#just old media day clips sigh

[chasedeys]

sooooo sad that the bengals dont have cute little social media segments like other teams like signing old photos or tiktok game filters or sudden trivias or weirdly competitive tiny plastic basketball games or eating the most vile food combo they can cook up or random this or that questions or those whiteboard questions when walking back from practice etc etc

this is of course because of the losing record we shan't speak of but still 😔 the whimsy...

[dira333]

Blind Date with Tsukishima

Blind Date - Tsukishima x Reader

“And it’s going to be a Blind Date,” Hitoka points out. “I’m not telling you who it is. But he’ll wear a red scarf.”

“A red scarf,” you nod. “Gotcha.”

She squints at you. “You don’t wanna know more?”

“No, I’m fine.” You sigh. “Better to go in blind, right? Not like swiping on Tinder did me any good.”

She laughs heartily. “You’re too much in your head. You’re just like me! But he’ll be nice. Ah, well… he’ll be nice for you.”

It’s your turn to squint. “He’s not that nice to others?”

“He is!” She reassures you, already panicking. “I’d never say anything bad about him, he’s my friend. But he can be a bit brash at first if he doesn’t know or trust you. But he’s always respectful to authorities, I know that’s important to you.”

“Well,” you sniff before sighing. “I am too single to complain about that. Blind Date it is.”

-x-

“A Blind Date,” Kei repeats, dragging the words. “How old are you?”

Hitoka pouts. “It’s a cute idea!”

“Sure, for her. But you could tell me who it is.”

“But where’s the fun in that? Tadashi, back me up!”

“Tsukki-”

“No,” Kei shakes his head. “Don’t bother. I’m going to go along with it because you asked so nicely, but only this one time, okay? And don’t remind me that I’ve been single for too long, I know. Shush!” His hand snaps up just in time to cut off Kanji who’d just opened his mouth.

Kanji pouts but falls back again, throwing his arm around Hitoka for support.

“What is she going to wear?” Kei asks Hitoka. “A red scarf too?”

“No,” she shakes her head. “She’s got a big red hair clip that’s shaped like a flower. A Gerbera.”

“Oh, is that the exotic one?” Kanji asks, perking up.

“No, you mean Hibiscus,” Kentarou drawls before taking a sip of his beer. He rolls his eyes at the sudden attention. “What? Everyone knows those flowers.”

“Sure,” Kei drawls back, finding at least a little reprieve in the angry glare he gets in response.

-x-

Hitoka has a lot of friends, you realize, as you stalk her Instagram account.

But she’s very good at tagging all of them, be it work friends, old high school friends or all those other people she knows from dating a Volleyball Player.

You scroll back all the way to her first post in High School and come up with only three people wearing a red scarf around her.

Sure, that means nothing in the long run, but one of those people is a girl, and the other two are Asahi Azumane the Fashion Designer and someone called Tsukishima Kei, Volley Player.

It doesn’t take long to figure out that Azumane is happily married, the red scarf now tied around his wife’s neck. What a shame. He’d have been cute.

Tsukishima’s Instagram Account is private and you’re not going to embarrass yourself by sending him a follower request.

Koganegawa Kanji’s account, however, is public and he posts a lot.

From Selfies at work, Tsukishima glaring at him in the background to Group Photos at the Isekaya they seem to visit regularly, everything is there.

It doesn’t take long to find a messy video of the Gang, Tsukishima and someone with a haircut resembling a Tennisball engaged in the laziest catfight you’ve ever seen or heard.

Tennisballhead’s insults are not for the soft but Tsukishima draws back just as effectively.

So… you could be mistaken, but you’re pretty sure Tsukishima is going to be your not so blind Blind Date.

-x-

He doesn’t want to know, really. But then again, a bit of research doesn’t hurt, right?

Hitoka has only five girlfriends that she regularly mentions and posts on social media.

Two of them are taken, one is going through a complicated breakup at the moment as far as he’s aware, and the other two… 

There is no Gerbera hair clip in sight. Not even a hair clip with a different flower, though he doesn’t think Hitoka would mess up something that simple.

It’s two days until the Date and he finds himself scrolling through both of their Instagrams, looking for clues, pretending he isn’t interested at all

And maybe he wouldn’t have figured it out if not for Kanji’s big mouth.

-x-

The Diner’s nice, decorated in a western style.

You start salivating just at the thought of a milkshake with fries but busy yourself with the menu instead, sipping slowly from the glass of water you’d ordered.

You’re early, the result of a surprising eagerness to meet your blind date.

Someone brushes past you and you can feel it - the giant red hair clip snagging on something. You can feel the break before you hear it, watch helplessly as the fake Gerbera adorning the clip tumbles to the floor, only to be crushed under someone’s eager foot.

Your hair now flows freely around your face, a welcome shield from the outside world as you fight against the sting of tears.

It’s nothing big, the hair clip not even of sentimental value, but you can’t help but see a sign in it.

-

Tsukishima Kei is fifteen minutes late. 

You stare at Hitoka’s message on your phone, the innocent question of whether you made it to the Diner just fine. No sign that she knows he’s not showing.

Maybe he got held up at work? Does that happen to Volleyball Players?

“Have you decided yet?” Your server appears next to your table, chewing bubble gum and grinning.

Surely you’re imagining the smug curve of her smile.

“Just a minute,” you ask. “I’m waiting on someone.”

“Oh honey,” she drawls out with enough satisfaction to leave no doubt she’s enjoying this. “He’s not showing. Just accept it.”

“I-”

“Are we paying for that roast on the side or is that on the house?” A deep voice asks to your left and you both turn, surprised.

Tsukishima’s there, in the flesh, out of breath, and beads of sweat glistening on the bow of his lip. He looks like he ran here and you’re ready to believe it, no more evidence needed. 

“I’m sorry Honey,” he tells you with a voice so sweet you can only call it passive-aggressive. “The train got delayed and my phone was empty. Never letting Kanji play games on it to pass the time.”

“You’re forgiven,” you tell him simply, sending a pointed glare toward your server.

She catches herself, shuffling away with an apology but that’s too little too late. You know you won’t be tipping too well tonight.

Tsukishima slips into his seat, pulling the red scarf from his neck.

“I thought you were supposed to wear a hair clip?”

“I thought you were supposed to be on time?”

He smiles, clearly enjoying that you dare to fight back.

“Missed my train. Running over was faster than waiting for the next.”

“Mhm,” you eye him. “You sure you didn’t just want to show off your stamina?”

“Maybe?” He grins. “What about the hair clip?”

“It got crushed under careless feet,” you admit, trying not to feel sorry for yourself.

“Good,” he comments. “You won’t need it any longer.”

“Excuse me?” You ask, a little perplexed. 

A blush, as red as the Gerbera mentioned, rises onto his cheeks.

“No more blind dates?” He offers and you smile. “We’ll see about that.” 

- Bonus -

“How did you know it was me?” You ask, your joined hands swinging in between your bodies.

His cheeks are flushed from the cold, the wine and no doubt your attention as well.

“Kanji… Hitoka’s boyfriend. He mentioned your favorite food.”

“And?” You blink, surprised that this might have led him to you.

“I might have been stalking Hitoka’s Instagram. It wasn’t that hard to figure out.”

“Oh,” you chuckle. “Well, you wear that red scarf a lot. Just saying.”

“You knew it was me?”

You shrug, unable to keep from smiling proudly. “Had a hunch.”

Requests open

[coco-loco-nut]

Book Club - Part 8

Pairing: Grid x Reader, mentioned Lance x Reader

Summary: Headcanon-ish, book club reacting to clips of reader, short but utterly adorable

requests open masterlist

————————

In honor of your fifth season and your birthday, the F1 social media team has gathered your best friends to comment on some moments across your five years in F1:

Moment One

When you joined your first team, a video resurfaced of you from your days in F3, you admitted that your Formula One crush is Nick Hülkenberg, "I mean, look at him when he was driving for Sauber!". Naturally, your team brought you in for a media video, made you watch it, and surprised you with THE Nico Hülkenberg standing behind you. Cue you crying, blushing, and hugging him. Kevin was there too, no one really knows why.

Nico and Kevin laugh, it's one of their favorite memories with you. Despite your mortification and admiration, they invited you to hang out with them in Haas. They genuinely wanted to get to know the newest member of the paddock, which started the best grid friendship. "I knew right away that we were going to be good friends," Kevin tells the interviewer. "My wife surprisingly found it hilarious, she loved Y/n from that moment, probably because she agreed with Y/n," Nico adds. "Not to brag, but we are her best friends,"

Moment Two

In your first year as a driver, you had the absolute pleasure of sitting in an interview with Lando, George, and Alex. It wasn't a press conference, so it was a lot more relaxed. As the three boys joked around and acted like, well, boys, your irritation was clear on your face.

"Oh! I remember that day, she went to find Nico and Kevin, who I was with at the moment and was complaining about how some of the younger drivers were too immature. We invited her to lunch with us and Valtteri," Fernando's face lights up at the clip. "I joked that we were like an old person book club, it ran from there," Valtteri says, smiling at the memory. "How many drivers are in the club now?" The interviewer asks. "We started with just the five of us, the number stands at 10 including Checo," Fernando says, having to think for a second. "I miss Checo, he really was the epitome of our club," Valtteri sighs.

Moment Three

One morning, you were walking into your motorhome, tired and not really paying attention, you slipped on a slick step, not quite having had the chance to dry after the overnight rainfall. You quickly got back up, acting like nothing happened.

"Ouch, poor Y/n, that must've hurt," Lewis grimaces, meanwhile George and Logan are laughing. "She hasn't gotten any better, still uncoordinated," Checo says, he returned just for this surprise. "Yeah, but she got right back up and acted like nothing happened, our unbothered queen," Daniel points out. "Guys, quit laughing at Y/n," Lewis looks at George and Logan disapprovingly. "Don't act like you didn't laugh when the video first came out," George replies, giving the older drivers a knowing look. "She's gonna murder us all," Logan's face loses its color, suddenly remembering the video is recording.

Moment Four

After a night out, you were dragged out of your bed by your wonderful boyfriend, you show up to the paddock with a wealth of juicy gossip. You quickly find Valtteri, Fernando, and Checo just past the gates. As the four of you speak, you spot a camera focused on you. The dirty look you sent it quickly became a meme.

"Haha, that was a great day for gossip, and I usually don't like it," Checo says. "Before you ask, no, we can't tell you what it was. Swore an oath never to share," Valtteri stares at the camera. "It was-" Fernando starts then pauses when the other two look at him. "haha, you thought I was going to spill the tea. I am not,"

Moment Five

Most of your career has been spend on bottom of the grid teams, so when you made your first podium, you couldn't help but to celebrate. Lance ran over to you as you pulled your helmet off. You pulled him into a kiss as the crowds cheered you on.

As soon as the video is shown, the group collectively gags and cringes. "We love them, but sometimes she forgets that we didn't sign up to watch them be all lovey," George tells the interviewer. "There is your proof that she loves someone more than me," Nico chuckles. "We were all so proud of her, we forced her to go to a celebratory dinner with us instead of Lance and Kimi," Logan provided some insight.

Moment Six

Your first win came with your return post injury. But the video that the drivers are shown doesn't just show that, it shows a part of one of your post-race interviews that was previously edited out. "Yeah, the car was good, I drove well too, but I genuinely think that if it weren't for my support system, I wouldn't be here. There were times when I thought about not resigning because I wasn't performing like I thought I should. My support system, they know who they are, reminded me why I drive and have reminded me of my passion. They provided so much guidance and wisdom, they introduced me to Kimi who is now, in every way that matters, my dad, I've taught them slang. More specifically for this race, they helped me recover from my injuries, especially after free practices and qualifying when I would be incredibly sore. Sorry that I'm yapping, I just love them all so much."

All of the guys are trying not to cry. "If it isn't clear by now, we all love her too," Lewis says, passing around tissues. "She really does glue us all together, doesn't she?" Kevin hums. "I've certainly enjoyed the past 4 years, it's hard to believe it's her fifth year here," Nico agrees. "She won before you did," Fernando teases him. "Seriously, we love her so much, not because she is the only woman, but because she is so easy to get along with. She is friends with everyone on the track, never spreads malicious gossip, and is just so down to earth," Daniel says, refocusing the group. "She immediately got Kimi, the Iceman, to like her, that says so much about her," Valtteri agrees.

Similarly to Nico and Kevin in the first clip shown, you are snuck in to watch the last bit. "Guys," you cry a little, pulling them into a group hug. "Happy birthday, hija," Fernando says, starting a euphony of similar comments. "I love you guys so much," you are fully crying. "We love you too, kiddo," Daniel wipes your tears, pulling you into a bear hug.

[fryingpan1234567]

superheroes and social media

do you KNOW how often I see a cute trend on ig or tiktok or anything and I’m just like “man that would be cute for (insert hero ship)”

but that’s an issue because like… putting your face on the internet is DANGEROUS🙅‍♂️

I had. an idea. to solve all the issues!

as fun as it is to imagine the RobinOfficial account having 4 million followers, I think it’s more fun for everyone to have accounts that only follow and allow following in the caped community

so basically Instagram for just superheroes

the ones whose identities are known can post their faces, and the ones who are still under the radar have a close friends list that consists of the people who do know them

a very few amount of people who aren’t heroes are allowed on this Super IG

including Lois Lane, whose entire presence is standard mom posts but with like. Superkids and other Kryptonians. you get it

uhh Bernard Dowd too but he only follows Tim and Steph

Alfred, who only posts the Manor and London with captions like poetry

Selina Kyle because she already had a regular account but B was like “oh that’s dangerous now that we’re affiliated”

she was like “well how am I supposed to fuel my ego with no instagram for people to thirst after me”

B sighed and was like “well,,,,,”

Harley Quinn fluctuates between being banned and interacting with EVERYONE’S content with offensive amounts of emojis

anyways tell me WHY Conner Kent has the most iconic page on the internet

it’s full of these aesthetic photo dumps and crackhead videos of YJ doing dumb shit

also Tim. he’s got chaotic gen z billionaire vibes and most of his stuff is on his close friends list because B doesn’t need to see the REALLY dumb shit he gets up to

yeah they’re both hot and yeah they’re both elite pages. but Kon’s is Sabrina Carpenter energy and Tim’s is P!ATD energy so they’re different flavors of slay

on the opposite end of the spectrum we’ve got B, who has four posts, all exactly 365 days apart

it’s the yearly Father’s Day family portrait

Dick Grayson does that millennial vlog thing but Not

“a day in the life of a 24 year old cop (who also happens to be a vigilante)”

also a compilation of clips of him jumping off buildings, some taken by him and some by other people

can you IMAGINE this dumbass with a gopro

Red Bull wants to sponsor him what can I say

he lets his favorite villains follow him

WHEN I TELL YOU BILLY BATSON HAS THE MOST FAMOUS PAGE OF ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY

because he was a public figure ANYWAYS. this is the idiot who used to walk around charging people’s phones with his powers and taking selfies for cash. people know him

so Captain Marvel has this crazy account with him doing memes and slo mo compilations of him punching guys from his body cam

his most hit post is a video where he found a cop harassing a bunch of kids on the street (who he happened to KNOW) and without saying anything at first just kindaaaaa walked over and fried the cruiser’s entire inner workings

“yo, copper! I think somethin’s up with your system, man!”

while the cop was trying to figure out how to start his fucking car again, Billy herded the kids down the sidewalk and they all took off running, giggling like maniacs

Damian Wayne doesn’t post a lot, but when he does, it’s to match with Jon

I mean like taking pictures of each other from across the same table and the captions are each half of a whole song lyric, stuff like that

his personal favorite is actually their softlaunch— they found an entire wall of mirrors at the planetarium on a date, Jon had his right hand on Dami’s waist and the other in his pocket, and Dami was standing in front of him, holding the phone with his right and tilting Jon’s face down with his left to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. neither of their faces are in it and it was Damian’s wallpaper for a WHILE

my babies ANYWAYS

Diana Prince posts exclusively about her favorite ice cream shops

Bart is the kid whose note is always like “in the hospital👍” / “sick again” / “hate broken ribs I can’t eat seven burgers in this condition” / “got possessed by a death god again :/ third time this week” and it’s like jesus man can you catch a break

can you imagine finding fucking Superman has a verified instagram account but it’s private so you can’t even follow freaking SUPERMAN

Duke Thomas is thoroughly over his siblings’ shit and there’s a ton of videos of them being dumbasses with captions like “someone save me it’s two in the morning”

anyways A COMPILATION OF TRENDS

“nobody move, there’s blood on the floor” for LITERALLY any ship it’s so funny

“what? you’re not coming to my tea party? Bethany, I made BISCUITS” with increasingly low res crack pics of Red Hood falling off of things, generously edited and posted by Tim Drake

dance trends with Steph and Cass

“guess which outfit is whose” with Tim and Steph but they’re both in their Robin uniforms

Tim making a cringey thirst trap edit of Jason who in response posted a clip of Tim tripping his own gear and setting off an alarm

“wearing the same outfit so no one can tell us apart” and it’s all the Batkids in their Robin uniforms (most of which barely fit) ((Bruce and Alfred cried))

the Superkids did the same thing a few days later and dragged Clark into it

not-quite-thirst-traps where they just kinda stand there over music but everyone in normal comments would’ve gone crazy

calisthenics trends. Thanks

it’s like a THING between all the Titans where they’ll sneak up behind each other, yell “THIS IS SPARTA,” and kick each other off roofs

someone sneaking up behind Jason while he’s belting Seasons of Love

MOTORCYCLE CONTENT

somewhere out in the world there’s a shaky, blurry video of Robin, Superboy, Spoiler, Blue Beetle, and Beast Boy dancing to and half-singing-half-yelling Tell Your Girlfriend

if you think of any more social media trends or videos or pics you see that remind you of a hero tag me because I’m obsessed with the idea of these idiots on socials

[sebscore]

TWITCH WAR

pairing: lando norris x driver!reader (brief cameos of charles and russell george)

warnings: swearing. rumplestiltskin. mention of george being a war criminal. wetting pants.

author’s note: not my best work, but this has been sitting in my drafts for too long. anyway, enjoy 💖

• • • • • • •

''Do I play with Y/N?'' Lando read the question out loud, seeing it in his comment section. ''Well, she always told me she was very good at like any kind of game and that she would kick my ass, but then I played with her and… let's say she's definitely not as good as me.'' The Brit bragged about his own skills, a smirk forming on his face.

He glanced at the incoming replies from the fans, enjoying their reactions. ''She asked to play together a few weeks ago and we did, but ever since then I haven't dared to play with her again,'' he grinned, ''whenever she asks me now, I just go offline.''

''Oh, she's gonna kill me when she sees this.'' He giggled like a schoolgirl.

She did in fact kill him when the clip of him talking shit was sent to her by fans and even other drivers. Not literally, that wouldn't be a good career move, but she took to Twitter to indirectly respond to Lando's ''claims''.

YourUsername: people, don't take the words of twinks seriously 😫

Y/N's clapbacks didn't stop there as she went live on Instagram not too long after Lando's Twitch stream. Fans obviously couldn't help but ask about the British driver.

''Do I still want to play with Lando? Nooo~ I don't want to stream with him anymore, I really don't.'' The grin on her face was a dead giveaway she was only teasing him. ''He's super bad, that Rumplestiltskin.''

''She called me Rumplestiltskin?'' Lando read the comment out loud, his eyebrows furrowed. ''What does that even mean?'' He couldn't really remember where the name came from, so he decided to look it up and was met with the character from Shrek.

He gave the camera an unimpressed look before moving on. ''You guys want to know a fun story about Y/N from our karting days?'' A smirk already appeared on his face.

''She was pushed off track by someone and she pissed her pants because of it.''

''It was water! I didn't wet my pants, oh my god!'' The driver exclaimed on stream, not believing that Lando actually told that story. ''We were like 9 years-old.''

''You know, Y/N, I think I also remember that.'' George chimed in, he had been amused by their little Twitch war ever since they started it.

She rolled her eyes upon George's words. ''Hey! It was probably you who pushed me off the track in the first place, you war criminal!'' Y/N clapped back at him.

''Anyway, Lando shouldn't be speaking at all when he still looks and talks like a 9 year-old.''

''Lando, should we invite Y/N to play with us?'' Charles asked the McLaren driver after seeing countless comments in his chat asking about the female driver.

The Brit loudly sighed, causing the Monégasque to burst out laughing. ''What's wrong, Lando?''

''Because of her, people keep asking me if I've hit puberty yet.'' He said, frustration audible in his voice, much to the entertainment of Charles and everyone else watching him.

Their ''beef'' came to an end when the media had started to pick up on their back-and-forths and tried to make it seem like the two close friends hated each other and that they would become a danger to each other on track.

''Are you worried that the words you and Y/N have exchanged over social media will have an effect on how the two of you perform on track?'' One reporter asked Lando in a press conference.

He shook his head. ''We're just joking around, honestly. We've been friends for a long time and we've always joked around with each other like this, so, no, it won't have an effect on track.'' He politely answered, slightly ticked off by the seriousness of it all.

Y/N had been placed into a different group for the press conference, where she was asked about their ''war''. ''There have been some harsh word exchanges between yourself and Lando Norris, are you two on good terms or is there some sort of bad blood?''

''Yeah, we hate each other,'' her sarcastic tone sticking out, ''that's why we voluntarily spent all that time together when we're not racing.'' Her answer gathered laughs from her fellow drivers and even some reporters.

''Also, when we're on the topic,'' she stated, ''just because Lando hasn't hit puberty, doesn't mean that I haven't.''

[2-dsimp]

The Boss would be insufferable to be around, always sighing and mourning over not getting his latest dosage of pure perfection on his phone screen. If he wasn’t already lazy before you’d mistake him for being the embodiment sin of Sloth.

“It’s been 1 day, 6 hours, 24 minutes, and T-minus 30 seconds since they last posted anything...”

Danny droned, as he stared longingly at past pictures and video clips of his darling. His slender fingers trailing across the digital contours of your figure with a needy trembling pout of his chapped lips.

“that’s the same amount of time my life started to fail in having any meaning”

He finished with a stray crocodile tear collecting ruefully within his nonexistent tear ducts. That dried up from pulling all nighters obsessing over your page and any anime fandoms that could take his mind off you (to which none of them did).

All of the remaining hitman members merely eyed their leader in either exasperation, amusement, or just plain old disappointment for being such a sad waste of space.

It got so bad to the point where he’d just be found around random spots in the hideout glued to the floor like a dead corpse.

His phone clutched within a death grip as he was surrounded by picture posts that he printed out from your social media. Almost as if he was preforming a self sacrificial ritual to evoke your page to give him an update on what you were doing.

To be blunt Danny would just be a sad sap without you, leaving his team to pick up the slack and set out individually to bring you back. If only to shut up their Boss from whining depressive monologues about how he was useless without his darling to fanboy over. And get his ass to start working like an actual decent human being.

[the-fiction-witch]

Experiment

Media The Artful Dodger

Character Jack Dawkins

Couple Jack X Reader

Rating Adorable

Requested Hi! Can you do a Jack Dawkins x fem reader where the reader works at the hospital as a nurse and has always been nice to Jack. They have similar humor and she's always very helpful. One day when Jack loses a patient he goes outside to take a breather and the reader follows him and comforts him. And then maybe a few days later Jack realizes he likes her. You don't have to write it if you don't want to! Have a good day! 

I walked the hospital halls as usual busy with a list of nine hundred things to do, as I went I momentarily stopped or I'd have been knocked over. As Y/n ran across the hall carrying a box full of clattering glass bottles from the stock room, scampering on her way in her little grey nurse dress, her arms bandaged and currently she walked with a slight limp but this was fairly usual for her she was always injured in some sort of way. Her ponytail fluttered behind her as she went. 

"Sorry Doctor Dawkins!" she said as she had almost taken me out, 

"It's fine Y/n." I laughed, "What are you doing?" I asked a little worried starting to follow her,

"I've had a breakthrough!" she said as she scurried down the stairwell, 

"Ohh god- you haven't broken through the floor again have you?"

"You have so little faith in me."

"Based completely on your track record,"

"I am right four out of ten times." she corrected,

"...I'm concerned you think that's good." 

"And you're surgery survival rate is?" She smiled, 

"Hey!" I argued but ignored me, 

She reached the little old storeroom in the basement of the hospital just a door down from the morgue where she was meant to be working, but she set her box down in the chaos since this room was emptied when the hospital moved all the stock to the storeroom upstairs for better access this room very much just became a junk room to toss old broken things or fill with tasks yet to be completed. Y/n is a... I don't want to say inventor she rarely invents anything...

Tinkerer let's say, and given she was meant to work down here in the morgue with Tim she often sneaks away to work in this little store room, on experiments and tests for things that would be the hospital, the room littered with everything you could imagine bottles, bags, stands, tubes, all with the floor well mopped and fixed, the wallpaper peeling and a hole in the boards up to the ward been hastily repaired... 

Yeah, I don't know what she had been working on but whatever it was erupted out the contained and blew a hole in the floor. 

she's a bit out there but she means well.

Even if she -

"Ohh crumpets." she sighed as she fell over her own skirt and landed on the wooden floor with her knee smashing one of the bottles she had in hand as she did, 

Yeah... she can be a little clumsy, but... she's kinda funny like that, I find her sweet almost childlike. You can't get mad at a kid for trying to bury her teddy bear to make baby bears grow I feel that kinda way about her, she's just trying to help even if she's not exactly harmless. And she's a damn good nurse... when she actually remembers to do her job. 

So I... admit I cover for her sometimes, when she blew the hole up to the ward I explained it away as someone knocking over a bucket of acid that ate through the wood, not sure if someone believed me but still. 

I rushed over and helped her up, "You alright,"

"Fine, thank you," she smiled getting back to rushing around and doing various things not sure what, 

"How did you hurt your leg?"

"...I may have... tripped over a box."

"Are you ever going to get that dress hemmed?"

"Are you ever going to get a waistcoat that fits you? or are you forever going to walk around the hospital flashing your suspender clips every time you lift your arms?" 

"Touche," I sighed,

"Aww, you can say stupid stuff in two languages," 

"Fine I'll go," I laughed, "Got work I need to do anyway," I told her but I only got as far as the door, "What are you working on?"

"I thought you were leaving?"

"I was. What are you working on?" 

"an experiment."

"what sort of experiment?"

"I am trying to work on a wound cleaner."

"Right?" I nodded, "How's that going?"

"Well if I got this right it should be perfect," she said as she filled a bottle, and pulled back her bandage to reveal a cut on her arm,

"Y/n! Where did that come from!"

"...I may have been testing is kolara like oranges."

"Do they?"

"...they do not." 

"So you got attacked trying to make another animal friend?"

"At least I did better than when you try to make human friends,"

"That's just cruel." I laughed, "Don't you have enough friends with that wombat you had living in your room?"

"Mr Brick loved me very much, you're just jealous." She smiled before she poured her homemade cleaner on her arm 

Her Face! said it all.

"Did it work?" I smirked,

"....it does not..." she complained as she hopped around in pain before tripping on her skirt and landing on her butt in a pile of boxes, I laughed but went to help her and saw how much worse her wound now was, "Ohhh Bloody crumpets that hurts!"

"Uhhh what is in that?"

"witch hazel, eucalyptus oil and carbolic acid."

"C-Carbolic acid!" I yelled, "As in the stuff we use to clean the bodies!" I quickly started to clean her up before she got too bad of an acid burn, 

"I figured, the bodies are clean. don't get infected and gross so I thought it would work on alive people too."

"it might. that doesn't mean pour it on your arm and find out!"

"Well, how else am I supposed to test it?"

I sighed, "You worry me you know." I told her rebandaging her up, 

"Ohhh?"

"I'm serious. You do worry me."

"I know, I'll be fine."

"Alright, I've got surgery. But be careful." I told her,

"I will I promise," she nodded,

I headed back up to the hospital and got prepped for today's surgery, Hetty brought the man in and I didn't waste time getting to work but soon enough the Prof came in drunk and full of ego he ordered me to stand aside, I didn't want to but I didn't have a choice so I handed my blade over and stepped aside. He went at it like a mad man and I tried to correct him but he made a wrong move and blood went everywhere, Immediately I pushed him aside and took over doing everything I could and working away as hard as I could to save his life and managing to get him stable but after all the blood-soaked work. Just as I finished up.

He died of shock. 

I threw my tools on the table and ran a hand through my hair, I sighed and I marched out to the steps sitting there in the sun trying to get my breath. I leant my head back and tried to get my mind steady even if it ran at a million miles an hour with a hundred different ways of catastrophe, 

I heard the door open. 

But I didn't worry about it, I just tried to hold back the tears. 

I felt Y/n wrap her arms around me, she didn't say anything she just wrapped her arms around my torso and shoulders, she pulled my head to rest on her chest, and set her chin on my hair, her hand stroked up and down my sleeve, for a moment I let the tears slip letting them fall onto her apron, there was a silence between us, the only sound the wind blustering the sheets hung outside, and the sound of horseshoes and carriage wheels on the street to the side, her arms felt warm, her dress scratchy, but I didn't care. I wrapped my arms around her tightly holding her as close to her as I possibly can, blood coating the both of us. 

We sat together for a good while before I spoke, "Thanks."

"It's okay. I can't imagine how hard this sort of thing is." she whispered, "It's not your fault-"

"Who else's is it? I'm a doctor. My job is to save people."

"But you're human." she said, "You can't blame yourself for these things." she whispered, "You did all you could and in the end that's all you can do," she said kissing the top of my head, 

"Thank you y/n. Really... Thank you." 

"You're welcome." She smiled, "Take as long as you need Jack." she said before she got up adjusted her dress she headed back inside leaving me alone. 

I headed on with my work through the halls as usual when I heard a clattering and banging making me stop looking into the storeroom, to see y/n in her usual dress bandaged up as usual having tripped her overskirt and topped a box of tools in her hand. "ohh Crumpets." 

I couldn't help but smile my cheeks flooded with blush for a moment, and as I looked at her.. I felt so homely, so cozy, so comforted, "Y/n." I rolled my eyes coming into the storeroom to help her up and brush off the dust from her, "You need to be more careful. What on earth are you up to know?"

"I think I've figured out the experiment with the acid."

"Have you. and how many burns have you gotten in your experiments?"

"... some."

"Alright, just be careful y/n."

"I will," she smiled grabbing her box and scampering away to her little experiment room, I watched her go and smiled as I watched her, I felt compelled to follow her concerned she'd do something foolish, and... partly because I just wanted her in my arms. 

Wait- I really do want her in my arms, I want to hold her close, give her kisses, tend to her insane amount of wounds, likely with some kisses, I wanted to follow her, keep her safe. For a moment I wondered why but I already knew why. I... I like her. I wanted her up in my room not just for one night but for as long as my arms can hold her. 

I heard her trip over her damn skirt again and go tumbling down the stairs so I rushed over and saw her at the bottom luckily not badly hurt, 

"Ohh Crumpets..."

"You need a hand?"

"I need a hemmed dress I think,"

"Yes you do," I laughed going down to help her up but she almost immediately lost her balance putting weight on her leg, so I rolled my eyes, "Will you let me examine you?"

"...Fine," she sighed,

"All of you?"

She glared for a moment,

"Y/n."

"...fine."

"Come on, I'll take a look at you" I smiled picking her up and carrying her back up the stairs to one of the rooms so I could examine her, 

[only-lonely-stars]

Orange is the New Black (Chapter 3 - L-L-O-Y-D!)

[Chapter 2] // [Chapter 3 - you are here!] // [Chapter 4] – (FFN) (AO3)

Part of @ninjago-fic-fest!

Summary:

A rift opens in the sky above Ninjago City just as Cole continues his track record of falling from tall places. The place he wakes up in isn't the same as the one in which he fell... and who's the kid with a man bun who looks just like him?

Chapter summary:

Cole experiences a number of small yet confusing moments and questions his sanity.

Things in this alternate Ninjago City seemed to move both faster and slower than Cole expected they would.

Wu had offered him a cabin on the Bounty, inadvertently the one where Cole had once lived with his brothers back when Lord Garmadon had been their biggest threat. He’d settled into his old cot with a sigh, the mattress just as hard as he remembered, and slept as well as the earth he mastered.

He woke late in the morning, remembering the last wisps of dreams. He’d been somewhere lush and green, not unlike Hiroshi’s Labyrinth. Princess Vania had been with him, doing… something… 

He tried to remember it, but couldn’t… and with the absence came a painful homesickness.

Wu had nearly knocked down the door a minute later, balancing an entire tray of breakfast food on his staff, and they had breakfasted right there on the floor. Wu didn’t answer any of his questions, instead telling him to be patient, and the clipped tone of his voice made Cole remember that this wasn’t his Wu.

They finished their meal quickly, so with an entire day to kill, Cole went for a long walk around the city.

—

The Ninjago City Tour began at the bay where the Destiny’s Bounty was docked. Cole could see the whole city without having to turn his head! It was small, yet reaching high into the sky, and extremely colorful.

It wasn’t like the Ninjago City he remembered, or anything in his Ninjago.

He began to walk toward what he thought was east, toward where he thought the sun must have risen from. It was already nearing its zenith.

Cole smiled and shielded his eyes, appreciating the heat.

It felt like home.

East took him toward the coast of the bay, where it was sandy and populated. While there weren’t many waterfront properties, the skyscrapers even came up to the edge of the sand, as if taunting the very geography.

Wasn’t that a safety concern?

Why was this place so strange?

Cole was so distracted that he didn’t realize what was happening until he walked right into someone and knocked them over.

“Ow!” The person fell backward, landing on the sidewalk. “Watch it!”

“I’m sorry!” He reached down and offered a hand to help the person up. She was middle-aged, with long, platinum blond hair tied into a high ponytail.

She gave him a dirty look and got up on her own, brushing herself off. “Thanks. Now I’ve got dirt on me, right before my Pilates class.”

“I said I was sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going, it was a complete accident.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m fine.”

She walked on, and Cole stood still in amazement.

What was that all about?

He looked around again. There was nobody else around– not even anyone on the boardwalk he’d somehow found himself on. How had he managed to run into someone?

This place got stranger and stranger…

—

A few hours later, Cole stood in the shallows at the beach. He’d discarded his tabi boots a few meters back and rolled up his pant legs. The water was just a little warmer than the air, and he smiled as it lapped against his shins. The relaxing rush of water was still something familiar, not unlike when Nya was meditating and practicing her elemental skills. If he closed his eyes, he could envision Kai playing with fire, taking videos for his social media. Jay would be messing with some device, trying to wire it in a way that could possibly start an electrical fire. Zane would sit nearby, supposedly to relax, but really so he could quench Jay’s project if needed.

Oh, how Cole already missed them… but he had to look on the bright side. This was a good place! It was still Ninjago, after all.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad to be in another realm, listening to unfamiliar radio playing through loudspeakers and children shouting excitedly. The beach was crowded enough that he only had a little space to himself, but Cole didn’t want to isolate himself. He’d done enough of that when he was a teenager.

A teenager like Hence, who walked around with headphones on all the time, who wore all-black and tried to be cool but obviously wasn’t happy.

If he was as similar to Cole as he appeared, Hence was struggling, and Cole probably knew why.

But how did you help the alternate version of yourself? It was like those stupid interview questions from the Ninja’s celebrity days. What would you tell your younger self? Any advice? 

I’d tell him to be brave, and to talk to his dad earlier. To ask about his mom, to not worry so much about other people’s opinions. To not let himself be talked into stupid interviews on live TV so people could poke at a non-existent relationship.

A fish swam up by Cole’s toes, investigating. He wiggled them, scaring the little minnow off.

Maybe he shouldn’t say anything.

But what if it helped? Wasn’t that the job of a ninja?

The radio blared on. “That was ‘Everything is Awesome’ by Tegan and Sara, featuring The Lonely Island! Now Davy, wasn’t that something?”

“It sure was! I’m telling you, this is a beautiful day in Ninjago City. A full two days since Garmadon’s last attack! So you all know we’re overdue, but still.”

Overdue? Cole scoffed. What was Garmadon, a volcano that was ready to blow? Never mind the actual volcano Garmadon supposedly lived in, not even three kilometers away from shore.

“Well let’s get back to the music! Next up, it’s Chen’s newest hit, ‘Boo Lloyd!’ Hit it, Davy!”

The lyrics floated down the beach to Cole. At first, he didn't pay attention, but a few words were familiar made him listen out of disbelief. 

Cheerful drum beats and synths heralded the baffling chorus. “L-L-O-Y-D, his dad is bad and so is he! Boo Lloyd!”

No. Surely he was imagining the earworm he was currently being subjected to, which called Lloyd out by name and mocked him openly.

Lloyd was just a kid here! The son of a famous warlord, yes, but an innocent teenager all the same.

Never mind what he’d thought about this being a nice realm. What was wrong with these people?!

—

Cole burst into the bridge of the Destiny’s Bounty, panting from a flat-out run. “Master Wu!”

The ninja master looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. He sat at a short table, sipping tea and eating what looked like crab cakes. “That is my name. Don’t wear it out.”

Cole sighed in relief, closing the door behind him. “I’m glad I found you. I– I need to talk to you about something.”

“So much is obvious. Sit down.” Wu took out a second teacup and filled it, offering it to Cole as soon as he was seated. Cole took it and sipped, and while he drank, Wu watched him expectantly. 

“Master, something’s wrong here. I was out on a walk in the city, and I– well, I was all over, but I was at the beach for this part. They were playing the radio, and this crazy song was playing. I almost thought I was going crazy!”

Wu hummed and sipped his tea, taking so long that he ended in a drawn-out slurp. “I do not know if you are crazy. What song was it?”

“I don’t even know what it was,” Cole admitted. “I felt like I was hallucinating. The announcer said it was called ‘Boo Lloyd’? Which is exactly why I felt like I was crazy! Am I crazy?”

Wu watched him.

Cole waited.

The ninja master sighed. “No. You are not crazy.”

“Oh, thank goodness. But then–?”

“Yes, it is a real song.” Wu sipped again, slurping loudly. “..It is my nephew’s burden to bear.”

“But– but it’s bullying! He’s never done anything to them! He’s even protected them!”

“They do not know that. His identity is a secret, as is every ninja’s. Perhaps your realm does not take secrecy seriously?”

“Well– we never really needed to keep anything secret.” Cole looked down at his teacup, feeling ashamed. “I just… didn’t think anybody would go after Lloyd like that. Our Lloyd never got treated that way, and his dad was so much worse. No offense.”

“Perhaps he had other lessons to learn.”

“Lessons? What does anyone learn from bullying?”

Wu raised one eyebrow. “Resilience, perhaps patience. He will not learn them if someone else solves his problems for him.”

Cole gaped, struggling for words. “Wh– that’s not– you’re letting him be bullied?”

They stared at one another, the sound of slurping barely registering in Cole’s mind. When Wu finally moved, it was to set his teacup down and pour another, then to slurp from it instead.

It was time to change the subject. “Why are their identities secret, anyway? They wouldn’t be hurt by anyone as their civilian selves, except maybe Garmadon, and they can take him. Right?”

This time, Wu glared at him. “...They are children.”

“I wasn’t any older than them when I started.”

“And your master wanted your enemies to know that?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say he wanted it, but it couldn’t be helped! We had to stop Lord Garmadon before the prophecy could come true.” Cole crossed his arms. “So we were a little young. Big deal. Your ninja will have to defeat him before the Overlord comes into play, right?”

Now it was Wu’s turn to look confused. “What overlord?”

“The Overlord. The greatest force of evil in the whole realm?”

“This sounds like something out of a children’s story,” he commented, matter-of-fact. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“No? You don’t have a prophecy?”

“No. Only the five elements…” Wu shook his head. “They are too young for them. The Ultimate Ultimate Weapon cannot be used. They will have the elements when they are ready.”

“And when will that be? When Garmadon has already been defeated?” The very idea made Cole sad. “Come on, Wu. You’re not letting them stretch their wings.”

The way Wu shifted was enough for him to know that the comment landed, so Cole continued. “You have to let them grow up. They’re not children, they’re teenagers. Soon they’ll be adult ninja. What if they can’t be your students anymore? You can’t keep big secrets like the elements from them.”

Wu set down his teacup, emptied for the second time, with a sharp clack. “You do not know what I’ve seen–”

“I can guess,” Cole interrupted, “and that’s good enough. They don’t know. You need to tell them.”

“It is too much for them. They deserve innocence.”

“Then start small! Start with the elements, or– or leading themselves, or choosing whether or not to stay secret. They should be able to be real ninja, not just pretend to be ninja in front of the rest of the world. If you don’t let them choose their own paths, they’ll be haunted by past failures.”

Wu stood up, suddenly looking very old and very tired. He looked at Cole with aging eyes. “You know too much.”

Cole frowned, heart aching– he missed his Wu, and this doppelgänger just wasn’t him. “So do you.”

They watched each other, and deep down, Cole knew he wouldn’t understand why this Wu was so different. He’d tried to understand his own Master Wu, and that had been under extenuating circumstances. 

No one would ever understand his relationship with Wu… not unless they’d seen it grow. No one else would ever know how it felt to be someone’s student, son, and father.

No one would understand why Cole knew so much, or hurt so much.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push.”

Wu shook his head, exhausted. “...We leave early tomorrow,” he said, as if it was a dismissal.

Cole stood and bowed to him, feeling oddly ceremonial. “Sure. See you later, Master.”

He left the bridge, head spinning and heart aching, wondering how he’d gotten to the position he was in. Somehow, he felt just as old as Wu–

His reverie was broken by the sound of a blaring alarm. “Garmadon alert! This is not a drill. Garmadon alert!” 

[speedyartist30]

(This is the beginning of my original story “Kiran”⚡️✨)

The man in the lightning pt 1

In the bustling city a dark haired young man steps out of the bus. With his phone in his hand and hat over his head, Jay aimlessly walks down the busy sidewalk to hopefully find a better hotel to stay in for a few days. The city he was in is massive. Multiple people young and old were all just walking and chatting as cars drove up in down the streets with no signs of stopping, Jay had to admit it was overwhelming to be surrounded by this many people. He could feel his power buzzing inside his chest. Sighing,he pulls his hat down more to cover his eyes, fearing that they will change glow and someone will notice. But even while keeping his powers in check Jay was aware that he gets stared at a lot when he’s not wearing a hat to obscure his face.

*Maybe I should buy a mask*

As he walked to a crosswalk with a crowd of people,two kids kept running around them with a woman who Jay assumed was their mother, scolded them to stop, which they ignored as they kept running around and even bumping into his backpack a few times. Even though his face didn’t show it,Jay was slowly getting annoyed with the constant bumping but what happened next felt like it was in slow motion. One of the kids tripped and nearly fell into the busy street, but Jay caught the boy by the back of his shirt and pulled him back as the speeding cars went by.The boys mom thanked him and kept trying to offer him cash as a thanks even though Jay kept refusing it.

Woman:”Well there must be something I can do to thank you for saving him.”

Staring at the very eager mother who just didn’t give up on letting him go, Jay decided to take up on her offer.

“Actually…Do you know any good hotels around here?”

The woman noticeably perks up at his question and nods her had as she pulls out her phone, typing away at her screen before she shows him the location and picture of the building.

Woman: “You must not be from here then huh? This is a pretty good one for people new here. It’s nice and affordable.”

Nodding his head while typing the address into his phone, Jay thanks the woman and continues his trip through the city to find the hotel. Before he gets there he stops by a supermarket to pick up some things

Ethan Pov

“No Mak, I'm not not here to grocery shop... What? I just left work to get something for this guy's laptop...”

As his best friend tried to convince him to buy candy, Ethan walks down the aisles with the intention of getting a new hard drive for a laptop he took with him from work. Ethan works at a tech store but he is barely there since he takes the customers broken devices home with him to fix and surprisingly his boss was fine with it.

Not watching where he was going as he turned the corner, Ethan almost runs into someone, but the guy effortlessly sidestepped around him and kept walking. Turning around to see who he almost hit Ethan couldnt see his face but he saw the guy wearing a baseball hat while carrying a black backpack on his back.

*That guy has very fast reflexes*

Not dwelling to much on the thought Ethan kept walking as he continued chatting on the phone.

Makalo pov

Scrolling through social media to find new clips and videos of the “mysterious lightning figure” Makalo sat in the car with his mom and little sister as they drove away from the daycare where his mom worked. He helped her out by keeping some of the kids entertained and out of trouble until their parents arrived,but now that the day was almost over he could go home.

Seeing a new discussion video he saves it so he can watch it when he gets home. Looking out the window which showed the sun setting in a pink and orange sky, Makalo asked his mom about her opinion on the ‘lightning figure’that’s been spreading like wildfire across social media.

Mom:”Lightning figure? What is that? Is it like a new game or something?”

“Nope, it’s the thing all over social media. How do you not know about it?”

Mom:”Maybe because I’m not glued to my phone like you…”

“I’m not, but anyway there is this thing right? It’s like this figure or shadow that’s been helping out a city not far from here. At first I thought it was just some edit, but now multiple people are posting sightings of it and it moves so fast that the camera can barely keep up with it. The only way you can see it is by the lightning that surrounds it. Some even said it was a person.”

Mom:”Well you seem to be very interested on this “lightning thing”,but don’t believe everything you see on online ,ok.”

“ugh…you sound like Ethan. This thing is real, if it wasn’t then how can so many people seen it already?”

Mom:”Well have you seen it in person?”

“No…”

Makalo frowned, he knew his mom had a point he couldn’t really say something was real if he hadn’t seen it himself, but he still believed whatever this thing was is  still out there even though.Looking out the window Makalo noticed a very tall man walking down the street.

Frowning, Makalo stopped when his phone buzzed. Looking down at the screen, he started biting his finger at the news notification.

Neon City News Alert "Series of Unexplained Murders Baffle Police: Witnesses Report Sights of Tall, Unknown Man Roaming Streets at Night"

[rhaenella]

You & Me - Rhys Montrose x Reader - Part 1

Masterlist | Part 2

Summary: What happens when reader assassin is tasked with killing the possible future mayor of London; Rhys Montrose. Politician by day, Eat the Rich Killer by night. But he isn’t the only person wearing different masks. 

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Violence, murder, immoral sociopathic behaviour, mentions of alcoholism, drug abuse and neglect, (eventual) smut

Word count: 1.4k

A/N at the end.

Song: Royals – Lorde 

Montrose, R. 

The name of your next victim was written in elegant cursive handwriting on a small business card. Your employer had given it to you along with an envelope filled with your payment for the previous job you had just completed. 

The name seemed familiar to you. You briefly glanced up at your employer as you slipped out your phone to quickly look up the name he had provided you with. 

You typed in the name Montrose and within nanoseconds after you hit search, the app showed you thousands of hits on the name. Newspaper articles, clips of talk show appearances, book reviews, both positive and hate tweets (although the former outweighed the latter), and of course many, many pictures of the man. You recognised him instantly.

You raised a single eyebrow inquisitively, once more glancing at your employer. 

“I’m aware that it’s high-profile.”

You scoffed as you scrolled through the many articles. “No shit, Sherlock.”

Your employer cleared his throat, shifting his weight. “Can you do it or not?”

“Of course,” you replied nonchalantly.

“Good.”

“But it’s gonna cost you.”

“I wouldn’t have expected anything else.”

You hummed, locking your phone and placing it in your back pocket. Your employer diverted his eyes, looking nervous? No — stressed — your mind supplied. You smirked inwardly. The man was desperate for this job. 

You’ve done work for him before. Six times, in fact. Two of which had been abroad, including the one you just completed. Your flight back from Toronto had landed just a couple of hours ago. And now here you were once more.

The man had resources and was rich beyond words. He had power. Lots of it. Which incontrovertibly led to him having many enemies. Enemies that he needed to get rid of. Quietly. That’s where you came in. 

But something was different this time. Your employer seemed off, more desperate than you’d ever seen him. Before he was always perfectly in control, never blinking an eye as he provided you with your next assignment or payment. The man was perhaps even more cold blooded than you. And that’s saying something. Nevertheless, he would never get his own hands dirty. 

Your nostrils flared, having had enough of his stalling. 

“Out with it, what is it?” You demanded.

Your employer glanced around before his gaze fixed on an old desk next to a broken window that had been boarded up. He kicked back a broken chair laying askew on the wood-rotten floor. He always preferred to meet in inconspicuous places. And if you might add, downright shitholes. 

He sighed as he cautiously leaned back against the desk, looking back over his shoulder to make sure it would support his weight. He definitely wasn’t overweight. But you were certain that even the weight of a feather could make the desk collapse in on itself. Surprisingly, the desk remained standing after it gave a slight squeaky noise. 

“I need it done within 48 hours.”

You couldn’t stop the bark of a laugh from escaping. The man had gone officially bloody nuts. Who the hell did he think he was? The king of England? In all honesty, he might actually wield more power than the king himself. But all of that was beside the point. 

“48 hours,” you snickered, shaking your head at his ridicule. 

“I know, I know,” he amended. “But I wouldn’t ask this of you if the situation hadn’t been this dire.” 

“Dire or not, the man is currently number one trending on social media. He’s a beloved politician, likely preparing his campaign to become mayor of one of the biggest cities in the world. And you think I can make him disappear without a trace within 48 hours?”

“Yes,” your employer replied. 

If the man and his ideas weren’t as delusional as the present situation would suggest, you would actually take quite a bit of pride in that simple statement. 

“It’s not simply a matter of the public eye. He must have well established security. I need time to figure those details out as well as his schedule.” 

You took a few steps closer, stopping a couple of feet away from your employer. 

“I can get it done, but I need time.”

“I don’t have time,” he all but shouted at you as he got up angrily, his attitude changing rapidly. The man was known for his temper, but you hadn’t witnessed it yourself yet. His control was really severely lacking today. 

“Which means you don’t have time,” he growled. 

The space between you reduced to mere inches but you held your ground. You weren’t afraid of some rich businessman who wasn’t used to being told no. 

You chuckled softly, making his eyes narrow to mere slits. 

“See, the funny thing is. I don’t need to do a thing. I don’t have to accept your ridiculous job offer.” 

A smirk grew on his face and he retreated a few steps. “Oh? But you haven’t heard the full offer yet.” 

Now it was your turn to narrow your eyes. Truly, who the hell did he think he was, playing with you like this? You briefly contemplated killing him on the spot, but really you couldn’t be bothered. 

“I am offering you three times your regular fee.”

Now this — this — made you stop right in your tracks. Yep, it was confirmed. The man was definitely delusional. 

It may have been a cheap trick. Typically the rich social elite — buying their way through life. But damned be all if it wasn’t effective. 

Your employer knew nothing about you, except how to contact you. To give you the time and place for your clandestine meetings. Which means he also didn’t know anything about your personal life and your financial situation. In your line of work, you liked to keep it that way.  

Truth is, you weren’t poor and you weren’t rich. But you needed the money your unorthodox job provided you with. It wasn’t about becoming rich yourself. It wasn’t about gaining status or anything like that. No, the money went straight to your sisters. 

You had two younger sisters who still lived with your mother, a raging and highly unstable alcoholic. You often debated whether to take full custody of your sisters and have them live with you, but you also knew your job came with certain risks and you didn’t want to jeopardise their safety. 

You tried to take as much care of them as you could from the sidelines. Especially since no one else fought for them. Definitely not your father because he had left years ago, claiming he could no longer cope with your mother’s issues. Hell, like you all could?

Your youngest sister, Sadie, had fallen ill two years ago. Mainstream medicine had failed her, so you were now paying for her exclusive medical trials. The good thing was, they were working. Your sister’s health was improving, but she was still nowhere near healthy and being fully cleared by the doctors. She probably never would be as she suffered a rare chronic disease. 

But she was going to school again now. A private school to be exact, same as your other sister, Zoe, who was currently acing her first year at the prestigious Darcy College. You were so proud of both of them, but with the medical bills and their education, you needed the money. 

Which is why your employer’s offer made both your skin crawl but also your heart clench. You needed it. Maybe just as much as he needed this Montrose guy killed. 

You glanced down at your left hand, your sisters’ initials that you had tattooed on your wrist serving as a powerful reminder of what you inevitably had to agree to. A possible suicide mission. Because how were you going to pull this high-profile kill off without being able to actually device a plan in advance? Without getting caught.

And yet you found yourself accepting his offer. 

“Okay.” 

Your employer didn’t look surprised, seemingly confident that money could indeed buy anything. Or anyone. He had been completely oblivious to your inner turmoil. Probably because of your very well practiced poker face that you never let slip. 

“I will do it,” you said. “On one condition.”

“What?”

“Like I said earlier, this is gonna cost you. Not just three, I want five times my regular fee. Take it or leave it.”

He seemed exceptionally pleased with himself as an unsettling smile creeped onto his face. 

“You have a deal.”

Fuck the rich, you thought as you bitterly shook his hand.

–––– 

A/N: sooo this is the first (kinda short, introductory) part of this Rhys x reader fic. The next parts will be longer, don’t worry! Although I’m very busy with work, I will try to stick to my regular posting schedule (Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays) as much as I can. Know that the next few parts have already been drafted and are almost ready to be published :) And boy, it’s going to be a ride. Thank you for reading!!!! 

[mjonthetrack]

Monday

It took Mahina approximately ten minutes to

catch the wrestler off guard to upper cut his

smug face reminding her he wasn’t going

anywhere to remind him that she had plans on

going. The woman grabbed her coat and sent

off a text and dipped out the front door to an

Uber that had come to pick the woman up.

Mahina sent a text off to Drew telling her she

was heading off to do her own thing. She did

send a text to Trinity who’d shared numbers

with her, thanking her for the hospitality and

that Jey would need an ice pack to ease his ego

and bruised face. It was maybe an hour and a

half drive to her place in Florida, opening her

door and setting her security system up for the

night. Mahina slipped out of her shoes rubbing

her tired feet, noting her slightly bruised

knuckles she gently strokes at the sore skin. He deserved it in her mind, his cocky remarks

about them being meant for one another and

how she might as well give up the tough act set

her off. Not to mention the reminder of her

height and how he just tossed her on his

shoulder carrying her off like some caveman

embarrassing the hell out of her in front of the

strangers. Her attention shifted to the sound of

her dog padding across the wooden floors, the

sitter had left after her alert that she was on her

way home. “Myers my baby,” she let out a long

sigh rubbing the large Cane Corso’s stomach

who huffed a snort in appreciation looking up at

her in confusion. “Oh right, cmon big guy, I have

to tell you about my day,” she patted her leg and

the dog trotted beside her protectively after

receiving his night time treats. The dog was a

rescue the woman saved during the dark period

of her life surrounding her ex, Myers was named

after her favorite horror movie slasher Michael.

Though the dog was such a big baby he was

well trained to guard and protect the petite

woman. She loved that dog, at times when she

found herself alone he was always there as if he

understood anything she ranted about.

Traveling wasn’t one of Mahina’s favorite things

to do for work, though her dog always came

with her and when he couldn’t she had the best

caregivers on call. The woman shimmied into

bed clothes, getting comfortable in her space as

Myers laid down by her feet like clockwork as

the pair filled the room with snores.

Thanking herself for having her phone on do

not disturb, Mahina was able to get some good

sleep. When morning came she was up and took

Myers on a walk, fed him and played with him

for a bit. After some well deserved hot tea,

Mahina was on her morning routine, showering

and pampering herself for the day ahead. She

was grateful her next modeling gig wasn’t for a

bit so it gave her time to answer emails and set

her next round of guests for her show. Though

her mother was famous it was her own sweat

and tears that built Moon talk up to what it was

now. Mahina had over 10 million subscribers on

YouTube, her show had a bit more on insta as

well as tiktok where she placed brief clips of her

interviews and talks to gage new momentum to

her YouTube channel. Though social media and

more specifically content creating clubs wanted

her at their events or houses it was not her

where her interest was. If she was honest

though doing product reviews or being on a

fashion sites latest campaign was fun and a

privilege that paid her bills she didn’t want that

for herself. Mahina loved hard hitting stories,

real journalism that was to the point and

highlighted the real important topics. She just

didn’t think the news realm would take her

seriously, she wasn’t the visual cookie cutter of

what most reporters were, polished and prim

wearing those itchy pant suits. Mahina created

Moon talk for people to get real stories and

learn about real world events in a comfortable

familiar way, not some professional patronage

from some major outlet owned by some fat

white old money Republican. Though she was

incredibly humble about her following it

reaffirmed that people liked her approach. She’d

loved having women who were apart of the

Black Panther Party come on the show and

encourage sisters everywhere that they did have

power. Even having economists and business or

financial experts come on the show and give the

people straight forward answers to current

issues. Mahina believed in variety, her show

spoke for that, it was only as of a few weeks ago

she secretly bought her own media studio and

hired talent from all backgrounds to push Moon

talk from cute convos wherever the guest would

agree to towards a physical studio. Mahina had

been saving for years and now she had her own

business, she was a boss and she decided she

wanted to make a name for herself and others

who main media turned an eye to.

Having set up a show for the day she smiled

at her pink boots, she ran through the schedule,

making sure everyone had been ready, catering

breakfast for the crew of the show. Her first

guest was one from the NAACP who’d been

there talking about the racial climate and how

their organization was founded on supporting

minority growth and security. The conversation

was incredibly useful as the guest on her show

announced that ten viewers were to be blessed

with full rides to a hbcu of their choice. That was

something that visibly shocked Mahina who

adamantly thanked him, to which the man

responded,” your efforts connecting people with

real world experience inspired us and we want

to inspire the people watching you to do the

same.” After a small cry and conversation about

music the pair hugged and the next guest was

brought on. The last guest was a black couple

who ran a local animal rescue and were showing

adoptable animals on her show with Mahina

admitting it was where she rescued Myers. The

big dog was brought in and everyone gave him

plenty of attention and love as the film crew cut

the live. Comments were bracing all over social

media, excitement buzzing for the scholarships,

people asking for more info on the adoption

process. There were several individuals who

commented on her new set up and og watchers

who Mahina responded with her gratitude. “The

ratings are through the fucking roof bitch you

did that!,” Donovan her very flamboyant and gay

producer commented sliding his headphones

off,” and that outfit eats Nani, I’m so proud of

you!” Mahina hugged and thanked the man

who'd helped her run the behind the scenes

work from the jump. Mahina grabbed everyone

and prayed for them all and hugged, thanking

each and every person there for their help in

making her first studio show a success. Still

getting used to her drive back to her crib,

Mahina let Donovan take her and drop her off

with Myers who was all too eager to get inside

and eat his food. Her phone began blowing up

with social media notifications, not ignoring

seeing Trinity and Jimmy’s likes on her

insta post of her standing in her studio before

the set, she responded to Trinity’s comment on

her looking amazing and what a great show it

was. Mahina thought she was off the hook until

her doorbell rang causing her brows to scrunch.

She didn’t expect any guests, when she saw her

door unlock she reached for her glock, aiming

right at the front door when she saw her

favorite tall couple and others rush in. “Bitch

you weren’t gonna tell me about the studio?”

came Drew’s voice as Pili raised his hands,”

don’t shoot us we come baring gifts and what

my beloved fiancée meant was you looked

awesome on your show, we’re proud of you.” Mahina blinked a few times spotting several of

the people from the day before in her living

room,” What did I tell you about random pop

ups Drew I almost made you all Swiss cheese.” Drew snorted,” girl I’ve seen your aim the only

thing I’d be afraid for is the ceiling, but we came

to collect you as promised for our Samoa trip,

we had some schedule changes and now

everyone is coming too.” At the mention of the

word everyone it became increasingly clear of

the presence of both of the twins, Joe and his

wife and daughter, Trinity with one son on her

hip and the other clinging to her leg, Drew

standing by Pili who was raiding Mahina’s

fridge. Mahina raised a brow and took a step

back at a large male walking to her,” sorry to just

burst into your home, you can call me Sefa or

Solo, oh and the white man and his mini group is

Sami and his very pregnant wife.” It took a

second briefly shaking the man’s hand speaking

out loud,” Drew why did you invite strangers in

my house?!” The tall woman patted her back

having returned with several suitcases of

Mahina’s things,” It was easier to just all come

and get you together as our flights in about

an hour, don’t worry they’re all family well minus

Sami, he works with them all, they are

professional wrestlers.” Mahina deadpanned the

woman like she was crazy,” I can’t just go on a

plane what about-,” a deep voice cut in,”don’t

worry Ma toto will be coming with us,” Mahina

glared at her bundle of wrinkles on legs who

obviously failed basic intruder training 101, laid

on his back eagerly awaiting Jey’s tummy rubs.

“His name is Myers, and Drew I need to talk to

you,” she grabbed the woman’s arm and

retreated to her bedroom,” what are you

doing,those people know where I live now, he

knows!” Drew eyed her warily,” valid, I should’ve

warned you but if I asked we both know what

your answer would be, and I talked to Donovan

who is a fan of mine apparently and your

schedule is free for this.” Mahina felt a bit of

frustration having this all go above her head,

she knew her best friend meant well it was just

a half cocked and dumb ass way of doing it

“Well if we have a flight to catch let’s get

moving, but you owe me new locks on my door I

don’t want new pop ups, and for your

information my aim is not bad, I’ve been taking

classes.” Drew snorted,” so you can miss hitting

the target a little less, doesn’t change my mind,

now let’s move.”

The group arrived at the airport and were

quickly ushered through vip due to the nature of

the guests. Mahina took in what Drew said

about the group’s profession, sure being a

professional athlete was admirable in its own

right it just didn’t mean much to her. Mahina

never really grew up around sports and never

cared about watching games or pretending to

care about highlights being shared at social

gatherings. Especially after being an ex to a

pro football player she had enough of sports to

show too much of an interest when she’d

decided to look into the company they worked

for and watch a few videos of matches online

considering it a part of her journalism duties. Seeing all the effort that went into the show

and then the athleticism was impressive on its

own to her. “Have any favorites?,” came Trinity’s

voice causing Mahina to jump,” oh I’m sorry I

didn’t meant to scare you, I just got the vibe

you weren’t into sports?” Mahina let out a sigh

releasing the momentary stress of being caught

researching,” I’m not but I figured it would be

rude to not look at the people I’m about to

spend a lot of time with’s personal careers as

you all have mentioned seeing my show earlier.” Trinity laughed at that nudging her,” very safe

played,” Mahina shrugged,” I can tell you all put

a lot of work into making these shoes move so

smoothly, that’s admirable, I think if I had to get

up on a platform like that and do exercise I

would vomit and probably piss my pants.” That

made Trinity and Jimmy who’d joined the pair

laugh at her honesty,” it’s refreshing having

someone not be all in our faces and liking or

getting to know us for us and not some stage

persona,” Jimmy commented a warm smile on

his face. “I didn’t realize it could get that crazy, I

never watched wrestling before so honestly

name drops or mentioning wwe to me before

wouldn’t have meant much of anything, but I’m

glad you have found an outlet for yourselves,”

Mahina noted simply,”I kind of feel a little stupid

Drew didn’t mention anything about you all

being actual celebrities.” Trinity shook her

head,” you have met us for who we are outside

of the ring, the real us and that is not something

most can say, you’re obviously a very genuine

woman and we’ve enjoyed meeting you thus

far.” Mahina lowered her head a bit in

embarrassment ,” I can’t believe I didn’t

recognize any of you though,” she went on to

explain her distaste for sports and mostly it’s

ties to her ex which Jimmy commented on how

he wasn’t a fan of their team making her laugh.

[schrijverr]

Tomorrow Will Be Different 14

Chapter 14 out of 26

Instead of managing to meet up later, Oliver has to keep running with Akio. The only way to keep them safe is to go public with Oliver being alive, leaving him back home in charge of Akio, while Tatsu and Maseo are still in the wind

In this chapter, the end seems to be closer and closer and Oliver has to begin looking for a conclusion to his story with A.R.G.U.S.. He also maybe needs some friends.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

~~~

Chapter 14: The Ex-Wife’s Old Friend

They’ve found Amanda.

Diggle comes over the second Oliver has hung up after telling him about it. He has the satellite phone that Oliver takes immediately. The talk with his mom has been nice to clear the air, but he has forgotten about all of it in the moment, too focused on dialing the number.

It’s not Lyla, but Amanda’s voice that greets him mildly and professional: “Mr. Queen, how nice to hear of you.”

“Amanda,” Oliver greets back, managing to contain his surprise at hearing her voice and able to sound collected.

“I must say that I had high hopes from you when I recruited you, however, agent Micheals’s report of your role in handling this situation has exceeded those. If you ever want to escape the stifling existence of high society, A.R.G.U.S. has a place for you,” she says.

“Just tell me where you are with getting Shrieve and finding Tatsu and Maseo,” Oliver replies, not deigning her with an answer. Despite the friends A.R.G.U.S. brought him, he has little affection for the organization after his time spend with them.

Oliver has learned Amanda never shows any emotion, so he can’t tell what she thinks of his reply when she says: “We are in contact with the right people. General Shrieve should be in custody and in front of an American judge in two weeks.”

It pleases Oliver to know that the man will face justice for what he attempted. If they hadn’t been able to stop him, he is sure he would have done something he might regret to the man.

However, Shrieve isn’t his priority, Akio is. So he asks: “And what are you doing about locating Tatsu and Maseo?”

“Ex-agent Yamashiro and his wife can come out of their hiding place once General Shrieve and his men have been apprehended. They have cut ties with A.R.G.U.S. and are none of our concern right now.”

He hates how disinterest and cold she always sounds, but while Oliver might have expected differently from Lyla, he has no such illusions of Amanda. Oliver knows that Tatsu and Maseo are capable and will likely resurface after the danger against them has passed. He would have liked more certainty, but he can go look for him on his own if it takes too long.

So, he sighs and moves on. “Alright, what will be the story. I assume the United States government doesn’t want China to know what Shrieve nearly did to them. So how will this all be covered up?”

“Bio weapon experiment gone wrong. No survivors,” Amanda answers in a clipped tone. “It fits with the fake backstory of human experimentation you and agent Micheals came up with and it neatly ties up everything without leaving potential witnesses for the media to hound.”

“What about Tatsu and Maseo?” Oliver asks immediately, forehead pulling into a frown.

“They will have to tragically die once found and continue life under a different name.”

“No, you can’t do that. They still have Akio, they can’t take him with them if they’re dead. People will ask questions if he suddenly disappears, his face has been all over the news.”

“That was your choice.”

“It was the only way to keep him safe,” Oliver snaps, hating her callousness.

“Then tell people other family of his have been located and you have relocated him to be with them,” Amanda dismisses.

“I can’t,” Oliver grits. “I got custody of him because he has no other living relatives. That day in court has been publicized too.”

Amanda inhales sharply and any other day Oliver would be pleased he got an emotion out of her, even if that emotion is annoyance. However, today he is just annoyed right back. “Well then, Mr. Queen, maybe you should tell everyone that you couldn’t handle it and had someone adopt him privately. I’m sure no one would bat an eye at that with your reputation.”

Now Oliver is just offended. “I would never do that to Akio. And that still won’t stop my mom and sister from asking questions. Nor Tommy. It’s not a story that will hold. And not a story a reporter worth their salt won’t investigate to hell and back.”

“What would you have me do, then, Mr. Queen? Like you said, the betrayal of General Shrieve is not one we want people to know about,” Amanda says tersely. He’s getting all the emotions today and he can’t even bask in it.

Oliver thinks as fast as he can, knowing that despite her attitude Amanda is giving him an opportunity to come up with something to be able to return Akio home. She isn’t a complete monster, she just values the lives of the many over the comfort or lives of the few. Her ends will always justify her means. Her giving him this moment to give her something that will satisfy them both shows the respect she has for him. Or at least her feeling of owing him a debt after he saved her life.

“Tatsu and Maseo were immune,” he offers after a beat. “I mean, Tatsu has a background in medicine, it won’t be crazy to say they stole whatever weapon when they took her and her family as well. She could have immunized her family against it and it would soothe people’s mind to know that whatever weapon is out there, we have a cure.”

The more he speaks, the more he thinks this story will work out, enthusiastically he adds: “And the time we need to find them after the story is public can be explained as them being in quarantine just to be safe that they’re not contagious and actually safe.”

Amanda is quiet for a moment and Oliver holds his breath.

“Hm, that can actually work,” Amanda hums. “Alright, I will see if I can get this version approved, but I do not make any promises.”

“Naturally,” Oliver replies, fighting an eye roll. He is already grateful enough that she’s willing to try, no need to test her. Before she can change her mind, he asks: “Is there anything I can do from here or is it still a waiting game?”

“This was only a check in,” Amanda tells him. “You’re on stand by until we need more information or extra hands.”

“I can drop anything if you need me,” Oliver promises, not even caring that it might be a promise to the devil. Amanda is going to find Tatsu and Maseo, he can’t wait to tell Akio when he wakes up tomorrow.

His chest feels light when he hangs up and he has the first good night of sleep since he returned home that night.

The next morning, the feeling stays. Akio is indeed ecstatic and they go out to eat ice cream to celebrate together. He just chatters the entire time about all he’s going to tell them about when he sees them again.

Oliver can’t help but keep smiling at him, sharing the happiness. When Tatsu and Maseo are here, he’ll have completed his mission. The whole time he’s been worrying if they were right to trust him, but the end is now in sight and Akio is content. He did well.

It’s not until the days start passing that Oliver realizes that the end is getting in sight. This will be over soon.

He has been so wrapped up in this mission, in getting Akio reunited with his parents alright, that he has barely been picking up his life back here. He’s been trying more, of course, but it’s still not smooth going. Oliver isn’t sure how well it will go once Akio isn’t here anymore. Does he still know how to live without the kid?

Yeah, he has been making up with Tommy and Thea, even his mom, but what does he have outside of that? Does he need more than his little sister and best friend?

If he thinks about it, the thought of more of a social life doesn’t sound very appealing. He doesn’t like crowds that much anymore, knowing how easy it is to be an unnoticed danger in them, and most people here can’t relate to him and he not to them. His life has become too different.

With Akio here, he has something to talk about, something to distract him and an excuse to leave if he doesn’t want to be there anymore. However, once he is gone, he’ll have to do it by himself and that sounds incredibly daunting.

Still, his mom, and Thea before her, are right, he’ll need to pick up his life a little bit, enough to actually live. He can’t just become a hermit and never socialize outside of his immediate family and Tommy.

Diggle has become somewhat of a friend. The man knows about his circumstances, the truth about who he is, and as a solider himself, he understands Oliver better than anyone. Oliver trusts him with Akio and with himself, allowing Diggle to be his back up.

However, this is a job for Diggle, a favor he’s doing for his ex-wife, because it is about something big, something dangerous. Oliver can’t expect him to hang around after.

No, if he wants to prepare for life after this mission, he’ll need to make new friends. Or rekindle old friendships that don’t want to make him tear his own hair out with their ignorance and lack of awareness of the world.

Despite how it ended, he misses Slade in that moment.

Slade understood him better than anyone and has been there by his side for years. But Slade isn’t here right now and if he were, it would probably be bad for Oliver. So, instead Oliver finds himself at CNRI.

After hearing the good news from Amanda and realizing what that’ll mean for him, he’s been trying to ween off always being with Akio. So, he’s by himself while Diggle keeps Akio company at home.

He’s a little nervous, standing in her place at work to invite her to lunch. It’s nothing romantic, he doesn’t think he’ll have the mental capacity for dating anytime soon and after everything that has happened between them, he thinks it’s best to leave that chapter closed. She is just a person he still knows, who he holds in high regard and who is the kind of person from his old life that he still wants in his life now.

Laurel knows that life isn’t fair, knows that not everyone has the privilege to get everything, and she fights to make it more fair. Oliver respects that.

Despite his complicated feelings about it, it felt good to feel like he helped when working with A.R.G.U.S.. He doesn’t have any qualifications to continue that like Laurel is and he doesn’t want to go back to A.R.G.U.S. like Amanda offered. Maybe he can do something with charity, but Oliver isn’t sure. It’s something to talk to Laurel about.

… If she, you know, wants to talk to him.

He is very nervous waiting on her at her place of work. She hasn’t been out of law school for long and he doesn’t want to cause a scene at her workplace, but he figured it would be better than showing up at her house. That will send a kind of message that he doesn’t want to send. He wants to be her friend. Just her friend.

She’s coming back from something, smiling and talking with her friend. Oliver tries not to let the guilt chase him away when that happy expression drops from her face the second she spots him.

“Ollie, what are you doing here?” she says in lieu of a greeting.

Hearing himself be referred to as Ollie is weird. Thea and Tommy still do so, but the name has become unfamiliar to him over these past few years. It makes him feel nostalgic and melancholic in a way.

“Hi, Laurel,” he says, cringing at how awkward he sounds. “I was wondering if you’d like to eat lunch. With me. To catch up.”

“To catch up?” Laurel repeats, obviously not buying what he’s selling. “Just because we used to date before you died, doesn’t mean you get to pick that back up. Or did you forget why we broke up?”

“It’s not to get back together,” Oliver protests.

“Really?”

“Really,” he assures her. “Look, I know I might not be your favorite person, truly, I get that. But my life got… well, it got completely destroyed. There’s not much left of what I had. And I don’t want to get that life back. I’m trying to make different choices. Better choices. The people I had in my life aren’t people I want in it now, except for Tommy and Speedy. And you.”

Laurel is still very skeptical, that much is obvious. However, she is also listening to him, which is more than he’d hoped for. “You want me in your life again.”

He nods. “Yeah. Laurel, you are an amazing person, far better than I ever deserved. These past few years I wanted nothing more than to make it up to you.”

To prove it, he digs around in his pocket, much like his father’s notebook, the picture is something he has always carried on his body. While he lost his bow and everything he still had left from the island when Shrieve double crossed them at the docks, this he still has.

“Here,” he says, handing her the photo. “I kept it to remind me of what I had to stay alive for, what I had to make right.”

“Ollie…” Laurel gasps, trailing off in shock.

“Please, Laurel, let me make it right. Let me start over,” Oliver begs. “Just one lunch to get to know the current versions of one another. If you still want to hate me and want me to stay away, I’ll respect that. I promise.”

Laurel still hesitates, though her eyes are slightly wet. Oliver holds his breath as he watches her thumb the photo, waiting for what she’ll say.

After a moment, she inhales a loud breath, then lets it go slowly. She meets his eye again, determination hardening them, despite the sadness that still lingers in the form of unshed tears. “Okay, one lunch. But I get to pick the place and you pay.”

“Of course,” Oliver agrees immediately, smile crossing his features.

[cwarscars]

"Are you willing to share one of your war stories, sir?"

the general cocks a brow, a second of scepticism - a disbelief lingering that the other could be entertained by such a thing. so often had he told old stories, recounted them to his kids, to his men - in the media and on tv. war wounds had become press tours, newspaper clippings and gossip columns. propaganda. truths twisted in an attempt to encourage young men and women sign the lives away. would he have it any differently? of course not. but sometimes it was worth it to think about.

why tell a man like weiss of old exploits? would it inspire him? have him eager to claw his way from deepground and up toward the surface - to fight on shinra's behalf as any good soldier would?

heidegger has his doubts; but more-so, his pride. a pride that whispers old stories in the back of his mind, that remind him of his old self. a time before shinra, before all of this.

a half-smirk takes his lips, a fire spell summoned by the click of his fingers - a light of his cigarette and quick kiss pressed to its end. was it dangerous to smoke down here? ah, as if he cared.

"you're interested, hm?" he breathes smoke "well, i can't say that i blame you-" who wouldn't want to hear such stories. after all, there had been so many best sellers based on the general's old life. and there was that movie - a movie that the general public loved ! ( and heidegger had quietly despised ).

he parts his lips with the intention of telling about the old days in wutai; a temptation to twist the man's mind with more hatred of their rival nation but something instead stops him. an old nostalgia that creeps along the thick line of his lips.

"a man's team...can, at times, be just as good as him-" there's a sigh in the smoke of his cigarette, old memories drawn in grey - not entirely told "i once had a squad at my side. when i was young; maybe around your age." he can remember their names but barely their faces; of course, the twisted expressions of anguish each man left after death is not one that easily escapes him. but hell, it's better not to remember them that way.

he continues, body leant against protective glass. as if the other will interrupt his story with a swing of his blade.

"the comradery was brilliant. these men - the sort who would lay their lives down for what they believed. they were brave, tough. no strangers to battle" a time when soldiers weren't cowards, when men didn't shake in their boots at the sight of trouble (though that isn't entirely true, is it?) "together, we fought many battles. our rapport with one another was truly magnificent -"

after a pause and another puff of his cigarette, he speaks again.

"there was a time when we toppled a great malboro together" excitement teases his words, a man reliving his hay-day through old stories "a great malboro! should you ever have the displeasure of fighting one - you'd know they make for a rather disgusting adversary. one soldier, eric, was his name - got caught face-first in the creature's 'bad breath' attack." a scrunched up nose and a half smile see him almost laughing "i've never seen a man go green so fast; he wouldn't touch a vegetable for three weeks after that-" another chuckle "he'd say 'noo, it looks too much like one of 'those fuckin' things - keep your gysahl pickles to yourself'. we all had a good laugh over that one..."

he thinks of missing them, laments the loss of good soldiers ( decent men ) - friends. but then something stops him, a bitter toxin that rises like bile. that shuts off emotion and has his final words, dry.

"all of them eventually died on the wutai front."

[wannaberp]

— WHO IS SONG MIYEON?

she’s a TWENTYyear old wannabe, born MARCH 3, 2003. she’s currently eyeing STUDIO DELTA MEDIA and lives by the words “flowers bloom with no regret.”

maybe you should learn more or ask her a question.

▶ PLAY THE CLIP [ dream_reality.mp4 ]

song miyeon is many things but a liar is not one of them.

‘i just want to earn a living doing something i like’ is probably not the most diplomatic response, yet it’s the only thing that comes to her mind. with the interviewer tilting the microphone to her expectantly and the cameras suddenly focusing on her, she realizes that there is no time to sugarcoat it.

“i don’t want to be an idol at all.”

from the corner of her eye, she can see that the crew is completely unaffected by her answer. she would be too, were she in their place, talking to naïve, doe-eyed kids all day. right before her, someone said they were here to achieve world peace; what such a thing has to do with being an idol miyeon does not know and at this point, she is too tired to ask.

“not in the conventional sense, anyway. i think it’s time we change the idol industry. i want to make meaningful music that goes beyond surface level love songs,” she explains. “i also want to have more autonomy, both as an artist and as a person. do what i want, date who i want… it’s not fair that we hold idols up to these impossible standards, you know?”

the interviewer nods and mutters a quiet uh-huh under his breath, though his eyes seem just as empty as they did when he asked his question. miyeon wonders if he even listened to what she said or if he’s backchanneling out of habit. 

another possibility is that they are simply not taking her seriously. she’s, what? the thirty-seventh wannabe today who thinks they have revolutionary ideas that will shake the entire entertainment industry to its core? and out of those thirty-seven, how many of them will even get close to debuting?

their skepticism and disinterest is somewhat valid, however much she hates to admit it.

she sighs and turns to one of the cameras, giving it a thumbs up. “thanks for your time.”

[ninjastormhawkkat]

Becky let out a yawn as she and Mrs. Botsford finally received some documents after searching through multiple archives and scouring websites for information about Steven and Professor Carl Woods. Long hours and eye strains were finally payed off. Mrs. Botsford handed Wordgirl a small folder for her to look through while she made some more cocoa for them. Wordgirl glanced at the clock which showed the time. It was nearly 4:30 pm. Becky sighed. She wouldn't have time to look through all the files they accumulated before she had to head back home for dinner. There was no way her dad would allow her to skip eating despite the importance of the situation they were facing. 'I wonder how Steven did on his first day as a henchman?' Wordgirl thought casually. She knew being a henchmen was a lot of hard work from observing Joey and Charlie helping her dad. She hoped he didn't put Steven through too much criminal work since the guy was only supposed to be a temporary henchman. Wordgirl did not hear any alarms go off with her super hearing so she figured her dad was just planning his future crimes today rather than committing one. Becky decided to look through what she could in the documents before she and Huggy had to head home for dinner. On top of the document was general information about Northic University which was the campus where Professor Woods taught and Steven attended before their kidnapping. Becky just skimmed through that file, nothing noticeable or important catching her eye. She did pause in her skimming and took time to read an article about parts of the campus being haunted. In the article it said that students reported seeing glimpses of a humanoid figure wandering around the campus, but the figure always quickly vanished before anyone could get a good look at their physical features. Becky briefly wondered with worry if this "mysterious figure" was somehow connected to the people who kidnapped Steven and Carl and if the figures were spies. Her concerns were not profound as these "spies" did a terrible job at remaining unseen and were spotted in random spots, hardly anywhere near the lab Steven worked at where Gene was contained. She decided it wouldn't hurt to ask Steven about this urban legend later. It might end up being a fun and nice anecdote for the man to recall. Becky then picked up an old photograph of Professor Carl Woods. The man looked to be in his mid to late 30s, maybe close to early 40s. He had brown hair that was a mix of curly and slightly spiky bangs. The scientist also had green eyes and was sporting a beard and mustache. His face had a friendly demeanor despite his long and sharp nose. Becky couldn't help but feel a strange sense of deja vu and nostalgia when she saw the image of Professor Carl Woods. "Hey Huggy. Look at this picture of Professor Carl Woods." She stated to her sidekick. Huggy hopped on Wordgirl's shoulders and peered to see the image. "Don't you think this guy looks a lot similar to how dad used to look before the accident?" Wordgirl asked aloud to her sidekick. Huggy examined the image closely for a bit. His eyes then widened in surprise as he nodded with a chatter of agreement to the young hero. This man seem to share a lot of similar features to how Becky's dad used to look before the accident. Both heroes noted how erie the coincidence was. Becky decided to shrug it off and resumed shifting through the papers. So far there was nothing out of the ordinary to indicate government involvement with the college nor with Professor Woods. It seemed that though the professor was usually private when he did his work, he wasn't completely closed off and let assistants help him in his work. He just did present his work in public media as much as other scientists did back then. As Wordgirl looked through the papers, she didn't notice a newspaper clipping slip out from the documents. Not until her sidekick saw and called out to her about the fallen paper. "What's that Huggy?" Wordgirl asked her sidekick. She saw him pointing toward the fallen item. Becky picked it up and began reading.

@drtwobrainsstuff

(this is for the rp idea we talked about on discord)

His lungs were burning as he ran. His whole body ached with pain, screaming at him to slow down, stop and rest. But he couldn't do that, no matter how much he wanted to. He had to run, had to get away from the monsters that imprisoned him. He had to get away from those who treated him no better than the human test subjects they had kept, locked in those horrific conditions, only kept alive for unethical experimentation. Deep down, his survival instincts were telling him to keep running, stay ahead, survive! He knew what would happen if THEY caught him. It was still dark out, but soon the man noticed an large and brightly lit billboard. The man let curiosity slow him down as he read the words printed on the billboard through bleary eyes. 'Fair City: An Upstanding Place To Live - 500ft ahead. The man let out a short, elated laugh despite the dryness in his throat. He finally found civilization. He finally found a place he could hide from his pursuers for long enough before he could fully recover from his ordeal. A hopeful thought appeared in his mind, one that motivated him, gave him a reason to live through his past nightmare. 'Maybe this city has the resources I need to finally find him.' The man thought with a hopeful smile. He took a deep breath before running again, towards this "Fair City". "Don't worry Carl." The man said aloud to himself, "I will find Gene and a way to free you."

Becky yawned as she was awoken by the light coming into her room through the window. She got up and then glanced over at her pet monkey Bob who was still dozing lazily on his bean bag bed. Feeling Becky's glance, Bob slowly fluttered his eyes as he stared groggily at the young human looking child. "Morning Bob, ready to seize another glorious summer day with fun activities?" Becky enthusiastically said with a broad smile. Bob just blinked at her before rolling on his back, pretending to still be asleep. Becky huffed with annoyance at Bob's response. She hopped out of bed and walked towards him, now standing over the primate. "Come on Bob, it's a beautiful day outside. There is a lot of fun outdoor activities we can do while the sun is out. You can be lazy on rainy days." Becky stated with her hands on her hips. Bob just grunted, not convinced by her words. Becky sighed in defeat. "Will you please come outside with me if we have a picnic/tea party today?" Becky pleaded with Bob. She really wanted to spend an active day with one of her best friends today, especially since her other best friend Violet was at art camp for the whole summer again. She would have joined Violet if not for her hero duties and her lack of artistic talent keeping her homebound. Bob gave a small, affirmative chirp and an thumbs up. Becky smiled in delight. "Great, now let's head down for breakfast and get a head start on our summer vacation. Becky put on her clothes and went downstairs followed by Bob who was also eager for breakfast.

Soft humming could be heard from the kitchen as he placed down a plate filled with steaming freshly scrambled eggs and crispy side of bacon. It was lovingly made, even looking appealing to Dr. Two-Brains himself despite it having none of his beloved cheese in it. Perking up as he heard his daughter head down from her room. What perfect timing, the villain thought to himself. As always Becky didn't need him to wake her. He was still in his rather comfortable pajamas. Hair in his curlers as he didn't bother to change out of them just yet. Feeding his daughter was more important on his agenda for the morning. It didn't take long for him to prepare an omelette mixture for himself. Back turned as he heard Becky enter the kitchen and sat herself at the table. He of course couldn't forget Bob. Having a plate of food prepared for him as well.

"Good morning Princess! Anything planned for today?" He cheerfully greeted his daughter, back turned to them. When she began to tell him about her plans, he was reminded of the dream that had woken him up in a cold sweat. It had been awhile since he had that reoccurring dream. Him in his father's lab, the men barging in. Chaos breaking loose in a matter of seconds. His father no where in sight as he saw his old friend in the chaos in the floor before he was ripped away. Screaming out a name he hadn't spoken in so long.

"ad..?" It took Becky multiple times to break him from his deep thoughts.

"Dad? Dad are you okay? Your food is starting to burn. " She seemed worried, it wasn't often that he'd mess up whatever he cooked.

"Sorry sweetheart, guess my minds on something else today." He chuckled in a sheepish manner. Immediately focusing at the task at hand. Doing what he could to fix his own breakfast. Seems like crispy cheese was on the menu today. That was alright. He'd eat it anyway, Squeaky would've had a conniption if he dared to waste precious cheese.

Once placing the salvaged breakfast for himself on the table, Dr.Two-Brains joined his daughter abit too late as she finished hers as he sat down. She thanked him and gave her father a kiss on the cheek before heading out excitedly. He smiled at her, she was already so independent. A thought came to his mind. Pretty soon she won't need him at all. Growing up so fast. He could still remember the days of when she was a toddler. Becky had gone through a phase where she stuck to him. Literally. He loved to tease and remind her about it.

What was with him and reminiscing about the past today? He had found it ominous today. Sure he thought about those past events before but it was different this time. He didn't know why but he had to shake it off. Squeaky had been getting impatient with him, wanting them to eat their meal already. Giving in as he didn't want to deal with the rodents tantrums so early in the morning yet.

@ninjastormhawkkat

[erodasfishtacos]

Omg this on mlbrry kids will be so cute!

East will be like so proud of Harry when hitting home run, and Cash would annoy East. While Ezra just playing with his doll and sometimes worrying about his dad getting hurt.

Little Good Luck Charms

“I don’t know, H,” YN murmurs as a crew surrounds the kids at their seats.

Harry is already in uniform, leaning over the barrier, Briar was sat atop his shoulders with her little chubby hands wrapped around his curls.

“Sweetheart, if y’don’t like the idea - I’ll tell ‘em to get lost right now,” Harry reassures her, wincing when his daughter tugs a bit.

“No, I-it’s fine. I’m just being weird,” She sighs, eyeing them warily as the clip mics to all three boys shirts as they curiously observe the crew members.

“S’not weird, mama. At anytime you feel uncomfortable - just take them off, okay?” He tells his wife before lifting up and shuffling Briar into her arms.

And well, the Styles’ children’s audio goes absolutely viral the next day on ESPN, YouTube, TikTok, every media platform.

Here’s the sound bites.

-

“Why does dad swear so much?” Cash, their six year old starts off.

“It’s ‘cause he can. ‘Cause daddy is the best player and everyone else stinks,” Easton, eight, replies haughtily.

-

“Ooh, look! Daddy’s super mad! He’s yelling at that guy!” Easton points out - excited clear in his voice as he watches.

“Mad?” Ezra chirps in, “Mama? M’happy.”

Then you can hear YN laugh, “I’m so glad you’re happy baby, good job.”

-

“No! Mine!” Ezra squawks loudly into his mic.

“Mine!” Briar retorts in a raspy baby voice with determination.

YN cuts in with a firm voice, “If you can’t share that slushie - I’m taking it away. Okay?”

-

“Go daddy! Go!” Easton shouts happily, “Mama, look at daddy run! He runs so fast!”

“Yeah! Go daddy!” Cash adds in to be just like his older brother.

“Daddy!” Ezra mimicked happily, clapping.

-

“Play with me, mama,” Ezra asks sweetly, pushing a doll into his mother’s hand.

“I play, please?” Briar responds when she spots the dolls.

-

“Cash Edward, stop poking your brother,” You can hear YN scold from next to her son before adding, “Easton, hands to yourself too.”

-

“Mama, why are people chanting Daddy’s mama?” Cash asks curiously after he hits a home run.

“Because he just did a good job,” She informs him, “He scored a point for his team.”

“I do it too!” Cash volunteers, begin to chant, “Daddy, daddy, daddy!”

-

Then Harry gets a high speed ball aimed right at his side after his second home run and on fire pitching - it nails him right in the ribs.

Harry is up in the pitcher’s face, swearing and pushing at him for his unsportsmanlike conduct as the benches clear.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Ezra whines loudly as he watches his father - tears starting to dribble and you can hear him sniffling.

“That guy stinks! He hit dad on purpose!” Easton complains, “Get him, daddy!”

“Yeah, get him! He’s a bad guy, right mama?” Cash parrots as he looks for confirmation from his mother.

“Daddy!” Briar wails too, just like Ezra, and you can hear YN soothing them both as she tugs them into her lap and murmurs, “Daddy’s okay.”

Easton giggling and whispering, “Daddy’s saying a lot of bad words.”

Then Cash giggles, replies to his brother, “Look, he just pushed that guy who hit him!”

-

After the fight is broken up, Harry ignores his coach and goes to his family because he knows his children - especially his two youngest - would be upset.

You can hear Harry from his kid’s microphones picking up his voice as he leans over the barrier to see them.

“Hi bubbies. Oh, no tears! Daddy is okay!” He laughs lowly, thumbing over Ezra and Briar’s cheeks to wipe their tears.

“S’loud,” Briar scowls before her eyes get wide and then lisps, “Daddy, cuddle please.”

“I promise I’ll give you a cuddle as soon as I’m done, sweet girl,” Harry promises before giving her nose a kiss and then Ezra’s before turning to his two older ones.

“You’re kicking butt!” Easton tells his dad with pride in his voice as his dad gives him a kiss on the cheek and then Cash before finding YN’s lips and giving her a long kiss.

“Thanks, East. Y’guys are m’good luck charm, y’know that?” He tells them, wincing at at stab in his side.

“Okay?” YN asks quietly, pushing his sweaty curls back under his cap.

“Mm, sore but not sore enough to -“

“Mic’ed up, do not finish that sentence,” She reminds and giggles fondly before giving him one more kiss before he has to retreat.

-

“Mama, m’sleepy,” Cash tells her towards the end, crawling onto her lap and nuzzle onto her, “Done?”

“Almost done, baby. You didn’t want to go get ice cream? Daddy promised he’d take us to that new shop, hm?” YN says, pulling him close and combing through his curls.

“Yeah, want ice cream first!” Cash replies instantly, never one to then down a sweet before yawning and watching the rest of the game from her arms.

-

“Is daddy done?” Easton asks impatiently as the game ends and everyone is clearing out - the crew coming over to them.

“He’s coming out now, see him?” YN points out, gathering her diaper bag and all their sippy cups and snack containers.

“Oh my goodness. Look at all my babies!” You can hear Harry say happily as he jumps over the barrier - now in his street clothes and hikes Briar onto his hip.

“I can’t wait to hear these clips from the mics,” YN laughs, shuffling Ezra onto his other hip as the crew takes off his mic.

“S’gonna be good. All m’little bubs cheering f’their daddy, hmm? S’that right, Ezzie. Cheerin’ for y’dad?”

“Yes!” Ezra squeaks in agreement.

“All m’little good luck charms.”