#i am sorry but when he turned into a teen his base hair was the cat ears one

[baekuras]

Been chilling just playing some Sims4 today and having 2 families I switch between as I try to get to their grandchild who is my true aim in creating all this (don’t question me here i have goals and if things aren’t 100% or at least like 10% as I want them with some chaos between i am not touching it) and some highlights include

FutureGranny1 ALWAYS washes her hands after wohooing her husband (i checked) She also decided to hate gardening and does it on her own anyway. She keeps leveling up and being miserable about it She and her husband are also both level 10 at fishing (they are vampires, I like to both have a plasma source AND make money on the side AND level a skill apparently) Speaking of vampire things-granny has anxiety about the sun AND calm emotions so she is just fine or generally happy bc calm emotions sits above sun anxiety on the priorities list(nice) She had her first child at home but finished trolling the forums first before she just shot the kid out in their bedroom This was also during a thunderstorm while christmas music was playing(her favourite music) So of course right after their daughter is born grandad goes and cradles and coos at her for AGES while granny dances to christmas music I aimed for twins and because that didn’t happen I had them immediately try for another baby(with success ofc) For this onw(also a girl lol) she went into labor to metal music but had the kid at the hospital because grandad really needed to drink and drain spirits works best with his perks and weaknesses-so while she gave birth he terrorized the staff(right after that their cat got hot paws and needed to go to the vet as well, hospitals all around) Other granny funfact is that she is the local crime boss while grandad was really unhappy and shit at his old job and now does part-time fishing

Family 2 isn’t as old yet but I wanted drama so recent things is FutureGranny2 went to cheat on her husband with the neighbour RIGHT after she had tried for a baby with her husband(also with success)-she then went to go flirt her way back into husbands good graces, wohood with him in the shower while the sidepiece was sleeping in her bed still only for her husband to become her ex due to cardiac arrest Also her children are just about to move out-one got accepted into uni about an hour after his dad died and the other started a new job as a stylist or whatever it’s called and was also supposed to move out soon She may be pregnant with twins again but idk yet :3c (drama~) Oh also after all that 2 earthquakes happened in quick succession just to pile more shit onto the day lol

[visforvengeance]

Downright Iconic

Requested by: No One :)

Notes: helllllo! ok so i lovelovelove rafe and i've been seeing you guys do like a southern gothic type thing so I wanted to try as a southern (Georgia and texas) woman myself. so let me just say I am an atheist that grew up with a highly Christian family. I became an atheist when I was like 14 so idk too many bible verses and I'm sorry if anything is in accurate. I'm just sacrilegious af, like this story oh man. ok this is very much xblack reader based so idk read it or don't. this is heavily HEAVILY ethel cain coded, specifically gibson girl and western nights. i hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it!

Pairing: rafe cameron x black!southern reader

Warnings: oh man there's so many warnings omg ok. dacryphilia. hinted somnophilia, sexual religious themes, unprotected sex, graphic graphic graphic, degradation (slut, whore, etc), actual slut shaming, I was high while writing most of this and it went berserk. um it's 4k words of porn without plot. i didn't proofread. I don't remember all of the warnings so please read at your own risk!

You sat in the front row of your church, along with your family and others who were important to society. There was your family, the Pastor’s family, the Camerons (Ward Cameron is the mayor of your quaint little town). The Thorntons and the Carreras. Your father’s voice boomed throughout the small church as he recited Proverbs 3:5-6. Kiara’s father had asked him to speak on keeping up your faith after he learned of his daughter’s betrayal. 

She was caught dillydallying with that little blonde boy from the more southern parts of town. Her reputation took quite a hit when everyone found out. It nearly cost her family their business, if it weren’t for the closeness they shared with the Camerons, they’d have faced total ruin. 

You shifted in your seat uncomfortably as you looked over at your friend. She kept her head down and her hands in her lap while the grip her father held on her wrist visibly tightened. You wanted to go and comfort her, but you knew your mother would disapprove. When she found out about the news, she banned you from ever even looking at Kiara again. Which was hard because she was your greatest friend. Despite your mother’s wishes, you still hung around her. You were her rock whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on, you defended her from those who called her foul names and turned on her. 

Your eyes trailed over to the Cameron family. They all sat in their crisp and brightly colored Sunday’s best. Your eyes looked over the eldest child in the family, Rafe. He was a wild child, a true force to be reckoned with. Star athlete at your university, the town’s sweetheart. The boy your mama would be proud to call her son-in-law. The golden child. There was no better American teen than Rafe Cameron. Until the sun goes down and he’s the devil that lurks in the streets. 

Rafe was a notorious party animal. He’s single-handedly why your town has a curfew in the first place. Despite his daddy being the mayor and constantly under public scrutiny, everyone under the age of 27 knew what Rafe Cameron got into. The parties, the drugs and alcohol, premarital sex, he did all of it. 

The two eldest Cameron children were very sneaky. Sarah, who was more like her brother than she’d like to admit, was just as wild. For starters, she was dating one of those pogues. There’s nothing worse than dating a pogue around these parts. She claimed that they were in love and planned on leaving when they got the chance. You’d just nod and pet her hair, bless her heart. You weren’t a fan of slutshaming but if you looked up the very definition of a slut, there’d be a picture of Sarah sitting prettily. You didn’t know how the purity necklace Ward had gotten her hadn’t broken and melted to the ground from her sinful ways. But, you loved her nonetheless. 

Since you were 13 and could no longer control the urges that came with being a growing girl, there had always been something about Rafe. You had a crush on the older boy for years. You didn’t partake in things like masturbation, but on days where you nearly gave in, thoughts of Rafe ran across your mind. His toned body hovered above yours while his breath fanned over your features. He was between your legs, grinding against you so slowly that you felt everything he had to offer. 

Mama and daddy hadn’t taught you about sex yet. They always said that it was something you’d learn about when the time came. So, you didn’t know how vaginas and penises worked and how babies were made or why sometimes when you were alone, if you thought for too long then your breathing would become heavier and there’s this feeling in your stomach. And, you can’t keep your legs from rubbing together and you’re so hot, god (you’ll repent later), you could die. This unknown feeling gets so intense, but you’re so scared. So, you stop. You say your prayers and go to bed. You don’t tell anyone about these moments of little death. 

Rafe was always indifferent towards you until you turned 16 and your body developed more. And, you were no longer just his annoying little sister’s best friend. Fuck, you were so much more. Your tits practically burst out of your sports bra when he sees you practicing for cheerleading. 17 and your ass was looking too good in your jeans. 18 and the sway of your hips had him on his knees. 

He fucked countless girls dreaming that they were you instead. He just knows your virgin pussy would have him going crazy. He knew about your crush on him from one of the times you were talking to Kie while Sarah was out. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t wish you were in his arms too. But, something in him was holding him back. He never knew what and didn’t bother to try and figure it out. He wasn’t going to for a good long while. 

When you looked over at Rafe to discover he was already looking at you, your eyes widened and you immediately looked back at your father. Rafe felt his smirk grow. He spent his days in church daydreaming about bending you over and fucking you right in front of everyone and Jesus Christ himself. He laughed when he thought about the times he didn’t burst into flames. 

He tuned out the preaching as he imagined what your tits would like while he drenched your top in the holy water before him. He imagined it was you saying those prayers while you’re stupid crying on his cock, a girl like you should be praying to the correct god. Rafe wanted you so badly. He decided that he was done wasting time. He’d marry you and make you his pretty little housewife if he had to. He had to stop before the very thought of you being pregnant and swollen with his baby made him cum in his pants. 

After church, your father allowed you to hang out with Sarah at Tannyhill. The two of you lounged around by the pool while Rafe and his friends did the same on the opposite side. While you lay around, floating in the pool, you watched as Rafe watched you in the pool. The sunglasses helped tremendously at hiding your line of vision and allowed you to watch him without shame. His eyes trailed all over your body like he was in a trance and couldn’t choose where to look first. 

You sat yourself up on your elbows, tilting your sunglasses down to look at him. When he realized that you were looking at him, he gave you a small smile and a wink. He watched your doe eyes stare back up at him, your bottom lip being pulled in between your teeth while your eyes trailed down his torso. The heat combined with the brightness of the sun cast a light sheen on Rafe’s body. It was making you clench so deliciously around nothing and had you panting like a bitch in heat. 

Rafe chuckled as he inspected your behavior around him, but Sarah’s voice hid it well enough to go unnoticed. “Rafe, let’s have a party,” Sarah suggested. Rafe hardly ever said no to a party. Their parents left a lot so they had parties pretty often. But, you never attended them. Parties weren’t exactly your thing. You’d very much rather stay at home and watch a movie. Or the most adventurous you’d get is trespassing on public park grounds after hours. 

“I’m down. You spread the word and I’ll get the goods.” Sarah nodded as she began to gather her things, you began to make your way out of the water. Rafe eyed your backside while water cascaded down the smooth brown skin. He stood mesmerized with his tongue in his cheek as your ass jiggled behind you. His eyes never left your body while you walked inside the house. He couldn’t wait until he got his hands on you. 

After you and Sarah had settled inside, the two of you chilled inside her room for a bit. “You should come to the party.” Her and Kie always tried to get you to attend one but you always declined their advances. But, Sarah was being very persistent. “Why do you want me to come to your stupid party so bad? I’d feel so out of place. I don’t even have anything to wear.” You tried every excuse you had but Sarah wasn’t budging. “Look. We’re grown-ups now and you can’t just live your life like some virgin loser. You ain’t even had your first kiss yet, darling,” she says as she grabs your face so you’re looking at her. 

She was right. You’ve never been more intimate than holding hands. Your parents put the fear of god in you and it’s buried so far down inside of you, that the only way to purify yourself of it is to die. It’s not like boys hadn’t tried, but you’d push them away faster than they could say ‘hallelujah’. You didn’t know what had gotten into you. These kinds of things never worried you before but this crippling fear of missing out has invaded your brain. 

You stared up at the pale, peachy-colored ceiling and took a deep breath. “Fine, I’ll go,” you mumbled. Sarah began jumping around in excitement, “I still don’t have anything to wear, though. My clothes aren’t very party-like.” You frowned as you thought about your clothing options. They didn’t hug your body or show what you were working with. “Fuck it, we’re going shopping,” Sarah declares as she drags you out of bed. 

She convinced you to get this spicy little number that showed off the parts of your body you adored the most. The two of you rushed back to her house so you could get ready. Rafe had already started setting everything up. You were beyond nervous as you’d never done something like this before, definitely never wore anything like this either. Sarah helped you do your makeup, an hour she spent straddling your waist as she focused. You looked like a different person, you didn't even recognize yourself. It was strange. And, your parents would have a stroke if they saw you now. 

The house was filled before you knew it. Various stood all over with cups in their hands or they’re making out against the wall, to be honest, you were scared. You’d never seen so much vulgarity. You couldn’t believe you let Sarah talk you into this. Never again would you let it happen. She had the audacity to leave you alone and suck faces with John B. and you were pissed. You stood near the island of the kitchen with a solo cup in your hand. You were drinking the alcohol and it left you with an unrecognizable feeling. But it was a good one. The music calmed you, as did the LED lighting surrounding the place. You welcomed its embrace easier than you thought you would. 

You watched over the crowd, continuously drinking as you sat on the counter. It’s been an hour and Sarah still hasn't returned. You feared you looked like a drunken loser. And, you did. Meanwhile, Rafe stood on the other side of the house, directly across from you. His height and your sitting on the counter allowed him to watch you as the hour passed. He battled with whether he should approach you or not. The alcohol in his system lowered his inhibitions and lessened his worries. 

He pushed past the intoxicated groups of bodies and reached you. He stood in between your legs while his hands rested on either side of your thighs. Just like in your dream, you could feel the warmth of his breaths against your skin, you basked in it. He invaded your senses. His scent made you woozier along with the alcohol you consumed, he smelled of hints of beer and Bleu de Chanel. His body heat radiated off of him and onto you, engulfing you like a glove. His blue eyes were all that you could see as his half-lidded eyes looked down at you. If you were sober then you’d be questioning how he was able to tempt you like this. You’d do whatever he wanted of you if he asked. And, he liked it that way. 

“Hey, baby.” Baby? Did he know who he was talking to? “Hi, Rafe.” He fucking loved the way you said his name, he could feel his cock starting to stir in his pants. “My sister ditch you for that little bitch, John B. huh?” He was sweaty and breathing so heavily. It made you wonder what had him like this. But, you nodded and continued to look into his eyes. “You want me to take you upstairs to keep you company?” His fingers were caressing your thigh at this point. His touch burned you but you liked it. That didn’t sound like such a bad idea. “Yeah,” you whispered to him. He helped you off of the counter and held your hand, pulling you upstairs to his bedroom. He absolutely had no intentions of talking, unless it was to talk you right out of this little dress you were wearing that made his dick jump in his shorts. 

Once you were in the quietness of his bedroom, he locked the door behind him. He sat closely next to you on his bed. He eyed your body, focusing on the plushness of your tits that spilled out of your dress. And, your thighs that looked so soft, it made him want to mark them up. Fuck, he had to have you. It made you nervous being under his gaze for this long and this closely. He usually never paid you any attention and now, suddenly, it was all on you. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he started. He stared at you intently, practically moving you on top of him. You were hot all over. “Thank you,” you sounded more confused than pleased but Rafe could sense your nervousness and it was turning him on more than he thought was possible. 

His fingers played with your inner thighs, softly drawing circles on them. “You know it’s funny. Sarah would be so pissed if she saw us right now.” You were breathless. And drunk. And so fucking close to him. And, there’s a little voice in the back of your head that’s begging you to get ahold of yourself and go home! But, you had to see this out. Maybe, you’d been praying and pleading with God to allow something like this to happen. Maybe, you’d let Rafe do whatever he wanted to you tonight. Maybe, you were willing to be Eve and let Rafe be the serpent that tempts you. 

“Why?” He chuckled and shook his head. You were just a dumb little girl after all. He couldn’t wait until you were his. He’d teach you. And, mold you into his perfect woman. His pretty, pliant princess. “Because she wouldn’t want her brother and her best friend fucking each other. Not if it’s me and not if it’s you.” Everyone and their mother knew you were too good for anyone, especially Rafe. He may have been everyone’s favorite boy but they knew he had a temper on him. 

“You wanna fuck me?” Were you in heaven? Like actually? You knew what ‘fucking’ meant but not exactly how to do it. But, that didn’t mean it wasn’t making you incredibly wet to know that it was what he wanted to do with you. You looked at him with wide eyes. He nodded before pressing his lips to your neck, kissing and sucking at your pulse point. “I can’t stop thinking about how that pussy would feel wrapped around my cock, mama.” His fingers were now grazing the poor excuse for underwear that you were wearing. Sarah made you buy some thongs because something about panty lines not being attractive or whatever. 

You opened your legs wider for him, which made him groan into your neck. He pulled your panties to the side and was immediately met with your wetness. He softly rubbed your clit, your slick making it easy for his fingers to glide across it, quickly bringing you to orgasm. It happened too quickly for you to provide a proper warning but Rafe wasn’t complaining as he watched you come undone in his lap. Your thighs still shook around his wrist while you came down from your high. 

“That was so hot, baby.” He pecked your lips once, then twice. “I’ve never done that before,” you mumbled. You were beyond embarrassed to admit that. But, Rafe managed to calm you down by stroking your arm. “Not even on your own?” You shook your head. You heard Sarah and Kie talk about cumming and how it felt but you could only imagine. You almost did try pleasuring yourself once, but you were already so scared. Your parents were supposed to be out and all was good until you heard your mom calling for you and you never tried again. 

Rafe was having such a hard time trying not to rip your clothes off and fuck you beyond repair. So pretty and so untouched. He didn’t care if it was obsessive or predatory, you were going to be his. He was going to make sure of it. “Do you wanna do it again, babe?” After you gave him a yes, he wasted no time in getting both of your clothes off. Rafe couldn’t believe you were letting him do this. He didn’t believe in God and all of that shit but he was silently thanking whoever there was for this moment that he could only dream of. He thought with you being the pastor’s daughter, that you’d at least make him wait. But, you were just as wanting as he was. Or, you were proper drunk. But, that’s not what matters. 

Rafe paused before reattaching himself to your body, his eyes looked over it. Admiring it. Was he in love with you? He could picture his life with you. You’d give him a handsome son and a beautiful daughter. And, even after you’ve aged and had kids, you’d still be his beautiful, loyal fucking housewife. Oh, shit. He had to be in love with you. He hadn’t even stuck his dick in you yet and he’s daydreaming about giving you his kids, what the fuck. He’d never felt this fucking giddy about a girl until you. You made him feel like a little schoolgirl with a crush or some shit. It was unnerving. But, right now he was going to make you see God on his cock, and feelings will come later. 

He leaned over, scattering kisses around your body. “You’re so beautiful, baby. The most beautiful I’ve ever seen.” And he meant it this time. As his lips enclosed themselves around your nipple, teeth grazing them, he moaned. “So fucking beautiful, princess.” He was moaning like a slut above you and you were still a virgin in his bed. He was screwed. However, he didn’t see the effect all of this had on you. Your hips were twitching uncontrollably because of the proximity and of him and his words and his actions. You were begging for something, you didn’t know what. But, you were so fucking desperate for Rafe, you couldn’t bear it. You felt tears sliding down the sides of your face, Rafe noticed in his daze which made him stutter a bit. Were you crying?

“Are you…fucking crying? Baby?” His hands caressed your cheeks but his tone was mocking you. And, you liked it. You nodded shyly. He scoffed and smirked, kissing your head. “Why are you crying, hm?” You were too afraid to say that it was because you were inexperienced. And, your inability to do what you wanted was making you frustrated. Rafe looked at you expectantly, even nudging your cheek a bit. You sighed, “I can’t say what I want you to do to me because I can’t articulate it well enough. Rafe, I don’t know what any of this is or how I’m feeling and I need you to-” You stopped yourself. You couldn’t say it. Your one piece of dignity wouldn’t allow you to. “You need me to teach you, baby? You want Daddy to show you how to make yourself feel good when he can’t help you?” It felt like the fucking wind had been knocked out of you as he spoke. 

“W-what?” Your eyes were wide. No one had ever spoken to you this way. And, you think you’d be quite disgusted if it were anyone else. But, Rafe was making you leave a puddle on his damn sheets. He situated himself between your legs so that his cock lay flat against your clit. He pushed his hips into you, which caused you to shiver. “I said, do you need me to show you what it feels like to lose your mind?” His hips never stopped moving. And, you never stopped moaning. What the hell was happening? You didn’t know, but you didn’t want it to stop. You were begging God to not let it stop, you didn’t care about any of it at this moment. Not what your family would think if they knew what a little whore you were being for this white boy. And, you didn’t care if you were going to hell, because as long as you had Rafe with you, no place would be as bad. As Rafe humped you into a senseless, babbling mess, your last comprehensive thought was that you now belonged to Rafe Cameron. He was yours as you were his and nothing would be able to change that. You didn’t know what voodoo magic Rafe had coursing through him but you knew you’d never be separated, till death do you part. 

His hips stopped when he realized he hadn’t gotten a response. “I can’t hear you, pretty girl. You listening?” You whined at the loss of friction but answered. “Yes, baby. I need you to teach me. Please just fuckin teach me, Rafe.” You didn’t know that you just signed your deal with the devil. When Rafe said teach you, he really meant teach you. 

~Now, dearest reader, I beg you let your imagination run wild with that last one.~ 

That was enough of a confirmation for Rafe as his hips resumed their movement. You were feeling the same things as you did when you were alone but more intense. Your tummy twisted with pleasure as your legs clasped tightly around Rafe's slutty, little waist. Your nails raked across his back harshly, but he didn’t mind. Your legs began to shake and you were panting now. You couldn’t describe this feeling, but you trusted Rafe. If he felt nothing was wrong then you allowed yourself to truly embrace it. He looked down at you, kissing you all over your face. “Come on, baby, you can do it. Give me what I want, can you do that? You gonna make a mess of me?” 

You were blinded by white, hot pleasure. Rafe watched as your eyes rolled to the back of your head, he could feel the wet spawning of your pussy against him. You were fucking majestic. He wanted to watch you cum over and over again, that was his goal tonight. You felt yourself grow tired as you came down from your high. Rafe planted kisses all over your face again, “you did so good, baby.” You hummed in acknowledgment, beginning to fall asleep. But, Rafe tapped your cheek rather harshly. “What are ya doing, huh? You thought we were done?” You whined. Your half-lidded eyes stared up at Rafe. “But, Rafey, I’m so tired.” He manhandled you onto your back again, hiking your leg around his waist as he began to line himself up with your entrance. 

“That’s not my problem, baby. I didn’t get to cum and you did twice. That’s not fair, princess. Don’t you want Daddy to feel good too?” You nodded, sleepily. “Good girl. Just let me fuck you, and then you can go to sleep, alright?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he pushed himself into you, bottoming out. He didn’t bother checking up on you as he was fucking for his pleasure now. He moaned at the feeling of your tight cunt squeezing his cock, already trying to milk him for everything he’s got. 

“Fuck, you feel so good, baby.” He hadn’t felt anyone as tight as you since he first fucked a girl. He began thrusting inside of you, causing the both of you to moan. You were half asleep while he pounded your shit. The room was filled with the sounds of skin slapping, and wet pussy, and heavy groans and soft moans. It was purely pornographic. If only God could see you now. If only your father and mother could see you now. 

The brutal fucking Rafe was giving you was fast and hard, but he was hitting that sweet spot so deliciously. You were clenching uncontrollably around him as you began squirting around him. When Rafe realized, he cursed under his breath. His hips stuttered as he watched the sight below him. When Rafe saw the tears streaming down your face again, it had him spilling inside of you. Mixtures of curses and groans left him as he came. 

His head was in the crop of your neck while you played with his hair. You began to fall asleep again, feeling content just like this. Despite the mess you were laying in. But, Rafe began to move his hips again. Slowly this time. “Rafe, you said-“ “sh shh, baby, just go to sleep. Don’t worry about this.”

[deathbxnny]

greetings, scar, jiyan and aalto saving a teen!reader from a TD attack/outburst?

I really enjoyed writing this request, Anon, so thank you so much for sending this in, and I hope you'll enjoy this!!<33

Content: Angst, mentions of near death for reader, teen reader, hurt/comfort, platonic relationships, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!!

((Not proofread))

》AALTO

Aalto looked away from you for 2 seconds, only to find himself in the middle of a TD attack and unabke to see you anywhere. He panics, yelling your name over the crowd of monsters that blocked his view of you whilst trying to keep an eye on Encore, who looked equally as worried. "Damnit... Encore! Keep them back long enough for me to find them, okay?" Aalto yelled out as he pushed his way through the wave of enemies determinedly.

Different from the pink haired girl, he knew that you had a much harder time fighting back since your skill set wasn't good enough for that yet. So he had to find you and fast. "Kid?! Where are you?" He shouted over the blaring sound of gunshots, Encore's giggles somewhere in the distance, and the screeching of TDs around him.

His heart dropped when he finally saw you pressed up against a tree and cornered by several monsters. Knowing that he had to save you, he immediately sprung into action and took care of the threats before they could lay a hand on you. Encore joined you two soon after everything settled down, having somehow taken down most of them on her own.

The older man was meanwhile left panting and hunched over, clearly exhausted mentally and physically by the ordeal whilst you casually stood next to your pink haired companion. "Ah... I'm getting too old for this..." Aalto muttered weakly before looking up at the both of you with a deadpan.

"You know... maybe those parents with child leashes weren't that weird after all..."

》JIYAN

Jiyan was calmly resting and drinking tea on the military base when a soldier suddenly came running in completely disheveled. He didn't waste any time telling him about how the patrol division you were a part of was attacked and needed backup immideatly. Knowing that you were still too young to handle such a massive wave of enemies, the general immideatly stood up and made his way to you.

He wasted no time to cut down through the masses with his own troops and weapon until he found you surrounded by huge TDs. You were clearly exhausted and definitely at the brink of collapsing, something that worried the man even more as he approached you quickly.

"Don't worry, (Y/N)! I'm right here." He reassured you gently, wanting to lessen your fears as he made quick work of the monsters. His troops came in afterward to take control of the situation better and to tend to the injured on his command, whilst he checked up on your shaken form. He knew that it was wrong to send someone as young as you out here, but he couldn't have expected that a short and small patrol could cause such chaos.

"Sorry, this won't happen again, I promise... are you injured? Let's go back to the base." The man hummed as he called in for a retreat and took you back for a checkup.

He was just glad that he was there on time.

》SCAR

Scar was having the time of his life, as he watched a massive wave of TD monsters attack and destroy troops of the enemy faction below the ledge he was standing on. A bright grin rested on his lips, chest swollen with arrogant pride whilst he crossed his arms tightly. "Haha! Look at them struggling down there! How pathetic, am I right, brat?" When he didn't hear you agreeing like you usually do, he turned his head towards you with a raised brow. "... brat? Where the-" Realising that you had disappeared, he scanned the area quickly to look for you, only to see you fighting back against TDs below him as well.

"Huh??? Oh, you've got to be kidding me-" Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he jumped down immideatly to snatch you up by your collar after he got rid of the monsters with a simple attack. "How did you even get down here? Whatever, just don't do that again, got it? Man, and I was just having fun too..." The man huffed, yet froze at your nervous and ashamed expression.

You were the youngest of the Fractsidus members and often hung around Scar during missions for guidance. So disappointing him was the last thing you wanted to do, something he knew ofcourse. Sighing deeply, he cleared his throat. "Not that it matters. Let's get out of here before our dearest enemies call in for backup." He hummed before just casually throwing you over his shoulder and walking off.

It seemed like he had a soft spot for you after all, despite your initial doubts.

[thechildbythesea]

Request - "The Story We Weren't Told"

@rubixpsyche

hi there! i am so sorry that this story took so long! i hope it is worth the wait!

also, i may have gotten carried away, sorry

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Summary: A silly little story in which, as per the usual shenanigans, Miko finds her way to somewhere she shouldn’t, dragging a concerned Raf and Jack with her.

Only, the “silly” doesn’t last as long as it should.

Word Count: 3763

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It had been nearly half a steller cycle since Optimus Prime had checked up on the Rescue Bots in Griffin Rock. The Prime was curious as to how they were getting along with the mission he had given them and was starting to wonder if the Decepticons had found their way to their part of the world.

“For their sake, I hope not…” Optimus muttered to himself, lightly shaking his helm as he decided to contact the Rescue Bots. With the activity from the Decepticons as of late, especially with how widespread their sightings seemed to be getting, Optimus was getting worried that it wouldn’t be long before the cons stumbled across Griffin Rock and the Rescue Bots. 

Not to mention the many experimental technologies that littered the island. The technology may be primitive when compared to Cybertronian technology, however, he couldn’t deny just how dangerous the tech could be if the cons managed to get their servos into Doc Greenes Lab, or worse, find their way to that island where they hideaway dangerous tech.

As the other side rang out, the humans along with their guardians returned to the base; laughing and conversations about the school day could be heard as the trio of young humans climbed up to the station they had made their own. Optimus couldn’t help the small and rare smile as he watched the trio from the corner of his optic.

“This is Heatwave, of Sigma 17- Oh, Optimus!” Heatwave stopped his formal greeting as he saw who it was, most likely not expecting to see the Autobot Leader so soon. Heatwave’s posture got noticeably straighter as he spoke to the prime.

“Hello Heatwave, I wanted to check in and see how your mission is faring.” He explained, watching as Heatwave went from being confused back to a neutral look “I believe it’s going well, me and my team have learned a lot from our human partners. And from the island inhabitants.”

“Even from Kade Burns?” The Prime’s tone was almost amused, as he had witnessed the sort of rivalry between the fire rescue team. 

As much as the two butted heads, Heatwave and Kade had more in common than either of them seemed to realize, or would have cared to admit. 

Heatwave turned his helm away from the screen, almost as if he was embarrassed to admit it. “Well, despite his best efforts, yes, even from Kade.” Heatwave finally answered after a few nano-klicks had passed, facing the screen once more. 

However, the attention from the rescue bot seemed to have been cut short as Heatwave’s helm suddenly snapped to the side once more as he heard the rescue alarm sound “I hate to cut this short, but I must-”

“No need to explain Heatwave, I will contact you later.” With a final nod, Heatwave ended the video feed. Miko looked up at the Prime “Who was that?” She asked, leaning against the railing, Optimus looked down at the young girl “That was Heatwave, leader of the Rescue Bots located in Griffin Rock.”

“Griffin Rock? Never heard of it.” Miko casually stated with a shrug, but Raf’s eyes lit up at the name “I have! It’s the capital of engineering! New technology is constantly being developed and tested there!” The young Latino stated with such enthusiasm, pulling up a picture of Griffin Rock on his laptop, and showing it to his friends.

“That there is Chief Charlie Burns,” he started, pointing to a tall man, wearing a police uniform, his hair was silver, with a moustache to match. Whether his hair was that colour from being old, or the stress of the job was any of the teen's guesses, though the man was fit and looked like he had more than a few years left in him. 

“These are his four kids. They run the Rescue team on the island. A true family of heroes!” Jack looked at the picture, and immediately focused on the four tall robots in the background, standing behind the family, and upon taking a closer look, he saw the distinct insignia of the Autobots that was located on each of the bot's chassis’ “So, those are the rescue bots?” He asked, looking back at Optimus as he pointed to the image, the prime simply nodded.

“Rescue Bots? I thought they were all gone.” Arcee stated as she walked up to the group, Bumblebee following right behind her. They were both surprised to find out that no one had told them that there were rescue bots still around. “Why aren’t they here?”

“Because I didn’t want them in danger of the Decepticons. If Megatron finds out of their existence…” Optimus trailed off, the looks on his team's faceplates solidifying he didn’t need to continue that sentence. 

And while the children understood the gravity of the situation, they all grew curious about the Rescue Bots, but silently agreed they would save those questions for another time.

After a few hours, when he was sure, or at least hoped, that the rescue day had calmed down, Optimus decided to contact the Burns Family directly. When the commlink was answered, young Cody Burns showed up on the screen, the young blonde smiling wide “Optimus!” He said enthusiastically “Heatwave told us, well told Kade, who told the rest of us, that you had called this morning.” the young boy explained with a smile on his features, but his face soon shifted into worry “Wait, is there something wrong? Is that why you're calling back?”

“No, my young friend, there is nothing wrong.” The Prime started reassuringly “I was hoping to speak with your father about another visit to the island.” Optimus finally admitted, causing Cody to relax and drawing the attention of the teens of Team Prime. 

“Sure thing. Dad should be in his office. I’ll patch you through to him.” 

While Optimus began to talk to the Chief, Miko gathered her two friends into a huddle “We should totally follow Optimus when he goes to Griffin Rock!” She whispered excitedly, hoping not to draw attention. Jack gave her a credulous look “No, Miko, we shouldn’t.” He stated in a final tone. Miko pouted “You are no fun. You heard what Raf said! There’s so much to do there!” Her excitement at the possibility of the chance of going to a completely new place was obvious, but Jack wasn’t having it.

Jack was sure that if it was possible, a vein would be popping at the top of his head, the oldest sighed “Miko, we can’t just go! We need to think about what my mom, Raf’s parents and your host parents would think!” Jack argued, Miko simply shrugged, her usually carefree look on her face “My host parents don’t care… I’m pretty sure I scare them.” She sounded almost a bit too proud at that last statement, the smile she had only proved it. Jack looked at Raf, who looked a little sheepish, picking the skin off his fingers “If I tell my parents I’m with a friend and I’m keeping up with my studies they won’t mind.” Raf’s face was starting to look hopeful too. Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair as he knew for a fact his mom would say no to the whole thing. She would definitely kill him.

Bulkhead looked over at the trio, raising a suspicious optic ridge to Miko specifically, he knew her well enough by now to know when she was planning something “Miko, what are you planning now?” He asked, making Miko jump, turn and smile innocently “Nothing Bulk! Just chatting with my friends about schoolwork!” She said, trying her best to sound as innocent as possible. As much as those puppy eyes weakened him, Bulkhead remained suspicious of Miko.

“Thank you, Chief Burns. I shall see you tomorrow afternoon then.” Optimus stated and Charlie nodded “Of course, it’s a pleasure to have you anytime, Optimus. And you can tell me more about that worry once you're here.” Optimus nodded once, before ending the call. As secure as he knew their commlink was, Optimus didn’t want to take any chances.

The Prime turned to the side, just in time to see Bulkhead and Arcee interrogating Miko. 

“Come on! I’m not always planning mischief!”

“That’s a lie, you're always causing some sort of trouble.”

“Hey! Bulkhead! Tell her!”

“Sorry Miko, but I’m siding with Arcee here.”

Miko growled, stomping her foot before flopping down on the old couch, pouting.

Optimus shook his helm fondly, the small smile going unnoticed by his team.

The next day, the teens weren’t at school and had arrived at the base early to watch morning cartoons with Bumblebee. As Ratchet and Optimus prepared the ground bridge for its next destination, the medic let out a deep vent “Optimus, I can understand the concern for the Rescue Bots. But surely, a visit this soon isn’t necessary.” Optimus looked down at his old friend, he understood why his medic was so concerned. Optimus let out a soft vent of his own “I know, old friend, but I fear the Decepticons may be getting close to the island.”

Ratchet narrowed his optics up at Optimus, who only placed a gentle servo on his shoulder “I will be no more than three solar cycles.” The pointed staring contest didn’t last long, Ratchet deeply sighing once more before pressing in the coordinates for Griffin Rock’s Rescue Station.

The chief had agreed that if the threat Optimus was worried about truly was on the island, ground bridging into the station would be best. 

-

“Optimus is coming? Here? Today?!!” Blades voice was full of shock and a bit of panic, and Heatwave could understand why; it was short notice on the Chief's part.

The chief nodded, an apologetic look on his face “Yes, and I’m sorry, I did mean to tell you yesterday, but with the surge of rescues that happened, I didn’t have the time.”

“We can understand Chief, the number of rescues yesterday threw us all off,” Heatwave said in understanding. And honestly, it didn’t make much sense to him. Sure their island had its fair share of mishaps and issues, but half of what happened; things going haywire, buildings collapsing with no proof the building's structure was compromised naturally, none of it sat right in Heatwave’s processor, Boulder had even commented about possible sabotage, as it wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to give them a bad rep. And while they brushed it off at first, Heatwave wasn’t so sure now.

“Optimus should be here any minute. He informed me that he’ll be “ground bridging” directly into the station.”

Heatwave raised an optic ridge at that piece of information; usually, Optimus would travel a little less obviously, the prime often finding himself travelling on the ferry. “Excuse me, Chief.” Heatwave started as he watched the oldest human leave, Charlie turned back and looked at the Rescue Bot leader “Why is Optimus ground bridging?” The human simply shrugged “I’m not sure, he said there was something he needed to discuss with us, but he didn’t feel the commlink was secure enough.”

Heatwave thought that was odd, but only nodded as he let the chief continue with his morning routine for the team.

Exactly at Noon, Optimus stepped through the ground bridge and into the Rescue Station, when he arrived, he only noticed Cody was there to greet him. “Hello, young burns.” He greeted, looking around the room for any sign of the other humans. “Hey Optimus, Dad wanted me to fill you in on all the details,” Cody stated, getting right to the point as if he could read the question that was lingering on the Prime’s processor. It seems the feeling that Optimus had was not simply his paranoia running wild.

As the ground bridge closed behind the Prime, 3 figures emerged from the closing portal. Cody looked at the humans curiously. “Ugh, that I don’t think I will ever get over that feeling..” the shortest of the trio muttered, a sickly look on his face.

The girl beside him giggled “I know! It bothered me at first, but now it feels electric! It's awesome!”

The final was a boy with black hair, who looked really annoyed “We are so going to get into trouble once Optimus spots us!” He sounded the oldest, and very exacerbated.

“Hey! Who are you three?” The blond asked, tilting his head curiously.

Miko opened her mouth to speak but the deep, disapproving voice of the Prime sounded instead “They’re in big trouble.”

Jack glared at Miko while Raf walked up to Cody. Upon closer inspection, it looked like the two were the same age. The Latino smiled and offered his hand “They’re Miko Nakadai and Jack Darby. I’m Rafael Esquivel, but most call me Raf. I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

Cody smiled and took the other boy's hand “Cody Burns, wish I could say the same.” He said with a light laugh. 

“What are you three doing here?” Optimus asked as he lowered himself to his knee so he was more level with the human children. “It was Miko’s fault.” Jack stated, the volume of his voice was level but his tone showed just how annoyed he was at the younger teen “She somehow convinced Raf to follow you through the ground bridge when you left. I chased after them because I thought I would be able to stop them before the bridge closed.” Jack explained, fighting the urge to keep glaring at Miko.

The Japanese girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms “Puh. Lease. As if you didn’t want to come!” She accused, Jack snarled, narrowing his eyes “Even if I did; that isn’t an excuse! Did either of you-”

“I told my parents I would be staying at a friend's to study for upcoming exams. As long as I send proof of the work I’m doing, which should be easy enough, they said it was fine.” Raf explained, fixing his glasses that had slipped down his nose.

“I told my host parents the same, they were against it at first, but when I mentioned Raf, they were all for it.” Miko stated, her demeanour as confident as ever with a cocky smirk. Jack groaned as he ran a hand through his hair “Well good for you! Because I had no plans of joining in and thus; Mom doesn’t know!” 

Cody watched the commotion with a smile, it sort of reminded him of how his siblings often bickered with each other “Um, if you want, we can go to the com room that Heatwave uses and contact your base. To try and sort this out?” Cody offered, looking at the prime, who in turn was looking at his human charges. Optimus let out a deep vent before nodding.

-

Even though it was a quick call, Jack thought it lasted far longer, since with all the rules his mom listed, it felt like at least 2 hours. 

“I can’t believe my mom let me stay…” Jack said, in disbelief, Miko smirked at the older teen, nudging him lightly “You know your mom is weak to Optimus’ charms.” She chimed, making him groan “Ugh! Don’t remind me!”

Cody looked at Raf with a confused look “What do they-” Raf shook his head with a smile “I’ll tell you later.”

As the group returned to the main section of the Rescue base, Cody was quick to notice his family and the rescue bots were waiting for them. “It’s good to see you made it Optimus,” The chief greeted before seeing the three teens standing behind his youngest.

The oldest looked a little sheepish at intruding, the girl was just grinning as she looked towards the bots while the youngest was staring at the bots in awe.

“Who are your friends, Optimus?”

“This is Jack, Miko and Rafael. The young humans that are under the care of my team.” Optimus introduced them.

“We’re more than that boss bot,” Miko stated with a smile

The chief walked closer to the humans and offered his hand “It’s a pleasure to meet you, kids. I’m Charlie Burns, Chief of the rescue station.” 

Jack took his hand “Jack Darby, and we’ve heard about you, mostly from Raf, but it’s an honour.” He greeted.

Miko was quick towards the Rescue Bots “You guys look awesome!”

“Wait, what did you mean? That you’re ‘more than that’?” Graham asked with a raised brow, a little confused at the girl's statement.

The young Japanese girl only smiled “Just as it sounds graham. We do our share for the bots.” She stated with such a confident tone, that it surprised the Burns family a little, but Optimus, Jack and Raf weren’t; Raf and Optimus just looked at Miko with a fond and amused look while Jack looked like he was ready to kill her or himself.

But then Kade snapped from the audacity of the child and looked at Miko cautiously “wait, how did you know-”

“Well Kade, if you were listening,” Miko said, staring at the red-head with a smirk, finding it funny that Kade was now on guard.

“As funny as it is to see worked up, can you answer the question instead of messing with him?” Heatwave pipped up, causing the humans to stare.

Miko just grinned “Yooo! That’s your actual voice!”

Raf fixed his glasses before he looked up at Heatwave “Well, um...Heatwave?” Raf hesitated, wondering if he remembered the name Optimus had said just the other day.

The fire bot paused, obviously not expecting the human to know his name, before nodding.

“I did some research on the Burns family before we came here.” Raf started as he looked up at the bot “I’ve actually been really interested in coming here for a while, the tech here is amazing! I’ve even wanted to meet Dr.Greene-”

“Oh, we know him!” Cody suddenly pipped up, Raf looked at the blond “Wait really?” He asked, his voice sounding excited, Cody nodded “Yup! I’m actually best friends with his daughter, Frankie. I could actually show you around the island too,” 

Raf felt what he could only describe as an explosion in his chest, fighting the urge to start bouncing on his heels in excitement “Could you?? Can I meet her? Them?” Raf asked, before pausing and looking up at Optimus with an almost nervous look “if that’s okay?”

Optimus thought for a moment before looking at the Chief “If it’s alright with the Chief, I see no reason why you can’t. However, I will leave it up to the chief.” He stated,

Cody looked at the chief, only his look was more expectant with puppy eyes to match, and even though the puppy eyes rarely worked on the old chief anymore, the man still sighed with a smile “Okay, okay. Fine. But maybe you should go with one of the bots.” Charlie said, making it sound like a suggestion but Cody picked - up the hint easily enough.

As did Dani as she motioned to the younger two boys “Come on, Blade’s and I can give you a lift.” 

Rafael grinned, watching Blades transform before joining Dani and Blades.

-

It had been a full day since the humans of Jasper made their way towards Griffen Rock.

Miko had found her place playing video games against Kade and Dani, beating the two of them pretty easily.

Jack decided to stick with the bots, learning what he could about the Rescue Bots and their purpose and overall history.

Raf found himself mixing between the two, joining in when talking to Boulder and Graham about tech, earth and everything great about both.

But when it came to the Rescue Team being called on for missions, Raf mostly found himself hanging out with Cody in the communication room while Jack sat with The Chief and Chase and Miko was with Dani and Blades. 

Surprisingly enough, Miko was a quick learner when it came to medical techniques.

Earlier that day, Raf had watched the screens from over Cody’s shoulder, watching the screens the blond wasn’t looking at.

“Okay team, just like yesterday, watch out for any unusual activity. These emergencies can’t be more than coincidences.”

There was a collected “got it” over the comm before things went quiet.

The Latino simply stood by, being an extra pair of eyes. But a few times, Raf thought he saw familiar purple cars riding throughout the town, but he didn’t say anything, since at a quick glance, it didn’t seem important.

But ever since Optimus spoke to Charlie privately when they had gotten back, Cody and Rafael had actually picked up that there was more to the Prime’s ‘routine visit’ than what he was letting on.

As Raf watched over the screen, once again he noticed the familiar purple shine, his eyes narrowed as Raf took over the controls “Did you see something?” Cody asked curious 

”Is that what I think it is…” Raf muttered as he continued to focus on the screen, not answering the person beside him.

“Well, what is it?” Cody asked confused, watching the screen as the Latino boy froze the footage before zooming into the freezeframe and clearing the pixelated image. His narrowed eyes then widened in realization. 

“It can’t be…” The brunette took a step back from the screen instinctually, a sudden fear rushing through him.

“Raf, what is it?” The young Burns asked, his tone almost pleading as he saw the sudden fear in his friend's face.

 “That’s a vehicon…” he muttered, zooming in further and finding the undeniable Decepticon symbol “The cons are here…” Raf plugged his laptop into the console, quickly downloading the footage of the con.

Cody looked at Raf suddenly “Con’s?” The boy started, watching the other boy work.

“What are Cons?” He asked cautiously, his features and tone filled with worry. 

Raf unplugged his laptop from the charger “Decepticons. The faction that pretty much started the civil war that Optimus and Team Prime are now fighting in Jasper.” He quickly explained, running towards the bunker where the rest of the Burns family, and Team Prime, were.

“War? What war?” Cody called after the Latino. The Rescue Bots hadn’t said much about their home, just that it was no longer inhabitable due to war, but Optimus hadn’t told them much about the war that destroyed their home. The Rescue Bots just assumed the war had ended, it had been the equivalent of thousands of human years, surely it would be over by now…

Right?

[medusapelagia]

The scorpion and the frog - Harringrove Love Fest 11th February

written for @harringrovelovefest

Rating: Teen and Up Relationship: Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove Prompt: You give love a bad name TW: angst with happy ending

Steve sighs in his dressing room while getting ready to shot, Robin, his personal assistant, got everything ready for him: his favorite snacks, some mango-flavored water, and even his lucky charm, but Steve knew that this movie was going to be the hardest he ever shot.

His reflection looks back at him, mocking him, and he brushes his hair with his fingers trying to fight the anxiety: he looks good, he knows he does, but inside he feels raw. Gulping some flavored water he takes a last glimpse at the script, it’s the first day of shooting so it’s just a sort of warm-up for everyone, still, he wants this to be over as soon as possible.

He takes a pair of Ray-ban and goes outside where the producer is waiting for him.

“Good morning, everyone. Sorry for the delay. I had a phone call…” He starts, but the producer shakes his head.

“Don’t worry, we are still waiting for him.”

Him.

William fucking Hargrove.

“Oh. Is he late?”

“Are you surprised? He is always late.” Max, Billy's assistant, complains “You could start by shooting your scene if you want to.” She suggests while she keeps calling the other actor with her mobile phone; Steve turns toward the producer who is yelling something at the phone with someone else and shrugs, he can’t play an entire scene on his own, he needs at least some direction.

“Are you feeling lost, pretty boy?” 

Steve doesn’t turn to greet Hargrove “You are late.”

“Am I?” The actor asks, shaking his blond mane like a lion.

“You know you are, dick head, now get ready, everyone was waiting for you!” Max scolds him, but Billy ignores her and throws his jacket to one of the assistants.

“I’m ready.”

“You haven’t even taken a look at the script!” Max yells and the boy turns annoyed.

“I don’t need to, Maxine,” he replies and the girl glares at him for using her complete name “I know the script by heart, tell me which scene we are going to shoot and I will be fine.” Then he turns toward a blond girl “Can you fix my makeup, sugar?”

“Chrissy. The name is Chrissy!” Another blond-haired boy replies and Billy turns toward him.

“I don’t give a fuck about what her name is, is that clear? I just care that she does her fucking job. Do you have something to say about that?” Hargrove growls, and the other boy is ready to snarl something back but the girl puts a hand on his arm.

“It’s fine Jason, we are already late. Mr. Hargrove, please follow me.” She says pointing toward the trailer where she has everything ready.

“What a piece of shit.” Robin whispers when Hargrove disappears inside the trailer “I don’t know why Murray chose him as a protagonist.”

Steve sighs, he knows perfectly well why he did: Hargrove is a rising star, every movie has taken at least 50 million at the box office, and he is a safe bet, not like Steve who used to be a baby star and now is working hard to make the leap and finally became a serious actor, not the boy that used to play the kid in that television series years ago.

The ex-child prodigy was so happy at the table read when he first met Hargrove: their chemistry was undeniable and Murray immediately decided to add even more scenes between the two of them, which sounded like a dream at the time, but now Steve is deeply regretting it because more scene together lead to more time spent together and…

“Still daydreaming, pretty boy?”

Steve bites his tongue and smiles back, feeling the sour taste of bile in the back of his mouth “I’m ready when you are Mr. Hargrove.” He replies avoiding the piercing blue eyes.

“Mr. Hargrove is my father.” The blond actor replies offended “Never call me like that again.” Then he lifts Steve’s chin with a finger “I thought we were on first name base, Stevie.” 

If first name base means getting fucked out of his mind in the back of Billy’s Camaro, yeah, they were, but Billy made it clear that he didn’t want any commitment and Steve accepted, not knowing that the damage was already done, that his stupid heart was already in love with the famous actor.

“We were, Billy.” Steve replies, moving away from Billy’s grip and turning toward the set “Are you ready or what?” And Steve should have known better than to reply like that because the innocent smile Billy gives him breaks him even harder.

“Such a hard worker.” Billy says out loud, but when he gets closer to Steve he whispers “Good boys get prizes, did you know that?”

Steve swallows, and curses when he feels something twitching in his pants, but keeps himslef focused: they have a job to do and he can’t fuck this up. If he plays his card well he might even get a Golden Globe nomination.

***

Billy can be an asshole outside the set, but when they are working he is very professional: he never asks for a moment of rest and it’s always eager to hear the director’s opinion on his performance, ready to redo the same scene even fifty times until everyone is satisfied, which today means that Billy grinds against Steve almost all day. One time he is cocky, one time he is sweet, another is angry, and all that Steve has to do is say his line, get a chair, and sits with his legs spread, waiting to find out if Billy will crawl at his feet, or stomping toward him and yank him by his collar, but every single time the scene ends with a passionate kiss between the two of them.

Well, not really the two of them, more like… their characters.

Because Steve is not Andrew and Billy is not Thomas, as Steve keeps repeating to himself every time that Billy’s lips find his and they kiss.

Such a perfect chemistry. 

That’s what Murray said the first time that they read the script together and he wasn’t wrong, only for Billy is just acting while Steve has feelings that have been hurt more than once during the time they have spent together.

Steve pretended to be ok every time Billy drove him home after they met in some seedy motel where nobody asked for their IDs and they could hide in the shadow, away from the public eye, but now that they are so close to each other there is nowhere to run and Steve knows that he is falling for the beautiful actor again, and again, and again and he can read in Robin’s expression that she knows it and she doesn’t like it. At all.

“You must learn how to protect yourself, Steve.” She says while he is resting in his trailer waiting to shoot his next scene “That boy uses you like a toy and you always let him.” She gently scolds him and Steve knows that she is right and he is trying very hard to fight his feelings for Hargrove, but the angel’s face boy promised him Heaven… only to put him through Hell.

“I know that you are right, and I’m doing my best.” He replies, getting out to smoke a cigarette while Robin complains that he will smell like an ashtray for hours.

Steve leans against the trailer, one leg bent against the big wheel and a cigarette in his hands complaining in a soft voice about his stupid love life. If only Billy wasn’t so fucking nice when he brushes Steve’s hair away from his face; if only he didn’t praise him and his work on any occasion, if only… but Hargrove is like that, he likes to play with him like a cat with a mouse.

“He is more of a scorpion kind of guy.” Max says and Steve startles.

“I didn’t see you!” Steve murmurs, and the girl smirks but doesn’t reply, pointing at Steve’s cigarette pack and taking one that she lights with a familiar Zippo, the one he bought in a gas station weeks ago.

“It’s Billy’s.” She confirms “I took it weeks ago and he is still complaining about it.”

Steve raises an eyebrow, surely Hargrove has enough money to buy another one if he wants to.

“Wouldn’t have the same emotional value.” She replies and Steve blushes. It’s not special but it has a skull smoking a cigarette that resembles the one on Billy’s biceps.

“Listen, Billy is an asshole, I know that, but you must understand where he comes from.” Max says, stomping the cigarette's butt to the ground “His father… his father was not a good person, ok? And I know because he married my mom. After a couple of years of marriage and many trips to the ER later, my mom left him and she took Billy with her. He was always good-looking, you know? Everyone wanted a piece of him and he was clever enough to take advantage of that and become one of the most famous actors of the moment: always ready to give just enough of himself to get what he wanted but not enough to get them too close.” She turns toward Steve “With you things are different. He cares about you but he doesn’t know how to prove it to you. He is still his old asshole self. It's like the story of the scorpion and the frog. When the scorpion stings the frog, dooming them both, the frog asks the scorpion why it stung him, and he replies…”

“I am sorry, but I couldn't resist, it's my character.” Steve concludes for her, still holding the filter of the long-gone cigarette “So what you are saying is that I'm the frog and I'm destined to get stung by him because he can't avoid it?”

Max shrugs “Just wanted you to know that you are different from him, but for him changing is hard, even for you. Just... don't let him go. Yet.”

“Yet?” Steve asks, confused, and the girl gives him the Zippo.

“Yet.” She confirms leaving Steve even more confused.

***

On the last day of shooting the director and the producer invite everyone to a big party to celebrate, and Robin somehow convinces Steve to join “We are celebrating and everyone else will be there! You are the co-protagonist, you can’t miss it!” She insists, but the idea of seeing Billy flirting with everyone is killing him. Steve does his best to come up with an excuse, but when the girl comes to his hotel’s room with a smoking he is out of excuses. They are late to the party, everyone is already half drunk on champagne. Steve gives a nod of denial to the waiter who offers him a glass of bubbles and does his best to avoid everyone, even if Robin told him more than once that if he really wants to be taken as a serious actor he should get better at public relations.

He is staring out of the window when he smells it: Billy’s cologne.

“Nice evening, huh?” The blond actor says, getting closer and Steve nods, turning toward the window and staring at their reflections that now are so close.

“Yeah. Congratulations, I heard that even if the movie is not even ready you are already on the list for the Oscar.”

“Are you jealous, pretty boy?” Billy asks with a smirk.

Steve gives him a self-deprecating smile “I already knew you were a good actor. Great even.”

“What does it mean?” Billy growls, stepping toward Steve and almost trapping him between his body and the big window.

“Stop it. Someone could see us.” Steve complains trying to free himself.

“Is that the problem? You don’t want to be seen with me?”

“I’m tired of your lies!” Steve growls, turning abruptly toward Billy “I don’t give a fuck if you are a scorpion or whatever! I don’t want to be your fucking frog! I deserve better!” He sobs, feeling the tears falling from his eyes.

Billy’s smile gets softer “You do.”He whispers on his lips and bends a little until, waiting for Steve to say no, and when he doesn't their lips collide.

Steve is too surprised and confused to stop him, so he lets Billy kiss him and somehow it feels like the first real kiss they ever shared.

“Tell, me what do you want, Steve?” Billy whispers, his long eyelashes fluttering so sensually.

“Wanna be yours…” Steve replies, hating himself for being always so honest “But I don’t want to end up like the frog in the story.

Billy nods, wiping Steve’s tears with his thumb “I’m not good for you. We both know that.” He says “But you are like a fucking magnet to me. This stupid movie wouldn’t even be worth the ticket price if it wasn’t for you. You are great Steve. A great actor, a great person. I’m not like that. I use people for my own purposes and…”

“Can’t you just… trying to stop doing that? For me?” Steve asks, and maybe is the warmth of Billy’s hand on his cheek or maybe Steve is just too stupid and too honest, but the words come out of his mouth before he really thinks about them.

“What if I can’t? What if I’m just a silly scorpion?”

Steve doesn’t want to be the frog, he really doesn’t, but he can’t avoid replying “Then we’ll drown together in the river.”

Billy smiles at him, the soft secret smile that he gave him just a couple of times, the one that feels real, the one that feels warm like a soft blanket, and Steve doesn’t know if he just condemned himself, but when they leave the party, hand to hand, and Billy drives him to his rented house and not to a motel, he feels that this is something new.

Something worth it.

[jamespotterthefirst]

You & I (1/3)

Book: Open Heart, beyond Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Lilac Allende-Ramsey) Word count: 950 Rating/ Warning: Teen

Premise: Her husband’s colleague seems a bit too interested in him. Dread sets in when they have to go on a work trip together.  

Note: This is based on a really old anon who asked: “has anyone every come between Ethan and Lilac?”

The busy airport moved past them at an unrelenting pace. The clamorous mix of rushing passengers and unintelligible overhead announcements only made his nerves coil tightly. He hated people who were always tardy. Even more, he hated being made late by said people. For the countless time in twenty minutes, Ethan craned his neck over the crowd, his foot tapping impatiently against the linoleum floor.

Beside him, a soft laugh brought him back to the present.

“You don’t have to lift your neck to see over all these people, babe. You’re more than tall enough.” Gentle hands on his bicep beckoned him to look down at his wife’s glowing face. “They’ll be here any minute. Just relax.”

“I am relaxed,” he returned, convincing exactly no one.

Lilac gave him a knowing little smile, patting his arm. “There’s a Dunkin over there. I’ll go get you some tea. That’ll help.”

Ethan reeled back slightly in mock offense. In turn, it made her laugh heartily, the sound feeling like home to him.

“Fine. I’ll get you coffee if you promise to stop fidgeting.”

After a half-hearted promise to try, Lilac disappeared into the crowd. Ten minutes later, he spotted the familiar figure of Tobias Carrick. Even from a distance, Ethan could tell he was grinning broadly, as though being nearly late for a flight was the funniest thing in the world. Beside him was Doctor Heather Finnegan, a prestigious Oncologist at Mass Kenmore. Her ruby lips stretched into a smile at seeing Ethan and her pace quickened.

“Sorry we're late,” she said as a form of greeting. “We hit really bad traffic.

“I'm surprised you haven't pulled your hair out,” Tobias laughed, looking around for an available check-in kiosk. He was fortunate he found one a few feet away and missed the death glare Ethan threw his way.

“And what a shame that would be,” Doctor Finnegan muttered, moving her gaze up to Ethan's hair.

Frowning, he opened his mouth to express his confusion, but a pair of familiar hands fell on his forearm. Lilac had returned, to-go coffee cup in hand. She held it out to Ethan, along with a small paper bag.

“Coffee just how you like it. And since the TSA line looks like hell, I got you an apple fritter.”

Ethan smiled down at his wife. “You should've gotten one for yourself.”

“I did,” she grinned, holding up a second paper bag to show him.

Her excitement was so endearing that he leaned down to kiss the top of her forehead.

“Ah, shoot. I was going to treat everyone for breakfast once we got through security,” Dr. Finnegan said.

“You and Tobias can go ahead. I'll be okay with this.”

“Gotta be careful.  You know what calories can do to a person.” Dr. Finnegan admonished in a lilting tone. A small smile remained as she looked from Lilac back to Ethan. “Plus, all that sugar is horrible for you.”

“The coffee's black. I'll live.”

She laughed, interrupted only by Tobias's distant shout. The young doctor excused herself and joined Tobias at the check-in kiosk. When they were finally alone, Ethan turned to face his wife, ready to tell her just how much he'd miss her.

The frown on Lilac's face, however, gave him pause.

“What's wrong?”

Lilac hesitated.

“Have you ever noticed Heather acts weird around me?”

“Weird how?”

She shrugged.

“I don't know,” Lilac sighed. “She rarely ever says hello to me directly and whenever I'm in the room, she gets serious.”

Ethan frowned but his wife barreled on before he could say anything.

“Normally, that'd be fine. I don't have to be friends with everyone, but there's other things.”

He scrunched his brows, urging any recollection of these instances.

“Take right now, for example,” Lilac pressed on, determined now. “She stiffened when I came back with your coffee. And when she said that thing about calories, her eyes moved to me. I could've sworn she looked down at my stomach.”

“You're pregnant.”

“Yes, but she doesn't know that. No one does yet. And even if she did know, that's completely inappropriate.”

Ethan nodded slowly, agreeing on that point.

“You think she dislikes you.”

Lilac nodded quite solemnly.

“What reason would she have for that? As far as I know, you two haven't interacted prior to my move to Mass Kenmore.”

“Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I'm sleeping with the man she's attracted to?”

Ethan blinked.

“You, Ethan. I mean you.”

“I gathered that.”

Simultaneously, their eyes moved to the blonde doctor currently laughing with Tobias. Ethan looked back at his wife, struggling to read the seemingly neutral expression on her face. He chose his words carefully.

“You might be reading too much into this.”

As he expected, Lilac tensed, taking a step back. Those alluring green eyes he loved so much rippled with surprise and betrayal.

“I’m not imagining things, if that’s what you mean.”

“That’s not what I meant but—”

“You know how saying ‘but’ contradicts everything that came before it.”

“Lilac.”

“Fine. I’m seeing things,” she returned, pressing her mouth into a thin line. “Forget I said anything.”

“Lilac, can we please—”

But his plea was cut short by Tobias’s enigmatic shout, informing him it was time to go. Ethan glanced up in time to see Tobias gesturing toward the TSA line. Heather stood quietly beside him, observing Ethan and Lilac with what appeared to be curiosity.

“I have to go.”

Ethan was reluctant to move, not wanting to leave her side. Lilac’s irritation had dwindled down to silent sadness and somehow, that was worse. Very gently, he leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

“I love you,” he reminded her.

“I love you,” she returned. “Have a safe trip.”

The three words that usually brought him so much comfort did little to appease the uneasy feeling in his gut.

Note: Part 2 is done and will be posted soon! Thank you so much for reading! 

[trash-monkey]

Little Brother

Chapter 7

Brother wakes me up for the day which I have put myself in the monkey back position when brother turned onto his stomach in his sleep last night and found out I'm going to be clingy today when I'm on verge of tears and a tantrum after ripping me off his back in my half-a-sleep state in order for us to get ready so he sticks my pacifier into my mouth hoping that would calm me down and it did, after brother's morning workout which he had a hard time doing with me sticking to him like glue but I did give him an easier time taking a shower. Once the both of us are dry we put our clothes on and brother fix our hair, he put the draw string bag tightly on my back before we leave on his motorcycle.

'I know I'm being selfish not wanting to leave brothers side today but give me a break I'm a child again!!!'

"Am I looking after Ren again?" Shin smiled wide while asked when seeing us coming into the house.

"Sorry, Ren is being clingy today." Brother shakes his head no as he pulled his shoes off before helping me do the same which Shin gives a nod in return as his smile turns soft.

"Don't worry! I believe little Ren just wanting to spend sometime with his big brother!" Shin teased before telling brother that Mikey is just finishing up breakfast and asked if we want anything.

"fuit, pwease?" I asked as we all walk into the kitchen which brother sits me into the high chair by the dinner table, Grandpa Sano peeled an orange and cut an apple before placing them onto my tray while Shin gets me water which I immediately started eating and drinking. Brother and Mikey has been done with their own breakfast a few moments by the time I get done with my own which brother lets me down from the high chair after cleaning my sticky hands.

"Bye Grandpa Sano, Uncle Shin, Emma!" I wave bye to the three as brother lead me out of the house with Mikey beside us after getting our shoes on, brother sits back onto his motorcycle before sitting me in front of him as Mikey gets on his own.

"I want him to ride with me." Mikey pouts at seeing brother picking me up from the ground to help me get onto the his motorcycle.

"Hell no!!" Brother immediately snapped outl causing Mikey to whine and pout harder as they drive somewhere, I watch as the scenery goes by in the early noon sun and before I know it we arrive at a crowded shirne. Teen guys are talking and standing around the place wearing some sort of uniform which is mostly black with some golden lettering, I hold brother's hand as we walk behind Mikey heading towards a place in the shirne that towers over the group.

"Ashi!!" I called out in excitement when seeing his lilac hair standing next to a shorter guy with blond hair that's cut and styled in a way to show his black root at the base of his skull, hearing being called at he turns to see me running to him with a large smile.

"Ren? What are you doing here?" He questions after picking me up and placing me on his hip as he's completely surprised to see me here during a gang meeting.

"Me with bu!!" I pointed to where brother is with Mikey talking to some short guy with fake bright blond hair which brother focus on after making sure I'm in good hands.

"Mitsuya Senpai, who's this?" The guy that's been standing next to Takashi finally specks up.

"Chifuyu, this is Ren Draken's younger brother." Takashi revels this information to his Vice-Captain which caused him to look closer at me with surprise.

"I can actually see it and the haircut helps making him look like a mini copy of Draken, Hey there I'm Chifuyu." He smiles at me.

"Hwllo" I give him a shy wave as I lay my head on Takashi shoulder which he noticed my draw string bag on my back.

"What you got in there, buddy?" He hold me up higher on his hip as I was starting to slid down.

"Me clwthes, toyws, pacie, and me favwright drwgon stuffy." I told him as I slightly kick my feet.

"Oh, the dragon stuffy that Dragon got you the other day! Did you name him yet?" Takashi asked which I shake my head no.

"Now, that's curious as ever stuffy should have a name." Which I give a fake confused expression and with a little of aww.

"Rwally? Even Lulu and Ma-ma stuffies got names too?" I asked curiously wondering what the two sisters would call theirs own stuffed toys.

"Yeah, Luna has a small white baby cat stuffy I had made for her which she calls Posy and I also made a purple one for Mama that she calls Poppy." Takashi strolls over and sit on a concrete bench which he moved me to sit beside him instead on his lap, Chifuyu also sit with us.

"No, even though you look cute with it but you're getting a little too old for that." I whined softly when Takashi removed the pacifier I just had put into my mouth as I have the urge to suck on it when going to get my stuffed dragon out of my draw string bag.

"No, me want." I whined softly again when trying to reach out for it in his hand although I know he's right and he only rise it up higher in the air away from me, I pout at him.

"I know you do but it's not good for you so don't give me that little lip." Takashi just smiled me as he slips my pacifier into his pocket.

"Mitsuya!" Draken calls out as he stomps through the crowd to where we're sitting with the fake blonde following behind him looking scared shitless.

"Mitsuya, this is Takemitchy and he'll be looking after Ren while the meeting is going on." This 'Takemitchy' guy is very short compared to my brother's massive frame and well almost everyone is, I can clearly tell his styled hair is a fake blonde color which was a horrible job.

"Hellwo" I waved at him with a shy smile as I slip off of the concrete bench and walked up to him which he returned the smile more shyly then me, I gently take his hand in my smaller one which causing him to jump and my brother being the imitating person he is isn't helping the poor guy either.

"It ok me call you Takie?" I asked knowing I won't be able to say his whole name as I gently lead him to the concrete bench to sit with me as brother and Takashi do their gang stuff, right then when seeing from the distance I'm in good hands Mikey started the gang meeting so everyone expects us two got in line to their proper place.

"You can" Takemitchy responded a lot less nervous and shaking now that we're alone as he sits down next to me after I had climbed up onto the bench which he helps me up on when seeing me struggling to do so.

"Me like you eyes, they pretty!" I told him which is the truth as I never seen eyes that blue before.

"O-oh, thanks I guess." He rub the back of his neck with a awkward soft smile but my attention is taken when hearing a frog calling behind me which I turn to the edge of the forest that is behind us to see a large toad sitting on the grass, immediately I slip off the concrete bench with a goofy smile while leaving my draw string bag with Takemitchy.

_______________________________________________

[beep-beep-sunny]

Reddie week!!! Day 3- Meet-cute! This is based on my experience visiting Manhattan!! I did NOT like it.

You learn quickly in Manhattan that people never just want to talk. It's always something. There's always an angle. Once you stop and make eye contact, they've trapped you. They've won. Eddie Kaspbrak logically knew he grew up in Maine, but he always felt like he was shaped by New York. The fast paced hustle and bustle. He perfected the "I'm a businessman and I'm far too busy to stop and chat" demeanor.  

It was obvious when someone didn't belong. Tourists in Manhattan stuck out like a sore thumb, if the thumb had on one of those yellow hats with the sting keeping it on its head and a camera around its…neck. Do thumbs have necks? Around it's knuckle which in this analogy functions more like a neck. Regardless, it was obvious. To some, these things were walking dollar signs or lambs to be led to slaughter. Eddie just kept his head down. He had no use for tourists. They were a minor inconvenience at best. They never walked fast enough, always gauking at the various "landmarks". Sometimes, they even stared, wide eyed, in awe of the majestic and rare pigeon. 

Eddie almost felt bad for tourists, he knew the city would do nothing but chew them up and spit them, like gum, back onto the street, penniless and sore. Though, what was he realistically going to do for them? He had his own problems. His wedding chased him like a creature chasing a teen girl through the woods in a hoodie movie. He knew it was approaching, but he couldn't bring himself to look. He'd just keep walking forward until it caught up with him. His mother was also recently spending more and more time in the hospital. No, tourists were not his problem. They were as numerous as the pigeons and nothing he could do for tourists or pigeons would make any difference. 

So, he just kept walking. Keeping his head down and moving forward with purpose, clutching his briefcase with white knuckles as he made expert turns and pivots around fake monks raising money for fake temples or this costumed off brand SpongeBob that's face was just a little off in the way you'd see in a kid's creepy jumpscare game. Someone else could get suckered into taking a picture with Spongecreep that they think is free, but oops, that'll be twenty dollars. 

It was like a dance. A dance that Eddie did everyday, so he knew the chirography by heart. Dodge, dodge, duck, dip, pirouette, slide, and SMACK. 

The smack was not a normal part of the dance. What the fuck. A big sunburnt hand broke through the haze, reached out to him. "I am so sorry." Said a man in a voice that was deep, but also deeply unserious. The humor in his tone boiled Eddie's blood slightly as he took the man's hand with a hard squeeze and a tug, he pulled himself off the greasy Manhattan sidewalk Disgusting. Oh my god. When was my last tetanus shot? No. Die later, Kaspbrak. Kill this guy first. What a klutz. A big stupid lug. A- 

Eddie looked forward and got a look at the man. Dark messy hair clumping in sweaty chunks on his red forehead. Big black plastic frame glasses that were already leaving a stupid tan line. His eyes were bluer than the muddy Manhattan sky. He was lanky and big. Eddie felt small with his hand …still clutched in this stranger's large paw. He quickly ripped his hand away and straightened up his suit. The guy was obviously a tourist. Everything about him said tourist, from his yellow hat, to his camera hanging off his neck, to his kind smile and friendly eyes, but especially the fact that he stopped to help Eddie up instead of letting him get trampled like Mufasa in a stampede of antelope. No, instead, they both stood in the middle of a Manhattan sidewalk with people washing around them like they're two rocks in a stream and the sound of rushing water was the cursing Newyorkers they were mildly inconveniencing. 

Then, Eddie realized it had been a weird amount of time that he'd just been standing there, staring at this man and saying nothing. "... it's fine" he forced out, knowing he looked like an idiot even though he wasn't the one that crashed right into a stranger with his stupid long limbs. 

The guy laughed at that. What the fuck was so funny about all this? "You're pretty cute for a curmudgeonly business man." Cute? Cute?? What the hell was that supposed to mean? His eyes met Eddie's and it was like the words even surprised himself. Like he didn't know that's what he was going to say until it fell out of his mouth. "Well," he broke the eye contact. "I'm sure you have places to be, you walked right into me after all." He winked and ran off. "Bye cutie business man." Eddie should have said Excuse me? You are obviously the one that ran into me with your stupidly long limbs, you floppy man they put outside of car dealerships. 

He didn't though. Instead, he kept standing. Now a lone rock, the water only having him to slosh around. Cute? He felt something unpleasant turning in his stomach. It wasn't strictly unpleasant, but perhaps nostalgic. The kind of feeling you get when your limb just starts falling asleep or what he imagined it might feel like at the top of a roller coaster just before the big drop. It was similar to dread, but he couldn't understand why he'd be dreading something. Maybe that guy looked like a mugshot on America's Most Wanted and he was subconsciously remembering. Cute. It kept playing on repeat in his head. He could almost hear someone saying that. Cute cute cute. Probably just his mother. No one else would have called him that. Just his mother and some jackass tourist trying to make fun of him. 

He watched the man keep walking until he crested over the horizon and disappeared into a crowd of faces going every which way like a page out of a Where's Waldo book. Then, Eddie did all he could really do, and kept walking too. He wasn't even going to make it to work early. Never talk to anyone in Manhattan. Just keep walking. 

Eddie shook his head as he fast walked towards inevitability. "Cute." He repeated under his breath, and if he smiled, no one saw. 

[myst867]

Drabble based on the video!

Second Year:

Twelve year old Harry leaned against the wall of the greenhouse while Professor Sprout tried to pry off some tentacle-looking plant off of Neville. He glanced away from the fracas to look over to see Hermione holding her hand level above her head and slowly sliding it to his head.

He immediately straightened, stretching out his neck. Hermione smirked at him. "I'm still taller."

"Are not."

She rolled her eyes at him. They were two of the shortest students in their class, which was deeply annoying to Harry and satisfying to Hermione who delusionally insisted to him she was a tad bit taller.

Ron strolled over and patted them both on the head. "Don't worry, mates. Professor Flitwick is doing fine, and he's just as horrifically short as you two."

Harry looked at Hermione for a second and then they both turned towards Ron and shoved him, making him land in the soft mud. Ignoring Ron's sputtering, Harry turned back to Hermione. "I'll be taller than you, just watch."

"I'm already taller than both you wankers!" Ron screeched, clambering up and attempting to unsuccessfully cast cleaning spells at his robes.

"Ha! Bet!" Hermione grinned at him before turning away to help Ron, because of course she already knew how to cast those spells.

6th Year

"Harry!" Hermione hurried up to him in the hallway, clutching her books.

Harry turned around, peering down the corridor, purposely keeping his gaze above her head. "How strange I thought I heard Hermione."

She ground her teeth and grabbed his robe, pulling him snickering into an alcove out of the flow of students. "You git. I wanted to talk to you about Malfoy, I think that---"

"He's a death eater. Yes, I told you so." Harry braced one arm above Hermione's head, leaning close so he could tower a bit over her. It had tickled him quite a bit when she stopped getting taller in fourth year much to her consternation.

"That wasn't what I was going to say!" She grumbled, looking up at him.

Despite the seriousness of the topic, Harry leaned even closer, their robes pressing against one others and braced his other hand by her head, caging her in. "I'm sorry I just need to get lower to hear you properly."

"Stop playing around." Hermione had meant to say it reproachfully, but it came out softer as she stared up into his eyes. The air was hotter as he leaned in closer, only a sliver of space between their lips.

She licked her lips, her heartbeat picking up the closer Harry got. Her body always went haywire when he did this, emphasizing the difference in their sizes. It had begun as a childish game, but now as older teens it had morphed into so much more.

"I'm not playing around," Harry said his lips brushing against her own. "Hermione, I--"

"Bloody hell, are you two at it again! Hermione you're a bloody prefect, and I'm still the bloody tallest! OW --" Ron broke off with a yelp as Hermione flicked her wand in his direction, casting a wordless hex. Then, she flipped her bushy hair haughtily before striding away. She'd tell Harry later.

Harry groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands. "Why do you always have piss poor timing!"

"I am the tallest!" Ron said again, clutching his stomach.

"Totally missing the point, mate."

[faerie-starv]

80s Kids: Afton Kids

I've been meaning to draw my own version of the Afton kids from Five Nights at Freddy's for some time now and here they are! :3

I'm also doing the Duchess Celestia ideas challenge(50 ideas actually) and picked the second choice which is 'Look at some of your old photos and either draw them or something inspired by them'. While I have the photos, I'm not going to post them here for safety reasons but I was born in early 80s and have some memories of the era. Since the Afton kids were living in early to mid 80s era I figured they're perfect idea to draw them.

For Evan Afton aka the Crying Child from Fnaf 4(Evan is not an official name by the way but it seems to be the most popular fan name), his outfit was based on a former neighbor kid from Tuscon neighborhood in Arizona. The kid was around eight or ten years old(can't remember as I was three back then) but I do remember the shirt and shorts he was wearing when he was over along with his older sister (who was my babysitter). I don't remember how many stripes was on his shirt so I'm only guessing.

The oldest Afton kid, Michael Afton from Sister Location and Fnaf4, as much as I liked the teen Michael render with Peter Parker hair(I forgot who made it but you'll see it on Fnaf animations on YT), it doesn't seem to match up with the early to mid 80s hair style. Me and other fans think he should have a mullet hair as it was popular hairstyle in the 80s. I got inspired of Steve Harrington's mullet like hairstyle from Stranger Things and I loved it how it turned out. I also made the jacket based from Eddie Munson(also from Stranger Things) because it looks bad ass and since Michael is a rebel, I put the Metallica logo patch on his jacket. I used @adorkastock pic for a reference pose for him and Evan. https://www.deviantart.com/adorkastock/art/2021-DEJ-18-No-872493165

Lastly, Elizabeth Afton's(either middle child or youngest, I'm not sure as there's a debate over it so I'm making her a middle child) dress was based from a Simplecity sewing pack. I changed the stripe colors to pink and blue based from her original dress she wore from Sister Location(which she possess Circus Baby). The dress was pretty popular for little girls in the 80s and I had a dress similar like that(mine was light blue with flowers, I think they were small daisies, can't remember) along with my daycare mates. I found it on Etsy when I was trying to find an 80s summer/spring dress when I found it. I also gave her a Mary Jane shoes.

I am sorry that Evan's and Mike's shoes didn't turn out well as it's my first time drawing sneakers(I know it looks bad) and I didn't use any references(which I should have but oh well).

I tried to make the 80s retro back ground using a tutorial but it didn't came out the way I wanted so I just kept the bottom grid. I promise I'll try to make a better one next time as I really loved the 80s grid background.

[triscribeaucollection]

Last Bastion of Honor

“C’mon, Kid, I promise it’ll be fine.” Len ruffled his hair, and Wally couldn’t help but lean into the gesture, both because it felt nice and he wanted more reassurance. “After a couple of days spent hanging out with the others, you won’t even want to come home by the time we’re finished moving house.”

The teen gave his mentor a flat look at that, making Len chuckle. Even so, they continued heading down the passageway to the zeta tunnel, which had already been adjusted to accept Wally’s entry. Normally, he wasn’t even allowed in this part of the Merry Men’s underground network - they liked to keep their Sprint Kid close and safe, after all. But with Slipstream literally digging out their base of operations, the protectors of Central City were relocating, and figured hiding Wally halfway across the country while they did so would be worth adding him to the teleportation system.

“Recognized, Citizen Cold, Zero-Four. Recognized, Sprint Kid, B-One-Zero.”

“Kid, welcome to Mount Honor.”

Impressed in spite of himself, Wally took a couple of steps forward to better peer around the massive cave. Hologram projectors dotted the walls, along with screens playing news stations, data feeds, assorted tracking stats, and so on. One side of the room had a modified floor with Mister Mirror’s hard-light projectors, probably for training purposes. Through open doorways around the perimeter, Wally could see a lounge, a kitchen, an armory, a robotics lab, a chemical workshop - all good things for an underground superhero base. There were also a couple of hallways leading elsewhere in the mountain, and he nearly set off to check them out before Len’s hand gently grasped his shoulder.

Jumping, Wally turned to glance up at his mentor’s face. “I know you want to explore, kiddo, but at least wait for your tour guide to show up, okay?” Wally nodded... and frowned, when a second glance around proved that there was not, in fact, anyone else present. He raised an eyebrow at Len.

The delay at least didn’t seem to be intentional, as the man frowned as well. Len raised a hand to tap at his earpiece, the other moving instinctively to the ice gun on his hip. “Citizen Cold to Mount Honor, anyone home?”

Wally couldn’t hear anything from the little piece of communications equipment, but judging by the way Len relaxed again, he guessed the man got a reply. A few moments later, he could hear the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.

“Citizen, sir! Kid!” Out from one of the hallways, a dark-skinned teenager with pale dreadlocks appeared, looking apologetic. “I am so sorry, I meant to be waiting when you arrived-”

“S’okay, Kaldur’ahm, no harm no foul,” Len reassured him. The tall boy nodded, but didn’t change his expression. “Alright kiddo, you want me to stick around while you settle in, or shall we make this a drop and run?”

Wally rolled his eyes and made a shoo gesture at his mentor. Snorting, Len ruffled his hair again, said goodbye to Kaldur, and headed back through the zeta tunnel. After a pause to shift the strap of his duffel bag, Wally glanced at the half-Atlantean he’d met twice before, who offered him a smile.

“It is good to see you, Kid,” he said. “Do you want to stow your things before I show you around?”

Considering it, the younger teen shook his head. Unperturbed, Kaldur just nodded.

“Well, as you can see, this is the main hub, where all matters of importance take place. Down this hall are the permanent bedrooms for the people stationed here regularly, and that one is the guest quarters and meditation rooms, and this way,” Kaldur pointed to the opening he’d emerged from, “Are the pool, the hangar bay, the external exits, and the garage. We also have a proper work-out room, a library, an observatory, and my favorite, the Grotto.”

Wally raised his eyebrows inquiringly.

“Come, I’ll show you.”

-Honor-

The Grotto, as it turned out, was insanely cool. Located in the deepest part of the mountain, it had a dry sandy floor dotted with the occasional seashell, glittering walls glowing with aurora-esqe lights, and some kind of sound system piping in soft echoes of the nearby ocean’s waves. There were also private little nooks and side rooms hidden in practically every corner. Seriously, someone could hide a couple dozen people in the Grotto, and unless an invader knew exactly where to look, they’d never be found.

“The whole mountain is shielded and lead-lined, of course,” Kaldur murmured as he and Wally wandered through the winding passageways. “But down here, there’s a concentration of the more delicate tech and passive magic, which makes it next to impossible to run a scan to find anyone. The ultimate hiding place, so to speak, if running isn’t an option.”

Probably a bad sign that Wally found that as comforting as he did.

When they headed back up, Kaldur showed him some of the other rooms he liked, including a viewing hall with magic windows that looked out onto beaches around the world, and finally back to the main hub with its attached kitchen.

“I was in a different timezone with my father before he sent me over to help you settle in,” the older teen explained when he started pulling things out of the cabinets and pantry. “So I feel past ready for dinner - would you like anything?”

A small part of him that was still Wallace Rudolph West wanted to shake his head, to avoid imposing, avoid being a nuisance. Wally firmly squashed it down, though, and nodded.

-Honor-

Kaldur turned out to be a pretty good cook, if his fish filets and grilled veggies were anything to go by. He also, by the end of their meal, somehow managed to get Wally completely at ease, sharing ridiculous stories about the shenanigans he used to get up to as a kid.

“-and of course, by the time my father got back, I’d managed to not only beach the submarine above the high water mark, but also cover it in blue and green paint!” Wally burst out laughing as Kaldur grinned, leaning so far over in his chair he nearly fell out of it. After getting his breath back, the younger teen straightened and wiped away the tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, then pointed at his host.

“Funny guy,” he said in a hoarse whisper. Kaldur’s eyebrows just about flew off his face, and he smiled so widely it had to hurt.

“Helps to have a receptive audience,” he replied. “Which, my father definitely was not.”

Snorting, Wally shook his head with a grin. A moment later he stiffened, when they heard the zeta tunnel power up.

“Recognized, Cheshire Cat, B-Zero-Two, Tigress, B-Zero-Three, Brave Bow, B-Zero-Four.”

“I wondered when they’d be getting back,” Kaldur murmured, getting to his feet. “Have you met the Hunter’s Trio, Kid?”

Wally shook his head, and warily followed the older teen out into the hub. Three newcomers were standing by the zeta tunnel entrance: a blonde girl his age arguing with a dark-haired young woman in a language he didn’t recognize, plus a red-headed dude who looked content to stay out of it.

“You are both terrible at making first impressions,” called Kaldur, striding towards them with Wally on his heels. The girls instantly cut off their argument, braids flying as they whipped their heads around to stare.

“Oh!” The older one exclaimed. “You must be the Sprint Kid - I’m sorry, we didn’t realize you’d already arrived.”

She held out a hand to him, which Wally gingerly grasped to shake, as Kaldur made introductions. “Kid, this is Jade, also known as the biggest mom-friend in the universe; her little sister Artemis, and their, erm, Roy.”

Wally blinked at the guy, who shook his hand after Jade. “Don’t mind Fish Boy, he’s still not sure how to say right off the bat that I’m Jade’s boyfriend and her sister’s brother.” That earned another blink.

“Ugh, you’re all ridiculous.” The second girl shouldered her way forward to also grab Wally’s hand, which made him feel inexplicably warm. “We’re all Huntsman and Challenger’s kids, and it’s nice to meet you, Sprint.”

Mustering his courage, as well as bracing for the pain, he coughed and whispered, “Wally.”

Bright gray eyes stared into his own, and then Artemis smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. The warmth turned into a pleasant tingle. “It’s nice to meet you, Wally.”

-Honor-

“First rule of Mount Honor,” Artemis told him when she led Wally over to the lounge, as Kaldur went to clean up the remains of their meal and the other two young adults disappeared towards the guest rooms. “Never, ever set a prank that could be triggered by someone other than your intended target - no one will save you from the wrath of the accidental victim, and Lady Light keeps a running tally of who’s in trouble to pick her sparring partners from.”

Wally couldn’t help but wince automatically. He’d met the terrifying woman once when she came to collect Silver Skater for a girls night with Leopard and Harlequin, and knew she absolutely deserved her reputation as the fiercest hand to hand combatant of the Honor League. Perks of having a mostly-immortal father who’d mastered a bunch of fighting techniques over the centuries, or so he supposed.

“Second rule - prank wars are in fact allowed, but they can’t interfere with the Job, and you have to follow Jester’s code of conduct; the man’s got, like, an actual list he hashed out with Luthor, I’ll make sure you get a copy.”

Nodding, Wally wondered how long such a list must be - even people who didn’t buy into the Crime Syndicate’s propaganda knew the Jester had at least a few screws loose, and that Lex Luthor very rarely if ever managed to reign in the other man’s more... eccentric ideas.

“Oh, and second rule part two: don’t mess with Trick. Don’t prank him, don’t tease him, etcetera, etcetera.” Artemis gave a half shrug in reply to Wally’s questioning glance. “Jester’s orders, he doesn’t want anyone who isn’t him or Harlequin poking at his kid. Which, honestly, would seem reasonable to me, except that it’s coming from the guy who actively encourages us to have fun even at his own expense.”

That just made Wally frown deeper. He didn’t know much about the elusive Trick, who could best be described as Jester’s grim-faced shadow, and the desire to know why pranking him was off-limits piqued the boy’s curiosity.

Artemis distracted him from thinking about it, though, by going on. “Anyway, the third and final official rule is just to respect other people’s space. A lot of the folks who pass through or stay here have had more than their fair share of traumas, and everyone’s expected to be patient with them.” Her eyes glanced briefly to Wally’s neck, hidden by the high collar of his jacket, and softened. “I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with that one.”

Smiling bitterly, Wally shook his head. He blinked when Artemis reached to grab his hand, the warm feeling from earlier quickly returning.

“That means other people have to give you whatever space you need too, Wally,” she said softly. “So if anybody steps out of line, or it all just gets to be too much, let me know, okay? We can go hide in my room or the Grotto or something.”

He offered her a genuine smile at that, and got one back in return. Then the mountain’s electronic voice rang out, causing them to both jump and making Artemis retreat back to her own spot on the couch.

*Recognized, Bioship, C-One, Miss White, B-Zero-Six, Ultraboy, B-Zero-Seven.*

Wally frowned when the zeta tunnel didn’t ignite. Artemis clearly read the question on his face, because she stood and jerked her chin towards one of the hallways.

“Hangar bay,” the girl explained. “You want to go see an alien spaceship?”

Grinning, Wally hopped to his feet. And then, in a moment of daring, he turned and crouched, peering at Artemis over his shoulder to rasp, “Wanna run?”

She tilted her head, puzzled, before understanding dawned, and a delighted expression appeared on her face. Carefully, Artemis moved to hold onto him, her arms curling over Wally’s shoulders and collarbone while her legs wrapped around his waist. She held on perfectly fine as he straightened, but he tucked his hands down to brace her thighs regardless.

“Hold on,” he croaked.

And they were off.

Out of the main hub and down the hallways Wally ran, retracing the path he’d followed Kaldur on earlier. The trip only lasted a handful of moments, ten seconds at the most, but Artemis was laughing by the time they stopped in the hangar. She uncurled and dropped from Wally’s back, hands coming up to pat at her wind-ruffled braid.

“That,” the girl breathed, “Was awesome.”

Wally ducked his head with a grin. His throat started hurting something awful with just a few words, but the combined high of letting loose with his inner lightning and causing Artemis to laugh more than made up for it.

“Well, I don’t think I can top that, but this ought to be okay, huh?” He looked up at her words, and then followed her gaze to the white and red ship sitting on the other side of the room, a ramp just descending from its underside. Wally whistled, walking closer for a better look with Artemis right on his heels.

That forward progress came to a halt when he heard the sounds of an argument emerging from the ship.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Artemis muttered, “Can those two seriously not get along for one morning?” Down the ramp came two teenagers, one walking, one floating, both carrying assorted bags of groceries. The boy looked human, wearing a light blue shirt and black cargo shorts; the girl, decidedly less so, with her chalk-white skin and solid red eyes. Wally shuddered as the volume increased.

Artemis clearly noticed, because she gently squeezed his shoulder, before letting loose a shrill whistle.

The argument stopped mid-sentence, as the boy tripped and nearly fell flat on his face, while the girl shot higher into the air, her red cape flaring out like a cat puffing up its fur. Completely involuntarily, Wally snorted.

He regretted it when both the newcomers focused their attention on him.

“Guys,” Artemis said calmly, “This is Wally, the Sprint Kid. Citizen Cold mentioned he has anxiety issues, remember? So will you kindly shut the heck up.”

“My apologies,” the alien girl muttered, settling with both feet on the ground.

“Same here,” the boy added, shooting her a brief glare before focusing back on Wally and offering him a sheepish smile. “Uh, nice to meet you, Wally. I’m Conner, and this is-”

“M’gann M'orzz of Mars,” she interrupted, chin lifted in what could be called an arrogant manner - but Wally glanced briefly at her cape, wrapped close, and took it to be a defensive gesture instead.

“Hi,” he whispered, before coughing and rubbing at his throat. M’gann frowned, and a moment later, what felt like a cold hand brushed against the front of his brain.

*Is verbal communication painful for you?* The martian said without speaking. *I can establish a mental link, if that would make things easier-*

Wally’s widened eyes were apparently all Conner needed to guess at what M’gann was doing, because he immediately rounded on the girl, arms folded. “What did we say about not invading people’s heads until they’ve given their permission?”

“I’m not invading,” she snapped back, “I’m just asking him a question, you overbearing twit.”

“Oh, I’m the overbearing one? That’s rich coming from you-”

Artemis groaned as they launched into another argument, but shook her head when Wally bumped her shoulder, an apologetic look on his face. “Not your fault, dude, they’re just- like this.” He grimaced, and she let out a harsh bark of laughter, nothing at all like the earlier cheerful sound. “Yeah, I know. C’mon, let’s head back to the main hub, and hopefully these two will have gotten it all out of their systems by the time they follow us.”

Wally nodded, and they carefully tip-toed out of the hangar. He tried to offer to run them back again, but Artemis turned him down, taking hold of his hand instead as they walked back at normal speed. And, honestly, Wally liked that just fine too.

-Honor-

There were two girls hanging out with Kaldur in the kitchen when they got back, and Wally felt relieved to recognize one of them.

Raquel happened to glance up and catch his eye first, and promptly moved from where she was leaning against the countertop to come give him a fist bump. “Hey, little Sprinter! Nice to finally see you away from your entourage of mother hens.”

He grinned, shrugging, and she took a moment to ruffle his hair. Artemis continued past them to snag the other girl and tug her over for introductions. “Wally, meet Annataz; she comes over whenever her mentor’s busy with big magic stuff. Anna, this is Wally, he’s the Sprint Kid from Central City.”

“Hello,” Annataz greeted him, her face almost completely hidden behind a curtain of white hair. Wally smiled back, and nodded at her shawl with a thumbs-up. Besides the woven cloth looking incredibly soft, it changed color constantly, gently shifting through the entire visible spectrum.

“Oh, you think that’s cool,” Raquel beamed, “Just wait ‘til you see Anna’s wardrobe - an actual, literal wardrobe, enchanted to spontaneously produce whatever it is she feels like wearing.”

“It’s not that impressive...”

Artemis promptly reached up a hand to tweak the shorter girl’s ear. “Yes, it is, and you should be proud of making it,” she stated. Annataz just ducked her head further, but Wally managed to briefly spot her smile.

Kaldur ended up heading out after his third yawn, practically chased off by Raquel, who threatened to chuck her combat boot at his head if the boy didn’t go get some sleep. Artemis took the opportunity to throw together a couple plates of apple slices with peanut butter on top, which Wally restrained himself from taking too many of. He and Annataz made for quiet companions as Artemis and Raquel chatted, Jade popping in briefly to snag some sodas from the pantry and steal an apple slice. It... didn’t seem awkward though. Len had been right - Wally couldn’t help but feel comfortable in the relaxed setting.

But then an alarm went off.

Raquel was the first up and off the couch, making a beeline out the open doorway and across the main hall towards the suddenly glowing zeta tunnel. Artemis swiftly followed, and after sharing a wide-eyed glance, Wally and Annataz hurried after.

*Recognized, Trick, B-Zero-One.*

A much smaller figure than Wally would’ve expected came staggering through the tunnel entrance, bent almost double and clutching at his stomach. Raquel got there right as he dropped to his knees, catching the kid’s shoulders to keep him from falling over. “Trick, what happened?”

“Owl,” he coughed, blood dripping from between his fingers. “Owlman f-found the warehouse.”

Raquel swore, worse than Digger on the rare occasion he got into the good alcohol. “How bad did he get you? Where are Jester and Harlequin?”

“Not- not awful- he’s done worse.” A bitter little laugh slipped out as Raquel leaned the kid back to pick him up, her thick arms barely flexing as they slipped around thin shoulders and knobby knees. “I was the- only one at home- set the self- self-destruct, on, my way out-” His stilted words cut off with a pained groan.

“Crap,” Artemis breathed, typing furiously on an old-school flip phone. “That’s another League base gone - those bastards are getting way too good at finding us.” Wally hovered anxiously at her shoulder, uncertain of what he should be doing. Annataz had somehow already gotten to the infirmary station, pulling out a first aid kit for Trick as Raquel carried him over. Jade and Roy appeared, grim-faced and armed with a spear and bow respectively. They quickly checked in on the situation, before moving to take up positions on either side of the zeta tunnel entrance - Conner and M’gann and a no longer yawning Kaldur joined them, when those three showed up as well. Artemis, in the meantime, finished with her phone and moved to access some kind of computer built into the wall.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wally followed her.

“First they torched Leopard’s main safe house in DC,” the girl muttered to herself, “Then there’s a countdown on the Merry Men getting found, and now Jester’s place is gone...” Wally nudged her shoulder, and gestured to the base around them with a concerned expression. Artemis immediately went from furious to reassuring. “No, they won’t find us next. We’re in the middle of nowhere up here, no major cities or industry centers for them to want to dig their fingers into. And if the Syndicate isn’t actively working in an area, they don’t pay much attention to it.”

Even so, Wally nervously drummed his fingers against his thigh, unconsciously tapping into his speed without meaning to. Artemis caught him by surprise when she finished typing and reached to hold his hand with her own.

Maybe a minute later, the computer let out a soft chime, and the screen flickered to display a dude with some severely impressive scars slashed across his face. “Tigress,” the dude greeted, dark eyes flicking between the two teenagers. “And Cold’s young charge, I believe. What is the emergency?”

“Trick showed up about five minutes ago, bleeding and winded. He said Owlman found the Jester’s warehouse in Gotham - kid hit the self-destruct on his way out the zeta, but we don’t know if it successfully went off or not. The others are guarding this side in case any uninvited guests hack their way through.”

The dude’s face shifted from stoic to thunderous. “I shall inform Jester, and ask Luthor to check on the warehouse’s status. What is Trick’s current condition?”

“Stable,” Artemis answered, glancing over towards the infirmary. “Firework and Annataz are fixing him up. It didn’t look too bad, though, and he said he’s gotten worse before.”

“An unfortunately true statement for that child. Very well, then. Expect reinforcements shortly.”

“Thanks, Might.” The screen flickered back off, and Artemis shared a wry smile at Wally’s curious expression. “Valor Might. Guy’s even older than Ra’s al Malak. He used to be one of Superwoman’s prisoners before the League accidentally rescued him a few years back, and now he’s, like, the coolest history professor ever.”

As promised, more Honor League members soon showed up. Red Avalanche rumbled in with mechanical encouragement, followed shortly by Gold Lantern, and then Talia al Malak, the Lady Light, came striding through the zeta tunnel and took charge with brisk efficiency. She and Owlman were personal enemies almost as much as him and Jester - if anyone could manage to prevent the Gotham crime lord from getting inside Mount Honor, it would be her.

As more League members showed up, the kids drifted towards the edges of the room, and then closer to the infirmary. After getting his wounds bandaged, Trick had curled into a ball on the edge of the medical bunk, the slitted eyes of his domino mask giving no sign of where the kid was looking. Raquel kept up her post beside him, one hand on his shoulder, with Annataz tucked against her other side. Wally kept glancing between them and the main action in the center of the hub.

Once, when he looked back again, the smaller boy’s head shifted just enough to indicate he was studying Wally. The redhead offered a small, cautious smile, one hand coming up to tap briefly at the base of his covered throat. Trick apparently knew enough about him to recognize the indication of his hidden scars, the ones picked up when Slipstream nearly murdered Wally two years before, because something in his wary expression softened. They exchanged tiny nods, and went back to observing the League members adding new defensive measures to the mountain’s security.

When the zeta tunnel next activated, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Jester and Harlequin tumbled through without injury. Both Gotham heroes made an immediate beeline for the infirmary, prompting all the teenagers gathered there to back off a bit. Trick partially uncurled from his bunk in order to reach for them, hands shaking even as Jester gathered him up into a hug. Harlequin took a moment to check him over, thanking Raquel for the well-done bandages before she pretty much glomped on to her partner and their kid.

Something inside of Wally ached a little at the sight.

The next adult to approach was Huntsman, dressed in a uniform that looked just like the one Artemis wore, except different colors. His hair was the same light shade of blonde, too, and his eyes swept over the girl and her sister before doing a headcount of the others present.

“Alright, everybody,” the man announced, “It looks like we’re all clear for the moment. Luthor’s satellite confirmed the loss of Jester’s warehouse in Gotham, but there were no casualties, and no breach in security here, either.”

Several shoulders slumped with relief, Wally’s included.

“Considering that, and the fact we’ve been losing bases to the Syndicate at an alarming rate recently, the League wants to keep all of you here for the time being. If those bastards haven’t caught on to Mount Honor yet, it’s safer than anywhere else.”

Artemis took a step forward. “But Dad-”

“Don’t argue with me on this one, baby girl, we don’t know where they’re going to hit next.”

Jade moved to stand next to her sister, arms folded and gaze sharpened into a glare. “And how are we going to stop them?”

Huntsman sighed, pulling off his mask in order to rub at his forehead. “We’re working on it. Luthor’s got- I can’t call it a plan yet, but an idea. We need to steal something from the Syndicate first, and that’s going to take time and patience.”

“Stealing from the biggest crooks in the world,” Raquel hummed. “Sounds good to me. What is it?”

“Nothing you need concern yourself with, Firework.” Gold Lantern floated over to join them, and despite being a literal alien, his tired expression matched any other overworked human on planet Earth.

“Sinestro, come on.”

“No. This endeavor isn’t something we’re going to discuss anywhere but secure briefing rooms, and no one beyond those directly involved will have anything other than the sparsest of details.” His eyes slid oh so briefly towards M’gann. “The Martian Manslayer is no longer isolating himself, apparently fully recovered from the injuries Psidney and Madam Hornet were able to inflict last fall.”

If Wally thought the girl’s tightly wrapped cloak earlier had been an indication of her feeling defensive, it was nothing compared to how tight the fabric pulled at Lantern’s words - it even visibly hardened into an actual shell. Standing behind her and slightly to one side, Conner’s face spasmed, and he started to lift a hand towards her shoulder, only to pause and awkwardly pull it back down before actually touching the girl.

“Stingray’s been contacted,” Huntsman spoke up again. “As soon as repairs to the Atlantean refugee camp are finished he’s going to zeta in and look over the mountain’s underwater entrance for us. Clarion and the Coven are still busy dismantling the Spire of Fate to get rid of that cursed helmet, but once that’s done they’ll come here to rest and check in with you, Annataz.” The girl nodded, appearing relieved, as did Kaldur beside her. Then Wally straightened when Huntsman looked in his direction. “We were only briefly able to get in touch with the Merry Men, enough to let them know the disturbance has been handled, but there’s no telling how soon they’ll be in a position to cut someone loose to come over.”

Wally grimaced, shaking his head. He gestured to himself and gave a thumb’s up, then pointed towards the zeta tunnel entrance and made a slashing motion. Off to one side, Roy snorted. “Pretty sure the Kid thinks he’s fine, old man.”

Huntsman’s lips twitched into a small smirk. “Be that as it may, they are going to send someone eventually.” Wally huffed.

After that, everybody began to slowly disperse. Artemis and Jade both cornered their dad against a wall to speak with him in low tones; M’gann took off for the hangar with Conner watching her go, whereas Kaldur wandered back towards the bedrooms, yawning once again. Raquel activated her space-tech flight suit in order to help Lantern adjust some things inside the ceiling of the main hub, and Roy headed for the armory, a pensive expression on his face as he counted through the arrows in his quiver.

Trick of course stayed put in the infirmary, Harlequin running her fingers through his short hair and Jester laughingly telling a story about some corrupt police officer he pantsed on live tv. Wally didn’t really want to hang around them just by himself, so he ended up following Annataz into the kitchen.

She spent a minute rummaging through some cabinets, before turning around and jumping. “Oh! S-sorry. Didn’t see you. Um.”

Wally just waved off the apology, then pointed to the supplies cradled in her arms. “Want help?” He managed to rasp.

Annataz pulled out a shaky smile. “Um, sure. Thanks. Have you ever made apple pie before...?”

-Honor-

Life, as always, went on.

Various Honor League members came and went from the Mountain, including Jade, which Wally could see bugged Artemis to no end. Roy apparently also had permission to leave, being eighteen, but the most he ever did was make snack runs down to Harpy Harbor for different kinds of junk food. Wally managed to catch the older redhead alone after one such trip, and hesitantly asked him about it.

“...I used to work for the Crimson Archer,” Roy eventually said, standing in the pantry with a jar of peanut butter still in his hands. “I’m not- obviously, it’s not something I’m proud of. But I was living on the street, and he- he seemed like a better option than the low-level gangs or- other things.”

Wally waited as the guy struggled to put his words together.

Finally, the jar went onto a shelf with a thunk, and Roy turned around to fully face him. “It’s not because I’m still afraid of him, okay? When the League needs some extra long distance support, I’m there. But if they don’t ask, then I- I feel like I need to keep an eye on Artemis.” Something in his tense expression softened. “It was her and Jade’s mom who got me out. Challenger. She gave me something to want more than always flinching under Oliver’s thumb.”

Slowly, Wally nodded. “I get it,” he whispered.

Roy studied him for a long moment, before slowly nodding. “Yeah. I guess you would. You, me, Trick, Annataz - we all started out on the wrong side, before someone here managed to bring us back to the light.”

From the hints Artemis dropped into their conversations, Wally had learned that Trick used to be ‘Talon’, one of Owlman’s pet assassins. But she hadn’t said a word about- “Anna?”

“Mmhm. Her father’s Giovanni Arataz, Kid; the Witchdoctor.”

Oh. No wonder Annataz stayed so quiet all the time. If he had a parent dedicated to dark magic and blood rituals, Wally probably wouldn’t have spoken up to draw attention to himself even before his throat got cut.

“I guess we could add Conner to the list too,” Roy mused, returning to his bags of groceries. “Ultraman technically was making clones of himself to become new lieutenants, until Luthor sabotaged the whole thing and stole the last one.”

“But it’s not like I ever actually did anything for that sociopath.” Wally jumped in his seat as Conner himself walked into the kitchen, a bemused expression on the tall boy’s face.

“Yeah, okay, fair enough. Want something? We’ve got graham crackers and cinnamon sticks, dried jerky, mixed nuts, I think I grabbed a bag of marshmallows-”

“Oreos?”

Roy’s eyebrows went up, but he nodded towards a bag on the end of the counter. Conner thanked him, took out one of two packages, and walked back out the door. Wally made a questioning noise. “...if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s taking those straight to M’gann. I always get a second thing of Oreos for her, and the other one stays in the pantry for the rest of us.”

Wally thought back to Huntsman’s mention of the Manslayer, when Conner almost but not quite reached for the martian girl’s shoulder, and figured it to be a pretty decent assumption. She’d barely emerged from her bio-ship at all since then, causing Artemis and Raquel to frown with concern every time they passed the hangar.

A single package of cookies might be a small thing, but maybe it would be enough to draw her out some more.

-Honor-

Trick first managed to scare the snot out of him when Wally was in the gym early one morning, stretching out his kinked muscles following a hundred-lap run. “I have a question.”

Wally immediately sucked in a sharp, startled breath, freezing partway through the act of standing up. His heart rate, slowing down after the run, instantly leapt back to full sprinting power, and it took a long moment for him to wrestle down the impulse to bolt out the nearest exit. Once back in full control of his faculties, Wally oh so cautiously tipped his head back, to stare at the figure perched on one of the overhead trapeze swings.

Several questions of his own leapt to mind: how long have you been up there; how are you keeping that swing so perfectly still; how did I completely fail to notice you, like, at ALL-

And yet, he only managed to croak out a very wheezy “What?”

Smooth as a bird taking flight, Trick tipped off his swing to drop towards another, hands outstretched. From that he jumped to the nearby bar set, did a couple of loop-de-loops with his whole body, then flipped off to land silently next to Wally. “The League files say Slipstream has a serum he needs to take every day to maintain his super speed; but you don’t, according to the Merry Men. Why?”

Wally forced himself to gulp a couple of times before answering. “Stole, a sample. Lightning. Coma. Woke up, ran.” That said, his throat immediately erupted into a coughing fit.

Trick hummed, swaying slightly as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, waiting for the coughs to subside. “So the combination of lightning hitting the serum either mutated you, or woke up a dormant metagene. Very asterous. Hey, as long as you’re here, want to spar?” Wally’s eyes dropped from the other boy’s masked eyes to his stomach, and the bandages barely discernible underneath the dark blue tank top. He frowned, and Trick huffed. “It’s fine. I sparred with Jester yesterday!”

A single eyebrow went up, because Wally very much doubted that, or at least doubted how much strength Jester actually put into his hits. He rubbed at his sore throat, glanced at the nearby mats, and lifted one shoulder in a small half-shrug.

Trick promptly grinned, just wide enough to look creepy rather than reassuring. “Thanks! I promise you won’t regret it.”

...fifteen minutes later, Wally very much did regret it, because even while injured Trick managed to kick his butt six ways to Sunday. Seriously, the smaller boy barely seemed to move at all, yet Wally repeatedly found himself with a foot in his face, or two slamming into his chest, or a leg sweeping his own feet out from under him. Possibly the most embarrassing was the final take-down, when Trick did, literally, kick Wally in the butt to knock him over, before jumping onto his back as he fell and curling an arm around the redhead’s throat when they hit the ground.

Wally froze. Trick paused, his limb almost but not quite touching scarred skin. “...if I was who I used to be, this is probably how I’d kill you.”

Yeah. Wally didn’t doubt that. According to what he’d heard about Gotham, one didn’t become a member of Owlman’s Made Men without being trained in the most gut-punching, trauma-filled ways to kill individual targets: someone with a fear of heights, dropped off the side of a building. An alcoholic drowned with their drink of choice, or a hacker electrocuted by their own equipment. 

Somebody who survived a debilitating injury, wounded in the exact same place to finish the job.

He took a small, shallow breath. Then, Wally reached up behind his shoulder, pinched at the tip of Trick’s nose, and pulled his hand away with his thumb tucked in between the index and middle fingers.

After a startled beat, Trick snorted. “Did you just steal my nose?”

Wally grinned, tipping his head enough to make sure the smaller boy could see. Trick started to giggle, which escalated into a full blown evil cackle, and he dramatically rolled off Wally’s back to flop onto the mat beside him. “How could you! Such betrayal! I will never recover from this, why, SK?”

Snickering softly, Wally turned onto his side and dramatically held the pilfered ‘nose’ aloft. “Souvenir.”

Trick wheezed, curling up into a ball as he shook with laughter.

-Honor-

Later that same day, Wally almost suffered a second heart attack when Harlequin cornered him in a hallway. The warning Artemis gave about don’t mess with Trick suddenly leapt to mind, and the teen winced, very aware he’d likely overstepped in the gym.

And yet, once she’d double-checked that they were alone, Harlequin beamed at him. “You’re a good kid, ya know that Sprinty? Avalanche showed me the security footage of ya playin’ with my little Trick this mornin’, and- he ain’t laughed like that with anybody ‘sides me and my Jay in a long time.”

...oh. Surprised, Wally could only offer a small shrug. Then he oofed when Harlequin grabbed him in a tight hug that could rival Grodd Gorilla’s for sheer arm strength.

“He’s had a hard time, our Trick,” the woman sniffed, when she stepped back again. “Jester tells everyone not t’ mess with him, ‘cause we don’t want somethin’ happening to make him snap, but- when folks find out he used to be Talon, they get scared, and wary. ‘S good to see somebody else act normal with him, though. So thank you. Anything you need, Sprinty, just let your Aunt Harleen know, okay?”

Wally nodded, and accepted another short hug, before Harlequin left him alone to enter the kitchen.

-Honor-

Three weeks following his arrival at Mount Honor, Wally finally got to see one of the Merry Men again. With their zeta tunnel out of commission for the time being, Digger apparently slipped out of Central City on foot and hitched a ride to El Paso, where Madam Hornet maintained a small base in order to keep in touch with a community of Bialyan refugees located there.

“OY,” the Australian hollered as he came through the teleportation device, duffel bag slung over one shoulder and hat tilted to a jaunty angle, “What’s this I hear about the Kid making a nuisance of himself?”

In the chemical lab, Wally groaned, letting his head drop to thunk against the metal table.

Raquel sniggered at him as she passed on her way to greet the new arrival. “Hi, Major Nuisance. You gonna be staying long?”

“Well, either until the week’s up, or our new digs are finished, whichever comes first. Come on out Wallaby, your favorite uncle needs a hug!” Rather than stand, or even lift his head off the table, Wally stretched a single hand up into the air and flipped the bird. Digger promptly roared with laughter. “Atta boy, Kid, stick it to the old people!”

Eventually Wally did, of course, set aside the formula he’d been tinkering with and come out into the main Hub, so Digger could wrap an arm around his shoulders and ruffle his hair into complete disarray. Raquel led the way to a guest room, where Wally hung around as the man settled his handful of clothes and gear. “All good?”

“Yeah, all good on the homefront,” Digger reassured him. “Hartley’s already working on plans for his next Underground Concert, and Lisa’s takin’ advantage of the move to expand her space for housing runaways. Jesse’s drivin’ Mick and Sam up the wall, same as usual, and would very much like to know when we’re gonna get our Sprint Kid back home safe ‘n sound.”

Wally rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help grinning. “Len? Mark?”

“Our good old Citizen in Chief is down to five hours sleep a night, but aside from that he’s doin’ alright, and I fully expect his dear sister’s gonna sit on him one day this week to make the drongo take a long nap. As for the one and only Storm Sage...” the man’s grin took on a distinctly predatory gleam, “Let’s just say Slipstream’s havin’ a heck of a time trying to crack open our old hideout without homemade lightning nippin’ at his heels.”

That deserved a double thumbs up, which made Digger chuckle.

-Honor-

Two days after the Major’s arrival, Luthor called everyone together in the Hub for an informal briefing.

Wally found himself standing with Digger on one side, Artemis on the other; the man’s hand rested reassuringly on his shoulder, and the girl interlaced their fingers, a gesture that sent electric tingles racing through his body. Several other mentors gathered with their kids and students around the large room, the few murmurs falling silent as Luthor took center stage to activate the hologram projectors.

First, an image of Earth. Followed by a second, which doubled into four, then eight, sixteen, and so on. “To begin: our world is but one of many. This is a simplified illustration of the multiverse - an infinite chain of separate realities. Some are different only in the subtlety of a few details, while others appear utterly unrecognizable. Earths that never developed the human race, or suffered massive extinction events to wipe all life away entirely. Places where technology is far more advanced, and others where magic remains the predominant power behind civilization. There are even worlds, such as on this Earth here-” Luthor selected a single image to highlight, “-with a complete inverse of heroes and villains.”

Wally blinked, not quite sure he understood.

“It’s pure chance our research into other universes turned this one up,” the inventor went on, “And we’ve decided to make the most of an available opportunity. A few of our allies have recently completed work on a device capable of transporting several people between universes, so long as it’s fueled by the correct power source. We’re planning to steal something called the Quantum Trigger, tonight, from the Syndicate. With it, I, Jester, and Lady Light, will travel to this nearby Earth, and request the local Justice League come back with us for a joint assault on the Crime Syndicate.”

...huh.

Alright, then.

---

To be continued...

[links-in-time]

Link Fanfic

The beginning of something.

Not sure what this might become but I wanted to write something with my BOTW original character Maari.

Hopefully this will be a long running fic. Or at least as long as I can come up with a plot!

Possibly some 18+ content in the future but will proved warnings if we get into that territory.

Please do not tag as Linked Universe, this is my own story based on the 9 Links.

Part 1

A chilly breeze ruffled the stray hairs poking out of Maari's hood, she tucked them behind her ear and refocused her attention on the group settled in the clearing ahead of her. Maari had been tracking the group of nine for three days since they had arrived in Hyrule. Impa had sensed the presence of a strange portal and sent Maari on a mission to investigate. After she had witnessed the nine figures emerging from the portal Maari followed them at a safe distance, learning all she could about them before she could report back to Impa at Kakariko village.

They were settled around a campfire in the middle of a forest clearing near West Necluda. Maari took the opportunity to get a little closer while using the trees as cover. She scanned each of their faces lit by the flickering fire. Some were young, no older than twelve or fourteen, the rest appeared to be in their mid to late teens, but one seemed quite a bit older than the rest.

One of the young men walked over to the fire where a cooking pot was hanging over the fire. Maari's eyes went wide. The fire illuminated the familiar figure of Link, the Hyrule champion. He smiled at his companions as he stirred the cooking pot. Maari turned again to look at the rest of the group. The more she looked the more similarities she could see between them. Not just their hair or their eyes, but their smiles, their gestures and the way they sat together.

Perhaps they shared some relation to Link. Maybe Zelda would know, but last she heard Zelda was in Rito Village studying ancient verses with Kass. Impa might know if Link had relatives. But there was something odd about each of them. Some wore strange clothes, or had strange marks on their faces. None of them seemed particularly of Maari's Hyrule.

One of the men got to his feet, stretched for a long moment then ambled off into the trees. He had the darkest hair of all and a dark green tunic and matching hat. Maari paid him little attention, he was probably off to releave himself. She continued watching the others as the younger two settled down for the night and the others pulled out their bed rolls.

SNAP

Maari span on the spot at the tell-tale sound of a twig breaking in the forest nearby.

Too heavy to be a small mammal, and the deer of the forest are too careful to make such noise when there are people nearby. Maari thought to herself.

She drew a small blade from her belt and held it ready for any attack. A rustle in the brush drew her attention to the left. It sounded much closer now. Maari narrowed her eyes and tried to make out any movement in the darkness.

A large dark shape flew at her from the undergrowth, throwing her to the ground and pinning her shoulders against a fallen tree. Powerful forepaws dug into her muscles as a growling muzzle lowered itself to her face.

"Urgh!" Maari squinted at the sudden pain in her head. She opened her eyes to look the creature full in the face. A great grey wolf with slate grey eyes stared back at her.

"I mean you no harm," she said softly. "My mission is to observe those people over there." She inclined her head back towards the clearing. "I am sorry if I, or they disturbed you tonight."

The wolf huffed and seemed to consider Maari for a moment. She knew it couldn't understand her words but the Sheikah had long known that all animals understood feelings. What Maari did not know was that this was no ordinary wolf.

Suddenly it lunged forwards and grasped the shoulder of her clothing in its powerful jaws. It released its grip on her shoulders and began to drag her across the forest floor.

"Hey!" She protested. "What in Din's name are you doing?"

The commotion alerted the group to Maari's presence and they were almost all on their feet with some sort of weapon in their hands as the wolf hauled her into the clearing, dumping her by the fire.

"Look what the dog dragged in," a young man in a dark red tunic smirked, he held a strange looking staff in both hands and Maari noted a hint of pink in his otherwise blond hair.

"A spy?" Asked the eldest, a long sword pointed in Maari's direction. He squinted at her through one eye, his right appeared to be blind and a pale milky-white.

"She's Skeikah, from what I know that's kind of their whole thing." This remark came from one of the other young men. He tossed a blue scarf around his neck which had blown astray in his haste to get to his feet.

Link then came into Maari's field of vision, he looked more concerned than the others, and he bent down near to where she lay.

"Hey, what's your name?" He asked in a quiet tone. Maari was a little taken aback, she couldn't recall ever hearing the hero speak before. She had always seen him signing.

"Maari, of the Sheikah," she replied. "We had no idea you were back in the region Sir Link."

"Sir Link!" The man in the red tunic mocked Maari's words, bowing deeply in the champions direction. Link waved him off and returned his attention back to Maari.

"Just Link is fine. Can I ask what you're doing out here in the forest Maari?"

"She said she was following us." A voice to her right spoke up.

Maari had seen some unbelievable things in the last few years. The calamity swarming around the palace, enormous islands appearing in the sky. But watching as the wolf transformed into the dark haired Hylian was certainly unexpected.

"Are you spying on us?" Asked Scarf.

"In a way, I suppose so yes." Maari admitted with a shrug. She pulled her legs under her so she was kneeling a little more comfortably and tried to regain her composure. Her cover was blown but even a well trained Sheikah couldn't have predicted being set upon by a shape-shifting Hylian.

"I was sent by Paya, the leader of the Sheikah to investigate a portal. When I saw you all emerge I decided to follow to see who you were. I had no idea at the time that you were among them Link."

As she said his name, more than one of the men seemed to catch her eye.

"Actually, we were headed towards Kakariko when we arrived. I wanted to see if Impa had any information about the portals," Link replied.

"Then our paths lead us in the same direction," Maari mused.

"It seems they do," Link smiled, and Maari couldn't help but take a little comfort from his crooked smile. "Oh I should probably introduce my travelling companions. Actually," he scratched his head, "it's a little complicated. Perhaps introductions can wait until morning."

Maari noticed that although the younger boys still held their weapons, their eye-lids were growing heavy and the smallest failed to stifle a yawn.

"Alright everyone, excitements over." The eldest announced, sheathing his sword and taking a seat on a tree stump. "Legend and I will take first watch, Wild, you and Four take over in a couple of hours. I'd like everyone to keep an eye on our guest here. From what I recall Sheikah have a habit of disappearing."

Maari frowned. She had been caught fair and square and she had no reason to distrust Link. Any companion of his would therefore be trustworthy. What reason would she have for sneaking away now?

Arguments aside, Link offered her a spare bedroll while the others settled in for the night. The eldest and Pink Hair (who Maari assumed was known as Legend) sat up on watch as the crescent moon rose higher into the sky. As the rest began to drift off to sleep one thing was for sure, Maari would be careful about talking to wolves from now on.

Part 2 >

[lostonehero]

Alright the livestream

One more before I head to bed.

Micheal triple checked the cameras and sighs. The livestream was on. He was live he could see himself in the video. "Hold it. I need to pull up chat." He sighs and finally pulls it up as his phone rings.

"Oh, uncle Henry, what's up?" Micheal smiles. "Ah, you're watching the livestream. No, no, I'm fine. I'm just gonna stream for a bit of answer questions... oh ok I see, right, ok... uh, ok? I'll keep that in mind.... that would require having a pluse Henry. Ok, love ya too."

He turns his attention back to the livestream. Oh, right audience. " Sorry bout that." He pulls up the live chat going a mile a minute. "Ah, a lot of hellos to Uncle Henry, and oh ok, questions."

He pursed his dry lips with a sigh. "Uh, you've seen my draw, my love, right? I've answered a bunch of these.... ok ok yes I was born in the mid-70s and was a teen in the 80s, and uh, I didn't live past 19."

He smiles, leaning back in his chair. "There's a pot we didn't talk about back then. Oh, it would piss off William to figure out that I like men. Uhhh, what else.... am I single? Well, I mean, most people recoil at the smell of perfume covering up the smell of death, so yes. Guys I am a corpse who won't die what the fuck does mosterfucker mean?"

Micheal sighs. "I mean, I stitched eyebrows into my skull along with my hair because my hair fell out because that what happens when you rot." He furrows his brows. "My zipper? Oh, the one in my chest." He Un buttons his shirt and pulls up the under shirt and shows off the zipper. "I uh have nothing inside at the moment... wait, wait." He pulls down the zipper showing off his glued together ribcage, and he pulls out an industrial flashlight and a tazer. "Ah yeah, I forgot to take these out after doing a job for Henry." He fixes himself up.

He didn't expect the livestream chat to go nuts. "What are you guys going on about? I never lied about being a walking corpse. Granted, the chest chest was the only gift my father gave me that I liked."

Micheal chuckles. "Anyway, any other questions for me?" He pauses watching the chat scroll by.

"Again can't eat so those no I don't have bodily functions related to that...or that. Guys, relax. I'm not infested with maggots or different bugs. My skin is like leather, which does need to be moisturized so it doesn't become brittle. I can only do so much stitching with what I have left."

He snickers. "Uh no, I don't sit in a tub of different creams. That's too much. I uh do perfer oil based ones they last longer."

Micheal sighs going on for a few more hours. "Right, that's enough. You people need sleep, whereas I don't. I'll have a new video on making clothes later, we're going to do uniforms again."

He turns off the stream and sighs. "He needs to figure out why people kept saying they were thirsty, and they kept talking about monster fucking. He's all for weird romance novels, but that's weird to put in the chat.

He smiles at a text from his uncle saying, "Great job."

Maybe this wasn't so bad

[haveihitanerve]

The League would admit they knew very little about Batman. They didn't know his age, his identity, hell they didn't even know his favorite food. But they did, however, know he had kids. How many was still unclear, but the Bat had used the plural form while comforting a civilian once, so thats what they based it off of. And while he was certainly tight lipped about many things, talking about his kids, or bragging really, wasn't one of them. "Bats really loves his kids huh?" Barry murmured to Hal as they watched Batman inform Wonder Woman about one of his children. "I mean they're babies, wait till they hit the angsty teens and I'm sure we'll be hearing the opposite." Hal muttered back. Barry snorted. "maybe if he's raising you. If his kids are anything like me he'll keep talking like this." Hal couldn't hold back a laugh at that. "Batman." Superman entered the room. Hal and Barry looked over at him in interest, and Batman stopped talking, turning to face him. "yes?" "You have a visitor." The alien said, and Hal could see his lips twitch, though he tried to hide it. Batman's eyes narrowed. "Who?" "Why me of course!" Twittered a voice and a black and blue blur cartwheeled into the room, landing confidently with hands on his hips long enough for them to take in his wide easy smile and his dark black hair before he was moving again, slamming into Batman with the force of a freight train. Batman didn't even twitch, didn't even take one step back to balance himself, just grunted lightly as the man wrapped himself around him like an affectionate leech. "Did you miss me?" The newcomer murmured, face pressed into Batman's chest. Batman grunted, which must have been the right sound to make because the man lit up, pressing a kiss to Batman's cheek. "aww i knew you did." Batman grunted again and the man unfurled himself from his side, landing on his feet instead. "Um, uh, hey there. Batsy, who is this?" Hal stuttered out. Batman glanced over at them, opening his mouth to respond, but the newcomer beat him to it. "I'm Nightwing! It's a pleasure to meet you." "nice to meet you too." Barry smiled, almost as enthusiastic, shaking his hand. "Why are you here?" Batman asked bluntly, but Nightwing didn't seem at all perturbed by his less than friendly question. "Well uh, Little Wing locked himself in his room and try as we might we can't get him out, you know he hasn't slept." Batman sighed. "Alright. I'll be home just as soon as I finish today okay? Try to feed him at least." Nightwing nodded. "Will do." "Wait- hang on, sorry." Hal interrupted. "You- you'll be home? Who- are you his-?" Nightwing's entire body spasmed with delight. "You mean B hasn't told you about me?" he gasped in outrage, spinning to look at the other man. Batman raised an eyebrow. "I did. Hal, Barry, this is Nightwing. My son." If Hal's jaw could have dislocated from his body it would have been back on Earth. "THIS?" Barry sputtered. They looked at each other. "That- that is a grown ass adult!" Hal exclaimed. Nightwing looked at him in amusement. "has dear old dad been giving you the wrong impression?" He asked. "You are not a precious little thing! You are not a baby!" Barry half cried. "You could snap me half!" "Like a twig." Wonder Woman agreed. "I won't." Nightwing assured him, far too confident and unbothered. "But you could." Hal stressed. Nightwing laughed. "Perhaps. I am Bat-trained after all." He winked backwards at his father. "anyway, I gotta get back. It was nice meeting you." And just as fast as he had come he was gone again, a blur of black and blue. Hal and Barry stared at Batman.

It was about a week later, when they had still not recovered from the shock of Nightwing being Batman's son, when they ran into Red Hood. The Red Hood. Leather jacket, signature red hood, multitudes of guns strapped to his body. Hal readied his ring. But the man just draped himself across Batman's with all the confidence in the world, releasing a sigh. "The brat broke into my safe house again." He whined, voice pitched surprisingly high for a man with his size and stature. "to steal my dog." Hal almost dropped his ring. And Batman, Batman, Mr. I hate guns and won't use them and they're bad, just looked at him, a soft smile on his face even as Red Hood waved at least two guns around his nose, and said calmly. "He just wants to spend time with his big brother. Maybe take him to the zoo next time." Barry was looking between them in confusion. "It can't be." He muttered. Superman coughed into his fist. "It is." He confirmed. "H-how?" Hal whimpered. "That is also not a baby! He's almost bigger than Bats! He could break Bats in half!" Superman chuckled. "But he won't." "But he could!" Both Hal and Barry half shouted. Batman and Red Hood glanced over. "Alright Old man I gotta go." "Alright. Drive safe kiddo." Red Hood rolled his eyes. "Its Gotham." Batman leveled him with a look and the Red Hood, the Red Hood, crime lord and gang boss, raised his hands in surrender, sticking his guns in his pockets. "Yeah alright whatever. See you at home." Hal was gaping like a fish.

"Did you have a good weekend Batman?" Superman asked, leaning against the Bats desk with a cup of coffee in his hands. Batman nodded, smiling faintly. "yeah. My babies went for a walk in the park yesterday. Red brought the dog. It was good." Hal and Barry collapsed and had a mental breakdown.

A year later, when they finally met Robin, the one who was, in fact, a child, they only had a moment of relief before the kid pulled out a katana. Batman smiled.

Love the slight AUs where Bruce as Batman has been a member of the league for ages, but he's somehow managed to keep his assortment of children under the radar.

Because it sets up the wildest misunderstandings within the league. He routinely talks about his babies, his children who are all so sweet and kind and occasionally assholes yes but only because they are young (and traumatized) hell I don't think the league would even be aware that they're adopted. So they're all thinking literal children

Barry: Bats really loves his kids.

Hal: I mean they're babies, wait till they hit the angsty teens and I'm sure we'll be hearing the opposite

Which means the day they finally meet Nightwing they don't know wtf to think. For one thing, how old would he have been when he had this kid???? Should they be worried about that???? And for the other, that is not a baby, that is not a precious little thing.

He could break someone in half. Like a twig.

He won't, but he could. And they can see that. (He's bat trained, they have seen what the bat can do they are not fools)

And they're like, okay. Okay maybe he isn't the baby (he is). He's got younger kids right? He's never said how many, they have 0 clues. They've been expecting 1 child, maybe 2 because he'd said kid in the plural exactly once when comforting an older woman while they were searching for her children in the aftermath of a rough battle.

And then a week later they run into Red Hood. In his leather, with his guns. And he drapes himself across Batmans back with all the self confidence in the world and starts whining about the "Brat" breaking into his safe house.

To steal his dog.

And yet again. He is not baby. He is bigger than Batman. He could probably break Batman in half given the bat didn't put up a fight. But Batman looks at him with probably the softest expression they've ever seen on that mans face and tells him very earnestly that the kid just wants to spend time with his older brother, next time they should try a walk. Maybe go to the zoo.

But probably not one of the babies. They're kind, and gentle, and at least one just loves reading and Bats has been trying to encourage that!!!

And then a day later he mentions his "babies" going for a walk in the park and they all instantaneously lose their minds at the confirmation.

[teafiend]

Like An Odd Sight Come Out At Night

(Title take from the lyrics to “Movement”, by Hozier)

Rating: Teens and above (post-coital, intimacy, intimate moments etc); F/M

The coolish night air wafting through the open window brings with it the cadenced trill of crickets, familiar and calming. It is a comfortably warm evening. The last gasp of summer is upon them.

Yoon is sitting cross-legged on the floor bedding facing Gil Young, who is lying prone on her stomach, cheek pillowed on her forearm, knees bent, feet slightly swaying in the air.

His attention keeps straying to the fair, creamy expanse of her bare back and beautifully curved derriere, her flowing hair a curtain of inky black down her shoulder blades.

A visual as sensually entrancing as the images from sketches and paintings he had caught glimpses of in museums and books past.

Her skin still bears the sheen of sweat and the hint of a faint pink blush from their vigorous lovemaking minutes before, yet Yoon still craves for more. In need of something which at the moment seems elusive.

It is not a desire for sexual pleasure, of that he is certain. He feels wonderfully relaxed and satisfied, as he always does after the fulfillment from being physically intimate with her.

He realises it. He yearns for connection. To capture this moment of togetherness, and to prolong it.

His gaze lingers on her. Fixates.

“What’s so fascinating?” Gil Young murmurs languidly.

“You,” Yoon answers as he lies down on his side next to her, their bodies only inches from each other. He can feel warmth radiating from her nearness. It is reassuring.

She hums noncommittally.

He trails his eyes over the smooth texture of her skin, blemish free and supple. Remembers the feel of their softness underneath his fingertips. His hands.

Yoon rests his right hand at the base of her back, the sloping area where her spine intersects with her prettily rounded derrière. His thumb begins a rhythmic caress.

Yoon hesitates for a beat before speaking softly, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” comes the immediate response.

Bashfully, Yoon asks, “Do you remember your first kiss?”

Her brows crinkle in reminiscence, and then the edge of her lips curls down in slight distaste.

He ventures cautiously, “Was it that bad?”

Gil Young turns her gaze towards him, somber, “It was not a first kiss per se. More an attempted assault. I was accosted. The result of a stupid bet, I reckoned. When I was seventeen, maybe? Those years bled a lot into each other. If you thought you had seen me angry when we met again, you had not seen me then.”

Yoon’s eyes widen in horrified shock but before he can utter a word of comfort in commiseration, she continues with a satisfied gleam in her eyes, defiant pride in her voice, “But I made sure the bully regretted his behaviour. I think I nearly broke his arm. Or did I actually break it? I can’t recall accurately now.”

She mimics a shrug from her prone position, “I did not get any authority figure involved, and the boy never said anything about me being the one to injure him. Too embarrassed, I expect. Anyhow, I steered clear of boys from then on. Not that there was any interest there to begin with.”

“I am sorry you had to experience that. I am sure he deserved what he got,” Yoon consoles weakly, a heavy lump gathering in his throat. He begins to stroke up and down her back, the feel of her skin against his hand grounding him in their present.

“Don’t worry about it, it was nothing I dwelled on. Until you asked me about it, in all these years I don’t think I have given it any thought at all. And I am sure yours were worse, so let’s not compare sob stories,” she says evenly, her gaze empathetic.

When he first posed the question, Yoon never expected the subject to become this strangely sober window into other fragments of their past experiences, but instead of simply being upset about them, he finds himself more preoccupied by the grace and preciousness of their present.

And what they have now is an infinitely cherished blessing.

He reaches over to press an affectionate kiss to the tip of her shoulder. Gil Young gives him a fond smile.

“But your first kiss must be a nicer story, since you asked,” she prods, her small smile sweet and beguiling.

“Nothing remarkable, actually. At least nothing as traumatically dramatic as yours,” he discloses somewhat dispassionately.

Gil Young listens with rapt attention, her interest apparent.

“The young woman is someone from my former church, and we knew each other from church organised activities. There was no relationship or anything, but when I was nearing the end of my military service, she confessed her feelings and then kissed me. It had come as a surprise more than anything. I had already decided to join the clergy by then. I let her know and it was a good enough reason as any,” he further clarifies.

Gil Young nods sympathetically, “Minus the priesthood, that sounds surprisingly normal. Glad yours is such a run-of-the-mill first kiss story.”

She cranes over towards him, pecking him on the lips, “Thank you for telling me.”

Yoon returns a tiny smile of his own, soaking up the soothing warmth beneath his hand.

“Were you ever tempted, though?” she asks, curiosity threading her words.

Yoon answers frankly, “No. I had thought I might be, but it turned out not to be the case. I remember not feeling anything, and I liked her as a casual friend. She was beautiful too. In a way, she made me think that I could withstand temptation. No doubt, for many long years, that was true.”

He looks over at a spot beyond her beautiful eyes, his gaze unseeing, voice deep, touched with a taint of regret wrapped in certainty. “It was easy to be focused only on one objective to the exclusion of others. To bury inconvenient feelings in the service of a greater goal. Not that it was always true. But lying to oneself is not that hard. Until it becomes untenable. Impossible to ignore, that’s it.”

Gil Young nods, extending a hand over to caress his cheek. Her fingertips scorch, clearing the gathering fog in his mind. His gaze holds hers again, and the love and tenderness he notes in them buoys up his heart, pulling him back to the present. Their present.

He grins lightly, self-deprecating, “Well, then things changed and you happened. Until you, it turns out I don’t know what temptation is. So here we are.

“You make me sound like a dirty word,” Gil Young admonishes in amusement.

Yoon moves closer, gazes into her eyes, earnest and adoring as he promises, his lips a hair’s breadth away from hers, “That is far from the truth. You are my benediction. My beatitude.”

As he finishes his pledge, Gil Young closes the minute distance between them, her kiss a seal to his vows.

Notes: This ficlet is inspired by a beautiful, sensually charged scene from the fascinatingly complex and wonderfully nuanced Japanese movie, “Shoplifters” by KOREEDA Hirokazu. That scene left an impression, and imagining my OTP in a somewhat similar setting made my heart soar, so here it is. Truly, nothing is as gorgeously joyful as maximum self-indulgence.

Thank you.

[nellyharrison]

growing strong, CH. 7

aka my rewrite of season 2 of Teen Wolf based on the question: what if Erica was best friends with Scott and Stiles from the beginning?

Erica is forced to confront the changes in her relationship with Scott.  Stiles finally learns the truth about Erica's feelings for him.  A fight between Scott and Jackson leads to detention for all.  A surprise attack from the kanima leaves Erica's life in the balance.

CHAPTER SEVEN - FRENEMY (click to read on AO3)

It was early in the morning by the time Scott returned home, Erica listening from his room as he and Melissa moved through the house.  Melissa reminded him of the terms of his grounding before disappearing into her own room, Scott trudging down the hall before opening his door.  When he saw Erica sitting on his bed, he rushed inside and closed the door behind him.

“If my mom finds you here, I’ll be in more trouble than I already am,” he muttered.

“I know, I heard,” she frowned.  “Did she really say you couldn’t see Stiles?”

“It’s a pretty good punishment,” he mused, sighing as he moved over to the bed and sat down beside her.  “Jackson filed a restraining order against me and Stiles.  His dad’s pissed.  Mom’s furious.  I’m probably going to get held back a year because I keep messing up at school.  Everything’s falling apart.”  He dramatically fell back on the bed, covering his face with his hands as he groaned.

“Hey,” she muttered, reaching down to pull his hands away so he would look at her.  “First of all, I will get Jackson to drop the restraining order, and both of your parents will eventually move past this.  Second, I can help you in whatever classes you’re struggling in, and we’ll get your grades up because there is no way I am moving on to junior year without you.”

Scott chuckled and relaxed more on the bed, smiling fondly up at her.  “You’re still trying to solve all of my problems,” he pointed out, turning his hand to take hers so he could tug her down to lay next to him on the bed.  “I’m sorry for crossing a line with Allison in the pool house.”

“You guys have barely had a chance to be alone together,” Erica shook her head.  “I should have expected that lines would be crossed.  I guess I just wished I didn’t have to walk in on it.”

“It shouldn’t have happened,” he told her, turning his head to look at her as he gave a quick squeeze to the hand he was still holding.  “I don’t blame you for Jackson, so don’t feel like you need to fix that.  I will accept the help with school, though.  You did always have a knack for explaining things in a way I could understand.”

“Well, as the founding member of the Scott McCall fan club, I have to be able to speak fluent Scott-ish,” she joked, succeeding in lightening the mood as he started chuckling, her head turning to laugh with him.

“A skill that I’m sure will look great on your transcript,” he teased, his laugh easing as he smiled over at her.  He reached over to brush her hair behind her ear so he could see her more clearly, but then his hand lingered on her jaw and her hand wrapped around his wrist.  “Stay tonight?”

“Stiles is picking me up tomorrow,” she reminded him, easing his hand from her face as she let go of his other hand.

He sat up, looking down at her as he requested, “Stay anyways.  Please.”

She knew she should say no.  She knew that nothing good could come from saying yes, but she found herself nodding anyway.  He shifted up the bed, Erica adjusting with him, until they were facing each other on their sides with their heads on the pillows.  They had plenty of space between them, but due to her heightened senses, when she closed her eyes, she could feel his breath and sense his every shift on the bed.  She didn’t fall asleep, but he did, and she felt her eyes open to watch him once he had.  Her hand reached out, smoothing over his features.  She remembered when they were younger, softer, less rugged.  Scott was becoming a man, and one that had found a very special place in her heart.  It was a scary thought, how much he meant to her, so she eased out of his bed and set off for her home in the middle of the night, leaving Scott to wake up the next morning and find her long gone.

Erica found she couldn’t face Stiles the next morning either, but luckily, Derek texted her asking her to come by the train car before school.  She gave Stiles the excuse with ease, promising to see him at school and assuring him he could drive her home if he wanted to.  Isaac and Boyd were already there when she arrived, giving her a curious look when she walked down the stairs.

“What’s with you two?” she questioned.

“Nothing,” Boyd answered quickly, nudging Isaac, who stopped staring.  “New perfume?”

“No?” she replied, rolling her eyes.  She was sure she smelled like something that they had picked up on, but she didn’t care enough to find out.  “How’s your training coming along?  Either of you find an anchor yet?”

“I think I’m close,” Isaac admitted.  “The full moon will be the real test.”

“Yeah, I have no idea,” Boyd muttered.  “I’ve accepted the high probability I’ll be getting chained up during this first one.”

“It’s for your safety and everyone else’s,” Erica offered as comfort, looking over at Derek when he joined them outside of the train car.  “What’s so important it couldn’t wait until after school?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve witnessed about the kanima,” he began to explain.  “There was something about the way Gerard looked at it.  He wasn’t afraid… at all.  I don’t know what he knows or what he’s planning, but I’m sure about one thing.  We have to get to it first.”

“Do you really think Gerard has a plan for the kanima?” she asked, frowning at the thought of someone as twisted as the Argent patriarch having any control or influence on such a vicious creature.

“My instinct is to prepare for that possibility,” Derek told her.

“Oh yeah, because your instinct’s never been wrong,” she retorted, secretly hoping he was being overly proactive.

“It was right about you,” he stated, raising a brow at her.  “It was right about all of you.  And it’s right when it tells me that you should get out of here or you’ll all be late to school.”

“Yes alpha,” they chimed in unison, heading up the stairs and setting off for the high school together.

Erica told them she would meet up with them later when they arrived at school, tracking down Scott and Stiles as they made their way to the library.  She waited with them until Allison arrived and read to them what Lydia had translated from the bestiary.  The explanation Allison had given Lydia had her perking up before smiling sheepishly at Stiles’s reply.  He didn’t know it, but she was part of the same online community, and had chatted with him on occasion under a username he didn’t know belonged to her.  She had found him by chance in the game, and once she realized who he was, she couldn’t find it in herself to tell him.  Just one more on the list of secrets she kept from Stiles to maintain their friendship.

She remained mostly silent, just listening to what Allison learned, until Jackson’s parents were brought up as the possible source for why he had become a kanima instead of a werewolf.  “You guys don’t know what happened to them?” Erica realized, her eyes widening.  “I can’t believe I never mentioned this.  They both died.  It was a car accident.  My dad was the insurance investigator, and every time he sees Jackson drive by in his Porsche, he makes some comment about the huge settlement he’ll be getting when he’s eighteen.”

“So not only is Jackson rich now, but he’s getting even richer at eighteen?” Stiles asked, making a face when Erica nodded.  “There’s something so deeply wrong with that.”

“If the kanima needs to resolve something, then it can’t be about his parents, right?” Scott pointed out.  “I mean, you can’t resolve something with people that are dead.”

“Then what else could it be?” Erica questioned.  “What does he need to resolve from his past?”

“Lydia might know,” Stiles suggested.  

“What if she doesn’t know anything?” Scott feared.

“Well, he doesn’t have a restraining order against me, so...” Allison trailed off.  “I’ll talk to him myself.”

“Okay, what do I do?” Scott asked.

“You have a make-up exam, remember?” Allison reminded him.

“I have your study guide ready for you to review,” Erica added with a small smile.  Her smile fell when she watched Allison’s hand reach out and cover Scott’s on the shelf below.  As she turned away from the sight, she caught Stiles’s eyes, and her heart sank at the recognition she found there.

“Promise me,” Allison requested, more securely holding Scott’s hand.

“If he does anything, you run the other way,” Scott insisted.

“I can take care of myself,” Allison assured him.

“Allison, if you get hurt while I’m busy with some stupid test, someone’s going to need to take care of me,” Scott warned her.  Stiles’s eyes found Erica once more, but she simply stared him down until he looked away.  “If he does anything…”

“Like?” Allison questioned.

“Anything… weird or bizarre-” Scott began.  “Anything.”

Stiles shoved his head through the gap in the books to get closer to Allison as he told her, “Anything evil!”  He made a noise when she covered his face and shoved him back through the books, eliciting a snort from Erica.

They went their separate ways after that, Stiles leaving to find Lydia to see if she knew anything about Jackson’s past that might help them.  Allison went to go find Jackson himself, while Erica and Scott walked towards Chemistry for Scott’s make-up test.  Erica quizzed him the entire trek, encouraging him to trust his instincts over giving him hints to answers she knew he knew.  He got through the study guide easily enough, but that didn’t guarantee he would ace the test.

“You are smart, Scott.  You know this material, you just have to trust your instincts and remember how to properly apply what you’ve learned,” she encouraged.  “If you don’t know it after a few seconds, move on and come back to it, but don’t give up, and don’t worry if it takes you a few questions to find a rhythm.  You’ve got this.”

“I’ve got this,” he repeated, nodding before stepping into the classroom.  Erica waited outside as he started the test, leaning against the wall outside to provide comfort if Scott needed it.  About halfway through his exam, she heard his heartbeat start racing.

“Scott, what’s wrong?” she asked, knowing he could hear her from where she was in the hall.

“It’s Allison,” he muttered, glad that Mr. Harris didn’t notice him.

Knowing who Allison had gone to talk to and the threat that could have posed, she jumped to her feet.  “I’ll go and find her.  You just stay and finish your test!”  She took off down the hall, using her ears to filter through people’s conversations until she located Allison.  She focused on the surrounding sounds and figured out she was in the locker room.  Along the way, she noticed Stiles trailing after Lydia, the pathetic display causing her to redirect and pin Stiles to the wall with a clawed hand.  “Clearly she’s not going to give you what you want so why don’t you give it a rest?”

“Why are you bringing out the claws on camera?” he scolded, gesturing to the security camera aimed in their direction behind her.  She quickly pulled her hand away and retracted the claws.  “That’s right.  You wanna play Catwoman?  I’ll be your Batman.”

Erica had to fight the shudder at his words, the shiver traveling down her spine enough to make her inhale sharply through her nose.  It was a good thing her back was turned to the camera, because her eyes flashed gold until she closed them to compose herself.  She wanted to feed into that game with him, and really lean into the role, but she couldn’t.  That fantasy would have to wait.  “Allison’s in trouble,” she told him.  “Come with me now.”

“You could have just said that,” he grumbled, following after her as she began stalking down the halls again.

“I did you a favor.  You were embarrassing yourself,” she retorted.

“Like you are, mooning after Scott?” he shot back, nearly running into her when she stopped walking.  “And here I thought you were with Derek.”

“For the millionth time, I am not with Derek, and I am not mooning after anyone, not that it’s any of your business,” she snapped, storming away again, but he continued behind her.

“Is that how it is now?  You get the alpha-bite makeover and suddenly you’re too cool to talk to me?” Stiles accused, his stare unwavering as she turned to face him.

“Is that what you think of me?” she laughed, shaking her head.  After all this time, she had finally reached her breaking point and was tired of keeping the truth from him.  If he wanted to think so little of her, she would show him how wrong he was, even if it meant destroying one of the friendships she held most dear.  “You had years to notice me, Stiles, and you didn’t, but I was always there.  Scott was right that night.  I have been pining for you.  Yes, you, Stiles.  It has always been you.”  She took a deep breath, heard the conversation beyond the locker room doors, and cracked her knuckles.  “Now stay out here.  Jackson has a restraining order against you.”

When Erica entered the locker room, a completely naked Jackson had Allison cornered against a wall.  “Get the hell away from her!” she shouted, charging at Jackson and knocking him to the ground.  Allison slid to the ground, shaking slightly from the way Jackson had threatened her.  Jackson gained control in the grapple with Erica, pinning her roughly beneath him before he seemed to regain his right mind.

“Erica?” he muttered, scrambling off of her.  “What are you doing in here?”  He caught sight of Allison and his eyes widened.  “What are you both doing here?”

Before they could answer him, Scott burst through the doors.  He wasn’t sure what enraged him more: Allison cowering against a wall, Erica sprawled out on the ground, or Jackson scurrying away from them both as he tried to pull on a pair of shorts.

“I’m fine,” Allison quickly assured him.

“We’re both okay,” Erica added, sitting up.

“Scott,” Allison spoke, seeing Scott start to charge Jackson.

“Scott, we’re fine!” Erica repeated, standing to try to stop him, but he slammed Jackson against the lockers before she could get in his path.

“I have a restraining order!” Jackson shouted.

The fight that ensued was disastrous.  Erica managed to lead Allison outside to Stiles before rushing back into the locker room.  She tried again and again to separate them, but they each managed to push her out of the way before attacking each other.  Eventually she found herself tangled up in their struggle, the three of them toppling out of the locker room.  Stiles and Allison helped to hold Scott back while Erica got a firmer grip on Jackson and pinned him back against her across the hall.  It wasn’t much of a surprise when Mr. Harris showed up that they all got detention, even Matt who had only showed up at the end of the fight.  Erica tried to get Jackson to talk to her once they were told to disperse, but he disappeared back into the locker room, and she knew she couldn’t follow.  She felt Stiles’s eyes on her, but she couldn’t face him, so she set off down the hall towards where her next class was.

She managed to avoid most of them the rest of the day, but she knew she would have to deal with it all in detention.  Luckily, Mr. Harris ordered Scott and Stiles to sit separately from her, giving her the freedom to work on a sketch of Boyd to keep herself distracted.  She couldn’t help but overhear her friends’ theories on who the kanima master was, her eyes darting over to Matt when he was suspected.  It didn’t make too much sense to her, but she supposed anyone could be a suspect.  When Jackson started struggling with a headache of some sort, she grew concerned, standing with him.  Mr. Harris instructed her to sit down, but she insisted someone go with him in case he was sick.  He repeated himself, standing from his own desk, then demanded they all remain in their seats as he left to check on Jackson.  That was all the invitation Scott and Stiles needed before they were moving to sit at her table.

“We know Jackson’s parents died, but we think there might be something about their accident that might help us understand him more,” Scott explained.

“I could try to find the insurance report in my dad’s inbox,” she offered, opening her laptop.  “He keeps everything.”  She got to work opening her dad’s email, glad that he hadn’t changed the password from the one she had helped him set years ago.  She paused when Mrs. Argent requested for Scott to come to the principal’s office over the intercom, her eyes following him as he left the library.  Once they were alone, she could feel Stiles watching her.  “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” he asked, glancing at her laptop screen for a few moments before he resumed staring at her.

“Stiles, I’m serious,” she warned, using keywords in her dad’s inbox to try to locate the report.

“I’m not doing anything,” he insisted.

“You know what you’re doing, and I know why you’re doing it, so cut the shit,” she demanded, pulling up the report.  They both silently read what it said, Erica pausing to look up when Jackson returned and settled back into his seat, looking a little worse for wear.

“Look at the dates,” Stiles commented, pointing at her screen.

“‘Passengers arrived at the hospital DOA’,” Erica read.  “‘The estimated time of death - 9:26 PM, June 14, 1995’.”

“Jackson’s birthday is June 15th,” Stiles recalled, his brows rising in disbelief.  She looked over at him, and he nodded with a sigh.

When they all saw Mr. Harris packing up, they started to gather their belongings as well until he stopped them with a laugh.  He explained that he was leaving, but they would not be leaving until they finished reshelving the carts of books waiting by the door.  Why he waited so long to tell them that was what they needed to do to leave, they would never understand.  Erica took one cart into a row of shelves by herself, while Stiles and Allison grabbed another and took the row next to her.  Scott soon joined them, and they began discussing what they had learned.

“It means he was born after his mom died, by C-section,” Stiles explained.  “They had to pull him out of her dead body.”

“So was it an accident or not?” Allison asked.

“The word all over the report is ‘inconclusive’,” Stiles shrugged.

“That doesn’t happen often.  My dad’s a good investigator and usually can identify the source of an accident, but this one had too many unanswered questions for him to draw conclusions,” Erica added.

“So his parents could have been murdered?” Scott mused.

“If they were, then it falls in line with the kanima myth,” Stiles pointed out.  “You know?  It seeks out and kills murderers.”

“But for Jackson, or the person controlling him?” Allison questioned.

“I think the only person that can answer that is Jackson,” Erica stated.

“We have to talk to him,” Scott agreed.  “We have to ask him.”

“He’s not gonna li-” Allison started, but Scott was already walking towards the row of bookshelves Jackson had been working with Matt.

The sight of an open book on the ground at the end of their row had him slowing down, his eyes scanning down the row to find Matt on the ground with a slash on his neck.  He had crouched down to check on him when there was a crash from above, a lighting fixture and some ceiling debris falling down around them.

“Erica!” Scott called out, warning her of the kanima, since she was closest and on her own.  Stiles and Allison he trusted to protect each other.

Erica became alert, looking around for Jackson, but he crept up behind her, slicing the back of her neck and sending her paralyzed to the ground.  All she could do was watch as Jackson knocked Scott flying back into a book cart.  She could hear Jackson writing something on the black board, but she couldn’t see what it said before the toxin caused a seizure to start rippling through her body.

Stiles noticed her first, rushing to her side and lifting her into his arms as he yelled out what was happening.  As Scott joined Stiles, Allison walked over to check on Matt, reporting that he was alive.  “We need to get her to a hospital,” Stiles insisted.

“D-Derek,” Erica corrected.  “O-Only to Derek.”

“Erica, you need medical help, not your freaking alpha,” Stiles complained.

Scott looked over at Allison, who was concerned about Erica too.  “When we get her to the hospital-”

“To Derek,” Erica repeated.  “H-He’ll know h-how to help m-me.”

“Go,” Allison urged, seeing Scott’s hesitance.

Scott shook his head, running around the bookshelf to join her, despite Stiles’s plea and Erica’s whimper.  “I’m staying here with you,” Scott told Allison.

“He can’t take her alone,” Allison stated, choosing to be logical.  “Not like this.  And Matt- I’ve got to call an ambulance for him.  Just go.”

“This doesn’t feel right,” Scott muttered.

“It’s okay,” she assured him.

“No, it’s not,” Scott shook his head.  “No, it’s not right.”

“It doesn’t- It doesn’t mean anything,” Allison tried to reason.

“But it feels like it does,” Scott admitted.

“She’s your best friend, Scott,” Allison concluded.  “Go.”

He cupped her cheeks, kissing her forehead before returning and lifting Erica in his arms.  She continued to quake, shivering gasps and groans escaping her as she tried to fight off the pain she thought she had escaped for good.  Scott kept her in his arms as they climbed into the Jeep, Stiles driving as quickly as he could without crashing.  They had called Derek the moment they got in the car, asking where he was before setting off for the pool house where he would be waiting.  Stiles kept looking over at her, praying for the seizure to stop, but it kept going.  Neither of them could remember ever seeing her seize for this long before, and it was terrifying them.  Scott barely waited for Stiles to stop the Jeep before he was climbing out and rushing Erica inside.

Derek quickly took her from Scott’s arms when he saw the state of his beta, guiding her to the ground while ordering them to hold her up.  Stiles rushed ahead of Scott to sit behind her, settling on his knees to hold her slightly upright.

“Is she dying?” Stiles questioned, his voice unsteady.

“Sh-She might, I…” Derek stammered.  Stiles and Scott shared a look when they realized that he was just as affected by this as they were.  He cared just as much about Erica as they did, and when he realized what he needed to do, they could see the regret on his face.  “Which is why this is gonna hurt.”  He grabbed her forearm between his two hands, bending the limb until the bone inside broke, causing Erica to scream in pain.

“You broke her arm?!” Stiles shouted at him.

“It’ll trigger the healing process,” Derek explained, his breath stuttering as he recognized what he would have to do next.  Erica’s whimpering cries were enough to make him want to find another way, but he didn’t know if they had the time to find one.  She had already been seizing for as long as it had taken them to get her to him, and however long before that.  “I still gotta get the venom out.  This is where it’s really gonna hurt.”  He began squeezing her arm, his claws digging into the skin to bleed her, causing Erica to cry out even louder than before.

When she fell limp in Stiles’s arms, the seizure finally passing, he sat back, holding her in his lap and brushing her hair out from her face.  “Stiles,” she breathed as she looked up at him, her hand reaching up to give the sleeve of his flannel a weak tug.  “You make a good Batman.”  Her head turned to look at Derek and Scott, watching her with all of the concern they could muster.  “Hmm, my heroes,” she added before she passed out.

She remained unconscious for a while, Derek using that time to clean her arm and patch her up.  Scott cleaned up the remaining blood from the floor and brought over some pillows and blankets so she would be more comfortable.  They both needed some air after that, and they needed to discuss how they wanted to proceed with the Jackson situation, so while Erica was still out, they left the pool house.  Stiles couldn’t move even if he wanted to.  Watching Erica go through one of the worst seizures he had ever witnessed made him better understand why she had asked for the Bite in the first place.  As his hand brushed through her hair, watching her as she rested and her body healed slowly, he couldn’t help but think about what she had told him outside of the locker room.  He thought back on all of the confusing moments they had shared over the last few years, only now he looked back on them with the knowledge that Erica liked him.  Not just liked him.  She had been pining for him.  It has always been you.  He thought about everything everyone had been telling him lately, and how she had even called him out for being so oblivious.  They were all right.  He should have seen the signs, and he hadn’t.

“Who died?” came her playfully soft voice, made raspier from the screaming she had done.

“That is not even a little bit funny,” he replied, closing his eyes as he took the first deep breath since she had started seizing.  She was awake, which meant she was going to be okay.  “We thought we were going to lose you, Erica.”

“I thought that for a second there, too,” she admitted, her bottom lip quivering as she tried to breathe through her nose.

“Oh god, please don’t cry,” he pleaded, skimming his fingers along her hairline as her eyes fell closed.  “I don’t think I could handle you crying after everything else.  God, hearing you scream, Erica...” he trailed off, cupping her face more fully as she looked up at him.  “Every time you screamed, it felt like my heart stopped beating.”  She was struck silent as his thumb brushed along her cheek, his eyes looking over her features.  They lingered on her lips before settling on her own eyes, his heart aching at the way she looked at him.  He realized now that she had always looked at him like that, and he had been too blind to see it.  “I owe you a lifetime of apologies.”

“No, you don’t,” she shook her head.  “And I don’t want them.”

“Why not?  You deserve them,” he insisted.  “I’ve been such an idiot, and a dick.  I’ve hurt you more than I think I could ever understand on my own, and I’m supposed to be your best friend.  I’m not supposed to be the person that hurts you.”

“You didn’t know, Stiles,” she reasoned.

“But I should have,” he argued.  “I should have seen it sooner, and I should have- I should have-”

“Exactly,” she muttered with a slow exhale.  “And that’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“What do you mean?” he questioned.

“You don’t know what to do now, do you?” she asked, laughing dryly.  “You know how I feel and as much as it changes everything, it doesn’t really change anything for you.  You never thought of me as a possibility, and now that you know that I am, you don’t know what to do.”

“I only just found out though,” he explained.  “I don’t know how I really feel knowing what I know now.  It could change things for me.”

“Maybe I don’t want it to,” she admitted.  “I’ve known how I’ve felt about you for a long time, Stiles.  I’ve learned how to love you and be your friend, and I can keep doing that.  I’d rather keep doing that than have you really think about how you feel about me and realize you don’t want me in your life at all.”

“That would never happen,” he assured her.  “Never.  You will always be my best friend.”

“I hope so,” she muttered.  “Being your best friend would be enough for me.”

“Hey, you’re awake,” Scott commented as he returned to the pool house.  “Mind if I get a turn?” he asked Stiles, easing in beside him so he could take Erica into his arms and Stiles could stand up.  He watched as his two friends shared a moment of meaningful eye contact before Stiles left the pool house, giving them some privacy.  “He knows now, doesn’t he?”

“Finally got the nerve to tell him,” Erica nodded, feeling herself start to tear up again.  Scott didn’t try to stop her like Stiles had.  Instead, he pulled her closer to him, brushing his hand over her hair as she buried her face in his chest and started crying.  She cried over her conversation with Stiles, she cried over the years spent loving him in silence, she cried over the fear and pain of having another seizure again, she even cried over the confusion she was feeling towards Scott.  All of it came out, and Scott bore it for her, rubbing her back and hair until she calmed down again.  She laid back, turning away from his chest as she took slow breaths.  Her eyes fell closed when his thumbs brushed along her cheeks, wiping the tears from under her eyes.  After her cheeks were clean, she felt him cup her face in his hands, and she opened her eyes to look up at him.

Deciding she was stable enough to move, he scooped her into his arms, her head leaning against his shoulder as he carried her over to the couch.  Instead of laying her down on it, he sat with her in his arms, just wanting to keep her close a little while longer.  Her head remained on his shoulder, his own head leaning against hers as he wrapped his arms around her securely.  He watched as her fingers grasped the strings of his hoodie, playing with the ends absently.

“Things have to change, Scott,” she finally broke the silence, causing him to pull his head back so he could better look at her.  “We can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?” he wondered.

“You can’t comfort me like this,” she sighed.  “I can’t stay over at your house anymore.  You can’t touch me the way that you do.”

“How do I touch you?” he questioned.

“Like you’re trying not to break me,” she exhaled.  “Like I’m some fragile thing that you need to keep safe and protected.”

“What’s wrong with wanting to keep you safe and protected?” he pushed further.

“Because I’m not yours to keep safe and protected,” she answered.  “I’m not yours at all.  Allison is.  She should be the only person that you share those things with.”

“Can’t I share them with both of you?” he asked, frowning.  “It’s different with you two.”

“Maybe to you,” she muttered.  When he looked down at her confusedly, she turned away.  “Allison was jealous of us in the hall that day, and maybe she had reason to be.  We’ve always been different with each other than we were with anyone else.  Even when I knew I was falling for Stiles, you were still really special to me.  You’ll always be really special to me, but right now, you need to be really special to someone else.  You deserve a chance at true love, and you won’t get that if you don’t give Allison all of you.  If that means I have to let go of the part of you that you gave to me when we were six, then I can do that.  I want to do that.”

“Does this mean we can’t be friends anymore?” Scott asked, confused by what she was trying to say.

“No, we can be friends,” she assured.  “Just not the way we’ve been friends.  You need to treat me more like you treat Stiles.”

“That’s how you want me to treat you?” he replied, his brows lifting.

“That’s how you should see me.  I’m just like Stiles.  I’m your best friend, and nothing else,” she nodded.  “That way, we can stay close without confusing things.”

“I didn’t mean to confuse things,” Scott muttered.

“I know,” she promised, reaching up to cup his cheek gently.  He lifted his own hand and held hers there, closing his eyes as he soaked in the warmth from her touch.  She had to clear her throat as she shifted off of his lap, settling on the couch as she held her still aching arm against her.  “You should go and make sure Allison’s okay.”

Scott could identify a dismissal when he heard one, his head nodding as he stood from the couch.  Before he stepped fully away, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, lingering as both of their eyes fell closed.  He could sense something unfinished between them as he pulled away, her eyes meeting his with a question neither were ready to ask.  He wanted to respect her wishes, so he stepped back, giving her one last smile before he left the pool house, passing Derek on his way out.

“Isaac and Boyd are on their way over,” he told her as he sat beside her, pulling her against him with ease as she closed her eyes.  “They’re worried about you.  I figured the three of you could join me out here for the night.  I can go get some blankets from your house, or even lug your mattress out here, to make it comfier.”

“Our first official pack cuddles,” Erica declared sleepily, splaying a hand on his chest as she smiled softly.  “Sounds like just what I need.”

Derek watched her for a moment, letting her ease into some level of rest as his hand reached up to brush over her head.  “I thought I was going to lose you,” he finally muttered, leaning his forehead against hers when she shifted closer.  “I can’t lose you, Erica.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, opening her eyes to meet his as her hand gripped his shirt gently.  “Thank you for knowing how to save me.”

“I guessed,” he confessed.  “I’m just glad I was right.”  He watched her for a moment, and she wondered if he was going to kiss her.  He started to lean in, but at the last second, he redirected his lips to her cheek.  He then buried his face in her neck, breathing her in like he was trying to remind himself she was still alive.  He laid one more soft kiss on the column of her throat before he pulled away fully and eased her down so she could properly rest.  “I’m going to get pillows and blankets.  Please be here when I get back.”

“Shame, I was thinking of going out for a quick 10K,” she teased, opening her eyes to look up at him and grabbing his hand when he turned to leave.  “I’m okay, thanks to you.”  He inhaled at that, nodding slowly before giving her hand a squeeze and releasing it as he left the room.

She was asleep by the time he returned, so he quietly set up the living area for all four of them to sleep.  Boyd and Isaac arrived soon after, but he ordered them to let her rest.  They went into her house to play with Ellie while they waited, then rushed out to the pool house once they heard her wake up.  Cuddling with her pack mates while Derek slept nearby was the best possible way she could have ended such a terrible day.  She felt so much comfort being surrounded by her pack, and when she drifted off to sleep, she knew she would be waking up healed and energized to tackle whatever challenge came their way next.