#i promise more normal dc stuff soon

[batz-less]

more batwheels joker doodles ft prank 💜💚

[oliverreedmasterass]

Synopsis: Greta Van Fleet stumble across a demonic possession and, of course, end up making things like 20x worse

Words: 5.2k

Warnings: I mean, this is based on the Exorcist, so demons and v*mit and really, really coarse language

Notes: This one goes out to @jmkho for her birthday!!! I hope you're having a great day, hun!

The members of Greta Van Fleet were in Washington DC for a few days before their Starcatcher concert at the Capital One Arena. Since they had some time to kill, they were given the green light to explore around the area, take in the sights, and, most importantly, stay out of trouble. That last point was drilled into their heads by their manager but, with wide smiles, they assured him that they were going to spend time checking out the Smithsonian, seeing all the monuments, and, of course, finding a good brewery to relax at. And they stuck to their promise. Well, at least for the first two hours of their day off. 

Sam was adamant that they go to the Air and Space museum since Jake got to do his not-so-innocent photoshoot with the Washington Monument. Josh promised Sam they would go soon, but first he wanted to check out their AirBnB. 

“Josh,” Danny stared at his bandmate. “Why the hell did you book an AirBnB? We’re already staying at a hotel.” 

“It was a dream of mine to attend Georgetown,” Josh eagerly explained. 

“It literally wasn’t,” Jake retorted. Josh shushed him. 

“I wanted to get a place for us to enjoy, living the life I never got to have. It’s a nice and quaint spot on the edge of campus, surrounded by students and professors. It’s gonna be great, trust me.” 

“It’s a waste of money, is what it is,” Danny huffed, but that was the extent of the fuss he would make over what Josh chose to do with his income. 

“I’m setting a timer on my phone,” Sam announced. “If this takes us more than an hour, you owe me something from the Air and Space museum gift shop.” 

“Fine,” Josh shrugged. He knew Sam would want one of the NASA space shuttle models, which was like $30 tops. Hell, he’d get Sam some space food too if the kid really wanted it. 

They weren’t too far away from the place, so they quickly made their way out of the touristy area to the Georgetown campus, which was overrun with people around their age, hustling to class with their oversized backpacks and tall travel mugs of coffee. 

Josh stopped them in front of a two story brick house with white trim that extended impressively high. Jake took in the sight and let out a whistle. 

“The big bad wolf isn’t bringing this house down, that’s for sure.” 

“It’s a brick…house,” Danny jokingly sang. 

Josh rolled his eyes and led the way up to the front porch. 

“I read on the website that this house has been haunted in the past. I figured we could hang around ghosts again to get some good songwriting sessions in.” 

“That’s why you got this place?” Jake frowned. He was kind of fed up with ghosts after they had messed with his equipment at their previous cabin outing. 

“We literally just released a new album, Josh,” Sam pitched his voice up into an annoying whine that only younger siblings can perfect. “Can’t we just enjoy some time off doing normal tourist stuff like, I don’t know, going to the Air and Space museum?” 

“I’m a little bit worried about spending so much time in these haunted places,” Danny chipped in his two cents. “I feel like one of these days it’s not gonna end well for us.” 

“And see?” Josh had his arms crossed. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you guys why I rented this place. I knew you were all gonna be party poopers over it.” Jake opened his mouth to protest, but Josh continued to talk. “I’m doing this for us to grow as a band, to really expand our horizons. Sure, we already have a double album nearly done, but what are we gonna do after that? You said it yourself, Jake, we need to be at the top.” 

“You’re taking that quote out of context,” Jake frowned. “I told you that at the movie theater. I wanted to be in the back row to see Barbie.” 

“Just accept that I’m right,” Josh looked at his band members. He turned to face the front door and his face brightened in excitement. “See?” he whirled back around to face them, jutting a thumb over his shoulder. “The door is wide open. The ghosts are welcoming us in. I feel really good about this.” 

“Why in the everloving hell would you feel good about that?” Sam sputtered out. “Oh, he’s already inside,” Sam grumbled, watching as Josh jumped inside the house. “How are we related to that guy?” Sam turned back to ask. 

“Don’t look at me,” Danny held up his hands. 

“We have to go in after him, don’t we?” Jake checked in, standing on his toes to try and peek inside the house. For what it was worth, it did look relatively normal inside. Sam checked the timer on his phone and tsked. 

“Only seven minutes away from me getting my Air and Space on.” 

“I’m literally gonna whoop your ass the next time you bring up the Air and Space museum,” Jake grumbled under his breath. Danny put his hands on the backs of Sam and Jake and gave them a guiding push in through the open door. 

“Let’s grab Josh and get the hell out of here,” he instructed. 

They quickly found Josh standing at the foot of the staircase in the main landing. His hands were on his hips and he beamed at the space around him while Danny, Sam, and Jake scrunched their noses. The place looked tacky as hell, like it hadn’t been updated since the 1970s. Everything had a mustard-colored theme to it. 

“Isn’t this place great?” Josh greeted them, wiggling his eyebrows to encourage them to shower him in praise. Sam opened his mouth to tell Josh that he was six minutes away from owing him something from the gift shop when a low, guttural moan sounded from upstairs. “The ghosts are here!” Josh clapped in glee. Jake, Sam, and Danny were all pale. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Jake said, tugging on Josh’s arm, trying with all his might to communicate to his twin telepathically that he had nearly pissed himself. 

“Please, Josh,” Danny tried, “I don’t think the ghosts here are nice.” 

“YOUR MOTHER SUCKS COCK IN HELL,” a muffled demonic voice hollered above them. The four men looked around at each other, their faces white. A few beats of silence hung in the air and then they broke down into fits of laughter. 

“Maybe I do want to stick around,” Sam gasped for air, wiping tears from his eyes. 

“I could take some notes from this guy on profanity,” Jake agreed, nodding emphatically. Even Danny seemed to be growing more fond of the idea of sticking around. 

“The timing of that was perfect,” he marveled. 

Josh was radiating with delight. He knew his bandmates would warm up to his exceptional idea. He could feel a really productive writing session coming on - it was practically inevitable. 

“What do you say we go upstairs and meet this goofy ghost then, huh?” he asked around. Everyone was on board, so they booked it up the grand stairwell. Sam pushed ahead of Josh to be the first to the top, and skidded to a halt so his band members ran into his back. 

“If I had to guess,” Sam started, grasping onto the wall to keep upright, “I would say the ghost is in there.” 

He pointed at the door in front of them, which was rattling and knocking around with smoke pouring from the bottom. They all stared at the supernatural sight and then shrugged. The ghost at the cabin where they wrote Anthem of the Peaceful Army enjoyed chucking Jake’s guitars around - they had seen a lot worse. 

“I read a book about interacting with ghosts recently,” Josh shared with his band. “It’s vital to state your name and intent. Open communication is the key to building an amicable relationship with a spirit.” 

He put his hand on the doorknob and started to turn it. 

“Oh wow,” he stopped for a moment to comment. “This is cold as hell.” 

Without giving it even a second of thought, Jake leaned forward and licked the doorknob. 

“Now why the fuck did you do that?” Danny scolded him. 

“A fu,” Jake called out. “Mah tun ih uck.” 

It was awkward as anything, but Josh managed to turn the doorknob while Jake’s tongue was still attached to it. Jake led the way into the room, waddling in on his knees, and they were greeted by two priests and a ghastly looking young girl. Her face looked like she had shoved it in a blender. 

“Oh,” Josh broke the stunned silence. “I didn’t realize this was a hostel. I thought this was a private booking.” 

“Hi, I’m Sam,” Sam lifted a casual hand, remembering Josh’s advice. “I am here to say hi to a goofy ghost.” 

“I am Pazuzu, king of the demons of the wind and son of the mighty and powerful god, Hanbi. I will fuck your shit up,” the young girl boomed in a startlingly deep voice.  

“I on’t ike is, guys,” Jake sputtered out from his spot glued to the door. The demon studied Jake and let a sly grin curl across the girl’s lips. 

“Well look at this fucking idiot,” the demon howled with laughter. 

“I m’naw uhn idiot,” Jake attempted to protest. 

“You need to get out of here,” the younger priest looked at the men in worry. “It isn’t safe for you.” 

“No shit, Sherlock,” Sam stated. “Your demon is levitating.” 

They spun around to find the girl lifting from her covers and shakily ascending towards the ceiling. While this was happening, Danny sprung to action and grabbed Jake’s torso, desperately pulling at him to detach his tongue from the door knob. Jake hollered out in pain. 

“I ‘an ‘eel eye aste uds eeling off!” 

“Jake, shut up,” Danny grunted out. He looked up for a second and cursed to himself when he saw the demon staring at them in interest. Whatever was going to happen next, he knew it was going to be bad. Danny was totally right. The demon came limply hurtling across the room and knocked into him and Jake, causing the three to tumble out the room and down the staircase. 

“I’M FREEEEEEEE!” Jake called as he tossed and tumbled down the carpeted staircase, even doing a flip midair about halfway down. Danny landed first with a soft “ow,” and Jake and the demon conveniently landed on top of him. “Thanks for breaking my fall, bud,” Jake patted him on the head. 

“Please get off of me,” Danny wheezed. Jake hurried to his feet and then clutched at his head. 

“Agh,” he groaned out. 

“Are you guys okay?” Sam called from the top of the staircase. He wanted to make sure it was an emergency first if he had to exert himself and go down the stairs. 

“My head hurts like a bitch,” Jake complained. 

“You must have gotten a concussion,” Danny tried to be the voice of reason. As he was falling down the stairs, he had caught Jake’s head knocking around like a crash test dummy a few times. It would be a miracle if the guy remembered his own name. Danny gazed to his left and then jumped with a scream when he realized that the demon was standing with them, as if they were just hanging out. 

“That was fun, let’s do it again,” the demon conversed in its deep voice. 

“We need to get her back upstairs to her bed!” one of the priests called down to them. Like Sam, he was in no rush to make the trek down to the first floor before he had to. 

“What are we supposed to do about that?” Danny yelled back up. He was getting really fed up with the situation Josh had put them in. Where had that fucker gone anyways? 

A loud crash came from the girl’s bedroom, and Sam and the priests ran back to address it. The demon started to sprint upstairs as well, and Danny instinctually ran after it, leaving Jake standing on his own in a daze. 

When Danny made it back to the bedroom, he gaped at the scene in front of him. Like the demon had done minutes earlier, Josh was now levitating in the middle of the room, his eyes gently shut and his arms spread out in the Jesus position. 

“Oh gosh!” the older priest exclaimed. “Pazuzu got him too!” 

Josh opened one of his eyes and peeked down at his audience, who were all gawking at him. He flashed his pearly whites and gave a small wave with a chuckle, causing the older priest to faint. 

“Turns out if I meditate hard enough, I can levitate too!” Josh caught everyone up to speed. “I think I might have reached nirvana.” 

“What the fuck?” Danny and Pazuzu both murmured. Then, they turned to each other. 

“He’s not a demon?” Pazuzu checked with Danny. 

“Not that I’m aware of,” Danny responded. “Though it wouldn’t surprise me,” he added as an afterthought. “You’re not doing this?” 

“What would I get out of doing this?” Pazuzu arched an eyebrow. 

“Yah!” The younger priest called out as he snuck up behind Pazuzu and threw some holy water.  The demon arched its back and let out a rumbling howl, causing Josh to snap out of his nirvana and drop back down to the bed with a hard thump. Danny and Sam groaned in disgust as the demon unleashed a cannon of vomit onto the priest, staining his entire front green. The priest looked down, choked on a sob of horror, and tore for the window, where he proceeded to fall down an impressive flight of stairs. Josh sat up from his spot on the bed and grimaced. 

“Do you think he’s okay?” 

Sam gave Josh a blank stare. 

“What do you think, genius?” 

“Yes?” Josh sounded hopeful. 

Suddenly, Jake stomped into the room. 

“WHICH ONE O’ YE FUCKERS PUSHED ME OLD ASS DOWN THEM STAIRS?” he bellowed. Everyone did a double take. 

“Is that Oliver Reed?” Sam whispered to Danny in confusion. Danny pursed his lips and nodded his head. Oliver Reed always knew to come out at the worst time possible. 

“I don’t believe it,” Pazuzu breathed out. “The spirit of Oliver Reed possessed that fleshly form? This house ain’t big enough for two demons.” 

“Kiss me ass, yew fuckface!” Oliver Reed snarled at the demon. 

For some reason, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly theme started to play, and Oliver Reed and Pazuzu got into dueling position, curling their hands and staring each other down. Danny, Sam, and Josh stood in a line off to the side, watching in horror. Oliver Reed was a terror to behold, but it was iffy if he could really stand a chance against a demon as powerful as Pazuzu. 

“Fuck yourself with a knife, you pathetic virgin,” Pazuzu got the first blow in. 

“Virgin? VIRGIN? HA! I fucked yer mom and yer dad last night,” Oliver Reed cackled. “I put my cigar out on yer dad’s forehead and he loved it.” 

That seemed to slow Pazuzu down, but after they collected themself, they took a step closer to Oliver Reed. 

“You prideful bastard, you son of a whore, your cock is the size of a maggot.” 

“My lovers tell me they eat fresh because, like Subway, me cock’s a footlong,” Oliver Reed retorted. That one earned a snort from Danny, but Pazuzu and Oliver Reed were too in the zone to notice. 

“I’ll shove my foot up your ass to hear you squeal like a pig,” Pazuzu countered. 

“That’s what I told yer mom last night,” Oliver Reed lowered his sunglasses to give Pazuzu an icy stare. 

“I think Oliver Reed is winning,” Josh whispered to Danny and Sam. They both absently nodded. 

“My mother is dead,” Pazuzu sounded more defensive than heated. 

“I don’t discriminate,” Oliver Reed shrugged. 

“Jesus Christ,” Pazuzu breathed out in horror, and then clutched their chest in pain from uttering the holy name. Oliver Reed barked out in laughter and grabbed a bottle of beer from out of nowhere. Pazuzu watched as Oliver Reed removed the bottle cap with his teeth and then spit it out the window. Off in the distance, the younger priest called out in pain from the bottom of the staircase, where a bottle cap had mysteriously appeared and hit him square in the forehead. 

“Yew want to keep going? I could do this all day,” Oliver Reed asked Pazuzu. While Pazuzu considered the offer, Oliver Reed proceeded to down his entire 40oz beer. 

“Chug! Chug! Chug!” Sam, Danny, and Josh chanted in the background, out of habit. 

“The pen is mightier than the sword, I’ll give you that,” Pazuzu replied. 

“I thought it was ‘the penis mightier than the sword,’” Oliver Reed sounded confused. “Doesn’t ‘at make more sense?” 

“What I’m trying to say is we had our fun talking,” Pazuzu ignored Oliver Reed. “But I need to get back to business.” 

Oliver Reed hollered in shock when an invisible force sent him flying across the room, hitting the wall and dropping to the floor. Pazuzu curled their blue and scabby hands into tight fists and hovered over to Oliver Reed, who was gathering himself 

“Yew asshat,” Oliver Reed fumed at the demon. “Yew made me drop me beer.” 

“The bottle was empty,” Pazuzu sounded confused. 

“It’s the principle, mate! The principle!” Oliver Reed protested. With a rage-filled cry, Oliver Reed lurched forward and tackled Pazuzu to the ground, pinning them to the floor with a tremendous amount of strength. From the floor, Pazuzu’s head started to turn in a complete 360, which made Oliver Reed scream out, “BLEGH! OWL DEMON! I HATE BIRDS!” and gave Pazuzu the opportunity to break free from his grasp. Oliver Reed attempted to regain control of the situation and pin Pazuzu back down, but they were already back to their feet, sending the bed frame at Oliver Reed with their mind. Oliver Reed drunkenly stumbled out of the way, just barely missing being squashed by the wooden structure, and hurled his empty bottle at Pazuzu, hitting them square in the forehead. In retaliation, Pazuzu sent a dresser in Oliver Reed’s direction, forcing him up against the wall. 

Across the room, chimes started to ring from Sam’s phone. 

“Would you look at that?” Sam said over the commotion. “The hour is up. Josh, you owe me something from the gift shop. Can we go now?”

“Sam, I think Jake is in the middle of something right now,” Danny spoke up. “Oh,”  Danny said in surprise. “He’s already gone.” 

Sam made his way down the stairs and let himself out the opened front door, walking with a pep in his step in the direction of the Air and Space museum. He was going to learn about the Wright Brothers and NASA and go inside a real cockpit. And then Josh was going to buy him a model space shuttle from the gift shop. It was going to be absolutely awesome. 

Back in the bedroom, Oliver Reed was threatening Pazuzu with a sword that he had managed to find somewhere. Danny and Josh cowered in fear, hiding behind a rocking chair as Oliver Reed swung the sword around his head like a helicopter blade, tearing and slashing through the air while hollering at Pazuzu that he was going to “shove this pointy thing where the sun don’t shine.” 

“We have to do something before Jake accidentally shanks himself,” Danny whispered to Josh. Josh nodded. Jake’s wrists were too flimsy to be handling that sword in the way he was. 

“We need to do an exorcism,” he told Danny under his breath. “On both of them.” 

“I don’t know how to do an exorcism, Josh,” Danny replied in a panic. 

“You just throw water at them and yell stuff in latin,” Josh said, like it was nothing. He grabbed a bottle of holy water left discarded on the floor in front of them and tucked it into Danny’s trembling hands. “Go and get ‘em, tiger.” 

“I don’t want to,” Danny’s voice cracked, but Josh pushed him out in front of Oliver Reed and Pazuzu. Oliver Reed stopped swinging his sword around and Pazuzu, likewise, turned to face Danny. Danny looked white as a sheet and he made a few choking noises, but then snapped into action. “CARPE DIEM!” Danny’s voice rose. Pazuzu and Oliver Reed exchanged a confused glance. “E PLURIBUS UNUM!” Danny continued as he forced the lid off the bottle of holy water and tossed it in the demons’ direction, missing them both entirely. 

“What the fuck is happening?” Pazuzu asked the room. 

“Hell if I should know,” Oliver Reed shrugged. 

“ET CETERA!” Danny tried again. 

From behind the rocking chair, Josh’s face lit up. 

“Oh wait,” he said to himself. “I do know how to do an exorcism. I made a movie about it in high school.” 

With a newfound confidence, Josh sprung to his feet, hurried to Danny’s side, and grabbed the bottle of holy water from him. 

“I’ll take it from here,” Josh assured Danny. 

“I fucking hate you, you know that?” Danny hissed back. 

Josh squared up to face the demons and cleared his throat. “My name is Josh Kiszka and I am here to send your asses back downstairs.” 

“Like your UPS delivery lookin 'ass could do that,” Pazuzu chirped. 

“Oh, you got roasted,” Jake broke free from Oliver Reed’s control for a second to cackle. 

Josh got into an exorcist stance and began to chant lines of latin that obviously had an effect on Pazuzu and Oliver Reed. 

“What the fuck?” Danny called out in shock. Josh being fluent in latin was definitely not on his bingo card. Then, he got angry. “Why the hell did you make me go out there first?” 

“Yew wanker!” Oliver Reed howled in pain as Josh continued the exorcism. “Aye don’t want to go back down there, Margaret Thatcher is mean to me!” 

Across town, Sam was at the Air and Space museum, but he was bummed out. It wasn’t the same without his bandmates. In fact, it was boring walking around and looking at the displays without Jake and Josh fighting in the background while Danny tried to break them up. Sam let out a sigh of defeat and headed for the front entrance. 

“I guess I’ll go back to the haunted house.” 

Back at the house, Pazuzu and Oliver Reed were both curled up on the floor, moaning and writhing as Josh recited his lines with a firm and powerful voice, the latin echoing around the room. Danny was standing beside Josh now, feeling safe enough to come out from his hiding spot, and watched as the two demons pleaded for Josh to stop.  

“I think it’s going well,” Josh took a break to tell Danny. At that moment, Sam plodded back into the room, his shoes mysteriously gone, and opened his arms up to everyone. 

“Did you miss me?” He greeted his friends and the demons. 

In Josh’s moment of distraction, Pazuzu ejected themself from the girl’s body and zipped across the room, slamming straight into Sam’s body. Oliver Reed sprung to action as well and hopped from Jake over to Danny. 

“Wait, what?” Josh asked in confusion as Sam and Danny shook their heads and then turned to face him with demonic grins. From the floor, Jake let out an exasperated grunt. 

“Did Oliver Reed get me again?” he groaned. 

“Aye like this body a lot better!” Danny exclaimed in a British accent as he checked out his biceps and gave them a firm squeeze. “This mate lifts!” 

“I’ve got gains too,” Jake sounded hurt from the floor. 

“Eh,” the girl begged to differ beside him. Jake took one look at her and jumped with a scream. 

“This is one hairy motherfucker,” Pazuzu commented as he played with Sam’s long locks. 

“Shit,” Josh cursed himself. Things weren’t going as well as he thought they would. Leave it to Sam to come back and screw everything up. 

“Wanna give that exorcism another try, big boy?” Pazuzu asked. It was strange to hear those words coming from Sam’s mouth but, to be fair, Pazuzu had distorted Sam’s voice beyond recognition. When he talked, it sounded like he was gargling mouthwash. 

“Wait, you’re doing an exorcism?” Jake asked as he slowly returned back to his feet. Josh gave him a quick nod. “I can help out,” Jake offered. “I still remember how to do one from that film you made in high school, I think.” 

“Give it yer all, yew short boys,” Oliver Reed cackled. Jake scrunched up his nose at the words that had just come from Danny. 

“That’s really weird,” he commented. “I don’t think I like that.” 

“Guys,” Danny’s normal voice broke through, “please get Oliver out of me. He smells bad and I feel like my blood alcohol content is flying off the charts.” 

“It is a bad feeling,” Jake confirmed, then turned to Josh. “Let’s do this.” 

“You cowardly, ass eating, Led Zeppelin wannabes!” Pazuzu shouted. 

“Sorry,” Sam cut in. “That was out of line.” 

“Just ignore them, Jake,” Josh advised his twin. “They’re gonna try to get into your head.” 

Pazuzu and Oliver Reed were definitely doing everything they could to distract Jake and Josh, since they had their arms wrapped around each other and were rocking drunkenly back and forth, belting out a sea shanty at the top of their lungs. 

“What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning!” 

“Fuck,” Jake said through grit teeth, his hands balled up into tight fists. “I love that sea shanty.” 

“Selective hearing, Jake,” Josh reminded him. “Pull it together.” 

Jake sucked in a deep inhale and then, together, he and Josh began reciting their latin, circling around the demons and taking turns dousing them in holy water. In return, Pazuzu and Oliver Reed tried to sing louder. With all the commotion they were making, it was a miracle that the neighbors hadn’t filed a noise complaint. Feeling left out, the girl made herself useful by taking turns kicking Sam and Danny in the shins to handicap the demons. 

“Can you please stop that?” Danny begged the girl in his normal voice, taking a break from Oliver Reed’s barking yells. The girl looked him in the eyes, smiled, and sent her foot flying into his shin again, sending Danny toppling to the floor. That seemed to be the nail in the coffin for Oliver Reed, because Danny let out one last agonizing yell and then a rush of blue, white, and red shot out from his body and dove through the house, back down to hell. 

Pazuzu watched Oliver Reed’s dramatic exit and beamed. 

“I knew I was the better demon,” they proudly declared. Then, they turned to Jake and Josh. “Okay, I’m done with my games. I don’t really like this host anyways. He keeps telling me that my music taste is trash, and it’s making me feel bad.” 

Josh and Jake stared in awe as Pazuzu extracted themself from Sam’s body, flashed one last terrifying grin at them, and then dove down after Oliver Reed. The temperature in the room immediately returned back to normal, and the eerie blue lighting was replaced with the warm sunshine coming from the broken window. Without a second’s hesitation, Jake and Josh rushed to Sam and Danny’s sides to make sure they were alright. 

“I think I need to go on a juice cleanse,” Danny shuddered. “That was disgusting.” 

“Pazuzu thinks Shawn Mendes is talented, can you believe that shit?” Sam sputtered out, evidently not feeling any of the after-effects of being possessed. “Like, if that demon is gonna be in my body, I have a right to set them straight.” 

“I’m sorry,” Josh grimaced at Danny. “You were totally right. I was playing with fire when I rented out this AirBnB.” 

“AirBnB?” the girl asked behind them. They turned to face her and winced at her chalky, bruised, and cut skin. 

“Yeah?” Josh cautiously asked back. 

“I live here,” the girl stated. “With my mom. This isn’t an AirBnB.” 

“But isn’t this 3602 Prospect St?” Josh asked. The girl frowned at him. 

“It’s 3600 Prospect St,” she answered. 

“Jesus Christ, Josh,” Danny groaned. 

“Huh,” Josh muttered. “Well. That’s embarrassing.” 

“I mean, you guys did help me out, so I guess I have to thank you for breaking in.” 

“Yeah, anytime,” Jake flashed her a smile, and then reconsidered his words. “Uh, I mean, we won’t break in anytime. That’s not what I meant.” 

“You’re all good,” the girl assured him. “I hate to kick you out, but I need to get to work on my skincare routine stat.” 

“That’s a good call,” Sam agreed. Danny elbowed him hard in the ribs, which made him keel over for a second. “I mean, what? Girl, your skin is flawless,” Sam tried to rebound. 

“Get out,” the girl stared at them. 

“Fair enough,” Josh nodded. “Good luck to you!” 

They hurried out of the brick house and, on the porch, Josh double checked the address with his confirmation email. 

“Wow,” he said to himself. “I don’t know how I mixed that up.” 

“It was a tiny hiccup,” Danny said. “You know, we only got possessed over all of this.” 

“I’m sensing that you’re feeling upset,” Josh tried to do damage control. “But let’s practice some gratitude. I, for one, am grateful that the old priest passed out pretty early on because that guy smelled like moth balls and it was starting to give me a migraine.” 

Josh looked around at his friends, expecting them to take part in the gratitude circle, but all of them stared darkly back at him. Josh panicked, trying to think of a way to get them to forgive him fast. 

“Should we go to the Air and Space museum?” he tried. 

Danny and Jake looked at each other and shrugged. 

“YES!” Sam exclaimed, like he had been eagerly waiting for Josh to suggest that his whole life. He took off sprinting down the sidewalk, his bare feet slapping against the hot pavement. “SPACE SHUTTLE, HERE I COME!” Sam whooped in the distance. 

“Let’s stick to rural ghosts instead of city demons, okay?” Jake said to Josh as they watched Danny chase after Sam with a pair of shoes, shouting that he was burning his feet. 

“Agreed,” Josh nodded. “They’re a bit more our speed, I think.” Josh thought hard. “You really need to find a way to ward off Oliver Reed.” 

“I’ve given it a lot of thought,” Jake declared. “Non-alcoholic beer. That should do the trick.” 

“I think that should,” Josh let out a laugh, giving Jake a loving pat on the back as they walked down the Washington D.C. sidewalk into the glowing sun. 

[radioactive-earthshine]

I like to think that Brainiac 2 comforts himself by thinking after himself things will be better, maybe even normal for his blood line. Surely in at a minimum 1-2 generations everything will work out. And then he meets the ball of messy coping mechanisms that is Querl and just thinks "ah sprock it all"

(I have only read a tiny bit of brainiac 2 stuff, planning on starting L.E.G.I.O.N. soon though to learn more. So these headcannons are currently mostly guesswork sorry) -Brainiacs anon

These are just my own thoughts so you can ignore them however you wish because these are headcanons and interaction with content will always be transformative and diverse.

CW: rape mention

Spoilers for L.E.G.I.O.N. below. I sort of ramble here but I promise it's relevant to what you're saying.

Considering the conditions of Vril having his own son was the result of him being raped I am not sure if he initially thought too much about his bloodline improving much personally. It's not like he is completely detached from Lyrl (his son) as he did step up as a parent at the end of R.E.B.E.L.S. where his mother recoiled from being a parent (there's a lot of reasons why which if you read you will understand).

However, Vril did make a deal with Neron the demon where a soul from his own bloodline would be the payment, this is something Vril agreed to do. The soul was, most likely, Querl's mother Brainiac 4.

Vril does show curiosity about the result of that deal when he meets up with Querl and saves his life from his father.

DC Showcase '96 #12

Because he even bothered to mention it does show he does at least think about it. In fact, he interrupted to ask. So if he did not think too much about his deal, he definitely started thinking about it more after meeting Querl.

We don't get to see this topic come up from Vril again (his series ended) and you don't see him much until 2009.

When he does show up later he meets an AI version of Querl who gives him advice on how to build his own new Legion, then he ironically saves another version of Querl from his father again.

So Vril got to meet THREE versions of Querl, all unique from each other and none mention anything about the demon Neron. I feel like to Vril this would be either a comfort, or would cause him some anxiety.

One of the great things about L.E.G.I.O.N. and R.E.B.E.L.S. other than it being the anti-superhero superhero comic is that all throughout you do get to see Vril and grow. He still always remains a healthy shade of dark grey but he is unshakable when it comes to wanting to correct injustice, for a price.

I like to think that his first interaction with Querl led him to seriously consider the results of his actions with the demon Neron. I mentioned before that Vril is the type of person to make these outrageous deals but then finds a way to get out of them or 'win' and I think he might try that because the harm was directly a result of his own actions and he has been shown to WANT to be better than his own father.

He is a very complex, flawed and fascinating character that cannot be easily explained so briefly so I hope this makes sense so...

YES I do think he would like to think that eventually his family name would no longer be synonymous with the evils of his father, and on some planets this is fact, BUT he also has a pretty complicated relationship with family and bloodline.

He also was willing to kill his son again because his son went batshit so he's a dumpster fire of a green man.

Welcome to the most dysfunctional family in the whole sprocking galaxy.

[detectivemaker]

idea dump

This is just me jumping out ideas I've been having into The Fray

1. I've been seeing a lot of DC My Little Pony stuff especially Batman My Little Pony,  here's the Dork Squad and Michael and my MLP AU  that I probably won't write much about after I dump this into the world 

Jervis is either a unicorn who can't do magic so good (sort of like retrovrt's Pony Jervis) or non unicorn Type of Pony who really wants to be a unicorn (for anyone who also has an Instagram and follows @hatterhare, it's sort of like their version of pony Jervis)

Jonathan is a unicorn who due to experiments by his father was turned into  sort of a hybrid changeling creature who feeds on fear and can't shapeshift,  what makes it worse is that not soon after his horrible transformation he got his cutie mark, so it was his Destiny to be horribly mutated into a fear sustained abomination

Edward is a Pegasus blank flank,  he hides the fact that he is a talentless loser by trying to be the smartest guy in all the Equestria,   my idea is that he thought the best way to find his talent was to learn about different things, but he sent so much of his time learning those things he never actually did them to see if they were what he was destined to be good at

And finally Michael he's a draconoquist,  he sort of a lesser draconoquist cuz he's  only made up of snake and Cat parts, he's a draconic lord of insanity (still in training, his dad's the ascended Lord of insanity and that guy's pretty possessive of that title), but he says he's the draconic Lord of love when he's freed from his Stone prison he was put in by his father by the Dork Squad, who got into the heated argument (it was mostly John and Edward fighting jervis was trying to make them stop), and he bribes them into helping him gain more power by spreading Insanity (which will make him powerful so he can go back to the  draconoquist Dimension and kick his dad's ass to become the new ascended Lord of insanity) by promising them these things

To either turn Jervis into a unicorn or get rid of his pounding magic induced headaches

Give Edward the knowledge of what to do to get his cutie mark

And nothing for  Jonathan,  and he would undo the horrible hybridization he went through, but that's part of his Destiny and Michael cannot screw  with Destiny, so he just uses the old finger Boop  induced draconic hypnotism and make  him help

2. So you guys know that fetch me the souls audio,  I listen to a song that had it in there and I had this idea, about Michael absolutely  body horror transforming our favorite tree of dorks in to creatures I can best imagine as sort of like Hellraiser demons, and then absolutely evacuating the minds and making them more attack dogs than actual people, this idea also Associates this idea I have from time to time of all of them being stripped of one of their senses (think sort of like See No Evil Hear No Evil speak no evil monkeys)

jervis loses the ability to speak,  but not the ability to make noise, he's rendered the most animalistic of the three and can only make animal noises, also he's given a dog muzzle, I think either he wears no clothes or just some pants, and walks around like a dog

Jonathan is stripped of the ability of sight,  dressed up like a demented priest,  his eyes are covered by a blindfold either decorated with eye imagery or snake imagery, and can now  only yell words,  just imagine you a burglar, you just entered some weird Victorian hell mansion and just escaped a dog man, you walk into a place that looks like the interior of a church, suddenly some guy standing at the older whips his head around that your footsteps, points at you and he  yells the word heresy at the top of his lungs,  then you're tackled from behind by the dog man who  heard that and then your throat is ripped out with his terrible filthy dog man claws

Edward lost the ability to hear, he just doesn't have ears, he's the most normal looking other than the lack of ears but he sure can see pretty good

3, so I've been thinking about the hattercrow kids relationship with their grandmother, more specifically the grandmother on crane's side,  my John doesn't really know the specifics of his birth but he think it might either be   teen pregnancy or rape, maybe a little bit of both, but what he does know is his mother's is current location,  he informs the children when Dorothy is 20 and the twins are 10, they decide to visit their gram gram and have a pretty good time, John comes to,  reconnects with his absent mother  who gives him a hug and her cookbook, he comes back home and he doesn't stop smiling till next week

They don't really visit much after that, John and his mom text and call every once in awhile,  but not soon after the move back to Gotham Mrs crane kicks the bucket, and John cries harder than he did in that  Crow Barn

He never does learn about the circumstances of his birth, his mom asked if he wanted to know but he said he didn't, and truth be told he actually does not, it doesn't really matter he was born, he lived hated,  and now he's being loved by a wonderful husband and wonderful children, and  though only a little while a mother he barely knew and cried like a baby for

[rianafying]

was away from my phone for a day and it feels like i haven’t been on tumblr in ages.

it’s 2am rn, raining heavily, im enjoying this a lot. but i can’t help but feel overwhelmed by all the tasks that await me. just always, generally, in life. they’re not difficult to people, but they’re near impossible to me. i feel very scared very often. stability feels foreign and instability feels awful. cried a lot at the protest today, i can’t do protests they’re emotionally just too much for me. i’ve been daydreaming about falling in love. nobody in my mind, just generally, the idea of love. which is good i guess? it’s healthy to want it. i’m not as damaged as i had feared. but i really need to get a little more control over my life. drinking tea really helps with the nerves. gives me clarity. shuts down most of the chaos in my head makes it so that i can follow and complete one train of thought at a time. feels like a miracle drug but it’s just plain black tea, the cheapest most generic one i could find. crazy i know. i’ve been rewatching bridgerton. i really do love the show. and i have the fattest crush on jonathan bailey. embarrassing i know. it’s my guilty pleasure show. found some good music lately. new stuff. on repeat. added to my coming of age summer playlist. the age being 24. i can’t believe im going to be 24 soon and im so proud of myself not for anything i’ve achieved but instead for starting to let go of my obsession with achievement. there’s no good reason to torture oneself over never finding enough success under the horrible system that is capitalism. nothing is ever enough. makes me think of dc, when he said if you can, take my hand, i promise you’ll find love again, love again. very unrelated but also extremely related to my current situation. not soon though. i really hope it’s not soon. i’m enjoying my solitude. i swear the next time i do this whole love thing it’s going to be so different from anything i have ever experienced before. if there even is a next time. only time shall tell. i think time is the only thing can can be told and do the telling. i might be wrong, there might be a hundred other things. but. back to life as i know it today, i should sleep. i should shower then i should apply my medicine then i should sleep. i should also drink water. very very important. crazy how so much work is essential for the body to keep on living. and how it lets you know very aggressively when it has not had enough. food, sleep, movement, sun, medicine, and the list goes on. there’s so much stuff i need to throw out. so many people whose messages i have to reply to. i often forget because 90% of texting is just formality and roughly 10% is actual information exchange. i don’t think i’ve ever truly been missed by someone. my friends always say they miss me. i miss them dearly, but i can’t imagine being missed. like to think that they felt my absence and “missed” “me”. what a crazy world and what a lucky girl i am. at least in this regard. i wonder why hank and john have not spoken up about palestine. i wonder how anyone i have ever respected could stay silent while witnessing cruelty of this level. i’m not even a sjw or a particularly passionate activist. i don’t normally feel like everyone needs to care about something. but this? this is just. beyond. just beyond. everything. i worshipped hank and john. they taught me almost everything i know and i never thought i could ever be let down by them. yet here i am. learned my lesson about worshipping people. but what about god? god is so much worse, like asfsgshdjdkdldlflkkkl. it’s nearly 3am. i always do this. i always stay up too late the night before an important gig. it’s the over thinking that keeps me from peace. i’ll take some stevia w me to the studio so i can make my tea when im there! my brain.

i hope i don’t have to move back to bangladesh, because it is terrible over there. especially now that im seeing all the election season atrocities. i dont know what will happen in my life but i know that im trying my best. i’m always trying to prove myself, but to whom? who am i trying to answer to? pobody’s nerfect, i need to take it easy. goodnight for now.

[pbandjesse]

Today was a really good day but also really surprising in different ways. I felt better then I expected. I was absolutely exhausted when I woke up. I did not sleep great. I really struggled to fall asleep. And when I did sleep it just want good. I had very scary dreams. And woke up really groggy.

But I did my best to power through and shake it off. I got washed and dressed. I felt like my hair was to fluffy today after washing it last night. But it was fine. James set up a little snack box for me and walked me outside. They were biking to DC today, and would let me know when they got there. I would head to work and got there on time.

And it was a lovely day. I was a little colder then I expected. I would be warm in the sun but whenever I was under tree cover I was really cold!

I would spend the first hours of the day setting up some stuff around camp. Putting away other thing. I also continued to work on my lessons. And then started drawing some ideas for camp swag.

Alexi would come in and she told me all about her Disney trip and showed me pictures. Heather would join soon and we all chilled and talked about things I can be doing and some ideas for camp next year. A lot of talking about training and the buy in and the bit. It was a really productive conversation.

Heather and me would go up to to the barn for our little group. This is a school with high support needs students and they will come out every week. It is a small group, but that's even better. I love a small group.

We would get set up with Chloe. There was some road work being done but they promised to take a two hour break so the noise wouldn't upset our students.

They would show up just about on time. I was chatting with Chloe about my new role at camp while the bus driver did some pretty impressive moved to back up the bus and park it on the path because their was a delivery of rocks that was piled in the normal parking space. She was a master at moving that bus seriously we were impressed.

The group was really nice. But we were all a little alarmed when they told us they had stopped and used the girls latrine and it was covered in dead wasps and what they described as "writhing mice". This was super concerning.

So I took a broom and went down to investigate. And sure as shit there was like a few dozen giant dead wasps on the ground and in the shorts and sinks. Horrible. And there were two (I would find a third later) baby mice just on the ground. Not even near each other!

I found a washcloth and picked up the two, adding the third which was in the worst state laying in its side and covered in cob webs, and put them in the sink while I dealt with the wasps. I swept them all out the door and tried to make it nicer then it was. And then I collected the washcloth and brought it with me back to the barn.

I did not have a plan. Chloe gave me a bucket of hay to put them in with my washcloth and eventually my sweatshirt. I just needed to get them warm, they were so cold. I learned that baby mice can't regulate their own temperature. So I did my best to warm them up.

So I was a little distracted. The woman in charge of the group kept saying that the mice were being weird, acting like they were on LSD. And I was just like. They are just abandoned babies, it's alright. Heather suggested feeding them to the snakes but I am not sure why mom abandoned them so I didn't want to risk it. And of course then I got a little attached.

They would be fine in the bucket for now. I hsd my program to run.

I was in charge of helping the student wash buckets. They liked using the hoses. And we got 4 buckets cleaned and filled with fresh water for the horses. They did a good job.

The one student I remember from last year and she seemed so much more self assured. She also just really liked putting her hands in the water buckets. I don't blame her I also like being in the water.

Once they were all done petting the horses and cleaning the tack, they would walk up to the fields to return the horses. I would stay behind and put a few things away and get my baby mice.

I bundled them up and put them in my cleavage. Kept them warm and kept me hands free.

After I put stuff away I went up to see the horses in the feild and it was very bright but also just super beautiful. I showed them the mice and I think everyone thinks I'm being silly. But Heather said it was sweet.

We would finish up with them and had a nice walk back to the barns. The students got back on the bus to leave and we finished putting things away and then me and Heather drove back to the office.

We talked about pregnancy, because the one teacher was pregnant, and Heather told me about when she had her kids. And how hard it was getting pregnant. But how her second happened so fast. Which I thought was interesting. And we went inside.

Where I showed Elizabeth the cup of snails I had brought from home, and my cleavage of mice. She didn't believe at first. But I showed her and Alexi my mice. And then went to find a better container for them at nature.

I also dropped my snails in their new tank, which is still just so cold?? I'm going to have to get a heating element if we don't have one in storage. I thought the lamp I put up would warm the water but no such luck. Hopefully this set lives until then I guess.

I got a critter keeper and some more towels. I set the mics up real cozy and once I got back to the office I microwaved a water bottle to give them something warm to cuddle against. Which they seemed to like for the most part. They make the smallest peeping noises. It's very sweet.

The afternoon would be eating my leftover poke burrito. The rice was to dry and the pineapple turned green but it was still very good. I finished my first sketch for my camp merch idea. I did some research for supplies. I went and set up my Native American field trip for Thursday because I wont have time tomorrow. I felt good. I felt productive.

It was nice to drive around camp getting stuff set up. I used my wagon to get things from my car to the lodge and that helped with the amount of trips. But I was getting really tired.

It was around 3 and I was feeling it hard. I just get so tired at 3. But I went back to the office. I took it slow. I did some research for Heather. I helped brainstorm some theme ideas. I took some notes for project ideas. It was a good time. I only played around on my phone a little.

And soon enough it was time to go home.

I collected my mouse box and buckled them in. I realized I left my chapstick on the table at the barn so I would drive up there first before letting James know I was heading home. I had a snack bag of popcorn while I drove and drank all my water. There wasn't any traffic. And I was happy to be back home.

James seemed very happy to see me. They helped me get the mice set up. Heated up a small heating pad (and misunderstanding and microwaving a slim Jim style cat treat??) And got me the cat milk to try to feed them. But I couldn't find my pippets and was very frustrated. Was pleased when I got them to just kind of nurse on my finger but it probably wasn't enough if the internet was to be believed. I tried my best. They mostly just seemed thrilled to be warm in my hand. I held them until my arm ached. And set their container on a high shelf so Sweetp won't notice them.

I hung out on the couch with sweetp for a long time. I didn't want to do anything really. There was stuff I could do but I didn't want to. I did clean the kitty litter. I did vacuum what I spilled. But I mostly just wanted to melt into the couch.

And that's what I did. Until around 630 when we decided to go to Mathew's pizza for dinner. We had been waiting to see if our friend Lane was coming over but she was not able to. So a little dinner in highlandtown for us.

And it was a really nice dinner. The waitress knew our order without us saying anything. James is so sad to know they could have been speaking in Spanish to her this whole time. I showed James my drawing from today. And Jess texted me that she booked our birthday Disney trip for late January/early February! What a lovely way to end a good day.

I was getting really exhausted though. James said they would carry me but I really don't like being carried. Because I don't like to be squeezed. But it wouldn't come to that. We drove home. I made it upstairs. We checked on Sweetp and fed the aquatics. And got the mice a little more milk.

I finally remembered where I put the pipettes and I don't know if it really worked great but I got them a little more at least and we reheated their heating pad. I hope they will be okay in the morning.

My plan is to put the container in the girls latrine in the morning and see if their mom comes back. If not I'll keep trying to take care of them. If I can keep them alive until their eyes are open I will be thrilled because then they can just eat regular food. And if they stay alive I'm going to make them an interesting habitat in the nature center. Away from the snakes.

Now though I am really tired. I am going to go take a shower. I need to be well rested. Tomorrow is a busy day.

We have groups tomorrow and I have my appointment to get my IUD taken out. To say I'm nervous is an understatement but I will be okay. I'm just afraid they are going to pull it out like they are starting a lawn mower. Which is unlikely but is still what I'm afraid of??

Wish me luck. I love you all. Goodnight!!

[zorilleerrant]

I know most people are generally more likely to be invested in movies and TV and all that and so my Batfandom experience may be different than everyone else's, but I'm enough of a traditional comics nerd to be like what do you mean you don't read the comics and, yeah, I instinctively consider them more canon than other media most of the time (except when I don't). but here's a breakdown of my familiarity with the Batfandom:

at any given time I'm reading a significant chunk of current Batfamily comics (and also other comics, but some of those feature Batfamily members, too)

I'm also reading or rereading older Batfamily content, going back as far as I can find them (I'm currently reading pre-crisis Jason, but I'm desperately trying to find a digital copy of Van's issue)

I saw Battinson but I disliked it immensely and will not be seeing a sequel if one comes out

between that and the real movies (Batman 89) I haven't seen any of the movies. or, like, I think I saw more than one but I don't remember them at all, and I know I hated whichever one I saw. this is a feat because I will watch anything with Cillian Murphy in it and usually love it even when it's a trash fire. I saw (only) one of the Harley Quinn movies and it was okay.

Batman 89 are The Movies Of All Time and I rewatch them constantly, especially Batnipples. they are responsible for both my love of fandom in its entirety and my gay awakening. and obviously it's where I started with Batman

I mean I saw Superpets, which was excellent except for the monologue at the end which still pisses me off

I've read novelizations based on them, and spent my childhood rereading them over and over. I've also read other print novels but don't ask me which ones because I can't remember. yeah there are a bunch of Batman print novels actually! I don't know either!

I watched BtAS, Batman Beyond, and Teen Titans on the air. I rewatch them regularly. I recently watched through at least one JLA show (didn't care for it/them) and am trying to make it through Brave and the Bold but I don't really like it. I managed to get all the way through YJ on the promise of Virg but he's only in like three episodes??? season 1 was great but the rest of the show increasingly sucks. the vast majority of the cartoons I've never seen, especially all the movies

obsessively watching Harley Quinn show. it's the best thing I've ever seen. oddly, the comics based on it are one of the few comics I've ever returned because I feel bad returning comics usually

I saw all of HBO Titans, most of it as it was released, and I love it so so much. I wish it hadn't ended. I wish the Red Hood spinoff had actually gotten traction because I would watch the hell out of it. I hoped the CW show would have similar vibes but it's not very good really. I'm still watching it.

my absolute favorite DC shows are Birds of Prey (2002-2003) and Powerless. both cancelled immediately, which is a travesty. they are the best shows that have ever been made ever.

I'm not listening to the radio plays or podcasts or whatever. I can't really deal with that type of media mostly unfortunately

I have seen The LEGO Movie and all related LEGO Batman content. I love most of it but Damian??? that is clearly Tim wtf are you guys even talking about, you wrote Tim

I've seen the Adam West movie repeatedly. I've seen several episodes of the show but not in order and not the whole thing. I do plan a watchthrough soon.

I've never played a single Batman related game in my life, not even Batman branded Monopoly and stuff like that. I don't know what's in any of them and I don't understand references to them

anyway, so, I get that for normal people the movies are most likely, then the cartoons, then the live action shows, then the comics, but for me it's very much backwards of that. and it's weird to me when people assume that everyone's engaging with the same pieces of media in the same way

[whenfatecollides]

Hi ! I've been getting into Dreamcatcher lately since everyone's been saying if you're a lesbian you're gonna like dreamcatcher, and i do ! i was just wondering from someone who obvs knows them better, do you think they're naturally so close to each other or it could be a bit more... fan service stuff bc I'm always worried about getting into groups who just queerbait all the time, idk how to say this and im not trying to attack DC but there's been a lot of talk abt it in kpop lately

I get where you’re coming from, but with time you’ll see that they’re genuinely close

dc have gone through a lot as a group (some of the members have been together for abt 8/9 years now), specially the ex-minx members (jiu, sua, siyeon, yoohyeon, dami) who had to overcome an unsuccessful debut and decide to stick together despite a rough start. there’s a lot in the member’s own story that makes you wonder if there really isn’t a force in the world out there who brought them together because so much happened, to some members more than others, that literally put them right on the path to become a dreamcatcher member. it just had to be the seven of them. 

for starters, yoohyeon auditioned for a few companies and mbk accepted her. she went the first day and quit that same day because of how she was treated by the staff. she said that from that experience she wanted to quit on the idea of becoming an idol, but she really loved to dance and sing. which led her to meet sua at a dance competition before they auditioned for hfe. sua had been training to become an idol since 2012 and hfe was the one company who accepted her (I can’t imagine sleeping on that much talent). this led them to debut together and even become roomates.

siyeon had a close songwriter friend who introduced her to the company, she auditioned and got in. similarly, jiu’s vocal teacher referred her to the company, she auditioned and got in as well. as for dami she had wanted to become an idol since elementary school, one day she participated in an open audition at her school and hfe called her for an audition.

with gahyeon, she actually went through a few companies before landing on hfe. she was an fnc traineed for a while, she got in both yg and sm, but left since they weren’t going to debut a group any time soon. similar to dami she participated in an open audition at her school and she got called for an audition.

and handong had some interest in kpop when she was in high school, but when she got the chance to go to korea for university her dad made her promise she wouldn’t try to become an idol, it was literally The condition for her to go to korea, she wasn’t meant to audition according to her parents will. but one of her uni teachers told her about hfe’s audition and she just went for it anyway asdkjhs (her relationship with her parents is fine now). it was just meant to be.

they’ve also mentioned quite a few times that they didn’t just instantly click with each other like that (some members having a cold impression of sua at first, siyeon admitting it took her quite some time to get close with handong, jiu saying she was skeptical about the adittion of handong and gahyeon but soon realised they made the group stronger), they worked on their relationship over time and they wanted to make things work with each other which itself is really important and shows the kind of loving and supportive enviroment they wanted to build for each other (I go a little bit more in depth about their overall story in this post). they’ve made sure to build a really great sense of teamwork with each other since the beginning, from the fact that they had about 2/3 months to prepare for dc’s debut (minx still performed on october 2016 and dc debuted january 2017) alone, they really had to make a conscious choice about it all. honestly one of the things that makes me sure that dc are close is that they don’t hide the negative feelings they sometimes have towards each other (which are normal), they've spoken a few times about silly things that they’ve argued about and have even mentioned that they don’t get the other members involved in the quarrels they’re having with another member to not create more drama than necessary. but you can really see that they love and take of each other in the little things too, not just the (sometimes) fanservice. and by this I mean things like, sua calling handong in the middle of her vlive to go get food for her, dami letting yoohyeon sleep in her bed and going to the living room because she didn’t want to wake her up, siyeon falling asleep on top of yoohyeon and yoohyeon not having the heart to wake her up as well, among many many many things.

but truly they’ve gone through a lot of hardships over the years, including having a member be away and unable to participate in comebacks and group schedules for a whole year (not because of health issues or anything like that, but because of the covid situation that made it impossible for her to fly back to korea), and they got out of that situation being even more appreciative of that member when it could’ve easily been something that could have made them turn on each other. it was a situation that brought them even closer and appreciative of one another. they really want to be on this path together.

as for the queerbaiting bit, I’ve made posts about this before and as I’ve said, it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s fanservice because at the end of the day they’re respectful and caring, and they’re only normalising same sex attraction. they never make you feel gross for that attraction either, they’ve never pulled a ‘no home though’ moment, they continuously sing songs directed at female lovers without changing the pronouns, continuously accept marriage proposals from their female fans, and even when a fan was dubious and said “but we’re two girls” jiu said that it didn’t matter and that love is love, and they’ve said many times that it’s okay for female fans to be nervous around them (aka attracted to them). 

and not that it’s anyone’s business but the members themselves have dropped many hints over the years, from not specifying the gender of their ideal type

“Dreamcatcher Handong, “even if they’re not good-looking, a warm-hearted person is my ideal type.” “My idea type, erm... a warm-hearted person. A person not necessarily need to be good-looking, if they’re warm-hearted they’re a good person” ©

-

Handong: For me, firstly, kind. It would be great if the person has a good personality and is tall.

Gahyeon: For me, because I’m still young I don’t have a definite ideal type. Just someone who smiles prettily and is fun. Ah, if the person has a good voice, it will be good. I like to talk on the phone. ©

-

Jiu: I wish to have someone I can chat non-stop with, and who is also knowledgable and has a good character. I’ve never really thought about an ideal date, but what’s most important is that the atmosphere has to be comfortable!

Yoohyeon: My ideal type is someone who’s like Peter Pan, someone fun-loving and positive! My ideal date location would be Paris, France. It’s a really romantic city! Really look forward to spending time there with the one I love.

Gahyeon: I like someone with a beautiful smile, and someone who can really take care of me.   ©

-

to lowkey admitting a same sex crush (she went to an all girls school as far as we know)

to being uh very straightforward about it

among other things 🐒 I’ve been into kpop for quite a lot of years now and I never experienced a group make this as comfortable as they do honestly. that’s why I say that it doesn’t matter if it is just fanservice, they’re still changing things for the better. but that being said, take your time getting to know them~ I think it’s better that you see it for yourself rather than have someone tell you really

[prentissinred]

Already Gone pt.2

Special shoutout to @eprcntiss for the nudge to write a part two ☺️

Rated T Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Emily Prentiss Word Count: 2k  AO3

Part One: Already Gone

Part Two: Love Me Better

Aaron closed the door to the study behind him, pretending he didn't hear that final choked sob. He blinked his own tears back; they had no place on what was supposed to be the second happiest day of his life.

She was leaving.

Some twisted part of him was almost glad. That he no longer had to walk into work and feel like his heart was being slowly carved out of his chest every time she looked at him, every time she got into her own car to return to a home that wasn't theirs. It was unfair to the point of cruelty, having to face the future he had been planning for years, ripped away in the course of an evening...only to return months later, just out of his reach.

He had grieved her, as surely as if she had died on that operating table. Grieved the sight of the diamond he had picked out on her left hand. Grieved the house they'd been eyeing, the one with enough rooms for all the plans they’d made and a yard big enough for the dog they had promised to Jack. Grieved every night of fevered touches under the covers and every night they had been too exhausted to do anything except curl against the warmth of the other.

She had eventually returned, like a phantom coming back to him. Relieved though he was that she was finally safe, there wasn't a moment where he saw her and was not reminded of every deception, every moment she had chosen to tell him that she was fine instead of the truth. Running became the only healthy outlet for the pain. And a few weeks later, it led him to a funny, kind brunette who had him smiling for the first time in over a year.

Beth. He shook himself out of the internal crisis he was having against the wall of Dave's living room. He had to find her, hold her, remind himself why he'd asked her to marry him and why it had felt so right just yesterday. Remind himself of everything good about them. Because she was good — exceedingly so. Because she was not frustrating and complicated and closed-off and asking the worst kinds of questions at the worst possible time. He jogged up the stairs to the master bedroom where she was getting ready with her mother.

“You know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.” Dave’s voice came up behind him.

He gave his friend a wane smile. "I think we can dispense with the superstitions."

"Say what you will, but I said the same thing at my first, and look how well that turned out." Aaron could only chuckle dryly in response.

Dave clapped his arm. “Nervous?”

"A little." He hadn't been. In fact, he’d been filled with certainty at the start of the evening. He tried not to think too much about why that had changed. I loved you. I love you.

"I saw Emily left.” Dave’s voice was pointedly relaxed.

"Oh?"

"Tonight can't have been easy for her." I love you.

"I suppose."

"Mmm. Anyway, I think Beth's just about ready." Dave placed a guiding hand on his shoulder. "We should head down, get this show on the road." Aaron let himself be led down the stairs, glancing back just once at the door that hid his soon-to-be wife from view.

He stood underneath the decorated archway, next to his beaming son, and faced his team, all looking at him with encouraging smiles. He tried to return them, despite the knot that was steadily growing in his stomach. The music started, a lilting, romantic track, as the crowd turned to face the house. Beth emerged, lovely in her strapless gown, carrying a simple bouquet of white roses, walking towards him on her mother's arm.

And maybe it would have been different if he had spoken to her upstairs. Or if he had never walked into Dave's study in the first place. But as Beth took her first step onto the aisle, Aaron knew with an absolute, terrifying clarity that he couldn’t go through with this. That this moment he had been picturing for so long was missing a woman who was currently making plans to leave the country.

Before he could talk himself over to the side of propriety, he walked up the aisle. The music cut off abruptly, and there was a ripple of whispers from his guests. By the time he reached her, pieces of his heart chipped away at the sight of her confused face. He held her hand in both of his and pleaded, "I need to talk to you."

She listened to his insufficient explanation, the tears welling her eyes the only reflection of the hurt he was causing her. He told her that she was beautiful and wonderful and he did love her and she had made him so happy and yesterday there hadn't been a doubt in his mind when he asked her to be his wife. She let him ramble for a while, eventually shutting him up with a cupped hand to his face. Lips pressed lightly against his cheek, then in a voice infinitely kinder than he deserved, she let him go. "I hope you get her back."

And that was it. He stood there, watching her head back up the stairs, and silently wished her every happiness with someone worthy of her.

With a deep breath and a brush over his face to clear any lingering tears, he exited the house with renewed determination to find a huddled group of guests. The only outlier was Beth's mother, who stared at him in consternation before following her daughter into the house without another word to him. At the movement, his team turned towards him, a mixture of confusion and shock on their faces — or, in the case of Dave, an enigmatic smile.

"JJ," Aaron called out.

She approached him, frown lines etched into her forehead and brows. "Aaron, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I need your help, please. The address to Emily's new apartment."

Understanding smoothed her features and she gave him a wide grin as she entered the address into his phone. "Oh, and would you mind watching Jack for a little while?"

"Even better, why don't Jack and Henry have a sleepover tonight? What do you say, boys?" JJ presented her plans animatedly to the two boys who had appeared by their feet. Aaron bent down to tell his son that he would explain everything tomorrow, but his words fell on already distracted ears. He thanked her and made his way to his car, the eyes of his friends on his back reminding him that this was his last chance to bring her home.

Her apartment was tucked away in a nondescript brick mid-rise. A far cry from the lush DC duplex he had spent countless nights in. She opened the door on his second knock. Dressed down in shorts and a loose shirt that hung off her shoulder, makeup-free with her curled hair pulled up into a ponytail. She looked as beautiful as she had a few hours ago. Every impassioned word he had rehearsed on his way over landed dead on his tongue, and instead, his first words to her were a brusque, "Can I come in?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He didn't reply, pressing past her into an apartment he had never entered before. Sparse, only the bare essentials, cardboard boxes stacked in the corner. Nothing more than a passing stop, a sign that she had never really come back to them.

"You told me you love me. Was that the truth?" He stood in the center of her small living room, arms crossed over his chest, his tone more biting than he had planned.

She gaped at him, ignoring the question. "Seriously, Aaron, what the fuck are you doing here?"

He forged on, pacing small steps next to the couch, glancing up at her every few seconds. "It destroyed me, you know. Seeing your credentials open in your desk because you had run. Sitting by your fucking hospital bed because I was too late to save you. Listening to you tell me that you didn’t want to marry me. Everything we had talked about, all the plans we had, just...gone."

“Aaron. I told you, I had to." Her voice broke, but her eyes stayed dry. Aaron wondered if the two of them had shed enough tears over the other to last a lifetime. "I had to—“

“Protect me. I know. But, god, Em." He gestured between them. "We’re supposed to be a team. We work through everything, even the ugly stuff, together. You were supposed to trust that I would be there for you. Not run away, and nearly get yourself killed in the process.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is. It is exactly that simple.”

“No.” Her voice was sharp and resolute. “It isn’t. It was my fight. My past, my mistakes. If you, any of you, had gotten hurt because of that, I could have never lived with myself. You can't tell me you don't understand that."

Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose and decided to cede this particular battle. Maddening, stubborn woman.

“Fine. I accept.”

“What?”

"I accept that you did what you had to do. That you thought you had to handle it alone. I accept why you left then." He stepped closer to her and she unconsciously took a step back, nearly flush with her front door. "But why are you leaving now?"

"This again..." she sighed wearily. "Aaron, I told you. I can't stay here anymore."

"And why is that?"

He watched her nostrils flare in indignation. "Fuck, because I can't! I can't pretend anymore, I won't do it. I came back expecting my life to go back to normal. Except it isn't normal. It isn’t even my life anymore. I'm like a fucking spectator, watching everyone move on while I can’t. "

The implication — accusation — was clear, and the guilt struck hard and low in his gut. Her only mistake was thinking that he had ever really moved on.

"I'm sorry," his voice shifted to quiet contriteness. "I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. It hurt too much to be around you. And you seemed...okay. So I convinced myself you were."

She said nothing for a while, her arms wrapping around her middle defensively. "It's okay. It wasn't your job to take care of me. You've already done more—"

"Emily, why don't you get it?" The frustration pierced through once more, coming out more desperate than anything else.

"Get what?!" she rose to his pitch.

"You're supposed to depend on me. We’re supposed to depend on each other. I know you're strong, you're so fucking strong sweetheart, but I get to take care of you sometimes too. Fuck, how are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives together if you can’t trust me enough to do that?”

She sucked in a sharp breath and her entire body, even the air around them, shifted. “Spend the rest of our lives together?”

“Of course. I thought that was fairly obvious.”

She glared at him. “It really wasn't."

“Oh. My apologies.” He stepped closer to her. “Consider this your notice then.”

He caught the way her lips turned up for a split second before she remembered herself, wanting to hold onto her heated temper for a little longer. “Where’s Beth?”

“At home, I suspect.”

“I already told Easter I’d take the job.” Her voice was just a whisper now, devoid of almost all conviction.

“What, like 2 hours ago? Call him back, Emily.”

He was looming over her, barely an inch of space between them, their eyes locked onto each other. It was a different kind of battle, the kind where victory only came when neither side backed down.

Finally — “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay, I'll call him back."

There wasn't an adequate word to describe the relief he felt at those five words. Every inch of him ached to touch her, but he held onto his patience for a few more seconds, bending his head towards her and whispering, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Her eyes were closed in anticipation. "What question?" she breathed.

"Were you telling me the truth? When you said you love me?"

"Don't be an idiot. Of course I was." And she pushed up on her toes and closed the gap between them.

It felt like coming home. There were still discussions to be had and arguments to be fought as they re-learned and re-trusted. But, for now, the familiar taste of her warmed every particle in his body until he was practically vibrating with want. It was desperate and urgent, their lips and teeth and tongues clashing and biting and invading. His hands roamed the entirety of her, a need to ensure that she was really here this time. She clung to him just as tightly, pressing into him until he could feel her heart hammering away in her chest.

When they pulled apart, both gasping for the air that had escaped their lungs, he touched his forehead to hers. "In case this wasn't obvious either...I’ve never stopped loving you."

[imaginesandinserts]

Irreverent Pt. 36 - Home

Title: Irreverent Pt. 36 - Home Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader Rating: T Words: 4076

Irreverent Series Masterlist

The wind was blowing harshly against the house, causing quite the ruckus as Aaron got ready for work in the morning. Jack was already dressed and downstairs and the two of you were waiting on him to finish getting ready. He'd taken a call that morning, resulting in him running behind.

As he grabbed a tie from the closet, he took note of the fact that pretty much his entire wardrobe had managed its way into the other half of your closet. Despite having His and Hers closet space built into your home, you'd never expanded past one side, which had left the entire other half for him. It had been at least a couple of months since he'd been to his own apartment. His lease was ending next month and it was something he figured he should discuss with you soon, seeing as both him and Jack were practically moved in. He'd begun to accept that your relationship wouldn't be moving at anything remotely resembling a normal pace. How could it when Jack had had a room in your house for years, photos of him with Haley, his aunt and cousins, Aaron, and you occupying an entire wall.

The first time Jack had dragged Aaron upstairs in your house to his room, Aaron hadn't been sure how to feel. It was a while ago now, soon after Haley's death. Aaron and Jack had been spending more time at your place, his apartment a cold reminder of what they'd lost. But you'd been in the kitchen and Aaron had arrived for dinner with Jack, when his son had insisted on getting the toys from his room. In the past, the toys had sat in a chest in the foyer, so this was new. The room was like something out of a Pottery Barn catalog, no expense spared. But what had caught his attention was the single photo of Jack and Haley on the wall closest to the bed. Over time that wall had grown, but that first picture had remained in the center. That had been the day Aaron had known with absolute certainty - you loved Jack. You always would.

When he got downstairs, you were bundling Jack into his coat. Upon seeing him, you smiled and indicated to his breakfast. He walked around and noticed your navy blue top and smugly pointed to his tie. It had become somewhat of a game for the two of you. If you got ready without him seeing you and he still managed to pick the right tie color, he felt like he'd won. He was good at winning.

"Jack, remember, Mrs. Avery will pick you up after school," you reminded him. You and Aaron had made the decision to get Jack a nanny so he'd have more personal attention from an adult. Mrs. Avery was an older lady with many references and previous experience with children of diplomats. She was used to a high stress life and demanding parents, and she was absolutely wonderful with Jack.

"Can we go to the park after school?" Jack asks, finishing off by pulling a beanie over his head to protect from the chill.

"We're going to leave that up to Mrs. Avery," Aaron says, jokingly pointing at Jack with his fork. "You'll have to go through her - she's not easy to pull a fast one on."

Jack laughed and gave his father a lighthearted roll of his eyes. Mrs. Avery was putty in his hands as long as he finished his homework and asked politely.

"Alright, Jack you're with me this morning. Y/N has to go in to work early," Aaron tells him, getting up to put his plate in the dishwasher.

You had an early meeting with McKinney, after which the team was sure to be pulled into a case if Aaron's morning call was anything to go off of.

You kneel down to hug Jack. "Have a good day baby, I love you."

"I love you too, Y/N." Jack places a small kiss to your cheek before going to grab his backpack.

"I love you too, Y/N," Aaron teases, as you kiss him goodbye, hurrying out the door.

The eyerolls were definitely something Jack got from you.

*------------*

Director McKinney felt you were ready to take on a challenge and he had laid out a couple of different assignments for you to look over and give a perspective on. You'd walked out of his office with three large files tucked under your arm and met up with everyone else in the parking garage. Penelope had already texted you that there would indeed be a case, and as you got into the back with JJ, Aaron handed you the shoes you'd forgotten at home, from the front. You thanked him, grateful to be out of the heels you'd worn for your morning meeting. Heels were great for feeling tall in the office but impractical for chasing after Unsubs. You saw JJ take note of your exchange with Aaron and she made a teasing kissy face at you.

The others briefed you on the case on the way to the plane to Charleston. Three women had all gone missing under odd circumstances and yesterday the first one's body had been surfaced in a lake by some fishermen. It was suspected that there was a serial killer and the time between disappearances was shortening fast.

You theorized on the profile with the rest of the team on the plane before everyone turned to do their own thing for the remainder of the flight. You sat next to Aaron, flipping through the case files McKinney had given you. They were all interesting in their own right and you realized he was using them to gauge where your interests lied. The cases were all pretty different - the one based out of DC, tracking internal threats posed by large lobby groups and their connections to foreign governments caught your interest.

Aaron watched as you shifted to pull your hair away from your face. You'd been working a lot more and hadn't shirked in your duties to the BAU while taking on all the extra work McKinney was asking of you. He knew a time would come soon when he wouldn't have you on the team any longer - not the way you were going. McKinney had sent him a note regarding having you split your time between the BAU and other groups.

He had some things he wanted to talk to you about, but was holding it back for later that night when you two would be alone. While the team now knew about your relationship, at your core you were both relatively private people and tried to not mix work with your relationship. You shifted, bringing the file closer to your face, and caught him looking at you. You briefly smiled at him before returning to the file, resting the hand closest to him casually on his thigh. Aaron smiled at the gesture, covering your hand with his own, before turning back towards his own files.

*------------*

The team had spent the day following up on leads while Hotch had coordinated with local officials in the Charleston PD. The local detectives seemed to react better to a softer touch, so JJ had stuck around with him and Reid while the rest of you went to go interview the missing women's friends and family.

"How're things with Savannah?" you ask Derek as the two of you drive over to interview the best friend. He'd seemed tense all week and you had a feeling something was off.

"Haven't seen her in three weeks," Derek replies, turning a sharp left. At your raised eyebrow, he sighs and continues, "I don't know, it's hard you know. She's on call and any time we make plans the team catches a case. We were supposed to go away this weekend and here we are on a new case on a Thursday. What do you think the odds are that we're home in time?"

You sighed sympathetically. He wasn't wrong - work cut into a lot of things with everyone's relationships and family. Jack had a class presentation tomorrow which neither you nor Aaron would make it to. Mrs. Avery had promised to send a video.

"Make small plans, Derek. It's hard to be there for the big stuff all the time. But you can be there for the little ones. Bring her coffee in the morning or be sure to catch her after her shift for dinner. It's too hard if you're always chasing the weekend getaways." You and Aaron had been trying to plan a trip away with Jack for weeks now and it hadn't materialized. You made do with cuddling him on weekend mornings and lazing on the couch with a movie.

Derek looks at you for a beat before nodding, and drawing the car to a stop in front of the house.

Later that evening, Hotch had called it a night for the team finally around nine and everyone had gone to the hotel to sleep. He had just gotten out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. You'd already gotten ready for bed and were propped up against the headboard, McKinney's case files in your lap.

Aaron started to dig through his bag for his pajamas, remembering that he still had to talk to you about some stuff and didn't want to forget it again. "Hey, listen," he says, grabbing his clothes and the face moisturizer that you'd insisted he start using (Good skincare is not a joking matter, Aaron, and you'll thank me later when you still look like you're forty and Dave looks eighty.)

You hummed behind him so he continued. "My lease ends next month."

You're still distracted by the files in front of you so you don't look up as you respond. "Okay, did you want to look for a new place?"

Aaron freezes. You thought he should look for a new place? He'd thought you'd be on the same page as him - him and Jack being practically moved in couldn't have escaped your notice. You didn't seem to have a problem with it…

You realize that he hasn't responded after a minute, so you look up and see him standing there and looking at you oddly - he seems upset. You think back to what you'd just said - there wasn't anything wrong there, unless he'd misunderstood…

"I'm sorry," you speak again, putting down your files, and really looking at him. "I didn't mean you should look for a new place," you explain. "I meant, do you want to look for a new place together - for you, me, and Jack?"

He visibly relaxes at your words and lets out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Feeling much reassured, he replies, "No, I'm fine with your place." He pulls on his pajamas and hangs the towel to dry, before climbing into bed beside you.

"You're sure? My place is a little girly - we could find somewhere you could have an office or something. Or if you don't want to move, we can bring in some of the stuff from the apartment - redecorate a bit."

He leans over and places a kiss to your cheek. "I am perfectly happy with it as is. Plus, you rarely use your office. I'm the only one that even uses it. But, if you want to redecorate, we can."  

He was right about that. You had a bad habit of working from bed.

"Maybe eventually." You move your files to the nightstand and shift to lay down against him. "I don't think I can handle a decorating project right now, to be honest."

Aaron had been worried about that. You'd been working a lot more recently. "You're sure you're alright, still doing our cases too? It's not too much?"

You sigh and snuggle in closer, prompting him to wrap his arms around you. "No. We both know it'll happen eventually. Just, not yet."

*------------*

Garcia had managed to tie the victims together in an odd way. All three women had dated and subsequently broken up with the same man - Keith Halpert. Halpert had jumped off of a bridge after the final breakup (all of which apparently happened due to his lack of sexual potency) and died a few months back. The team had managed to bring in Keith's older brother - Daniel - who had been deployed overseas at the time of his brother's suicide. It appeared that coming home to his brother's death had resulted in a break which caused him to blame the women for Ketih's suicide. He'd started going through them one by one.

JJ and Reid had taken this particular interrogation while the rest of you watched from the other room. You'd started paying more attention to Aaron's leadership style and noted that he really did try to expose everyone on the team to all parts of the job. JJ hadn't done too many interrogations since becoming a profiler, so sending her in with Reid had been an interesting call in your opinion. But you saw how they played off of one another and it being Reid instead of Hotch or Rossi allowed JJ to feel more in control. You could see that it had been the right decision.

From the interrogation room, you can hear Daniel finally break. "They hurt him. They made fun of him. They're the reason he's dead. So yeah, you wanna hear that I killed them? Of course I did. They deserved it."

"Well, that's good enough for me." Rossi taps on the glass to indicate to Reid and JJ that they're good to close up.

"The things people do for family." Emily sighs, and you can tell she's just happy the case is over.

"I don't know. Seems a little nuts. I mean I get your family being the people you'd die for, but going on a killing spree…" Derek shakes his head as both JJ and Reid emerge.

You find yourself disagreeing with him, but you're not sure you should voice it. You look at Daniel and find yourself almost understanding him. Derek was wrong. Family wasn't the people that you died for. In your jobs, you'd all walked into the face of certain death for complete strangers. No - family was not the people you would die for. Family was the people you'd kill for.

*------------*

You and Aaron had both managed to block out a day to completely move him and Jack out of their apartment, while Jess watched Jack. There weren't too many things there and you'd brought back everything worth keeping in just a couple of trips.

Aaron was sat in his chair in the office, which was the one space you two felt was worth putting the effort into redoing. His old desk from the apartment had been moved in and you had rearranged it so your desks faced one other. Aaron was sifting through old documents and deciding what could be discarded while you sat on the floor, leaning against his legs, and went through boxes of mementos to arrange into the shelves lining the room.

You'd already come across his high school yearbooks and he'd gotten some ribbing about his "80s boyband hair" and the fact that he had been a literal Eagle Scout. Because of course he had. You reached into the cardboard box and took out a large blue album. Expecting there to be photos of him and Haley, you flipped it open, only to see cut out newspaper articles.

"What's this?" you asked, tilting your head up to Aaron.

He looks down at what you're holding and you see a fond smile grace his face. He puts down the papers he's holding, leaning down to run his fingers over the article. "Haley and I - we would cut out articles that we liked," he explains, moving his hand from the album to come rest on your head, fingers tangling in your hair. "Anything that really spoke to either of us or felt like it accompanied a milestone, we'd cut it out and paste in here."

You smile, nodding at his explanation. Him and Haley had been really cute with stuff like that and it was always special learning about the little traditions they'd had. You flip through the articles, your eyes skimming the titles - articles from their hometown paper, one from The Seattle Times from the month they moved there, a review from a restaurant in D.C. they'd undoubtedly ate at. It was a chronograph of their life together.

Aaron found himself watching you peruse the album, taking in all of these things that happened to him which preceded you and were intimately tied to his life with Haley. The soft smile on your face as you took it all in - you'd always been so wonderful about his and Haley's relationship and her continued role in your lives.

He was just about to turn back to sorting through the papers scattered on the desk, when he felt you tense against his legs. Your hands moved slowly over the title of an article, and as Aaron read over your shoulder, he saw that it was an article related to the Gilbert and Sullivan play during which him and Haley had met. His eyes scanned through the title and content of the article, unsure why this would've caught your attention. That is, until his eyes caught the byline and he felt his stomach clench.

"Matthew wrote that," he says, his voice obviously having startled you, as you flinch as though you'd been caught doing something wrong.

You start to say something but then seem to think better of it, shutting the album and standing up to start organizing the shelves. Aaron can't help the dread he starts to feel. Anytime your ex-fiancé has come up he's learned something awful about him. Aaron's well aware of how painful that relationship was for you, but he doesn't want to let this go.

He moves to grab your waist and pull you back towards him. "What were you going to say?" he asks, his concern for you fully evident in his tone and how gently his hands smoothed over your back.

You look at him, appearing conflicted on what to say and he can tell you're about to brush it away. He pulls you closer, bringing you down to sit sideways across his thighs. "Hey, come on," he says softly, "please tell me."

You bite your lip, not meeting his eyes. "You're going to think I'm really stupid," you mumble, your hands finding the edge of his shirt and bunching into it.

"I really doubt that," he reassures you, pressing a soft kiss to your temple as your eyes flutter shut and you take a deep breath.

You struggled to meet his eyes, your shoulders tense and hands clenched tightly around the fabric of his shirt. But he's looking at you with such concern and love - you don't want him to worry or misconstrue your reaction. "Matthew didn't write that," you explain. His brows furrow and you can feel him tense underneath you. "I did."

Aaron closes his eyes for a moment, processing what you'd just told him. Slowly he asks, "Then why is his name on the article?"

You aren't looking at him any longer, instead turning your face forward. It's easier to explain if you don't have to watch the disappointment in his eyes. "When I was a freshman, I tried out for the Crimson. Every freshman wanting to be on the paper has to write an article for the department they're trying out for. I wrote mine for the arts and chose The Pirates of Penzance, because I'd seen the Harvard theatre troupe perform it. Matthew was a senior and editor in chief of the paper. When he read it, he told me it was some of the best work he'd ever read by a freshman."

Aaron nods. It had been an exceptionally well written article talking about the relevance of Gilbert and Sullivan's works in the modern age. Both him and Haley had really loved the article and that's why it had made its way into the album.

"But," and you take a deep breath, building up to the crux of the matter, "he told me that freshmen who weren't on the paper yet couldn't get published and that it would look a lot more credible if someone with more experience was listed in the byline."

Aaron's face turned stony. The bastard had recognized your work as exceptional and then taken credit for it.

"And then," you continued, "it got picked up by the New York Times for their arts and leisure feature." You let out a hollow half laugh. "It was unheard of - a freshman being picked."

"Why didn't you say something?" Aaron asks, his hands running soothingly down your thighs. You can tell he's angry by how stiff his posture is.

"I did - I was so mad at him. And then he asked me to be his girlfriend. He was a good looking, charming, senior from a decent family - my parents approved. I'd never had a boyfriend before, and well…it wasn't as though I wanted to be a journalist anyways," you shrug. Aaron has some idea of how different things were for you in college - how different you'd been. But you know that everytime it has to surprise him at least a little bit. It's as though you're talking about an entirely different person.

When Aaron speaks next, his voice is low and controlled and you can tell it's taking a considerable amount of effort for him to not scare you with how outraged he is on your behalf. "You were young and he manipulated you. You didn't deserve that."

Your smile sadly at his words and nod, agreeing with him. "I know. I let him get away with a lot because I didn't know any better back then."

It's quiet for a moment before you speak again. "It's different with you, you know. With Matthew there were so many times where I had to convince myself that he was the right choice - that I should be with him. I knew that he wasn't a good person but he fit the mold of who I was expected to be with. Someone who pursued power and opportunity and on whose arm, I would be the perfect wife." Your voice has a bitter quality to it as you speak. "But with you, I've never once questioned it. I've always known how good of a person you are, Aaron."

Aaron feels his stomach unclench slightly as you speak. He reaches up to cup your face, bringing your lips down to his in a sweet kiss. As you pull away, your eyes seem brighter and there's a hint of a smile on your lips. He can feel the tenseness of your earlier conversation leaving you slowly.

"You want to know a secret?" you ask, your arms coming to wind around his neck.

At his smile, you continue. "Back when I first joined the team, Reid and I had this bit we would do. Anytime we weren't sure what to do, we'd ask each other - W.W.H.D - What Would Hotch Do?"

Aaron rolls his eyes and huffs out a laugh. "You put me on way too high of a pedestal, sweetheart," he mumbles, his head tucked into the crook of your neck.

You move to meet his eyes, your hand coming down to cup his jaw. "No, I don't. You're my moral compass Aaron. You're the voice in my head, telling me the right thing to do, and you have been for as long as I've known you."

Aaron has no idea how to respond to your statement. There's not a doubt in his mind that you're being completely honest about this.

"I didn't grow up around good people, Aaron. You're the person who taught me that being good and moral doesn't have to be a weakness - but that it can be a strength. And you show me and Jack that, every single day."

He can feel the sincerity radiating off of you and he leans into your touch, your lips meeting his again, all consuming.

[morepeachyogurt]

we are good people (and we've suffered enough)

word count- 2.5k      Pairing- Temily

Summary- After Scratch, Tara and Emily run away to Italy to start a new life, ft. cats, cafes, and gardening. Based on this post, and this prompt. 

Part 2 of my, maybe we’re from the same star, series, work is a standalone, part 1

read here on ao3

tw’s- very minor mentions of substances and ptsd

Things were never the same after Mr. Scratch. The two of them were filled with more trauma than they had room for in their hearts to still hold each other in. Nights were no longer filled with a movie and cuddling, or talking about philosophy but tense sentences, paranoia, and nightmares. Tara knew that something needed to change, anything to stop the monotony of desolation. But still, they went to work every day and drowned their sorrows in killers like that would bring back the part of her that died when Scratch took Emily. There are only so many times one can be held captive and wait for death before something inside them breaks.

One night they get wine drunk, Emily laying sidewise on their black couch, and Tara sitting on the table staring at the ceiling.

“I miss being young, god, that’s such a weird thing to say. I mean, I spent my youth hating it. Hated my mother, and all of our traveling, never could make friends. I hated that I never belonged, hated not being in control of my own life, and here I am 50 years old working for the government that I used to despise trying not to cry myself to sleep every night,” her voice takes on a bitter tone.

“We love in our old age the things we hated as children. Does that make us matured or foolish?”

“Both, I think.”

“What was your favorite place to live? I mean it sounds like hell to keep moving between places but there must have been someplace you loved, right,” Tara’s voice fills with a tang of desperation as she searches for a way to help her lover.

“Rome. The weather and the scenery,” her voice takes on a dreamy tone, “and the food! Man, the food is good, don’t tell Rossi but his carbonara tastes like Olive Garden compared to the real thing,” they both chuckled at that, knowing it would have sent Rossi in a fit if he were to hear that.

“That sounds really nice honey.”

“I miss it sometimes you know? I think about how gorgeous everything was. It feels like home in my distant memories.”

“Then let’s do it. Lets, go move to Rome. You aren’t happy here Emily, I know you say you are, but you do this job for our team, not the position now. I miss when you laughed,” both of them sobered up by now, knowing that it has taken a turn for the more serious.

“No, no we can’t. I, I can’t keep leaving this team and our friends. And, people need us. You love this job Tara I can’t take that away from you, not for me.”

“They’d understand Emily, they all love you so much. Yeah, I love this job, I won’t lie. But, I love you more, and I’m not happy if you aren’t. So let’s do it. Let’s fucking run away to Rome together and be happy .” The two sit in silence for a minute, the unanswered question still hanging in the air.

“Okay. Let’s do it. Maybe I’ll fulfill my long-lost dream to have a nice, big garden.”

The team took it surprisingly well, they’d all noticed a change in Emily in the months following Scratch and knew that Tara had Emily’s best interest at heart. Of course, they were sad to lose two of the best members of their team, but Emily was family, and family looks out for each other.

“I’m going to miss you my favorite dynamic duo and your guys’ jokes. Ugh, it’s going to be so quiet without you two lovely ladies,” her eyes are welling with unshed tears as she says goodbye to more of her family, “Send me things from Rome or I will install a virus in your phones,” they both laughed at Penelope’s antics and promised her that they’d send as much stuff as they could. The last two weeks of their stay in the United States were filled with mixed emotions. They were excited to start the next chapter of their lives together. Away from all the serial killers and monstrous people out there. They could finally live with a fraction of the naivety that most people carry. On the other hand, Tara only speaks minimal Italian, and now they’re going to be living in a brand-new country, surrounded by strangers. A fresh start, but one filled with anxiety.

“Okay 4:30 is way too early for a flight,” Emily grumbled as they made their way to the airport. The pair had woken up at three, knowing that Tara can’t sleep on planes they tried to go to bed early and were now making their way to the airport in the dead of morning.

“Wait, babe, look! It’s a full moon,” they pulled over just for a moment and got out of the car to sit on the hood. The silence between the two is peaceful, the wind was the only whisper in the air. Moonlight shone on Tara’s face and Emily knew that there was no sight in the world as beautiful as this. With the moon reflected in her eyes and a small simple ghosting on her lips. She’s home.

Security was a breeze, they are former FBI agents after all, and they made their way to their gate. Airports always have a certain air to them, a place where time seizes to exist yet completely runs the place. Their gate was quiet, filled with the tired murmuring of people excited to travel.

“Tara, honey, wake up we’re boarding.”

It was odd for the two of them to be flying commercial after all those years on private jets. It was nice to feel normal though, to fade in the background instead of being other . Human desire is both to be noticed and forgotten all at once.

Italy’s airport is very similar to the DC airport, it would seem like they never left. Outside was a whole different story, bustling crowds and hot air hits them as soon as they step outside the building. They had picked out a quaint apartment building a week prior. Yellow walls with a terrace looking out to an alley. The couple's belongings had been shipped and were waiting to be unpacked. Not right then though. Now, it was time to explore.

Hand in hand they walked leisurely down the narrow alley way of the small Italian town they are now calling their home. Vines and every other type of plant that could grow did. Hanging off banisters, and climbing up orange brick walls. The sunlight was close to blinding, and it hit Emily just right. The golden rays hitting her face and illuminating the ghost of the smile now appearing on Emily’s face. That smile told Tara all she needed to know about their decision. Emily catches her staring, “What are you looking at,” humor evident in her voice.

“You, I’m looking at you miss Emily Prentiss. You’re smiling again,” her words come out softer than she intended, but they convey her point.

Happy couples seem to fill the streets, old and new, young and old. The town may be old, but it was filled with a life that they had been lacking. They pass a quaint little bakery. Bread, cupcakes, and assorted pastries fill the windows. There're bookshelves on all the walls filled to the brim with different books. The walls are light blue and there are flowers everywhere. It looks like something from the movies.

“Un Piccolo Angolo di Paradiso,” Emily reads the name of the building in front of them, they’ve since stopped to admire the view in front of them. It reminds the two of them how Emily asked Tara out. With a cupcake and book who had ‘I know there’s plenty of sugar in that cupcake but it’d be even sweeter if you went out with me. Let me take you to dinner Tara? ’ written on the inside.

“As much as I love hearing you speak Italian, what does that mean? Something heaven?”

“Little Slice of Heaven.” It’s truly a perfect name for the place.

“Okay, now we have to go in,” they’re both smiling now. They push open the glass doors, greeted by the high-pitched ringing of a bell and the smell of freshly baked bread.

The woman at the counter finishes the greeting, “Benvenuti nel piccolo angolo di paradiso, cosa posso offrirvi, adorabili signore?” they blush at the compliment and Emily orders them both cupcakes and coffee. Tara busies herself with admiring the books. Some of them have the most beautiful covers she’s seen. She knows not to judge a book by its cover but sometimes the most beautiful things are just as gorgeous on the inside as out. Just like Emily. She buys a book, and they take their drink and desserts to go. They make their way to a waterfront and sit down on the stairs, side by side.

“Rome is just as beautiful as I remembered. I missed it. It really does feel like home, although, anywhere I’m with you is home,” at the end of her sentence, she turns to face Tara, a look of pure love shown clearly on her face. And for that, Tara just has to kiss her.

The next day they unpack their boxes of belongings into their apartment to help rid the homesickness. Paintings go up on the walls and furniture is placed with the best view in mind. After a couple of hours they’re done, their apartment a bit more homey than before. They crack open a bottle of wine, put on an album, and sit out on the terrace. They watch the sun set over the water, the sounds of big band music filter in as the soundtrack for their night. The sky painted yellow, orange, and pink in the way only nature can create. If nature were an artist they’d be in every museum and sold to the wealthy. Instead, they are for the masses, the beauty of nature is for all to enjoy, free of cost, for those who wish to escape and fly into the night sky.

“You know what I’ve always wanted to do?” Tara leans forward on the balcony, not taking her eyes off the view in front of her, even as the colors begin to fade the sky darkens.

“No, tell me, what?”

“I always wanted to open my own bakery. I know it’s stupid, me a baker. But, I don’t know making things, it feels so uncomplicated. Just me and the dough.”

“In this alternate universe, I’d be a gardener. You and your dough and me and my flowers against the world Tara. Wait a second. I think you and I are onto something my dear,” Emily’s joined Tara at the balcony, the two of them leaning against the railing.

“Actually? You’re serious? You want to do this.?”

“Yeah! Why not? We’ve got enough money in the bank for us to last a bit, you can work at Un Piccolo Angolo di Paradiso,” the Italian rolls of her tongue in a way that drives Tara nuts, “I’ll find a gardening place to work at. We’re in fucking Italy let’s make our dreams come true.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

Alessia, the owner of the bakery, is pleased to have another employee. Especially one that is actually interested and isn’t in high school. Tara learns the basics of bread and pastry making. She has some skill, she used to bake with her mother before she died, it had been awhile since she had been able to bake without bumming herself out. Now it’s a nice memory of her. Gone but not forgotten, as is the saying. Emily comes in every lunch break for whatever Tara’s whipped up and to get her caffeine fix. One of the things that she still keeps from her law enforcement days.

They aren’t perfect. A move across the country isn’t going to cure PTSD, she has good days, bad days, and worse days, but now they have the time to deal with it. There was never anytime to process things at the FBI. It was always, distract yourself and throw yourself into solving cases. Now they can slow dance in the kitchen and stay up until three am telling stories from college. They fill their days with the happiness that was once stolen from them and bathe in it like perfume.

True to their word, they send Penelope all sorts of things, books from the café, pressed flowers, trinkets from the small shops to adorn her desk. In return, she sends them pictures of Sergio.

“I miss Sergio, his little paws, and his ability to climb on top of anything.”

Emily finds a job at a nearby garden that sells flower arrangements and herbs to local restaurants. It’s convenient, more than they would have thought. Emily now gets to stop into the bakery on occasion to deliver herbs and has plenty of flowers to give her lover. She also sends a few bouquets back to DC. Hoping that the flowers can brighten up the office in a way that fluorescent lights never can.

On one of their late afternoon walks, they hear a rustling by a trash can.

“What’s that noise?”

“I don’t know, let’s go look, it almost sounds like an animal. Could be a mouse,” Emily suggests, absently reaching to where her gun used to rest on her hip. They open the bag to find three small kittens. Seemly abandoned in a corner.

“Oh god, they’re so cute. We have to keep them.” It’s not a question, Tara knows that Emily is thinking the same thing, their minds connected in the way people who love each other’s minds always are. They look up the nearest veterinarian to make sure that their new pets are okay to take home and healthy.

The vet is sterile and a stark reminder of all the hospitals they’ve spent time in. Tara squeezes her girlfriend’s hand to remind her that they are both safe .

“They look fairly health, a bit malnourished but that is to be expected in these circumstances,” the vet is an elderly man with a mustache as thick as his accent,

“I’ve give them the shots they need, for now, come back in few months and let me take another look. Ciao.”

The kittens are fast asleep by the time they make it home. They gently scoop the kittens out of the bag and into their arms and the couch.

“Okay, what are we naming these angels?” Emily’s voice is pitched up as she talks to the kitten in her arms.

“Well, I’ve always been a classics enthusiast, what if we name them Artemis and Apollo?”

“That’s adorable. Little tiny archery kitties, yes, isn’t that right!” she coos, “And I think I’ll name this one Carter.”

“I love it, and you. Come on, sit with me, you look tired,” Tara grabs Emily’s hand and pulls her onto the couch. They fall over a bit and Emily yelps in surprise. They put the old music back on, a sense of peaceful needs for their new lives. The two sit on the couch, Emily’s head in her girlfriend’s lap, a hand playing with her hair. Apollo climbs on Emily’s feet and lays down to rest.

“I love you, Tara,” she doesn’t respond, just lays a gentle kiss to the back of her head.

The world is big and scary but the two of them feel safe in each other's arms.

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[aaronhotchnersquarterzip]

Meeting you Flipped the World Upside Down - Or Maybe Just Mine

Here is Chapter 9, I’m going to apologize in advance for the angst thats going to happen from here on out. As much as I love Aaron I stand strongly behind the belief that he just wouldn’t be that great of a partner and my writing recently has been very open about that. I’m not completely cynical, there will be a resolution at some point. Maybe. 

Summary: Reader has been a rut, stuck in a never ending cycle of college worries and job interviews. Never did she think that SSA Aaron Hotchner, or Agent as she likes to call him, would walk into her favorite late night diner and flip her world upside down. And he for sure didn't expect to fall in love so quickly with the soon to be college grad. They navigate finding love and working together to rediscover what that means for each of them.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner X Female Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

Love Isn’t Supposed to Feel Like This

The summer green slowly faded into fall browns and reds. The best season, in your opinion of course. Aaron stuck to his promise on visiting when he could, Jack tagging along when he had long weekends. You also drove down when you had the chance, so not as often as you would’ve liked. Halloween was coming up and you were determined to go trick-or-treating with the Hotchner boys so right after your Thursday class you packed the Subaru and drove to DC. You knew Aaron would still be at the office so you dropped your stuff off at his apartment and made your way to Quantico. Jack was with Jessica so you didn’t need to worry about picking him up until tomorrow anyways. 

You parked in the visitor lot and walked into the lobby, going through the rigorous security to get your visitor pass. You were finally on your way up to the 5th floor after 20 minutes. You were practically bouncing with anticipation. Aaron and the team had been on back-to-back cases lately so it’s been longer than normal since you’ve seen him. Of course he called and texted you in his free time but being with him was a whole separate experience. 

When you pushed the glass doors open Emily spotted you first, waving you over for a hug.

“We weren’t expecting you! Does Hotch know you’re here?”

“No, I thought I’d surprise him. I know you guys have been working incredibly hard these past few weeks. I figured it wouldn’t hurt if I came for Halloween.”

“How did Hotch deserve you? Seriously.” 

“He does his fair share of surprises, I’d say we're both lucky.” You quipped back, still smiling. Spencer waved to you from the kitchen and you saw Rossi from his window. 

“If you don’t mind, I’m gonna head up to see him. It’s been a while.”

“Of course, text us how long you’re in town and we’ll try to plan something.”

“Thanks Em.” You climbed the stairs to Aaron’s office and knocked softly. He muttered something along the lines of “come in” when you pushed the door open. 

He hadn’t looked up from his paperwork when you stalked in so you slowly made your way over to his desk. Placing one hand on the desk, leaning towards him, you whispered, 

“Hi honey.” His head shot up at your voice and he broke out in one of the biggest smiles you’ve seen the man give. He stood up and embraced you in a tight hug. 

“I wasn’t expecting you. What’re you doing here?” You tilted your head to give him a soft kiss. 

“I missed you. And I wanted to spend Halloween with the Hotchner men. Figured you two could show me a better time than campus could.” He smiled into another kiss. And another. And another. 

“Let me finish up this file and then we can head out okay?” 

“I’ve waited weeks, I’m sure I can wait an extra hour. I’m gonna go check in on Dave, if you finish before I get back you know where to find me.” You kissed him once more before walking next door. 

“Hey Dave.” 

He was quick to walk over to you and hug you, similar to Aaron. 

“Bella! What’re you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be cramming for midterms or something?”

You laughed lightly, “technically, yes. I missed Aaron and Jack so I took a couple days for myself. Plus Jack wanted me to come and see his costume in person. How could I say no?”

He chuckled before taking a seat on his couch and gesturing for you too as well, “I suppose you’re right. I need to have you over before you head back to campus.”

“I would really like that. I’ve missed DC more than I would like to admit. I thought New York was where I wanted to spend the rest of my life but I don’t know anymore. I’ve been looking for jobs here, obviously. But I’ve also been applying more west, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah. I can see myself out there. I got an offer the other day from the office in Billings for once I graduate, I just don’t know what to do.”

“You need to do what's right for you kid. None of us would judge you for following your dreams, but I’m not the one you should be having this conversation with.”

“I just don’t want to ruin the weekend, it’s been so long since we’ve all been together. I just want some normalcy, for both of us. You know?”

“If I know Aaron, and I assure you I do, he would want to know what you’re feeling. It’s not fair to either of you if you don’t communicate what you’re thinking.”

“I know that Dave. I’ll talk to him about it soon, just, not right now.” Of course Aaron had to stick his head in at that exact moment. 

“What not right now Y/N.” He stepped closer and put a hand on your hip.

“Nothing Agent,” that was one way to get him to smile, “you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I can drive and we can get your car tomorrow morning. Goodnight Dave.” He pulled you with him out the door and you called out goodnight as well. 

You and Aaron were curled up on his couch, you on top of him with your head on his chest listening to his steady heartbeat. His hand was in your hair massaging your scalp. 

“Somethings on your mind love, you know you can talk to me about anything right?” He sounded unusually nervous, it felt unnatural. You lifted your head up to look at him and he looked nervous as well. 

“I just want to be here with you Aaron, please. Can we talk in the morning?” He slowly sat up and effectively moved you off of him. I guess you are gonna have this talk now. 

“I want to talk now, I won’t be able to sleep unless I know what's going on in that head of yours. It can’t be that bad Y/N, we tell each other everything.”

“Aaron it’s nearly 3 am, I don’t want to talk about it. Why can’t you respect that. I’m going to go to the bedroom to get ready for bed, you’re welcome to join me.” Before you could fully stand up he grabbed your wrist and pulled you back down to the couch. Maybe it was the late night getting to him but you had never seen him this mad. He held a firm grip on you and it’s like his skin was burning you. This was a different man, not the one you fell in love with. 

“We’re going to talk about this now,” he pulled a little harder on your arm now, leaving marks for days to come. “Stop being a bitch and just talk to me. What? Did you cheat or something like the whore you are?” He practically spit in your face.

Scared. Scared was the only word you could formulate. You had no idea how to deescalate the situation, you were hurt and shaking. You somehow held it together enough to flatly speak. 

“Aaron, let go of me. Now.” It’s like a lightbulb went off in his brain, his eyes widened in shock and immediately dropped your hand. Your resolve was breaking and you don’t know how much longer you could stand being near him. All you ached for was his comfort but your brain wasn’t letting you to allow it. 

“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what got into me Y/N. I’m so sorry.” He reached for you but you flinched from his touch. “Y/N.” He was pleading now.

“I was offered a job in Billings, Montana. I’m gonna take it. I wanted to spend the weekend with you before discussing it. There isn’t anything to discuss anymore Aaron. I’m gonna go stay with my parents before heading back to campus.” You grabbed your bags from the entrance way before reaching for your jacket and keys. You could hear Aaron’s footsteps behind you, all you wanted was to leave this nightmare. This isn’t how the weekend was supposed to go. 

“Y/N, talk to me. Please. We can figure this out. Don’t just walk away from us.” How dare he accuse you of walking out on him. You wanted to spend the rest of your life with this man but he made the decision easy for you. 

“I said we're done talking, Aaron. I’ll be back tomorrow to grab the rest of my stuff and say goodbye to Jack. This isn’t easy but you made the choice for me. I love you Aaron, but I deserve better than what you did tonight. We both know that.” 

“That wasn’t me Y/N, you know it wasn’t. I love you and I’ll do anything to prove that to you. Please, just, don’t leave. It’s been a stressful three weeks, I just want another chance.” 

“I hope you learn from this.” You open the door and don’t look back until you’re down the steps, “goodnight Aaron.” You didn’t let him see your tears, he held his at bay until you were already down the street. 

That’s not how this weekend was supposed to go. 

[winter-fox-queen]

The Open Road is Full of Hope

Summary:  Marcus Pike goes on a road trip.  He meets you at Monument Valley.

This is for @autumnleaves1991-blog ‘s wonderful Writer Wednesday.  

Warnings:  Partly gender neutral, but the “you” is a woman and Marcus refers to her as such.  Just a story -- a little angst, a little introspection, a little silliness.  No smut.

He couldn’t believe how quiet it was.  He had found a place to camp overlooking Monument Valley, and the sun was setting over the Mittens...the two famous rock formations he felt like he’d seen in every western his father had made him watch as a kid.

He’d been binge watching tv a lot, since moving to DC, keeping his mind off…things.  He’d been watching Westworld, and falling in love with the scenery.  It’s been a bit, since Teresa has left him, but he wasn’t ready to do anything.  See people.  He didn’t feel like himself, but more like a broken doll thrown in a corner.

So, the idea of taking some time, renting a car, doing the Great American Road Trip started to appeal.  He’d always hoped to do it with someone — travel was always so much better when you had someone else to share it with.  But instead, he played a lot of music, let the miles pass.  Let himself just be.  Maybe he’d heal.  Maybe he’d be able to look in the mirror and understand the man he saw there, again.  It was helping.  Mostly.  

“Like something out of a movie, isn’t it?” A voice asked softly.  Marcus looked over, and saw the woman who had pulled into the campsite next to his a few hours earlier.  She had a van, and she had the back doors open, sitting on the bed.  The van back was aimed just slightly towards him, and he could see you clearly.

“It is.”  He said, and smiled back.  

You were pretty.  This was the first time he had really allowed himself to look at you.  He couldn’t think of any questions that wouldn’t be creepy...you didn’t ask a woman traveling alone where she was going or why she was here...so he said, “I’m going to start a fire soon.  If you like you are always welcome to join.”  The night was promising to become chilly.  He was already thinking about pulling on a jacket.

“I might,” you said, so he stacked the wood and tinder the way he’d been taught as a boy, and since the wood he’d bought at the camp store was good and dry, it started easy.  Soon he was sitting on the ground next to the fire, beer on the ground next to him, staring at the fire.  

You shut the doors on the back, and he thought, that’s probably for the best.  I am probably not the best company.

He heard the far side door slide open, and after a bit you came around the van with a box.  “So, I’ve never had s’mores—you have a fire, I have s’more making stuff...want to trade the use of your fire for food?”

“You’ve never had s’mores?  Ever?”  He laughed at your solemn nod.  “Next you’ll tell me you’ve never been trick or treating..”

“Nope, never.  I lived down a dark road and no one ever wanted to go near us, and my father wasn’t much into the idea of it.”  You sit next to him, the box of supplies between you, and hand him a paper plate, followed by a hot dog fork.

He raised an eye brow.  “For the marsh mellows.  They came in a two pack.”  You mutter, and he smiles.  

“Oh!  I forgot…”  You say, and introduce yourself, holding out your hand.  Marcus balances the paper plate on his knee so he can take it.  “Marcus.”

You look at him like he’s a co-conspirator.  “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Well, if you allow me?”  He broke up the graham crackers in about the right size, put a square of chocolate on each, then put a marshmallow on a fork. You did the same, roasting a marshmallow over the fire.  

Marcus found himself studying you out of the corner of his eye.  He liked how calm you were.  Outside of being beautiful, you had something that kept making him look, really look at you.

He held up the sides of the cracker for you to slide the marshmallow between.  “Now hold it until the chocolate melts,” he says as he does the same for himself.  

“Ooh, excellent.”  You say.  “When do you think it’ll be ready?”

“About now, probably.”  The simple happiness in your eyes as you take a bite calls to something inside of him.  He feels a little lighter.

You chew.  Wince a little.  

“Well?”  He says, before taking a  bite of his own.

“I’m not sure how I feel about it. Is this how its supposed to taste?”

He nods.  It’s sweet, it’s chocolaty, and pretty perfect.  You take another experimental taste.  “Is this, like an acquired taste?  Like beer?”

Marcus finds himself laughing. “Well, if you don’t like it…”  He holds out his hand for the rest and you shake your head.

“No, no, I’ll finish it, at least I can mark it off my bucket list.”

“You have one of those?”  He busies himself making another.  

“Yes.  See Monument Valley.  Eat Smores.  Introduce myself to a handsome stranger…”  You grin at him.  

“Ah.  Are you settling for strange rather than handsome?”

You glare at him and grab some chocolate.  “You are definitely handsome.  Strange, well.  That would be all the better.  Normal is boring, and strange is awesome…unless it’s serial killer strange.  Are you a serial killer?”

“Not unless you count cockroaches.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.  But you should know I sleep with bear spray.”

“You’re safe, with or without it,” he says gently.  

“That’s because I fed you,” You say sagely.

You both let the silence settle. Marcus skips the smores making and just roasts marshmallows.  You steal them because he’s better at roasting them than you are.  

You like that he doesn’t mind, that he smiles, though the smile does not always reach his eyes.  

“What’s on your list?”

Marcus fiddles with the hot dog fork.  “I don’t have one.”  You tilt your head at him and he shrugs.  “My bucket list was always based on the person I was with.  What I thought they wanted.  I always wanted to be a good man.  A good boyfriend.  A good husband.  So I tried to find out what they wanted and make it happen.”

“And you lost yourself.”

Marcus nodded, staring at the fire as if it held all the answers.  He was letting it die down, now, it was more coals than anything else.  “I did.”

You nod.  “I’ve done that.  But here we are.  In the middle of nowhere.”

He looks up, lets his eyes adjust. “I was going to make a comment about the stars, but there’s not a one in sight.”

“Ah, well.  Maybe tomorrow.”  You talk for a little while longer.  Marcus thinks about asking for your number, but he’s not sure if he’s ready.  His heart feels like a rotten piece of fruit, bruised and pulpy.  It doesn’t feel like much of anything to offer.

You gather up your stuff.  “Goodnight, Marcus.  See you down the road.”

“Night,” he says softly, and the moment is gone.  He regrets it, as he douses the fire and takes his folding toothbrush and tooth paste to the restroom, where he gets ready for the night.  When he comes back out, the wind has picked up a bit.  He checks the firepit one more time, then crawls into his tent.  His last thought, as he falls asleep, is if you like pancakes.  There’s a nice place to eat not far away…

He wakes up to thunder, the wind rocking his tent.  He listens to the rain pelt the nylon, the wind and the rain combined are hard enough that when the wind is right, he can feel sprinkles of rain come up under the rain fly and through the webbing. He crawls deeper into the sleeping bag, grateful that, because the tent is so small he keeps most of his hear in the car, including his clothes.

Marcus contemplates going and sitting in the car, trying to sleep.  The backseat, even the passenger seat are loaded because the rental place had given him the world’s smallest car, so he wasn’t looking forward to that…

And then he heard s snap.  He got a face full of tent , and then a face full of rain water as the rain fly flew off, waving in the air like a white flag.

“Fuck!”  He fought his way around, trying to find the keys.  He knew where he’d put them, but when he found the wall pocket, it was empty.  The tent was now completely on top of him, rain pouring in.  He found the zipper and pulled it down.

“Marcus?”  Your feet, sloshing through the puddles.  

Marcus took your hand and allowed himself to be pulled from the wreckage of the tent.  He zipped it shot again, for what good it would do him.

“Take this cooler and use it to weigh down your tent.”  You’d been dragging a cooler behind her. It was heavy, with a heavy lock.  

“I gotta find my keys…do you have a light?”

“Honey, just come back to the van. We’ll find the keys when the storm is over.  We need to get you dry and warm.”

He runs after you to the van, jumps up in and shits the door as quickly as he can to keep the monsoon outside. You shed your rain coat and hang it up. Grin at him.  “What an adventure, heh?”

He takes a moment to look around the van.  It’s nice. Small, but neat.  

“Let me get you something to wear…”  You point to some bins over head.  “There’s some towels in there, could you get them out?”

You pull out a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt.  “You’re a little broad shouldered…but I like my tee shirts large, so…and these were left by a friend, they might fit.”

You turn around, start stripping. Marcus does the same, facing the windshield.  The storm was still raging, he was able to strip, dry himself, and dress again by lighting light.  The light show on the horizon was truly impressive, and he was grateful to be inside a vehicle, even if the van sometimes rocked and shifted a little in the wind.  He’s starting to shiver, despite being dried off. He was grateful he wasn’t trying to do this in the car.

“OK, it’s safe to look,” you tell him.  “Go ahead and drape your stuff over the passenger seat…it’s not real leather.  I’m going to turn up the heater, you look like you can use it.”

“Thanks for letting me in…I would have gone for the car…”

“And froze to death.”  You say.  “I’d rather you in here.  Do you need anything?  Tea?”

Marcus shakes his head.  “You’ve done enough.  You are my angel.”

“You’ll be even more grateful when you realize I have an electric blanket on my bed...yay for solar batteries!” You use a step stool to gt up onto the platform bed that dominates the back of the van.

“I…I can sleep in the driver’s seat.”

“I only have these blankets, and your blankets are soaking wet…can you be a gentleman?”

He sighs.  “Yeah.  Of course I can.  I just…”

“I’m a practical woman.” You say.  “Though, I do have a request.  You don’t have to.  But if you’d like…”  

He got up on the platform. The mattress was surprisingly comfortable.  He looks at you.  “Sure, anything.”

“If it’s a beautiful day tomorrow, and the sunrise is bright and lovely, that you don’t just leave without saying goodbye.  Kiss me. Kiss me in the sunrise before you go.” He reached out and cupped your face gently.  “I promise,” he said.  “Was that on your bucket list?”

You lean into his hand a moment. “No.”  You smile, and turn so you can lay down facing the back doors.

Marcus had looked up what time the sun was set to rise when he’d checked the weather that morning.  He set his watch to wake him up, before slipping his feet into the pre-warmed bed.

It’s a classic story, he thinks, as he allows how comfortable and peaceful he feels laying next to you to sweep him into sleep.

A man goes, finds himself in the desert, but more importantly, he finds you along the way.

[sellyoursoulforagoodfic]

Could/Should/Did: Steve Rogers--Could

Could

Steve Rogers x reader

Word Count: 1070

Summary: How it could have gone: tell him the truth.

Note: This is the New 52 timeline for DC, and the weird shit mentioned later has to do with that.

“I guess we should have that talk now, huh?”

“I guess so.”

Pause.

You cleared your throat awkwardly, the sound echoing in the room. “So . . .” Your eyes flicked over to look at your sins on display in the form of that cursed wall of weapons. “You know that I don’t have a 9 to 5 right?”

“Yeah, I kinda gathered that. I figured you had some military training based on the way you act a while ago. Been around enough army guys in my time to know the signs.”

You nodded. Again, sound pierced through the quiet apartment when your duffel landed on the table. You could only describe your next actions as being put on autopilot when you started pulling gun after gun out to display the rest of your arsenal, topping the pile off with a collapsible bo staff once your practiced hands reassembled it. “So, I’m a mercenary.” Unfortunately, you seemed to have developed your father’s tact when it came to uncomfortable situations.

Steve’s frown tightened, but he stayed silent. 

“Have been most of my life, honestly. Dad started teaching me how to take care of myself pretty much as soon as he found out I existed.”

“The dad I’ve never met and you’ve never mentioned?” Spite was something unfamiliar in those normally kind eyes of his. “That dad?”

“Steve . . .” you sighed. “I work with him,” you continued, defeated. “We take jobs that pay well and kill bad people.”

“And if the job is for bad people?”

You closed your eyes. “Depends on what the objective is.” You wouldn’t cry. You wouldn’t. “The price . . . is also a deciding factor.” If you were going to do this, it was going to be the full truth. Even if it hurt. Full stop. You wouldn’t make excuses or try to explain that if a job was for a really bad person, you and Slade always tried to make sure whatever plan they had failed after you got paid.

He looked disappointed, but your boyfriend didn’t ask anymore questions about your employers. “I had Natasha look you up.”

It felt like a hand started squeezing your heart. “Oh?” You tried not to sound panicked.

“All she would tell me is exactly what you just did. You’re a mercenary that works with your father. Said the rest was your business,” he hesitated, “but that I should ask you the specifics about your dad.” Now, he looked pleading. “Why would she tell me that? Sweetheart, what is going on?”

“You’re telling me SHIELD has files on me?” Your mind was spinning at the thought. You’d been so careful--

“What--no. She said she had to use some other sources.”

Good. Dad’ll be happy to hear that at least. You steeled yourself. “This part can’t leave this room. Steve, if you love me still, you have to promise me that. Even if you want nothing to do with me after.” He couldn’t imagine the danger you would be in if people found out that the person Slade worked with was his daughter.

And Steve, in true golden retriever form, simply nodded. “Okay. Just tell me what this is all about.”

“My dad had a job down in Gotham once,” you started. “Found himself going toe-to-toe with the Bat, which is damn impressive when you consider what the old man can do, but that’s beside the point. Well, Dad ended up taking cover in some hotel or another and ended up fucking my mom. Nine months later, I’m born. When I was, like, five apparently I got a little strange. I could lift my mom, skinned knees would heal in minutes instead of days . . . Standard enhanced human stuff.

“So she gets in touch with the guy she fucked all those years ago after a lot of digging and one particularly helpful butler. He comes running, and starts teaching me what’s what, and has been around ever since. Even through those horrid teenage angst years when I’d scream at him for just . . . a lot of stupid bullshit. Said he didn’t want to repeat the mistakes he made with my half-sister.” You paused long enough to take a deep breath. “Basically, this is an extremely long-winded way of saying that my dad is Slade Wilson. You might know him better as Deathstroke.”

Steve was silent for a while after that, fingers steepled in front of his face. “The man who was injected with a serum that was based on mine?”

You swallowed thickly but nodded.

“And his abilities were genetic?”

“Kind of? Rose’s and Joey’s are a little different.”

“But yours aren’t.”

That tone didn’t sound like a question, but you nodded again nonetheless.

“So all those times you needed me to lift something, you were lying.”

Your throat tightened. “Steve, I’ve had to hide the truth about my abilities--”

“No. You lied to me. I know how it is to live with those kinds of abilities, but you didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth.”

“Steve--”

“Where were you during the Battle for New York?”

“That was before we met--”

“There was a damn alien invasion!” It was rare that Steve raised his voice at you, so you couldn’t help but jump in surprise, instincts still on-edge from the mission. His shoulders slumped. “Sorry.” More calmly, he continued, “We could have used someone like you and Deathstroke.”

Tears tried to well up, but you forced them back. You knew full well how he would take the truth of where you’d been. “Dad . . . had some weird shit going on. We were--” you had to swallow again. “We were hiding with the League of Assassins at the time.”

Of course, Steve knew who that was. He’d been briefed on them for a mission not long ago. If you were affiliated with them . . . He couldn’t stomach the thought. Without saying a word, he rose to his feet.

“Let me explain,” you were pleading before you really realized it, “there were people after us, trying to kill us--”

He cut you off, “I’ll send someone to pick up my stuff later.”

And with that he just . . . walked out of your life. 

In the hours that followed, you wanted nothing more than to scream and cry about your loss, but you knew it wouldn’t do you any good.

Instead, you made a phone call. “Uncle Billy? I need you to find me a job.”

“Strapped for cash already?” he teased unknowingly.

“No.” Your voice was cold. “I just need to kill someone.”

[agentnico]

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Review

Why specifically 1984? Why not 83 or 85? What is so significant about 1984? 83 had Ronald Reagan propose development of tech that would intercept enemy missiles, and the project was called “Star Wars”. In 85 there was an earthquake in Mexico that killed 9,000 and Coca Cola made a new Coke! Impressive stuff! What happened in 1984? *another quick Google check* Aids break out. Oh. Oh no.

Plot: Diana Prince lives quietly among mortals in the vibrant, sleek 1980s - an era of excess driven by the pursuit of having it all. Though she's come into her full powers, she maintains a low profile by curating ancient artefacts, and only performing heroic acts incognito. But soon, Diana will have to muster all of her strength, wisdom and courage as she finds herself squaring off against Maxwell Lord and the Cheetah, a villainess who possesses superhuman strength and agility.

After many delays due to COVID once again doing a COVID and messing things up, Warner Bros. finally released Wonder Woman 1984, due to concerns of audiences losing interest in the project. I remember enjoying the first Wonder Woman years ago, and though it didn’t reinvent the superhero genre, as an origin story is was watchable and there were a couple cool action set pieces, such as the notable trench sequence where Diana fights through No Man’s Land and literally all that’s missing is her screeching “GIRL POWER!” everytime she deflected a gun bullet! Anyway, nothing ground-breaking but a decent piece of entertainment. Now we have sequel set in the 80s that plans to go bigger, bolder, grander.....well, you know, the usual sequel stuff. And they have the Mandalorian himself along for the ride, because even Warner Bros. knows that this is the way.

Having watched the film I must say, it is disappointing. Though in reality is it really disappointing? Personally I had hardly any expectations anyway, so it’s not as if my hopes and dreams have been crunched and shattered and thrown into a pit of despair! Wow, that came off as if I am super in denial, which I am not, I promise, okay?? In all seriousness though, the movie is a mess. With a runtime of two and a half hours, the film is filled with pacing issues so much so that I can say I was bored 50% of the time. A lot of it doesn’t make sense, the editing is atrocious and also this baby is filled to the brim with plot holes! So. Many. Plot Holes. For example, right from the start, one of the opening scenes involves Wonder Woman stopping a robbery at a mall. The robbery in itself is botched up. "I'm not going back!" screams one of the criminals, so hey, I'm going to hold this kid over the railing and almost drop her so that I can go to jail for murder. Genius writing there. Anyway, so Diana swoops in, saves the kid obviously, then proceeds to destroy the cameras in the mall as if that will also magically erase the footage that has already been recorded as well as all the witnesses that have seen her show off her bongo-bongo power mojo. So she’s trying to hide her identity and existence a secret, and apparently has been doing so for years, yet all her heroic moments happen in the middle of the public’s eye, so there is no way that she could have stayed confidential all this time. Then again, Superman can put on a pair of cheap glasses and all of a sudden he’s this random fella named Clark Kent, so what do I know? My guess is that the human population in the DC world are stupid and aren’t capable of adding 2 plus 2! Right, onto the next plot hole. So throughout most of the film, it feels like the movie is set in autumn or something along those lines. One of the characters gives food to a homeless person and tells them to stay warm, and also many people passing by are wearing coats and furs. Suddenly at one point there is a firework display and Diana winks to the camera and says “oh look, it’s the Fourth of July!” I’m sorry, last time I checked that date is set in the summer. Why would I know this? Well maybe cause it happens to also be my birthday! Next! So Diana can fly in this movie. How? Or why? I don’t know! Because “GIRL POWER!” I guess? I don’t know, this new superpower comes out of nowhere, yet its not referred to at all in Justice League, which is set many years later. So yeah, sounds like director Patty Jenkins couldn’t give a single flying dollop of poop about continuity. Speaking of random decisions, Wonder Woman’s new golden armor serves absolutely no purpose at the end of the film. She decides to randomly use it one point for no particular reason, and in fact it slowed her down more than anything, after which it was all forgotten about. Look, I can go on forever, this movie is filled with disorganised and erratic plot decisions and it makes zero to no sense!

Visually this film is disappointing too. Taking into account that this is a big budget film from one of the biggest film studios, the special effects in this film are atrocious. The green screen is so obvious and the CGI sets are clearly fake. Diana spends a lot of the film doing jumps and then floating in a very peculiar way in the sky, and it looks laughably bad. Even the 80′s setting doesn’t feel quite right. Yes, the costumes are somewhat okay, but the atmosphere is off and it seems the director’s opinion of the 80s is that everyone needs to act like a caricature.

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is okay. Look, Gadot seems like a very lovely and earnest person in real life, and her face is indeed very likeable, but I still haven’t seen her give a good performance. It’s the typical pretty Hollywood face, and you can tell she’s trying her hardest, but I can never properly buy her as this female superhero pop culture icon. Chris Pine returns even though he died in the first one. Look, the way he’s brought back is a bit strange, however I did actually like seeing Pine in the movie, as he was one of the best parts of the first film, and he brings that same charm and charisma in this one, now with the added factor of being the fish out of water. And to be honest, his presence actually does provide the movie with some needed emotional heft, as it explores the ideas of having to get over someone you’ve lost and learning to accept it and move on. In terms of villains, there are two in this movie. Kristin Wiig as Cheetah feels very shoehorned in and is mainly there to have Diana fight someone at the end of the film. Kristen Wiig does her part, however the character is written really badly, and her development into becoming a villain comes off as rushed and cheap. On the other hand Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord is actually not bad. He’s not the typical superpowered baddie, he’s actually a normal human being, and even though, again, there are some inconsistencies with his character, Pascal brings enough swagger and panache to the role. And I’m sure he actually enjoyed playing a role where you can actually see his face.

As a whole, Wonder Woman 1984 is a mess. There are some good moments, but generally this is a very disjointed movie that doesn’t make sense and is extremely chaotic. Also, the entire thing is really boring. I’d say if you want more of an organised and wholesome movie, check out Disney Pixar’s new animation Soul! Or The Mandalorian with Pedro Pascal, as indeed... this is the way.

Overall score: 3/10

[swearwolf-writes]

Teen Wolf 2020

it’s 2020 and corona is a bitch :) the wolves might not be able to get sick but they still wear their masks bcs they could still be carriers so *clears throat* WEAR YOUR MASKS Y’ALL!! this is very much a no one dies/everybody lives au :)

[CROSSPOSTED ON: AO3]

Scott McCall - age 26

this cute nerd. he studied veterinary medicine which takes about 4 years so he graduated in 2017 and works as Deaton’s partner at the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic. he’s dating Isaac (bcs he came back from France with Argent, remember) and Kira (she came back from the Skinwalkers in 2019 and has a proper grasp on her powers). sorry scalia shippers but it’s not really my thing-

Stiles Stilinski - age 26

NERD. anywho- FBI dork became an agent in 2019 whoo and lives in DC with Lydia, Derek and Braeden. he’s dating Lydia and Derek and things are pretty chill - he yells at arseholes who refuse to wear their masks bcs ‘it’s uncomfortable :(’ like bite me karen no one cares

Derek Hale - age 32

grumpy sourwolf actually knows how to smile!! who knew- he lives in DC with Stiles, Lydia and Braeden most of the time but he and Braeden travel often to fight butthead hunters who need to mind their own business. he’s dating Stiles and he and Braeden are engaged - it’s cute and they’re being dorks about it. he likes to complain that they’d be married by now if it wasn’t for freakin covid

Lydia Martin - age 26

your local genius banshee~ 🥰 still awesome, still a harbinger of death - so yk, the usual. bcs she had extra credits she started as a junior studying maths and graduates in 2016!! 🎉🎉 she moved to DC after she got some money together while working as a tutor - the quartet splits rent (but usually it’s just Stiles and Lydia splitting it bcs the other two don’t technically have jobs and yk Derek is an unsub and Stiles is in the FBI which Lydia finds hilarious). she teaches adults in the local community college and helps supernatural folk on the dl - she runs a grief counselling service at the same place for people who’ve lost someone. she’s also trying to get a degree to become a high school maths teacher and it’s a lot but she’s got it handled.

Allison Argent - 24

accidentally brought back from the dead by the Dread Doctors. everyone could not stop crying bcs she’s back baby!! she died in 2011 age 17 and came back in 2012 so she wasn’t dead long thankfully - wanted to kill Theo bcs he messed with her pack even he did bring her back. she’s a chimera now lads- she needed a kidney transplant when she was young which was why she was kept away from the family business. she was a werewolf-werejaguar chimera like Hayden but stayed a chimera. Chris and Isaac stayed home and bcs she and Isaac never actually broke up, they kept dating - she found it funny that Isaac and Scott were dating at this point,, meanwhile they were panicking wildly :) she went back to school and said she wasn’t dead, just in the hospital for a really long time. she joined Liam’s year and again, wanted to very badly throw hands when she found out about Monroe- she’s the coolest, like she has claws and bow and arrows

Malia Tate - 26

our girl went to France as promised and hooked up with plenty of hot French people *le eyebrow wiggle* she found her beau there in France and it was not a love at first sight sort of thing - she wanted to punch them in the face,, in their very pretty face- she was basically doing her own thing when she smells them, another bloody werewolf and like don’t get me wrong, she’s fond of werewolves, but bloody hell do they cause trouble. and they smell her too and it’s like ‘eh-?’ bcs werecoyotes aren’t so common as werewolves. and they’re just there in a club in Bordeaux and they’re sniffed each other out and they kinda just pause like huh- bcs they were were not expecting to see someone that pretty- but that’s not the point of course- they pretend to leave together and as soon as they’re out of sight from humans, they start fighting in an alley, as you do. it ends up with the wolf tasting the wall bcs who the hell are you- once they figure out they’re both just there to party, things chill and they see more of each other, naturally, it’s all just a big coincidence and doesn’t mean anything. and then they’re dancing and it doesn’t mean anything. and then they’re sleeping together and it doesn’t mean anything. except it does. and they don’t know when it became normal to cuddle or wake up together or have breakfast together but it just was. and when the cute werewolf (who I still don’t have a name for-) plans on moving to the next place, she comes with. the pack are happy for her and they usually road trip from place to place so when the pack comes to visit in Prague? it’s fun to say the least

Kira Yukimura - age 25

she came back from the Skinwalkers in 2019 and she and Allison became good friends. she kept going with school from home and is dating Scott. her powers are strong and when she sneezes bcs yk pollen or wtv, there’s sparks and it’s hilarious and Scott finds it adorable. she doesn’t really know what she wants to do yet and that’s cool of her

Erica Reyes - age 25

they thought she was dead- think again bitch, she slowed her heart rate down so they couldn’t hear and everyone thought she was dead - when the alpha pack got rid of her body and Allison found it, she told her to tell the others to pretend she was dead bcs of the Alpha pack - they beat the Alpha pack but she and Boyd hid with Satomi’s pack while that went down and helped generally after. she kept going with school and bcs she dipped for a while, ended in Liam’s year and eventually became a nurse in 2017. she works with Melissa McCall and joins for family dinner a lot.

Isaac Lahey - age 25

went to France with Chris Argent but kept going with his studies at Chris’ insistence. was dating dating Scott before he had to leave with Chris but they didn’t actually break up,, it was more ‘i’ll miss you :(’. came back to Beacon Hills when Chris came to help with the deadpool business and stayed bcs of Allison and Scott 💞 his studies were mostly uninterrupted and he studied law, becoming a lawyer in 2020!! so at least one good thing came of this infernal year- he wants to specialise in family law.

Vernon Boyd III - age 26

yea no, Derek didn’t mercy kill him bcs he was fine :) de nile ain’t just a river lads he went into hiding with Satomi’s pack and came back when the Alpha pack was dealt with. went back to school and ended up in Liam’s year. he joined the air force when he was 18 and finished his rotc training stuff in 2018 and it’s pretty alright - he’s a pilot but was discharged in 2019 bcs someone started with him and bcs they were a superior, he couldn’t say shit. so now he likes to wear ‘fuck the army’ and ‘fuck the air force’ shirt. he has mad respect for the people out there but the people in charge? fuck em

Aiden Steiner - age 27

he lives bitches 😎 Ethan had a silver chain on so he plugged the wound with it - it counteracted the oni poison and the chain started melting into the would (he had mild silver poisoning but he was fine). school was normal and now he’s an engineer, living in Beacon Hills. he and Ethan left for London for a while bcs that town was crazy af. while Ethan was very happy there, he missed home so went back. he got an online ordination and learnt Japanese bcs why not

Ethan Steiner-Whittemore - age 27

got married!! whoo 🎉🎉 Aiden officiated (this is 2018 btw) and it was cute. the whole pack was there and the wedding was in London bcs as quaint as Beacon Hills is 

‘i’m only planning on getting married once so this is gonna be awesome’ - Jackson Whittemore, 2017

he’s dramatic but yk Ethan was a blushing mess bcs ~life partners~ he’s soft y’all. he’s a primary school teacher in London and they’re part of the South London pack.

Jackson Steiner-Whittemore - age 25

also got married!! whoo 🎉🎉 ngl he’s lowkey a trophey husband/sugar hubby bcs he’s rich af - he does business with his dad but it’s not a big workload. he and Aiden want to adopt and yk being rich will hopefully help

Theo Raeken - age 25

ah yes, the absolute nightmare bi enby returns. (i hc him with he/they pronouns ✌🏽 as you do) so he successfully gained Scott’s trust and is part of the pack - yay! he and Allison have a sort of ‘you’re a bitch’ ‘no u’ *saves each others lives* relationship at this point - it took a while for Allison to warm up to him but he did save Liam’s butt several times so,, anywho, he’s still a werewolf-werecoyote chimera and he’s cool with it. he went to an online school and got his high school diploma - Liam then snuck him into the school and he signed the bookshelf bcs yea he didn’t graduate there but he did go there and now he’s graduated so yay. speaking of, he and Liam are dating, yea ik we been knew. they started dating in 2014 and Theo now works waiting tables at a local restaurants bcs he lives with Liam and his parents (you best bet that when they found out he was living in his car, they made him move in so he pays rent, not at their request but his). that was till 2017 and they moved out into an apartment together. Theo chips in on rent but it usually ends up being split 60:40 (Liam: Theo) so he cooks and cleans a lot,,, mainly bcs Liam can’t cook and does laundry like a maniac-

Liam Dunbar - age 24

this werepup is just as chaotic as always - he cannot be trusted with laundry bcs he doesn’t split colours from whites :) honestly it makes me wanna cry a lil bcs he can’t even fry eggs either- he has Theo to cook for him tho so that’s all good. he’s a history tutor for the high school students bcs he likes history and he knows the pain of high school- *shudder* he got an online Spanish and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) degree and is now teaching at Beacon Hills High but yk his first year teaching is all online bcs 2020-

Mason Hewitt - age 23

he’s Emissary to the pack when they don’t have Deaton *wipes tear* he’s all grown up- he went to UCLA and majored in biophysics and minored in LGBTQ studies (graduated 2017). he lived on campus (kept the bat next to his bed lmao) and videochatted with Liam almost everyday - he would visit almost every weekend even tho it’s a 6 and half drive but hey. he got an apartment near the uni where he and Corey lived after he graduated. they’ve been engaged since 2018 (it was actually the day after the Steiner-Whittemore wedding). he’s helping work on a new drug delivery system and they moved closer to Beacon Hills (Sacramento)

Corey Bryant - age 24

he also went UCLA, studying comparative literature and LGBTQ studies, and lived on campus (for 3 years before moving in with Mason in 2017) before graduating in 2018. they’re engaged and moved to Sacramento. he’s writing a novel that will thankfully have nothing to do with their confusing ass lives

Cora Hale - age 28

lesbian queen *bows* still part of her pack in Ecuador, South America - she’s got a lady lover who I call Rosa (affectionately nicknamed Rosalita). they met when she first got there age 12 (Rosa being 13 at the time). Rosa taught her Spanish  and made her feel like part of the pack - after all the Alpha pack stuff, when she went back with Derek and Peter, she didn’t realise how much she’d missed them- how much she’d missed her. Derek asks if that’s her girlfriend and she’s like ‘wha- o.o’ and Rosa just goes ‘yup - nice to finally meet you guys’. she still visits DC to see Derek and Beacon Hills to see Erica and Isaac. even tho she lives in a different continent, Peter still looks out for her, sending anonymous donations in Talia’s name to the areas surrounding her pack’s territory

Brett Talbot - 24

*singsongs* ~he did not die~ the car swerved out of the way and the pack took him to Deaton who burnt the poison out of him (it was a long and painful process but he’s fine y’all). he’s the new lacrosse coach at Devenford Prep and he and Liam have a (mostly) friendly rivalry :) he’s a single pringle not bcs of lack of dates but just bcs he hasn’t found the one yet

Lorilee Rohr - age 22

also did not die :) she finished high school (2015) and went on to studying at UC Berkeley (art practice and theatre and performance studies, major and minor), graduating in 2018. she and Brett moved once he reached age 18. she makes and sells art from home

Nolan Holloway - age 25

after proving himself, same as Theo, he was eventually accepted into the pack. he and Gabe were dating and that’s that so he did mourn him for a long while. he works with hunters on the dl, trying to stop them hunting the supernaturals - he’s flipped 23 away from the dark side by 2020. he and Liam are friends which took a while but Nolan has his back (like there was that one time someone from the lacrosse team said they weren’t gonna ‘follow some mongrel’ so he reminded them that Liam was co-captain and if they didn’t wanna follow him, they could kindly fuck off :)) he’s a simp and has a raging crush on Brett like me too bruh

~the end~ for now