#i do worry if it messes with my teenage connection with it even though i know how bad it is

[a-walking-fandom-reference]

damn am i gonna finally convince my sister to watch pretty little liars with me

[mdhwrites]

I'd like your thoughts on the segment of TOH fandom that attributes Luz' behavior to her having been bullied and ostracized in Gravesfield. Canonically there is nothing showing Luz being bullied or says that she was bullied in Gravesfield. Quite the contrary. Yesterday's Lie had Vee, who had been living as Luz for months, living a good life where she had made friends at camp and at school. She resented Luz' return and castigated her for not appreciating how good a life she had. The episode Thanks to Them had the guidance counselor ask Camila if she had been bullied in school to which Camila answered that she had. He then asked if she wanted Luz to struggle as she had. That question strongly suggests that Luz was not yet having any social difficulties beyond those of her own making and that sending her to camp would keep that from happening. When we see Luz back in Gravesfield HS she was having no difficulties dealing with other students and that some of her contacts with them were friendly and admiring.

So what are your thoughts on this insistence of certain fans that Luz had suffered this bullying and ostracization when the show itself not only doesn't support it but contradicts it?

Because it's necessary for Luz's character to function.

That's really all it comes down to. Luz is kind of monstrous if she has never actually known strife. She wants to be seen as the victim after all. She wants to be justified in abandoning her mom for her fantasies. For rejecting the consequences of assaulting people. Heck, that's still true in S3 where she needs to be able to claim that the human world would be some torturous hell hole for her so that her self martyring actually comes across correctly instead of someone going, "Oh, that sounds like a lot of work and might actually be dangerous so I'm just gonna stay home with my loving mom instead."

If her home life was good, was kind, was what we wish our home lives with a parent who will enable us to do whatever we want short of breaking the law... What the fuck is she doing? The audience insert, who goes entirely unquestioned in the show besides "Hey, you kind of messed up, go apologize," (which she doesn't do well all the time) is suddenly this whiny brat who wants to be enabled by literally every person in existence because she needs to be the most special person there. It's the antithesis of what people want "I just want to be understood!" to be about. She wants to be understood so you go "Oh, I get it, you keep being you," and never hold her accountable. Otherwise, she might not lie all the time because she might be willing to actually face the consequences of her actions.

It is a shift in Luz's character irreversible in its damage. You just cannot like the show in the same way when you have to admit that Luz is a self entitled little shit. And mind you, her normal archtype is of that sort. Danny Phantom and Randy Cunningham and even to some extent Kim Possible are all flawed teenage characters who are clearly growing. Who need to be better people so while they're protagonists, you're supposed to learn as much alongside them as from their example, if not more. You are meant to take from Luz by example though. She is meant to be the audience surrogate after all. And, you know, if she's unjustified in her actions... What does that say about you all of a sudden who connected so deeply with her?

That's all of why this can't vanish. I actually want to add onto your proofs though because people will go "What about her panicking during Knock Knock Knocking?" Yes, that is the ONE time we are ever given the idea for her being mocked for something and even that one... Well, she's worried about going too over the top. How much do we want to bet Luz came to school in her suit to ask the person she liked out like she was in some sort of soap opera? That's gonna get you reasonably laughed without a VERY specific sort of partner like Amity.

HOWEVER... That's the one time, a season and a half into the show, her actions imply someone who has been bullied. Otherwise, she is very confrontational, she does nothing to hide herself, she gives almost no shits about what anyone thinks about her besides "Fuck you, I am totally the greatest" everytime Eda doubts her. The closest before then is her worrying about Amity seeing her as lame but Amity is the only one she cares about for that. Even then, she never seems bothered by the fact that Amity is a bully. She is willing to stand up to her regardless. This is further reinforced by what she does with Boscha where she either just brushes her off during Once Upon a Swap or is entirely confident in confronting her in Winging it Like Witches. NONE of that is the behavior of someone who has been bullied, harassed and hurt by constant bullying. Add all the elements where she clearly could have found people like her but chose instead to chase more popular clubs like cheerleading and acting and it paints a REALLY bad picture of Luz.

It paints her as Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, or Goob from Meet the Robinsons. Both people who claimed the world hated them when the reality was that they were awful to reality, one being a bully and the other ignoring all signs of kindness and acceptance that was attempted to be given to him. This is far worse when you remember that Luz never appreciated her mom properly, like Goob, and also is genuinely an asshole to both King and Hooty for their interests, like Liz Lemon.

Luz is a bad person. But for the show to function, you cannot believe that. Once you do, it will only to start to collapse faster and faster as the contradictions pile on top of themselves.

So why not just twist the truth instead into the pleasant lie Luz is actually the archtype of the bullied nerd that the first episode tried to imply she was but then failed to ever deliver on? It's easier that way, even if it's dishonest. Luz wouldn't judge you for it, not so long as you didn't try to lie to her. Because all that matters in the end to Luz is Luz.

======+++++======

If the idea of a fact that's not well supported by the show being critical to a character functioning sounds familiar, it's because it's the same reason why people need Odalia to be pure evil. Both Amity and Luz need to use having been hurt by others to justify their own behaviors, even when their behaviors don't correlate in ways that actually support those excuses.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[2ndstar-ontheright]

toxic codpendent boys babyyyy

i love you and it's ruining my life (boyfs)

Summary: After coming home from college for the first time in years, Jeremy's flooded with a ton of mixed emotions. He's tried so hard to put his past behind him, but it all shatters in the blink of an eye.

A/N: UGH codependent relationships are so interesting to explore and write about, dude I'm going insane. (I don't JUST write doomed/toxic yuri, I also do yaoi. I don't discriminate) The negatives of Jeremy and Michael (other than "ugh jeremy's evil and stinky >:(" and "Michael's pining but jeremy's too horrible to see :(") really should be written about more often, IMO. I love these stupid teenagers

Anyway, thank you so much for reading!! Seriously, you're all the best.

Walking home from class, Jeremy’s door is softly pushed shut as he enters the room. His old room. Not much had changed since he left back in August, home again (at the request of his therapist) after spending his other holidays working. It wasn’t his idea, at the expense of his poor father, as he knew his unexplained absence left the man worried. He worried enough about him already, he shouldn’t have to add to that by being back here. All of the mess he was front and center. He’d changed since college, he really did. However, for better or for worse, they didn’t know him there so it was easy for him. Easy to be someone else. Not like he had in high school, yet still someone else nonetheless. 

But it was summer now, and that had to count for something. 

He toes off his shoes, shoulders falling as he breathes in the familiar smell of linen and lavender. Suddenly, his ears perk up at the sound of a car driving by. Creeping up to the window, he looks out and

“He’s still driving that thing?” Jeremy’s eyes widened in shock. It’s been almost 5 years with that thing. You couldn’t even consider it a car anymore. Jesus, with how many times it’s broken down, how is he even alive ? He shakes his head and puts it out of his mind, but for a moment he's interrupted. Almost instantly he recognized that car, but why? It’d been over 2 years since graduation and he never talked about home. So, it couldn’t have been that easy. Then, it dawned on him.

That was Michael.

____________________________________

Later that night, he’s standing in front of his bathroom mirror, trying desperately to put images out of his mind. As he takes off his shirt, his scars and not as much as it used to be but still ungodly pale skin are on full view, like a child’s connect-the-dots page taken a wrong turn. 

The room’s flooding with steam and as he dissociates, he looks up to see sixteen year old him staring back. He’s that teenage boy again. His grim expression as he looks almost ready to drive his fist through the glass, binder in full view. It almost gives him a heart attack at the reminder that this is the same person he was just 3 years ago. He never did end up doing that, but the thought of it just made him shudder at how awful that teenage boy he had been. That stupid, whiny, annoying teenage boy who he could never run away from. 

He ended up not going to Michael’s that night, he was too afraid. (And he also wasn’t home given that he was touring schools that weekend.) He didn’t want to leave the comfort of his bathroom and be perceived by everyone. A loser like him didn’t have the guts, and that’s all he was, right? However, he could fantasize. And so he did. He fell asleep on the cold tile wishing it was his best friend’s bed, the sounds of Link collecting his sword and silent “Shit!”’s of frustration followed by an attempt to be quieter in the background. 

Jeremy blinked quickly, swallowing his breath and stepping into the shower to escape the fading reflection. 

That didn’t help as much as he had hoped though. His mind, as it often did, only resurfaced more as he stood under the water. This was better, he deduced. Now, he didn’t have to see it. To be reminded. He could just think. 

____________________________________

“Michael..?”

Puffing out a cloud of smoke, Michael shifts his eyes from the ceiling to the beanbag next to him. The only light being from the lava lamp in the corner, he squints briefly before he’s able to make out the boy in question. Even in the darkness, he looked…god. 

He looked beautiful. As much as he still had so much turmoil inside him, how he knew they were drifting apart more than he liked but was too afraid to bring it up, he couldn’t deny the aura permeating off of his friend. Unable to look away as he drew him further like a moth to a flame. 

“

Yeah?” He replied, voice raw before coughing a little. 

“I…” Jeremy twitched. He felt like his teeth were about to run out of his mouth, like the back of his head was hinged open, brain fully exposed to the world. His thoughts, his feelings, his pain, all oozing out of each nook and cranny. He couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the weed, maybe it was being back somewhere so familiar. Regardless, he knew the real reason why he felt like he was losing it. Why he felt like he wanted to throw up and cry at the same time. 

“I fucked up.” He finished, head hung low. 

Michael shifted tiredly in his seat, hand covering his mouth to stifle a yawn. Leaning his head back, his eyes met the side of Jeremy, who instinctively turned to face him. “Whaddyoumean?” He asked, words slurring together slightly.

Jeremy laughs nervously as his lip quivers. Shaking his head, his brow furrows. “I- you know what I mean!” He exclaims and then almost a second later, his hand covers his mouth. Ugh, why’d he have to say that so loud? Thank goodness Michael’s moms weren’t home, but still. Jesus Jeremy, can’t you control yourself for one second? Tears pool behind his eyes, at first cooling to the bloodshot feeling, however stinging just a second after. His palms plunge hard to rub at them and make him look somewhat less pitiful than he already does. Which isn’t much as the croaking in his voice gives it away even more. 

“I fucked up real bad Michael. I know I did.”

Sobering up as best as he can, Michael snaps up and inches closer, a hand gently tugging at Jeremy’s wrist. “Hey, c’mon man, talk to me. What do you mean you ‘fucked up’?” 

His tone calming as always, Jeremy takes a quick breath; cringing internally at his shuddering. He sounded like a kid in trouble about to get sent to his room, but in his own sick way, wasn’t he just that?

“Just..” He sighed. “Everything. All of it. I keep screwing up and with the whole SQUIP thing…I- haven’t truly apologized to you for that. I didn’t even say I’m sorry and I should have!” Jeremy rambled, wringing his hands together before resting them on his knees, sweaty palms tugging at the fabric that was starting to feel like sandpaper. 

He blinked, tears falling shamelessly. Michael was always so sweet to him, and why? He of all people didn’t deserve it. After all that he’s done, the kind, loving, handsome, funny, and so many other flowery words he could use to describe his favorite person didn't treat him the way he ought to be treated. Like a monster. He still treated him like his best friend, and that made the anguish inside tear him apart even more than it had. 

“And I hurt you Michael. I never meant to, but I did and I’m…Fuck, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

Michael’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected that. Had it really been that long since he’d apologized? Since they’d talked about it? He wanted this, right? He’d been waiting for this for so long, and yet, now he doesn’t know what to think. It’s not that he didn’t think Jeremy meant it, it was just all so sudden and he’d already apologized profusely for everything else already.

But never for how much he had hurt him. 

He knew he did, and Michael knew he was ashamed of himself, but he never said those words out loud. 

How long had he been waiting to hear that? 

How much had they thought, things other than and still similar in their own right, but never said to each other? 

Michael sighed, head tilting to look even closer into Jeremy’s eyes. His hand rested on his shoulder and slowly, he nodded, glasses drooping down to his nose. “I know you are.”

“And I forgive you, Jer. I really do,” 

He offered a somber smile which in turn earned him almost falling to the floor as the other rushed into him. Or rather, fell, seeing as he was stoned out of his mind. 

And even in that foggy haze, Jeremy meant every word he said. Bubbling over like a shaken can of coke he wanted to say so many other things than sorry. He wanted to sing it until everyone in New Jersey heard how much he regretted it. How it was eating at him from the inside. He loved his best friend. He loved him so much. He was the light of his life, the one person he knew really cared about him. And that no matter where they went in life, he would always feel the same towards him. Was it romantic, he couldn’t tell. He just knew that he loved him more than words could describe. 

Was it a little unhealthy? Yeah, it was. But at least he knew it and didn’t let it show. How worse could it have been if he did? 

Voice muffled by the fabric of Michael’s shirt, he pulled away for a moment. Not caring out how desperate he sounded, he sniffled, cleaning his face off as best as he could with his sleeve. 

Jeremy swallowed, cheek resting on Michael’s chest. “I don’t deserve it though. I was such an awful person, and god..” He sighed, shaking his head. “I…I don’t want you to go either. I don’t wanna lose you.”

Michael clicked his tongue and ran a hand down the other’s wrist. Part of him wanted to snap back and agree with him, and it did. He had been a dick, plain and simple. But the rest of him just couldn’t do it. He never could. 

“Shh..hey, listen. I’m not going anywhere, Jeremy. Really, I’m not!” Michael smiled somberly in an attempt to cheer him up. And Jeremy, hung onto it like a dog waiting for his owner. “I know you’re sorry and you feel like shit about it, but I’m not angry about it anymore. What’s done is done. But, I’m still here, aren’t I?” 

Jeremy nodded and returned the gesture, lips curling into a crooked half-smile. As Michael breathed out an unseen sigh of relief, Jeremy inched back towards him. Emotions heightened from what was normally a welcome smoke, he was utterly exhausted. After taking what was way too long to say all that he had kept inside, he drifted into a wobbly sleep. Michael succumbed to a fit of yawns just seconds after, palms resting in the small of the others back as he passed out. 

__________________________________

Cicadas chirped outside his window and as Jeremy tried to fall asleep, that was all he could think about. Every thought that popped into his head pertained to that night, and many others before that. It was all memories. Memories of a better time, a time that passed, and a time that he could never return to. Maybe a time that he never deserved. Taken for granted like it meant nothing more when it truthfully meant the world to him. 

Turning over in bed, he faces the window; streetlights emitting a soft glow through his curtains. God, why can’t he just stop? Why can’t he relax and be normal for once? 

Sighing, he leaned up and propped himself on his shoulders. Reaching over, he pulled his phone onto the bed and unable to sleep already, he figured it couldn’t get that much worse. 

That didn’t last long. The first thing. The very first thing Jeremy saw when he opened his phone, was a throwback picture to a birthday party.

Michael’s, to be exact. 

It was his fourteenth, barely a month after eighth grade began. He pointed behind him, face wide in fake ecstasy at the banner saying “Happy Birthday Mikey!” as if he didn’t know what day it was. He “hadn’t expected anything”, but he knew damn well that wasn’t true. The kid reveled in his birthday. He was one of the few people, if not the only person,  Jeremy knew who genuinely enjoyed it. The memory made him smile. 

For a brief moment, he forgot about everything his mind had been weighing on him before coming down from the high and back to reality. The pain knocked the wind out of him harder than before. Why? Why did it hurt him as much as it did? Why did every time he even so much as thought about Michael he felt like crying? Was it because of the whole SQUIP thing? Was it from being home after so long?

Could it have been that he lost something he so desperately wanted back?

To return to the safety of having him there and they can live in their mutually doomed relationship forever.

Where they get high and everything somehow makes sense.

Where he’s a bigger loser now more than ever and it doesn’t feel like a giant failure. 

Where he feels…happy. And loved. And life feels worth living because someone, at least one other person, cares and has been there for the entirety of all he’s done. When others left, when he figured out who he truly was, when he almost lost himself, Michael was the one that stayed. After all the work he’d done to not return to those feelings or the person he was then, was just tossed out in the blink of an eye as he realizes he’s back right where he started.

Only difference now was, he knew what this was and that he couldn’t keep it up. He was older, and despite him basically regressing somehow, thinking about Michael, his subtle yet immediate swing into the beginning of a depressive episode; he understood that what he was hoping for wasn’t real. 

He couldn’t do that. Not to him.

As much as he missed him, he didn’t want to be the burden he knew he had to be on the other. (Michael never thought he was, but in Jeremy’s own fucked up mind, that’s what he believed.) He can’t deny himself anymore, about what he’s feeling/wanting at this moment anyway. He loved Michael. More than he’d loved…anyone. 

But now as he lies awake in bed, wanting to forget about it all, the thing that calms him down  into an uneasy sleep is going back into the place he regretfully knows best. His head. 

Dreaming he’s fallen asleep in the boy with the red hoodie's arms, like he’s done so many times before, he falls asleep. Finally. Why was he so pathetic? He wasn’t any better than his own father. Trying/chasing after a love that he knew he wouldn’t get. But hey, that was tomorrow Jeremy’s problem when he inevitably woke up. 

Unbeknownst to him, his phone dings from his bedside table. 

From: maybe? Micheal

“Hey.” 

[maryannecrimsworth]

Against All

Pairing: Hailey Upton x Single Father! Former FBI profiler! OC! Kristoff "Kris" Aller

Summary:

Nine corpses, nine burnt buildings, nine victims --- no connections.

The Intelligence unit of District 21st had been unable to find anything. All the clues were dead ends, all the people murdered were different - there was no pattern, no connection.

The only thing in common in all the cases: the modus operandi.

More murders were happening as the unit remained stagnant -- the cases were increasing, and they weren't getting any closer to having even one suspect.

Voight had no choice: he called the most efficient criminal profiler that he knew - who had also left the Bureau after a terrible event.

Kris Aller didn't want to go back, he didn't want to look a monster in the eye ever again, not after what had happened to his daughters.

But the sergeant needed him. This case - all the murders - were linked to the tragedy of his life. A tragedy that Hank couldn't avoid.

A tragedy that only Hailey Upton would understand --- and uncover.

Chapter One: Benjamin Cooper

— God, I hate this song — the teenager complained in a grunt. Even though she was sitting in the passenger seat, she could hear the younger girl singing from the back. — Can you tell her to shut up?

— No way. — The man driving replied quickly. — Amber's expressing herself, I can't tell her off for that.

— So tell her to express herself with another song! I swear to God if I hear — the girl on the back sang loudly: I was good she was hot — Argh! — The teen grunted. — I gave up. My ears will bleed forever.

— Blackhawks won yesterday, let her cheer. — He looked at the girl by his side, worry present in his semblance. — Is there something—

— Billy's here! — Amber shouted, making both the man and the teenager flinch. He stopped the car.— Papa, can I go? Please, I need to talk to him—

— At least she stopped singing.

— I heard that, Tess! — He stared hardly at the older girl before turning to the other. — Yes, you can, Amber, but behave in class, ok?

— Thank you! — She freed herself from the belt, kissed and hugged her father, and held the door of the car. — Bye, papa. Bye, Tessa. See ya later! — she dropped off and ran into the school. Her shirt of the Chicago Blackhawks got the attention of some girls around but she didn't mind.

They watched the little girl go as they waited inside the car in complete silence.

— Oh, no. — Tess suddenly spoke. — Mother Alert, we gotta go.

A woman appeared on the horizon: it was too late, she had reached the car and was already asking for the teen to lower the window.

— you're a terrible getaway pilot. — she mouthed to the man before rolling down the glass and allowing the woman to come even closer.

— Kris! How good to see you! — the woman screamed.

— Hello, Margaret. — only Tess could tell his smile was fake. — How are you?

— Oh, dear, I'm suffering because of you! — Tess widened and moved away from the window. Being between the two now should be her punishment for complaining. — My boys won't stop asking for your pretzels! My house is a mess.

— I'm sorry to hear that. You haven't tried the recipe yet? — Kris kept his hand on the wheels. He wanted to leave as much as Tess did.

— I have, but I don't have the magic hands you do, dear! Would you like to stop by tomorrow and teach the boys how to make it? I think it's the only way to calm them down.

— Oh, no, I wouldn't like to bother you. — One of Kris' hands fell to the gearbox. — I'll bring some more to their training, don't worry. — the car started to move. — Sorry, I gotta go. See ya!

The woman was left behind in sidewalk as both Kris and Tess started to breathe easily again.

— Was she smelling? — Tess asked.

— Don't be mean. It was just some cologne...I guess.

— It's paradoxal, you know. The mothers love a single dad but are crazy to make you no longer single.

— This is the conversation you want to have right now?

Tess' smile faded away. Kris wouldn't miss a thing, would he?

— I don't want to talk about it.

— Okay.

— It's just silly stuff from school.

— If it's bothering you, then it's not silly — he started, and Tess finished the sentence with him, her voice was filled with impatience and discomfort.

— I know, I know. — she sighed. — Still, I don't feel like talking right now.

— Sure. — Kris kept driving. — Do you want to get some ice cream?

— I have class.

— It's okay, we have time. — He turned the wheel to the right and started to look for an ice cream parlor. They arrived at a commercial street very quickly. — Here it is.

— It can't be open.

— It is! — he parked without any problem. At this time in the morning, no one was driving or passing by a street like that, but, thankfully, the parlors and cafeterias were open — still empty, but open.

— So, — he turned off the car. — ice cream?

— I hate when you do this

Kris smiled.

— you hate many things but you love ice cream, don't you?

— yes.

— So let's go.

Kris made her smile — well, she was smirking but it counted —, and they approached the parlor with joy.

The man was about to crack a joke when a man showed up by the empty street corner.

Kris' steps slowed down, recognizing him immediately. He, however, didn't allow Tess to have the chance to look at the other man.

— Tessa. — He turned her over to him. — I'll be right after you, ok? Here, get the one you want. — Tessa noted something was wrong, but she obeyed and walked over to the parlor, keeping distance from the other man.

As she reached the shop, Kris waited for the man to come closer.

— Sergeant Voight. — Kris spoke with a tense voice. He already knew what this was all about. He knew what he was going to ask. That's why he didn't take any of Voight's calls. — How can I help you?

— You know how. — Voight was holding a file. — I need a profiling, off the books.

— The feds would be happy to help you with this.

— No. — Hank stepped closer, — they can't know. We still don't know the length of this and...

— Maybe one of them can be involved. — Kris grunted under his breath. He looked away and remained in silence for many minutes.

— We've got 9 victims so far. — Hank would say whatever he needed to convince the man. — It's a clear M.O but we cannot predict too much besides that. My team and I—

— Okay. — Kris spoke suddenly. This time, when he looked back at the Sargent, his eyes shone discreetly. — I'm in. — His look jumped to the girl in the parlor, now appreciating her ice cream. — With one condition. My daughters have to be safe , no matter what.

— Nothing will happen to them. — Voight handed him the file. — I already spoke with your boss, he said he'll take care of the center until you're done helping us.

Kris laughed.

— You're a step ahead, as always. — Kris walked away from the Sargent. — See you there.

Voight nodded and left.

And Tess was watching everything when Kris finally came to the parlor.

— You're getting back, aren't you? — Tess sounded suspicious. Her hands were squeezing the bowl of ice cream with strength.

— You don't have to worry about it. — Kris said, helding one of her hands in an attempt to calm her down. Her expression slowly softened. — I made sure you and Amber we'll be safe and... — He showed a mischievous smile. — you have your own high school drama to live now, forget about me.

Tess rolled her eyes at his words.

— I'm not telling you anything.

— Yeah? I doubt it. I think you will come up with five profiles by next week.

— God, you make me sound creepy.

Kris laughed proudly and loudly.

— What can I say? It's our family thing.

X

Arriving at the police station would never be discreet: as soon as Kris left his car, half a dozen officers turned to him. Some smiled, some widened their eyes, but the loudest of all was Ruzek, who cheered and shouted as he came closer.

— Can't believe you're here, man — Adam hugged Kris and tapped his back. — I always thought you'd come back

— Hold on, I'm not back — "yet", Adam whispered, interrupting Kris while they walked to the unit floor — Voight asked for help and that's it. Don't get too excited.

— I'm not, but Kim will be. She's been curious about you since Myk and Amber started playing together.

— But she already knows me… — Kris was confused, he couldn't understand the reason behind Adam's excitement in time

— But she doesn't know ‘Bishop’! — Kris grunted in distress — It's good to have you back, Bishop

Adam walked away laughing as they came upstairs and met with the rest of the unit. Voight, Upton, Torres, Burgess and Atwater stared at Kris immediately.

— Team, that's Aller, former FBI profiler. — Voight introduced him — He’s going to help us with this case, so bring him up to date.

The man nodded respectfully and came closer as Torres stepped in and showed him the board.

— We have 9 corpses, 9 places and 9 crime scenes. All of these men were killed between 9 p.m to 3 a.m, with chains and inner burns.

Inner? Kris frowned at the words and stared attentively at the photos.

— They were cooked. — Kim explained with a choked voice. — Tortured during the whole night. We can’t get why, we don’t have any suspects…We don’t even have images. Only the bodies.

— And we don’t have much more of them, either…They had to be identified by their dental arch.

— It’s cruel. — Kevin said.

— It’s personal. — Kris spoke. — The victims had any enemies in common?

— No one. Nothing, to be honest. — Adam approached the board with the photos of the victims. — Different jobs, different homes, different colors and ages…But the same way of death.

Silence took over the room. Again, confusion and tension paired in the air as the new member of the unit stared at all the data, and all the other members watched him. He was totally still, eyes frozen on one name on the board.

— Benjamin Cooper. — Adam broke the silence with anxiety, pointing at the name that Kris so determinedly looked at. — No criminal record, but he testify years ago in—

— I know him. — Kris cut him off, and his eyes finally moved: his gaze landed on Voight. His expression, even though still as before, focused on the sergeant for too long. — He’s the reason why I’m here.

Voight looked away: the discomfort made him move around the room as Hailey watched them both suspiciously.

— Why do you mean? — Kim inquired.

— I…I worked on the case he testified in. — Aller explained. — Thanks to him…it all went wrong.

— I want you to talk with his family. — Voight demanded. — They know something, but didn’t tell us anything. They’ll talk to you.

Kris crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t take long to agree with the sergeant.

— Is this a pattern? — He asked before walking away from the board. — The other victims were involved in the case too?

— No. None of them had ever testified. — Torres replied.

— Cooper was a dead loss, the testimony was the only thing that could get him killed. — Kris went on. — He might be our connection.

— You heard him. Investigate the man, make a timeline of the night he was murdered, discover every single contact of his and find a connection. Every little detail can be important. — Voight gave the orders as he followed Kris.

They were about to walk downstairs when a strong voice stopped them.

— If Benjamin was a ‘dead loss’ as you said — Upton spoke up — why waste our time on him? The killer might act again tonight and we have to—

— Do we have any better leads? — Voight’s voice was sharp, his reaction was abrupt and harsh. His voice would grow louder if Kris hadn’t held him. — What? — He screamed at Aller.

— Calm down.

— I am perfectly calm for this case, Kristoff, but I cannot bear to see another dead body because of him .

Kris’ expression went dark. He bended over Voight.

— You’re not thinking straight….— Kris whispered. — Stay here. Remember what we talked about. I’m going to talk with the Coopers.

Voight walked back to the unit floor, and, before going into his office, he ordered again:

— Upton, you go with him.

She opened her mouth to protest, but Hank had already shut the door close.

Hailey picked up her coat and walked away with Kris, in complete silence.

They went downstairs and passed by Platt's balcony with a quiet goodbye. Even though the Sergeant clearly tried to talk with Kris, the man walked across the entrance and ignored all her glances.

Again, Hailey watched his behavior in silence and kept her way to the car.

— I'm sorry about Voight. — Kris said before getting closer to the passenger side. — This case is…. complicated to him.

They got into the car and Hailey asked:

— Yet, he won't tell us anything about it.

— It's a confidential case. — He argued.

— So confidential that you think everyone involved in it's a target. — She started the car.

— You need a connection. That might be it.

— Is this your profile? Or just a guess?

Kris responded with a snort.

— You're better off without knowing much about this case, believe me. — He shrugged in his seat. — Are we going to the Coopers or not?

Hailey grunted and drove away from the police station.

X

The house of the last members of the Cooper family was simple and humble. The garden looked abandoned, the grass was tall and the fence was almost completely broken. The car parked in the open garage was lowered, with empty tires and cracked windows.

They did not look simply poor — they looked like they had given up on life itself.

— I think it’s better if you stay here. — Kris spoke before Hailey could exit the car. Luckily or not, she froze for a second, giving him time to leave and walk over to the house.

After collecting herself, Upton got out of the car and ran after him.

— Excuse me? — She grabbed his arm and made him turn to her. — Who do you think you are?

— Look, don’t make this personal. Just — He cut her off before she could argue back — Just look around. They won’t talk to you.

— But to you they will? You're as arrogant as any shrink who's never been in the streets.

Kris watched her speak in silence: with his hands in his hips, he only waited for the woman to be done.

She stopped talking very quickly — after all, it was useless to say anything to his blank, strained expression — and the man enjoyed the silence of the street before finally replying:

— They will talk to me because they know me. — He stepped back. — Now, if you excuse me…

Ignoring his arguments, Hailey followed Aller close behind. He didn’t utter another word to her, and finally knocked on the house’s door.

— Anna? — Kris called. — It’s Kristoff. Can we talk?

Unlike the reception Upton and Voight received a few days ago, the woman answered him quickly and promptly. Her eyes were widened when she opened the door, but she frowned at Hailey. Anna’s face dropped, and she muttered to Kris a few words.

Kris signed to Hailey and they both followed the woman into the house.

— Can I see Benjamin's room?

— She already did — Anna replied before Upton could — They took all his gadgets and notebooks.

— I know. — Kris smiled gently. — I just want to check one thing up

Anna stared at him for too long — her gaze was heavy, not suspicious, but, somehow, sad. It carried so much guilt that she eventually showed him the room.

— I'm waiting in the kitchen. — she told them before opening the door of Benjamin's bedroom.

Kris stepped in as Anna walked away.

— As she told you, we already searched in here. You won't find anything useful.

— Maybe not. — Kris replied with a whisper, his whole being focused on analyzing the room. The walls were empty, and so was the bed and the dressers. — Looks like a prison cell.

— Or he was just minimalist. — Hailey argued. — Cooper's never been in jail.

— Yes. — Aller came closer to a drawer. — But he also had three records for criminal harassment. He was a stalker. — Kris wandered through the drawer and collected a few flyers. — Here it is.

— What?

— Our connection.

He didn't give Hailey time to question — Aller stormed out the room and came to Anna.

— Thank you for your help, Anna — He held out his hand to her. — We're already leaving.

The woman shook his hand and blinked slowly, as if gathering courage to say something.

— I have to tell you something. — Anna admitted.

Hailey saw Kris' expression drop — he stepped back and prepared to leave right away.

— You'd already told everything you needed. — He tried to be polite, but Hailey purposely stood in his way. He stomped on the detective and was obligated to stop.

— I did thank you. — Anna came closer, but Aller didn't look her in the eye. — But I never apologized for leaving you there. I shouldn't—

— It's okay. — He cut her off. — You don't have to. It's already gone. I don't resent you.

He smiled at her for a brief moment — only enough time to make her feel forgiven and understood.

Then he shook his head and left the house after saying a quiet goodbye.

Hailey stood there without understanding much — where was 'there'? What was Anna talking about? why would she thank him?

Upton followed him keenly — she wasn't going to stay in the dark again.

The way to the police station was silent: the tension stretched the air, making the atmosphere too heavy to even breathe. Kris shifted in his seat, his eyes were either moving to the window or to the driver's side. Hailey, on the other hand, kept her gaze on the streets.

When they parked and got out of the car, Platt was already waiting for them — for him.

The look that the Sargent gave Hailey showed her why the garage was completely empty. Trudy was furious.

— Have you gone mad? — She stomped over to Aller, and the man stepped back immediately. — What are you even—

— I guess your best ability is pissing the sargents off. — Hailey’s smile dropped as soon as Platt's gaze landed on her.

Kris spoke before Trudy could shout.

— This isn't the best place to talk about this. — He made Platt look at him again. — And you don't have to worry about it. — He held the sergeant's shoulders. — No one does. No one knows.

— Voight shouldn't have called you. You shouldn't be involved in any of this—

— Trudy, please— His eyes, shining with exasperation, turned to Upton for a brief second. — Don't—

— You can't help him! — She screamed.

And Hailey was watching and listening to everything. Maybe the whole station was.

— I can. — Kris' voice was still low, stable. Serene, the complete opposite of his face. — I will. Please, you—

— Aren't you thinking about your girls? How can you? He did—what he did was monstrous! — Platt would not stop. She could not stop. — He spanked you.

— I know. — Kris whispered as his arms involved the older woman. She was trembling under his hands.

— He raped you. — Platt sobbed, her tears were falling nonstop. — And you're being used again, you're ruining your life again for what? For him?

— I'm going to be fine, Trudy. I can do it.

— Voight's using you. — She pleaded again: — You can't—

— It's okay. — He hugged her tighter. — It's okay.

They stayed in the garage until the Sargent was able to stop crying. Until she was able to stop trembling.

And Hailey stayed there too.

She now had — at least a few — answers for all her questions about him.

[yjano]

Never The Same.

Part 16.

Pairings: Jake x Mc.

Warnings: Swearing, violence, angst, smut, other pairings;), traumatic experiences.

Words: 5.7

Author's note: Honestly, this story is going to be a big piece of work and a lot of angst. It's not connected to the game at all. Because I always want to try something new and newer. Read it only if you're into angst stories, please. Thank you and let's go!

.

Mc's mom focus.

.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into my eldest daughter's apartment was that it was a mess. The front door stood wide open which had already been something I had found strange but the fact that the moment I set foot inside the apartment it looked like it had been attacked by a hurricane was even weirder.

Mc's was known to be someone who was very neat. Ever since she was little the girl had never made a mess out of her bedroom and always made sure her clothes were perfectly ironed.

The fact that there was now glass shattered all around my daughter's apartment was something that worried me a lot. I knew my daughter like the back of my hand and she would never leave her house behind like this.

"Sina please wait outside," I spoke softly before I pushed my youngest daughter out of the apartment again. Whatever had happened here wasn't something good and I didn't want the teenage girl to be traumatized by this all. She was too young for this stuff and I couldn't have her witness this scene.

Slowly my heart began to increase the speed at which it was beating while an anxious feeling began to creep inside my chest. I had just gotten Mc back and was already scared that I had lost her again. Whatever had happened in her apartment wasn't good at all and truth to be told, I feared for my eldest daughter's life.

As I walked a bit further into the apartment I noticed a picture on the ground. It was a picture of Sina and Mc when they were little. The frame of the picture was completely broken and slowly I bend down before picking up the picture.

I knew damn well how much my oldest daughter cared for her younger sister. Never in a million years would Mc have shattered this picture herself. Not if Sina was someone who was displayed in the picture.

An unsettling feeling began to spread through my body and I began to walk toward the kitchen. Maybe someone had broken into Mc's apartment and tried to see if she had anything of value which they could steal. But then again, why was the girl herself nowhere to be found? Surely she must have returned from the police station at this hour right?

Quickly I decided to scan the apartment further while hoping that I would find Mc hiding somewhere. Even though I knew the chance was small that my eldest daughter was here, I still held a little bit of hope in my body. Oh, how I wished Mc was safe.

As soon as I entered the kitchen my eyes immediately fell on the kitchen table. A small white paper was proudly laying on the table and immediately my eyes grew big. Maybe Mc had left a note for us to find.

As fast as I could, I walked towards the kitchen table before picking up the note and reading every word on it written carefully while my heart was still beating rapidly in my chest. As my eyes scanned over the words tears began to form in my eyes and an angry yet scared feeling slowly began to take over my body.

Jake,

Guess what! We've taken your precious girlfriend with us. Honestly, we thought you'd know better than to leave her unsupervised, she is a way too easy target. If you want to see Mc back unharmed we want you to hand over Red Crew Corporations to us before the end of the week. If you fail to do so then we will make sure this girl toy of yours will suffer a very painful death. :)xO

Tegan and Valerie.

Tears began to roll down my cheeks and I immediately began to tighten my grip on the thin white note in my hands. My baby had once again been taken from me and this time she was even more in danger than the first time. Why wouldn't they give the poor girl a damn break from all this shit?

Slowly the wheels in my head began to turn and I read the note in my hands again. I had to come up with a plan to get my daughter to safety before the end of the week. The police weren't an option for her since they would never be able to retrieve her to safety within a week. Those people always took way too long.

However, immediately my face lit up the moment I looked at the very first word written on the note. I wasn't even supposed to read this note, Jake was. The feared mobster with whom my daughter had fallen in love was the only one who could actually save her and as much as I hated to admit it I didn't have any choice but to seek some form of contact with him and make him get my daughter back. He was the only one who would be able to do it.

Suddenly from the corner of my eyes, I noticed a black phone on the kitchen counter and immediately I walked to the device while a hopeful feeling began to spread through my chest. That phone was definitely Mc's phone and if it had been true that my daughter had begun a relationship with a ruthless leader then she must have his phone number in her phone too right?

Immediately I picked up the black iPhone and unlocked the device before beginning to scroll through the contacts looking for any name that could be Jake. I wasn't a fan of that guy but I did need to speak to him. If he had been even a bit serious about his relationship with my daughter then he would help her mom out.

I began to become more and more nervous every time I passed another contact that wasn't Jake and a deep sigh left my mouth the moment I had gone through them all. There wasn't anyone who I recognized and in one last desperate attempt to find Jake's contact, I decided to look one last time.

A desperate feeling quickly began to spread through my veins as I slowly began to say the names I was reading out loud, afraid my eyes would betray me.

"Sina, Lex, Lilly." I softly whispered to myself as I scanned through the names in Mc's phone one last time.

"Wait." I suddenly thought out loud and I quickly scrolled back to the second name I had spoken. Hadn't Mc mentioned to me that she would never see Lex again? Didn't that mean that that girl had contacts with Jake I was trying to reach so desperately?

With shaking hands, I pressed Lex's contact before dialing her number. Maybe this girl didn't know anything about what I was going to tell her but at least it was worth a try. I wouldn't give up on my daughter without trying everything I could to get her back to safety. Nobody would touch my daughter and get away with it this easily.

"Come on." I impatiently whispered as I pressed the phone against my ear and heard it beep multiple times with no response. This girl had to pick up her phone. She was my and Mc's only hope of getting her back to safety. After the phone had rung a couple of times suddenly a female voice sounded from the other side of the line.

"Mc?" The girl spoke in a very confused tone, clearly not understanding why Mc or now let's say me tried to get in contact with her. A spark of hope immediately lit up in my chest and I immediately answered the girl I had never spoken to before.

"No this is her mother. I need you to help me." I desperately spoke while a hopeful tone was lacing my voice.

"Uhhm why if I may ask?" Lex then answered me while trying to sound as neutral as possible.

Lex had no idea why Mc's mother was calling her out of the blue and she was very cautious of her. Maybe the woman wanted them all to be caught by the police and Lex wasn't willing to escape damn prison. She had been through enough of that shit lately.

"Mc has been kidnapped." I then spoke before a soft sob left my mouth. Slowly the realization that if this girl wasn't going to help me then my eldest daughter would probably die began to creep up on me and before I even knew it I was full-on begging this Lex to help me.

"Please! You are her only hope!"

"Shit." Lex softly said before I suddenly heard some ruffled sounds on the other end of the line. A confused look began to form on my face while trying to hear anything that the girl was saying. Suddenly a much deeper voice began to speak to me and it was clear that whoever owned that voice was angry, super angry.

"Be ready I'll pick you up in ten."

.

Jake focus.

.

An angry look was visible on my face as I began to tighten my grip on the paper Mc's mother had just handed me. I had tried to do what was best for Mc. Of course, I knew damn well that the girl hadn't been taken to the Red Eye Tower out of free will and thus I had believed that the only right thing I could do was let the girl go. After all, Mc did miss her friends and family a lot.

However, now that I knew Tegan and Valerie had set their eyes on the small brunette I regretted every single bit of my decision. Mc was being held in an unknown place with the two people who I hated the most. Two people who I didn't trust at all around my baby.

As my eyes kept scanning the paper in my hands. I began to grit my teeth while my expression got angrier and angrier. I wanted nothing more but to hold Mc in my arms and tell her that everything would be alright. However, those two traitors were preventing me from doing so and thus I would make sure that they would pay for it.

Anyone who would even look at Mc in the wrong way would regret it, I would make sure of it.

"Fucking hell!" I screamed angrily before I ripped the paper in my hands into a thousand pieces and slammed one of my hands on my desk. Angrily I stood up from behind my desk before walking toward the middle of my office with a furious look on my face.

None of my men had any idea where Tegan and Valerie were hiding and thus they also had no idea where they had taken Mc.

Heavy breaths of air left my mouth and anger was practically radiating off of me. I was beyond mad and I would surely strangle my stepbrother the moment I saw him. The fact that the asshole had killed our father was already something I wanted nothing more but revenge for the fact that the fucker had also the audacity to even come close to Mc was what was truly making my blood boil right now. Tegan was a dead man the moment I got the chance to blow his brains out.

"What are we gonna do Jake?" Lex spoke in an angry tone. Of course, Lex was furious about the fact that Mc had been kidnapped by the enemy. The small girl feared for the brunette's life and she was willing to go on a rescue mission, but to do that I did have to give out the order to do so. Lex wouldn't stand a chance alone against Tegan, Val, and their men.

"I don't fucking know Lex!" I exclaimed angrily before beginning to pace up and down the room. A desperate yet angry look was displayed on my face and anyone who knew me even a tiny bit would be smart enough to stay the hell away from me.

If I was in a mood like this that usually meant that someone would leave in a body bag.

"I don't even know where they took her!"

Meanwhile, Mc's mother was still silently listening to the conversation between the two of them in front of her. Lex had indeed picked her up ten minutes after she had ended the call and now she was standing in front of the one and only Jake Dalton. This was the boy that had been responsible for the first time her baby had been kidnapped and yet all she could do now was look at him with a hopeful look on her face.

The moment she locked eyes with me, I ordered my men to make sure that she was treated well and I even allowed her to stay during the meeting with the other six people in the room. I was clearly on the verge of losing control at the moment.

"Goddamnit stop this nonsense!" Mc's mom suddenly exclaimed as she walked up to me before laying one of her hands on my shoulder. Immediately a confused yet shocked look began to form on my face while I looked at the small woman in front of me. Never before had someone talked to me like this. Especially someone who had just met me half an hour ago. Now I know from where Mc got that attitude.

As soon as she noticed that she got my full attention she softly shook my shoulders a bit before a serious look took over her entire face.

"You are Jake Dalton, the biggest crime boss in the country." She spoke in a serious tone while making sure the words that left her mouth went through me.

"My daughter loves you and right now you are the only one that can help her. You cannot let her down Jake, Mc needs you." The woman spoke in a serious tone while looking me straight in the eyes. Immediately my facial features turned from shocked to determined and I softly nodded.

"You're right, I can't let her down."

Instantly after her encouraging words I regained my cool posture and I immediately searched the room for Kaden. As soon as I saw him standing next to his girl. I locked eyes with him before beginning to give my brother an order.

"Kaden, call Richy and explain the situation. Make sure he is ready, we are gonna treat Russell's Industries on a surprise visit."

Then my eyes shifted over to Sam who was standing next to Kaden.

"Sam, make sure your best men are ready to go on a mission," I spoke and immediately the red-haired guy nodded before he left the room to go and tell his best men that there was a mission for them to join.

A small smile began to form on Mc's mother's face and she softly nodded toward me before she locked eyes with me once again.

"Kill the people who kidnapped my daughter and bring her back to me safely. I trust you." The woman spoke in a serious tone while determination was lacing her voice.

Immediately I nodded toward Mc's mother before my whole look changed into a serious one. No way I would let my stepbrother and shitty ex get away with treating Mc like this.

As I locked eyes with the woman one more time I softly took one of her hands in my own before softly squeezing it.

"I won't disappoint you."

~

An angry look was visible on my face as I quickly stepped out of my car, followed by the other people I had taken with me. With powerful steps, I walked towards the entrance of Russell's Industries while I began to poke the inside of my cheek with my tongue.

I was mad, to say the least, and this game Thomas had been playing was going to end now.

As soon as I reached the glass door that would lead me inside the big building I harshly pushed it open before I made eye contact with Richy. He had been waiting for me ever since Kaden had given him a call explaining our situation.

Today would be the last day Thomas Russel would live. The less powerful leader knew the information I needed to save Mc and thus he was going to give it to me. Kaden had called Richy to let the older male arrange everything inside the building itself so that the whole mission would pass by as smoothly as possible. Mc's life was at stake, mistakes would be paid with a big prize.

"Follow me," Richy spoke as soon as he saw the look on my face. He proceeded to walk towards the elevator before pressing the button for going up while patiently waiting for the big doors to open themselves.

None of the guards seemed to have any issues with the unfamiliar members infiltrating the building without an appointment and softly Sam began to laugh. If those men would know that Richy was about to commit the biggest treason possible they would surely stop the whole group. Too bad for them that the next moment they would see Richy he would be the boss himself.

It didn't take long before the big silver doors opened and quickly all men got in before Richy pressed the button for Thomas's office. Of course, he had to be in his office at this time of the day. That was where he usually spend all his days doing nothing and making sure that Richy controlled everyone around him.

"How many men are usually in his office?" Kaden then asked before twirling his gun around in his fingers. He was skilled when it came to using a gun. He had done it so many times before and this time he was ready too. Mc had become part of our big family and you never turn your back on family. Any of us here would fight to our deaths to save the brunette from the hands of that traitor of a Tegan.

"Two. Usually right next to the elevator so I suggest that we take them out first. Thomas himself will be a piece of cake after we take down his men." Richy answered in a serious tone while taking a deep breath of air.

It didn't take long before the familiar ding of the elevator reaching its destiny sounded through the room and immediately Kaden and Sam readied their guns to shoot down the two men next to the elevators. As soon as the big silver doors slowly began to slide open both guys nodded to each other before stepping out and immediately firing a bullet to the sides.

A loud bang sounded through the whole room followed by two soft thuds and the sight of blood, lots of blood. As soon as the two guards were taken down I readied my gun before an angry look took over my whole face again. I angrily stepped out of the elevator before searching the room to find Thomas...

A small smirk became visible on my face as soon as I saw the scared man hiding behind his desk and I quickly began to make my way over to him.

"Stop hiding you, coward. You have something I want." I spoke, my voice filled with disgust.

A loud yelp left Thomas's mouth as soon as I reached him and yanked him up by his hair before painfully pressing my gun against the man's temple. The man began to breathe more heavily and his eyes grew wide. Thomas was in deep shit and he knew it damn well. No one would be able to save him now.

However, suddenly his eyes landed on Richy's familiar face and a bit of hope began to light his eyes up.

"Richy! Do something!" He screamed at one of his closest men, a desperate look visible on his face.

Richy however ignored him completely and looked at him with a cold look on his face.

"What the fuck do you want Dalton?" Thomas whispered dangerously low to me behind him. It was as clear as crystal that I was angry and there would be no way that this wouldn't end up in a war between both companies.

Thomas wanted nothing more than to just blow Jake's brains out right now. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't exactly in a position to do so at the moment.

"I want to know where my stepbrother is hiding. I know you know so don't even try to play dumb with me, you fucking asshole." I angrily spoke to the guy I was currently holding a gun against. Thomas was nothing more but a pest in my eyes and I couldn't wait to get rid of him after the dumbass would finally give me the information I separately longed for.

A sly smirk began to form on Thomas's face and he began to laugh softly.

"How about we make a deal then? You lower that gun of yours and I will tell you everything you want to know about Tegan." He spoke in a sly tone and an annoyed look began to form on my face. I knew damn well that Thomas wouldn't give away all the information easily. However, he was right now wasting my valuable time and I needed every minute I could get to go and rescue my baby.

Mc's life was on the line and I wasn't in the mood to play right now. Harshly I pushed my gun even tighter against his temple before lowering my face a bit and whispering in Thomas's ear.

"How about you just tell me what I want or I will blow your brains out right fucking now," I replied in a dangerously low tone and immediately Thomas swallowed harshly.

A deep sigh left his mouth and drops of sweat began to form on his forehead. He was scared and nervous at the same time. He knew damn well that this could very well be the last minute of his life.

"There is a whole apartment block on the east side of Duskwood. It's registered under my company's name and I've been renting it to Tegan for about two months now. That's where he is hiding." The scared guy said before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I know exactly where that is." Richy immediately spoke while his eyes grew big. Of course, since he would take over this company he needed to show me that he was going to be a great ally for me. He would take me to the place Thomas had just mentioned.

"I can take you all there."

"Great," I answered him before focusing on Thomas again. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and little drops of sweat rolled down the sides of his face every once in a while. It was super clear that Thomas was still fearing for his life and a soft chuckle left my mouth.

Richy had been right when he had told me that Thomas wasn't the brightest man around. As soon as he had spilled the information about Tegan to me he had lost all value to me and thus I was ready to get rid of him.

Slowly I began to press my gun even tighter against his temple before I began to whisper inside his ear.

"You didn't think I would let you get away with teaming up with my stepbrother right?" I whispered inside his ear before an evil laugh left my mouth.

"Enjoy hell, Thomas. I'm sure you'll have a great time there." I softly spoke before I pulled the trigger on my gun.

A loud bang sounded through the office and slowly the lifeless body of Thomas Russel began to slip out of my hands before it fell onto the ground with a soft thud. A big hole was decorating the side of his head and blood was rapidly seeping out of it and creating a big red puddle around him.

He had chosen the wrong side to team up with and he had had to pay for his mistake with his life. As soon as I had let go of his body I walked over to Richy before locking eyes with him.

"You know where we need to go right?" I spoke in a serious tone and immediately he began to nod before he motioned everyone to follow him toward the elevator.

"I do, let's go."

A soft sigh left my mouth and I briefly closed my eyes before opening them again. A determined look was decorating my face and confidence was visible in my eyes. We didn't have any time to lose. The sooner we reached the place Thomas had described the better.

"Don't worry baby, I'm coming."

.

Mc focus.

.

A pounding feeling was present in my head as I slowly began to open my eyes. My eyelids felt heavy and it felt as if someone had been stabbing my head countless times. However, I slowly began to become more and more awake and it took a while but eventually, I managed to open my eyes.

Immediately as I opened my eyes I closed them again due to the brightness of the room I was in. A big lightbulb was illuminating the whole room and a deep sigh left my mouth. This light didn't do anything good for my already massive headache.

Slowly however I began to open my eyes more and more and fortunately for me, it didn't take long before my eyes were completely adjusted to the lighting in the room. I immediately began to look around the unfamiliar room as soon as I opened my eyes and a deep sigh left my mouth.

The room I was currently in wasn't much bigger than my apartment. A simple brown carpet was covering the floor and apart from two chairs and a couch, the whole apartment was dull and empty. It looked as if no one had lived here for at least the last few months and somehow that didn't make me feel any safer. Now no one would ever find me.

Another painful sting began to infiltrate my head and I immediately tried to raise my hand to grab my head. However, as soon as I tried that I immediately felt my action getting stopped by an unknown force. Quickly I looked down and tears began to pool in my eyes the moment I realized that my feet and hands were bound to the wooden chair I was currently sitting on. No way I would ever get out of here myself, especially not as long as I was trapped in this chair.

Desperately I began to look around to try and find any form of life around me. Maybe if someone would see me then they could send the police to rescue me. However, the neighborhood I was being held in was known to be almost completely abandoned due to the gangs that roamed the streets there during the night and thus there was no chance for anyone to find me.

Tears slowly began to roll down my cheeks once the faces of my friends and family began to fill my mind and a loud sob left my mouth. I was kidnapped by Jake's worst enemies and there was no way those two would let me out of there alive. No, I was pretty sure my life was going to end way too soon.

Suddenly the door to the apartment I was currently trapped in opened and immediately I looked towards the door while a hint of fear mixed with hope filled my chest. This would either be very bad or amazingly good. Either Tegan or someone who could rescue me would enter the room.

However, much to my disappointment, it was indeed Valerie and Tegan who had opened the door to the dull apartment, and immediately my eyes grew big. The fact that those two were here right now didn't mean anything good.

Slowly my heart began to stammer in my chest and my breathing became more and more irregular. However, I tried my best to not let any of these two horrible people notice how scared I was. If I put up a tough show maybe they knew that they shouldn't mess with me.

A sly smirk was visible on Tegan's face as he laid his eyes on me.

.

Tegan focus.

.

The girl was truly a sight to see and the fact that this brunette meant so much to my little stepbrother made the fact that I had been able to kidnap her even more fun. This small girl was the one thing that would make Jake get down on his knees for me. It would just be a matter of time before red crew Corporations would finally be mine.

With big steps, I quickly walked toward where Mc was sitting with a smirk still present on my face. Immediately her eyes grew big and she began to wiggle her hands and legs around fiercely to try and loosen the tight grip the ropes had on them but it was to no use. Before she had even had the chance to free herself, I harshly grabbed her chin before I pushed her head to the side to properly take in her features.

"My my, I can see what Jake sees in you. You are a sight to see, I must give him that. It's a shame he dragged you into this world honestly." I spoke in a sly tone while looking at her as if she was my newest toy. Softly I lifted one of my thumbs before caressing her cheek and locking eyes with her.

"Did he fuck you good?"

Immediately after hearing that sentence, Mc began to fiercely shake her head while trying to get her head loose from my harsh grip of mine.

Mc wasn't a damn whore and Jake hadn't treated her like that. No way she would allow that asshole to speak about their relationship as if fucking was the only thing that had connected Jake and Mc. Their relationship had been built on trust and loyalty, not purely having sex.

"My my, you're a feisty one I see," I spoke while my eyes darkened slightly. The smirk on my face slowly began to fade away and made a place for an annoyed one.

Before she even had the chance to react I harshly slapped her left cheek with my hand and made the brunette's head fling to the side.

A stinging pain took over the young girl's whole left cheek and tears began to prick in her eyes while she inhaled sharply. While Jake had been sweet and caring towards her, his older stepbrother was the complete opposite. Oh, how Mc hated Tegan already.

"Jake may like that behavior but I certainly don't, bitch." I spoke in a dominant tone while an angry look crossed my face. Mc didn't react to me at all. A few tears began to escape her eyes and she tightly pressed her jaws together.

Mc didn't want to show weakness to Tegan but at the same time, the stinging pain on her cheek made her want to cry so badly.

"Don't hurt her too much my love." Valerie suddenly stepped between the two of us before wrapping her hands around my neck and pressing a kiss on his mouth.

"You can do whatever you want with her once we got rid of Jake. Until then, please try to restrain yourself." She spoke before winking at me.

.

Valerie focus.

.

Truth be told, I didn't love Tegan. Not even in the slightest. I, however, did love power and I knew damn well that if I had stayed together with Jake, I would have never become the boss myself. Jake was way too smart for me to ever let me take over his business.

Tegan however wasn't the smartest. He longed for power, like his younger stepbrother, but unfortunately for him, he wasn't made to run a business. Way too often he let his emotions get the best of him and screw things up. Therefore it hadn't been a surprise to me that Tegan's father had chosen Jake to be his successor. He was smart and skilled in many fields, while his son was not.

The moment my father had introduced me to three of them only two of them had taken a liking to me. Kaden was smitten with blue smurf. First I had chosen Jake because Tegan would logically be the successor.

The only thing I would have needed to do for to take over the biggest leader of the country was to marry the guy, make sure his stepbrother and my husband would tragically die during one of their mission, which I of course would set up myself, and then red crew corporations would be mine.

However, the moment I found out Jake would be the one to take over Red Crew, my whole plan wouldn't work anymore. He hardly went on any missions and his older stepbrother would in no way cooperate with anything Jake told him to do. Thus the moment I found out about Tegan's plan to kill his father thus I had begun an affair with him. He was too dumb to see my true intentions anyway.

Tegan trusted me completely and thus the moment the two of us had gotten rid of Jake, I only needed to plant a bullet between Tegan's eyes. After that Red Crew would finally be mine.

"Don't worry baby. I will wait with killing her until my stepbrother is here to see the show. I want that asshole to beg me to kill him." Tegan spoke to me before he grabbed my hand and began to pull me out of the room. The two of us then threw the entrance to the dull apartment closed again.

.

Mc focus.

.

Tears began to stream down my cheeks and sobs left my mouth nonstop. The only thing I could think about now was his beautiful face. The guy I loved so much and who would be killed because of me being kidnapped. Softly I began to cry while I looked at the entrance of the apartment I was trapped in with only one thought in my mind.

Jake, please be safe...

[culminada]

scrolling autistic Tumblr and not relating to anything anymore.

Even though I know I'm autistic. It's all sensory sensitivity, anxiety, inability to be authentic, difficulties unmasking, experiencing ableism, unusual connection to animals (?), "stop saying autistic people have never had sex", etc.

Autistic people ARE more likely to be asexual, and I'm one of them! It feels invalidating when people complain abt other people's headcanons of autistic people never having had sex. I'm autistic and I've never had sex.

I was raised in an accepting home and homeschooled. I have never experienced someone invalidating my autism when I come out. I have never experienced someone not believing me about an autistic symptom. I have always been encouraged to be myself and express myself authentically. I don't struggle with anxiety. I feel like I can express myself authentically with my friends (autistic and neurotypical). I don't avoid social situations with them, in fact I seek them out.

I was a later teenager before I ever had to mask. I speedran 'learning to mask' in 3 years in a hostile environment (hostile meaning cliquish and normal (derogatory)) and now? Honestly it doesn't feel like masking anymore? It can be hard to initiate interaction with someone I don't know and I usually avoid it, but social cues? Just feels like learning another language. But I CAN learn it. It's a complex set of rules to be learned. I used to not be able to recognize people I'd talked to before. Now I can do it fine, no problem. I'm much better with names, too. Interaction with other autistic people feels easier, but it's still interaction.

With my neurotypical friends and family I'm very relaxed and I don't worry about masking unless it's an emotionally-charged situation (and even then, I DO want to show support and I know how, it just feels like translating what I want to communicate into a language that they'll understand and feel. It's an act of love and care for me, not a burden or smth I'm anxious about.) Social interaction doesn't cause me stress like it used to. (And how much of that was the cliquishness of the place I was at?)

And I'm not struggling to fit in a world that wasn't built for me. Neither I nor my family nor my culture expects me to get a job. The last time somebody asked if I was graduated yet or what grade I was in, and I tried to explain the convoluted mess for the umpteenth time, my mom just shrugged and casually declared me graduated. Ig I graduated in some random person's kitchen one Sunday afternoon. I'm not going to college and I don't need a job. I don't have to stress about half the things my autistic peers do.

I don't experience sensory sensitivity, like I've said.

I hyperfocus so hard I DONT notice all the little things; distracting sounds, etc. that even neurotypicals notice.

Sometimes I feel like I have the opposite of all the autistic symptoms.

What ARE my symptoms then?

Inability to start and stop tasks. Special interests. Stimming. Rigid thinking. Missing social cues. Lower empathy. Caffeine doesnt effect me. Hyposensitivity. Greater need of sleep. Distress when things change. Difficulty adjusting my expectations when circumstances change. Missing the bigger picture (esp in social situations). Needing to re-hash every social interaction in my head after the fact.

And those symptoms are mild, too, in the sense that they don't impact my life a whole lot. Maybe I just have kind friends who don't mind the occasional missed social cue or oversharing? Executive dysfunction is the worst symptom (in the sense of negatively impacting my life), and maybe oversleeping compared to neurotypicals. Am I even autistic??

I don't know, AM I masking and don't realize it? Bc I definitely used to have major social trouble.

My friend who is autistic is very sure that I'm autistic, but idk if that's just because I can speak the autistic language easily? I remember before I knew I was autistic and she told me she was, and I mentally switched my script from 'normal people (derogatory)' to 'autistic person (yay, less complex!)'

At the time, I saw it as just another script. An easier one for sure, one I understood (even just from seeing posts online. There's just one rule: be straightforward. And maybe let her info dump sometimes. And be aware of potential sensory difficulties.). It felt more natural; like the way I always communicated at home. like I could stop masking.

But I don't have any scripts at all now. I don't mask. I just interact. I know how my autistic friend interacts. I know how my neurotypical friends interact. And I just DO! The interaction!

What do yall think? Is this masking?? Aaaaahcjskfjskfjd

[crossdressingdeath]

Wait wait wait... So, my bean Alaris. Did he know or know of Hawke bltheoigh Anders or.....? Did Hawke know about him? Varrics reaction to finding out who Alaris is too! Alaris and his potential relationships are like Shrek and onions, he's got layers.

Somehow Alaris managed to insert himself into the centre of a web of relationships made up of the most influential people in all of southern Thedas, by accident, before ever becoming the Inquisitor and that is extremely sexy of him. Alaris's true power isn't his magic or even the Anchor, it's his ability to go "Oh, I know a guy" or "Oh, I know a guy who knows a guy". The best ability for someone like the Inquisitor is just being everyone's favourite.

But I think Anders never actually introduced Alaris and Hawke. Alaris definitely knew of Hawke (since this is post Deep Roads expedition and people would talk about the Fereldan refugee turned Hightown noble, and in Darktown they'd also talk about his connection to Anders), and I feel like Anders did mention Alaris to Hawke? But this would've been happening before act 2, so while Anders liked Hawke he didn't entirely trust him, so Hawke mostly knew that Anders knew some elf kid who occasionally ran errands and helped out around the clinic because Anders didn't want to mention the whole "teenage Dalish apostate in hiding who absolutely has killed multiple Templars" bit to someone he didn't have absolute unwavering faith in unless he had to. They may have met in passing once or twice coming to and from the clinic or when Alaris ran errands for Anders elsewhere in the city, but they didn't really talk and Alaris hadn't fully hit puberty yet and also was incredibly scruffy and broke and in DAI is putting on a fake Marcher accent for reasons that may or may not be related to him having shown up at the Conclave to assassinate the Divine (don't worry about it), so he looks and sounds very different now than he did back then. Eventually Hawke will put the pieces together and he will have no idea how to react. How exactly he reacts really will depend on how much I like playing red Hawke, since I've been doing a lot of character reworking and I probably won't settle on a characterization for him until I go through DA2 as red Hawke.

Varric also probably met Alaris in passing once or twice back in Kirkwall, and he does see him all messed up from the Conclave, so I think Varric right from the start was like "Have I seen this guy somewhere before?" But there's "just got a little bit blown up and had to fight some demons and spent several days in chains in a dungeon and then had to fight more demons" scruffy and then there's "13-16 years old, broke, and living in a sewer" scruffy and again he only met Alaris in passing in Kirkwall so he doesn't quite put the pieces together. Alaris recognizes him, though, and while he's pretty nervous at first eventually settles into finding it absolutely hilarious that Varric doesn't recognize him at all. Varric also eventually finds out and is extremely put out to learn that he met the Herald of Andraste when said Herald was a teenager, and not only did he not realize at the time that this kid was Destined For Greatness or whatever and not only did he not recognize him later (a hit! A hit to his pride as a storyteller!), Alaris didn't bother to tell him.

[trust-and-jump]

Talia and Jason before the Pit

I warn you: Bad English!!!!! Bat English...

Okay, this might not look like it to you, but the piece is in my Reverse Robins AU, which includes The Thing where Jason Todd is Kind Of immortal:

But this definitely can be read as non-RR!AU thing.

So. Bad translation; I feel like everything I write in English is funny or irritating bc of all my mistakes and typos and poor word choosing.

also despite long warning it's short lol. just wanted to post it because I like to torture myself and turn my good enough (for me) Russian texts into super-bad English ones.

Hope someone will like Talia in this.

But nevermind, read it if you want:

takes place when Jay is healthy enough and fed already; I think maybe he is with al Ghuls for six months at least; I feel like I should say eight months.

She worried about him when she was away - constantly, relentlessly. First she saw him as a connection with Bruce. Then as someone in a snake pit who can't take care of himself. Later… as a child in her care. In any case, he was her responsibility; Jason. And that, somehow, was a worse burden to bear than it was with Damian.

Of course, it didn't help her newfound horror that it seemed like something terrible had happened every time Talia wasn't around. A failed "test", a punishment without her knowledge and permission, some glimpse of his wounded mind… and much more. It seemed like she couldn't leave Jason alone even for a day. Although.. that was the problem, wasn't it? Jason, as a rule, was not alone. As far as Talia knew, it was because of others that all the incidents arose — no fault of Jason at all.

Maybe she was biased. So what?

In any case, nothing — and no one —could have prepared her for the day when Jason died. When Jason died and she only found out about it a couple of hours later.

Her first thoughts were a special kind of mess, when she was only able to move, but not to think.

Looking back, Talia could admit that she handled the situation much less gracefully than she should have. However, the incident forced her to admit to herself that Jason had become dear to her. Much more than planned. The insignificant life of that fool who was too careless and decided that an ugly fight with a teenager who could not answer for himself... the fool that attacked Jason with a sword, who won dishonorably and meanly— who thought that all those training sessions (where they - ordinary trainees - attacked him in droves) meant killing "dead bird" was a success and lead to a reward - when the opposite was directly said to all of them… that fool's miserable life wasn't worth the mercy Talia had shown him. And she gave this mercy only because she was too distracted by the sudden (and, oh God, so familiar) sound of the boy's breathing. She twitched her bloody fingers uselessly, and then rushed to him.

For the first time since fate had brought him to the abode of evil, to the net that she had selfishly set, Talia did not think about Bruce looking at Jason. The boy clung to her, shuddering, but he did it cautiously, timidly, and she could not stop herself as she stretched out her hand in response, gripped his shoulder and pulled him closer, tighter, almost hugging. She couldn't stop herself from kissing the top of his head, running fingers through his hair, feeling the edges of the scars with her fingertips.

What am I doing, Talia thought suddenly. Why is he here.

Why weren't they in some place where the sun goes down.

Where the shadows don't fall.

Where it's never hot.

Where there were no green eyes and rotten waters and captivity and prison.

Then Talia thought about those terrifying moments before Jason - miraculously - breathed again. And remembered how she felt— in her mind, she was standing on the edge of a cliff in front of a black abyss, and the wind was blowing in her back.

No, she thought furiously. It won't happen.

It was convenient enough that in the last couple of months, Jason's affairs have been addressed first to her and only then to her father.

No one could find out about Jason's second death. The Demon was kind enough not to test the boy's mortality, but if it turns out that Jason had this gift — or a curse — nothing would deter his tests and inquiries.

And, if today's terrible day had shown something, Talia would never be ready to agree to it without a fight. Without a lost already battle.

And therefore, the Demon's Daughter decided, muttering into the hair of her ward everything's alright's and you'll be okay's in her own language, I will keep it a secret.

Jason was gradually relaxing. He was strong, a fighter from the start, but the whole misfortune took a lot of energy from him; he fell asleep, feeling safe with Talia. And her heart sank. She wasn't sure she deserved that trust. She could only hope that she wouldn't lose it.

___

that's all, look at my food now. I ate a lot and I am happy for a few hours. Because I love to eat, it's literally my favourite thing to do. food is life. if I'm full I'm happy. delicious. I love cooking too.

the screenshot is from Batman (1966).

Now look at this:

but hey, I don't mind Talia/Jason thing in Lost Days. because it wasn't meant to be liked by people. I just wanted to clearify that in my AU it didn't happen.

Okay, if you read here, just PLEASE tell me if you see any mistake!!!! or poor word choosing!!!!! or typo!!!! I'm bad with English, help me 😭😭😭

[multifandomcurse]

ASHLEON (ASHLEY GRAHAM / LEON S. KENNEDY) an idea.

Hi.

As you have realized, I enjoy sharing all my "scenarios", headcanons or AU, featuring my current OTP or ship, with all of you, here on Tumblr, as a way to let you my ideas and, if someone finds them interesting, they could write something.

My current OTP is Ashleon so... Here is what I have been thinking about them:

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

I'm not a big fan of Resident Evil, so some of the facts or the way that the characters could act would be out of character/canon.

⚠️ Warning ⚠️

Sorry About my lack of vocabulary or bad grammar 🫠

So. Do you know that Leon's childhood was a mess due to the connection that his family had with criminal organizations?

Think about Ashley knowing, for the first time, that information.

I couldn't define how I would like Leon to tell her about his past but...

But definitely, Ashley will feel bad about him. She would be like "He is so kind and it's a bit difficult to think that he had suffered too much"

One time, Ashley remember when they were in Spain, sometimes Leon woke up abruptly that scared Ashley, he apologized and she answered with a gentle "Don't worry" and without asking, Leon started talking about his childhood (just the most decent parts, He started talking about him just a way to created a distraction. He was like "Is it better she thinks about bio-weapons or my terrible past?)

She remembers her thinking something like "I trust Leon but I think he was hiding some information about his childhood or teenage years"

So she decided to look up Leon's info by entering into her father's computers.

To add some action here I think something like:

Ashley is complete immerse in what she is doing, she didn't notice that her father and Leon are about to enter her father's office.

She barely closed the laptop, hoping that by doing that all the data about her father's agent would get closed. The President and Leon look a little surprised with Ashley there. "What's she doing here?" All because the President and his security group don't want Ashley close to the president's office or places where Ashley could activate a weapon or a protocol to start a war or something like that.

She acts weird and makes Leon suspect that something occurred at the office but she is not to say anything to him or her father.

By the fickle finger of fate, Leon gets to see all the research that people from the government have made about him, and he finds a search that came from the president. But he knows the president has been on a business trip and he doesn't have enough time to look up info about him, so he thinks it was Ashley, and his theory becomes a reality when he finds the date of the search and sees that it was the same as when she found Ashley at her dad office.

She didn't expect Leon to come to her place (but President Graham asked Leon to take care of his daughter while he is on a business trip) , but she does not complain about it if that means spending some time with Leon.

So, one day the two of them were just talking and eating dinner. Ashley always talks and Leon just sit and listen to her carefully. She can't forget about what she read at Leon's report, so she decided to stop what she was saying and continue with "Leon, I am always the one who talks, but I want to know more about you"

Leon's expression darkened, full of anger.

He just could laugh in a sarcastic way.

"What do you want to know about me if you already know everything, don't you?"

She gets nervous. Leon... - she smile gentle, trying to avoid Leon anger — what are you talking about?

Even though she thought that question could pace the tense atmosphere, it makes Leon being more angry that he already was.

"Don't try to mess with me, I already know that you have looking for my info. On your dad's computer. Why?! What's the urgent to know more about me when I don't want to talk about it, with nobody, especially you?"

Ashley barely says Leon's name, in a quiet whisper, but she can't continue talking. All the words, now a mix of yelled words, bad words just stay at the top of her tongue, not being listened by Leon.

She just stand up, and leave Leon's there. He swears he could listen her crying. Even he wants to stop her, the best thing would be take some distance to clarify all his feelings. (Of course here, you could add something like "Leon feeling guilty about he yelled at Ashley and what he said to her". It's not like he doesn't talk about his childhood with Ashley, he just wanted to avoid the topic, he is not ready to talk about himself and his life, also he is like "I know enough about Ashley to feel some affection for her, and I don't want to make her feel not good knowing my past" Also a feeling of "I don't want her to change with me just because I has not a common childhood"

Then, Ashley locks in her room, she cry a little but then she try to calm herself. "that's what I get just because I worried about him... Yeah, I'm stupid. The best thing is to keep my distance between me and Leon"

She falls sleep, and starting dreaming about Leon childhood.

Here you can imagine a situation (of course I need Leon crying and Ashley saving him) but then she wakes up and start crying because of what she dreamed. She leaves her room, trying to find leon. Immediately she goes to the guest room but he is not there. She starts to cry, because she thinks Leon already go, leaving her all alone.

She went to the balcony, where she finds him. She wants to talk but the words just don't come out and the only thing she can do is hug Leon. That hug has nothing to be with their fight, it's a hug to say "I'm here"

She feels guilty, not only because she look up Leon's info but also because, and she knows it's impossible, but she couldn't be there to help, save and support young Leon.

Leon will hug Ashley, just saying sorry...

I don't know how to end this but please took my idea and create a great one shot 😓👌🏻

[filthforfriends]

What would Icarus do if she ever found out Damiano was in love with her best friend? Would she be chill about it? Would she be horrified? Would her thoughts change when she actually sees how much her father and YN care about each other? Would she be grossed out if they were ever affectionate in public???

DILFiano largely came out of my evolving relationship with Call Me By Your Name. In 2018 that movie changed my entire world like nothing else has. I read the book in a single sitting…three times. My first ever “controversy” on here was condemning Lucrezia Petracca. She was 34 years old when she dated 17/18 year old Damiano. Of course I had to justify Elio and Oliver’s relationship to myself at ages 17 & 24. I wanted them to transcend the age gap.

At the time I wrote: “I'm never sure whether Call Me By Your Name is an epic story of fate and the sanctity of deep human connection or a warning about the life long damage of age gap relationships between children and adults. And it can't be both one is a form of abuse.”

Luca Guadagnino & cast marketed CMBYN as a love story, but fascinatingly the book never calls it love. Despite this, Elio is haunted by their affair for decades. So if love isn’t the powerful, driving then what is?

CMBYN may describe a once in a lifetime connection, but Andre Aciman wrote from Elio’s perspective. He’s an especially dramatic, but highly educated teenager with a sexual fixation on an adult man who he perceives as his intellectual equal. Oliver’s existence shatters Elio’s self concept as a heterosexual and he both lusts and loathes him for it. His perception of the world is distorted accordingly by Aciman. Factually, Elio and Oliver have known each other for 6 weeks and been intimate for 2. However Elio’s obsession consumes him and compels him to sexually peruse Oliver, who should resist but fails to. Maybe because Elio is beautiful, intelligent, compelling, and insistent enough that he can’t stop himself from giving in. Maybe his desperation soothes Oliver’s ego and he justifies it to himself. Either way, Oliver makes this toxic obsession material and cements himself in Elio’s mind.

It destroys Elio. Even though they’ve been casually hooking up for a <2 weeks, it feels like losing his soulmate because he’s 17. It’s a painful irony by Aciman: Oliver worries about messing him up the entire book then does. Elio thinks they have a transcendent connection, but he’s just emotionally stunted by having a sexual relationship with an man 7 years older.

In a way, y/n is Elio. She hasn’t been groomed. She’s the aggressor. But in my story she’s also a consenting adult. But does that mean her sexual fixation doesn’t distort her perception? No. Is it okay?

[lettherebebitching]

I have a "friend." We've known each other for years, there was a time when we were kids when we were genuinely friends, but were not really friends anymore, even though our lives are airways going to be very closely connected.

She had her first kid in high school and needed a lot of help being a mom when she was very much not ready for that (even though she very purposefully got pregnant, but teenagers make bad decisions and I'm not going to slam her for doing what she thought was best at the time).

My best friend and I would help her with her kid all the time, watch her for a weekend, take her to get diapers, etc.

Things got chaotic, to put it mildly, for a good while after that. She had a second kid, her husband cheated on her, she lost custody of the kids to her grandparents who moved out of the country, she got pregnant several more times from other men, some result in miscarriages others ended as abortions, some ended as kids, she then got custody of the two oldest back just a few years ago.

I had fallen out of my "friend's" life for years after she lost custody of the first two kids, but I kept in touch with the grandparents, sending them gifts every birthday and Christmas. I got back in touch and more active in their lives when she got custody back and would help out, mostly driving them around.

Now they've moved out of state so I can't see them as often, and I worry.

I know WHY their mother makes the bad decisions that she does. I want her to get better and be better to her kids. They have so little, and I've tried to help with that. I gave them a bunch of old toys and games and craft stuff I had since I was younger but she always locked everything away in the closet.

The kids are wrecks, all of them. They're always fighting and running off and stealing and getting into trouble and thinking it's cool when they get sent to the other school for delinquent kids.

I want to scream some days because they all clearly need therapy and space from each other. And their new living situation is probably even more stressful which is going to cause more problems.

This isn't wholly the fault of any of them.

They need a home, they need resources, they need space.

I want so badly for these kids and their mother to just Be ok and have their shit together, but instead I'm basically watching from afar as they fuck up their lives more and more. They ask my advice and never listen. I've tried to help so much and it does nothing. Part of me wants to block their numbers and forget about them, but I'd hate myself if I did that.

I try not to bombard them, as much as I just want to rant to each of them how messed up their being because I know that wouldn't actually Help, but I reach out on occasion, just to remind them I'm here to talk or listen or send them dumb internet jokes and that's all I can do for now.

[musebluebird]

"Trust me, you're not going to do worse than a child no matter how much of a mess you think you are," she assured him giving him a small lopsided smile before starting to sway slowly with him. They could keep it simply. Serena would teach him happily though. She couldn't help but smirk at the idea of doing something with him as silly as dancing in their living room without music just because they felt like it. Just because they could. Just because they were happy and in love. She felt that would be the kind of thing they would do if they were dating. God. 'Their living room?' She didn't even want to begin to rationalize that. She was so fucked up. They were just dancing and her head was already imagining things. That was just as dangerous as it was to be dancing with him right now. Serena didn't want to get her hopes up and her heart crushed. Apparently her mind was already having her hopes up. She couldn't allow herself to have expectations even though she was back and Emma believed that she was a sign of fate that they were together at that exact moment. Emma had a fantasy mind and she wanted everyone to be happy, especially Serena so she was probably seeing things that weren't there between Doug and Serena other than her stupid teenage crush.

Could he- could he feel the connection between them? Or was she imagining things that didn't exist? Because Serena felt like there was no one else in the room, like nothing and no one else mattered. She really hoped that they could at least have that night. She wanted to have that night with him. Tomorrow when she woke up she would worry about heartbreak and exposed feelings that she believed she had buried long ago. Today she wanted to have that night. If she never spoke to Doug again, that was fine, but at least she would treasure that night.

"Around two months, still catching up I guess" Serena shrugged before giving him a slightly sheepish smile and putting a lock of hair behind her ear "Luckily, Miss D likes my work so that's good at least" The woman had been the main reason why she was who she was now an adult, if it weren't for Miss D, Serena would never have been a dancer. She had had to make sacrifices, she had had to make concessions, but in the end, in general terms, everything had turned out well. For a moment, Serena allowed herself the luxury of looking at him again. Douglas had always been modest but there was something about him. Like a little hidden sadness. Well, she could tell. It took one broken person to know another one and Serena considered herself broke as fuck. Since the dance career was cut early, it had left a void that she still hadn't been able to fill, as if something was missing. Perhaps it had to do with all the free time she now had to think and project, that how her life looked now was not how she wanted it to look ten years from now. Serena frowned slightly upon hearing him. What was happening? He seemed more than nervous to ask her what she wanted to ask. She raised her eyebrows curiously "Yeah sure, you'll say"

Dougie wondered what it was like, to be loved like that. To be loved so much your partner wanted to marry you, to want to be with you for their entire lives. For better or for worse, in sickness and in health. To be so irrevocably in love that nobody on this planet mattered more than them. Plenty of times, he thought he met the one. That person. Heck, once upon a time, he'd been engaged for crying out loud because he thought he was in love, and he thought that was what she wanted... but he had been younger and naive, foolish. Doing things for people because he thought he wanted them to, thinking it would fix whatever hurdle they faced at the time. Unfortunately, the hurdles weren't just hurdles, not a normal bump in the relationship and it took him too long to come to his senses. The scars still remained. Since then, he had been in other relationships and each time, he would fall head over heels and in love. Thinking, she's the one, I feel it, I know it in my heart this time...and then poof. It didn't last. Always teetering along the threshold of being either too much or not enough, never quite finding the right balance. It was a tragedy really: a man with so much love to give and yet nowhere to put it.

Unable to help the smile that curled his lips, he let out a noise that was both a laugh combined with a sigh of relief. "Well, that's definitely a relief let's put it that way." In that case, he was in perfectly capable hands, wasn't he? "At least I have a handy teacher to um, to show me the way. Dougie could let her lead, couldn't he? And he could...try and stop overthinking it all. Stop assuming everyone's watching him when they were too invested in their own conversations to even give them a second glance... probably. Up until now, he genuinely thought he was over those days, the teen years, the school stuff including the crushes. Naturally, you let them go over the years as you become older and wiser. But being here, looking - or more like drowning - in Serena's eyes, and the sparks he almost saw flying off the moment their hands linked reminded Dougie that maybe he wasn't over everything as much as he thought. Maybe he definitely wasn't over her, specifically. But it was just a schoolboy crush, his brain kept reminding him. But Serena was practically glowing, her radiant beauty right there before him and maybe he was falling all over again. At least not in the literal sense just yet.

It was pretty difficult to focus on trying not to trip up his feet - or hers - whilst also trying to focus on not staring at the poor woman and potentially freaking her out but... How had it been so long since they last saw each other and at the same time it felt like a moment frozen in time? To have her within reach, so close to him...It would be impossible to let her go. Not again. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not even the happy, married couple. At that moment, it was just Dougie and Serena, and whatever this was between them that had him wondering whether or not she felt it too. Whether he was just in well over his head before he could even think about it. Her sister never even came to mind - Taylor who? And maybe he was getting ahead of himself if he was thinking of the what ifs. Especially when he was trying to focus on the here and the now, remaining present in this moment, their moment.

"Is it?" he asked when she mentioned coming back always being hard. Dougie wondered whether there was more weight to that statement than she let on, but he wasn't about to poke his nose where it didn't belong. Genuine interest piqued as she told him about the studio, a warm smile gracing his lips. "Oh, that's brill! How long have you been there?" he asked, sincerely interested in her, in everything in between the missing years, to get to know the woman she became. His little, shy smile grew when Serena expressed her kind words. It meant a lot, what she thought. "Thanks... It took a long time to get there but you know, we all have our own journeys and all that," he said with a small shrug. On paper it may have all looked great - and don't get him wrong, he considered himself very lucky, the job had been his dream for years... but still - there felt like there was something missing. But that could've just been a result of his fluctuating mental health, his mind was his worst enemy at the best of times. "And I'm happy for you too." Was she happy? It was a question he wanted to ask after remembering her saying she could be better beforehand. but again, worried too much about overstepping boundaries. But there was part of him that was feeling a bit brave. They seemed comfortable around each other, and he wondered whether or not it was time to ask the question that had been on his mind since Emma practically shoved him over to her. "Hey, uh -" Dougie cleared his throat, smiling softly at her before tentatively asking, "Can I - can I ask you something?"

[artistfingers]

Do Sam and Tucker have their theories on how Danny Phantom passed away? In the undercover au, if so what are they? and how ridiculous do they get after they finally start hanging out with him????

[Undercover AU]

Sam and Tucker’s Theories on how Phantom Passed Away…. Yeah, I’ve got ideas there 👀

Below the cut: ramblings on their theories about Phantom in general, including how he passed away, and if he’s different from other ghosts. One or two spoilers for the comic I’ve got in progress and some I have loosely planned, btw.

Before they met Phantom, Sam and Tucker’s theories were in line with everyone else in town. One leading idea, that could have held a grain of truth, was this: that Phantom was murdered young and came back as a ghost to seek vengence… against the very ghosts that ended his life. Sure, it’s dramatic, but it makes a good story, and it kinda explains why Phantom protects humans. But they’re pretty quick to discard this idea once they befriend Phantom; it’s just not accurate to call him vengeful. But what do they surmise instead?

Well. It starts with little clues that Phantom doesn’t realize he’s giving away.

Early on, they learn Phantom is 15. Was he 15 when he died? Has it been 15 years since he died? Something else? How do ghosts count their age? They don’t really know. Phantom won’t really say.

Then, Phantom mentions he wanted to be an astronaut before he died. And that sends Sam down a rabbit hole to set out a potential time frame for when he lived and died. The Space Age began in 1957, with the launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite. And if you account for the fact that Phantom’s an American teenager (assumption: his accent), then a likely candidate for his interest in space was the Moon Landing in 1969. Maybe Phantom lived through it.

Running with that assumption, and if Phantom died at age 15… The earliest he coulda been born was like, 1954, or thereabouts. Of course, he coulda been born any time after that, but it’s a good starting point.

Later they learn from an offhand comment that Phantom likes Nasty Burger. He went all the time before the accid—he used to go a lot, like, every week. Which gives Sam and her little detective notebook another clue: Phantom lived in the region where NB’s popular. I’m picturing Nasty Burger as a regional chain, like how In-N-Out’s mostly a West Coast thing, Nasty Burgers are pretty difficult to find outside the Great Lakes region. So that vastly narrows down for Sam where he lived.

...Honestly, Sam’s got one of those cork boards covered in pins and yarn and newspaper clippings. All Tucker can do about it is stand back and say, “Sam, this is getting a little creepy.”

After all, he’s more content to let Phantom open up when and if he’s ready. But Sam makes it difficult to resist thinking about, and she needs someone else’s perspective to bounce ideas off of.

And it is interesting, especially because Phantom is so close-lipped about his life and death. They have to wonder, is there a reason for that?

They even ask him point-blank: “Do you remember your life?”

And Phantom shifts uncomfortably, looks up at the moon that’s fat and full and bright, and says, “Yeah. A little too well.”

The strained look on his face tells them that they shouldn’t push it any further than that.

They start to research teen deaths that fit the right region and timeframe Sam drew up. Beyond their insatiable curiosity, maybe there’s something nice they can do for him if they can learn a little more. Celebrate his birthday? ...no, that’s in poor taste.

In more than sixty years of obituaries, there’s altogether too many young deaths. They find more Phantom-Likelies than they’d like. They don’t even know how he died, aside from one or two small things. They did learn he died in an accident, though (Sam tosses out all candidates that were murder or natural causes). The bigger clue is that the accident that killed him fucked up his right hand. Like, a lot. It’s pretty nastily scarred in his ghost form.

(As a side note, the scar isn’t visible in his human form, but in both forms he deals with chronic pain in that hand; maybe even a loss of sensation in those fingers. He’s taught himself to write with his left hand by now. Later on when Sam and Tucker meet Fenton, some of their theories about the Phantom-Fenton connection might utilize the fact they’ve both got messed up right hands.)

Even if his death is a touchy subject for Phantom—as with any ghost—I can see him using dark/morbid humor and quips around it. Close call with Technus and electricity? “Wouldn’t be my first rodeo.” or, the three of them giving a burial to a bird that got caught up in the telephone wires? “I know how you feel, little guy.” and so on and so forth. (Sam: I’m sensing a theme here….)

Tucker throws out some pretty ridiculous ideas. “Maybe he worked in a power plant and a hurricane tore through the place and he got buried in wires—” “Tucker, how old do you think you have to be to work in a power plant??” “I was just saying!”

Sam’s theories are a little more grounded (hah), but either way, the two of them agree that Phantom’s death must have been grisly. Not only for Phantom to die so young, but for Phantom to become a ghost at all, let alone such a powerful one.

It’s a pretty well-known fact by now that natural, peaceful deaths don’t generate ghost cores.

...and finally, because we can’t not beat up Danny a little bit, after helping him out in enough conflicts, Tucker and Sam start to notice that Phantom’s injuries are not like other ghosts’. He actually bleeds ectoplasm. Bleeds it like blood. Other ghosts are a bit loosey-goosey with their ectoplasm; it congeals and coagulates quickly, and often can be bent to their will much the way the rest of their body is, at least until the point of destabilization or complete separation from the core.

While Phantom neither destabilizes nor breaks down, his ectoplasm doesn’t coagulate like that. It flows out of him like, not nearly as viscous as it should be. And every time it does, the pain on his face is way too alive for comfort.

So there’s something about Phantom, something that’s different. Sam and Tuck can’t confirm too much, but this is Phantom; this is their friend. And they’re worried about him.

[phoenixyfriend]

The Family Tree is... a Disaster

Takes place in the TCW Leverage AU. It does contain a few deviations, namely that the narrative ended up shifting Plo's role in Ahsoka's life, and Ventress's role overall.

This is mostly just dialogue where I outline the fuckery that is the disaster lineage family tree, not actual fic. It stemmed from my incessant need to justify "25yo Obi-Wan somehow got custody of 9yo Anakin without Shmi dying."

Warnings for: canon character death (modernized), canon violence (modernized), and references to Nazis and white supremacists (Palpatine collects WWII weaponry as a parallel to his canon display of Sith artifacts in his office as chancellor, and Ahsoka thinks it's sketchy)

----

"Okay," Cody says, setting down a glass of whiskey as he drops into the seat across the table. "What the hell is your family tree like?"

Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow, and continues cleaning off the definitely-not-stolen crystal komodo dragon he'd won in today's job. "I beg your pardon?"

"You and Skywalker," Cody says, gesturing between Obi-Wan, who is just sitting there minding his own business, and Anakin, who is across the closed-for-tonight bar and doing something inadvisable on the pool table. "You've said he was your brother, and mentioned raising him, which, sure, I'm over twenty years older than my youngest brother, people take over parenting roles all the time. But you have different last names, have mentioned stepfamilies that the other doesn't have, reference things as 'your aunt, not mine,' and I am just getting... very confused. I figured it was personal and I could leave well enough alone, but considering your older brother almost shot us today--"

"Okay, Xanatos is not my brother," Obi-Wan immediately says. "Just. I just have to stop you right there. Xanatos was a student of my father's for a time, but I promise he's not family. Nobody except maybe Komari would consider him even close, and she doesn't count since she's in prison for life and the farthest thing from stable."

Cody gestures. "That, Obi-Wan. That's what I'm talking about. I don't even know who Komari is."

Obi-Wan purses his lips in a failed attempt to not smile. "Do you actually want the explanation? It's long and unnecessarily complicated."

"So's mine," Cody snorts. Obi-Wan waits, patient and pleasant, and is rewarded when Cody sighs. "Please."

"Of course, my dear. To answer your first question, though, Anakin is my half-brother." With a smile, Obi-Wan digs a piece of paper and a pen from his briefcase. "So, center of the chain: me, my father Qui-Gon, my grandfather Yan, and my great-grandfather Yoda. With me so far?"

"Easy enough. Do you have to go back that far?"

"Great-grandfather Yoda is still alive and regularly escaping the old folks' home to terrorize younger relatives, so yes," Obi-Wan says. "Given that you may just meet a tiny, meddling relative of mine when he's bored, we do in fact have to go back that far."

"...how old is he?"

"We don't know for sure. A hundred and eight-ish is the best guess." Obi-Wan shrugs. "It's not a huge deal, mostly he likes bothering Anakin these days. Anyway, grandfather. Yan Dooku. Inherited a minory duchy from his maternal grandfather decades back. Mostly hangs around there because he's on terrorist watchlists in the States."

"Oh, lovely."

Obi-Wan grins. "Trust me, it gets worse. Anyway, grandfather never actually married, but spent most of his time with his 'best friend' Sifo Dyas, who died about a decade back."

"Gay?"

"Well, we know that now, but they got together in the seventies, and this was back when they were both working government jobs, so, you know. It happens."

"Good to know," Cody says. "So, Yoda's kid is Yan, who inherited a title and land from a maternal relative, and had a life partner but never married. With you so far."

"All of Yan's kids were adopted," Obi-Wan continues, sketching out the first branch away from the Yan/Sifo partnership. "Rael was actually grandfather's cousin, maternally, and ended up in his custody after getting orphaned at five. These days, he does most of the stewardship duties at the Serenno Duchy. His daughter Nim is teaching military history at a university in Germany."

Cody nods. "Uncle number one is named Rael, technically your dad's cousin, has a daughter. Got it."

"About a decade after Rael, they adopted my father, Qui-Gon. He and grandfather fought, frequently, but they did care for each other. My father was a botanist, did bio-engineering. We'll get back to him later, because he's where things get complicated." Obi-Wan made sure to leave room around the name. "Just a few years older than me was--is--Komari Vosa. She is... serving a life sentence. I think she fought Jango once."

"She fought my father?"

"To the best of my knowledge, they both almost died, yes," Obi-Wan says. "She's in maximum security these days. She was an assassin. I'll get a call if she breaks out, and I'll let you know along with everyone else."

"Bad news auntie, got it."

"Last adoption, sort of, is Ventress," Obi-Wan finishes off. "A few years younger than me, is technically grandfather's personal assistant and does secretarial work and the like, but we all know he's planning to leave as much of the inheritance to her as he is to the rest of us. She's aggressive and unpleasant, but she takes care of him and hasn't actually threatened to kill any of us yet, so that's fine."

"How'd she join?" Cody asks.

"Ky Narec was a friend of Qui-Gon's; Ventress was his daughter. Ky died a few years after Qui-Gon did, and Ventress was a mess, after." Obi-Wan shrugs and scratches that connection into the little sketch of a family tree as well. "Grandfather offered her a job until she got herself back together, and then she just kind of... stuck around."

"Youngest aunt, more of a cousin." Cody summarizes. "Now we go back to your father?"

"Qui-Gon Jinn was a man of many skills," Obi-Wan says drily. "Adequate birth control was not one of them."

It's almost a pity that Cody wasn't drinking anything, because going by the way he chokes, Obi-Wan's pretty sure the spit take would have been spectacular.

"I'm sorry," Cody says. "Can you repeat that?"

"I was an accident," Obi-Wan says, not even bothering to hide his smile. "So was Anakin."

"So that sounds like... a story."

"It is," Obi-Wan confirms. "My biological mother has never been in the picture. They had a fling, she wasn't sure if she'd want to abort or give me up, just that she wasn't ready to be a parent, and Qui-Gon volunteered to take full custody so she could go back to her life after the birth. I've never met her, but I kept her family name. You can consider her irrelevant beyond that."

Cody nods.

"So, when I was about a year old, Qui-Gon reconnects with an old flame, they get married two years later. Step-mother number one is Tahl. Lovely woman, I absolutely adored her, and she had a daughter, my stepsister, Bant Eerin."

"I met her, right?" Cody asks.

"Yes, she was the doctor who patched up my bullet wound a few months ago," Obi-Wan says. "With the giant glasses that make her look a little fish-eyed."

"She was nice."

"She is," Obi-Wan agrees. "At any rate, that was our family for a while, and then Tahl died when I was fourteen. Bant wanted to go to a magnet school for medical studies, and Qui-Gon's grief was... not optimal for taking care of multiple teenagers, shall we say, so Bant moved in with her paternal uncle, Kit Fisto, and Kit's son Nahdar. He's a marine biologist, incredibly friendly, and has no idea of any of the rest of my side of the family's questionable activities. If you ever meet him, you will pretend that we are a legal firm with a team of security consultants."

Cody raises a brow. Obi-Wan despairs. "Best you could do?"

"We're not that likely to run into him." Obi-Wan draws out a new line. "So, Qui-Gon deals poorly with grief. This is also around the time that Xanatos came around to ruin our lives a little. He was a very rich and unpleasant man, but he's dead as of four hours ago, so you don't have to worry about him. Or his son."

"His son?"

"Anakin handled that," Obi-Wan says. "Thoroughly. Granta Omega is no longer an issue. He's not dead, but... well. Anakin has his ways. Er--I should probably mention Feemor; he was my father's assistant at the university for a long time. Anakin and I still call him our uncle."

"Also a person to avoid mentioning criminal activity to?" Cody prompts.

"Well... no, but only because I don't think he'd care. The man is, forgive me, more of a 'walking sweatervest' than I am. He's a very bland and unassuming man. He once described himself as the background character of the soap opera that is my family's existence."

"Sounds like a charmer."

"Oh, he's very kind and clever, and witty as well. I adore him, and he really is family. He's just also very, very normal. Not boring, but..." Obi-Wan trails off and shrugs helplessly. "He's an editor for an agricultural research journal. Also not someone I anticipate us running into."

"Noted."

"Right, so, Qui-Gon dealing poorly with his grief didn't involve much drinking, but there were a few months of him trying to... lose himself in the pleasures of the flesh?" Obi-Wan tries, and then deflates at the look on Cody's face. "He was slagging around. Shmi got pregnant with Anakin, who was born when I was sixteen. Shared custody at first, Qui-Gon got him weekends and every other holiday, that sort of thing, and then they got married because they actually did like each other well enough, and it was easier on the taxes."

"So Shmi is stepmother number two."

"Shmi is stepmother number two, yes." Obi-Wan sketches in Anakin and Shmi. "About nine and a half years after Anakin was born, Shmi and Qui-Gon were in a car accident with... well, it later turned out it wasn't an accident, there was a hitman called Maul involved, he's actually Ventress's second cousin or something, I don't know. Grandfather handled most of that problem. Qui-Gon died, Shmi was in intensive care, and I got custody of Anakin as his nearest adult relative. We weren't very close before that, because I was off at university by the time he was old enough to form memories, but that changed once he started living with me. I more or less raised him as a single parent from that point."

"This is why he jokes that you're like a father to him."

"Precisely," Obi-Wan says. "Shmi took about a year to recover enough to move again, and grandfather covered the costs. She still had to live with a dedicated carer and attend daily physical therapy. At that physical therapy, she met Cliegg Lars, whose son Owen was also a patient there. They hit it off, and three years later, they married. When Anakin refers to his stepfamily he's talking about the Lars out in Nevada."

"Nevada?"

"They have a farm. A very, very normal one. We don't drag them into our activities, unless we have an at-risk person who needs a safe house." Obi-Wan pauses, and then decides this really needs to be stressed. "This is important to me and Anakin, that we don't get them involved unless there's absolutely no other choice. Shmi's been through a lot, and the Lars are busy enough running the farm."

"Works for me," Cody says. "We've got enough safe houses that it shouldn't be an issue. I'm guessing this story doesn't end there, though."

Obi-Wan grimaces. "My own love life has been... a bit of a mess."

"I already know about Kryze, at least."

There's that. "I was temporarily engaged to a friend, Siri Tachi, shortly after high school. We were in a relationship, but this was mostly something done to appease a relative of hers that was getting overbearing to the point of absurdity, and she couldn't just cut them off. We broke off the engagement after the relative passed, and we're still friends."

He notes that down, then adds the other embarrassment of his early years. "First marriage was actually a drunken joke between myself and my best friend when we were in college. We got it annulled a few months later because we just didn't have time to drop by the courthouse before then, and he's actually engaged to Asajj now."

"Asajj?" Cody asks, watching in fascination as Obi-Wan tries to mark in both his own short marriage and the newer, long-term engagement without crossing any lines. He settles for just writing the name twice and including an asterisk with 'this is the same person.'

"Ventress," Obi-Wan clarifies. "Yeah, Quinlan's a fun guy. His little sister, Aayla, treats Anakin like a beloved younger cousin."

"Are they also off-limits for criminal activity?"

"No, Aayla's the one that taught Ahsoka how to vent-crawl," Obi-Wan says. "And I'm pretty sure Quinlan has contacts in every major government branch, criminal organization, and Fortune 500 company on the planet. I reach out to them regularly."

"Resources, then."

Obi-Wan nods. "Some time later, I married Satine. We had a son; you've met Korkie. We split due to incompatibility a year and change before Qui-Gon's death. Satine doesn't engage in criminal activity, but Bo-Katan is..."

"I've met Bo-Katan. I know what she's like, Obi. You don't have to explain."

"She works with Maul sometimes."

"...the man who killed your father?"

"Yes. It's all very stupid and convoluted." Obi-Wan still writes her in. "So, that's them. Korkie goes to boarding school, and I try not to involve him in anything. Anakin and Ahsoka like to teach him self-defense and the like, but Satine is adamant that he stay unaware of my less legal dealings until he's an adult."

Cody shrugs. "Makes sense. Is that every--wait, no, Skywalker's married."

Obi-Wan grins. "Yes, and Padme's got twins on the way."

"I was there when he told us," Cody says drily. "He was very loud about it. Okay, how does Ahsoka fit in?"

"Hold on, I forgot Beru," Obi-Wan mutters. "Owen's fiancee. Same rules as the Lars. Okay, you asked about Ahsoka. Right. So. Um."

He dithers. Cody waits for him, and then Obi-Wan just gives up. "Ahsoka, dear, would you like to explain how you joined the family, so to speak?"

Ahsoka looks up from whatever she and the boys are doing--there are multiple beer glasses and straws and duct tape involved, and Obi-Wan doesn't really want to know--and then flips off the table and over to Obi-Wan and Cody. She looks over the family tree chart, and then says, "Oooh, did you tell him about the cult?"

"You were in a cult?" Cody demands.

"No, Komari was. She was head priestess or something. I dunno, it's why she's in prison and stuff."

"I did not tell him about the cult," Obi-Wan mutters, already regretting this. "The Bando Gora aren't a problem anymore. I've already gotten to explaining how you and Anakin know each other."

Ahsoka rolls her eyes, steals his pen, and starts sketching in around Quinlan's name, over by Asajj since Obi-Wan's section is too crowded. "Okay, so, Quinlan's adopted. His dad is Tholme, and Tholme's dad is Plo Koon. Plo Koon is good friends with my Auntie, Shaak Ti, who raised me. They live next door to each other, out in the country, and I'd play in his yard a lot, because he had puppies, and he took me to visit his bees. Whenever Auntie needed a babysitter, she asked Quinlan or Aayla to do it since she knew and trusted them, and Aayla needed pocket money."

"This is so unnecessarily complicated," Cody mutters.

"It is!" Ahsoka chirps. Her grin is far too sharp. "So, this one time, Aayla was watching me when I was fourteen, and she was just helping me with my physics homework. BAM, the door slams open, and in stumbled Skyguy with his arm missing. I've never met him before, and my first introduction is him shortly after he's gotten an unplanned amputation."

Anakin, on the other side of the room, giggles. Obi-Wan just sighs. The Fett brothers appear to be in the land of 'horrified fascination.'

Ahsoka revels in it. "There's blood everywhere, I'm screaming, Aayla's panicking, Anakin's halfway to unconscious and insisting we can't call the hospital, and nobody can get Obi-Wan on the phone. Quinlan's in another country, and Auntie Shaak and Uncle Plo are at a movie, so they've both got their cellphones off. Tholme was faking his death at that point to get away from an incident with the Irish Mob, so we didn't even try him."

"What the actual fuck," Rex breathes.

Ahsoka continues with relish. "We get Bant to pick up, and she's there an hour later with Padme, because Padme knows how to drive the way Skyguy does, and the entire drive there is just Auntie Bant on speakerphone telling Aayla how to stop the bleeding and get him stabilized while Padme's screaming at traffic at the top of her lungs."

"I owe Aayla a fruit basket," Anakin muses aloud. "The anniversary of her saving my life is coming up, it's warranted."

"Five years, baby!" Ahsoka crows. She fist-pumps.

Obi-Wan just drops his head into his hands. "You're killing me, children."

Anakin shrugs, grinning. "You know, I think Fett Senior might have been involved in that fight."

"My shitty dad cut off your arm?" Rex demands.

"No, I think he was busy fighting the Interpol guy," Anakin says. "But he was definitely there. I think. Blood loss kinda got to me after a bit, but I'm pretty sure Jango Fett was there, and also Boba might've been hiding in the getaway car?"

"I need another glass," Cody mutters. He doesn't stand up, though.

"Wait," Rex says. "So who cut off your arm?"

Anakin shrugs with an unsure noise. "Someone tried to convince me it was Grandpa Yan, but he was in the middle of a court case in Italy for some kind of parole violation when it happened, so he had an alibi."

"...did he actually violate parole?" Cody asks, and Obi-Wan thinks he looks like he doesn't know if he actually wants an answer.

Ahsoka shrugs. So does Anakin. Obi-Wan carefully looks at a spot behind Cody, and doesn't explain anything about wine tastings used as covers for illicit arms deals.

"The arm?" Rex prompts, sounding a little desperate to get back to the question he likely thinks is the most important.

"I still say it was Skeevy Sheev," Ahsoka chimes in.

"It wasn't Palpatine," Anakin snaps.

"Your creepy older friend who took you to operas and gives you fancy gifts and knows way too much about swords who was conveniently there to talk to the police and cover for you so you didn't get arrested for getting in the middle of a gang war in the first place, yes," Ahsoka says, dropping into a chair and sighing dramatically. "The guy who definitely hasn't been trying to convince you for a year and change that your wife is cheating on you with your older brother."

"Ahsoka!"

"What? He is."

"Anakin," Rex says, "your life sounds like a trainwreck."

"I'm not going to assume a frail, elderly man cut my arm off!" Anakin protests. "Even if he wanted to, he doesn't exactly have the muscle for it!"

"Grandfather's older," Obi-Wan points out, even though he knows it won't help. "And he definitely still could."

"Ha!" Ahsoka shouts.

"He could have hired someone?" Cody suggests. "Doesn't need to do it himself, if he has enough money."

Obi-Wan has a sneaking suspicion that Cody is deliberately stirring the pot as revenge for Anakin sending him eighty-seven cat memes inside an hour during last night's dinner.

"You all suck," Anakin declares. "Also, what the hell do you mean 'knows way too much about swords,' Ahsoka? You know way too much about swords!"

"Yeah, but I'm like ninety-percent sure that his antiques are Prussian and mid-century German military officer dress uniform relics, and pairing that with the Nazi pistols he's got on display--"

"He's just a history buff! And his family's German, of course he prioritizes that region, it's not like he doesn't have Russian or French or English antiques in there too, it's all sides of the war and--"

"I'm just saying he's almost definitely sending me sketchy glances like he thinks I'm planning to steal the silver on the three occasions you've had me with you when you stop by, and I'm pretty sure it's got less to do with my criminal record and more to do with me being, you know, not white."

Anakin looks ready to blow, so Obi-Wan interrupts. "Ahsoka, you were explaining how Anakin passing out on Aayla and scaring us all half to death led to your friendship?"

Ahsoka blinks at him, and then sticks her tongue out at Anakin and turns back to the chart. "So basically, Skyguy had to recuperate in Uncle Plo's living room for a week or two, and I kept showing up to bother him because he was bored and nobody would give him a laptop for 'security reasons,' because he had to lay low and stuff. He made me help him sketch out designs for a prosthesis and do all the writing for the math he had to do for the 3D printer, and we got to chatting."

Ahsoka hops up and back onto a table, legs swinging below her. "I decided he was cool and started following him around while he was getting used to only having one hand, mostly because I was bored. He showed me how to hotwire a car, and explained the best places to put a bug if you were looking to make it sneaky, and he picked my pocket to show off so many times when he was walking around Uncle Plo's house that I made him teach me that, too. And, uh, then Aayla found out and they got into a shouting match about it and decided they both needed to teach me parkour so I could get out of any mess I got myself into, since I was obviously going to follow them into a life of crime."

"And you did," Anakin says, far too proudly. "You're the best thief in this half of the country."

"Only because Aayla moved out east."

Anakin rolls his eyes and pulls Ahsoka into his side, digging his knuckles into her skull. "Best thief! You are the best thief! Be proud of yourself!"

"Let go!"

"Never!"

Obi-Wan sighed heavily and rubbed at his forehead. "Children, please."

"You're not my dad," Ahsoka growls out at him. "Skyguy, I'm going to bite you!"

"Good luck, the only arm you can access is the one that's going to break your teeth."

Ahsoka shrieks in outrage and stomps on Anakin's instep.

It's almost funny, for all that Obi-Wan's seen it play out a million times before, but the really interesting part is seeing Rex's look of fond dismay.

Obi-Wan thinks he might be adding a branch out to the Fetts soon. He's not actually sure if Rex is interested in Anakin or Ahsoka, and he's smack dab between them in age, so that's not a help either, but... well. The expression is familiar enough.

"Please tell me you don't match-make," Cody mutters to him.

"No, I plan to let the pieces fall where they will," Obi-Wan responds, just as low, and far more amused. "I'm simply trying to predict where those landings are to be."

Cody looks at him, and then back at the roughhousing trio, and sighs heavily. "You know, I really didn't think that you technically being minor royalty was going to be the least convoluted thing in your story, Obi-Wan."

He laughs, because it's true. "I'm first in line to inherit the title, since Rael denounced his claim. Nim isn't interested, and Qui-Gon's dead, so... I'm next."

Cody makes a face. "Delightful. I'm guessing that's not a connection we can safely make use of."

"No more than the Kryze or Naberries, I'm afraid." Obi-Wan claps him on the shoulder. "Chin up, I've plenty others in the metaphorical rolodex, all far less legitimate and far more amenable to work with our little outfit."

"Rolodex, really?" Cody snorts. "You're not that old."

Obi-Wan smiles winningly. "You don't know how old I am, Cody. All my IDs are fake."

"Anakin's twenty-four, and you're sixteen years older than him, going by the story you just told me," Cody points out. "I do know how to do basic math, Obi-Wan."

"I had to try," Obi-Wan admits. "I threw a lot of information at you all at once; I'd hoped you missed some of the ages in there."

"I have eight brothers," Cody scoffs. "And literally dozens of cousins, plus niblings, uncles, aunts, and so on. I have experience on this."

"If I asked you to list of the age of every single relative you have, you'd be able to do it?"

"Do you want me to draw a chart? I can draw a chart."

Obi-Wan can't help but laugh. "I'd be delighted, my dear."

Cody rolls his eyes, but Obi-Wan thinks--it's hard to tell in the dimmed lights of the closed bar--that there's a hint of a blush on the man's face. Obi-Wan lets himself slouch to the side, drops his head to rest on one fist, indolent debauchery in every line of his body. Cody does his best to ignore him, but Obi-Wan knows how to smile lazily and blink slowly and draw a man in.

(The whole 'indolent debauchery in every line of his body' phrasing is Anakin's, from back when he was a teenager trying to read highbrow literature to impress a cute girl... and to come up with new insults for his older brother.)

"So," Cody says, with a cough meant to somehow distract Obi-Wan from whatever's showing on the man's face. "Why, uh, why is your grandfather on terrorist watchlists?"

"Well, he didn't initially do anything," Obi-Wan says. "He was just a gay man who didn't hide it quite well enough, and had too much money and too white a face for someone to just call the cops on a faulty report. The Red Scare was technically over by that point, I think, but if a few people made suggestions that he was more loyal to the country that gave him a noble title than to the United States... he received a few warnings, of course, and it could have all blown over..."

"But?"

"But my grandfather is not a man to do things by halves, and instead decided that if the government was to list him as a threat, then he would oblige and make himself a threat," Obi-Wan finishes. "Living up to their labels, rolling with the assumptions, whatever you'd like to call it. It all irked him, and so he made some incredibly questionable decisions to make the government's lives harder. Some weren't bad, like donating to anti-war foundations that were protesting the Gulf War and the interventions in Yugoslavia, that sort of thing, and some were... nobody really looks well on gunrunning, you know."

"For fuck's sake..."

"Indeed," Obi-Wan chuckles. "Ironically, he has minimal opinion on the optimal form of economics, for all that virulent xenophobia and the remnants of anti-communism were involved in the whole mess. He just wanted to create problems for the people that were causing him problems."

Cody shakes his head. "I want to judge that, but you've met my father."

"Jango Fett is, indeed, also not a man to do things by halves," Obi-Wan agrees, attempting to nod gravely but breaking into a smile at the end. "That man is absurd."

"At least he's not dragging Boba into it anymore," Cody mutters. He drags over the fresh sheet of paper and pen that Obi-Wan offers him. "Okay, right, let's start with Jaster..."

[lmaowhateven]

i would really appreciate some xiaoyu and chaeya headcanons if you don't mind sharing, cuz your art got me on the chaeya boat and now you gotta feed me. (but like only if you want cuz ur busy and have a life but i love ur art and ur opinions matter and just wanna let you know you valid and ur so talented and only 21?? like 0_o

OMG this ask is so sweet i have been marinating on it for a while because while i DO have headcanons........ i had to think abt the best ones to share 😳 i put way too much thought into this lol

CHAEYA

-my favorite possible dynamic for them is that they are both trying to convince themselves that what they have going on is JUST casual because if either of them really admitted how strongly they felt for each other their entire world would ACTUALLY explode.

-i REALLY want them to meet at a tavern or out exploring by happenstance a good couple of times before being introduced professionally. kaeya absolutely knew he was talking to a harbinger. childe was utterly enamored by a mysterious stranger. UNTIL BOOM HE MEETS HIM IN A MEETING WITH THE KNIGHTS OF FAVONIOUS?!!?

-i need them to be messy and angsty and absolutely toxic with each other but eventually they become husbands and have a weird little family dynamic with klee and teucer 🥰 they need to work through shit together like its gotta be a mess before it can like become something great. but it'll become something great.

-whenever im playing genshin and in a chaeya mood i put on a kaeya/childe/jean/diluc team because i think it would be possibly the most awkward adventuring team in the world. kaeya's boss and kaeya's brother hanging out with the crazy dude he's boning? absolutely hilarious.

-oh my god i need them to have the most romantic love letters man. i need them to have beautiful letters filled with longing and vulnerability and so SO SO MUCH love, but when they finally meet again it's a little awkward and they have a hard time communicating. it's easier in writing!

-speaking of awkward. at first they are very flirty and lovey but none of it is genuine feelings just attraction. when they REALLY start liking each other oh my god they have to be so awkward about it. no eye contact. barely make normal conversation. they are like awkward teenagers oh my GOD I AM SHAKING YOU BY THE SHOULDERS DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMIC I NEED FOR THEM. CASUAL > AWKARD > TERRIBLE ANGST AND TRAGEDY > REBIRTH AS SOUL MATES

XIAOYU

-xiaoyu for me is all about shared healing, patience, and finally finding someone to connect with. oh my god BOTH of these guys have been through SO, SO MUCH and i just think both of them could gain a sense of real, genuine love from one another.

-both of these guys have been conditioned to feel isolated from the world. ganyu feels so different from everyone around her, never truly connecting with the adepti or with the humans. even in the bustling streets of liyue she's alone. xiao has lost everyone he's ever cared for, and since then he's never allowed himself to get close to anyone. he feels undeserving of another person's affections. he feels as though he's the only one of carrying such burdens. i think the two of them could really resonate with each other, and maybe find some solace knowing they aren't truly alone.

-i really like the idea of ganyu being xiao's first real crush. he doesn't really understand those feelings and not only does it embarrass him it's confusing and FRUSTRATING at the same time. ganyu on the other hand has absolutely been crushing on xiao for a loooong time now, but she hasn't processed that completely, instead believing that she just really wants to befriend him. she thinks about him all the time because she just cares THAT much is all!!!

- they are PINING. they are the slowest of slow burns. they are agonizingly slow. like they will get together in maybe 50-200 years or so. not even kidding.

-i love the idea of xiao checking on ganyu when she's not looking. he's always a little worried for her. sometimes she'll fall asleep in weird places, or travel somewhere far, and xiao just wants to make sure she's home safe. its creepy but he seriously lacks social etiquette and he loves her!

-ganyu isn't a naturally very physically affectionate person since she's so timid, but with xiao she makes sure to be a little more open with her outward affection. a lot of the time she's comforting xiao with a hand on the shoulder or a sweet and quick hand squeeze. she wants him to know she doesn't think he's a monster, and that she feels safe around him. he could probably never verbalize this out loud, but those little touches mean A LOT TO HIM.

-ganyu visits wangshu inn often and brings little care packages for xiao. he's no the best at self care so she does what she can to help! even though she's so busy with work she's been trying to take weekends off every once in a while and stay at the inn with xiao. y'know to make sure he's taking proper care of himself and all 👀

[littlemissagrafina]

Daisies

@comfortember Day 5. Alt Prompt Flowers

Summary: Peter turned his attention to the younger girl.

"Hey! Maya, right?" She nodded and Peter held up a gloved hand for a fistbump. "Can you tell me your sister's name?"

"Ainsley."

"Nice! I'm Spider-Man, you can call me Spidey with a B."

"There's a B?" Maya sniffed and started giggling when Peter ducked, looking around dramatically.

"WHERE!?" He gasped, holding a hand to his heart.

Read on AO3

With his mask rolled up to just above his nose, Peter sat on the edge of an apartment building while he finished off the last of his hotdog. Rolling his mask back down, he sat and enjoyed the quiet (or, well, as quiet as a summer afternoon could get in the middle of Queens), Karen scanning for any trouble in the background.

After a while, he hopped up, bouncing on his toes as he debated which areas he wanted to patrol before heading home for dinner with May. Just as he made up his mind to swing around near Delmar's, a small cry grabbed his attention.

Changing direction, he swung down to it, asking Karen to do another scan of the area just as he landed on the pavement. Before he could ask if Karen had picked anything up, he heard another cry, softer and more tear filled this time, as well as another voice mumbling reassurances.

Jogging around the corner at the top of the street, Peter almost ran into a bike laying haphazardly on the ground. A little girl sat on the ground a foot or two away from it, a teenager, her sister Peter guessed based on their strikingly similar features, knelt next to her.

They both looked up at Peter when he rounded the corner, and Peter waved and smiled even though it couldn't be seen through the mask. "You guys alright?"

The older girl shook her head, her expression twisted in worry. "Not really. Maya fell off her bike and she scraped her leg up pretty badly. I don't know what to do and my phone is dead so I can't call our parents."

Peter knelt next to her, hovering slightly as he spoke. "Okay, it's all good. I know some first aid so I can take a look at it. In the meantime, if you tell me the number, you can give them a call from my AI?"

The girl nodded gratefully and rattled off the number, and Karen automatically deployed a mini speaker thay Peter handed to so that she could speak directly to them. Once the call was connected, Peter turned his attention to the younger girl.

"Hey! Maya, right?" She nodded and Peter held up a gloved hand for a fistbump. "Can you tell me your sister's name?"

"Ainsley."

"Nice! I'm Spider-Man, you can call me Spidey with a B."

"There's a B?" Maya sniffed and started giggling when Peter ducked, looking around dramatically.

"WHERE!?" He gasped, holding a hand to his heart before he chuckled a bit too. "Sorry, I was just messing around. But you laughed so that's good! That means you didn't break your funny bone. Or wait, if you didn't laugh, would it mean my funny bone was broken?"

Maya giggled even more at his rambling.

"Eh." Peter waved it off. "Doesn't matter. What matters is that we take a look at that leg of yours." He hovered his hand above her shin. "I'm gonna try and not make anything hurt more than it is now, but if it's okay, I'll need to clean it up a bit to see what we're dealing with here."

The young girl nodded hesitantly.

Switching out his regular webshooter cartridge for the wound cleaner, Peter paused when he heard Ainsley's call end. He took the speaker back and pressed it against the nanotech patch it came from and let it blend back in.

He told Ainsley the plan, waiting for her go-ahead before he carefully started cleaning up the dirt, dust, and blood from around the edge of Maya's scraped leg. Apart from a few hisses where Peter paused to check that she was okay, they got the wound cleaned quickly and he was able to get a good look at it.

It was a bit of a bad one, as far as scrapes go, Peter it wasn't deep enough to need stitches and to be flushed of any dirt or equally fun things. He switched the cartridge again, selecting his web bandage formula this time.

"Can you lend me a hand?" Peter asked Ainsley, who nodded and asked what he needed her to do.

He had her hold out her hand and sprayed a line of the bandage solution across her palm and asked her to hold her hand closed around it while he carried on spraying and stretched the bandage out. Once it was long enough, he unstuck the end from her palm and carefully wrapped it over Maya's leg.

Once it was secured, Peter sat back. "There!" He clapped his hands together. "All set. Now, are your parents going to come pick you up?" He tilted his head towards Ainsley and she nodded.

"Yeah, they'll be here in a few minutes."

"Awesome. I'll wait with you guys until they get here." He said, and moved to grab Maya's bike and moved it to lean against the building.

They chatted while they waited, Peter telling them a few funny stories from his patrols. Once their parents arrived and had checked their children over, they immediately turned and thanked Peter much to his embarrassment.

"It was really no problem, I just want to help around where I can." He grinned, shifting awkwardly under their praise. He was saved by Maya tapping his arm.

Peter looked down at the younger girl. "Hey, you okay? How's the leg doing?"

"It hurts, but it already feels better. Thank you." She held her hand out to him, a few daisies presented proudly to him. "You help lots of people, so thank you." She smiled at him, and Peter was momentarily floored.

He knew that he'd made a difference to some people and that a lot of the city liked him, but moments like this were still rare.

He took the flowers, holding them carefully so as not to crush them. "Can I give you a hug?"

Maya nodded, and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders when he crouched to hug her.

A few seconds later, they pulled apart and she moved back to her family, waving goodbye to him.

"I hope your leg feels better soon Maya. Be safe, guys!" He called to them before shooting a web, and slinging himself up and away.

The small bunch of daisies, attached carefully to the side of his suit.

"Incoming call from Mr Stark. Shall I pick up, Peter?" Karen asked him, as he let go of his web and shot another.

"Accept the call, K."

"Hey Kid. You want me to put a small vase on your desk?"

Peter let go of his web at the top of its arch, and dropped down to stop on a nearby roof.

"Huh?" He asked confusedly.

Tony repeated what he'd said. "A vase. You know, for your daisies?"

Peter blinked. "Uhh, sure. But how'd you know about that? Have you been stalking the Baby Monitor stuff again?" Peter whined. "Mr Stark, you know I hate it when you do that!"

"Nope. Someone filmed you and Maya from a window nearby. Just the part where she gave you the flowers and said thank you, and she isn't visible so don't worry about anyone knowing who she is without consent. I already checked for that. But the video is already going viral."

"You should be proud, Kiddo. You do some pretty amazing stuff in this city."

Peter smiled softly. He still didn't know how to handle the praise, didn't think he ever would, but he loved his city.

"I am, Mr Stark. And yeah, you can put a vase out for me. I'll drop them off and grab a snack before I head home."

"No problem, Pete. See you later, Kid"

The call ended and Peter took a running leap off the building.

He had flowers to drop off.