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house-of-slayterr · 2 years ago

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Rorschach's Journal: Ink Blot Meet Cute Pt. 2

Tag: @rorschach-thumbtack

Tw: Gore and suicide

Rorschach's POV:

The streets were stained with blood... his blood. The comedian was dead. Edward Blake. an old friend, was reduced to nothing more than a memory, blasted in the headlines. Many people had wanted him dead, that was certain. The list would be exhausting, but at least I had a lead, I had the kid.

There was always a chance they were lying to me, trying to save their skin. But I'd witnessed Eddie mow down a pregnant woman in his anger, there was no way they could have taken him, not alone at least. I'd be looking at a very different blood stain if that was the case.

I adjusted my trench coat, pulling it closer to my body. As I lept down from the roof, I heard some footsteps in the ally behind me. But I knew those footsteps anywhere, his costume was distinct in both look and sound. Nite Owl.

"What are you doing here Rorschach?" Dan's voice came out distorted behind his mask.

"Assuring we arent next on the hit list. You may have moved on, but despite his faults, Eddie deserves better."

"There was no foul play."

"You don't know that. Leave me to do what needs to be done Daniel, I won't ask you again."

Daniel sighed heavily.

"At least tell me why you're watching some girl's apartment."

I groaned, my eye twitching behind my mask, before finally turning to address my friend.

"They are not, 'some girl' Nite Owl, they are integral to my investigation."

"Well do they know this?"

"Yes, I- we have a date."

"Surprised you a get a date when you never take off that mask." He jeered.

"You know what I meant. They have the information I need, I decided to get it the none-lethal way this time. No point in snuffing out a flame that has potential."

"So she's a flame now?"

I groaned once more. Why is it that he always took pleasure in misinterpreting my words?

"And what about Silk Spectre? Is she just a flame to you?" I dodged his question with my own.

"It's not like that."

"Have fun explaining that to Dr Mannhatten. You know how reasonable he is." I dared.

He shifted awkwardly. I looked back up toward the apartment. It was in a bad spot of town, though I suppose there weren't many good places left to live in this city. Their light was now on in the window. Up on the tenth floor, foolishly thinking they're hidden from any wandering eyes.

They were changing, we could both see it clear as day... well, night. But luckily it was only in silhouette. I had the wear with all to look away, but it seems Dan needed a gentle reminder in privity. I slapped him across the face, gaining his attention.

"I do hope you treat Spectre with more care than that." I scolded.

He chuckled awkwardly.

"Always the gentleman."

An inside joke, The kind you only get when you spend years hanging around the same miscreants. Nite Owl began to walk away but gave one closing statement.

"Let me know how your loose end ties up."

I made my way up several flights of stairs. I had to do this the proper way, callous and quick methods were not proper protocol in this instance. I took a breath before knocking on their door.

"Just a minute!" They called.

I adjusted my collar, as well as fixed my mask. I heard several bolts unlock.

"Smart," I thought.

They opened the door with haste, their hair dropped lazily in front of their face, blocking half of it from view.

"Your early,"

It seemed less of a question.

"Early is on-time in my line of work."

A small smirk broke on their face, as they brushed the hair from their eyes finally.

"Please, come in"

They stepped aside, allowing me to enter. They quickly shut the door, locking each bolt behind us. I watched as they walked into their kitchen.

"Tea? Water?"

I smirked under my mask. How charming. But I could see through their rouse.

"You aren't going to see my face if that's what you're after. Very few people who have are still breathing."

“That wasn’t what I- forget it. I’ll drop the hospitality bit. Photos and tapes are on the table. Anything else I can fill you in verbally from what I remember.”

It was curious, they had no interest in knowing who I was, unlike so many people before them. They poured some tea for themselves and came to stand beside the couch. I watched them carefully.

“This is everything?”

“Yeah, couldn’t get any close ups obviously. Can’t afford the best equipment either.”

I frowned. It was good work for what they had to work with. I couldn’t definitely use these.

“Look, I’m glad you came to me Kid.”

“Correction, you came to me, if we’re talking technicalities. And I thought we agreed you’d stop calling me that.”

I chuckled slightly. They really were odd. Most people were terrified in my presence. I shrugged. They sipped they’re tea carefully.

“I think he knew he was going to die.” They spoke softly, almost like they were scared to say it to loud.

“What do you mean?”

They sighed, finally sitting on the couch next to me:

“I’ve been following him for weeks. But that day, at the dinner, he acted different. He was still a dick, but he actually apologised to the waitress that day. He sold a bunch of shit at the pawn shop down the street. He didn’t even bother to lock the door when he want home. Whoever attacked him, he knew they were coming.”

They had keen observation skills. More than I gave them credit for. I heard a strangled breath leave their throat.

“God, I should have stopped it. All the sighs were there I just didn’t want to read them. He’d still be alive if I just-“

I cut them off, placing my hand over their mouth. A little harsh, but I wasn’t the best at calming people down.

“This wasn’t your fault. Edward made a lot of enemies, it was bound to happen eventually… to any of us.”

“But it is fair Rory, none of this is fair.”

“Rory?” I questioned.

They pulled back, looking embarrassed.

“Sorry, your full names kind of a mouthful.”

“Nobodies ever given me a nickname before. You know, other than the usual Psycho, Crazy Dick…”

They laughed, a bright and cheerful laugh. No sign of pity in it. It sounded nice. Like the only source of joy in this cold, stoic place. They couldn’t see me smile, and I don’t know if I was half about that or not. I couldn’t risk being vulnerable, not now, not ever.

“I don’t think I stated it, but I really am sorry for your loss. I may have hated the guy, so did half the world; but he was your friend. Asshole it not he didn’t deserve to go out the way he did.”

It was cute really, their attempt to comfort me. I patted their back lightly.

“Thanks.”

Suddenly the phone ring, and I swore I saw them jump out of their skin. Some hot tea spilt onto their thigh and they hissed. I watched them stumble over thee couch and run toward the phone.

“Hello?” They asked.

Whoever was on the other line must not have been very friendly, because their face palmed significantly.

“Put it on speak.” I demanded lowly.

I couldn’t help my tone. I wasn’t upset with them, of course not, but whoever was calling had no right to make them this scared.

“I wanted those photos on my desk yesterday.”

“I know sir! There’s been a de-“

“Don’t interrupt me you little bitch. When I ask for something, it gets done. And now your over 24 hours late. Do you wanna know what happens when I don’t get what I want?”

“You throw a tantrum.” They said, just above a whisper.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!”

“I’d keep your mouth shut and eyes open if I were you little girl. I’ll get my hand on those photos, one way or another. Nobody betrays me and gets away with it!”

Then the line went dead. They dropped the phone and backed up until their spine hit the counter. The sound was harsh against the abrupt silence, I knew it had to have hurt. They started hyperventilating. I was no good with this shit.

I took a step forward, but stopped when they flinched.

“I shouldn’t have taken that job. I should have just kept my head down, like my father said.”

“You didn’t know.”

“Nobody who’s doing something legal pays that much for photos! Not even rich assholes like him. This is my fault.”

“He would’ve paid someone else to get those photos. You’re boss is the crook, not you.”

I took another step forward and they didn’t flinch this time. I took that as a sign.

“I should have at least called the the cops. But I-“

“Stop.”

“Edward was a dead man, despite your efforts. There was nothing you could do. But these photos, your memories, are gonna help me find who did this. To find justice.”

“There is no justice Rorschach, not in life, and certainly not in death!“

This seemed almost personal now. Like they were talking about something else, someone else.

“I should have seen the signs Rory. My boss, his Initials, that insignia, they were all that were left the day my father disappeared. Now I know what happened to him.”

“Why would he want your father dead?”

Insensitive, I know. But I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“He was a Hero too. But like Edward, he made mistakes in life. He pissed of the wrong people.”

There was a knock at the door, and they jump again, this time letting out a yelp in surprise. I shushed them, telling them to stay put. As I made my way over to the door, something was shoved through the mail slot.

I picked up the envelope slowly, inspecting it. It could be laced with anthrax, but my mask could protect me from that. I heard footsteps approach from behind. I put my hand back, telling them to stop again.

“What is it?”

“Just some mail.”

“The mail man doesn’t come this time of night.” They said suspiciously.

“I know.”

I opened it carefully, no white powder. But that didn’t mean it was safe. There was no address on it, which means it was hand delivered. Someone wanted them to get this message. There were photos inside. I got so caught up In reviewing the photos that I didn’t hear them approach until it was too late. They let out a scream.

The photos were gory, that was sure. The man isn’t he photo was missing most of his fingers, his jaw ripped clean off, and both eyes cut out. He had long gashes scattered across his flesh. His arms were bent at an unusual angle, caught up in the ropes he was tied to the ceiling by. It looked like his foot had been smashed beyond repair. But there was something even more unsettling about this.

Each photo he was moved slightly. He was still alive when these were taken. I turned to see them on the floor, sobbing violently. I cringed as they began to dry heave. I set the photos down on the coffee table and knelt beside them, holding their hair out of the way as they puked. I rubbed gentle circles on their back. I didn’t know what to say.

“I’m sorry.” I finally decided upon. It was simple, but honest.

“Why are you apologising, you didn’t do this. They did!” They spat harshly.

They pushed me off them, and got up off the floor. Their legs were a little shaky but they caught themselves on the wall.

“I should have never made this deal with you!” They screamed.

I bit my lip. I’d never seen someone display such raw emotion in front of me. It didn’t feel nice to witness. I never wanted to feel the way they did right now.

“Do you really think anything would have changed?” I sighed.

“What?”

“The people you’re working for, you said it yourself, they aren’t good people. They were just waiting-“

“For me to fuck up! Which I did! If I had known my father was alive this whole time. I wouldn’t have given up, I would have kept searching every inch of this God Damn city until it killed me! I would have done anything to bring him home. Then maybe my mother wouldn’t have killed herself! Maybe I wouldn’t be the useless orphan I am right now!”

“You’re not useless”

“Yeah, tell that to your dead comrade! Go ask my father! Oh wait, you can’t. Because they’re both dead and I’m still here, fucking things up for everyone else. You know what? Maybe you should leave, cause you’re probably next. Everyone I interact with winds up dead.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. I couldn’t leave them. Not in this state, not when they could do something they might regret. Guilt was a powerful emotion, one I’d witnessed many of my team mates exhibit. It could eat you alive if you weren’t carful. I stepped toward them once more, but this time their step back was more deliberate, like a warning.

“I’m serious Rorschach, I’m not good for you!”

“I can protect myself… I can’t protect you.”

“And why would you do that? Huh? Did you fucking hit your head on your way here? You didn’t even know who I was 36 hours ago. And now you’re making promises you can’t fucking keep. I mean nothing to you, you got what you came here for, now get the fuck out of my apartment.”

I took another step.

“Get out!” They screamed, the sound tearing through their throat.

Another step.

Their wasn’t much further for them to go. I wrapped my arms around them, watching as they thrashed around struggling. I ignored the little hits and kicks they landed on me. There was power behind them, they would surly bruise but I could handle it.

“Put me down!” They begged.

I just held them tighter, not saying anything. After a few minutes they settled in my arms.

“You done throwing your little tantrum now?”

They huffed.

“You really know how to make someone feel cared for, Jackass.” They jeered.

“I’m new to this. Just like you’re new to my world. But now, you’re unfortunately stuck in it. These people aren’t gonna stop until you’re dead, and the everyone’s of my friends death goes away with you.”

“Then what do you propose?”

They turned in my arms, now facing toward me. Our faces were so close, I could feel the fan of their heated breath on my mask.

“We do this together. For Eddie, for your father.”

“Together?” They raised a brow at me.

I nodded, finally letting them go. The distance felt lonely now. But I welcomed it, it’s what I deserved. Someone like them didn’t belong with someone like me. We’d part ways when this mission was over, when they were safe.

“Lets kill those sons of bitches!” They declared.

AN: Tell me why I loved making Nite Owl seem mood villainous in this. Like, imagine he's on Ozmantium's side! Also awe, Rorschach melted my heart in this. I’ll for sure write a part 3 when I have time. I’m really enjoying this!

#rorschach #rorschach x reader #watchmen x reader #watch men #silk spectre #nite owl #nite owl ii #dc comics #dc comics x reader

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mleelunsford · 3 years ago

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Darkstalkers Redesign Thoughts Part 1 &2

Some people mentioned they wanted to hear my thoughts on the Darkstalkers redesigns I’ve done. So here’s a write-up for the first two sets! Let’s tackle them in order from left to right.

Set 1: Click Here to see the full image

Hsien-Ko: Probably my favorite Darkstalker, so I didn’t want to change her too much, just bring out more of her personality to the way she dresses. Still giving her something like the traditional look, but making it a little more stylish. I also gave her some modern pants and sneakers, based entirely on my memories of the English dub of the OVA where I believe she called a group of monsters “a bunch of dweebs” which makes me laugh. I also gave her spiked wrist bands as a nod to her and Chun-Li sharing a VO.

Lord Raptor: Another one I already liked, and I’m a big fan of the punk style and music myself. I just made him a bit more boney and spikey, switched his hair to a mohawk for some added uniqueness amongst the cast, and gave him a kilt-like thing made out of damaged British flags instead of the patch on his pants to make it look a bit more like rebellion than patriotism, as he’s actually Australian.

Donovan: This one needed a bit of an overhaul, in my opinion. Personally, I always thought Donovan looked like the fun police amongst all the wacky characters, and also a bit like Dan from Street Fighter became a monk. So my first task was just to make him look hot, that’s an easy way to keep him no-nonsense but still a little fun. I also took away a lot of his toys, he’s a dhampir who became a monk to steady his mind and also has ghosts haunting him and a evil sword and also he’s protecting a scary little girl, too many hats. I think he’s much cooler with just the first part. He’s a monk, he’s a dhampir, he struggles with his inner demons, I gave him one glow-y eye to represent that. I also referenced some middle-eastern dancers to give his costume a bit more motion.

Anita: Hey remember when Anita was in Marvel Super Heroes as a secret playable character and she had Donovan’s sword? Let’s just do that. Give Anita all the unnecessary things Donovan had and make her a spooky little girl fighter with a big demon sword. I didn’t do too much design on my own for her, I just mixed together the designs for her younger form people have seen a lot of, and an older version of her they briefly had show up in one of the games.

Set 2: Click Here to see the full image

B.B. Hood: In the original, the design is meant to be cute and innocent looking for the fun juxtaposition of when she starts pulling out guns and grenades, and it’s great. But for a redesign, if I wanted to do that, I’d just keep using the original design, it’s fine as is! So to make this a bit more fun for myself, I aged her up a little bit and tried to mash both traits together. Where if she covered up with her cloak entirely she could be mistaken for a young innocent girl, but is secretly a madwoman underneath. Lots of places to hide weapons and tools, her cloak is lined with holsters that could hold many things, inspired by Maryl Stryfe from Trigun.

Anakaris: This one was fairly simple, I just wanted to inject a tiny bit more realism into him and make his ability to split apart more apparent. I’m no expert on ancient Egypt, so I pulled some stuff I found on a quick google image search and some movies which are probably not historically accurate, sorry. I hope that I at least made the giant mummy man visibly tell a story.

Rikuo: Originally a green naked muscly fish man. He’s apparently a king? I gave him some clothing and accessories to try and represent his royalty a bit more without overdoing it. I also added some ridges to his head to make him look slightly less human. Lastly I split his backfins into two sections: one on his back, and one on his head. I wanted to make his neck a bit more maneuverable, I think the one large fin made him feel a bit stiff. I also referenced Olympic swimmers for his body instead of just generic muscles. And I had a few pictures of Prince Sidon from Zelda up for inspiration.

Sasquatch: I genuinely did not know what to do with Sasquatch at first, he’s just a giant fluffy friend and that’s good enough. I ended up giving less focus to muscles and more on the giant ball of fluff. I removed the shackles from his feet because why would you do that to him, leave Sasquatch alone. I also changed the one thing that actually bothered me about the original with the brown balls of fur in his chest, I just made it into one big belly patch.

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suppenzeit · 2 years ago

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BVs costume is pretty decent, actually: the post

Disclaimer: I'm not actually a professional, but I do like to think I'm not completely clueless. Also, I haven't written analysis like this in literal years.

Anyway, analysis below the cut

Some notes about his color:

-The color of his costume is a really good question. Depending on the lighting he can look purple or blue or even black. Color picking a neutral value in neutral lighting puts his base color right in the middle of blue and purple.

-However, I like him being blue more, so I’ll refer to him as blue.

-It really doesn’t matter though, as his base color really is best described as either a bluish-purple or a purplish-blue.

Anyway, let's get right into the analysis.

Overall, the goal of changing BVs design was to make him look more like a smooth talking gangster, and all of my points are about how his design achieves this goal. I’m not here to compare him to CBs costume, they’re trying to communicate totally different things, and comparing them wouldn’t really achieve much. (But just fyi, CBs costume really is just, *chefs kiss*, perfect little clown boy)

His color really is the most obvious thing about him. For a red caboose he sure doesn’t have a lot of red. Sure, but the change in base color is just strengthening his personality. The darker color makes him stand out less, fitting his more shady personality, and the blue makes sure that his red pieces and pinstripes still pop.

See how the stripes pop against the blue better compared to the red, even though they’re the same value?

And the stripes. The stripes have gone from just representing wood panels, to looking more like actual pinstripes, with the dark base and lighter stripes. This reinforces the idea that he’s more of a gangster, more specifically the smooth talking kind.

The red in the red caboose is now mainly limited to his hat, shoulder pieces, chest piece, gloves and shoes. Most of his red being near his face guides the eyes towards it, making his face stand out even without flashy makeup. His gloves and shoes could have been black, but I think them being red brings a nice balance (and his red shoes do look rather dapper!).

The shoulder pieces don’t resemble a caboose shape in the slightest, but Starlight Express isn’t too concerned with accuracy to real life. And neither am I, as long as it serves a good purpose. Trapezoidal shoulder pieces are sleek, and remind me of the padded shoulders of certain zoot suits, once again reinforcing the gangster theme. And, from the back, especially at an angle, the pieces form a sleek caboose shape.

His hat can look a bit goofy I admit, but it does heavily depend on who is wearing it. Dan has a tendency to pull it down a bit too much, with no skew (though this could possibly be just his hat not fitting too well because it’s damaged). Thankfully most other actors wear it better, making the hat look less goofy.

(L -> R: Dan Ellison, Gary Sheridan, Tom Nihill, Kai Cameron-Jay and Darius James)

And still speaking about the hat, while the shape isn't quite like a regular caboose cupola, it is pretty close to a more tapered design seen in some Pennsylvania Railroad cabooses!

Now, for some actual complaints.

-His design is actually a bit empty? I wish he had something more going on, but I have no idea what you could even add.

-His chestpiece looks kinda goofy ngl. But again, I’m not sure what could replace it. A chest box perhaps? Though I have my own personal reasons for not wanting him to have one…

-I wish he had some more silver in him. Perhaps some necklaces attached to his scarf?

-Speaking of, the scarf doesn’t quite fit the theme. Maybe making the costume look more like a suit and making the scarf a high collar instead could work? That’s something for me to ponder about later...

And I think I’ve ran out of juice! Thank you for reading this quick analysis of his costume! Discussion, comments and questions are welcome :)

#stex #starlight express #bv the brake van

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labyrinth-runner · 4 years ago

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Doc Holiday

A Dan Torrance x Reader Holiday fanfic. Gif, not mine. From here. And its from A Long Way Up if I remember correctly.

Word Count: ~2400

Warnings: None. Pure holiday fluff.

The holidays were always a hard time at the Helen Rivington House. Weather depending, some of the residents would have visitors, but many of them were left here alone.

I guess the most wonderful time of the year would be ruined by the sound of grandpa’s labored breathing, or grandma’s coughing, you thought sadly as you closed your shop across the way.

You wanted to do something for the residents. After all, just because their family had forgotten them didn’t mean that you would. That was how you got the idea for your weekend plans. You had a surplus of holiday decor in the back of the shop left over from the previous owner. You’d thought it was a little silly to go all out with the bookstore, especially since you found business to be a little harder these days. Still, you hadn’t had the heart to get rid of them. Now you were grateful for that decision.

The next day, you went to the Rivington House, dragging a wagon full of supplies behind you. The nurse on duty gave you an odd look.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“I had some extra supplies and was wondering if I could decorate in here for the holidays?” you asked hopefully, bouncing slightly on your feet.

A warm smile grew on her face, “Oh, they’ll love that. We’re a little short on staff today, though, so you’ll be decorating on your own.”

“That’s okay,” you said with a small smile. “Just means I can be a perfectionist.”

She chuckled softly, holding the door to the living room open for you. The room wasn’t much, but it would do. Looking over at the few residents in the room, you could see them glancing at you with interest.

“Whatcha got there, youngin’?” an old man asked.

“Holiday decorations,” you blushed before digging around in one of your boxes. “Would you be willing to help make some of the decorations for me?”

“I’m not sure it’ll be any good,” he said, looking down at his hands. “Arthritis is a bitch.” He looked up at you. “Don’t get old.”

You smiled softly at him before placing some stockings and fabric paint on the table. “It’s the thought that counts. It doesn’t have to look like it belongs at Macy’s. I just thought it would be nice to make stockings for the staff.”

“That I can do,” he said, taking a bottle of green paint from your supplies.

You nodded before turning back to the room, turning on some holiday music on your phone. Eventually, you found yourself digging around in your boxes to assemble the Christmas tree after putting up a Menorah on one of the tables.

A small chuckle breezed through your lips. You hadn’t assembled a Christmas tree in years, you realized as you fluffed out the branches. Soon, it was ready for the ornaments. You passed some out to the residents to hang wherever they saw fit as you went to get a ladder from the broom closet so that you could put the star on the top when you were done.

Placing the ladder against the wall you realized just how rickety it was. The rungs creaked with every step, much to your chagrin. You were so close to the top that you couldn’t possibly give up now. Leaning over, you tried to reach the top of the tree, causing the ladder to wobble as you leaned further than it was able to handle.

It happened in slow motion.

Your hand triumphantly placed the star on the top of the tree.

Then, you started to tilt backwards away from the wall. Your eyes widened in horror as you realized what was about to happen. Scrunching them shut, you braced for an impact with the floor that never came.

Instead, you found yourself in a strong pair of arms.

“Are you alright?” your savior asked.

Opening your eyes, you realized who it was. If you had been so inclined to write a letter to Santa this year, you would have asked for this man to be under your tree. His blue eyes were more beautiful than any of the ornaments on the tree, and here in his arms was warmer than any fire place you could sit in front of. You’d fallen for him long ago, but every day you were reminded of exactly why you had. Now, if only the feeling was mutual, you thought.

"I’m alright. I can think of worse people to fall for,” you blushed, realizing what you said and stammered out a quick, “I mean fall on. Worse people to fall on.”

The man smiled down at you, the corner of his eyes crinkling at the action. “You should be more careful. There’s a reason why that ladder was in the closet,” he said warmly as he placed you back down on your own two feet.

“The residents said-”

“The residents don’t always have the most accurate information,” he said softly.

“I heard that, Doc!” the man working on the stockings grumbled.

“Oh, yeah, Charlie? Good. It was directed at you,” he teased, coming over to inspect what he was working on.

“Well, looks like you’re getting coal in your stocking,” Charlie belly-laughed. “Aren’t you awake a little early, Danny boy?”

Dan shrugged, locking eyes with you, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, “Couldn’t sleep when I heard all the commotion downstairs.”

Part of you wondered if he knew who you were. The town was small enough, that surely he had heard about you. But, did he know who you were to him? Did he know you were the one that left him little unsigned letters here and there? If his gift was as powerful as you’d heard it was, then he surely knew it was you, and yet he didn’t betray that knowledge ever.

“Doc, do me a favor and hang this on the fireplace, would ya?” Charlie asked, passing him the stocking. It had Dan’s name spelled in the squiggly letters of an unsure hand along the top and a well-intentioned candy cane on the actual sock.

“Sure, Charlie,” Dan said, patting his shoulder before hanging it next to the others in a row. He stepped back to admire the room. “Well, I think it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in this place.”

“You know what would make it more like Christmas?” you asked softly.

“What?” he asked with a look of amusement, turning to face you.

You gestured for him to bend slightly to give you his ear. “You know, I’ve got a Santa suit and presents back at the shop,” you whispered in his ear.

“Really?” he asked with a wide grin.

“Yeah. Want to help?” you asked nervously, rocking on your feet again.

“I’d love to. But, what about the rest of your decorations?”

“We can handle that,” Charlie said, teetering over towards the boxes on unsteady feet.

You and Dan shared a look.

“I’ll supervise,” one of the nurses quickly said.

Dan gave her an appreciative nod before following you back to the shop.

He looked around the stacks of books as you went to fetch the re-shelf cart.

“It’s kind of you to do this,” Dan commented as he lazily perused the stacks.

You blushed, back towards him as you set the cart nearby. “I just think everyone should have a present on Christmas,” you murmured before turning. “Now, tell me what everyone is into and I’ll pull a book. I’ve got gift bags in the back that we can put them in afterwards.”

Dan closed his eyes, thinking about his residents. “Delilah loves romance novels. She’s always watching the Hallmark channel. Robert is into submarines. He used to build them after getting back from World War Two. Lily likes to learn about different religions.”

You dug through the racks, puling books here and there, “And Charlie?”

A small chuckle breezed through his lips, “Charlie likes books on the Civil War. He was a re-enactor in the day.”

“Did New Hampshire have a lot fo battles?” you asked in amusement as you stretched up to reach the book you had in mind. It was barely in your reach.

“No, but he used to travel a lot to be a part of them,” he replied, coming up behind you to take it down.

You turned slightly, noticing just how close you were. Swallowing a nervous lump, you murmured, “You know your residents really well.”

His eyes trailed your face, settling briefly on your lips before flicking back up to your eyes, “When you care for someone every day, you get to know them well.”

“I’m sure the appreciate you.”

“Probably, but it’s me who appreciates them,” he breathed. “If it wasn’t for this job, this place, I don’t think I would have stayed. I never would have found a place that accepted me as I am and felt like home.”

“You’re a nomad?” you asked with a slight up-tilt to the side of your mouth.

“Something like that,” he said as he took a step back, distancing himself in more ways that physically as he put the book on the cart.

The two of you went on like this for another thirty minutes until you had books for everyone, bagged and tagged, ready to be given away. Then, you handed Dan the Santa suit to change into as you pulled on an elf outfit. While you were waiting for him, you loaded your cart up with the gifts.

“Have you been naughty or nice?” Dan purred, coming out from the back, his clothes folded under his arm.

You licked your lips. “I believe in the duality of man. I can be very nice, but-” you walked your fingers up his suit, playfully bold in your elf costume-” for you, I could be very naughty.”

Dan felt his mouth go dry as you playfully tugged on his fake beard.

“Rosy cheeks, check,” you winked as you went to grab the cart. “Ready?”

“Let’s spread some Christmas cheer,” Dan said as he got the door.

The two of you decided to visit the bed bound residents first before congregating in the living room for everyone else. Seeing the smiles on everyones faces warmed your heart and reaffirmed why you were doing this. All of the residents lit up as you came into view, as well as the staff. Well... most of them.

“Aren’t you a little old to be dressing up, Doc?” a male nurse teased with a sneer. He looked you over lasciviously. “What’s this? Santa and his ‘ho, ho, ho’?”

“Back off,” Dan said, tapping him firmly in the chest.

“Or what? You’ll sic Azzie on me? Get real, Doc,” he huffed before moving on, deciding that the two of you weren’t worth the effort.

Dan gave you an apologetic smile, “I’ll make sure he gets coal.”

You reached over and took his hand to squeeze. “Let’s finish this up in the living room. I know how scratchy that beard is.”

The two of walked into the living room to find a group of residents seated for you.

“Doc, you can take the beard off if you want. We know it’s you,” Charlie chuckled.

“Are you sure it won’t ruin the illusion, Charlie?” he teased as he tugged it off to free his face.

“It’s already nice enough what you’re doing,” Charlie replied, “Nothing could ruin that.”

Dan nodded before turning to take the first bag from you. In a few short minutes, everyone had their presents and were chatting amicably about their new reads.

“It looks like your idea was a hit,” Dan said quietly for just you to hear.

You blushed, giving a small shrug, “In my house we always got a book on Christmas to have something to read going into the new year.”

“That’s a sweet tradition,” he smiled.

“I’d always leave the last chapter for New Year’s Eve. I wanted to pretend that ending the year was like ending a book,” you said shyly.

“There are worse views to have,” he replied, wrapping an arm around your shoulder to walk you out.

“Ahem,” Charlie called loudly, causing the two of you to stop and turn to him. Playfully, he pointed up.

Your eyes widened as they spotted the mistletoe, stealthily hidden in the doorway. Then, your eyes fell onto Dan’s blue eyes that were staring at you intently.

He blinked and then looked down. “You don’t have t-”

You took his face in your hands and kissed him, tilting your head slightly to avoid bumping noses. Reflexively, his arms wrapped around your waist to pull you against him. Your hands slid down to settle on the velvet shoulders of his suit as you gently pulled away, dialing down the heat of your kiss as you remembered that you had an audience that was hooting and hollering behind you. Sheepishly, you waved to them before quickly leaving. Your steps were swift as you made it back to your bookstore.

“Wait!” Dan called as he ran after you, an initiative he took after Charlie yelled at him.

You heard the bell on the door ring as he entered, walking steadily towards you.

“Look, I didn’t want to make things awkward, its just the mistletoe ru-” you started to say but were cut off by his lips on yours again. You melted into him, wrapping your arms around him to deepen the kiss.

“I think that was the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten,” he said sincerely when you pulled back.

“The kiss?” you asked breathlessly.

“You,” he corrected. “And... Charlie said I would be a fool if I returned the best thing I could have gotten. So, this is me saying I want to keep my present.”

“I don’t know, Dan,” you sighed.

“I know it’s you,” he admitted. “You’re the one who’s been leaving me notes since I moved in. Every time I considered moving, I’d get a note and I’d remind myself that at least one person wants me here, so I should stay to get to know them.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?” he countered.

You sighed, “Fair point.”

“Well, you know what I want for Christmas,” he said, sitting in a chair and pulling you onto his lap. “Tell Santa what you want for Christmas.”

A chuckle tumbled out at the absurdity of it all, “You, Dan-ta. I want you.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he replied nonchalantly.

You playfully whacked his chest. “Dan!”

He laughed, catching your hand before a second whack and kissing your knuckles. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

“Merry Christmas, Dan,” you smiled.

#dan torrance x reader #dan torrance #doctor sleep #doctor sleep fanfiction #dan torrance x you #g/n reader

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phanfictioncatalogue · 3 years ago

Text

Fics With Titles That Start With J

Links Last Checked: June 19th, 2024

part two

Jab Of Pain (ao3) - thesassykels66

Summary: Dan and Phil get quick flu jabs for their tour, and Phil doesn't have a good time.

Jardin d'Eden - wavydanrises

Summary: The one in which Dan is a single dad managing running a flower shop and dealing with his five years old son, and his new teacher is very easy to like.

Jealousy (Turning Saints Into The Sea) (ao3) - kae_karo

Summary: Phil's reconnecting with an old friend who just moved to London and Dan's jealous. Worried that Phil may be losing interest, Dan decides to go punk. (Dan POV)

Je m'appelle Claude (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: The time when Phil told us they went to the Frieze art fair and played a game where they made up fake names, but make it a meet-cute.

Jesus Christ, That's A Pretty Face - botanistlester

Summary: Phil is a famous indie-rock singer who never shows his face on stage and Dan is a massive fan who unknowingly meets his favorite artist at the library.

Jigsaw Falling Into Place (ao3) - awrfhi

Summary: When Phil accidentally takes Dan's suitcase instead of his own after a flight, their lives are suddenly and unexpectedly thrown together. But can something that started out of an accident become something more?

Joining Up The Dots With The Freckles On Your Cheek (ao3) - twoheadlights (fizzfic)

Summary: He traces circles on Phil's back now and sees a freckle right in the center. Phil's open window always lets some light in and he's practically basking in the pale moonlight to match his skin. Dan smiles to himself and traces a I Phil across his back, as if it was a secret he didn't want Phil to know even though he did.

He shuts his eyes, feeling sleepiness finally hit him when Phil suddenly moves next to him and murmurs, “Love you too.”

Jokes, Costumes, And Taxi Fares - placingglaciers

Summary: In which all his coworkers just adore Phil and Dan can’t see why they do. Until, of course, he figures it out.

Jokes On Them - doomedhowell

Summary: Dan and Phil both get stood up at the same coffee shop, so Dan starts talking to Phil and a friendship blossoms right before their eyes.

Journal Entries - phansau

Summary: A girl living in london finds a journal on her walk home from work, reading through it she discovers it belongs to Dan Howell. Dan Howell started the journal just after his best friend Phil Lester died, and his entries are all about him trying to deal with the death of the boy he was in love with.

joystick (ao3) - gabriphales

Summary: dan wants phil’s attention. he gets it

Jump Cut (ao3) - Spring_Haze

Summary: Phil decides to have a little fun with Dan when filming his “Viewers Pick My Outfits” video for his Amazing Phil channel on YouTube. Sexual tension rises as Phil’s game becomes unbearable.

Just Another Day - phandom-assemble-blog

Summary: Dan, Phil and their 2 year old daughter Emma have a lot of obstacle to overcome. Emma with her sickness, Phil adjusting to a major change and Dan with his admirer. Will they make it out together as a family?

Just Grab My Hand (And Don’t Ever Drop It) - lookslikefairytale

Summary: Dan, the line between love and friendship was always sort of like a grey area.

Just like old times (ao3) - twinklyhowell

Summary: the one where dan and phil move out and start living separate lives until a few years later when they realise it wasn’t time to say their goodbyes.

just once to be lifted strong (ao3) - The_Blonde

Summary: Or: Dan is a boy with a missing anima. He finds a Phil instead.

#phanfictioncatalogue #phanfiction #phanfic #phan #masterlists #ficsj #ficsj masterlist

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aftgficrec · 4 years ago

Note

Yyay so can you find me a fic about kevin and coaches relationship as father and son and also kevin having a child

As with most things Kevin these are a mix of fluff and angst, but here he has his family. - A

For Kevin & Wymack also see

Kevin & Wymack 1

Wymack raising Kevin

Kevin & Wymack Paternity Convo

‘Yes, Coach’ here

‘the life and times of kevin day,’ (matt/kevin) ‘100%,’ ‘(Pas) Peur,’ ‘peu à peu,’ and ‘Quitter le Nid’ from Fave Kevin POV

‘After Time’ and ‘Being me can only mean feeling scared to breathe’ from Kevin’s alcoholism addressed

‘How to Heal’ from Kevin and AA

‘How You Live On’ from Kevin-centric angst

‘What we become in the absence’ (kevneil) here

‘an imperfect picture is still just right’ here

‘happy holidays from the foxes’ here

slight mentions in ‘nine kisses and three hearts’ and ‘Afterthoughts...Chapter 76’ here, and ‘202607’ here

‘Cross the Board and Crown Yourself Queen’ (currently 7 chapters, and Kevin has just told Wymack he’s his father) here

Previous Recs for Kevin with a child

‘Whisker Me Away’ (chapter 4) here

‘More Afterthoughts...Chapter 26: Kandreil- Kids’ here

‘Small Angry Gardeners’ parts 3 and 4 here

‘Nothing Secret Everything Sacred’ here

‘Kevin’s 33rd birthday’ here

‘The home we built’ (kevaaron) here

‘Andrew Minyard is good with kids’ here

after Riko’s death, Kevin takes custody of his son in this Kevin Day & Nikoshi Doe ask and in ‘Inheritance’ here

Kevin with his dad

home (is where your heart is set in stone) by giucorreias [Rated G, 1321 Words, Complete, AFTG Winter Exchange 2019]

David learns how to be a father.

#3 with Kevin and Wymack? prompt fill by @play-exy-be-sexy [Tumblr Fic, 2020]

Prompt: “Hey, don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself”

Kevin's First Christmas by Autumnalpalmetto [Rated T, 5215 Words, Complete, 2018]

Kevin's first Christmas at 8 months old with his mom and her friends and then Kevin's first Christmas with his father at 21 years old.

tw: canonical character death

kevin and wymack take a road trip hc by @triquetrine [Tumblr, 2020]

- the remaining fox boys want to make the 11 hour drive from south carolina to new york to see matt play in one of his first pro games

Kevin and Wymack hcs by @kevindayslefthand [Tumblr, 2019]

Kevin still technically “lives” in Fox Tower, but pretty much every weekend and also random days of the week he’ll sleep over at Wymack’s and he always has a set of clothes there

Kevin calling Wymack Dad hcs by @whatmack [Tumblr, 2018]

Imagine how Wymack gets choked up the first time he hears Kevin call him “Dad.”

Kevin as a dad

Four times Kevin tries to talk to The Monsters about history and they don't listen. Plus the one time he talks to the littlest monster and she does. by Lover_of_Fairy_Tails [Rated G, 2026 Words, Complete, 2019]

I wrote this for Kevin's Birthday without the second chapter at first and everybody was upset about the angst.

So I changed it to a 4+1 and added a happy ending. Hope you all enjoy.

Amalia Day series by Oyamathetaco [Rated T, Series, Last Updated Nov 2020]

Part 1: Supersonic Baby In Me [2704 Words]

Kevin stared at the object in his hand with an unreadable expression. He didn’t really know how to feel. His girlfriend was pregnant and it shouldn’t be a surprise considering they had sex 4 nights ago. Somehow Kevin was still confused. Could he raise a child? Was he ready for that? We’re they ready for that? Thea would make a great mother, no doubt about it but Kevin? Kevin Day? A father? Kevin Day, The father Kevin day, That Kevin Day?

tw: unplanned pregnancy

Part 2: Complications [2156 Words]

“She is suffering from external bleeding and will be taken to an emergency room immediately. You can’t be presen-“

“Is she gonna be okay?”

“It’s very hard to tell in this moment, but....”

Or Amalia’s birth doesn’t go so well

tw: blood, tw: mild gore, tw: childbirth complications

Part 3: How have we not talked about this? [1756 Words]

That was the moment Thea realized going back would mean goodbye to their new found domestic life

Find A Way by keirarosexx [Not Rated (we say T), 5556 Words, Incomplete, Updated Oct 2020]

Kevin is left a huge life-changing surprise by Thea - what will happen when he's left to bring up their baby alone?

tw: unplanned pregnancy, tw: child abandonment

Avatar Amalia by wellthengetouttathesoupaisle [Rated G, 1194 words, complete, 2017]

Kevin, Thea, Matt, and Dan meet up to take their kids trick-or-treating for Halloween. The kids couldn't have better costumes.

Art

Your mother would be proud of you edit by @romanovass

quick doodle of grandpa wymack art by @hahanken

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 4 years ago

Text

Becoming

Halloween is Bee’s favorite holiday and while for most people it’s focused on becoming something new, transforming into fantasies, it is for others about becoming who they really are.

Related to Silver Fox. Can be read alone. SingleDad!Cal+ Halloween + Cuteness.

Read Silver Fox Here.

Enjoy my masterlist.

Support me on Ko-Fi.

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

Anahera reads over the text several times, exits the text messaging app, reopens it and still shocks finds her when the text does not disappear. Halloween party on Saturday, 8pm You’re invited. Costume contest too! This isn’t a text message that she should’ve gotten--Anahera played on the school’s field hockey team but she wasn’t that popular to get a text message from Chelsea. Chelsea was on the school’s cheerleading team, up next for captain once the current senior graduated. They worked together once on a physics project and exchanged numbers only to talk about who would do what and to meet after school to run the lab. But that was pretty much the existent of their interactions, besides saying hi in passing in the hallways.

But here Chelsea was texting Anahera about a Halloween party. Looking up from her phone, Anahera risks a quick glance to her father. He stands outside the car, phone pressed to his ear. A call came in right as Anahera walked up to the car. He paused long enough to greet her and ask how she was doing but he had to return to the call pretty quickly after that. Her practice ran long--mostly because their coach was getting on their case about two girls that got into a physical fight in school and thus were benched for two games. Her dad’s not the type to be overly strict about her going out. But he was a small bit of a worrier and liked to know the parents or at least have their numbers.

Anahera turns back to her phone and pulled up Levi’s thread. Did you get an invite to a Halloween party on Saturday?

It’s only a couple of moments before Levi replies. Yeah. ‘rents already said yes. What about you?

Levi was the last child in a line of four, so it was never really a shock that their parents let them do pretty much anything as long as they could say who they were going with and what time they were going to be back home by. Anahera glances back out to the window and notices Calum nodding along to whatever is being said. When they catch eyes, Calum puffs up his cheeks and crosses his eyes just to get a laugh out of her. Anahera shakes her head with a small chuckle and sticks her tongue out in return before returning to her phone.

Haven’t asked yet. Afraid he’s going to say no.

Your dad’s not like that. Let him know you’re going with me. My curfew is midnight. Dan’s on dial too--just in case.

Dan was nice, and even though he was the oldest of their siblings, he wasn’t big on partying. He was quiet, played video games mostly and occasionally went out. But as the only one with a car, he became the go to one for rides to and from places or as a quick line of defense. Anahera normally had a curfew around eleven. However, if she led the question with Levi’s plans and Dan being their ride, then her dad might be more flexible about extending the curfew. Anahera would also have to promise that her homework would be done Friday night because if she didn’t, Calum would certainly use that as a way to be hesitant.

The only way to find out her answer is going to be just asking flat out. Leaning across the console, Anahera rolls down the window. The buzzing and whir catches Calum’s attention and he takes the phone from his ear. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll be off in five and get you some dinner. I know you’re probably starving after practice.”

“Thanks. Um, actually I wanted to ask you if I could go to this party on Saturday. It’s at Chelsea’s. Levi’s going and they have to be back home by 12.”

“Halloween party?” Calum asks.

Anahear nods. “I’ll have all my homework done on Friday. I’m already done with one essay and I think there’s a math set packet Mr. M is handing out on Thursday to help as extra study material for the test on Monday. And Bee’s already reading over my college essay so when I get the edits it’ll be like super quick.”

Calum sighs, hearing the voice on the line droning on. “Levi’s going? And their parents know Chelsea’s parents or have their number?”

“I-I don’t know. I just know Levi got the approval to go. Please, Dad. I can ask Chelsea tomorrow about the number thing. But please can I go? Dan’s on speed dial in case we need a ride.”

Calum holds her gaze, mouth twisting up. Bee had asked what Calum and Anahera had planned to do for Halloween. Normally, the two of them dressed up and handed out candy to the kids in the neighborhood that came by trick or treating on the day of Halloween and during the weekends, sometimes they went to haunted houses or Anahera hung out with Levi in her room, watching scary movies until ungodly hours in the morning. Anahera’s eagerness to go the party didn’t strick Calum was strange. She’s settled into her junior year, her birthday passing in September. However, Calum did start to miss things from before. Like the way Anahera always wanted to hang out with him and how they always had plans for Halloween. But things were changing. She was growing up and Calum was going to have to grow with that too.

He nods. “Yeah, you can go. But,” he starts interrupting the squeal from Anahera, “the edits your college admission essay need to be done before you leave on Saturday. You’re not struggling in math too much, and I trust you with whatever you need to make sure you get a good grade on that test on Monday.” Anahera wants to apply early decision to a couple schools and the rest are regular decisions. Bee advised that it would be easier for her to finish the essays early and that way the only thing to stress about come the summer and start of senior year were getting the letters of recommendations. Though the essays that Anahera were drafting for college apps right now were samples/examples. Anahera wanted to have a bank of a couple different kinds that wouldn’t need too much extra work to fit to the questions before being submitted.

Though Calum suggested that she not worry that not much closer until time, Anahera insisted that she wanted some practice and considering that the beginning of the semester wasn’t that congested with work, it worked out well.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Anahera exclaims crawling over the console and hugging Calum through the open window of the car.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Love you.” He knows he’s clinging a little too long but he doesn’t want to forget the way Anahera squeezed in her hugs. It was a trait she had since she was little and Calum’s not sure where she got it from. However, there was nothing like a hug from her--even when she was small and she sensed something was wrong, she would run up to him with her favorite toy at the time in her hand and squeeze him tight in a hug. She would always tell him not to be sad because she would always have hugs for him.

“Love you too!” Anahera replies easily.

Calum gets off the work call soon after that and climbs into the driver seat, or at least he attempts to. Anahera hasn’t left the driver side seat since getting the okay for her venture to the party. “Ma’am. I know you’re getting closer to that license but I think I’m still in charge of driving for just a little bit longer.”

Anahera laughs. “Oh c’mon, Pops. You know I can handle this no problem.” She over dramatizes taking a sharp turn, hands passing over each other and lightly brushing the cover of the steering wheel. She hasn’t tested yet but they get out early on the weekends for practice and Calum keeps encouraging her to test. It’s yet to happen, but he’s hopeful.

“Maybe on Sunday you go for a spin. But it ain’t Sunday yet.”

Anahera looks to Calum with her brows raised. “Promise?”

“Promise.” They hook pinkies and she climbs back into the passenger seat. “Subs?”

“Oh, you know exactly what I was thinking. But that might just be that you’re my dad.”

“Maybe,” Calum laughs, “maybe.”

Anahera relays the news to Levi about her approval to go to the party. Any costume ideas? I’m a giant nothing. Levi asks. Anahera thinks about usual superheroes, the sexy costumes. But those wouldn’t work out too well.

Couples costumes? Or too lame?

I love you, Ana. But I am not going in some dumb het. normative costume.

Anahera snickers at the text. I didn’t mean like couple couple costume. But like matching/same universe or something.

Oh, oh, hmm, that could work.

Stranger Things--Scoops Ahoy Steve and Robin? That message comes through at the same time that Levi suggest pirates. Oh, pirates could be cool? We’d have to get to the mall to shop possibly. but I promised to have homework done before Friday.

“Wanna eat inside or get it to go?”

Ana looks up and sees that the car is parked outside their favorite Italian place. Anahera shrugs and unbuckles. “It’s everyone else’s problem if I stink, not mine.”

Calum laughs. “That’s why there was the option to not kill everyone with your funk.” He locks the doors, taking a quick glance at the parking lot. He doesn’t spot Bee’s car. He know she doesn’t take too many hours at the restaurant during the week, but occasionally she takes a few or she comes in when they need more help. He wasn’t sure if she was working both jobs or not. But given the number of cars in the parking lot, he can’t really get a good look around.

Inside is crowded. Though most people seem to be getting orders to go, lined up at the counter as compared to the pretty empty dining area. Calum and Anahera stand the podium to be seated for a couple moments. Anahera is buried in her phone while Calum glances around. He spies Bee at the counter, handing over a stack of three pizza boxes to a man. The woman he’s with comes up and takes the bag Bee hands over. “Just two?” a voice close by cuts in. A younger guy who Calum hasn’t seen before stands in front of them.

Calum turns with a nod. “Yes, just two.”

“Booth or table?” the young man asks.

“Booth,” Anahera returns with a smile and follows behind as they’re escorted to the booth. Calum throws one last glance back to the counter. Bee happens to glance up and throws a small wave which Calum returns.

“Can I start you all out with something to drink?” the young man asks, pen in hand.

“Water,” Calum answers, slipping the sunglasses up into his hair and Anahera replies with the same.

The young man nods. “Lemon on the side okay?” With nods all the way around, he starts over to the drink mission.

Anahera turns directly to the sub and sandwiches section of the menu. “See your boo,” Ana teases glancing up for a moment.

Calum shakes his head, cheeks heating for a split second at the tease. He and Bee have been dating for a little seven months. Anahera wasn’t shocked after discovering the hickies that fated day but she never fails to say that she’s the thing that brought them together. “Yeah, I saw her,” Calum returns. “So about this party? You and Levi know what your costumes are going to be? Like going in something matching or separate?”

“We’re thinking about something matching. They suggested pirates or something but I don’t think I have anything in my closet that could work and I would ask to go shopping on Saturday before the party but I wasn’t sure how that was going to go over.”

“Hmm, if you needed to borrow anything from me, you could. Or if Levi wanted too, they could as well. And it comes down too, I could take y’all Friday after school.That would give you Saturday morning to work too and then get ready. Or whatever works better.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll let them know.” Anahera works her fingers over the screen, the keys highlighting for a second before dropping back down to their normal size. “And thanks. For offering to take Levi and offering your closet.”

Calum knows Levi’s parents haven’t super well to their coming out and using they/them pronouns. However, Levi’s siblings have defended them and Anahera too. He wishes he could do a lot more. He’s tried to help as much as he can, being there for Levi when they need someone but he knows it’s not always the same--it’s not like having their actual parents being supportive. “Of course. You two have been friends since elementary school. Almost feels like a second child at this point--Levi’s family at this point.”

“You’re pretty awesome, Dad.”

“I can only ever do my best, sweetheart. That’s it.”

“Yeah, but your best is still pretty great.” She’s quick to return to her phone no doubt relaying everything to Levi. The waiter returns with their waters and runs down the specials for the day. Anahera orders her turkey panini with salad and fries. Calum overs the Philly cheese steak with just fries.

“Hey guys,” Bee says as she stops by their table. The dinner rush has slowed for the time being.

Calum tugs on her wrist and she falls into the side of the booth, his bumping against his side. His arm slides around her waist in a quick hug. “Shocked to see you here. Not even a Thursday, so you can’t tell me close to the weekend.”

“Terence’s books were more expensive this semester--so I’m trying to play catch up right now.”

“More expensive?” Calum questions, twisting in the booth to look up at her. Bee gives Anahera a quick hug before turning to stand at the edge of the table. “Why don’t you sit?”

“Boss is here today. Don’t want him complaining. And Terence signed up for an extra class, said he was going to be a class short if he didn’t fully load up his schedule. And it’s cheaper to do it now than it is to take the one class during the summer. I budgeted for right around 250 for books but the extra class was in English and it ran just under an additional 200 dollars just for that class.”

“Another 200 hundred?” Calum gaps. “You’re telling me you spent over 400 dollars in textbooks?”

“Just about 400 dollars. He’s looking for scholarships to help with textbooks. But with basketball it’s not like he can pick up a job. I need him focusing on his grade to keep the scholarship that he does have. The refund should help recover costs some but most of that I’m giving right back to Terence in installments.”

Calum nods, knowing about how Bee likes to put money into Terrence’s account. She does it so that Terrence can take care of anything that comes up in case of emergency, but she know sometimes the team goes out for dinners and other things. He’s got to be a kid in college while still in college. What Calum didn’t realize is just how much Terrence didn’t know about what Bee did behind the scenes for him. Terrence came home for the summer, well before summer conditioning and they hung out, and Terrence knew Bee worked her ass off to help him but she hadn’t pulled the veil back to reveal just how much she busted ass to make his games, keep him afloat and never stressing about money.

Calum respected that and never discussed money in front of Terrence. But part of him did want Terrence to know just how much Bee was working so that textbooks were the least of his worries. “You know I’m here, for anything,” Calum offers, wrapping his fingers around hers.

Bee nods. “Thanks. I appreciate it. But get ready, you’re next,” she teases, laughing before glancing over to Anahera. “Once I get home I can send you my suggestions. They’re on my laptop and I didn’t bring it with me to this job.”

“Don’t worry, Bee. I appreciate you just taking the time to read over it.”

“Of course.” The bell above the door chimes and Bee turns, greeting the family that just entered letting them know she’ll be right over in a moment. “Alright, duty calls. Enjoy your dinner.”

Bee squeezes Calum’s hand and then turns on her heels to go to the podium. “How are we tonight? Besides just a smidge hungry?” Bee jokes, grabbing menus. The group laughs just a little bit before following Bee to a booth about three down from Calum and Anahera.

“You think Bee would take me and Levi shopping?”

Calum perks up at the question. Anahera and Bee get along well but Bee’s careful about suggesting that she and Anahera spend time together. As Calum knows and understands, Bee doesn’t want to come across as being pushing or trying too hard but she doesn’t want to seem like she doesn’t care. They’ve gotten manicures together or gone out just for ice cream--it’s always been small things. However, Anahera seems to enjoy that time together.

“Ask, can’t hurt. If her schedule allows, I think she’d be happy to take you and Levi,” Calum answers. He bites down on the corner of his lip to contain a small portion of his smile. Bee’s been the one to schedule most of their activities together or at least initiate them. But seeing Anahera take the lead on this one is a good sign.

“Oh, you’re right. She might be working. I don’t want to make her feel bad if she’s working?” Anahera enjoys the time she’s spent with Bee. When they got the gel manicures, it was fun. Bee picked out Anahera’s color and they were able to sit next to each other as they talked about watching True Crime documentaries and Ana told her all about the new music she had been listening too. Bee was cool about all the jokes Anahera made, and once their colors cured under the UV lights, Anahera spent nearly thirty minutes sitting outside the shop just showing Bee all the videos and memes that she had saved recently.

Bee felt like her dad’s girlfriend, but she also felt like someone that cared about Anahera too. It was a nice feeling to have another girl to talk about things that just got it. And whatever Anahera didn’t want to go back to Calum, didn’t get back to him. Anahera mentioned to Bee before Calum about Levi and what was happening at home for them. Anahera begged Bee not to say anything to her dad. Not that she thought Calum wouldn’t be understanding but because Anahera just didn’t want to out her best friend to someone they weren’t ready to be out too. However, when Anahera needed someone to talk to about Levi, Bee was gracious and patient and promised not to breathe a word to Calum. So when Levi came over for the first time to come out, while Bee and Calum were fixing dinner, Bee’s reaction was like she had heard the news for the first time. Calum was shocked but grateful to know and the change was immediate, though a little bumpy at first. Anahera called Bee later that night to thank her for being supportive of her best friend.

Also in terms of pirate costuming, as much as Anahera adores her dad, she knew only Bee would get her vision for her costume and be able to help her. Also Bee could also help Levi put together their costume so that the two of them matched but still kept a distinct air to the both of them.

Bee passes their table right after they get their orders with a tray full of drinks for the table that she has. However on the second pass by, Anahera manages to snag her attention. “Do you work Saturday morning?”

Bee ponders for a moment. “I work here starting at 2. What’s up?”

“I got invited to this Halloween party and Levi and I want to go as pirates. But we both need a few things to help with our outfits. Would you mind taking us and helping us out?”

The grin that breaks across Bee’s face is so big Calum’s sure her cheeks are going to split right there on the spot. “Yeah, I’d love to. Mall opens at 9. How does 10 sound? Would that time work for them as well?”

“I can ask.”

“Text me whatever works best, okay. I’ll pick you up first and then we’ll swing and get Levi.”

Anahera nods and turns back to her salad just as Bee turns back and continues down to the kitchen. “So I’m getting the boot I guess.”

“I guess you can come too. Do you and Bee have plans?”

“Bee asked if we had plans. I told her our normal plans are using dressing up and doing a little decorating to hand out candy or you watching movies with Levi but now that’s different. So I’m not even sure.”

“Just remember, I’m coming back home at midnight sharp.” Once or twice, Anahera’s caught the embarrassing glimpse of a kiss getting pretty heavy. That’s enough, she doesn’t want to see anything more than that.

Calum gapes for a moment around the sip of his water. “Missy, who’s the parent here?” Anahera goes quiet, shoveling the last bite of her salad into her mouth. “That’s what I thought.” With their dinner finish and check paid, Calum and Anahera slip out from the booth. They both say goodbye to Bee before leaving. Anahera promises to text Bee the second she gets a time that works well before 2.

It’s only later in the night, after Calum gets a text from Bee that she got home safely that he calls her. She doesn’t answer immediately. However about 20 minutes later, his phone rings from her. “Hey,” he says settling into the pillows. Tammy’s curled up on his lap. The click of paws outside the door alerts Calum that Anahera’s moving around the house and Jake’s following right behind her. “How was your day?”

“Pretty good. The restaurant was crazy when I walked in but the rest of the night calmed down. How was your day?”

“Nothing too grand until I surprisingly ran into you,” he chuckles softly into the receiver. “I just want to say thank you for agreeing to take Anahera and Levi shopping. That-that means a lot to me.”

“No need to thank you, Cal baby. But you’re so welcome. I love Ana and Levi. I’d do whatever I could for them.”

“No, I do need to thank you. I know you’re working hard to cover what you had to spend on Terrence’s books but you taking the time to spend with my daughter and her best friend--it says a lot more about your character than anything.”

“Thank you, Calum. That means a lot.”

“Of course.”

“With Anahera and Levi going to the party, are you just going to hang out on Halloween?”

“I guess. I don’t know. Unless of course you’d like to spend some time together after work if you’re not too tired of course.”

“I’m only working a 5 hours shift. I picked up part of someone else’s shift. So if you wanted to do something after 7, we can. Your neighborhood’s plenty active right? Like you hand out candy and what not?”

“Yeah, there’s enough kids that come out. Would you want to dress up? I totally get if you don’t want to, with work and everything.”

“I would love to dress up! Halloween’s my favorite. But once Terrence got too old to trick-or-treat, I kinda didn’t have much reason to do a lot. The apartment complex does like a small thing for the kids, but nothing like the neighborhood I was in before Terrence and I moved.”

“Might I crash the shopping party on Saturday? I know depending on how long it takes you might have to duck out before things finish but while they shop for their costumes you and I can plan something too.”

“Sure, you can crash the shopping party. Do you decorate?”

“Used to when Anahera was younger. Not a lot much inside. It’s more outside decoration for the kiddos as they come up to the door.”

“Well I look forward to a fairly spooped out house. Trick or treating starts around 6 so I’ll miss the first hour but after my shift ends, would it be okay if I just came directly to your place and changed? What time is the party for Anahera and Levi?”

“Yeah, sure you can come straight to my place. Their party starts at 8 and Levi’s brother Dan is dropping them off at the party and dropping them Ana back off afterwards. Or at least I need to make sure that’s the plan. Even if I have to drop her off, if you come to my place, trick or treaters can still get their candy fill while I drop her off.”

“Okay, cool. Thank you.” A yawn cuts off the last little bit of the sentence. “God, sorry.”

“It’s been a long day. I get it. Get some rest, babe.”

“Wait, I gotta email Anahera. Stay on the line with me until I finish that. Then I can go night-night.”

Calum chuckles at the repetitive phrase. It reminds of when Anahera was younger. He’t tuck her in at night with a kiss to her forehead and a sweet bid of “Night-night. Sweet dreams,” without fail. And it appears that even though children might grow out of the phrase, parents never do. “Okay, I’ll stay on until you do that. Do you have any costume ideas?”

“Something witchy. Or vampires. Or we can go with something with a bit more gore. I think I have some special effects makeup left in that kit.”

“I know you said Halloween is for favorite but for someone that doesn’t celebrate like before, I’m a little lost on why you have a kit.”

“Library holds some special readings every quarter. Theme was fairytales so we dressed up and used some special effects for some wrinkles for the old fairy godmother. And I just got the big kit because I figured it would last for more than reading. There’s some fake blood in it too. I like to have all my options.”

Calum hums, the pillows surrounding him starting to pull him into sleep as well. Just closing his eyes won’t hurt. It’s quiet for a moment, faintly he can hear the taps and clicks of Bee on her computer. “Oh, what about something with Bonnie and Clyde?”

“Like them dead? Because I think I could be down.” The sentence is a little slow to fall from Bee’s lips.

“Hmm yeah maybe.”

“Thanks for staying up with me even though we both about to pass out.”

“Anything for you.”

“Goodnight, Calum.”

“Hey, that’s a good night-night and sweet dreams to you, Bee.” She laughs softly into the receiver and it’s the only sound Calum distinctly remembers hearing too.

Friday night Anahera is sure to show Calum her changes to the essay and when he nods, kissing the top of her head, Ana tries to hold back her excitement. She and Levi have talked about their costumes. Though Levi’s unsure of if they should go with a vest or not. They don’t have one and buying one would be pointless just for the one costume. Anahera suggests if they find one cheap they could add it to the costume without fear of not necessarily wearing it out again.

Calum agrees to drive separately from Bee, Anahera, and Levi when Saturday rolls around. The second Bee showed up Anahera dove into the vision she and Levi had for the costumes and what they both already have in their closest. Calum catches wind of a skirt and he waits for a moment unsure if that’s a smart idea. However, Bee is quick to suggest fishnets in addition to the skirt. Fishnets isn’t the answer he would’ve given, but Calum knows this is not his time into the court and let’s Bee take the lead on how to best handle wearing a skirt to a party that Calum’s almost certain alcohol may sneak its way into the mix. He knows he can’t shield Anahera forever from the world but he definitely doesn’t want her introduction to be harsh. Amongst the glimpses of conversations that he catches about the skirt, he catches onto the addition of shorts underneath too and lets out a tiny sigh of relief.

Levi hangs back as Bee and Anahera enter the first store. Calum lingers back with them.“Skipping this one?” Calum asks. It’s an H&M and there’s no doubt in Calum’s mind that they can find something here. They mentioned wanting either a jacket or the vest and then needing a thick belt or fabric to help with their look. They already have the white button up, jeans and boots for the costume.

“I-It’s a lot easier to like look online at clothes.” The confession leaves Levi’s lips softly. Calum nods, understanding that online no one says anything if they switch between men or women’s. However, the physical stores has to be a whole different ballgame, the anxiety about looks that people might give tot hem.

“If you want, I’ll stick with you. Whichever section, I can be right there.”

“You-you don’t have too, Mr. Hood.”

“It’s Uncle Cal and you know that, Levi. Besides, you’re not Anahera’s best friend. You’re part of my family. So whatever you need me to do is out of love, not obligation.”

The tears collect on their lower lids. “You consider me family?”

“Always have, kid, and always will.” With an arm slung over their shoulder, Calum proposes a deal. “What if you help me with my costume and if we just happen to find something for you, then we just happen to find something for you? How does that sound?”

Levi gives Calum a quick hug before nodding. “Sounds-sounds good to me.”

“C’mon. I think I see a suit jacket that might be perfect for Clyde. But I need younger eyes because I forgot my glasses.”

As the pair walks towards the suit jackets, Bee slides over and slips a few tissues into the palm of Calum’s hand. He hands them over to Levi and there’s a silent nod of recognition between all of them. Bee zips back over to Anahera, knowing that she had to talk the young girl out of the platform boots that Anahera doesn’t need considering the pair that she just got for her birthday.

As Calum and Levi thumb through the blazers, Calum can see one particular red ornate blazer has caught their attention. So he plucks if off the rack, pulling the medium size one off the rack to start. He can’t quite gauge their size and he doesn’t want to ask someone to measure Levi. Holding the jacket open for Levi, Calum silently asks them to try it on. “I think it might look better on you than me. I think my days have passed. Besides the red blazer I have at home reads more captain than pirate. But it’s always a look you could go for.”

Levi slips their arms into the blazer. The sleeves swallow their arms and hits them too low on their legs. But the light is evident in their eyes as they look into the mirror on the wall. “Wow,” they breathe, turning to see what it looks like from the back.

“I say we try the small. This is a medium.” Levi nods, slipping out of the jacket and taking the small from Calum. “This isn’t a tailored cut. Meaning it doesn’t cut in or cinch at the waist. This is a standard fit.” He straightens the collar out for them and grins at their smile. “Arms out straight in front of you,” he directs looking to see if the sleeves come up just a little or not all. They rise just a smidge. “Okay, reach up for the ceiling.” Levi does so without seeming restricted. “Is it tight anywhere?”

“No,” they return, shrugging their shoulders. “Not tight. It’s a little loose but like a good loose.”

“Fitted jackets and blazers can be harder to get in smaller sizes sometimes. If you want this, we can get it today and then after the party to get fitted a bit better, go to a tailor.”

“My parents would not be happy though,” Levi counters.

Calum nods. “I know that’s rough. But what if for right now, we get this and if they ask, you tell your parents it’s mine and I let you borrow it for the costume. The next time you come for to visit Anahera, I can take you to get it properly fitted.”

“How would I get it back home? My parents don’t like spot check my room but they’d notice me with this kind of jacket.”

“You leave that to me. While it’s easy to say smuggle it in your backpack, they’ll wrinkle it. But trust, between Anahera and I, we’ll make sure you get it to your room undetected.”

“I don’t know Mr. Hood. Seems like a lot of trouble.”

The nerves are understandable and Calum does not want to push them to do anything they wouldn’t want to do. “Alternatively, you find a vest for the costume and Bee and I find some fabric that’s fancy and you use that to tie around your waist as as the glamour you and Ana want. The blazer’s a dream for when you feel safer.”

“Yeah, yeah I like that.” Levi slowly removes the blazer and puts it back onto the hanger. “There’s, uh, there’s this,” they state, lifting up a standard black denim like vest.

“Okay, so something along that vibe. Gotcha.” Calum thumbs through the rack and pulls out a similar vest but this one has silver buttons and embellishments that make it feel a bit more elevated, more pirate-y.

As Levi tries that one on, Calum texts Bee to grab the red blazer from off the end of the rack and add it to the pile that Anahera’s collecting. He promises to pay her back. Within a minute of the text sending, he watches Bee approach in the mirror and grab the blazer, quickly stashing it under the racks in her hand. There’s a yellow sweater on top and a few black items beneath it as well.

“Lookin’ good, Levi!” Bee calls out, leaning behind the racks to make sure the blazer is concealed.

Anahera isn’t far behind, dragging Levi over to the shoes. “You should get this vest,” she says before returning to her point about not knowing which sneakers to get.

“They didn’t go for the blazer? It looked good,” Bee ponders quietly.

“Worried about their parents blowing a fuse. But Christmas is coming up, so hopefully things are different then. If not, I think they’d still appreciate it. And I know if I wait, it’s going to be gone.”

“You’re right about that. Ana and I are done for Halloween. You might have to convince her she doesn’t need 80 pairs of the same shoe. But while you distract, I’ll check out.”

Calum nods, heading towards the clearance shoes where Anahera and Levi are huddled. “I’ll give you the money tonight.”

Bee nods and makes a straight shot for the registers. After a trip to the fabric store for Levi’s belt, and a dive into Bee’s favorite hair care store to get headwraps for the both of them, Anahera and Levi are set for their costumes. Calum knows buried in his closet is a white dress shirt that he can throw on along with a black suit jacket, so he’s not too worried that he’s walking out the store empty handed.

Bee looks down at her phone again, teeth capturing the skin of her lips--her boss at the restaurant texted if she can come in an hour earlier. She almost doesn’t take the extra hour but Calum assures that now the costumes are set, that if she needs to take the extra hour then she absolutely take it. None of them will be mad, or feeling like she’s dipping out just to get away. “You sure?” Bee asks Calum after relaying the predicament, watching as Levi and Anahera duck in line for pretzels. “Ana’s not going to feel like I’m being mean or dodgy?”

“Babe. No. I don’t think so.” He kisses her forehead. “I know things are tight after the textbook fiasco. If you need to take the extra hour, do it.”

“I’ll keep the blazer in my bag and then bring it back to your place after they leave for the party.”

“Okay.”

She gives her quick goodbyes with hugs to Anahera and Levi, before kissing Calum softly goodbye and backtracking to the opposite end of the mall, where they parked. The shopping continues for a little bit longer, but Calum doesn’t linger too much allowing them their space. They agree to reconvene outside the sporting goods store in an about hour.

It’s a dangerous game to duck into one of the jewelry stores. Calum’s not even looking for himself and it sounds crazy and too soon for thoughts of a ring cross his mind. But he tells himself he can just browse, just fantasy about what that might be like.

“Who you looking for?”

He turns to the voice and see Anahera saddled up beside him. “You two have another like half an hour to be free.”

“Not much else here,” she returns. “Looking for Bee? Is her birthday soon or something?”

“Just looking,” Calum returns with a shrug, trying not to draw too much suspicion.

“Ana, look!” Levi calls out, waving their hand to beckon her closer. “It’s an anklet like you were looking at in the other store.”

Anahera ducks over, just to look. Soon they leave the mall. Levi asks if they can just get changed at Calum’s place which is an easy yes. Calum takes Anahera and Levi for a quick lunch before Levi grabs their costume, an overnight bag and their backpack from their house. Tammy and Jake run up from the depths of the house to greet all of them. The pets and scratches are happily received. “So scary movies to pregame for the party tonight? What’s on the agenda?” Calum asks.

“I should do the World History homework before the party,” Levi starts, laughing a little.

“But we probably will watch scary movies,” Anahera finishes.

“Go figure,” Calum agrees. “So what time should I pick you both up tonight? Or is Dan still your main man?”

“Dan said he’d pick us up from the party and just drop us off here. He said he was going to be out at that time anyway,” Levi relays.

“He won’t be drinking?”

“Nah, Dan doesn’t drink. I think some friends of his are also throwing a party and he’s used to being the DD. He said it was something about a mixer? I don’t really know. But we’ll text him when we’re ready. Is midnight still okay?”

“Mixers are just different clubs, or whatever, getting together,” Anahera cuts in. “Girls field hockey has them with the guys division and other sports after school sometimes. I assume college mixers are way different than ones in the high school gym though.”

“Yeah, midnight is still fine,” Calum answers.

Once they return to the house, it’s fairly silent. Anahera and Levi go into her room and Calum takes the moment to decorate the outside of the house. He started yesterday, mostly with the hanging decorations and the lights. Today’s mostly putting on the certain yard decorations. There are some tombstones that he stakes into the ground and a few giant fake spiders that he sets out. The decor was more extravagant in years prior. But knowing Bee will be stopping by means that the lazy decorating won’t cut it.

With the outside done, Calum pulls down the bags of candy from the pantry and pour them into bowls. He’s sure to separate the chocolate from the non-chocolate stuff. He even has a separate bowl for any candies that are chocolate and have peanuts or other nuts in it knowing that some kids in the neighborhood may have allergies. A few parents put out an alert on the neighborhood watch app. There was a year, now as Calum recalls it must’ve been three years ago, where the majority of the houses had only chocolate candy making it impossible for one kid to get any candy that they could enjoy. Calum took the leftover non chocolate candy to the house after reading the heartbreaking plea from the parents.

“What’s for dinner y’all?” Calum asks after both Ana and Levi resurface in the kitchen rummaging through the snack pantry. “We got about an hour before trick-or-treaters start showing up. Pizza? There’s leftovers too, but I think I’ll be nice and order something.”

Both of them readily agree to pizza and Calum places the order without needing much more convincing. He’ll finish off the last of the spaghetti leftovers he fixed yesterday. The pizza will not last long between the two of them--never a shock anymore to Calum anymore. He changes first into his costume knowing it won’t be fully complete until Bee shows up from work however, he would rather be one half when kids start showing up.

Though Calum slips into an older black suit. It’s somewhat of a shock that it still fits. But it’s a testament to the personal trainer for sure. Calum does make sure to include the hat. The curls don’t cooperate off the bat, requiring a little bit of assistance from some hair gel Anahera suggested to him to help. Finally, he gets the curls tamed enough to slip the hat on. His dress shoes click over the hard floor and it is echoed by Tammy and Jake finding him and walking behind him.

“Uncle Cal did not come to play,” Levi jokes around a bite of pizza.

“Dad, who even are you? I don’t know this man,” Anahera laughs. Calum does a spin and laughs as the two of them whistle. Soon Thriller comes over the speakers. No doubt Anahera pairing her phone to the speakers downstairs. “Show ‘em, Dad. Show ‘em how you groove.”

“Miss Bee’s gonna faint when she sees you like this. I want a video,” Levi laughs.

“The old man’s still got it,” Calum returns and slides his fingers over the brim of the hat. The giggles are quick to subside after the song fades out. They toss out the pizza box and wash their plates before going back to Anahera’s room.

“I’m stealing your dad’s wardrobe,” Levi says as they pass through the living room. “Taking notes.”

“Oh, don’t make his ego even better.” The two of them laugh and the door closes before anything else can be said.

The first half hour of trick-or-treaters is a little slow and mostly toddlers or infants being carted around by their parents. However, Calum enjoys seeing the various pumpkin costumes on the babies as they walk up the driveway and porch. They don’t seem bothered by the night which he knows the parents are grateful for. Exactly at seven, his phone chimes and interrupts the Halloween Party playlist Calum turned on, playing on the speaker he normally uses for outdoor parties.

I’m headed out now. It’s from Bee and he replies in acknowledgement before setting the phone back down and grabbing a couple handful of candies for the group of sheet ghosts that waddle up the driveway. “Trick or treat,” they chorus.

Calum laughs. “Well, this is a predicament.” He looks over their hands. “I can hear some trick-or-treaters but I don’t see them.” He looks over his yards, hand above his brow to emphasize the point.

“Boo!” One child giggles.

Calum jumps, finally looking down at them. “Oh there they are.” The candle rustles in their bags as he drops off some for them and they reply with their thanks before going back to the parents waiting at the end of the driveway.

“I scared him, Momma!” The kid cheers and the parents laugh, with a nod. “I’m so scary!”

“Oh I know. The scariest,” the mother returns. They move down to the next house. Another fifteen minutes later, Calum notices headlights slowing down and turning into the driveway. Bee continues up and pulls right up to the garage door.

“Oh my god,” she gapes walking up on the porch. “Look at you.” Calum greets her with a hug and a kiss to her cheek. “By God, you look sharper than Sunday morning.”

The heat in his cheeks only increases. “Thanks. But I’m missing my other half.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Bee teases, kissing him softly.

“I think it’ll get me plenty-where.”

“Be back in two shakes and a twist.” Calum nods, watching as Bee walks into the house. More children come up to the house. He drops off candy to some Cookie Monsters, witches, Captain America’s, and Spiderman’s. Ten minutes later, the front door opens and there are only a couple clicks of the heels. When Calum looks up, he nearly loses his breath. The sweater and skirt are fitted to her figure, hinting to what he’s always known is there, has witnessed more than once, but she keeps it hidden under jeans or skirts at work. Not that he’s upset about that, it all makes sense. He just wishes she showed it off a little bit more. The little beret and scarf really complete the look.

It’s Calum’s turn to be gobsmacked. “Holy shit, you look great.”

“Thanks. I’ve been told to remind you that the party starts in about ten minutes. And they’ll come to the front porch once they’re ready. I got stopped in the hallway,” Bee laughs, sitting in the seat next to Calum.

“Noted.”

Another group of children approaches, this time a group dressed in various costumes from Winnie the Pooh. One girl is Eeyore, there’s a Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet. The parents are dressed as Owl and Rabbit. “Twick oh tweet,” the one dressed as Tigger says quietly a shy smile on their face.

Bee gasps, chest clenching at the matching costumes. Terrence and his friends would do something similar, group costumes. His group costumes weren’t as cute as Winnie the Pooh but still memories come flooding back of superhero costume debates. God, sometimes she wishes she could make Terrence small again, cherish the moments where all he wanted to do was be up under her as she cooked or cleaned. It all just happens too fast.

Bee drops some candy into their buckets. “It’s the whole 100 Acre Woods. I won’t tell Christopher Robin that guys you dropped by.”

The kids laugh and say their thanks. “I miss dressing babies up,” Calum confesses. “Anahera and I used to always do matching outfits and she was so happy to bounce up to houses.”

“Terrence would go as athletics or power rangers. I wish my complex did more. I miss the decorating and having to hide the candy from Terrence.”

“High up in cabinets,” Calum laugh.

“He got too tall for that and too crafty. Hide it in my drawers. He didn’t mess too much in my room.”

Calum chuckles. “Smart. Did you hide Christmas presents in there too? Because I still struggle with that.”

Bee nods, watching more kids walk up and shouts “Trick-or-Treat!” The two of them drop off candy into their buckets and bags. “I leave it in the boxes, if I order online. With Terrence in college now, it’s easier now. Get crafty and hide it in the bathrooms.”

“Now that’s a thought.”

A family comes up, dressed up in leather and bling. “Oh, we got some rockstars,” Bee teases, nudging Calum.

The little girl is dressed in her leather jacket and her brother is in a jacket that matches and it melts his heart. Calum tries not to show it, tries not to gush too much at the costumes but they are adorable. He sneaks them a few extra pieces of candy. “Keep on rockin’ out,” he grins at them.

They smile in return, “Thank you!” in their excited squeals leaving both of them.

Calum clutches his chest as they leave and Bee laughs, “Don’t die on me. You gotta survive.”

“We did that one year,” he sighs, finally sitting up in the chair. “Anahera wanted to go as me and I bought her this silver blazer. I’ll show you the pictures.”

“Oh, that’s precious. I can’t wait to see them.”

The trick-or-treaters slow down and Calum knows the end is nearing for them. Things usually end right about 8 in the neighborhood, though the general unspoken rule it so linger until about 8:30 just to catch all those that might’ve gotten a later start. But he and Bee stay out on the porch. She stacks the empty buckets and sneaks an Almond Joy for herself. “The decorations look good. And I just realized we completely forgot the fake blood.”

Calum shrugs, grabbing a small Snickers. “It’s alright. Most of the parents got it regardless.” They received a few compliments throughout the night but not too many. Most of the time the older kids walked up by themselves but when parents did shadow behind, they were quick to gush at the couple’s costumes.

Anahera and Levi pop out onto the porch a little while later and Calum excuses himself to drop them off. Though, Bee snaps some photos for them and Anahera returns the favor by taking some photos of Bee and Calum together. The teases from the two are more than enough even when they don’t attempt to pose Bee and Calum in the standard high school prom pose. Calum and Bee go along with it mostly for the laughs.

Bee starts to clean up in Calum’s absence and puts things inside the house. By the time she starts to wrestle with the speaker, Calum’s returned and helps her get it back inside. She ducks back to her car to grab the blazer for Levi and takes it from the bag so it can straighten as much as it can. Calum’s quick to hang it up to help as well. “Do you work in the morning?” Calum asks, pulling the hat from his head as he reenters the living room from the back of the house where his bedroom is located.

“At the library, yeah. But I can hang for another hour or two. Unless of course I pass the fuck out.”

“I know that feeling. You hungry?”

Bee follows behind into the kitchen, her own beret and scarf removed as well. “I ate at work, but thanks.” She leans into the counter, eying the box of popcorn that seems to have been left out. Popcorn does sound good. She knows she shouldn’t. But just a little wouldn't hurt as they watch a movie. Sneakily, she pushes the box closer to Calum.

He giggles, noticing the green box moving closer to him. “So I’m going to assume you want popcorn.”

“Please?”

Calum nods, waving for her to come closer. She steps in close, resting against his chest. The microwaves beeps before whirring. Calum kisses the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her waist. “The hottest Bonnie to walk this Earth.”

Bee laughs, kissing along his jawline. “Thank you. I think you cleaned up well as Clyde. Almost cut me looking so sharp in this suit.”

They share a kiss and the beeps of the microwave interrupts them. “What’s on the movie menu tonight?” Calum asks, bumping the bag into a bowl. Bee’s not in love with horror films but can generally stomach more gore than straight up horror. Rather than dominating the conversation with suggestions, Calum lets her take charge. However, they settle on whatever is playing on the TV, after a good twenty minutes of failed decision making. Bee snuggles into his side, a blanket wrapped about the both of them.

“Where’s the picture of Anahera dressed up as you?” Bee asks during a commercial break. “I need to see this.”

Calum stretches forward to grab his phone and scrolls for the photo. “So this is the look she wanted to recreate,” he says showing her a picture of himself from so long along Calum’s shocked that he remembers it was actually him. But the picture of him in the silver jacket on stage instills a lot of memories.

“Oh look at you! How old were you in this photo?”

“Twenty-two, twenty-three. It feels like a lifetime ago. But,” he starts swiping through the pictures again and pulls up the one of them side by side, rocking the glittery blazer and slicked back hair. “Here’s my little girl matching her old man.”

“God, she looks so much like you. It’s insane. But this is so cute.”

“Thanks. I will say if you think Anahera and I look alike, it’s a family trait.”

“So you look like your parents, huh? Like you got spit out.”

Calum nods. “Yeah. My mum’s the culprit. My sister and I look like she sculpted us personally. Also speaking of blazers, I still have to pay you back. How much was it again?”

The movie continues on around them as they settle the payment. Stories filter on about their children’s past successful or failed costumes. There are some stories about their exploits in their younger years. Kisses are shared, soft and languid. Some are sweeter due the candy they snuck during the night too. Hands slips under dress shirts or sweaters but Calum and Be don’t go too far. Just kisses and exhales and intoxicating themselves with the other. During a commercial break, Bee excuses herself to the bathroom and it’s only then that Calum realizes that it’s closing in around 11 pm.

Calum cleans up their mess of kernels and wrappers. When Bee returns she finds Calum in the kitchen, hugging him from behind. “I’m gonna head home to get some sleep.”

“No, don’t leave me,” he whines.

“I know. I don’t wanna either. But out of respect, ya know. Can’t just be randomly spending the night.”

Calum kisses across her knuckles. “I appreciate it. Let me know when you get home safely okay.”

“Will do.” Calum walks Bee to her car and kisses her goodnight before watching her pull down the driveway. Not even before he can get to the porch, another pair of headlights cuts through the night. He watches it pull up into this driveway and notices the tag--it’s Dan.

Levi and Anahera step out of the car both of them giggling incessantly. “Oh fuck,” Ana says loudly upon seeing her dad. “Shit.”

Calum can already tell alcohol’s been involved. But there’s only amusement as both of them attempt to pass off like they’re sober. He takes Anahera while Dan helps Levi up the steps. “Seems like there was definitely been some fun tonight,” he teases, fixing both of them classes of water.

“We won the costume contest!” Levi declares. “And maybe had a shot or two.”

“We got third,” Ana corrects.

“Sstill placing.”

Calum tries his best not to laugh at their not sober antics. “Drink some water. Honestly, how many drinks?”

“Only like two, two and a half,” Ana confesses hiding behind the class.

“It’s clear sweetheart, so I can still see you.”

“Damn.”

Levi laughs, slipping down into the cushions. The headscarf slips off their head with the action but they don’t seem to notice. “Are we screwed, Uncle Cal? I really really can’t afford to get into trouble.”

“We’ll wait to see if you’re screwed when you wake up tomorrow. If you feel like ass in the morning, you’ll have to deal with that and there’s no reason for me to dish out any punishments.”

“If we don’t feel like ass?”

“The fear of getting caught coming home shamby from a paper is punishment enough,” Calum chuckles.

With a glass of water down each, he helps them to the room, mostly herding them from the walls to keep anyone from knocking their head on a picture frame. “Thanks, Dad,” Anahera sighs, leaning into the wall for a little bit of support.

“There was a reason why most of your homework had to be done before the party,” he grins. “Holler if you need me, okay?”

Calum texts Bee about their return, safe but not sober. Damn, should’ve stuck around to witness that. Need an extra pair of hands? Bee replies.

Seems like we’re all good. Thanks.

Also please send me the photos of us from tonight? Whenever you can of course. I think if we had gone to a costume contest we would’ve won too.

Of course. Definitely would’ve won with a woman like you on my arm.

Calum rises first the next morning, and doesn’t disturb them immediately. However, closer to late morning, he knocks softly on Anahera’s door. “Yeah?” Ana calls out and as he peeks inside he notices they’re still up. Levi is sitting on her bed and Ana at her desk.

“Oh, thought you two might’ve died at some point in the night. Glad to see I was wrong.”

“We didn’t drink that much.”

Levi snorts. “I had to get you Advil.”

“Shut up,” Anahera huffs, dropping her head in her hands. “I’m okay, Dad. Really. I’m fine. Just like a minor headache that’s all.”

He shakes his head. “You’ll learn eventually. Pancakes on me this morning, how does that sound?”

“I’m down,” Levi answers. Their attention is locked on the screen.

“I’ll let you know when food’s ready.” Calum states to the room and begins to shut the door but still can faintly catch Anahera asking Levi about the blazer. He leaves the door slightly ajar but walks back to his room the jacket hangs right where he left it. He wanted it to be a present, wanted to get it tailored. But he knows he can’t wait. Calum pulls it off the bar and shuffles back to Anahera’s room. Slipping his arm through, he hooks onto the knob on the inside and then closes the door. He waits for a moment.

“No way! No fucking way!”

The door swings open, Levi gripping the hanger and shaking the garment. “You totally didn’t?” Their voice cracks just a little as the emotion rocks them visibly.

“Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. But I mean you’re holding the jacket, so I’m pretty sure I did.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” they gush, tackling Calum into a hug.

“Anytime, kid, anytime.” While Halloween’s typically celebrated and seen as a way to become and dress up like someone else, it doesn’t mean Levi doesn’t deserve the chance to dress like themself. “If you have to keep it over here, I get it. And I had anticipated waiting on giving it to you, but felt like now was a good time.”

They dance up and down the hallway with the suit jacket and Anahera laughs, recording their excitement. She’s careful not to post it on anything public. Her socks cause her to nearly slip and fall as she rounds the corner to the kitchen. Calum’s at the stove, flipping over pancakes when she hugs his side. “Thanks for being awesome. About the drinking and getting Levi that blazer. They love it.”

“The drinking’s one thing because you embarrassed yourself. The blazer--well I couldn’t not get it.”

“I know it’s because you’re amazing and awesome and like the best person to walk the planet, but it really does mean a lot.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. I’d do just about anything for you and Levi.”

“Only just about anything?”

“Hey, that’s still a long list and included on it is making the two of you pancakes so you two can study because there’s still school on Monday.”

“Oh don’t remind me,” she laughs, popping to kiss his cheek and then scurrying back around the corner of the kitchen.

“That’s my job!” Calum shouts.

“You do it well!”

#calum hood #calum hood x oc #calum hood fic #calum hood fanfic #calum hood imagine #calum hood fluff #calum hood blurb #5sos #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #5sos imagine #5sos fluff #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer fanfic #5 seconds of summer fic #5 seconds of summer imagine #5 seconds of summer fluff #h writes #calum 5sos

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davidmann95 · 4 years ago

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Got a handful of DC-solicit asks, so I’ll just write up my thoughts on the whole batch again.

Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1: The BALLS to not only do the next Mister Miracle thing after King and Gerads, but to do it with Shilo Norman and therefore invite Seven Soldiers comparisons as well. I wouldn’t be that interested, but the preview art that came with the announcement looked fun so this is a maybe for me.

Wonder Girl #1: I got a Yara Flor ask so I’ll go more into detail with that, but this sounds...not good.

Future State: Gotham #1: Hahaha, thanks, call me in six months if the next team does something there’s a reason to give a shit about. Except...wait, Dennis Culver cowrote that E Is For Extinction Secret Wars mini, dammit this might be good. Either way though, god willing we get a Future State: Metropolis book by Dan Watters too.

Legends of the Dark Knight #1: Hopefully this going with Sensational Wonder Woman means there’s a similar Superman anthology in the cards too, but I won’t hold my breath. Darick Robertson doing Batman is enticing, but I’m not familiar with his work as a writer and the premise doesn’t sound that gripping so I’ll wait and see. That Francavilla variant though? DC, blow that up to poster size and you’d make a mint.

Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition #0: Hmm. I got love for Static, but I might wait for further announcements and/or buzz before taking the plunge on this one.

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1: This is a SERIOUSLY stacked lineup, definite buy.

Stargirl Spring Break Special #1: Impeccable timing, DC. It feels like it must be some kind of statement that there are no Morrison members of the Seven Soldiers in the mix (even swapping out Ystin for the original version of Shining Knight no one cares bout) - we focus on the Moore fixation, but there’s enough tidbits that I really do feel like Johns probably flat-out hates Morrison. And what’s this ‘secret eighth soldier’ nonsense? There’ve always been eight soldiers, people have been joking about it forever!

Justice League: Last Ride #1: Discussed that announcement here.

Batman: Earth One Vol. 3: *blinks*

*blinks again*

*squints at the cover art*

...Geoff Johns are you seriously trying to step to Morrison and use the Miagani tribe? YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN PEOPLE

I Am Not Starfire: Interesting concept that seems like it pushes into indie-flavored territory as much as DC’s superhero output just about ever has, if word-of-mouth is good there’s a decent chance I’ll get this.

Action Comics #1031: Wonder if this is serious about the potential of Kryptonian refugees, given PKJ suggested the idea in Worlds of War and that could play a significant part in the New Krypton stuff from Bendis’s Legion (with Johnson being clear he’s following up on a lot of Bendis’s ideas with his own Superman run).

Superman #31: This sounds big-time like Johnson hammering Superman into a swords-and-sorcery shape for an arc since that’s his bag, but Superman’s malleable enough for that to work so I’m not complaining.

American Vampire 1976 #8: Still not getting, so.

Batman #108: Tynion’s well and truly figured out how to game the direct market’s dopiest instincts, hasn’t he? Well, as long as that’s in service of him getting to continue doing weird Batman stuff with Jorge Jimenez like introducing whatever the ‘Unsanity Collective’ is, that’s fine with me. And more Ghostmaker!

Batman: Black & White #6: Not as packed for the finale as some previous issues, but still looking good. And there’s really never gonna be a ‘last’ Scott Snyder Batman story, is there? Sure it’ll be good but that’s kind of a shame, his Detective #1027 feature really felt like a nice full circle.

Batman: The Detective #2: Guess I wasn’t the only one wondering if it was a stealth DKR prequel and they wanted to cut that notion out at the knees.

Batman/Catwoman #6: Still very down for it, but BOY that Batwoman costume Mann debuted on Twitter.

The Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries #2: I recently finally started reading Sholly Fisch and companies’ Scooby-Doo Team-Up! recently after getting the whole run for free on ComiXology earlier this year and have fallen in love with it, so I’m totally grabbing this digitally.

Batman/Superman #18: “The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel are on a mission to stop the godlike Auteur.io from destroying the pocket worlds he’s created...but where on Earth did Auteur.io even come from? The answer starts not on Earth at all, but with an ancient cult of World Forger worshippers on a planet far away—and if our heroes are to have a prayer of stopping this mythic behemoth, they’ll need to get to the bottom of his power source, and quick! It’s a race against time as the parallel lives of entire worlds hang in the balance!”

Anonymous said: Haha is Yang really doing Superman & Batman vs. Zack Snyder and the Snyder Cult (look up “auter” if you don’t know what I mean)? That’s fucking hilarious, especially since he apparently comes from the World Forge which is where all the shitty Earths full of bad ideas are made. Pretty pointed criticism there if I’m reading it right.

I’ve seen two or three people other than this anon independently conclude this arc is about the Supermen and Batmen of the Multiverse teaming up to stop Zack Snyder from destroying them all and at this point I’m ready to ask my LCS owner if I’m allowed to pay more than cover price for this run.

Batman: Urban Legends #3: Much more into this after the Grifter and Outsiders stories in Future State.

Catwoman #31: No reason not to assume this’ll continue to be great.

Challenge of the Super Sons #2: Good for the folks who want this, and that Nick Bradshaw variant is fun.

Crime Syndicate #3: I wanna be convinced to get this book, but the interviews are not persuading me.

Detective Comics #1036: How long is Mora sticking around?!

The Dreaming: Waking Hours #10: Another one I’ve got nothing to say about because I’ve never been getting it.

The Flash #770: Actually really excited to hear about how bad this run will suck now that I know it’s by the mind behind that “Geoff Johns’ OC - do not steal - beats up the Grant Morrison DC future” catastrophe from Future State.

Green Lantern #2: Really couldn’t wait a month for Far Sector to wrap up, huh?

Harley Quinn #3: Still not interested, but that *is* a nice cover.

The Joker #3: There’s a very real possibility I’ll have dropped the book by this point if it turns out to be the illustrated editorial mandate I get the feeling it could be, but fingers crossed.

Justice League #61: Not complaining, but wow, this really is Naomi 2 since Campbell’s busy in order to provide the necessary material for the CW show.

Looney Toons #260/Mad #20: Were these grouped with the rest of the solicits before?

Man-Bat #4: Very curious how this’ll be received, given nobody much cares about Man-Bat but Wielgosz seems to be quickly becoming a favorite.

The Next Batman: Second Son #2: Hadn’t realized this was only 4 issues - guess for at least one of them it’ll be the Luke Fox book everyone expected in the first place.

Nightwing #80: Dick Grayson vs. Heartless, not how I expected the DC/Kingdom Hearts crossover to happen but I’ll take it. That variant though? ALL TIMER:

The Other History of the DC Universe #4: I was trying to figure out who the focus of #4 would be since we know #5 is about Thunder and Lightning, forgot Montoya was confirmed.

Robin #2: Wanna care, so don’t care.

Rorschach #8: I will get it and probably like it.

RWBY/Justice League #2: My thoughts here will be their own post because there’s something particularly notable, but:

Anonymous said: Have you seen the BATtleaxe from the new art for RWBY/Justice League?

Yes, anon. Yes I have.

Sensational Wonder Woman #3: Eh, premise doesn’t grab me but maybe.

Strange Adventures #10: God I love the book about how Adam Strange sucks.

Suicide Squad #3/Teen Titans Academy #3: Hahahahaha

Superman: Red and Blue #3: Fiffe and Stokoe doing Superman stories!!! And...Nick Spencer. With Christian Ward art?! Sigh, fine, hopefully it’ll be Nick Spencer doing a nice little comedy, and not having Grant Morrison Superman throwing his t-shirt away because he grew up and realized changing things is too hard. A horrible shame Pope is doing the main cover though, the allegations against him I guess never really got any attention. At least there’s this JPL variant:

The Swamp Thing #3: Swampy will never be my guy but very happy for those who dig him, because I imagine this’ll be terrific.

Truth & Justice #4: Normally I wouldn’t care at all, but what I’m hearing on Twitter about this is a crying shame - that Jeff Trammell is really talented and Red Hood is a favorite of his and this is likely to be one of Jason Todd’s few Actually Good comics, but that artist Rob Guillory is a bullying transphobic piece of shit. Sucks all around.

Wonder Woman #772: I was so excited for this run, and then Immortal Wonder Woman had to go and suck.

#DC Comics #Opinion

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revisionaryhistory · 4 years ago

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Three Days ~ 78

~*~Sebastian~*~

The sun shone brightly when we woke up. I made Emma coffee first and we sat at the bar with fruit and yogurt. I wasn’t particularly hungry. Nauseated, if I’m honest. Emma was going home today. Yes, it was only for a couple of days, but that wasn’t what the problem was. I was afraid of how I would feel when she left. We’ve been together almost a week. We said I love you. Went to a concert with her friends, planned a vacation with mine, and celebrated a month together. Everything is wonderful. I don’t know how it will be when she leaves. Will I be melodramatically sad, anxious, and insecure that while she’s away she’ll figure out she prefers to be without me, or when she leaves will I be glad to have my space back? Realistically, the panic is more likely to come when she leaves France and we’re apart for six weeks. Today’s just a preview.

Around noon Emma was ready to leave. She’d gone through the bags of new stuff and left what she wanted to take to France. No sense packing it home only to bring it back. Especially when she was dealing with her suitcase on the train. Early afternoon was the best time to get her back. I walked her downstairs to her Uber and stopped by the security office to find out where the parking garage was. The security guard walked outside with us and pointed to a keypad on a pole next to the building. I walked into the building hundreds of times and never really noticed the large panes of windows that matched my building was a garage door. The same code that worked on the outside door worked on the garage and my spot was the same as my apartment number. That’s easy.

The Uber driver took Emma’s suitcase and lifted it into the trunk while we said goodbye. “I love you and I’ll see you Thursday.”

Emma kissed me and patted my chest, “I’ll let you know when I’m home.”

“Thank you.” I’m always going to worry about her getting home safe. Can’t wait until there’s snow and she’s driving to work or worse, here. I kissed her again, told her I loved her and tucked her in the car. Stood on the sidewalk until she turned the corner too. Avoided going back upstairs by running across the street and getting a bottle of something. Didn’t really matter what. I wasn’t thirsty. Took a walk around the block to drink my bottle of whatever. Finally, throwing the bottle away in the garbage can at the end of the block, I headed back upstairs.

I walked in my door and stood there with my hands on my hips, waiting for something to happen. Everything looked the same. Felt the same. Not sure what I expected. The apartment wasn’t going to suddenly have a portal to hell open up in between the dining table and couch. If it happened, it would be in the guest bathroom. Maybe my closet. I checked both to be sure. Nope, no portals. What I did find in the master bath was a mauve lipstick kiss print on the mirror. It was at my eye level but on the edge close to the wall. I smiled, thinking how she would have had to crawl onto the counter to put it there. I imagined she’d get the same thrill when she found the notes I’d hidden at her place and school.

A little over two hours later my phone rang. The prettiest girl in the world was calling me, “Hello, beautiful.”

She grinned, “Hey, handsome. I’m home.”

Emma turned her phone around to show me her family room. “I can see that. How was the trip?”

“Uneventful.”

“Perfect.”

“What have you been up to since I last saw you?” The lilt of curiosity in her voice was funny.

“I’ve been busy. Checking email and seeing everything has changed.”

“You’re very flexible.”

“Not nearly as flexible as you, my love.” We shared a dirty smile. “Now, we’re shooting in Paris instead of London. Which is convenient and doesn’t require a flight. And tonight I’m having dinner with a former spy.”

Her eyes lit up, “That sounds fun.”

“It does.” I agreed. “I’ve been trying to schedule something with him for a while. Finally worked out. It will be good to get in person and ask questions about all the shit I’ve been reading and watching.”

“I’m excited for you. You can get the psychological emotional part down. I imagine in person makes it easier to internalize.”

Not that I doubted, but she’d been paying attention when I’d talked. Her interest in the how and why of the craft side was as enjoyable for me as it was her. I wanted to show her more. I wanted to know about how she taught too, how she knew what to do and how she designed lessons. Which reminded me, “Add me to your online classroom so I can watch you teach.” There’s the added bonus of pretty much having her “on demand” if I wanted to see and hear her. I had the video from the party with her, Eli, and Boone too. That would make a long night alone a little more . . . stimulating.

We didn’t talk long. I was having an early dinner to allow plenty of time to talk and I needed to shower and get ready. Emma needed to unpack and start gathering things to repack. There’s also the part about she’d just left.

Dinner lasted much later than I’d anticipated. It was awesome. Dan told me stories and let me pick his brain. I told him about my part in the movie and he was able to give me some specifics. Not that I’d play the part exactly as he’d said, but I knew what to avoid, what wasn’t realistic. I liked that because a complete mismatch with reality could put me into my head and that’s the last place I wanted to be.

The next morning I hit the gym and had a good workout. Mirrors everywhere told me I needed more than a little personal grooming before leaving. A haircut was already scheduled and I called the salon to add on what I thought I needed. I had lunch with my manager to go over the next few weeks. I don’t have a full time PR person, but I do have a firm with which I contract. Emily had been in contact with them. About my girlfriend. Amazing how fast my mood went from good to not.

“Seb, don’t make that face.”

“What face?”

“The annoyed one where you’re holding in a tirade.”

“I’m glad you recognize the precarious ground you’re standing on.” I drank the last of my wine and crossed my arms across my chest. “I’m going to sit here and be very quiet for a limited amount of time. Talk fast.” I don’t have many tirades. A big part of that is due to the relationship I have with Emily. She’s been with me forever. She knows when to push, when to back off, and when to let me have a tirade. Girlfriends are and always have been a tricky area. Usually, Emily wants me to be more open about a girlfriend. Much like what previous girlfriends wanted. That never turned out well for either of them. Emma was altogether in another class. I wasn’t sullen because I didn’t want to hear about what I should be doing. I was feeling protective and didn’t want business in my personal life. Same issue, different reasons.

“Everything is good. Emma is good. She doesn’t have much of a social media presence and hers is private. Family and friends sometimes tag her, but there’s nothing problematic out there. Once her name is out there she won’t be hard to find because you and several of your friends follow her. It’s a quick find that she’s a teacher, where she works, plays volleyball, has a twin, and has musician friends. She’s known by Pearl Jam fans. They’re protective of all the females in the band’s orbit. Best guess is anything negative is wiped quickly. We called Pearl Jam’s PR people and they’ve worked with her, so we don’t need to. Until something comes up and then we’ll probably have to work with you too. Unless you go silent again.”

I must have twitched.

Emily held her hands out like she was calming a wild animal. “Everyone’s a little concerned because you let Will post something. Oh, and any pictures of her in a bikini are always in a group.” She smiled comically and sat back.

“The ones she sends me are solos.”

“Good to know.”

I sat a second, my blood pressure dropping. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

I nodded and shrugged, “I told Will to post the picture. Don’t know exactly why. I’m happy. I’m in love. I’ve grown. Past is past and I’m moving to the future. All of them.”

“So, the comments and everything. You’re okay?”

“No, Emily, I’m wonderful.”

I waited until I got home to call Emma. She hit voice call. I pouted even though she couldn’t see. “I am at Target replenishing my travel supplies.”

“Sounds fun! Are you in for shampoo and leaving with three hundred dollars worth of who knows what?” Isn’t that the way it usually works at Target?

“I have a list. I’m staying away from parts of the store I don’t need to be in.”

“Smart. What time do you have to be at the court?”

“We’re going to meet for dinner about five. Game at seven.”

“Give Sam your phone so I can pack and watch.”

“I bet if you ask nicely she’ll alert you when something big is going on.”

“I’m a decent multitasker.”

“How was dinner with a spy?”

"Dinner with a spy was" I shook my head and looked up, "fascinating. Books, even non-fiction, and video are good, but watching his expression and mannerisms was so cool. Especially when he had neither." I went on talking while she shopped. She laughed and gasped at the same parts I had. I was excited to see how I could incorporate this new knowledge. We hung up when she was checking out.

~*~*~*~

"Sorry about the loss." I cringed to soften the blow. I knew she didn't like to lose. Who does?

Emma growled, "Frustrating. I want a chocolate brownie or something."

"I think the bakeries are closed." It was a little after ten. "I'll get you one tomorrow."

"You're the sweetest."

"When will you be here?"

"Well before lunchtime. I got everything packed before the game. I'll shower tonight. Get up and be on my way. Do you have plans?"

"Yes. Vanity kicked in. I have a facial and haircut, before therapy. Want a facial?"

"No seaweed."

"Damm, that's what I booked for you."

~*~*~

I spent the morning packing. I’m not a heavy packer. I’ll wear the same thing over and over. I’m working so costuming will be taking care of most of my clothes. I’m invited to the fashion show. Being dressed is part of the package. Emma and I had made a list of places we wanted to see and things we wanted to do while in Paris. I composed an email and sent it on to the hotel’s concierge. I heard back almost immediately. They would create an itinerary and we could adjust it once we arrived. Perfect.

Emma would be back about noon. Our spa treatments and my haircut were set for three and my therapy appointment was around five. I cleaned up around the place. Nothing drastic. I had a cleaning service come in after I go away. I just make sure everything’s put away. I had my suitcase closed and in the dining area when my text notification went off.

Emma ~ Are you home?

Sebastian ~ Yes.

Emma ~ Alone?

Sebastian ~ Yes.

I am sensing something is about to happen.

Emma ~ When I get there would you like to play a game?

Sebastian ~ Yes.

I neither know nor care what she’s talking about. It would be nice to know what I’m going to be playing, though.

Sebastian ~ Could I get more details?

Emma ~ Porn

Sebastian ~ You want to watch porn?

Emma ~ Pretend we're in one. Over the top, things that only work in porn, excessive moaning, name calling, filthy talk porn.

Fuck. I’ve watched enough porn to know how this was going to go.

Sebastian ~ Yes, I would like to play.

Emma ~ I never doubted you.

Sebastian ~ Are you texting and driving?

Emma ~ Traffic and voice to text. Delivery girl, booty call, escort? Me. This time.

Sebastian ~ I don't know yet.

Emma ~ Text when you do.

Sebastian ~ I love you.

Emma ~ I love you.

Woman has been away for forty-eight hours and shows back up with this shit. I wasn't a sex-starved horn dog five minutes ago. I wonder what she's wearing? Delivery girl, booty call, escort. I like her choices. I have to seduce the delivery girl. Or be seduced. Booty call would be a repeat. Familiarity without expectations. There are zero expectations with an escort. Well, there are expectations, but only mine. I feel like it's a question of how selfish I want to be and what questions I want to answer after. Booty call it is!

I texted her my choice and that the door would be unlocked. I sat in the chair to wait. Patiently.

#oscar isaac #fanfiction #rpf #oscar isaac fanfiction #oscar isaac X OFC

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