Nancy now?”

“Still you, I’m not sneaking behind mom’s back,” I smirk down at him. “I won’t say anything, just please be careful. And if something happens, come to me or Hopper, we’ll help. And if she needs clothes, you can look through some of my old stuff. Something’s bound to fit her,” I kiss his head before heading to my room.

“Thanks,” he calls after me.

“I love you Mike,” I smile back at him.

“I love you too (Y/N),” he smiles. 

Part 2

Tags: @crimson-knuckled-queen

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Punisher 2099 #1 Thoughts

This issue far and away blows every other one in this event thus far out of the water!Remember when I criticized the rebooting of the 2099 line on principle.

Remember how I said it was asinine to redo the 2099 line with a 2019 lens of the future?

Well I’ll have to admit to being somewhat wrong about that.

Its still insulting and dumb to reboot the line. And there is still precious little about 2019’s vision of the future that’d be all that different to 1992’s. Or at least if you were trying to still be similar to the latter’s vision.

Buuuuuuuut…whilst those things are still broadly dumb this issue makes excellent use of them. And does so in a way that almost  justifies this direct.

  Lonnie Nadler & Zac Thompson (who I’ve never heard of before this issue) have truly EMBRACED the sci-fi nature of this event and the mission statement of it to reboot and update this vision of the future.

  In this issue they present not just a new spin on Punisher 2099, but a wholesale new spin on the Punisher, at least from my own limited experience with the character.

  The original Punisher 2099 (Jake Gallows) is an important part of this story, but he is not the main character, rather that’s new character Hector Tago.

  At first glance you might think that we’re in a similar situation to F4 2099 wherein the title character is in fact not the main character, but thats not the case here.

  Hector IS the Punisher of this title.

  This is something of a mixed bag, especially if you liked the original Punisher 2099.

  On principle you aren’t going to like such a change, let alone rebooting Jake’s characterization. In all honesty at face value the story could’ve worked just as effectively had Jake been the lead character and someone else (Hector or another original character) filled his role  in the narrative. That also would’ve cut closer to the original character.

  On the other hand though...how many people honestly even liked the original Punisher 2099?

  Seriously, I’ve read it and seen multiple reviews of it and it comes up as unimpressive. It was really just ANOTHER Punisher book amidst the sea of them in the 1990s. What made things worse is that Jake Gallows wasn’t all that distinctive from Frank Castle. Whilst Miguel O’Hara zigged where Peter Parker zagged, Jake Gallows functionally simply wore a different outfit with more high tech equipment and had baseball bat.

  When you look at a lot of the best 2099 reinventions of classic characters they always take something intrinsic to the character’s power set, costume and name and take it in a different direction. Case in point, Cap 2099 does from a free single white male into a sort of enslaved married Hispanic female (who’s RIPPED). Black Widow 2099 is literally a black woman who eats her lovers post-coital. In fact a fair few of the 2099 reinventions of characters operated by taking characters’ names and powers more literally.

  Punisher 2099 wasn’t initially approached that way. But Hector Tago, the NEW Punisher 2099 absolutely was.

  A major theme of this story, perhaps THE major theme, is punishment.

Jake Gallows in his mind is punishing the Thorites for his family’s deaths.

Davis Dunn is punished for crimes he didn’t commit.

Everyone punishes each other via a form of social media (we’ll get back to that), Kenji Wallace being the most obvious example.

And Hector punishes Gallows, but more importantly he punishes HIMSELF!

He views being the punisher as a form of atonement for the sins he committed as part of the authorities, and he is seemingly committed now to fighting the system.

This is almost the polar opposite of Frank Castle isn’t it?

Frank was a man who believed in the system, but felt it wasn’t harsh enough. His objections to it were not so much that it hurt citizens but rather that it didn’t go far enough in protecting them by curtailing criminal elements. Thus when those criminal elements took his family away from him, he resolved to punish them and by extension ALL criminals.

The fact that Hector is in most respects on the opposite end of the spectrum from Frank makes the Gallows in truth all to perfect an antagonist. Due to being so similar to the original Punisher, Gallows on a meta level represents the typical depiction of the Punisher and thus through on the page contrast with Hector more clearly emphasises where Hector zigs where Frank/Jake zagged.

The one thing Hector and Frank do share though is their absolute commitment to their respective missions. For both men, becoming the Punisher was a rebirth and they lived for their missions. One of the best scenes of the comic is when Hector metaphorically burns his old life down. He’s not Hector anymore. He is simply the Punisher!

I pray for the original 2099 line to be restored but if there was some way to fold Hector back into it, that’d be just perfect!

The ONLY thing that doesn’t really work with his character is the fact that there was zero justification for him to adorn himself in the skull outfit. It kind of came out of nowhere and he does it simply because it’s a Punisher book and that’s just expected.

There are other great aspects to the book too.

As I said up top, the title embraces the sci-fi nature of the event and the mission statement of re-evaluating the 2099 from a 2019 perspective vs. a 1992 perspective.

Whilst that’s mostly pointless this book makes it work by zeroing in on several elements that were either not around in 1992 or at least not as talked about:

·       The prevalence of surveillance technology, including facial recognition technology (speculative science fiction in 1992, actual science reality in 2019). This was achieved through the IRIS drones among other security cameras

·       Deep fake technology (see above). This was conveyed through the alterations of the IRIS’s allegedly objective recordings. Its particularly dangerous as its used as propaganda by the authorities.

·       Police corruption and brutality, especially towards marginalized groups (definitely a thing in 1992, but the current zeitgeist in the 2010s is distinctly anti-cop). Literally everything the Public Eye do (especially regarding the Thorites), they reminded me of the Street Judges from Judge Dredd. I might be somewhat misreading the metaphor though because the Thorites aren’t exactly innocent, but one shouldn’t judge them as a monolith I suppose.

·       Greater exposure of homosexual people, trans people and social activists (again a thing in 1992, but very much not as talked about as it is now). Wallace’s character. The comic book presents him as a man in a same sex relationship and it’s no big deal. He then transformed for lack of a better word into a robot, a robot who literally preaches to the crowds about the ills of society. He’s wiped out by the police. What’s most interesting is that not only is being in a gay relationship no big deal but Wallace’s transformation was motivated BY wanting to reconcile with his lover.  

·       Social media and how it’s empowered the court of public opinion. Everyone gets rated by everyone else on social media and you can find yourself essentially exiled as a result.

·       Arguably dangerous prescription drugs, though I don’t know enough about that to really touch the topic.

·       Artificial intelligence, though this is very lightly part of the story, more a background fact rather than something really explored

·       The erosion of objectivity in favour of efficiency

For starters, whilst the text boxes doling out exposition about how technology and prison system work were interesting...maybe show instead of tell? This is a visual medium, showing is actually a lot easier than telling us.·       The Conan 2099 comic had a warning about mature content even though that amounted to Conan cutting some people up. Maybe that does warrant a mature content warning, but you know if so then maybe this comic with it’s literal tree made from corpses should get one too? Just be consistent is all.

One more sort of positive I’ve going to give out, this was the first issue that made the Alpha story seem relevant.

In the Alpha story you SEE stuff that either sets up directly events for this comic or thematically sets it up by establishing the Public Eye’s conflicts with the Thorites. The only downside is that the tease for Jake Gallows, in particular him being Punisher 2099, was false advertising.

Also, if this story was deliberately written with the intention of subverting your expectations by making Hector the Punisher instead then it failed. Because it was obvious from the moment Hector became the character we were following.

Over all I’d HIGHLY recommend checking this book out. Small problems aside it slapped hard!

[lfthinkerwrites]

Meanwhile, back at Gotham Academy

Title: Tales from Gotham Academy: Field Trip

Fandom: Batman

Rating: T

Summary: Jason and Roy push Lyle Bolton past the point of no return...

AO3 Link

Meanwhile, back at Gotham Academy

Edward would have been happy to know that for the preceding hour and a half, Penelope had been fending off the Sirens' questions about their dating life. Unfortunately, the more wine she drank, the looser her tongue became, just as their friends intended.

"I have to ask," Pamela said. "What exactly do you see in that man? You could do much better."

Penelope poured herself more wine and gulped before answering. "You don't give him nearly enough credit," she said. "As obnoxious as he can be here, he can also be a very sweet, considerate man."

(Said 'sweet and considerate' man was at that point in time ready to throw hands with Harvey in a cheap boat, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt him.)

Pamela rolled her eyes. "Are you sure we're referring to the same Edward Nashton? He once deliberately tilted all the pictures in the art gallery on campus just because Gordon kept ignoring his riddles."

"Well, I never said he wasn't incorrigible at times," Penelope defended. "But he has his good moments too." She smiled a bit as she thought of them. "He's very supportive of my work inside and outside the campus. He takes being Ellen's full-time parent seriously. And no matter what else we might have going on, he almost always takes time out of his day to spend time with me."

"Well of course he does," Pamela drawled. "He's getting something out of those visits, isn't he?"

Penelope arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Selina snorted a bit. "Come on, Doc. You haven't heard the rumors going around school about yours and Eddie's...visits?"

Penelope flushed when she realized the implication, then she scowled. "Honestly. That was one time. Superintendent al Ghul was on the warpath and I thought there was a very good chance of him being transferred out. Nothing like that has happened since."

Pamela finished her wine, then gave Penelope a critical look. "So you mean to tell us that when Nashton sneaks off with you for your little trysts, nothing actually happens?"

"Nothing like that, no," Penelope said. "Most of the time, he just-" Penelope stopped, flushing a bit.

"He what?" Selina asked.

Penelope took another sip, then put her glass down. "Most of the time, he just wants a hug."

Pamela threw her head back and laughed, Selina and Harley joining in with their giggles while Kristen checked her phone for updates about the trip. "Aww," Harley cooed, wiping her eyes. "That's adorable!"

Penelope meanwhile crossed her arms and fixed her colleagues with a glare. "I shouldn't have said anything. Did you three invite me here just to get blackmail material on Edward?"

"Relax, Doc," Selina said. "No one's going to blackmail anyone. We're just having a bit of a fun, right girls?"

"Right-a-roonie!" Harley said, giving a thumbs up.

"Speak for yourself," Pamela said with a smirk.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Anyway, enough about my love life." She nodded at Harley. "Weren't you telling me that you were going on a date with someone you met online last week?"

Harley cringed. "Oh yeah. Floyd. Our date didn't wind up happenin'."

Selina raised an eyebrow. "He wasn't catfishing you, was he?"

"Nah," Harley said, twirling the end of her pigtail. "Nothin' like that. So we met up at the restaurant, and he was just as hot as his profile said, but just when we ordered drinks, the FBI raided the place and arrested him for murder. He took out like three agents with the wine bottle and a dinner fork before they slapped the cuffs on him." Harley took a long swig of her wine while the other women looked at each other. "I think I'm gonna take a break from men for a bit.'

"A good idea," Pamela said.

A buzzing noise came simultaneously from Kristen and Penelope's phones. Both women looked down, read the text messages, and cringed.

"What?" Selina asked.

"Karlo caused an accident on a boat ride," Kristen explained. "He rammed his boat against Neil's and caused a collision with Vice Principal Gordon's and Bruce Wayne's boat."

"Is everybody okay?" Harley asked.

"No one's hurt," Kristen said.

"Except for Karlo," Penelope interjected. "Edward just told me that he and the other teachers decided to teach Karlo a lesson about endangering the students."

Kristen nodded. "Karlo's been taken away by an ambulance, and the police were called. Needless to say, he won't be coming back to Gotham Academy."

"Sheesh," Harley said, shaking her head. "That's the third drama teacher Neil's helped drive off in six months! I wonder who the next one will be?"

Selina meanwhile, just sighed. "I warned Bruce not to go along on the trip," she said. "But did he listen? No. That man's too stubborn and noble for his own good." She smirked. "Oh well, I'll just have to help make it up for him later, as I'm sure you are with Eddie, right Doc?"

Penelope just flushed again.

Meanwhile, in Detention, Lyle Bolton was sitting at his desk with his fists clenched and his teeth grinding. "Just an hour to go, you little shits," he managed to hiss out at the three boys sitting at the desks in front of him. "I can handle anything you little punks dish out!"

Jason just pulled a straw out of his pocket, ripped a small hole at the bottom, and blew the wrapper in Bolton's direction. It landed on the desk, much to the delight of the other boys. "Nice shot, Jay!" Roy cheered.

"That does it!" Bolton shouted, standing up and pointing a meaty finger in Jason's direction. "You! Drop and give me fifty!"

Jason rolled his eyes, then did as Coach demanded. While he was doing this, Roy took advantage of Bolton's distraction to shoot a rubber band at the side of the coach's head. On impact, Bolton's head snapped towards Roy.

"You should have aimed it at his ass," Lonnie said.

"He has to have an ass to aim at," Roy quipped.

"You!" Bolton screamed, his face magenta. "Drop and give me fifty!"

"Who?" Roy asked. "Me or Lonnie?"

"Both of you!" Bolton screeched, spittle flying everywhere.

Roy dropped down, but not before giving Lonnie a wink. Lonnie grinned, then stubbornly folded his arms across his chest. "This is a violation of this school's rules against corporal punishment! If you try to force me to do push-ups, I'll have the ACLU out here so fast-"

"You'll what, little boy?" Bolton demanded, walking towards Lonnie. "You'll get Mommy and Daddy to call you a big expensive lawyer? You think that scares me, little boy?" While Bolton was busy trying and failing to intimidate Lonnie, Jason had finished his push-ups and silently made his way to Bolton's chair. He pulled a thumbtack out of his pocket and placed it on the chair, then rushed back to his desk before Bolton could turn around and notice him. Luckily, Bolton was too busy screaming to pay much attention to his surroundings. "So do your FUCKING PUSH-UPS!!!" He bellowed in Lonnie's face.

Lonnie merely looked up and said, "No."

Bolton bellowed again with rage and went back to his desk. "Non-compliance! I'm writing out another detention slip for you, Machin! Just wait until Principal Strange gets back! You're gonna get expelled if its the last thing I do!" Bolton then took a seat, directly on top of the thumbtack. He got up again with a yelp of pain, both of his hands going to his rear. "Jesus Christ! My ass! What did you punks do!?"

"What do you, he does have an ass," Roy said in between laughs. Bolton was too busy hopping up and down, trying in vain to pull the thumbtack out of his ass to do anything else.

"That's our cue, boys!" Jason yelled, getting out of his seat. "Go, go, go!" He, Roy, and Lonnie broke for the door and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Coach Bolton's office was on the far side of the campus, but it wouldn't take long for them to get to the main door and freedom.

Bolton finally pulled out the thumbtack, then let out another cry of rage. "Oh no you don't, you punks!" He went to the wall, next to the class phone and lifted a panel. Under the panel was a red button that was connected to the school's security system. Every classroom had one since they'd been installed two years ago, but no one had ever used it. Until now. "This school's goin' on LOCKDOWN!!!" Bolton screamed. Then he pressed the button. A loud, siren-like sound filled the school, and every single door was locked. Bolton laughed. Finally, he was going to get back what was his.

When the siren sounded, Harley dropped her drink in surprise. "Jeez Louise!" she shouted. She checked the bunsen burner. "Did I set off the smoke detector or somethin'?"

"That's not the fire alarm," Kristen said, her hazel eyes widening. "That's the lockdown alarm!"

"The lockdown alarm?" Selina asked. "There's what, maybe twenty kids here at most? Why the Hell are we doing a lockdown drill!? And why wouldn't Strange or Gordon tell us if we were!?"

Harley gulped. "You don't think somethin's actually happenin', do ya?"

As if it had heard her question, the PA crackled to life. "This is Coach Lyle Bolton," a deep voice sounded. "As you can see, Gotham Academy is on lockdown! And it's gonna stay on lockdown until Jason Todd, Roy Harper, and Lonnie Machin get their asses back to detention RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!" Bolton hung up the PA, leaving the five women to look at each other.

"How did I know?" Pamela seethed. "How did I know Todd was going to pull some ridiculous stunt today!?"

"Well, speakin' as a mental health professional," Harley said. "I'd say that Bolton's the one that's gone cuckoo for cocoa puffs, right Penny?"

"Right," Penelope agreed. She brought a hand up to her face. "So much for avoiding shenanigans today. How do we stop this?"

"First things first," Pamela said. "We have to get out. That door's going to be locked electronically."

"I can fix that," Kristen said, stepping forward. "I've got the override code." Kristen went to the door's panel and punched in a six-digit code. The door unlocked, allowing the women to exit the chemistry lab.

"Alright," Selina said as soon as they were in the hallway. "We need a gameplan. Kristen, Penelope, you two track down any security guards who are still here and get to the principal's office to override the lockdown school-wide so we can get the kids out. Me, Red, and Harley are going to find Jason, Roy, and Machin before Bolton can get his hands on them. Make sense?" Kristen and Penelope nodded and made a left turn down the hallway, towards the offices of the security guards. Selina then nodded towards Pamela and Harley. "Ready girls?"

"Woop Woop!" Harley shouted., pumping her fists in the air. "The Gotham Academy Sirens are on the case! Let's roll!"

[vanilla107]

Smoke and Bullets (Part 1)

Hello Everyone!

I am back with a whole new fanfiction for She ra AND IT'S A MAFIA AU. This AU was inspired by @littleresalu's Mafia AU fanart on Tumblr and Instagram! When I saw her drawings I immediately knew that I needed to write this fanfiction! Give her a follow and check out her art BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD LIKE I CAN'T EXPLAIN HOW SEXY IT IS.

Tumblr: @littleresalu Instagram: lil_basilbeans

Summary

Adora lit a cigar and exhaled, the whisps of smoke making her look almost like a goddess in her leather chair and mahogany desk. Catra was standing behind her, her arms draped around the blonde, a grin on her face.

"What shall we do with him Adora?" Catra purred, her breath warm against the shell of Adora's ear.

Adora inhaled once more before answering, the prisoner in front of them shaking in fear.

"Easy, kill him."

**************

After a successful raid on a rival gang, Adora and Catra are crowned the leaders of the biggest gang in New Brightmoon. Running the gang with her girlfriend on her side, Adora think she can finally be happy, but when a new gang shows up and promises Adora answers that she never thought she'd get, she is torn.

Will she sacrifice everything she's built or will she betray the people she loves?

Read on AO3

She Ra Masterlist

Adora sighed heavily as she felt the last of the whiskey burn down her throat.

She set down the glass tumbler and leaned on her mahogany desk. She looked out her office window, the full moon casting a white glare, showing the harsh shadows on her face. Her body was wound tighter than a spring and there was only one thing keeping her from panicking.

The half empty bottle of premium whiskey started mockingly at her on her desk and she resisted the temptation to pour another glass. The sweet alcohol haze that she forced herself to be in was keeping her from bursting through the wooden doors at the docks, guns in hands and shooting up the place.

“Calm Adora. Catra knows what she’s doing,” the 25 year-old told herself under her breath.

She got tired of sitting still and walked slowly around her office, her body going numb with the strong alcohol she had consumed, but never slowing down her mind. She looked at her suit, a one of a kind cream creation complete with a diamond brooch, made by only the best tailor in New Brightmoon. Her shoes were white dress shoes, practical enough to still run in if she needed to get away from a rival gang but still fashionable.

Adora opened up her purse and pulled out her Mother-of-Pearl compact mirror and looked at herself. She looked normal but the dark rings beginning to show around her eyes said otherwise. The doorknob jiggled suddenly and Adora’s body tensed as she pulled out her revolver from her waist band and aimed it at the door.

The door opened and in stepped Catra, the love of her life, covered in dirt, but grinning like a madman.

“Catra!” The blonde ran to her lover, putting her gun away and hugged her tightly, Catra chuckling in her ear, her breath warm. Catra’s eyes glided over the office and saw the bottle of whiskey on the desk and she sighed as she let go of Adora.

“Princess, were you tense again?” Catra asked and Adora felt her insides melt at the nickname.

Adora looked down guiltily and nodded.

“I know it’s a bad habit but you’ve been gone for four hours! I know you told me you and the gang would be fine and you can handle yourself...but I worry...especially if you’re gone for so long. The Sinner’s have never hesitated to kill...we’ve already lost too many,” Adora said, her voice getting softer.

Catra trailed a finger down Adora’s cheek and kissed her forehead.

“I’m here now. And guess what? We hit the jackpot, baby!”

Catra suddenly picked up Adora and spun her around the room in glee.

“What? Catra, what do you mean?”

“Look, turns out the warehouse that we raided had way more than we bargained for. There was diamonds, money, gold bars- the whole shebang! And it’s all ours!”

Adora’s jaw dropped and she crashed her lips onto Catra’s in a passionate kiss before breaking the contact and looking deeply into her girlfriend’s eyes.

“Catra...you did it! You really did it!” she squealed and Catra set her back on the floor.

“This raid...sealed The Sinner’s fate for the rest of their lives. That warehouse had other stuff besides riches. Passports, guns, documents, top secret files...they have nothing against us. Adora, The Sinner’s have been dethroned and Mont Blanc is currently being tortured for information about your parents. We are now the leading gang of New Brightmoon and we’re calling the shots,” the feline grinned.

“Catra...this is what we've been working for since day one. I...I can't believe this is happening..."

"Believe it, baby. We did it."

"Wait...was...was there any casualties?” Adora asked, bracing herself for the news.

Catra shook her head and Adora looked at her in surprise.

“No, but Bow did get grazed by a stray bullet. Glimmer is currently tending to him but he’ll live.”

Adora smiled brightly, relieved at the news that no one died and even more that Bow was only injured.

“Where’s the rest of the gang? I thought I’d see them all with you,” Adora asked as she took the bottle of whiskey on her desk and placed it back into a small cabinet under her desk.

“They’re...cleaning up but I gave them their cut already so thankfully there wasn’t any complaints,” Catra added with an eye roll. “We can take the rest of the money to the bank tomorrow and lay in our riches then but...I honestly just want to sleep.”

Adora nodded and switched off the office lights, locked the door and wrapped an arm around her girlfriend as they walked out. It was a warm evening despite no cloud cover, the stars twinkling brightly. It was late and all the business in their area were closed. Catra and Adora had agreed to separate their ‘business’ from their actual house because the last thing they needed was their house as well as their office being blown to pieces by a rival gang.

“So, why are you so dirty? I need to take my suit to the launders tomorrow because there’s black smudges all over it.”

Catra groaned.

“A stupid lackey pushed me into a pile of coal in the warehouse during the fight. It didn’t show up on my suit but it definitely showed up on my face and now your suit. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re safe and unharmed.”

Catra smirked, her eyes bright under the moonlight.

“Don’t lie. You want to check if I have any bruises and nurse me back to health.”

“Well you’re not wrong…” Adora mumbled but a smile still present on her face.

Catra grinned as they cut into an ally, their giggles soft.

************

Adora and Catra had grown up together in dramatically different situations.

They met at the same orphanage and after Adora had stood up to a bully for Catra, they had been inseparable. Catra had always been picked on because of her tanned skin and so had Lonnie, another one of the orphans, for her dark skin but Lonnie always made a point to isolate Catra when ever the bullying began it’s daily cycle. Adora was Catra’s only friend and they did everything together. A few days before Adora was turned 18, an old banker by the name of Mr. Francis had visited and had asked to speak to her.

Adora had learnt from him that she had come from a wealthy family and had lived in a mansion until her parents had been murdered by a gang when she was only a baby. The police found no leads and the case closed months later. Adora couldn’t remember any of it and he told her that it must’ve been shock that had blocked out the memory of her parents and their deaths.

“But...but why are you telling me this?” 17 year old Adora asked, her voice wavering.

The room felt too hot and she clenched her tiny fists together. The Mr. Francis looked at her sadly from his small spectacles.

“I’m sorry but I had too tell you. The reason is because when your parents died, all their money and assets went to you as you were the sole survivor. I’m here to tell you that you have a large sum of money in your name and that you’ll be able to live off of it. I couldn’t tell you sooner because it only can be accessed once you’re 18 and since your birthday is in a few days...I thought I’d let you know. I was your father’s private banker and I’d like to extend my services to you if you’d like me too.”

Adora sighed and put her head in her hands. “Can I...can I please have a day to absorb what you’ve told me? I...I’m a bit overwhelmed.”

“Of course, Adora. But you do need to tell me by the day of your birthday,” he said as he placed a thick folder in front of her.

“This a collection of photographs, news articles and anything you need to know about your family. They were good folks and wanted the best for you. Hopefully...this might help you remember them. Goodbye Adora.”

 Mr. Francis left and Adora took the folder and ran back to the room she and Catra shared. She spent the next few hours reading over it while Catra had caught up to mischief. Once Catra came back to their dorm, she found a crying Adora clutching a photo.

“Adora? What’s wrong?” she asked, worry creasing on her face, as she walked over to her bed and sat down next to her friend. Adora handed her one of the yellowing articles as well as the photo.

‘PARENTS KILLED BY GANG. DAUGHTER ORPHANED’ read the headline and Catra’s eyes widened as she read it.

“Your parents…”

“That’s them Catra. That’s my mom and my dad,” Adora sniffed as she pointed them out in the photo.

“How did you get these?” Catra asked and Adora launched into a full explanation of how she was going to inherit the assets and all the money when she turned 18.

“Adora, that’s amazing! You’re basically set for life! You can have fancy food, clothes and host those really big parties-”

“Catra! My parents were murdered! How can you think of parties in a time like this?” Adora screamed.

Catra was shocked into silence as Adora broke down into tears once more. Catra wrapped an arm around Adora and she sighed sadly.

“...I’m sorry for being insensitive...I am sorry about your parents. They didn’t deserve that. Did...did the police find out who did it?”

“It was definitely a gang but...they could never get enough evidence-” Adora cried harder.

How could someone just kill people?

A mother and a father and orphan a child?

What kind of monster does that?

“I...I’m sorry. I guess I don’t really know what to do…” Adora hiccupped and Catra wrapped her tail around her.

Adora looked at the photo and she leaned her head on Catra’s shoulder.

“What’s the point of having all the money I need when I don’t have anyone?”

“Well...you have me. And when I turn 18, I’ll help you find your parents killers and bring them to their knees,” Catra declared and Adora let out a giggle.

“You’d never kill someone.”

“I’d kill someone that hurt you. And the person that murdered your parents, took them away from you and hurt you,” Catra growled, her pupils becoming slits because of the setting sun, only making her appearance seem devious.

Adora felt a shiver down her spine as Catra said those words. The atmosphere had shifted to something darker.

“I can’t ask you to do that for me Catra. You...you’d have blood on your hands. I don’t think I could live with you putting yourself through that.”

Catra gently touched Adora’s cheek, instantly making her face red.

“You’ve always been there for me Adora. Let me be there for you.”

Adora was never sure if Catra would keep her promise. She was going to take a life one day and she seemed to be okay with it.

Taking someone’s life?

Even the people who had killed her parents?

Wasn’t that evil?

But Catra wasn’t evil. Catra was good, loyal and the only person she trusted. She was the only person Adora could fully open up her heart too. The day of Adora’s 18th birthday proved it, when they shared their first kiss in their dorm, before Adora left the walls of the orphanage.

“I’ll be back for you Catra,” Adora said, her voice cracking as the tears dripped down her cheeks. Catra kissed the tears away, her arms wrapped securely around Adora’s waist.

“You promise?” Catra whispered, her voice raspy from the tears and kissed her again, the urgency desperate as Catra tightened her grip on Adora’s tattered clothing.

“I promise.”

****************

The couple arrived at their apartment and Adora unlocked the door.

“Home sweet home,” Catra sighed and immediately began to strip off her blazer.

Adora went to the bathroom and draw her lover a warm bath and got the bandages ready. She added a few drops of lavender oil into the bath and took off her blazer and undid the top button. She rolled up her sleeves when Catra opened the bathroom door.

“Wow Adora, you have so much faith in me to not get stabbed,” she said sarcastically as she walked in and shut the door.

Adora turned her head as Catra got undressed, her face going red. Catra’s body was a work of art. Her constant training in the ring with Bow and their gang kept her in good shape, her muscles toned and defined. Even though Adora had seen Catra’s body from when they were kids to them being full developed adults, she still looked away.

“Adora,” Catra said and slid a hand under the blonde’s chin, guiding her head to look into her eyes.

“You gonna nurse me back to health?” she asked, only standing in her underwear and chemise.

Adora could already see a deep cut on her arm as well as bruises forming on her abdomen. She nodded and averted her eyes once more as Catra discarded the rest of her clothing and stepped into the bath.

“Hmm, if the cuts were that deep, your suit also needs to be replaced,” Adora noted and Catra cursed.

“Shit, I really liked that suit. Black cotton with a dash of silk. Fine but not too flashy. Damn Sinners always ruining my clothes.”

As she descended into the water, Catra inhaled sharply as the water stung her wounds. Adora sat on a tiny stool and gently began to disinfect the cut on Catra’s arm. The feline closed her eyes, never flinching as Adora stitched the wound together.

“I’ll bandage your bruises once you’re done cleaning yourself,” Adora said as she grabbed her blazer and the bandages. She headed towards the door but stopped as she heard Catra’s voice from behind her.

“Oh Adora, don’t be a prude. Come join me,” Catra purred and she smiled before turning around to face Catra, who’s head and arms were perched on the bath’s edge.

Catra's tattoo stood out against the girls tan skin and Adora ran her eyes along the side of her neck. It was a single rose with vines and a few thorns curling across the surface of the skin that gradually faded. Adora subconsciously touched the skin just underneath her collarbones, knowing that her matching tattoo was underneath her shirt.

Three roses all linked together by vines and thorns. Two roses directly underneath each collarbone and the one in the middle to connect them. In between the roses were the vines and thorns linking the roses together.

They had gotten them when Catra had left the orphanage and wanted to commemorate it. They both knew that it was a scandal for two young ladies to get tattoos especially since it was normally sailors or circus performers getting them but the tattoo artist didn't care as long as she got paid.

“What happened to wanting to sleep?” Adora teased and Catra flicked some of the water at her. She laughed and undressed herself before hopping into the bath and gently resting her back against Catra’s chest. There was something meaningful of being completely naked with Catra.

She could be herself.

She could finally let her guard down.

It felt whole and natural.

“You okay? I’m not suffocating you?”

Catra snorted, “Of course not.”

The two fell into silence, their bodies warm from the water. Adora treasured moments like these. Sometimes they never went home and slept in the office because of stakeouts, deals that needed to be made and sometimes the risk of going home was too high.

Of course, she couldn’t complain.

She was the one who had started the gang after all.

“Hey Catra?” Adora asked, breaking the silence, her hand skimming gently through the water.

“Yeah?”

“I’m really happy you’re okay.”

Adora felt Catra’s arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer to plant a kiss on her cheek.

“Me too.”

Adora threaded her fingers through Catra’s hands and laid a soft kiss on her bruised knuckles. The two took turns washing each other with soap and Adora got out first. Catra wanted to say longer and eventually got out of the bath when it began to lose its warmth. She walked to their bedroom and changed into her silk pajamas before walking to the lounge to see Adora, sitting on her favourite leather seat in her matching silk pajamas, reading what Catra could only assume as their profits they had gained that month from their ‘business’.

“Come to bed, Adora. Enough work for tonight,” Catra whispered as she draped her arms around her girlfriend from behind the chair.

Adora nodded and put the papers down. With a soft smile followed Catra back to their bedroom and bandaged the last of Catra's bruises and got under the silk covers.

The couple knew that evenings like those were rare and that their lives could be upside down the next morning but if there was one thing that Adora had learnt while running the gang was that she needed to live in the moment.

No one could take that from her.

They switched off their lamps and, like clockwork, Catra laid her head on Adora’s chest, the sound of her heart beat lulling her to sleep while Adora gently threaded her hands through Catra's hair until she slipped quietly into the darkness.