#i woke up and I chose violence and i'm very sorry about it

[hvbris]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes + Bird Song, Florence + The Machine an edit for @multipleoccupancy​​

[youreverydayfangirl]

so highschool

pairing: charles leclerc x australian! reader

summary: y/n yln is in love, or in which the famous singer decides to hard launch a relationship

warning: age gap relationship, hate

a/n: i aged up charles so its not pedophelia guyssss (8 years gap)

pt 2 is here!!! pt 3 is here!!!

f1 masterlist

main masterilst

yourusename has posted

liked by charles leclerc, francisca.cgomes and 7, 437, 982 others

yourusername life recently ft kika and gomez

tagged: francisca.cgomes, gomezzzlife

francisca.cgomes no because i missed you so much

→ yourusername just ditch pierre and come stay with me two problems solved

→ pierregasly yourusername uncalled for

→ yourusername pierregasly you exist so is it really uncalled for

→ user1😭

sabrinacarpenter ur so perf omg

liked by creator

→ oliviarodrigo no fr fr

user2 y/n really just woke up and chose violence today

→ yourusername if pierres involved always

user3 shes so fine tbh

user4 why is she hanging out with kika

→ user5 they've been friends for ages babes

user6 so no ones gonna talk about charles camping out in the likes

yourusername has posted

liked by charles leclerc, francisca.cgomes and 6, 569, 932 others

yourusername: insert dry ass caption here

tagged: francisca.cgomes

francisca.cgomes marry me 💍

→ yourusername bet

pierregasly the girl on the fifth slide 😍

→ yourusername back off shes my wife 🤺

→ pierregasly shes literally my girlfriend

→ yourusername and?

→ francisca.cgomes and?

→ pierregasly i give up

→ user1 LOL

user2 pierre be fighting for his life in y/ns comments

liked by creator

→ yourusername as he should tbh

user2 charles camping out in the likes AGAIN i see👀

yourusername has posted two stories

caption1: where am i off to???

caption2: Monza <3

liked by charlesleclerc, francisca.cgomes and 248, 732 others

charlesleclerc how far away are you?

charlesleclerc i miss you

yourusername not that far my love

yourusername i'll see you soon

yourusername love you

charlesleclerc i love you more

francisca.cgomes YAYYY

francisca.cgomes I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU

yourusername ME TOOO

user1 where are you off too 👀

user2 literally back the fuck off babes

yourusername has posted

liked by charles leclerc, francisca.cgomes and 10, 987, 993 others

yourusername monza gp ps not the way i wanted to hard launch but very proud of my baby

tagged: francisca.cgomes, charlesleclerc

francisca.cgomes cant believe i have to share now

→ yourusername lets just runaway together

→ francisca.cgomes yourusername packing my things as we speak

→ charlesleclerc yourusername excuse me???

→ yourusername charlesleclerc hehe sorry??

→ pierregasly you get used to it after a while

→ user1 this dynamic>>

user2 hard launch of the CENTURY

user3 I KNEW IT OMG

user4 "not the way i wanted to hard launch" can she just be grateful omfg

user5 goldigger

user6 shes way to young for him

yourusername has posted

liked by charles leclerc, francisca.cgomes and 7, 437, 982 others

yourusername two new singles "so highschool" and "so american" out now guysss

charlesleclerc I HEARD THESE FIRST GUYS

liked by creator

francisca.cgomes streaming nonstop

liked by creator

pierregasly even i'm admitting their good

liked by creator

landonorris charlesleclerc never playing gta with you again

→ charlesleclerc have you seen my gf mate

sabrinacarpenter MY TALENTED BESTIE

liked by creator

oliviarodrigo MARRY ME

liked by creator

user1 he says i'm pretty wearing his clothes

user2 still don't like her

→ user3 then why are you stalking

→ user4 user3 no fr

→ user3 gtfo then

yourusername has posted two stories

charlesleclerc has posted one story

caption 1: mr so highschool and so australian ❤️

caption 2: back in monaco for a while

caption 3: the best view

liked by charlesleclerc, landonorris and 248, 732 others

charlesleclerc ❤️❤️

yourusername 😙💋

landonorris maybe he might shut up about you now

yourusername it can't be bad

landonorris sure...

user1 wonder whos money that was

user2 eww

yourusername has posted

liked by charles leclerc, francisca.cgomes and 9, 684, 320 others

yourusername well deserved time off

tagged: charlesleclerc

charlesleclerc still can't believe your mine ❤️

→ yourusername i could say the same mon amor

→ user1 🤺🤺

francisca.cgomes shes everything hes there

→ charlesleclerc hey!!

→ yourusername sorry baby

→ charlesleclerc yourusername its alright my love

user2 what well deserved time off you haven't done anything

→ user3 go touch grass shes obviously talking about her boyfriend

user4 y/n and her atm

user4 really does like older men huh

yourusername has posted

liked by charles leclerc, francisca.cgomes and 14, 970, 996 others

yourusername he was so nervous

tagged: charlesleclerc

charlesleclerc i need you more than the moon needs the sun

→ yourusername 😭😭

charlesleclerc shocked that you said yes

→ pierregasly same tbh

→ yourusername francisca.cgomes come get your man

→ francisca.cgomes yourusername yes maam 🫡

francisca.cgomes I HELPED PICK THAT RING OUT

liked by creator

francisca.cgomes IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU OMG

→ yourusername your the sweetest omg

pierregasly yeah congrats i guess

→ francisca.cgomes pierregasly be so real you sobbed like a baby

COMMENTS ON THIS POST HAVE BEEN LIMITED

charlesleclerc has posted

liked by yourusername, pierregasly and 11, 865, 543 others

charlesleclerc she said yes

tagged: yourusername

yourusername mon amor

yourusername how did i get so lucky

→ charlesleclerc im the lucky one

francisca.cgomes creds for helping with the ring

francisca.cgomes AND THE PHOTOS

→ charlesleclerc right yes credit to you

→ pierregasly charlesleclerc "right yes credit to you" npc frfr

→ francisca.cgomes pierregasly leave him alone he just got engaged

landonorris congrats 🍾

liked by creator

carlossainz55 congrats charlesleclerc yourusername

liked by creator

maxverstapen1 happy engagement!!!

liked by creator

lewishamilton congradulations

liked by creator

alexalbon yay!!!!

liked by creator

georgerussell so happy for you guys 🍾

liked by creator

oscarpiastri happy for you mate

liked by creator

oliverbearman so does that mean i have a mother now

→ charlesleclerc yes son

______________________________

a/n: so thats part one and my first ever post guys!!!! i do have a pt2 and maybe pt3 planned so just lmk if you want them

[lets-try-some-writing]

I woke up and chose angsty violence on everyone.

What if Optimus survived the events of Predacon Rising? Sometime after everyone left, he crawled up from the Well but was no longer the same person he was. Housing the Allspark inside himself had destroyed his mind than just the Matrix of Leadership and what's left is a very feral bot that looks like Optimus.

No one finds out until reports from refugees come in about a strange Cybertronian running amuck in the wastes that attacks anyone who gets too close. Optimus' former team would absolutely be split on what to do about him. Leave him alone in nature under protection, try to snap him out of it or put their once leader down?

They can't ignore the problem as someone will recognize Optimus at some point.

You. You my good individual are evil. I adore your twisted little mind (affectionate).

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━

There were... reports. Quite a few of them in fact.

Each and every one of them claimed that there was a feral mech living out in the wastes, the land that was formerly Iacon's great forest before the war razed it to the ground. No one knew what to think of it, but then they saw the pictures. And those pictures changed everything.

"Ratchet, he can't seriously still be alive? Can he?" Bumblebee's voice was filled with disbelief as Ratchet looked over the image projected on the holodisk. The rest of the table seemed to share Bumblebee's thoughts as they watched. It was a quick series of pictures put on a slideshow. They were grainy, but the blue and red was unmistakable. The exposed Matrix even more so.

"It seems that we were wrong to label Prime as out for the count." Bulkhead added his two shanix, earning him a murmur of agreement from an equally uncertain Wheeljack.

"If he's feral, do you think we can bring back?" Arcee spoke up as well, earning a series of comments from the team. Bumblebee seemed hopeful, as did Smokescreen. Even Ultra Magnus seemed marginally interested in a potential plan to help Optimus if he really was out there.

Ratchet was not so optimistic.

"I will go and assess the situation personally. For all we know, it might not be him. We can't get our hopes up." Standing up, Ratchet collected the holodisk with a purposefully blank expression. The team regarded him with various expression of surprise, but they didn't stop him.

Good. They didn't need to see what was going to come next.

"Ratchet, if it is him, you'll let us know." Ultra Magnus put a servo on his shoulder, a knowing expression plastered all over the Commander's face. Ratchet gave no confirmation, instead tightening his grip on the holodisk as he made his way out.

Ratchet couldn't explain it, but when he saw the photo, he couldn't help the feeling of wrongness that filled his very spark. The team wouldn't understand. They hadn't known Orion. All they saw was their Prime's face. They didn't see the vacancy in his optics or the way he hunched in the picture like he was struggling just to stand. The mech they once knew was not himself. He was hardly alive.

Ratchet refused to let his friend's legacy be destroyed by a cruel twist of fate.

"I'm sorry." He murmured into the early morning light as he gathered his things quietly, taking great care with his most important tool as he began the trip out into the wastes. It was not a long trip, not terribly so at any rate. A few joors into his journey, he found himself wandering the wastes in silence, his optics set on any crevice where the husk of his friend could have possibly been hiding. He didn't bother calling out. It was a useless endeavor.

One joor. Two joors. And then, he found what he was looking for.

"Hello, Orion. Its been a while, hasn't it?" A lanky figure pulled itself out of a small cave. Cycled down optics met his, curiosity registering somewhere in their empty stare. Ratchet didn't dare move as the husk pulled itself out of its hiding place, its helm tilted ever so slightly in confusion, or perhaps interest.

"I had hoped that you'd made it out alright. But I don't think that's the case." His words were faint as the husk finally stood. It was thin, gangly from what was likely months of less than sufficient energon. Its armor was cracked and broken, the jetpack that Optimus had once enjoyed now all but ripped off. The husk's face was covered in gashes and marks, the rest of its frame not much better. It looked... pitiful. But above all else, the shining Matrix in its chassis made Ratchet frown.

"No normal mech should be able to survive these wounds." He practically whispered as he took a step forward, holding out a servo in a friendly manner. The husk froze, almost looking ready to scuttle back into its hiding place. But Ratchet remained firm, standing still and speaking quietly.

"That thing... it won't let you die, will it?" He received no verbal answer, but the glowing white of the husk's optics told him everything he needed to know.

White was the color of divinity, but also of sickness. A mech with white optics was said to be doomed to die. Ratchet was not normally a mech to care about superstitions. But that one... he could get behind.

"It must hurt." He couldn't disguise the faint shakiness of his voice as the husk finally inched closer, looming over Ratchet with height that had once been comforting. The husk's optics cycled down and then went wide. A wide and almost sparkling like smile spread across its face as it dropped to all fours, crawling nearer on just about Ratchet's level.

It hesitated a moment, and then pressed its face up against Ratchet's servo like a hound would. Ratchet almost winced, but seeing the husk's genuine affection, he couldn't bring himself to do anything more than sigh and run his free servo along the crest of its helm. So similar to his Prime, and yet so very different.

"The others want to bring you home. They want to fix you." The husk's engine rumbled in delight, pleased as Ratchet caressed broken finials with light touches. The husk looked so very happy as it came closer, seating itself at Ratchet's pedes to lean into every place his digits touched. So unlike Optimus. This thing was a mere echo, a sad and painful echo.

"I don't think you want to be fixed, if that is even possible." His venting hitched as he cupped the husk's face, sensing the animalistic instinct in it. The husk didn't fight back as Ratchet pressed the crest of his helm to the husk's, enjoying the momentary interaction.

"I wanted to hope... I wanted to think that maybe you'd evaded death yet again." He could feel coolant threatening to gather in his optics as he quietly reached to his satchel, pulling out an injector. The yellow liquid within glowed faintly in the dying light of the evening, but Ratchet paid it little mind as he memorized the faint sounds of the husk's engine and the giddy smile upon its face. It hadn't even noticed Ratchet's tool.

"I prayed for your return. But I think that may have been a mistake." Blazing white optics gazed up at him, innocent and yet vacant. It hurt more than it should have.

Why? Why did it have to look so alive and yet so dead?

"Perhaps it would have been kinder if death had finally taken you." Pressing a kiss to the husk's helm crest, Ratchet enjoyed the warmth of a living, venting mech for a moment longer. His spark spun in agony, but now was not the time to stop. This... this was a mercy.

"Rest Orion. Return to Codexa, to Alpha Trion. Go to those who love you... and know that one cycle I will join you there." In one swift motion, Ratchet dug the injector into the husk's neck. Its optics blew wide, its vocalizer spitting static as it stared up at him in sheer terror.

"Shh... it's alright. It will be over soon." The husk went limp, falling into Ratchet's arms. He knelt quietly, letting it rest against his chassis as its frame began to seize. The Matrix flared, sending shocks through the husk to try and keep it active. The husk wailed in response, its shattered vocalizer producing pained cries that could have caused the dead to quake. Ratchet held firm, keeping the husk held against him as the Matrix's shocks ran their course, eventually ceasing.

"I'll tell the others you were dead upon my arrival. Don't worry. They won't see you like this... I promise." The husk spasmed a moment longer, its optics momentarily returning to a bright and healthy blue. For a half klik, Ratchet could have sworn he saw understanding in those optics.

And gratitude.

"I'm sorry, Old Friend." The term of endearment slipped past his derma before he could stop it. In response, Optimus smiled and then fell still, his optics going dark and his frame losing all life.

Ratchet held what remained of his oldest friend for a long while, not speaking or moving.

It was done.

Now Optimus could rest.

[aleksanderscult]

I loved your analysis! Can you analyse the (barely there, not enough) Darklina scenes from the KOS duology? I could not rationalize some of what was going on there.

First of all, I'm so sorry for taking that long to reply, anon! (Hasn't it been over two weeks since you send this or what??😭😭)

Second, thank you so much for your kind words! 💗💗

Third, you and I both friend 🤝🤝

'Cause honestly I didn't know what the fuck was happening in that interaction too 😭

I'll actually analyze the only Darklina scene we got in RoW. But if you want another one too, just send me an ask!

So! Let's dive in and analyze that hot mess, shall we?

(note: I had to go back and read this scene very carefully in order to understand what the actual fuck they were saying💀)

⚠️TW!: PTSD, trauma⚠️

The way he's so obedient with her even in this life 😭

If somebody else had ordered him to do that, he wouldn't obey. But Alina? Alina is a different story and this is the first time he hears her voice since his death in R&R.

'Any little victory'

Uhh....okay...??

You made him wipe his feet. I'm.... impressed??

(confusion levels 📉)

LMAO MY BOY WOKE UP AND CHOSE VIOLENCE

I always believed that the dynamic between Aleksander and Alina involves lots of teasing. But not in the fun sense. But in the sense of "I'm getting under your skin. My words to you sting".

And that's what the Darkling does here too. He's a prisoner. Their prisoner. So he tries to gain the upper hand by using his wits, his past with Alina and the latter's trauma against her to get even.

Pretty clever, huh?

See what I mean?

He tries to weaken her confidence and it's interesting that back in Keramzin he also tried to get even (and he did) by killing her mother figure.

Aleksander: "Wanna fuck with me? Wanna mess with me? How about that time when I burnt that orphanage and killed your "mother"?"

*Alina's sure confidence is gone and now the Darkling has the upper hand in her feelings*

OUTSTANDING MOVE 👌

Excuse me, Misha? Who the Hell gave you the permission to interrupt or talk at all??

Also, do you really expect from the Darkling to remember a little boy while he was too busy trying to rule a nation, win a war and persuade Alina to join him?

And if you also expect him to remember you from that time when Baghra went out to confront her son while you escorted her, then you're also wrong. 'Cause he was too busy being furious that his mother sided and helped the opposite side and too busy being distraught because he was watching her fall to her death.

You're not important, son.

Sit down.

LMAO THIS IS SO HILARIOUS

Misha you're still an infant. Please shut up.

I honestly liked him in the Grisha Trilogy (I found him a cutie) but now I want to slap him and everyone else in this duology except Aleksander

The Darkling has survived numerous murdering attempts against him. He was finally killed by Alina not because of some grand display of her powers but because the former was so heartbroken by Alina's fate (and his own because he would be alone) that he just gave up on his life. Basically he committed suicide.

Misha, you wouldn't be able to kill him even now that he's powerless and in chains. Probably you would stumble and fall in the effort or smth.

Uhh actually no, Mal.

Threating him only makes you sound like idiots, honestly.

Also, since when did Mal gained ✨wisdom✨?

Wasn't he the hot-tempered one in the trilogy who always got angry with the mere mention of the Darkling? And the one who wanted to kill him as well?

Alina, you know damn well what his name is.

Honestly, I think she didn't say it because she wanted to respect the fact that he trusted her to keep it.

And I agree that Yuri is a horrible name for him. Makes him seem like a fisherman 😭

Meanwhile Alina in S&B:

So either Bardugo kinda forgot these scenes or we're led to believe that these scenes weren't her being happy, but we thought she was happy.

(me casually ignoring that theory because I choose to believe only the things that MAKE SENSE)

The fact that Bardugo made Alina believe that she was unhappy when she was whole with her powers and surrounded by people like her but totally happy now that she has no powers (a part of her soul actually) and living with a man that slut-shamed her in a toxic, childhood place is umm... yeah. Not good.

So basically:

Aleksander: "You look different. You look like shit. What the fuck did they do to you? This is not you"

Alina: "No bro I'm happy now that I live in toxic conditions where the teachers mock me, Mal takes me out for a walk to forget my psychological traumas and I raise some Grisha children that will fade because they don't use their powers and some others that I probably am in no condition to raise. At least that's what the author said is happiness, bro."

Aleksander: "......."

Alina: "......"

The readers: "........."

ALEKSANDER IS HONESTLY ALL OF US FRR WITH HIS LINES

"In peace"

Yeah, having PTSD certainly is peaceful. And knowing that you abandoned your country and left its fate to chance certainly makes you sleep like a baby at night.

"We chose the life we wanted"

Alina, you didn't CHOOSE to lose your powers. And before that you didn't even know what you wanted to do with your life. It was a last minute decision for you.

"I fell pray to the same greed that drove you"

Girl, are we the only ones who did our homework??

In his POV in RoW he confirmed that he tampered with merzost in the past because he wanted to stop Ravka's wars. So as far as we know he never used power exclusively for himself.

"I paid the price for tampering with merzost"

Now hold a second. I thought that the reason Alina lost her powers is because Morozova wanted that said power to be shared by any otkazat'sya around. It wasn't that much of a punishment as much as a need for Morozova to share that power.

Unless it was..... both?

I just want a guy that will believe in me and my abilities the way Aleksander does with Alina, man 😭

He strongly believes that she could become a Queen even without her powers. And he's actually so right when he says to her that her wounds won't heal. Because no matter how much you try to convince yourself that you are alright. No matter how hard you try to persuade your mind that you're not broken, reality will always hit you. Some wounds never heal and Alina's certainly will not. She didn't lose a toy, she lost a part of her soul and witnessed many die. How the hell does she think she's suitable to raise children, when she herself is NOT okay psychologically?

"In the wake of your wars"

Excuse me. Why is the Fjerdan and Shu wars always the Darkling's fault??

"And maybe when our country is free, then that wound will close"

She sounds so brainwashed bye--

And just like I said, wounds like that never close unfortunately. It can only become more bearable with time. But not forgetable.

Ah yes. Bardugo makes us watch how cute their relationship is.

Am I supposed to take off my camera and snap pictures of them whispering with tears in my eyes: "They look so adorable"?

'Cause I won't.

The way Bardugo has made Mal unfazed by the Darkling's comments. A thing that completely contrasts his nature in the Grisha trilogy.

He also made him have "sassy" lines because we've got to like him somehow, right? 🤗

Still hate him

Basically, dear anon, the author has made Mal more "likeable", immune to the Darkling's insults, patient and witty in order for us to change our mind about him and finally like him.

(mission failed btw)

He is literally nothing like his trilogy counterpart and, if possible, she made him more annoying.

(how the hell she managed to do that, I don't know)

I just feel sorry for Aleksander who has to deal with all these jerks. If I were there, I would have helped him kill them and bury their bodies.

Because you let your heart and feelings get the better of you, Aleksander. Because you proved to be the most human of all these characters here. You let her come close. And that's what killed you.

(also, shut up Misha)

Alina, you could have said "no" to that invitation. So stop acting like they dragged you from the hair here.

"Do you think you could manage it?"

Do you, Alina? 'Cause really, what did YOU do to make the lives of Grisha better? At least he built a palace for them.

"It's not like you didn't get a fair try before. Hundreds of tries"

Yeah, and half of them failed because you got in the way. You refused to listen to him and, even if you didn't like the way he dealt with the persecution, you chose to run away (again) instead of deciding to stay and do better.

SHE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT ZOYA AND NIKOLAI COULD DO BETTER LMAO 😭😭

Zoya, the very fact that he mentioned you should feel like a badge of honor.

And yet Ravka is in its worst condition ever.

Sorry Alina but I don't see shit from them.

The fact that the Darkling keeps mentioning that he's eternal is to remind them that he has seen everything and done everything. He has more experience than they will ever have. Not to gloat about it. And yet Alina takes it as the latter.

And it's funny that Alina turns him down for the job saying he has no powers when Alina herself suffers from the same condition 😀

Finally someone with self-reflection.

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING!!

PREACH!! PREACH!! 👏👏

When you have the "villain" exposing the true problem in the story, the flaws and failures while having the heroes screaming "EVERYTHING IS FINE. YOU'RE WRONG!" then you know that something is wrong.

How the Hell are they gonna provide eternal peace in Ravka and to the Grisha when:

They have no experience

They are too busy criticizing the villain instead of looking at their own flaws

They doubt themselves

(you can add to the list, guys)

And he's not shaken because he's talking with a Saint, Zoya. He's shaken because he's talking to Alina. She always had a way in getting under his skin. He said it.

"Fine. Make me your villain" fits here 'cause he never perceived himself as the bad guy but he knew that this is what others thought of him.

I think it still stung to him to know that others saw his every action in a negative light but he still kept going. And sometimes he even used it (at the end of R&R).

Alina still wants to believe that there's something redeemable inside him. Her POVs were always the "kindest" in the way they painted the Darkling.

MISHA COULD YOU PLEASE SHUT IT

What about his mother, huh??

Who, despite the abuse he suffered from her, he still cared about??

Alina?? Oh boy, he was in love with her, obsessed and gave her so many chances. Something that he almost never does unless he's desperate.

So PRETTY PLEASE STOP TALKING

Meanwhile the Darkling in R&R, chapter 11:

"I have regretted many of the things I’ve had to do in this war."

So either Bardugo forgot that or Alina did or Aleksander changed his mind.

Or (my theory) Bardugo changed his perception in order for us to feel less sympathetic towards him.

Nevertheless, at least he has a spine and knows where he stands.

And Alina wanted the Darkling to say it not for him but for her. So she can feel okay. Unless Zoya is talking bullshit.

YES ALEKSANDER WHY DIDN'T YOU LIE SO OUR HEROINES COULD FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES???!!

HOW DARE YOU?? 😠😠

He tries so hard to persuade her that the reality she lives in will not pay off anything. First off, this is not who she is or what she was meant to become and second, why does she teaches children stories that are lies? Feeding them false hope, repeating a circle that others had also been doing.

"Do you *really* believe..."

He wants to make sure that she stands by that. He just can't believe that this is her opinion. Her choice.

He just wants her to shine people!! 😭😍

"Those stories tell us the only people who matter are Kings and Queens. They're wrong"

Now tell me, Alina, which stories do YOU tell them? What do you teach them? That the world is as rosy as the orphanage they live in, where they only eat sugar and play the piano? Do you imagine what kind of reality check will those children get once they live in the real world?

And here, ladies and gentlemen, we see the Darkling having reached his limits and saying "Fuck this shit I'm out"

Congratulations, Aleksander! You survived that meeting with these buffoons and their groundless arguments!! 👏👏

Here, have this! 🏅

He saw his chance (Alina holding Mal's hand) and seized it. But I think he really meant all those questions he asked to Alina.

So, dear anon, what we have here is the villain making his effort (again) to be heard and understood. He tries to make them see his own point of view: Ravka is in serious danger and Zoya and Nikolai are in no position to protect it. He, on the other hand, can since he has more experience and balls to deal with these issues. The Darkling is no pussy. He truly makes hard decisions when he must, something that essentially all rulers must do when the situation calls for it.

But! We have the good guys silencing him and threating him (even having a little child to do the last one) in order for the reader to understand what he has left in his wake. How much pain he has caused.

Mal has gotten ✨magically✨ wiser and calmer and has actual wits to repel the Darkling's insults in order for us to get to like Mal and see how much he has changed.

Alina sounds like a brainwashed woman who is convinced that her lifestyle is great! That wanting something more (idk. a throne and changing the world maybe) is sinful and unfitting of her.

Aleksander is the only one who thinks otherwise for her, though. Thank God, I mean!

He sought Alina out both to reclaim his powers and because he just wanted to see her.

Personally, in this scene only the Darkling makes sense. The others either want to feel good about themselves by threating him or want to convince him that "Hey, we're the good ones here. We know what we're doing, okay?" and his own ways are shit.

Dear anon, if you have any other questions or want me to analyze any other Darklina scene from this book or duology that I didn't include, then just say so!

And please any others who want to add something about this scene, feel free to criticise in the comments! 💛💛

[xx-alice-in-wonderland-xx]

Abby, Yara and Lev incorrect quilted cuz they are my children and I would die for them (with some other characters) xx

Abby: I really like Eminem.  Yara: I prefer skittles.  Abby: I’m talking about the rapper.  Lev: Why would you eat the wrapper?

Lev: There are three ways to handle a difficult situation. The right way, the wrong way, and the Abby way.  Yara: Isn't that the wrong way?  Lev: Yes, but it's faster.

Lev: It's locked. You got a lock pick?  Yara: Yeah-  Abby: *kicks in the door*

Abby: Okay, can we all stop saying stupid shit for a moment, please?!  Yara: Alright.  Lev: Hey, I-  Abby: SHUT UP!  Lev: I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED MY SENTENCE!!  Yara: It was bound to be stupid.

Lev: I woke up and chose VIOLENCE. I WILL COMMIT ARSON AND BURN EVERYTHING TO THE GROUND!!! I AM ANGRY-  Abby: Awwww, you’re so adorable! Give me a hug~  Lev: Wh-What? nO, yOURE SUPPOSED TO BE SCARED OF ME! TREMBLE BEFORE MY WRATH-  Yara, recording: This is so cute.

*Squad is playing Among Us*  Yara: I believe Lev is innocent, I was with them the whole time. Abby, what were you doing?  Abby: Oh, I was just murdering… I mean, nothing!

Lev: Thanks for not telling Yara what happened.  Abby, dumbfounded: I wouldn’t even know where to begin trying to explain this.

Abby, to Yara: If Lev doesn't say "I'm King of the world" within an hour on that boat, I will give you my next pay check.  Lev, within 5 minutes of getting on the boat: I'M KING OF THE WORLD!!!

Lev: Have I ever told you that I love you with my whole heart?  Yara: For the love of all that is holy, I am not taking you to McDonalds. It’s 2am!  Lev: Mean.

Lev: Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and…  Yara: Was diagnosed with mesothelioma.  Lev: Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said…  Abby: You might be entitled to financial compensation if he or a loved one dies.

Abby: WHO ATE MY BREAD?!  Abby: I'M GOING TO FUCKING K-  Lev: I did?  Abby: Kiss you and buy some more, you haven't been eating anything today Lev.  Abby: *walks away*  Lev:  Lev: She’s gone Owen.  Owen, coming out the closet with bread stuffed in his mouth: Thank you!

Lev: I have a plan.  Abby: I have the hospital and Mel on speed dial.

Lev, on the phone: Uh. . Hey, Mel, i uh, I’ve been stabbed.  ABBY: WHAT? WHERE ARE YOU?  Lev: Wait- You aren’t Mel. Sorry- I didn’t mean to call you-  Abby: NO, WHERE ARE YOU? IM COMING THERE. IM NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU ALONE AFTER BEING STABBED.

Yara: I'm very disappointed in you, Lev.  Abby: C'mon, don't get mad at Lev!  Yara: Abby, stop telling Lev it's okay for them to punch you! They need to learn not to punch people!  Abby: But I'm not a person!  Lev: Which is why I punched her!

Abby: *walks into the kitchen, ignoring everyone*  Yara: Hey, Abby, how was your day?  Abby: *picks up an onion and bites into it, staring at Yara* Hell.  Lev, watching this unfold: *whispers* Who hurt you?

Abby: Where’s Lev?  Yara: Around.  Abby: Around?  Abby: You don’t have any idea, do you?  Lev, dropping down from above: Did you know there’s a space above the ceiling?

Abby: Hey, Lev. Why did the chicken cross the road?  Lev: To get to the other side?  Abby: You were supposed to say “I dunno, why?“  Lev: Uh... fine. I don’t know. Why did it cross the road?  Abby: To get to the idiot’s house.  Lev: ...Ok?  Yara: Hey, Lev. Knock knock.  Lev: No.  Yara: You were supposed to say “who’s there?”  Lev: Fine... let’s get this over with. Who’s there?  Yara: The chicken.  Lev: Abby: Yara: Lev:Listen here you little shits-

Yara: Yesterday, I overheard Lev saying “Are you sure this is a good idea?” and Abby replying “Trust me,” and I have never moved from one room to another so quickly in my life.

Yara: Abby, just think about this! I’m your hottest friend.  Yara: No, that’s Owen… I’m your nicest friend.  Yara: No, thats Lev... I’m your friend!

Abby: I hate to to tell you this, but one of you was adopted.  Yara & Lev: Yara: Was it Lev?

*Lev is laying on the floor with their eyes closed*  Abby: Hey, are they sleeping or dead?  Yara, messing around: Hopefully dead, I hated them.  Abby, joining it: Yeah, me too.  Lev, sitting up: First of all, fuck you guys.

Lev: Abby, just think about this! I’m your hottest friend.  Lev: No, that’s Yara… I’m your nicest friend.  Lev: No, thats Owen... I’m your friend!

[ailendolin]

Live Reaction to TRoP 2x03

Spoilers for 2x03 under the cut

noooo not a flashback to Elendil and Berek. My heart breaks every time at the broken, "Please," because Berek is all Elendil has left of his son

Berek being a good horse and kicking that orc straight into a tree

Black Forest? Welcome to Germany, Berek. Seriously, though, that means spiders, right?

Fuck of course it does

But it also means Isildur so that's good. Berek proving to be the ultimate horse once more (sorry, Asfaloth and Shadowfax, I love you too)

come on, Isildur, time to get the hell out of there. I've seen Alien and I know how this ends

eating lunch while watching this was not one of my better ideas

ugh this is honestly making my skin crawl

this cave is my own personal nightmare and I hate it

kudos to the sound design, though, for making it even scarier than it already it

thank god they're getting out of there

I hope Isildur tells Elendil one day that him setting Berek free is what saved him from certain death by spider

aaaand we're back in Numenor. I've always been an elf girl but Numenor is beautiful and I love Elendil with my whole heart (also met Lloyd last year as well and he's such a lovely person)

Miriel! I love that Elendil is her eyes now. Those two are so great together

someone woke up and chose violence today. Literally

Miriel meeting anger and grief with kindness. My heart

I do not like Pharazon and I do not trust him

nooooo Earien did not take the Palantir, did she? Girl, why would you?

aw, Glüg going, "We are safe here. We have a home." That is so sweet. I like this guy. They all just want to lay down their weapons and live

omfg is that an Uruk family? Does Glüg have a partner and child? My heart! I can't. This is everything. I love this show so much

Damrod's in the house and the music slaps

yessss Disa went with Durin to Eregion. Now where is Elrond? I need my Elf-Dwarf Found Family back together again

i also want to punch Annatar in his pretty face just for existing

just saying but that one lock of hair falling into Celebrimbor's face is very distracting

Durin doesn't trust Annatar one bit and I'm loving it. He trusts one elf and that is Elrond

"Funny. He's never mentioned you." I'm cackling

Haha Durin knows very well that Elrond would never call him wise. This is so funny. Annatar is laying it on way too thick and Durin is looking right through him

noooo they cannot leave Eregion yet, not until Elrond gets there and they reunite

Celebrimbor, why are not all your alarm bells ringing when Annatar tells you Gil-galad forbid the making of more rings and doesn't know Annatar is with you? Again, where is Elrond? We need someone to talk some sense into all these stubborn elves

nooooo not Celebrimbor straight up lying to Gil-galad

ah okay, it is not lying. He is just granting him and Annatar the space to complete their work. That's okay, then

Brimby, I love you, but you are a rubbish judge of character and need new friends. Take Berek for example. He would take one look at Annatar and kick him across the room

ooooh that drinking seen gives me flashbacks to the Dead Marshes. Do not follow the little lights, Isildur

it's just a flesh wound lol

even I know not to pull out knives. Who is this girl?

okay, she's called Estrid

Pelargir is beautiful

Isildur's having a not good, very bad day, isn't he? Poor guy was just trying to be kind

I was just wondering when we'd see Arondir again and there he is! Finally!

but what about Berek?

oh no, not Bronwyn. I'm going to miss her. Where is Theo, though?

spoke too soon, he's there as well and not doing too well it seems - does he blame Arondir for Bronwyn's death?

Durin standing before his father is such a sombre scene. And he's actually apologising and telling him about his concerns - progress!

Arondir blames himself for Bronwyn's death - of course he does

I love that he stays with Theo even though Theo clearly does not want him there

doggo spotted in the background. Doggo spotted!

oh gods, Theo and Isildur teaming up the rescue Berek? That won't end well, will it?

I am sorry but I do not care about Estrid. I want Bronwyn back

fuck, I wrote that before the mark was revealed but good to know I'm a better judge of character than most people in this show (not you, Elrond and Durin)

okay she's burning it away but does she do it because he never wanted it or does she do it to better infiltrate? I'm sorry but I do not like her and I do not trust her

ah we're back to rescuing Berek. Let's see how disastrous that will go

yes, Theo, what the fuck are you doing out there in the dark?

"Lose your mum?" Ouch

the Ents are here, right? That tree chopping was focused on for a reason and we all know the Ents don't like that

btw someone is going to save the other horses, right? Right?

oh Miriel is looking gorgeous. The way her clothes look like a mosaic is so beautiful

Earien, what are you doing, girl?

okay, the way Elendil's, "Silence!" echoed? *shivers*

what the fuck does Earien think the Palantir is? A bowling ball?

Miriel, you're not doing yourself any favours here, sweetie

and neither are you, Elendil, by touching the magic bowling ball

the way Elendil is trying to reach Miriel - I can't

fuck yeah Eagle to the rescue

can he please eat Pharazon and his merry band of idiots? I swear that would be so funny

okay, that did not go as I wanted. Shit

the boyfriends are back at making rings and Durin is not happy

no no no do not let Annatar add the mithril. Celebrimbor, I swear to the Valar ...

fuck this is bad. On the chance of repeating myself: where is Elrond? None of these people should be allowed to do anything without him being there to talk sense into them

okay that little smile between Celebrimbor and Annator was cute. They're still in the honeymoon phase so I get it

and that's it for the first three episodes. I honestly need more Elrond in the next one. So many bad things wouldn't happen if someone would just listen to him

[jays-bookmarks]

Falling Leaves (Kazuha x gn!reader)

I woke up today and chose violence >:3c

This was inspired by some hcs I saw that said Kazuha would be too passive and conflict-averse to ever sit down and address the problems in your relationship so the tension would just build until it all falls apart and boy I was thinking about that all night,, so I had to write something about it lol

I might write a part 2 where you guys make up if people want to see it bc goodness knows I can't handle pure angst like this lmao

Summary: You love maple leaves, yet so many goodbyes seem to happen when they turn red. They say if you love someone, set them free... but why does it hurt so much? Words: 927 Warnings: angst w no comfort, Kazuha has attachment issues :(

Autumn was always your favorite season in Inazuma. With it came a break from summer's constant balmy air that always stuck your clothes to your skin, and the farmers' harvest that meant a huge variety of dishes for you to sample. Yet the most important change in autumn was the leaves of the maple trees that dotted the Inazuman landscape. There was something about this last burst of color before the trees shed their leaves for the winter that always left you in awe, and on more than one occasion you had to quickly apologize to someone you bumped into because you were too busy watching the trees.

In recent times, though, the autumn leaves reminded you of something else. Someone else, to be specific.

That someone was sitting next to you, his back leaning against the trunk of the maple tree the two of you were relaxing under. Every once in a while, a breeze rustled through the branches, blowing a few crimson leaves to the ground.

The two of you had spent many afternoons like this, simply enjoying each other's presence. Yet today, as with many days previously, you felt something had changed.

You shot a glance at your beloved. He was silent, a contemplative frown on his face. You had caught him wearing a similar expression on many occasions when he thought you weren't looking, and, after weeks of gentle prodding that got you nowhere, you were determined to get an answer out of him today.

You sighed, prompting Kazuha to look at you with a questioning hum.

"Kazuha, are you… okay?" You asked.

Kazuha smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to your forehead. "Of course. I'm with you, aren't I?"

You bit your lip. This was the same evasive answer he'd been giving you every other time you brought this up to him.

"That's sweet, Kazuha, but…" you paused. "You've been sort of… distant… lately, even when we're together."

"…I'm sorry, my love. It seems I've neglected you yet again."

"No, this isn't about— this is about you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, love."

You sighed as silence fell over you both. You knew he was avoiding the question, but you decided that the issue had gone on unresolved for long enough, so you kept pressing.

"Is it because I asked you to spend more time with me?"

You hated considering the possibility, but you had to be sure either way. Kazuha stiffened beside you. Though it was only a brief pause before he spoke, it told you everything. After all, he wasn't very good at lying, especially not to you.

"Of course not, love. The time I spend with you is the most precious of them all."

Your chest tightened as you took a shaky breath. It's not like this was unexpected. You had felt the distance between you two growing by the day, but you deluded yourself into thinking that you could still bridge the gap. Maybe if you had said something earlier… reached a little harder… but... no, he was too far gone. You should've known better than to cling so tightly to such a free spirit. You were someone who craved stability and reliability, and this was something Kazuha simply couldn't grant you.

With that realization, you asked your final question.

"Am I… tying you down?"

Another pause. Kazuha let out a long sigh. "In truth…"

You drew in a breath, your hands clenching at the fabric of your shirt as you prepared to receive the blow of his words.

"No."

You looked up in shock, the tension deflating from your body as you met Kazuha's gentle gaze. He smiled, but the twinkle in his eyes you had grown to love was nowhere to be found.

You shook your head, pinching your eyes shut so you didn't have to see the pity in his gaze.

"Don't lie to make me feel better, Kazuha," you said. "If I'm really holding you back from being happy, then—"

You cut yourself off, unable to voice the thought that had surfaced in your mind. Tears began to roll down your cheeks, but no hand came to wipe them away.

"Then… is this goodbye?" Kazuha said, his voice soft but steady, just like it always was, betraying no hint of emotion.

"…it doesn't have to be."

You wanted to grab him by the hand and beg him to stay; you wanted to pull him into an embrace and hold him until he promised to be by your side forever; but most of all, you wanted him to smile again, properly, without that distant look in his eyes. So you kept your arms wrapped tight around yourself. They say if you love someone, set them free… but why did it hurt so much?

Kazuha pushed himself from the ground, the soft swish of fabric the only other sound besides your trembling breaths. Even the breeze had died down, as if the world itself was holding its breath to see what would happen next. Kazuha stood before you for a moment. You wished you could see what expression he wore, but you couldn't bring yourself to look up at him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make you happy," he said. "Goodbye."

He turned and started down the path back to Ritou, his footsteps fading with your final shred of hope. You buried your head in the cocoon of your body and sobbed. So this was it. All the time you spent together, over with a single word.

Goodbye, Kazuha. I'm sorry I couldn't make you happy.

[anika-ann]

EHHH THERE'S AN ASK GAME GOING ON? Hi Anika <3 (you probably know which pair i'm going to ask but Imma ask anywayy >:D C - Crying// U - Underwear // Z - Zones = for my beloved couple Attached Professor!Rogers and Reader <333

Oh Jam! I have no idea which pairing you were going to choose! (affectionate, so so affectionate 💕 can't believe you still love them🥺)

I also see you woke up today and chose violence. Professor Rogers approves.

Alright. Here goes. Answers to this ask game under cut (cause year, sorry, 18+ , very)

C - Crying (is it a turn on? a turn off? do they cry during sex? have they cried during sex? what was the reason?)

Our dear prof loves having fun with you, loves to tease and edge you, all smirks and smugness, but crying is a no-no for him. He had seen your tears before and they are associated with so much pain, yours and his, that making you cry is simply not on him mind.

The stupid poem slander after you started dating. Your father's harsh judgement. His own struggles after getting shot and telling you to just lose the ring if that was what you wanted. Just no.

He had taken the edging too far once, actually making you cry as you begged him and the way his body physically recoiled at the pain in his gut, the absolute dread and despise he felt was everything but a turn-on. He was the sweetest afterwards, a profoundly loving aftercare, even as you hadn't used your safeword and he most certainyl did not judge you; however he did cackle a little when you felt better about half an hour later and shyly asked him if he could finish what he started and get you off. He very much did.

He got extremely cautious after that; a blessing and curse, because he became the king of edging. He knows exactly how far he can push, he absolutely revels in hearing you beg and mewl sweetly; and to his shock, he found out he very much does enjoy the tears if they come after, just a few of them rolling out at how intense the release gets, how sweetly the relief tastes. He needs to be cautious to use his mouth or hands or toys to do that; if he was inside he, he'd lose it at the sight alone🤭✨

As for if he ever cried, it was once. After the incident with the ring and your reconcilliation, it hit him a few days after, when you made love again - that he really almost pushed you over the edge and lost you. He comes and the emotions just crush him; you hold him through it, tajen aback, but as gentle as you know he would be to you, your heart quiverring as much as his lips do for a few moments.

Z - Zones (what are their erogenous zones? what spots on their body should be touched, bitten, kissed, when someone wants to get them in the mood?)

Steve is a simple guy; you kiss him, a little deeper than usual, and he knows what you want and he's happy to hop on that train of thought. You rake your nails over his thighs - it doesn't even have to be the insight of his thighs - and he's getting putty in your hands. Expect for one part that's growing very hard. Speaking of hard parts, there isn't any more direct message than brshing your fingers right there, right? He is not immune.

He is even less immune when you climb up his lap and kiss his just about anywhere.

One zone that surprised you and actually took you a rather long time to figure out was his forearms. You genuinely didn't realize - it is most definitely a turn on for you when he rolls up his sleeves and shows off his hands and forearms and you just like running your fingers over it. You know he knows that a peek of his forearms, especially when framed by those sleeves, drives you wild, but what you didn't realize was that it was invitation for you to touch him and drive him just as crazy.

Once you know, you take advantage, alright 😌

U - Underwear (what kind of underwear do they put on in the morning, if any at all… do they own any sexy underwear or lingerie?)

Well you can be sure he has a thing for stockings and he doesn't scoff at other lingerie either.; but taht doesn't mean he cannot appreciate simple. Just because you look extremely tempting to him in lingerie, it doesn't mean he's mainyl interested in what's under 😏

As for his own underwear, he's simple guy. Boxers, usually in plain colour, no crazy patterns except for three pairs of Christmas ones you bought him. He can simp, alright; it just made you so happy and you bought matching pairs of panties and it made him smile whenever he saw it on you. And you'd better believe he loves to match, tying yourself to you, even if you two are the only ones to know.

He had lost a silly bet to you once, resulting him having to wear the stupidiest most ridiculous pair of boxers on a day when he went to the gym and had to change in front of a few guys he knew. He was not amused (he was, a little, but don't tell anyone) - he however enjoyed taking his revenge.

What revenge, you ask? Well. If he's going in stupid boxers, than you're going commando to a dinenr with him with a skirt that barely reached just above your knees after he had played with you, teased you and left you soaking and unsatisfied. You could tell he was extremely cautious to make sure you considered it risqué but agreed to do it for the adventure though, because he's a little shit, but not a dick, definitely not to you.

He teased you all night too, even if with less direct touches; he was dlighted to see you still soaking once you got home, all happy to check for that with your back pressed to the door the second they closed behind. Check with his fingers and mouth. He cleaned every. Damn. Drop. And of course, rewarded you for being so so good for him🫠🫠

Hope you're happy with the answers, dear 🥰 Thank you so much for participating💕

[desultory-novice]

I'm sure that you may have heard about Kracko really hating Kirby? It's implied by some pause descriptions to my knowledge, like one from Kirby Fighters Deluxe.

What are your thoughts on this subject? I think it's a funny concept. That some recurring non-final boss character - on the same boat as Whispy Woods, more or less - may hold a serious grudge against Kirby and that could potentially be one of the many reasons it keeps showing up.

I have indeed heard the thing about Kracko and Kirby and I agree with you 100% it's funny in the best way?!

I mean, we have King Dedede, Meta Knight, and far worse last bosses than them who have come around as friends but this cloud... oooh, this cloud! It just HATES Kirby!

You'd think Whispy Woods would be in the same boat, or would hold claim to that title first, being the perennial first stage boss. But no, Whispy just seems kind of...cranky to be woken up or disturbed. And Whispy is fairly easily pacified - except when it decides to go all second form on you.

But Kracko is just...

You know, Kracko themselves is unusual in a variety of ways that makes the whole long-standing, one-sided grudge between Kirby and Kracko all that more interesting?

Like, Kracko Jrs can become full-fledged Krackos! Whatever a "full-fledged Kracko" even IS! And different Krackos can reform into new Krackos?! Or rather, OUR Kracko, while other Krackos, like Twin Kracko, are implied to share the memories of previous Krackos - enough to know that they feel anguish at their multiple losses?!

Are they a hive-mind? (*) Are they a species at all?!? And bopping back to the Whispy Woods thing, at least we can understand why Whispy attacks. They get woken up or otherwise disturbed.

But Kracko?! Kracko hates Kirby from the moment it laid eyes on our lovable pink puff! Who DOES that? (*) So the weird grudge Kracko has doesn't even seem to have an origin! It is LITERALLY that "woke up and chose violence" meme.

You know, I haven't really gone back and done much pondering on (Super) Kirby Clash since the big reveal from the Magolor Epilogue, but before then, I (like many others?) saw it as both an alternate universe and a sort of fairytale-esque retelling of Kirby's past! After all, there's Galacta Knight, only they are still considered a "hero" at this time and four Kirbys representing the four heroes of yore!

The reveal that it is one of many (!) possible dimensions just seems to expand Kracko's power. Because now Kracko(s) can be angry at Kirby from across different dimensions?!

...Gosh, could that have been where the grudge started? There was some original Kracko out there, a happy, peaceful cloud, and some Kirby from some other dimension, long in the past or otherwise did something horrible to Kracko and those memories are carried on each time Kracko reforms itself. The hatred and pain never going away. Tears recycled into water vapor, forming anew. Dreaming of the day it could have vengeance! The moment they meet again (?) on Bubbly Clouds in Dream Land 1 should have been the most important day of Kracko's life. But for Kirby... it was Tuesday.

(Sorry! I just love that meme!)

--

(*) But okay, the other thing I think we have to talk about with regards to Kracko is of course, the "Is Kracko related to Dark Matter?" question. It's crazy, right? 

Or is it? Again, there's the hive-mind thing. The weird "what kind of matter is Kracko even made of" question. The fact that it only has ONE eye and it spits out Waddle Doos as helpers. And Crystal Shards showed (a) Waddle Dee transform into a Waddle Doo when it got possessed by Dark Matter. That's not to say that Waddle Doos can't spawn naturally without the presence of Dark Matter. After all, Kracko makes them.

...But it would make a kind of sense of Kracko was able to do that because it had some connection to Dark Matter. Or another power. For as much of a mean jerk Kracko is, it actually has a very soft, sensitive looking eye.

It's a bit like Galactic Nova's eye. Sympathetic-ish looking. It's not the eye of a villain. Except that Kracko does occasionally spawn a more villainous looking, slit-pupil eye. Which reminds me...

I had my wild theory that Dark Nebula, the Master Crown, and Morpho Knight's sword were all elemental versions of the same power. But since Kracko has "the" eye, maybe they are the "wind" in this hypothetical 4/5 elemental grouping!

We know that Gooey is Dark Matter but isn't 100% similar to the others we've seen. Although to be fair, the 64 Dark Matters don't look 100% similar to Swordsman either, who is what we as the fandom consider the "typical" Dark Matter. But is he really? He disguised himself in a semi-humanoid form and had individual desires, so IS he normal? I was vaguely under the impression that the Dark Matters Zero sends at you are basically a "reset" Swordsman, but I might be wrong on that...

...Sorry, got off on a tangent.

Speaking of things half-remembered, isn't Kirby supposed to dislike rain? (Or was that from one of the Drama Tracks?) I have to assume at this point that is a subtle nod to Kracko, if it is indeed true at all.

I could believe it though, as despite the number of water-based stages in Kirby, there isn't really a "rainy" stage, is there? (Please feel free to jog my memory if I'm forgetting a really obvious one! Or a more obscure one! ^_- )

Another last minute thing I just thought of that's very funny about Kracko is we all know how Kirby feels about naps. Always taking them in the middle of the day. Dream Land is very snoozy, and sleeping under the clouds sounds ideal... except that there's a cloud out there specifically out to get Kirby! Doesn't that feel almost evil?! Is that why Kirby is so often napping under a tree? Is Kirby actually aware that Kracko seems out kill them ruin their day?!?

Anyway, good question! I welcome more thoughts about Kracko! Maybe they are just a cloud, but maybe... they're more??

[redstringraven]

in wake of the "don can't cook" post, here're my personal hcs on the boys and cooking (with also @plantdonutwrites addition of why mikey got into cooking lmao).

don: generally not great with cooking due to being spacey/easily distracted/losing track of time. can easily follow a recipe up until it's time to put something in the oven, leave it on the stove, or otherwise let the thing idle for a given amount of time. that's when we enter the danger zone. will forget to take meat out of the freezer to defrost. might set a timer for something, the timer goes off but he's in the middle of working, turns the timer off, says "i'll get it in a minute" and then a half hour later the food is harder than bricks. doesn't "burn water" but will forget he prepped water to boil and return to find that it's all evaporated and he has to start over. might do it a second time.

leo: great cook (sorry, fanon, i can't side with you on this one) and enjoys cooking/general meal-making, especially for his family. finds the process kind of therapeutic and very rewarding. this is one of the bonding activities he does with mikey, actually, and the two of them will often cook together. is the person who might wander around asking "hey, i'm about to make [insert meal] do you want any?" because he prefers cooking for more than just himself. especially enjoys discovering new 'family' recipes, perhaps passed down to him by april, angel, master splinter, or even usagi if earth 2 and 3 ingredients are similar enough to be substituted for. wouldn't surprise me if he asked about recipes during christmas aliens, from the folks who brought food.

mikey: excellent cook. has always been a bit of a foodie but, per jenn: 'he woke up one morning and chose Petty Violence and got really into cooking because he realized humans sometimes have 'a thing' where the people who cook don't have to do the dishes afterward, and doing the dishes is mikey's least favorite chore. so, if he cooks, he doesn't have to do dishes. wound up genuinely loving to cook. i like to think s1 mikey was like "i can scramble eggs!" and post s4 mikey is like "check out this souffle that i set on fire to caramelize and i made homemade mousse whipped cream enjoy".' as previously stated, cooking's become a bonding activity between him and leo, with leo preferring to stick to the recipe and keeping on task/track but mikey being a little more adventurous and willing to experiment and cook intuitively--especially during the times they might be a bit more limited on ingredients. they can make a mean meal together.

raph: can cook, prefers not to. rarely cooks for himself, and when he does cook he dabbles heavily in the "comfort food" and savory foods. when raph cooks, it's usually because someone needs the warm meal. maybe he has a sick brother, a sad friend who needs an old classic pick-me-up, or just senses the vibes are off in the studio today. so, here's the best grilled cheese and tomato soup combo you've ever had. don't ask him how he did it or how he knew what you needed. it's not important. just shut up and eat. you're welcome.

[dystopicjumpsuit]

Is it bad form to ask for FMK between your OCs?

Maree, Cerra, and Fireball (I know he’s not an OC but since we know absolutely nothing about him, and because I really like the way you write him, I felt like including him)

I love all three so much, but I’m also curious to know your breakdown

I see you woke up and chose violence this fine January day. This was hard, but after careful consideration, I think I've settled on an answer.

Fuck: Cerra. I love her, but neither of us are stable enough to be good long-term partners for each other.

Kill: Fireball. I'M SO SORRY! Here's the thing: the way I wrote him, he's very brother-coded for me. It's really hard/impossible for my brain to see him as a romantic prospect (though I have Plans™️ for him in the sequel, so this might change).

Marry: Maree. She would be an amazing wife. Endlessly patient, kind, funny and smart, and it doesn't matter that she's a total disaster in the kitchen because I love to cook. Plus, she's loaded. I would happily be her sugar baby. That way I could just write fanfiction all the time. Wins all around!

[derpinathebrave]

Finders Keepers - IceMav SpyAu Part 5 - Caring

READ ON AO3

These chapters come out faster on AO3 just as an FYI. This took me a week to put up here. I'm sorry guys formatting a tumblr post is such a pain. Check the Masterpost pinned on my blog to read the other chapters too! (and other fics tbh)

SUMMARY: “Don’t get attached, Mitchell,” Ice said, mumbling soft enough that the kid wouldn’t hear but the words were piped through the earpiece to Mav.

Maverick gave him a look of mild disinterest before returning his attention to the kid. Just because Ice was a cold-hearted bastard, didn’t mean Maverick had to be. There was nothing wrong with being kind to a child that they had rescued from a house of traffickers. It wasn’t like he was about to adopt it…

TAGS: Tom “Iceman” Kazansky/Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, OC Child Character, Ron “Slider” Kerner, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, Bill “Cougar” Cortell, Mike “Viper” Metcalf, Rick “Jester” Heatherly, Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, Penny Benjamin, Rick “Hollywood Neven, Leonard "Wolfman” Wolfe, Fluff, Family Fluff, Literally found family, MavDad, IcePops, SpyAU, Very Mild Violence, Spycraft innacuracies, Mild mentions of human trafficking, Selective Mutism, No Beta we die like goose.

WORDS: 8,574

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4 - PART 5

Large, brown eyes were inches from his own. Ice startled, still half-asleep and giving a sharp exhale. He blinked, groaning with lingering sleep and scowling at Emma. She was smirking. 

“Good morning,” he said through another exhale. “Can I help you?”

“No,” she said. 

“Is there a reason you woke me?” He grumbled and rubbed his eyes with one hand.

“No.” She snickered. 

Ice hummed and rolled onto his back. After a moment he dragged Emma over with him, trapping her in his arms as she wriggled and laughed.

“Then why did you wake me?” Ice said, mock-irritation in his tone. He poked at her ribs, making her squirm and squeak. 

“I didn’t,” she protested through her laughter. 

“You did.” Ice chuckled. “If you didn’t wake me, why am I awake?”

He softened his arms, giving her space to get away if she chose to.

“You just woke up,” she said, the giggles still rolling through her.

“That doesn’t sound like me.”

She giggled again, snuggling into a comfortable place on his chest. Her small hands clutched at his top and she gave a heavy sigh. 

“You OK?” Ice asked, trying to smooth her wild hair out of his nose.

“I didn’t think you’d be here,” she whispered. 

Ice stilled, his breath escaping in a rush. He nodded slowly before giving her a tight squeeze. 

“I didn’t think I would either,” he admitted. “But Mav asked me to stay last night. And when I thought about leaving you two...” Ice heaved a sigh, lifting her as his chest rose and fell. For anyone else, Ice wasn’t sure he would have been able to get the words out. “I don’t wanna leave,” he said softly.

She nodded against him.

“If you two wake me up every morning I might leave,” Mav’s voice grumbled from the other side of the mattress. He was rolled away from them and half sprawled on his chest. 

Emma made a noise of distress, thrashing to look at Mav. 

Ice had been lucky for days. His luck had run out. Her bony little knee landed directly between his legs, pain surging through his stomach as he gave a strangled noise. 

“Fuck.” He restrained the urge to flip her off him altogether. 

Mav was there in seconds, looking alert and ready for anything. He pulled Emma away from Ice easily.

As Ice’s vision cleared a little, he found Mav was working hard to stifle laughter. Ice let out his own weak laugh around the rolling nausea-pain. Maverick’s hair was standing straight up, defying gravity, but only on one half of his head. 

“You alright?” Mav asked, voice choked with laughter. 

“Peachy,” Ice sighed. He looked at Emma. 

Her eyes were wide with fear and guilt.

“You’re alright,” Ice said. “I know it was an accident.”

Her expression didn’t shift. Ice reached out and patted her hand. 

“Did you get a fright, Em?” Mav asked, encircling her with his arms. 

She nodded. Her eyes shifted from Ice to look up at Mav. They filled with tears. 

“Woh,” Mav pulled her into his chest. “It’s OK. You’re OK.”

She gave a hiccoughing sob, clinging to Mav tightly.

A heavy air settled into the room. Ice’s heart weighed down against his stomach. This was how it would be for a while. The bright, fun energy of their morning soured in an instant. He hated that this was her life. She deserved so much more.

“D—“ The sound snuck out between sobs. 

Mav stilled, turning his head to hear her better. 

“Don’t leave,” she sobbed against him. 

“Oh, fuck,” Mav’s face scrunched tight. “Fuck, Emma, I’m so sorry. I’m not leaving. That was a stupid joke.”

Ice sighed. He added to a running list in his mind of what had the potential to set Emma off. So far it consisted of crowds, closets, and the mention of leaving. 

She was quicker to calm this time. The sobs fading after only ten minutes. Maverick held her the entire time, mumbling apologies and reassurances. The three of them were suspended in silence, sadness hanging over all of them. Ice sat up with a sigh. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the back of the head. After a moment, he turned and took a kiss from Mav’s distracted lips too. 

It startled a laugh out of Mav, his smile returning at last. Ice smiled back and took another kiss. 

“I have to get ready for work,” he said. 

When he shifted away, he found Emma was watching with wide eyes again. There was still some fear swimming beneath the surface but he could see wonder creeping in. He gave her a wink. 

Ice dragged himself out of bed, incredibly reluctant to go to work. He stretched, feeling the other two watching him. 

“What?” He said with a grin. “Someone in this family has to make money.” 

They made matching strangled noises at his words. Ice simply smiled at them and headed for the door. Their tender expressions of hope painted into his heart.

Pain snapped against his skin. Mav blinked a little as he released the pinching hold he had on his own inner arm. He couldn’t quite believe it was real yet. Ice had stayed. Ice had said wonderful, loving things to him. Ice, no, Tom. Tom had laughed and played with Emma in bed before getting up, using the F-word and then going to make him coffee. 

He pinched his arm again. 

Emma was sitting at the bench eating cereal and watching as Tom downed the last of his coffee. Pete was leaning across from her, doing the exact same thing. 

Ice looked at them both, laughing a little and setting his coffee mug down. 

“Stop looking at me like that,” he huffed. “You’re making me feel like the bad guy.”

Mav and Emma exchanged the pleading look they were wearing before turning it back on Ice. 

“I have to go to work.” Ice laughed again. He dragged Mav into his arms and held him tight. “I’ll come back this evening.” He turned to look at Emma and then the mess of Stuff in the living room. “Besides, you two have plenty to do here today.”

“Yeah, but you could help,” Mav said, leaning back a little but not far enough to break Ice’s hold. 

“Clean up your own mess, Mitchell,” Ice teased, eyes dancing. 

Mav felt his entire face heat and redden, this might take a little getting used to. Not only the idea that Tom was so eager to touch him and hold him, but honestly, that anyone was. Pete was beginning to realise he was touch starved. It was so natural to him to hold Emma in comfort, now he understood why. He craved it just as much as he expected she did. 

Rather than fight against the current of warm affection and dig up a sassy reply; Pete leaned up and stole a kiss. Ice hummed, taking another for himself and then releasing Mav. 

He moved around the bench, kissed Emma’s hair and gave her a little squeeze. 

Emma immediately abandoned her cereal to stand on the stool and wrap her arms around Ice. He chuckled and lifted her into his arms. Mav watched closely. Yeah, they couldn’t get enough of Tom holding them. 

“I’ll see you later, Squeak. I promise,” he said. 

She looked into his eyes for a long moment. “OK.”

“Have a fun day with Mav,” Ice beamed at her. “Don’t let him burn the house down.”

“Hey!” Mav protested. 

They laughed at him and Pete let his grin break through as well. 

“OK. I’m going now,” Tom placed her back on the stool, kissing her head again. He crossed to Mav, kissed him as well and headed for the front door. 

The pair of them sighed as the door snapped closed. 

Mav sipped his coffee and skirted around the bench to lean against Emma a little. “Right,” he said, “let’s get this place all cleaned up for you to live here. OK?”

A small, reluctant smile curled at her lips. 

It was a strange drive to work for Ice. For one, it took longer than he expected. Mav lived out in suburbia, while Ice’s loft was tucked away on the edge of the CBD. The longer drive gave him more time to think about everything. 

And he tried to think about everything. He did. He would start with a breakdown of how he ended up there and what he was doing, but it devolved into just picturing Mav and Emma giving him pleading looks to stay. It seemed to replay the adorable way they had both gone blank when he called them a family. He couldn’t stop himself from reveling in the way Emma had giggled like a real kid when he tickled her. 

By the time he made it to work, his cheeks were sore from smiling but he couldn’t stop. It wasn’t until he was in the elevator that Ice managed to get his face under control. He might have had the best twelve hours ever, but that didn’t mean he could undermine his Iceman persona. He had a reputation to uphold. 

A persona that lasted the distance it took him to walk from the elevator to his shared office. Once the door was closed again, Goose and Slider took one look and gave him identical smug grins of satisfaction. Ice’s blank expression lasted about three seconds before he gave them an equally smug smile in reply. 

Slider laughed. He pulled a pack down from the racks and crossed the room to Ice.

“We have a surveillance detail today,” Sli said, passing the pack to Ice and grabbing an empty one. “Chipper and Sundown will relieve us after lunch.”

Ice’s good mood took a nosedive. 

Slider gave another laugh and dragged him back out of the office. After a short struggle, Ice doubled back and poked his head in through the door. 

“Goose,” he said. 

Goose turned, eyebrows up in a question.

“You got time later to talk about that other job?” 

The hacker’s face turned shrewd and he gave a nod. “Sure. Let me know when, yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“Good hunting,” Goose said before turning back to his computers. 

“Hack the planet.” Ice snapped the office door shut, grinning at the muffled groan from Goose. 

After a quick stop in the cafeteria to get a supply of snacks and water, Ice and Slider headed out to their assignment. Ice drove while Slider read the job report. They were off to watch another gang house, another connection to the trafficking ring they had been working against. Once enough information had been gathered on the numbers of members and their comings and goings, another team would be tasked to head in and clear it out. 

Surveillance was, in Ice’s professional and personal opinion, one of the worst jobs. Sitting in a hot car, playfully arguing with Slider over anything they could think of to pass the time, and staring at a building in the middle distance. Ice would rather have helped Mav and Emma clear out the Stuff in the living room. This was probably why they didn’t get orders until they were already clocked in for work. 

He pulled up to the curb and sighed. This was somehow worse and better than usual. The house was on the corner of an intersection. Ice and Slider were parked out the front of a sad looking strip mall, two of five spaces empty and papered over with newspapers. The other three were a bodega, a dingy looking real estate office and a massage parlour with blacked out windows. Across from the strip mall was a diner, it was markedly less dingy and seemed to be turning a relatively good trade. 

“I think we should move down to the next street,” Slider said, eyes narrowed behind his dark glasses. “It’s too conspicuous to be sitting in a car outside a diner.”

Ice nodded, he looked at the strip mall for another moment. Something was tickling his intuition. 

“Sli,” he said slowly, “what’s your read on that?” 

He tilted his head toward the real estate office. Slider turned. A fresh frown appeared on his face as he looked from one end to the other. 

“Mm.” It was not a positive noise. “Let’s get into position and we can check it out later.”

Ice gave a nod.

With the pair of them dressed for the day, Mav and Emma sat down in the lounge and started to sort through the piles of Stuff. She was enthusiastic, hunting through the bags and boxes and bringing what she deemed most interesting to Mav first. 

Beyond the carburettor kit, she found a set of attachments for his pneumatic wrench, a missing set of socket wrenches he had since replaced and a book of paint samples for the Valiant. 

“You into cars, kiddo?” Mav asked as she pulled over the bag of old car magazines.

She gave him a shrug but her face was burning with interest. 

“No one ever teach you this stuff?” He guessed and leafed through the magazine on top. He stopped on a page with a shining blue Plymouth Valiant. “This is what is in the garage.” He showed her. 

She leaned over his shoulder, standing behind him and resting most of her weight on his shoulders. 

“You can help me fix it, if you want,” Mav said, turning to smile up at her. “I think you’ll help me stay on track.”

She gave a cheeky grin. 

“But first, we gotta finish all this. So let’s take the air gun stuff, the carb kit and the socket set to the garage. You can have the magazines if you want ‘em.”

His heart swelled as she gave him a tight hug and grabbed the bag of magazines from his lap. They were spirited away to her room without a second glance. Mav took the other things into the garage, a slight spring in his step. 

Their day passed easily. As they sorted through stuff, Emma eventually losing interest and pulling out a magazine to browse on a nearby armchair, Mav nattered away at her. He told her the story of most of the things he unearthed. He told her the most child-friendly stories he could about working with Ice. 

He didn’t mention her parents again. Maverick knew that the conversation had to happen. It would be the hardest conversation of both their lives when it did. So he delayed. 

He told himself that Emma would do better if Ice was there when he broke the news. He told himself that dead was dead and it didn’t matter when she found out. He told himself that the stupid bastards had given her up anyway and their memory deserved no honour. 

They were all smoke-screens for his real reason though. He didn’t want to. He wanted her to have one day of being happy and just a kid. He wanted to pretend that he was her dad and nothing bad had ever happened to either of them. 

If only.

“I fucking hate surveillance,” Slider sighed, taking a long drink from a water bottle. They had been there for two hours, watching absolutely nothing happen.

“I know.” Ice shot him a look of exasperated affection. “I know because you tell me every time we do this.”

“I’m just keeping you informed, Ice,” Slider said with a grin. “How was the kid last night? She deal with you leaving OK?”

Ice gave a reflexive sniff and focused extra hard on watching the house, willing someone to come or go so he could change the subject. Slider’s eyes burned into the side of his head. 

“What is that?” Slider said, voice almost cautious. “Why are you avoiding answering me?”

It wasn’t that Ice didn’t want to tell Slider what had happened, he just wasn’t sure he was ready for the reaction it was going to elicit. He rubbed at the back of his neck, clearing his throat.

“No,” Slider gave a dark chuckle. “Oh, you stayed didn’t you? You’re completely gone for this kid too, aren’t you?”

“Well,” Ice cracked a smile. “You met her. She’s cute.”

“Yeah, she’s cute I guess.” He gave a shrug. “How are you going with having to see Maverick all the time?”

Ice jutted his chin out, lips pushing out as he fought against a smile. He lost, giving a wide grin and turning to see Slider’s reaction. 

“Damn,” Slider huffed, somewhat amused but with a note of irritation. “I bet Goose it would take longer than that.”

“What?” He frowned.

“Wait, did you kiss him?” Slider clarified. 

Ice’s grin returned full force.

“Shit,” Slider laughed. “I mean, good for you. But you cost me a twenty.”

“Why the fuck are you two betting on my love life?” Ice shook his head and returned to watching the house. 

“Because we’ve been watching the two of you circle each other for, oh, about eighteen months now.” Slider shifted in his seat and took another long drink. “Goose said it would be within the week. I said you’re both so fuckin stupid it would still take at least two.”

Ice opened his mouth to give an argument but found he didn’t have one. He snapped his jaw shut once more. Slider gave a low laugh. 

“I’m going to head back up to that real estate place,” Ice changed the subject quickly. “You good here?”

Slider laughed harder. “Sure, man, I’m good.”

Ice climbed out of the car, gave Slider the finger, and headed off back up the street toward the strip mall.

He tried to prod the small ember of irritation into an actual emotion but it didn’t work. Sure, it was annoying that his best friend had bet he would be too stupid to kiss his co-worker, but kissing said co-worker really made up for that. The same irrepressible happiness welled up inside him once more. 

The real estate office was even more rundown now that Ice was close to it. He wandered past the windows, pretending to stop and look at their listings. More and more ticks of suspicion fired off in his brain. 

The listings were all faded, as though they hadn’t been shifted from the window in weeks. There was a thick coat of dust on the fake plant he could see by the front desk. The receptionist watched him, her head down but eyes flicking up to him as though she were trying to hide it. 

Ice sauntered on by, the picture of someone that hadn’t seen anything that caught his eye in the window and was merely a bored shopper. He headed for the bodega without looking back. It was mostly just to cover his behaviour but as Ice stepped into the store, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. 

There was a display of stuffed animals by the counter. Near the top, about the size of a toddler, was a pink and blue monkey. He had it in his hands and at the register before he could stop himself. With that and a pack of gum, he headed back down to the car and Slider.

Mav and Emma finished sorting through the Stuff shortly after lunch. There was a new pile of things in the garage to be dropped off a charity shop. Maverick planned to con Ice into doing it for him. What he really wanted to do was convince Ice to let him drive his i30 but he also tried to be a little realistic in life. 

With that done, Mav cleaned out the display cabinet in the dining room. Emma sat at the table working away at one of her puzzle books as he showed her each trinket and explained them. She watched with fascination, handling each thing he passed her with reverence and care. 

“You know, Em,” Mav said after he finished placing the vintage 303 rifle back on the bottom shelf having detached the bayonet once more. “I was thinking about your room.”

She looked at him with her “I’m listening” face. 

“We should paint it, don’t you think?” Mav leaned onto the back of a chair and looked down at her. “I always wanted to be able to paint my room. But I never had a room that was mine. So let’s paint yours.”

“Why?” She said, her head tilted a little and the marker in her hand poised above the page. 

“Why…” Mav replayed his own words back hunting for where she had got hung up. “Why didn’t I have a room that was mine?” He tested.

She gave a sharp nod. 

Shit. Mav licked his lips and gave a short sigh. He walked right into that one. 

Maverick pulled the chair he was leaning on out from the table and sat down. Emma was watching him warily. He set his elbows on the table and shifted toward her a little.

“When I was 3, my dad died,” Mav started. 

Her face pinched. He took her hand in his. 

“It’s OK. I’m OK, honey.” 

Emma’s expression didn’t change. Mav forged on, knowing she wanted to hear it. He would have in her position. 

“He flew planes for the Navy. He died fighting in a stupid war. Not long after that, maybe a year, my mum died too.” Pete braced himself, watching as Emma’s eyes grew wet but tears didn’t fall. “I didn’t have anyone else that could take care of me. So I was put into foster care.”

She stood and rounded the table, climbing into his lap and holding him tight around the middle. It was a sad sweetness. Mav wrapped his arms around her and set his chin on her hair. 

“I grew up in things called group homes, which a lot of people call orphanages,” he continued softly. “I shared a room my whole life. And I didn’t ever really have somewhere that was just for me.”

They sat in silence for a while. Old memories were buzzing around Mav’s head like beetles, noisy but too quick to catch. 

“It’s important to me that you have somewhere that is just yours,” he said. “I want you to have somewhere that you belong.”

“I belong with you,” Emma said, voice thick. 

“You do, Em.” Mav kissed her head. “You always will, OK?”

The afternoon ticked by as they sat together. Mav felt something between them had shifted. There was now a tether between their hearts. No matter what happened, they would always have this. It was a heady thing, so be so firmly rooted with another soul after a lifetime spent adrift. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but they didn’t fall. He simply sat and held her, and she held him. 

All the snacks were gone. They were on their last bottle of water. The heat of the day had passed over to their relief. Slider was taking a short nap in his seat, his bulky frame scrunched up on the reclined car seat as best he could. 

Ice watched. 

It was exhausting to sit and do nothing but concentrate on all the nothing happening. If he could have passed the time with something other than staring at a house no one had gone in or out of all day, he wouldn’t feel so tired. Forcing his brain to carry on beyond the initial “there’s nothing there” message it sent him was tough. 

The monkey toy sat on the backseat, watching with him. Ice had gone through a roller-coaster of emotions over it. He loved it, Emma needed a stuffed toy. He thought it was the stupidest thing he had ever done, she was ten what if she hated it? He decided it was the thought that counted and he couldn’t imagine her being ungrateful. He wondered if it was too much or too soon. He wondered if her parents had ever done something like that for her. 

Ice sighed. He knew the address of her old house. He had memorised it instantly. He doubted he would ever forget it. It was in a poor neighbourhood, in the rough part to boot. He had been through there a few months ago, near the beginning of this trafficking case. An excellently horrible idea struck him. 

Slider’s phone rang, startling him into movement. Ice snorted a laugh as Slider’s knees crashed into the dashboard. He grumbled and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Hello?” He answered, still frowning. “You’re a real prick, Chip.”

Ice laughed again, his eyes ranged up and down the street until he found the other pair in their Agency car. Sundown gave him a friendly wave and Ice raised a hand in greeting back. He started the car as Slider debriefed Chipper over the phone. They were finished for the day. 

Back at the Agency they debriefed quickly. Ice hammered out his report, adding the suspicious real estate place with a request to have it further investigated in the future. Slider unpacked their bags and wrote his own report out, laboriously tapping the keys. 

Goose was long gone. They had no idea where he would be, the man ran his own hours a lot of the time. Ice stared at his empty desk and felt a pang of jealousy. Goose often ducked out to watch one of Bradley’s baseball games or some event his school was putting on. 

One day soon they would have to discuss school with Emma. They would have to find a place that was both secure and friendly. What grade was a 10 year old in anyway? He was going to have to do some research. 

As he turned back to his own computer to do just that, his eyes slid over Mav’s empty desk. All his belongings were still there, he hadn’t cleaned it out or anything, but it felt weirdly empty. Ice realised there was a trickling sadness in his chest. It was going to be so weird not having him here all the time. 

“Finished!” Slider crowed and clapped his hands together. 

“Finally, I swear you’re the slowest typist I’ve ever met.” Ice stood. 

Slider gave him a perplexed frown. “Uh, touched that you stayed with me through that trial, Ice, but, what are you still here for?”

“We’re going to The Flats,” Ice said. He could have framed it as a favour. He could have made it a request. But this was Slider, they were old friends, old veterans. Slider had been a green beret. Ice had been a SEAL. They had met on a mission that technically never happened in a place that they definitely never were. 

It had been serendipity that Ice had been recruited into the Agency the same year that Slider was losing his passion for the special forces. They had met for a beer and catch up and on the following Monday morning Slider had been brought into the Agency alongside Ice. 

“The Flats?” Slider frowned harder as he stood. “That’s all the way across town.”

“I know, so we should get there just after dark,” Ice said, twirling his keys around his fingers. 

“You’re buying me dinner,” Slider said, voice resigned as he grabbed his own stuff and headed for the door. 

“Alright, but I’m not going to fuck you after.” Ice smirked as they headed into the hall.

“How about some inappropriate touching?” Slider carried on the joke. 

“Not even a goodnight kiss,” Ice said, barely holding down his laughter.

“Bit frigid, aren’t ya?”

“Well, they don’t call me Iceman for no reason.” 

After pouring over the book of car paint samples for hours, Emma had selected a metallic green the colour of new growth. Mav approved heartily, hoping they could get something at the hardware store that was metallic. 

Watching her decide had been very informative to Mav as well. He, himself, would have just flipped pages and picked whatever stood out to him the most, maybe flipping back and forth to be sure. Emma took a pad of paper and a pencil, meticulously writing out the name and page number of each of her potentials to be compared and culled down to a list of final colours. From there, he watched with amusement as she took the book into the bedroom and held each colour against each wall. He could see her brain working. He could suddenly understand how the codes he’d given her had pulled out of her shell so quickly. 

While Mav was making dinner, he realised they would have to find her something to stimulate that part of her. He wondered if there was a program he could put her into. He would have to do some research.

Emma gave a squawk as Mav stepped back onto her toes. She had been hovering around him in the kitchen, holding onto his shirt hem as he worked.

“Sorry, kiddo,” he sighed. “If you give me some space, I won’t step on you so much.” 

She gave him a powerful frown and held tighter. 

“Right.” He sighed again. “Well, let’s try this then.”

He took her hand and set it on his waist instead of clinging to his shirt. Her little fingers curled into him. 

“Now,” he leaned toward her and then away. “You can feel where I’m going and you can move with me.”

She smiled and stepped in to press herself against him, still holding his middle. Mav chuckled and pressed against her in reply. 

“Where’s Ice?” She asked, her voice small but clear enough. 

“I’m not sure, baby,” Mav sighed. He glanced at the clock. “He shouldn’t be too much longer. But.” Mav set his spatula down and crouched down to talk to her properly. “Ice isn’t very used to us yet, he might have forgotten to let us know he won’t be here for dinner. He might have gotten called away to do something for work. But, Em, that doesn’t mean he isn’t coming back. And it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be here, OK?”

Her expressions shifted like a kaleidoscope. Anger, fear, hope, fear, sadness, mistrust, fear, doubt, and finally sadness again. 

She opened her mouth to speak and nothing emerged. It only darkened her expression further. 

“Get your pad,” Mav encouraged her. “I’ll come with you if you lead me.”

The two of them crossed to the coffee table where she had left her notes on wall colours. Emma deigned to let them back in the kitchen as she scratched away at a code for Mav to decipher. He was serving them both when she tore the page off and held it out. 

It took him a little while. She had randomised a number square again. They sat side by side and Mav pulled the message out of the number-jumble. 

What if Ice doesn’t come home? What if I did something that made him not come back? I hurt him this morning. I woke him up. 

Mav abandoned his untouched food entirely in favour of pulling Emma into his lap and cuddling her. Clutching at his shirt, she hid her face in his chest beneath his chin. 

“Ice wasn’t upset with you about that stuff.” Mav rocked them gently side to side. “He’s not the type of person to be upset about stuff like that. He’ll come back. He promised, remember. Ice doesn’t break his promises.”

She shuddered a little but no sobs arrived.

“Besides,” Mav brightened a little. “Let’s call him and see where he is. He’s definitely finished at the Agency now.”

Mav juggled his hold on her until he could lift her and fetch his phone from the other end of the bench. When he sat back down, her face had appeared once more and she was looking with interest at his phone. 

Mav made a mental note to change his passcode more regularly these days.

The sun was well below the horizon by the time Ice and Slider rolled through The Flats. Even without the dark the place would have been ominous. There were no lawns only wild tangles of weeds. Almost every house had a boarded up window in the front. A cluster of young men in baggy clothing stood in a cluster out the front of an unpainted building, they watched in silence as they drove by. 

“I think I might keep the engine running while you go inside,” Slider observed in a mild voice. 

Ice turned into Emma’s old street, his teeth gritted as he made a noise in agreement. They had come in his i30N, and while he had shifted the settings to be quieter, it was still a sports car in a ghetto. He had no choice, this was impossible to justify to Viper and therefore Ice wasn’t going to be given an Agency car. 

“I won’t be too long,” Ice said. He parked a few houses down from the address and sat for a moment. Slider’s eyes were searching the dark as well. There were almost no streetlights left shining, only the residual light of the distant city and the moon let them see anything at all. 

“Have fun,” Slider grinned in a predatory way.

Ice leaned over and pulled his thigh holster, and the Walther he kept in it, out of the glovebox. With it strapped on, the weapon loaded and secured in an obvious place, Ice got of of the car. 

It was a warm evening, no hint of a breeze. Somewhere in the distance throbbing bass was playing. Ice walked to the house. It was in a state of mild dilapidation. Compared to the one three doors down that appeared to have had an entire wall removed and covered with plyboard, it wasn’t too bad. The porch was missing a step, there was a duct taped hole in the front window and the paint was probably as old as the house. Yellow police tape had been tacked onto the door but there was no sign of any actual law enforcement. 

He pushed in through the gate in the picket fence, nose twitching in irritation as it squealed loud in the dark. Resisting the innate urge to glance around and check behind him, Ice hopped up onto the porch. 

After checking the doorknob, he crouched down into the shadow and picked the lock. It was disturbingly slack. Ice suspected it had been picked more than once. Barely a breath later he was ducking under the police tape and stepping through the door. It was a mess but surprisingly homey. 

He was standing in a living room, a saggy moth-eaten couch taking most of the space. A blanket was rucked up on one end and a rickety-looking end table had an empty soda can and a battered romance novel on it. The television was so huge it probably cost more than the rest of the furniture in the room. Ice walked through the space slowly, eyes taking in the details. There was a painting of flowers in a vase over the couch but no family pictures to be seen. There was a grisly stain on the bare floorboards by the door to the kitchen. He stepped over it.

The kitchen was homey again, a vase in the middle of a small, battered table held the remnants of flowers. The cabinets were painted a bright colour that Ice suspected was a yellow or green. He stopped, staring at the scribbly drawings on the fridge. They had loved her once. They had loved her enough to take her creations and display them. His heart began a slow burning ache. It was so much easier when he thought they were neglectful. 

He moved through to the hall, stepping over another bloodstain as he exited the kitchen. The first room was obviously Emma’s parents’. He glanced in long enough to see an unmade bed, a mess of clothes spilling from a chest of drawers and a closet that had clearly been emptied by the detectives. 

The next room was the one he had been looking for. Emma’s space was smaller but neater too. A chest of drawers with scratch marks down one side was pushed against a wall. She had a stack of books on her bedside table, a slightly stained bedspread with stars and moons across it, and a threadbare rug on the floor. There was a low bookshelf with an assortment of picture books, toys and small novels. The walls were decorated with scribbles that progressed to actual drawing the higher they got. 

Ice bent to examine one a little closer, doing his best to ignore the embering pain in his chest. It was a fish, inked straight onto the drywall, simplistic but obvious. Beside it was a stick figure holding a rod with a line and hook. He crossed to the bedside table, picking up the pile of books. The Hobbit, Black Beauty, The Light in the Window; A Nellie Mason Mystery, and The Floating Admiral. Ice couldn’t help but smile. All of the books were battered, clearly either second-hand or well loved. He set them back down. There was no sign of any stuffed toy that could be loved. Ice even went so far as to draw the covers back on the bed and check beneath the pillow. 

The last thing he did was check the chest of drawers. He paused to grin at the collection of nicknacks she had scattered across the top; a broken seashell, a rock with googly eyes, what appeared to be a tarot card, a tin brooch with the setting missing. Her clothes had been folded away neatly, each in a little pile. Ice wasn’t too sure what he was looking for as he opened each level. He just felt like he needed to know where she came from, that she had existed outside of the depressing little room she had been shackled in. 

He pushed the drawers closed again and took another long look around the room. The drawings made him smile a little. That was a habit she would have to break, there was no way he and Mav were going to let her draw on the walls. 

Ice collected the stack of books from the bedside table and headed for the door. He was lost in the idea of bringing the books back to Emma when he stepped back into the living room and propped. 

Three of the men from the street corner appeared to be waiting for him, their expressions unfriendly. Ice stifled a sigh. The books were piled into his right hand, like a rookie. 

“Boys,” Ice said, tone mocking. 

“The fuck are you?” The one near the front, his hair as blond as Ice’s and likely more natural. 

“Just the local librarian.” Ice shifted his feet to a better position. 

“The fuck are you doing in here?” This one was short, broader and wearing a cap backward. Ice would have laughed at him except that three against one wasn’t a laughing matter. 

“Look, I’m not here for trouble. I came to collect something. I’m leaving,” Ice said, he gripped the stack of books tighter with his hand, gesturing with them at the men. His left, he dropped to his side. 

“You aren’t going anywhere.” They shifted in too-coordinated movements to block the door fully. “Either you’re part of Nile Street, and we’re going to fuck you up. Or your stealing from Oz’s house, and we’re going to fuck you up.”

Ice grimaced internally. He didn’t particularly feel like killing and maiming three men in an active crime scene. For one, he didn’t want to risk getting blood on Emma’s books. For another, they were pests, not really worth his time and skills. He took a slow breath in, tilted his head and looked from one to the other slowly. 

“Can I have a third option?” He asked. 

“What?”

Before they had the word out properly, Ice was already dashing back through the kitchen and down the hall. 

Shouts and curses followed him. 

He wasn’t above running away. Especially when the alternative was needless violence. 

There was no back door, Ice was already aware of that fact, but the window in Emma’s room was probably big enough for him to get through in one go. He shoved into the room. Scooping up the rock with googly eyes, he hurled it through the window. 

Ice dove on through after it. Luck was at least a little on his side as he managed to avoid cutting himself on the glass at all. 

Luck quickly abandoned him as a gunshot sounded.

He ducked reflexively.  With a muttered, “fucking hell” Ice bolted for the street. The low picket fence cut it off. 

Another gunshot sounded. Woodchips exploded off the corner of the house. 

Ice flinched away. The books slipped in his hand. He lost his footing a moment. He tucked the books against his chest, breathing hard in relief. Stumbling a few steps before recovering his pace again, Ice hurtled down across the front lawn. 

Ice vaulted the fence, whipping his legs up and over without losing stride.

A cluster of gangers were waiting by the gate. A more shouts went up. Ice was already sprinting down the dark road, lungs working hard. 

Gunfire followed him. 

“For fucks sake!” Ice cried, astounded at their enthusiasm to shoot him. 

His beloved car appeared, screeching out of the side-street Slider had found and pulling to a quick stop. Ice hopped the hood as the driver’s window rolled down. Slider let off a few warning shots with his pistol. 

Heart hammering and lungs burning, Ice threw himself into the passenger seat.  

“Go,” he said in the same instant that Slider stomped on the accelerator. 

The engine growled and they tore off down the street. A few more gunshots followed them. Ice’s wing mirror caught a lucky shot and shattered. 

“Son of a bitch,” he groaned between gasping breaths. “That’s going to be such a pain the ass to fix.”

Slider gave a laugh and shook his head. He looked at Ice and gave a deep frown. 

“You’re bleeding on the upholstry,” he said. 

“What?” Now that Slider had mentioned it, a stinging pain was throbbing in his head with each beat of his heart. Ice flipped the visor down, examining himself in the mirror. His face was a bloody mess. “Ah, dammit.” 

With a handful of tissues from the console, Ice tried to clean up the mess. There was a inch long graze at the edge of his hairline above the temple. He examined the books as he waited for the bleeding to stop. Of all of them, he managed to only bleed on The Floating Admiral, and it was only a single spot near the corner of the front cover. He set the books on the backseat with the toy monkey. A heavy sigh punched out of him. 

As Slider opened his mouth to speak, Ice’s phone rang. With a frown, Ice pulled it from his pocket. 

His stomach dropped. His heart picked up speed like he was still running. 

Maverick was calling. 

“Hello?” Ice’s voice came through the phone and Emma leaned toward it. 

"Hey,” Mav said, stroking her back a little. “We were just wondering how you’re going. You are coming back tonight, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course,” Ice sounded almost breathless. Mav couldn’t pick if it was relief but he suspected it was. Ice had made dumb comments about not belonging with them before. 

“Good.” Mav looked at their bowls of food growing steadily cold on the bench. “Should we wait to eat with you?”

“Uh.” There was a rumble in the background that sounded like Slider. 

Maverick frowned again. His intuition twanging. 

“You mind if Slider comes for dinner?” Ice said. 

Yeah, Ice had some explaining to do.

With a look of confirmation at Emma and her curt nod in reply, Mav gave a short sigh. “Sure, there’s enough for him too.” He shook his head and smiled. “How far away are you?”

There was another mumble of Slider’s voice. This time they heard Ice reply with “Just this once,” before speaking to them once more, “About 40 minutes?”

“OK. 40 minutes,” Mav repeated, bemused. 

“OK. See you soon.” 

The call cut.

Emma and Pete sat staring at the phone for a prolonged moment. He looked down at her again, finding her wearing the same frown he could feel on his own face. 

“That was weird, right?” He mused.

“Weird,” Emma said, voice a whisper. 

He gave her a squeeze. “You OK with Slider coming here, kiddo?”

She nodded slowly. Her mouth opened and after a second her voice pushed out. “He’s nice.”

Mav grinned a wicked grin. “He’s OK.”

She looked up at him, concerned. Mav winked. 

“OK, let’s put this food in the oven and see what we can get up to for 40 minutes before they get here.” Mav set her back on her feet. To his great surprise, she let him go. He pressed a kiss to her head anyway. 

Their 40 minutes was spent in the garage. Emma had towed Mav out there as soon as he had finished putting the dinner on to warm. He let her climb on his bikes, holding them steady as she clambered up. He explained all the switches and levers for her, her eyes bright with excitement as he did. 

“I’ll work on Ice, kiddo,” Mav smiled as she scooted half onto the fuel tank to grip the handlebars of the vintage Bonneville. “You’re old enough to ride with me. As long as we get you a helmet and jacket.”

“Can I learn how to ride?” She asked, hope ringing in her voice. 

His breath caught, his chest constricting with a sudden wave of affection for her. Mav cleared his throat, smiling through the flooding emotion. 

“Of course,” he said. “We just need to get you something smaller to start on. Something you can touch the ground on.” He nodded to where here feet were dangling by the engine, a good distance from the floor. 

“Can we go get gear tomorrow?” Emma pushed and pulled the handlebars, barely turning the wheel. 

“You want to go out to shop tomorrow?” Mav said, surprise thick in his tone. 

She gave a shrug, suddenly unsure. Maverick wanted to punch himself. He pressed that obvious lesson into his brain for next time.

“Aw, kiddo, I didn’t mean it like that.” He swung himself onto the bike behind her with the intent of comfort. It was pure reflex to place his hands over hers on the grips and set his heel on the kickstart. “We can go and get gear tomorrow,” he said. 

After a beat, Mav shrugged a little. As she watched, half-turned from her perch on the fuel tank, he went through the motions to start the bike. The engine rumbled to life. Emma let out a peal of giggles. 

A week ago, if you had asked, he would have listed his favourite sound to be the engine of his 1975 Triumph Bonneville. Two days ago that had been surpassed by Emma’s pure giggle. Listening to Emma giggle with glee as he revved the engine, Mav decided he had found Nirvana. 

Mav clicked the garage door to open, letting some fresh air wash in to the space. Emma looked up at him hopeful. 

“No,” Mav said, shaking his head with a laugh. “Ice is going to be here any second, if he catches me with you on this bike anywhere but right here, he’s going to murder me. And then you’d only have him, and he can’t ride.”

“Please, please, please can we get a helmet tomorrow?” She pleaded. 

“Yes, honey, I promise.” 

As though they had summoned him, Ice’s car rolled down the street and pulled into the drive. Emma gave an excited bounce and waved. 

With a quiet chuckle, Mav turned the bike off and helped Emma down to the ground. She raced over to the car.

Her shrill scream stabbed into Maverick’s gut. 

He was by her side in a moment, heart pounding as he searched for the danger. 

Ice climbed out of the car with a grimace. His face was a bloody mess. 

Any emotion that Pete felt about seeing Tom with one half of his face smeared with dried blood was swamped by his concern for Emma.

She was sobbing, backing into Mav’s legs and scrabbling at him frantically. He lifted her, holding her tight as she looked from Ice to pressing her face into Mav and then back again. 

“Shh, I got you,” Mav soothed. He could understand her reaction perfectly. He couldn’t stop glaring at Ice and the poorly cleaned bloodstains on his face. 

“Em,” Ice said, voice calm and clear as it always was. “Emma, I’m OK. It looks worse than it is, honey.”

She dared to look at him again, gave a wailing sob and hid her face back in Mav’s neck. 

Tom grimaced. He approached them, moving slow and careful. 

“I’m OK. It’s just a little graze,” he said, eyes flicking from Mav to Emma rapidly. 

Vaguely, Mav realised Slider was leaning against the car watching them. But his eyes wouldn’t shift from Ice. 

“What happened?” Mav asked, closing the distance between them. He couldn’t help it, he needed to make sure Tom was real and whole. “You’re late, you’re covered in blood and Slider was driving your car.”

Slider gave a chuckle but stayed quiet otherwise. 

“We made a little detour on the way home.” Ice gave a beleaguered sigh. “I encountered some people that… were a little enthusiastic about self-defence.”

His eyes screamed at Pete to let it go. With his own eyes narrowed in accusation, he dropped it. Emma was still sobbing into his neck quietly. 

“I’m OK, Squeak,” Ice said, voice soft now. “Truly. Look at me.”

She shook her head. 

“Emma, look at me.” This time it was a command. 

Her face turned, staying pressed into Mav’s chest but moving enough to see Ice a little. He stepped around into her line of sight. She flinched. 

“Look at me, Em. I know, it looks scary. I look hurt. But just take a deep breath, and look.” Tom turned his head this way and that. He poked at his own face, smiling a little. He tilted his head down so she could see the cut was relatively small. “I’m really OK. I would have stopped to get cleaned up but I was already late to see you.”

Emma shook her head but the fits of sobbing had stopped. She turned to hide again. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Ice sighed. He kissed the back of her head. “Let’s go in so I can make myself presentable and we can finally eat.”

Tom started to move but Pete captured him with a hand. He was given a questioning expression before Pete leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips, staying away from the small smear of blood on the left side.

There was a quiet “oh” as Tom realised and kissed Pete back, firmer. 

“Now we can go in,” Pete said. “Come on, Sli, come and have some food.”

“Fucking finally,” Slider groaned and pushed off the car. “Nice place, Mitchell. Didn’t pick you for a suburbia dad. Thought you probably lived under a bridge, like a troll.”

“You’re a fucking troll,” Maverick laughed. “Get inside before I change my mind.” 

[justal0wk3yg4mer]

Things I've Said: Ghostrunner (Spoilers)

Me: *Player/My actions* Character Dialogue

My man...bot, woke up a chose violence.

Sweet free running. *Immediately misses a jump and dies.* Ooohhh...I'm gonna lose sleep over this.

Air zoomies?

MATRIX bitch!

He does a lil' sword twirl, that's adorable.

Bro first mission took me fifteen minutes...I'm really gonna lose sleep.

You're bossy for someone who's asking for help to get out of prison. And you're very rude 😠

Mmmh, that gravelly voice.

Ninja slaves?

Is he lowkey calling him fucked up?

SUPER MURDER ZOOMIES

I feel like I am staring at the virtual eye of Saron.

Why can't Zoe be the voice in our head? She's such a nice rebel.

I've already died so many times, I don't need competence.

Bitch, there is no trust; spill the tea Zoe.

Jack's gone deviant.

No, no, no, no, please don't jump at me. I'm delicate, please. *Screams as enemies proceed to do just that.*

Good, stay on your side of the barrier and I'll stay on mine. Respect the boundary.

I completely forgot that I had throwing stars.

So I'm an airbender now?

Stop with the compliments, they are beginning to sound vaguely perverted.

I'm sorry, you prepared for an uprising? Then you knew that a multitude of people don't fucking like you.

I'm not a criminal. Just your friendly neighborhood Ghostrunner 😄

Bootleg Ghostrunner.

Can Jack have a gun now? No one cares about your (Architect) weapon preferences, Jack need a fucking gun.

I would like to correct my previous statement. This, this is the bootleg Ghostrunner.

Never have I met a character where I knew off the rip that they were going to betray the main character and every time they say something it just solidifies my opinion. Maybe I'm not playing enough games, but this dude is pretty obvious.

Zoe no! Don't leave me alone with the talking headache!

What the fuck was that!? It makes sounds and--I can't. Nope.

This is the first time you (Architect) have said something that I completely agree with.

Dammit now I agree with the crazy lady. Both of you are fucked.

This is beginning to sound like ex's going at it with their kid in the cross-fire.

Edgy Doc Ock?

WHAT DID I SAY!

That is called a dictatorship with delusions of self preservation.

Go off Jack. *A little later* GO OFF JACK!

You (Adam) look like a lil bitch.

Sequel baiting? *Checks* Yes, yes it is.

So let one thing straight...I am not the best gamer out there. My type of games are the open world story driven kind where I can spend hours fucking around. When I started playing Ghostrunner, I was flabbergasted at the control system and died soooooooooooo many times. But, I really liked the world design and the story so I powered through and honestly, I ended up enjoying it. It is such and underrated game and I was excited when the DLC came out. You best believe I'm gonna play sequel (there is one in development), and find out what they did to my bot Jack. Anyway, I figured y'all would what to see how badly I struggled. For your viewing pleasure (and comedy) my death count for Ghostrunner! (Feel free to let me know y'alls count and any tips and tricks)

Death Count: 3,076

[makesometime]

Hey all I'm really sorry that I've interrupted my lovely Zoscar fuelled blog with all of this bullshit, especially if you're trying to avoid it like I was up until I woke up this morning and chose violence.

The people touting this news have achieved their aim in slandering RQ to the point that RQ have to respond if they want to maintain any sense of reputation. People in fandom are angry, and boy I bet the bad actors are delighted. The thought of that makes me mad beyond the telling of it.

But please, notice who's speaking against it. Note Harlan, and Cole and other showrunners/RQ longtimers who are angry. Read the posts pulling apart the 'journalism'. Be critical in your response to inflammatory thinkpieces.

We are in a cost of living crisis in the UK. No one is merrily making staff members redundant. I work for a company the same size as RQ. It's small. We're tiny. We have very little cashflow. And we have had to make people redundant before. It sucks. It's awful. I hated every moment of the process. But it's necessary to keep the business going for every other employee.

Please. Please. Just think. I said this before, but really dig into who in fandom is shouting about this the loudest. What's their history? What do other people think of them? Do they have a reputation for great feats of investigative journalism or do they jump on any perceived slight from a tiny podcasting company that might allow them to feel smugly superior as they go about their unimportant little life?

All I'm asking is for you to take in all of the information that's out there. And if you want my unfettered opinion about who's really to blame, my DMs are open.

[talesfromsiteredacted]

Testing: Phase Two

O5 wants to see firsthand how I'd handle myself in a legitimate breach. Lucky for them, and unlucky for me... Big Brother woke up and chose violence. He trashed his quarters, is chasing the guards around, classic Abel on a rampage. All because Agent Dimitriov had to take a few days to say good bye to his dying mother. So, into the Semetic dragon's den go I. Honestly... I have a bad feeling about this, kids.

Great. He was doing so well. Then, sadly, Dimi lost his mom. Thus, Abel is now tearing apart the killing corridor piece by piece. Just in time for O5 to see just how much I learned from Big Brother. So, it's just me going in. Clef is livid. He's trailing behind myself and the O5, shouting at them.

"You can't be serious, sending Rabbit in alone. And unarmed? She's not ready. You're not throwing her into the deep end, you're throwing her to a very angry shark." At this, O5-12 spins on his heel.

"Do you have a better idea on determining if our Rabbit can swim? Besides, this line of reasoning is almost comical coming from you, Dr. Clef. Are you, or are you not, known for "simulating" type Green attacks in your classes?"

"Yeah, but-"

"This is no different. Rabbit can do this. We have faith in her. Now, stop coddling her and let her get on with it. Proceed with testing, Dr. Snow." I swallow my nerves and approach the doors. Just before I go in, Clef stops me.

"Be careful, Snowbunny. I'd hate to have to find a new assistant, you're a tough act to follow." I force myself to smile before I answer.

"No worries, I'll be fine. But... if I survive I think I earned takeout."

"Done. Try not to die, Snowbunny." A quick hug, a passing kiss on the cheek, and... into the mouth of hell I go. I try not to wince when the doors close behind me.

I reach the killing corridor proper, and don't even get to wince before Big Brother is swinging at my head with a kopesh. I teleport behind him, kick him down. Then, he gets up and tackles me. He punches my head, but finds only the steel plating where I was. I stab him in his left leg with an ice shard. Bad call. He just yanks it out, flings it back at my head. I duck, it shatters. Before I can recover, I'm dodging a flurry of punches while trying to hit him back. This... is going to get me killed. But... if I can pull this off, it might take some of the fight out of Abel. While I'm trying to fight off his attacks, he's managed to not only expose a very handy piece of steel plumbing pipe, he's also thoughtfully disconnected a large segment of it, about two meters. Bit heavy, but... I manage to levitate it and swing it as hard as I can. Abel tumbles off me, holding his head. Before long, he recovers. He's slower, so at least I concussed him. I take my chance to see if I can snap him out of it.

"SCP 076-2, WHAT IN THE KENTUCKY FRIED FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?"

Shit. Forgot my voice also got power upgrades. He looks like I just flash-banged him point blank. His dagger clatters to the floor. Awareness dawns on him like a sunrise.

"You... screamed at me. Did... oh, (untranslatable), I might have made a mistake."

"Yeah, but it's fixable. No worries. Sorry." I grab Abel's shoulder, give it a gentle squeeze. "Hey, Dimi will be back in two days. That's 48 hours. You made it twice that before today. I know you miss him, this just isn't how to handle it."

"You are, as always right, Little Sister. This is all new to me."

"It's okay. Just... maybe ask to use the Rage Cage next time?"

The intercom crackles by the door.

"Wait... when did we get a Rage Cage? Oh, you mean the Room of Self Replicating Porcelain Plates? How do you know about that? That's Level 4 clearance, Dr. Snow." There's quiet murmuring behind O5-2. "Dr. Clef's assistant, in charge of Anomalous Enrichment Protocol? Oh,.. yeah. Fine. We will authorize 076-2 for the Rage Cage. But! No more rampages, understood?"

"Understood."

"Good."

"O5-2, sir? Request permission to escort 076-2 to the Rage Cage to... calm down, give the E-Class a chance to straighten up in here. I'll keep a very sharp eye on him."

"See that you do, Dr. Snow." Abel consents to being strapped down for transport. As this is happening, and can take a bit due to multiple multiple straps, I step into the hall. O5-11 is talking to Clef, waiting.

"I knew you'd handle things, Dr. Snow. And, Dr. Clef? Fire her and the Red Right Hand will shoot you."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir. In a way... I think I owe O5-6 some whiskey for hiring her." This had me smiling despite the pain creeping in from where Abel hit me. Ugh. Thank 343 it was mostly fists on his end. Even still, I'm going to be black and blue all over by nightfall. But... no, I didn't die. Sure, no amount of makeup will cover the huge bruise I'm sure is forming on my left jawline, but I survived, somehow.

[beautiful-is-boring]

00:00

---------------------------------------------

Pairing: Dazai osamu x gn!reader

Genre: fluff, mentions of super duper slightly suggestive stuff

Warnings: mentions of violence and suicide on dazai's part like usual, very little suggestive stuff.

---------------------------------------------

Summary: Dazai wakes you up at midnight to wish you a happy birthday.

---------------------------------------------

"Y/n"

You heard your name being called out by a very familiar voice.

"Love, wake up"

You slowly opened your eyes as you woke up from your slumber, and saw none other than Dazai sitting right in front if you with a beautiful smile.

"Osamu?" You asked him.

You turned your head towards the side table to look at the time. The clock said 00:00.

Why the hell would he wake you up at midnight?

You were fully awake and turned to look at him again. This time you noticed an orange glow emitting from below him, making him look gorgeous than before. Your eyes traveled downwards and there it was.

Dazai was holding a small cake of your favorite flavor, and there was a single lit candle on top of the cake.

"Happy birthday y/n."

Birthday? Oh.

You had completely forgotten your own birthday! You were still trying to process that as you stared at your lover's face with wide eyes.

"Sorry to wake you up like this, my love." Dazai broke the silence. "I wanted to wish you in the morning, well its technically morning now, but I couldn't wait."

"Osamu...I honestly didn't expect this. Thankyou so much." Your heart was beating really fast at this point and you swore you would melt because of his love.

He just smiled in return and kissed your forehead. "I wanted to be the first one to wish you. Anyways! Here's the knife, slice my throat!"

"Osamu!"

"Hehe just kidding y/n! Here, blow out the candle and cut the cake."

You closed your eyes, thought about your wish and blowed out the candle; then cut the cake while reciprocating the same huge grin of happiness that dazai had.

"Happy birthday again love." He leaned in to kiss you deeply but softly on the lips.

After you finally parted, you quickly pressed a quick peck on his lips once more and held a piece of the cake in your hands and fed it to him.

He fed you a piece of cake too.

"Mmm I knew I chose the right cake! it tastes good. Not as good as your cake tho-"

"Shush." He had succeeded in making you embarrassed and blush.

"What did you wish for?" He asked you.

"I'm not telling you!"

"Please darling?" He whined playfully.

"Nope."

It took about twenty minutes, but you both finished eating that delicious cake together. Dazai got up to put the knife and the plate away in the kitchen, while you cleaned up the crumbs that had fallen on to the bed. You guys shuffled under the covers again to sleep in each other's arms, since it was obviously way too early to start the day.

You had your face smushed into his chest and he had his chin on top of your head, legs entangled together.

"Thankyou so much osamu. I love you"

"I love you too y/n"

"Wanna know what my wish was?" You asked him in a hushed voice and he replied with a hum.

"I wished for us to be together till the end of time."