#kicks rocks im being a nerd again sorry

[ribcagebonemeal]

nonsense post today is how i loooooooove sgt. peppers and idek WHY. I JUST DO!!!!! besides the beatles 2069, I just find the costumes, songs, history behind it, and facts so fascinating. like i could go on and on about that dang album guys. i think about it non stop Constantly. ily sgt. peppers ur my everything, DONT bring up the album around me bro.

[ngray192]

CHAOS THEORY SEASON TWO IS OUT!!!! As you all expected, I watched it all in one sitting and wrote notes on everything! Under the cut is my train of thought and commentary on the season, and no, you will not be given context for anything that I wrote.

- omg I’ve been waiting all dayyyyy

- Raptor lady is gone, I wonder who the new villain is.

- I wonder if this is gonna tie into Dominion at all

- Boat!!

- Shoutout to Nick “Rocket” Rodriguez

- I’m sorry did they make a hammock in here????

- Only Sammy can make a shipping container into a home

- Yaz I love you

- Yasammyyyyyyy ugh they’re adorable

- I knew it was a baryonyx!!!

- Kenjis so sad

- Why is he throwing lettuce into the ocean?

- Like five minutes in and there’s so many small yasammy moments

- Ex-kon was hilarious, you guys just don’t get it

- LET HIM COPE

- Yaz and Kenji moment!!!!

- Therapist Yaz is my favorite

- I love her development and growth omg

- Hybrid Dino??

- Kenji Kon, stop leaving the container

- A storms brewing

- Why is there just an open crate of lettuce?

- Bro you’re wasting so much lettuce

- They were in Louisiana last season?

- How tf have you not been caught?

- The water animationnnn

- Oh shit

- Ben please don’t get shocked again

- Ngl I’d offer to help too

- Yaz and Kenji in their besties era

- BUMPYS EGG

- Is that a baryonyx?

- DID IT DIE???

- Two?!

- The ashes from the fire animation is wild

- Yes saves the Dino eggs

- Oh fuck this is kinda graphic I love it

- This gives the same vibes as the actual movies and I’m all for it

- Bro that parasarolaphus (I cannot spell) looks scary af

- Sammy running to Yaz for Yasammy, Ben running to Kenji?????

- Lets see a person die

- Aaaaah it’s the scene from the clip I saw!!!!

- Such a cool chase scene

- BUMPYS EGG

- KENJI STOP

- He didn’t help you, he saved your fucking life

- Are we gonna get a “Kenji is suicidal” arc???

- Tell me why I was actually worried? They’re not gonna kill Kenji

- Brotherss

- Those eggs should be scrambled wtf

- A lot of Yaz and Kenji moments I’m here for it

- Open up, PLEASE

- Oh shitttt

- He’s not gonna tell anyone, is he?

- THE MEMORIAL IM CRYING

- Solid first episode

Episode 2

- “marooned five”

- The light shining from the clouds??? Beautiful

- Ok, this is a valid “not telling the group the truth” plot line, he doesn’t wanna distract them and be wrong

- I’m sorry, who tf are you people??

- Wait is this small child gonna join the group??

- Please don’t be a big part of the show, I wanna focus on Camp Fam

- Are the dinosaurs protecting her? I love that

- What kinda Dino is that? Gallimimus? Struithominous?

- Did they change clothes or just take off their jackets?

- Omg they can’t split into 3 groups of 2 anymore

- Yasammy side mission!!!

- I love Kenji omg

- They’re such brothers, I love it

- Same old dino nerd

- Why are you not concerned that people are on your property?

- Why would you just tell her a large portion of your plan??

- I kinda want this lady to be evil

- Can we get a name for this girl soon?

- No she found the eggs!!!

- Why tf would you take it from the bush and leave it out in the open?

- Do you need service to play a video like that?

- Also you can def show the group just the thumbnail for the video and they’ll see her

- They’re so goofy, I love them.

- I was right, it is a gallimimus!!

- It’s like a dino-mill upriver

- Damnit, you guys just fucked up the balanced ecosystem here

- Cool ass dino omg

- The colors on herrrr

- Please don’t fall out of a tree

- The rice nooooo

- It’s a suchomimus

- Stop trying to fix things omg

- I’m sorry but I don’t care about the mom and daughter

- “Off-brand alligator”

- I love how Yasammy is usually Team Distraction

- Darius is so fast wtf

- Rock climber Kenji

- MOVE KENJI

- HES SO STUPID AND BEING SO DANGEROUS

- They are kicking that Suchomimus’s ass omg

- His voice is so much deeper than in CC

- Screenshot and show the rest of the group the picture of Brooklyn omfg

- Animata and Zayna

- SHOW THEM

- SHOW THEMMMMMM

- UGH

- I hate you

- Captain Kenji!!

- Ngl this season isn’t as interesting as season 1, but hopefully it’ll get better

Episode 3

- This episode is titled “Clever Girl 86”

- Brooklyn!!!

- And freshly amputated damn

- YOU “stitched her up” AT HOME???

- Aww a compy lost its foot?

- I love when people in shows have realistic reactions

- She drove a motorcycle??

- Video call!!

- I don’t like that jacket

- Clevergirl86 is someone from Dark Jurassic, maybe Ronnie??

- Ok, so this is the day they broke up?

- I should’ve finished rewatching it he first season

- Oh is it love confession time?

- He’s such a bad liar

- No, it’s different with Ben because they’re IN love

- Girl don’t say “unless…”

- Yikes

- I love how you can see the reflections on screens, it’s so cool

- Account was hacked???

- It doesn’t look like enough of her arm is gone

- Is this a full Brooklyn episode? It’s only episode 3

- Ronnie is definitely a lesbian

- Alcohol will take the edge off, let’s get hammered

- I hate the pixie cut, I’m sorry

- Awww Gordon

- OVER 60??

- Her dads are in town for the funeral???

- This is so sad

- She still acts like Brooklyn

- Wow, never mind a lot of her arm is gone

- Kill the DPW guy

- Stab him, you’re dead you can’t be put on trial for murder

- I refuse to believe Raptor Lady speaks to people on the phone

- Ok, but staying dead was kind smart

Episode 4

- the dino liberators are here

- He’s trying to be Kenji and I don’t like it

- Why wear masks if you’re just gonna take them off and use your real names?

- A trust fund? Earnest is fr just Kenji but worse and mixed with a little bit of Dave

- Syd?

- The animation is gorgeous

- OUTFIT CHANGES???

- Her username is Esther Stone

- Nosey ass kid

- Yaz looks so cute!!!

- Do not take the child with you

- Please tell us what happened with Sammy’s family

- Nooooo don’t go with the group

- They all look like their faces and bodies changed when they changed clothes

- Ok, she’s still in America

- Are they gonna kill them???

- THEY TOOK GEBA

- Why tf is Kenji wearing those shoes?

- THEY KNOCKED HIM TF OUT

- The camera shaking as the dinos run out? I love it

- She’s a pretty good actress

- God I fucking hate this guy

- Why are the dinosaurs so sad?

- I don’t care about this child and her dinosaurs

- UHGHGHRHGGHHHHH I DONT WANT THIS CHILD HERE. IT IS A CAMP FAM SHOW

- Why is he being a dick all of a sudden?

- Dubai?

- She’s just like Ben dropping her phone in the water

Episode 5

- such a pretty show omg

- Sammy is such mom-material

- She’s 14???

- They’re back to their old outfits, sigh

- Why did they split up Darius, Sammy, Zayna and Kenji, Yaz, and Ben?

- Same old Ben

- Girl, the six of you lived together on an island for six months, privacy does NOT exist with this group

- Omg do you think it’s the girl from JW Dominion?

- “Damning”

- THE GADDY, DADDYS GADDY FROM SEASON 3

- How many close call sneaking scenes are we gonna have?

- Is it the girl from Dominion?

- Stop being weird about her missing limb??

- There’s no way Ben has cell service rn

- Not him using Yasminas head to get around the boat

- I love his little dino imitations

- This reminds me of JWCC season 1 episode 6 or 7 with the kayaks

- Ok, yeah it is the raptor girl from JW Dominion

- All around the globe?

- Oh fuck

- Come on, Sammy get the gun!

- KENJI WTF

- STOP

- The way her bangs move when she shakes her head, I love her

- Did the raptor press the elevators buttons what

- She’s kinda bad at painting

- Oh shitttt

- Is she the one hunting the kids?

- This penthouse chase scene is good

- Girl is not good at running from dinos

- The way she immediately puts the same arm up is a nice detail

- Girl you are not cut out for being on this journey with this group

- They were taking all the risks on those islands

- I’m not really getting anything marked on my bingo card

- TELL THEM

Episode 6

- what is in the water? Cause i doubt it’s the mossasaurus

- Awww a hippo

- Wait hippos are crazy dangerous

- Reminds me of the paras during the kayak episode in CC Season 1

- Zayna def should’ve known hippos are dangerous af

- “Dirtbag”

- You’re wasting all your food

- Throw the mangoes further omg

- KENJIN KON YOU ARE SO STUPID

- The details in the animationnnnnnughhgugggh

- Ben’s lips look so chapped omg

- I hate this child

- A lot of fire this season

- I don’t think she’s the Broker, I think there’s someone bigger

- Sammy needs to become a mom

- YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE CELL SERVICE HERE

- Oumars dead babe

- She’s vegetarian??

- OMG

- IS THAT A DEAD BODY????

- WTF

- They’re all so stressed out

- You’re gonna make her anxiety come back, let her breathe

- Brooklyn, wtf are you doing?

- Kill her

- Sucho number 2

- KENJI

- Don’t hide Yaz wtf

- Oh fuck that had to hurt

- THEYRE GONNA LEAVE HER BEHIND

- Lame, should’ve killed her

- They were 13 on the island?

- I guess she is the broker?

- Ok, girl nobody believes you

- Don’t give her the laser pointer

- IS HIS SHOULDER DISLOCATED

- BRO WTF

- They never would’ve shown half of this shit in JWCC

- YES NOW TURN BACK AND GET YAZ

- Oh she’s knocked tf out

Episode 7

- only a few more left

- Give her a break omg shits always happening to her

- Why is it taking so long for them to get back to her??

- … I guess the Sucho won

- I feel like the boats are much faster than going on foot?

- Also the current is not that strong

- Damn Sammy’s kinda scary when she’s worried about her wife

- Fuck this Sucho fr

- I wish we got more Ben and Darius this season, even just as friends

- Why are Kenji and Ben being so awkward??

- Darius does NOT know how to talk to children but he’s trying so hard

- Once again, the animation is gorgeous

- I love him

- I don’t like Zayna

- She’s real af for that though

- Yaz has a head injury and is climbing up trees rn, girlboss

- OH SHIT

- That lowkey scared me

- LEAVE HER ALONE

- THAT KICK OMG

- Girl is struggling

- I love a good Yaz-forward episode

- I love the way the eyes shine when the flashlights are on them

- Awww Kenji

- Benji?

- Aww Darius protecting Zayna

- “Oh jeez, oh jeez, oh jeez” I love him

- They are just beating the shit out of the local wildlife and I love it

- LIONS?!?

- This girl does not know everything omg

- Water and land are dangerous, you would’ve had problems either way

- Give her a break omfg

- IT CAN SWIM?!

- Yaz’s plot armor is absurd

- She needs to get back to her girlfriend, she is cold, wet, tired, injured

- You have paddles?? At least you should

- What dino is this?

- The dino fights are crazy this season

- You’re doing all of this in sandals??

- … at least you don’t have to worry about the Sucho anymore

- KENJI YOU RUINED THE MOMENT

- “My girl” STOPPPPP

- They’re so in love

- ITS DAYTIME???

- Probably my favorite episode so far

Episode 8

- this is 2 parter??

- I love how they all just know how to steer a boat???

- Awww Kenji protecting Yaz

- I love Sammy

- How tf can they hear a generator that far away??

- YES LEAVE HER BEHIND

- Girl

- Kenji is the older brother ever

- Oh shit a dino

- The chase scenes are good this season

- Kenji, stop IT

- Finally

- This is so sad

- Yasmina “not a hugger” Fadoula

- They’re so in sync

- Monolophasaurs?

- Benji are probably thriving rn be fr

- I love Ben

- Sammy’s so dorky I love it

- Oh my gosh

- Baby dino factory

- I hate Zayna, like I know she’s a kid but she’s annoying (I’m 17, I’m allowed to dislike children)

- Goodbye captain lang, damn

- Yasammy have not kissed ONCE this season (maybe they have, I’m not sure)

- They all take care of Zayna and that’s cute

- Yaz holding Sammy like that is adorable

- DO NOT SPLIT UP

- Why is Zayna the only person in this show with pierced ears?

- They should form a cheerleading team the way they’re lifting her

- Is this a dino fighting arena?

- IT HAS NO EYES

- This scene is actually so interesting

- FUCKING IDIOT GIRL

- Darius is the fucking king of sliding through small gaps

- Team Distraction for the win

- That is a child, why do you care if she thinks you’re cool or not??

- BRO SHOULD NOT BE ALIVE AFTER THAT FALL

- Kenjis still wearing those ugly ass shoes

- I love Ben

- WHY DID SHE JUST WALK IN THERE???

- SHE TOOK THE EGGS

- That was a good episode

Episode 9

- part 2

- That phone is huge

- Why are you having the one-armed girl drive?

- You shouldn’t trust her

- Dr. Sarr?

- Rewrite the genetic code??

- They’re still referred to as kids and I love it

- I do like episodes where I get to piece together a timeline

- What is this fucking music in the background?

- Oh shit she was working the crate and shit

- Seeing this all from her pov is kinda boring

- I was lowkey hoping for a more dramatic reveal

- I actually like how dark this season is and how every bad guy character is bad

- Oh my gosh

- Damnit Brooklyn you should’ve let her fall

- I don’t really like that we keep repeating the same scenes, but only slightly different

- It’s fine to split the Fam up like this, but we need to stop focusing on Brooklyn, I wanna go back to Ben and Kenji or Yasammy and Darius, split it up like we did in CC

Episode 10

- here we go, final episode

- Kenji needed that

- He def needed to release that anger

- I think we need to let Kenji kill someone

- Wtf how is he still alive?

- Baryonyxes are so cool

- Awww the dinosaurs are bonding

- It’s like the scene with the raptors and the hybrid in Jurassic Park 2 or 3

- I’m too invested to write notes lmao

- Those night vision sunglasses are kinda cool

- Fuck that kinda scared me

- Where is Zaynas dad?

- This season is lowkey scary

- How does her phone still have power? It’s been like 4 days

- Someone should’ve brought a gun

- They cannot hear you saying “I’m coming” in a normal volume be fr

- Ben and Kenji have been alone together way too much to not kiss

- Oh, there’s Zaynas dad

- WHERE ARE KENJI AND BEN

- Where did that car come from??

- Bro all of a sudden went into Tokyo Drift mode

- Kentrosaurus?

- Who let Kenji drive??

- There’s still so much to wrap up

- Biosyn??

- Wait does this take place before Dominion then?

- Ok, but BUMPYS EGG IS STILL IN THERE

- She def took bumpys egg out

- See? I know everything

- Oh, wait that’s it??

- I have mixed feelings.

[thaywrites]

heyyyyy, GEBF here! sorry, i got swamped by irl commitments, but im finally hereeee again! how has your break been, bestie? also i just wanted to ask you about your favorite muse(s) so far. is there any character you're currently all about? are they in their main character era in your head?

that's completely understandable with the holidays and all, but nice to hear from you again, GEBF! and oh, it's been both amazing and busy all at once but I'm just glad to be able to rest and spend time with my family. hmmmm so I have like a loooot of muses lol bc I'm always coming up with new ideas and love to build characters and stories and worlds. I adore all of them but there are some that I just feel more musey when writing bc they live in my head 24/7 rent free. so here are some of them:

aurora "rory" cohen ( victoria pedretti fc ): rory's a character that came to me when i got back into the rpc and she has been my baby since. she's a baker and pretty much, all sunshine and honey and freshly baked cookies. she's kind of a celebrity in her hometown, since she's the mayor's daughter from a small town, and kinda loves it bc she loves to get to know new people. she also just tends to talk too much. her family fell apart a couple years back bc daddy cheated and the whole town was all over it and then her first love broke her heart so she's currently in her healing era, living with her pitbull and trying to get her own bakery up n running.

adrien zahir ( avan jogia fc ): adrien is a muse i've had for yeaaars and i never get tired of writing him. he's a guitar player in the kinda famous rock band loudmouth ( and i write all the band members too ) and basically his background is that he was kicked out of his family by an overly religious father who hated the fact his only son was queer. so he found himself a new family instead. he went through many revamps and as of his latest one, he went from a sex crazed, addicted, alcoholic, messy rockstar to a soon-to-be daddy, pretty much married, recovered and decent human being. he's still loud, brazen, flamboyant and that's why we love him sm.

theodore becker ( andrew garfield fc ): theo is my broadway star. well, currently on a break. so he's basically a sweetheart broadway actor who was head over heels in love with the man of his dreams and he thought it was time to take things to the next level. he proposed, got a no for an answer and decided he needed some time away from new york, so he moved back home to help his dads out with their small business. he's pretty much a goof, big musical theater nerd, and just has a lot of love to give. i adore him sm.

alev özberk ( alperen duymaz fc ): poor man's version of clyde from the infamous duo bonnie and clyde. his bonnie is written by a friend of mine and we just have sm fun with those two. alev is my badboy, he's been part of a gang and has done some pretty hefty stuff in his life. he's a burglar, a liar, a drug dealer and all around a shitty person. but he's honestly so much fun to write bc he's always getting up to something and honestly, i miss him sm.

bowie monroe ( sophie thatcher / kiana madeira fc ): my little delinquent redneck enby babygirl. so their background is super messed up, mommy was a groupie that partied too much and didn't care about her motherly duties, so bowie was left at the cares of their older siblings (all half, all from different fathers) and was raised by them. they grew to be pretty pissed off at everything and everyone but they do try to be on a good behavior for the sake of their siblings, which is hard considering the friends bowie usually keeps by her side. she also has a pet lizard she's very fond of.

there's like so many others i could add to this list but i wanted to keep it on the shorter side lol

[nctsplug02]

innocent looking || j.j

genre: fluff and suggestive

warnings: unprotective sex, reader is a bully, jaehyun receives a blowjob from reader, finger fuck.

request that i accidentally deleted: nerd!jaehyun domming you in the library😏

authors note: another bad influence!reader X nerdy bf!jaehyun cause why not?

you laugh, crossing your arms while walking towards the boy who sat on the floor with a book placed in his lap.

“hey nerd.” you kick his knee.

the boy looks up and pulls his headphones off. “hi love.” he smiles making you melt. “god, i hate how cute you are.” you huff, joining him on the floor.

“what’re you reading, hm?” he shows you the book. “it’s called dearM, it’s pretty good.” you nod and look at his headphones.

“what’re you listening to?” he pulls his headphones off his head and places it on yours. the soft music playing in your ears, the piano rocking earphone to earphone, left to right.

when the song ends, you hand the headphones back. “that’s a cute song.” jaehyun grins. “it’s called try again. i um.. i actually sung in that song with a friend.” your eyes bulge. “no wonder, i heard a voice similar to yours.” you pinch his cheek with a coo. “my nerd is such a cutie.” he giggles.

“i wrote it um.. about you. you’re my muse.” you frown, squishing the males cheek together.

you place a kiss on his lips but it ends up to two kisses, to three, to four, to five, to a whole makeout session.

you were straddling him, tights ripped, panties pushed aside, his hand under your skirt, and his fingers moving in your slick heat. your moans being swallowed by jaehyun as he fingers you.

jaehyun pulls away and grins up at you. “oh, my god.” you laugh quietly when staring at his fogged up glasses. “i’m sorry.” you pull his glasses off and set the aside on his bag.

you pull jaehyuns hand away from under your skirt and lower yourself on your knees. “wanna suck your pretty dick.. please?” you ask looking up at your gorgeous boyfriend. “y—yes, please.” he stummers out.

you unzip jaehyuns jeans and then free him from his black calvin kleins’. his pretty pink dick springing out freely.

“look at this big boy.” you bite on your bottom lip before slapping his cock on your tongue. “mm, yummy.” you lick your lips and wrap your mouth around his tip.

jaehyun watches as his cock disappears in your mouth. his jaw hanging open with silently moans releasing form his throat. “mmm.” you moan around his thick cock. jaehyun looks up, watching your ass that swayed around in the air.

“y/n— im close.” he whimpers, trying to grip onto the carpet. you quickly pull off with a pop, making sure he didn’t cum just yet.

“i,” you lean forward, lips pressed on his pink ears. “i want you to fuck me.” when you pull away, his face was priceless. “r—right here? n—now?” you nod.

it was quick, you were straddling jaehyun again this time, his cock buried deep inside you.

“bounce on my cock, love.” you do so, getting up on your knees then dropping down.

“mm, your cock.. hitting my sweet spot— i love it. i love it so much.” you moan into his ear making his grunt. “fuck, i love your cock. i love it so much.” you whine hugging jaehyun tightly.

“i’m cumming— jae, im cumming.” you cry out quietly into his ear. he hugs your waist and thrusts into you. his hips moving upward, his cock slamming into your cunt.

you cover your mouth terribly. “hhh— jae, mngh~” your eyes flutter as you cream around the male.

“shh, keep it down, love.” he grunts, thrusting his hips and chasing his high. “i can’t— feels too good.” your moans hiccups when he roughly thrusts before quickly pulling out and spilling.

“ugh.. ugh..” jaehyun grunts twice after he spills. “shit.” jaehyun sighs when you climb off him.

“you didn’t cum in me this time, boo, you nerd.” he chuckles and stands up, tucking himself away and then helping you.

you look down at the cum splotch while jaehyun gathers his stuff. “ready, love?” he asks, grabbing your by the waist and hugging you against his side. “uh, yeah.” you nod and leave with jaehyun.

——

you pull on jaehyuns hand while giggling. “remember this place?” you asked and jaehyun nods. “where we had sex.” you tease jaehyun who just laughs. “you were a bully. bad girl.” he tuts with squinting eyes.

“oh bite me.” you spat back which jaehyun laughs at. “hm, look. it’s the cum stain from last time we did it in here.” you giggle looking down at the old stain.

you pull down on jaehyuns tie that was neatly done. “wanna have some fun again?” you smirk while licking your lips. “mm, naughty.” he says picking you up and slamming you against the shelves.

it’s always the ones who look innocent.

[hopelikethemoon]

A Thing for You (Javier x Reader) {MTMF} [smut]

Title: A Thing for You Rating: Explicit  Length: 3300 Warnings: Smut (f receiving fingering, pregnancy sex, girl on top, and cock warming if you squint) Notes: You can find the Maybe Today, Maybe Forever Timeline here. And release order here. Set at some point between January and February 1993. Shout out to Tiernan once again for yelling at me for this. Entirely unbeta’d or pre-read.  Summary: Reader wakes up to Javier talking to their baby.

Taglist:  @grapemama​​  @seawhisperer​ @huliabitch​ @pedropascalito​ @rogrsnbarnes​ @thewallpapergoesorido​ @twomoonstwosuns​ @gooddaykate​ @livasaurasrex​ @ham4arrow​ @hiscyarika​ @plexflexico​ @readsalot73​ @hdlynn​ @lokiaddicted​ @randomness501​ @fioccodineveautunnale​  @roxypeanut​ @just-add-butter​ @snivellusim​ @amarvelousmandalorian​ @lukesrighthand​ @historynerd04​ @mrsparknuts​ @synystersilenceinblacknwhite​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​ @exrebelshocktrooper​ @awesomefandomsunited​​ @ah-callie​​ @swhiskeys​​ @lady-tano​​ @beskar-droids​​ @space-floozy @cable-kenobi​​ @longitud-de-onda​​ @cool-ultra-nerd​​ @himbopoes​​ @findhimfives​​ @pedrosdoll​​ @seeking-a-great--perhaps​​ @frietiemeloen​​ @arrowswithwifi​​ @random066​​ @uncomicalhumour​​ @heather-lynn​​ @domino-oh-damn​​ @cyarikaaa​​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​​ @im-still-a-pieceofgarbage @ksgeekgirl​​  @yabby-girl @xqueenofthecraziesx​ @punkass-potato​ @coredrive​ @pascalesque​ @theduchessofkirkcaldy​ @queenquazar​ @sabinemorans​ (if I forget to tag you, I’m sorry)

“I didn’t know I could love someone without even knowing them yet.” Javier’s voice broke through the silence of your bedroom. 

You had been somewhere in between awake and asleep for a few minutes now, but he didn’t know that. You had been listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing, enjoying the feel of his fingers as he traced them over your stomach. Maybe he had been talking before too — you seemed to remember hearing his voice in your dreams. Quiet murmurs as he spoke to your unborn daughter. 

In the last few weeks, you had really ‘popped’. The bump was no longer something you could easily conceal. It had turned into a full-fledged pregnancy belly and none of your trousers fit anymore. You hated going to work wearing the ill-fitting maternity dresses that made you look like an old woman headed to a church potluck. They were hideous. 

But Javier seemed to really enjoy the change. Whenever you were alone at home, he’d find reasons to touch you. Even if it was the whisper of a touch as he passed by you in the kitchen. His hands were always on your belly, tracing his fingertips over the newly forming stretch marks that marred your skin.

The way he looked at you made you feel like the sexiest woman in the world. Even at work. 

“I can’t wait to hold you, little one.” Javier murmured, stroking his hand over the bottom of your belly as he shifted to press a kiss to your skin. “But I’m so afraid.” 

Your heart clenched as you listened to him. You should’ve told him you were awake, but he sounded so open and honest with your daughter. You wanted to know what he said when he thought you were asleep. 

“What if you see?” Javier questioned, resting his palm against your stomach. “What if you look up at me and you see that…” His voice wavered, “I’m not a good man. These hands have done terrible things. Don’t know how I’m worthy to ever hold you with them.” He pressed his forehead to the curve of your side. “I don’t deserve either of you.” He whispered, stroking his fingers over your skin again. “I wanna do right by both of you, princesa.” 

You tried to remain motionless, to keep up the ruse that you were asleep. You wanted to know these innermost thoughts that Javier kept so close to the chest. 

“I love your mother.” Javier said with a quiet urgency. “What if it isn’t enough? I wouldn’t blame her for leaving me. All these years and she’s seen the shit I’ve done. Knows me better than anyone else.” He sighed heavily. “It would break my heart, but I couldn’t hate her for it. She could leave tomorrow and… I’d miss you both.” He pressed another kiss to your stomach and you tried to repress the well of emotion rising up in the back of your throat. 

You already knew that he feared this. Feared that you’d leave him. You had, after all, left him that morning. But hearing him admit it so earnestly to your baby… It hit differently and it fucking hurt. You wanted to comfort him.

But right now, your daughter was comforting him. 

“It scares the shit out of me,” Javier admitted, keeping his palm pressed to your stomach. His voice had woken her up, the first flutter of a hand or a foot — and then a more steady movement. “Hi, baby girl.” He murmured, his voice so full of affection it made you want to weep. Your emotions were already running so high and he was just driving it home. “I hope you know how much I love you, little one. Almost as much as I love your mother.”

You wanted to wind your fingers through his messy hair, to slide your hand over his back and quietly assure him that you loved him too. That you couldn’t fathom a life without him in it. He’d been such a steady and ever-present figure in your life since you came to Colombia and… you’d always loved him. First as a partner, then as a friend, and now… as the father of your child. 

When you dated Lance, he’d once broached the topic of children. He came from a large family. He had a slew of nephews and nieces. But no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t picture yourself as the mother of his children. Being a mother was already a complicated scenario for you —  but somehow, with Javier… you could see it. 

You could picture a baby girl with his warm eyes and dark curls. 

Somehow, deep down, you’d always known he was ‘the one’. 

“I’m not a good man,” Javier continued as he rubbed his hand over your stomach, his thumb rubbing little circles against your skin. “But I wanna be better for you and your mother.” The baby kicked again and you couldn’t prevent the way you inhaled sharply at the slight pain that came with the movement. 

You felt Javier tense beside you. “Baby?”

You reached down and dragged your fingers through his hair, “I’m awake, Javi.”

“Did I wake you up?” He questioned. 

“It’s hard to sleep when someone’s kicking your kidney.” You laughed quietly, trailing your fingers over his cheek. “Come here.” 

Javier kept one hand on your stomach as he moved back up the bed and settled down beside you. “Did you…” The words stuck in the back of his throat, his eyes seeking out yours in the dim light that filtered in through the streetlights beyond your bedroom window. 

Rather than admitting to him that you had heard everything he’d confessed to your unborn child, you cupped his cheeks and leaned in to kiss him. It was a soft kiss at first, one meant to offer comfort, but it blossomed into something more. You wanted to prove how much you cared for him. How unfounded his worries were. 

But you had your own. Because he was right — you did know his past. You knew what kind of man he was. He worried that you would cut and run and you feared the same. Relationships weren’t his strong suit. 

Javier nipped at your bottom lip as he drew back, eyes seeking out yours in the darkness. “I love you.” He whispered, his nose brushing against yours as he spoke. 

Those three words still felt so new to you. Javier never failed to remind you that he loved you. It wasn’t always in words, either. Sometimes he said it simply with a gentle touch or in a longing look. In the way he held you. He had said it all along. 

How many times had he looked at you and left you wondering what that look meant? Now you knew. 

“I love you.” You told him, surging forward to kiss him again. You pressed yourself as close to him as you could, the swell of your stomach pressed against him. His hand skimmed over your skin, trailing down over your side before he grabbed at your hip. The contrast of his gentle caresses, in tandem with the tight grip of his fingers as he held you made you burn.

Heat blossomed low in your belly, a flush of desire pooling between your thighs. There was one thing to be said about being pregnant… All Javier had to do was look at you just right and you were hot for him. 

“Javi,” You started, breathing raggedly as you broke away from the kiss, pressing your forehead to his. You dragged your fingers through his hair, before you curled them around the back of his neck. “I need you.” 

“Baby, can you roll over for me?” Javier questioned, brushing his lips to yours as he tilted his head to kiss you once more. 

“How do you want me?” You questioned, brows drawn together as he loosened the grip he had on your hip. 

“On your side.” 

You rolled onto your back briefly before you rolled onto your side, facing away from him. Your heart was hammering in your chest as Javier curled in close behind you. You could feel the hardening length of his cock pressed against your ass. 

“I wish you knew how gorgeous you look.” Javier muttered, his lips brushing against the shell of your ear as he curled his hand around your hip once more, his hand skimming downwards over your bare thigh, just below the hem of your sleep shorts. “So fucking gorgeous, baby.” 

You rocked your ass back against him, grinding against his erection. “I never took you for the type to have a thing for pregnant women.” You teased him, drawing your tee shirt up over your stomach, a quiet moan escaping you as Javier ran his fingers over the swell of your stomach. 

“I have a thing for you.” Javier said lowly, nipping at your earlobe as his hands continued to wander over your newly bared skin. “You look like the sort of vision men would lose themselves to worship.” 

“I guess it’s a good thing I only want you to worship me then.” You said lowly as you turned your head and caught his lips in a too-brief kiss. The position wasn’t the best for kissing him the way you wanted to kiss him. 

Instead you focused on the way Javier’s hand slid downwards. The path his fingers took over your inner thigh as he slid it beneath the hem of your sleep shorts. With a ghost of a touch his fingertips brushed over the damp crotch of your underwear. He groaned, “Fuck, you’re wet.” His lips traced along the column of your throat. “You’re so fucking wet, baby.” 

Your lips parted to respond, but instead a breathy moan escaped you as he cupped you through the thin fabric of your underwear. He dragged one finger over the seam of your sensitive folds, parting them beneath the fabric. 

Javier’s other hand slid beneath you, fingers loosely curling around your throat as he kept you pressed back against him. “Are you going to come for me, baby?” He questioned, his voice rough with desire as he worked his fingertip over that sensitive little bundle of nerves. The sensation was muted by the barrier of your underwear and yet it made your entire body tingle with desire. 

He knew how sensitive you were like this. 

Your hips rocked into his touch, moaning loudly as you felt your inner walls clench around nothing. It was almost unfair how easily he could make you come. How he could stroke your clit with such a skilled touch. How the rough timber of his voice and the way his fingers curled around your throat made you even slicker with desire. 

Your back arched, your shoulders pressing back against his chest as he kept his finger right on your clit. It was almost too much stimulation. Your cunt clenching desperately around nothing as you shattered for him. And he didn’t let up. He let you grind back against his cock as he pushed you towards a second orgasm, right on the back of your first. 

“Javier.” You hissed out, grabbing at the hand that was curled around your throat. “I wanna ride you. I wanna see you.” 

A groan rose up in the back of his throat as he released his hold on you. 

You felt the bed dip behind you as he moved to rid himself of his boxers as you sat up to turn the bedside lamp on. 

“Much better.” Javier mused as you were cast in the golden light of the lamp. He moved towards you, his arms snaking around your middle. You leaned back against his chest, lifting your hips up as he worked your sleep shorts and underwear down your hips. “You look so fucking good.” 

A breathless laugh escaped you as you turned to face him, “What a sweet talker,” You teased. “You’re just saying that because you want me on your cock.” 

Javier shook his head, “I’m saying it because you’re gorgeous baby.”

You chewed on your bottom lip as you held his gaze. You knew he was telling the truth. Everything about the way he looked at you told him he was sincere. You might feel self-conscious about the shape of your body, but he was willing to worship every inch of it. “Lay back, Javi.” 

He kissed your shoulder, before he scooted back on the bed, reclining back against the pillows. Your eyes raked over his bare torso, wandering downwards towards his hardened cock as it rested against his stomach, leaking with want. 

“Tell me, Javi. I want to hear you.” You urged as you moved to straddle his thighs, your fingers curling around his cock and languidly stroking him. You watched his face with hunger burning in your eyes. “Tell me.”

His lips parted, a low groan escaping him as he watched you working your fist over his cock. His hands skimmed up your thighs and over your hips. “Baby, I’ve always thought you were gorgeous, but like this? Fuck. It’s all I think about at work, baby.” His voice came out low and strained, “You drive me crazy.” 

You smirked at his praise. There was something about the sincerity in his praise that warmed every inch of your skin. “I guess it’s payback for all the times I’m left to take care of my own urges.” You said lowly, rubbing your thumb over the head of his cock, gathering up the pre-cum that leaked from him before bringing it to your lips. 

Javier’s hands tightened at your hips, prompting you to rise up on your knees and move to straddle him fully. You kept your fingers curled around the base of his cock, holding him steady as you sank down onto him. You were practically dripping with your need for him. Your inner walls fluttering around the thick length of him as it finally had something to clench around in the wake of your releases. 

You leaned forward, trying to kiss him, but your stomach was in your way. 

“I’ve got you baby,” Javier drawled out as he sat up slowly, keeping you seated in his lap as he drew his knees up behind you.

You cupped his cheeks as you sat nose-to-nose with him. You searched his eyes, silently conveying the depths of your love for him. You wanted him to know that you thought he was a good man and that was all that mattered. This thing was fresh and new, but you had always known who he was. Even when he couldn’t see it. 

Your fingers curled around the back of his neck, playing with the soft hair at his nape as you kissed him. It started soft, at first, but the desire grew as your mouths slanted against each other, drive by need. You rolled your hips, clenching around his cock as you worked yourself up and down the length of him. There was no haste to your movements as you savored every inch of him. 

His hands skimmed over your back and along the curve of your stomach. There was no part of you that he didn’t touch and worship like he had said. 

“You feel so good.” He breathed out as you broke away from his lips for air. “I fucking love this pussy, baby.” Javier panted, thrusting upwards as you sank down onto him. 

You tugged at his hair as it slipped between your fingers, “Yes.” You hissed out through clenched teeth. “Come on, Javi.” You urged, clenching around him as you slid back down. “I wanna feel you.”

“Fuck.” He grunted, his hands palming roughly at your ass as he guided your movements. “You keep doing that and I’m not gonna last muc—”

You caught his bottom lip between your teeth with just enough pressure to make him groan, a sound that turned even more feral as you tightened around him. You knew he was close, you could see it in his eyes and in the tremble of his thighs beneath your own. Every downward roll of your hips was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. 

“I said I wanna feel you, Javi.” You reminded him, twisting his hair between your fingers as you held his gaze. The look of relief that washed over his face as he came for you made a fresh wave of desire pulse through you. 

He let his head fall forward, his forehead resting against your breastbone as he came down from the high of his release. You clenched around him, milking every drop of pleasure from him as his cock softened within you. 

“Lean back, baby.” Javier murmured as he pressed his lips to the hollow of your throat. He brushed his nose up the column of your throat, “Let me make you feel good too.” 

You dragged your fingers through his ruffled hair once more before you leaned back against his knees. “You always make me feel good, Javi.” You assured him, peeling off your tank the rest of the way. You couldn’t stand your breasts being touched currently, but you knew he enjoyed looking at them. 

His eyes raked over your newly bared skin, his tongue darting out over his bottom lip as his gaze flickered back to your eyes. “You look so pretty sitting on my cock, baby.” He drawled out, shifting his hips beneath you. “So fucking pretty.” He ran his hand over your belly before trailing it lower, seeking out that bundle of nerves just above where his cock was. 

You let your eyes fall closed, teeth digging into your bottom lip as you savored his touch. You were so sensitive. And he was so good at winding you up. “Javi.” You breathed out, lifting your hips slightly, still working yourself over his cock as his thumb circled your clit.

“Come on, baby.” Javier urged quietly. “Wanna feel you come on my cock.” 

His name fell from your lips as you came spiraling apart for him. Your back arching, pressing back against his legs as your release washed through you. You weren’t the least bit ashamed by how vocal you were as a moan rose up from the back of your throat as you rode out your orgasm.

Javier pulled you down with him as he laid back on the bed. As much as you wanted to stay slumped against him, your stomach wouldn’t allow it. You reluctantly let his cock slip from you, mourning the loss of it as you rolled onto your side beside him. 

“Holy shit.” He panted out. 

You actually giggled as you pressed your lips to his shoulder. “What can I say?” You teased softly, trailing your fingers over his chest as you laid there. “I was in the mood.”

“You sure as hell were.” He quipped, raking his hand over his face before he tilted his head to look at you. “You good?”

You nodded your head, “I’m perfect.” You promised him, running your finger down the length of his nose. “Javi—”

“Yeah?”

You smiled at him, “We both love you.” 

It was a quiet way of letting him know that you had heard him, without truly making him face his worries. 

“I love both of you too.” He whispered, rolling onto his side to face you so he could rest his hand against your stomach. “So much.” 

“I know.” You smiled at him, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. “You’re going to be a good father, Javi.” 

He didn’t respond to that, closing his eyes and leaning forward until your foreheads were pressed together. “You should go back to sleep, baby.” 

“Only if you promise to sleep too.” 

“I will.” He assured you, brushing his knuckles against your cheek. 

“Okay.” You said softly, turning to kiss his palm before you rolled onto your other side so he could curl himself around you with his face pressed into the crook of your neck. Sometimes it hurt your heart just how much you cared about him. How much you had always cared about him. 

[pinkykitten]

Forest pt. 1

 Castlevania 

Alucard Tepes x female! reader

Warning: cursing, violence, gore, mentions of blood

Specifics: chapter fic, romance, angst, fluff, not requested, action, adventure, race neutral reader, human reader

People: alucard tepes, monster thingy from the show

Words: 3,338

Summary: Since Alucard lives in the forest now in Dracula’s castle he meets the reader in the forest and in that moment he starts to have a liking towards her and is very bashful, blushy and romantic towards her and she is a goofball and is very silly and lighthearted. From the moment that they met all Alucard wants to do is protect the reader no matter what is takes. 

Authors Note: god alucard is so sexy and so beautiful like god dang! lol sorry im a bit of a horny nerd. anywho its rlly late where im at andddddd i cant go to sleep cuz i slept the whole day so ayyyee. anywho i was inspired idk where but i was inspired to write this bc i think alucard deserves love and someone who adores him like i do. i loved writing this tho and rlly want to write for castlevania more but this is going to be chapters idk how many yet lets just see where the wind takes us i hate planning anyways. IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS THO I AINT EVEN MAD ABOUT IT!!!!! LIKE YASSSSSSSSSS

“Alright so its been almost a month and I haven’t died. That must mean I’m doing something right.” You used a piece of wood you made into a cane to help you get up the steep hills. You were voyaging alone in the forest. You had a family that were settled more outside the town that you lived near. You were a large family and your siblings came down with a sickness. You were determined to find a cure and determined to find medicine for them. As scary as it may have seemed you needed to put on a brave face for the dangers that lay out ahead. You knew those monsters walked around and as much as that terrified you, your siblings came first. At a young age, adventure excited you and you always wanted to prove to yourself and family that you were more than capable of doing things alone. 

You saw a river down below. The water rushing past rocks made you relaxed and with a glint in your eyes you smiled. “Aha!” You looked left and right, seeing if anyone was present. “Alone with just the woods and me. I knew mother was wrong. I can very much so take care of myself.” You threw your satchel on the floor alongside with your clothes. “I smell like a pig.” You chuckled at your joke. The cool, clear water was down below as you ran to it, looking forward to the coldness and the feeling of being clean. You jumped in not knowing someone was near. 

You dunked your face laughing. “And there’s fish!” You swam behind a light blue fish. Being at awe when you saw the way the fins shone from the sun. You picked it up skillfully and carefully you set it free. Your body delicately floated. “This is the life.” Birds chirped, the wind blew like a whisper against your cheek. 

But suddenly, the rustle of the trees alarmed you. You heard the snapping of a twig. Your head snapped to the noise. Fear bubbled inside you as you thought of all the possibilities. What if it was a bear? What if it were those monsters? Your heart sped fast as you backed out of the river. Your breathing was faster. You needed to get out of here. As you got out your back hit against fur. You quickly turned around as saw a huge demon, monster, you didn’t even know what but you knew it was from Dracula’s army. Its teeth were sharp and its eyes were bright and red. It was your worst nightmare. You erupted a scream as you sprinted around it, climbing the hill to where your satchel laid. 

“Oh my God! Oh my God! I’m gonna die!” You didn’t care about your nudeness, all that mattered to you was surviving. You tried to go as fast as possible but the creature landed in front of you, stopping you from escaping. It cornered you against a huge boulder and tree. With everything you had you lifted your cane high in the air and hit the monster. It didn’t even flinch. 

“What?” Your eyes widened in horror. The creature picked you up as if you weighed nothing and threw you against a tree. You cried out in pain as your back burned and ached to an extreme level. You then noticed that a tree branch stabbed right through your shoulder. The blood dripped down your arm onto your naked skin. You felt queasy and weak. Thoughts and last words echoed through your mind. The monster was about to devour you but a flash of blonde hair came into your vision and you saw, him.

This young man was nothing you’ve ever seen before. He was stronger than the average person, throwing the monster back and forth. He punched it high in the air and then threw it against the boulder. He was incredible. Full of power. Your eyes were starting to close and your vision grew blurry as the last thing you saw were the fangs that the man displayed. 

“Mother I had this terrible dream!” Your whole body shot up. That was a terrible decision as you winced in pain. “It was not a dream.” You breathed hard as you took in your surroundings. The fire was lit making the room comfortable as you were once shivering from being wet. It looked as if you were in the kitchen of somebody's house. “Hello?” Your throat was dry. You were in a stranger’s house. You were in a stranger’s house! “Oh dear.”  You were put high onto a table. You jumped off but were still too weak. You landed hard on your knees but caught yourself with your arms. Your shoulder pounding in pain. You became dizzy. You heard footsteps nearing. “Who are you?” You tried to stand up again but slipped into the arms of a man. 

“Hold on. You are still not well.” His voice came out almost like a whisper. He picked you up and sat you back on the table. “Also, I’m the man who saved your life.”

“That was you? That was, um, pretty amazing.” You curled into yourself. You were nervous around this man. He intimidated you and made you feel shy. He was very handsome and charming. “You kicked that things as* real good.”

The man chuckled, “thank you.”

You quickly looked at your nightgown. It was too big for you as the sleeves ate your arms and the collar was off the shoulders. Your eyes shot open. You were bashful. “Did you, um, see anything?”

He looked away, “I kinda had to. Sorry. You were naked when I saved you.”

“Great. That’s great,” you inhaled clapping your hands. Suddenly you sensed a throbbing pain on your shoulder and you looked to see a blood stain on the nightgown. “Um excuse me sir. Is that supposed to happen?”

The man looked worried as he laid you back down and pulled the nightgown down enough to see your shoulder. “It does not look good. It seems with that jump you reopened the stitches.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. God, this really hurts.”

He got to work on doing your stitches again as he got his items. “Bite down on this.” He opened his mouth to show the action and you saw his teeth. 

“Agh please don’t eat me! You’re a vampire aren’t you?” You flinched away. 

The man rolled his eyes as he shoved the cloth in your mouth but before he got started on you he said, “You are right. I am a vampire.”

You spat the cloth out, “I knew it. I also would like to know your name as this may be my last moment and I would like to remember who will either save me or take my life. My name is y/n l/n.”

“The names Alucard Tepes and this is going to sting a little.” With that Alucard poured some alcohol on your wounds. (im sorry i dont know how helping ppl w medical stuff works :( 

You shifted and tried pouncing up, fighting the urge to let out a blood curdling scream. But Alucard pushed you down with his hands, shushing you gently. “I know, this hurts.” You could almost sense some love and actual concern in his voice. His brows knitted, “I promise, you are almost finished.” 

You looked deep into Alucard’s eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes you have ever seen. This man or vampire looked unreal. He looked made up, something from stories you read as a child, like a prince. You felt something go off within you. Not knowing if it was lust or something else but a fire erupted inside your soul as Alucard’s face inched closer to yours to get to work on your shoulder. His smell was intoxicating. Almost like a musk but yet something floral, fresh, mixed in. Your heart thumped faster at the contact. 

His plump lips quivered as they looked at your state. No way did he want this innocent soul as beautiful as you looked dying on his table. He already had to deal with a lot recently. He didn’t know why or understand but he had this inclination, this feeling, that he needed to keep you alive. He just had to. 

Unable to keep the scream at bay no more you let it out. Your veins protruding from your neck as you became dizzy and once again passed out.

Your eyes opened. Your body was aching. It felt like it went through war. You inhaled as you looked around again, but this time you were hoping things were not a dream as then Alucard would be fake. Remembering his name your head whipped to the side to see Alucard holding a wash cloth stained with blood. He was sound asleep. His head resting against his arm against the table. All the medical stuff was out and about as if he were still working on you. His back was arched at a odd position. 

“He must of fallen asleep while working on me,” you whispered to yourself. His hair sprayed out on his shoulders and table. Without a second thought you touched his hair lightly and you were shocked. It felt like silk upon your fingers! His golden eye lashes kissed his cheek as he snoozed so peacefully. You felt bad leaving him to worry for you and to be sleeping in an uncomfortable place. You felt you weren’t that deserving of such treatment.

You kicked your feet out and hopped off the table. Your feet pattered against the hard floor as you walked to Alucard. You snatched him a blanket you saw nearby and draped it over his tall, lean body. You smiled seeing how elegant and graceful he looked sleeping. 

You yawned, scratching your head as you looked upon the window and noticed it was raining. Surprisingly in this vampire but also a stranger’s house the rain seemed cozy and it made you feel at peace. It was dark in his house. The trees shook from the tiny wind and rain. 

“I must leave but I should thank Alucard for helping me with my wound last night. I probably wouldn’t have last without him.” Your mind wondered back to what happened at the river. Yes, Dracula was gone according to what the towns people said but why was his army still about, his monsters? It didn’t make sense to you. But what did you know? You were just a weak human living in a mysterious world you didn’t want any part of. 

You pulled out a chair and got to writing a thank you letter to Alucard, pulling out a pen, ink and a piece of paper.

“Dear Alucard. No, too direct. How about, to a savior? Too high and mighty.” Finally you had written your letter but it sounded very awkward and you were too much of a p*ssy to give it to Alucard. “Ugh this is hopeless.” You crumpled up the paper, throwing it on the floor by the garbage. 

You thought and thought and thought until an idea popped in your mind. “I know,” you snapped. “I’ll make him breakfast. My mother always says a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” You crossed your fingers, “lets just hope this man likes human food instead of hearts and blood.” You gulped. 

You rolled your sleeves up, washed your hands and brought out the pots and pans and butter. “I’m going to make toast, eggs, bacon, beans and mushrooms.”

You spiced up the food and placed them in a skillet. The sizzle satisfying your ears. The sun started to peak through the clouds as the aroma wafted through the house. You grinned, loving to cook and make a person happy with your hard work. “I hope he likes this.” You were almost finished when Alucard coughed behind you. 

You jumped, being in the zone. “Oh hi there,” you waved awkwardly. “My apologies if I woke you.”

“Uh, no I woke myself up,” his rough voice made your knees weak as it was still laced with sleep. He stretched, cracking some knuckles, yawning as well. “What I would like to know is what are you doing?”

“Well,” you started setting up the table cutely. “I wanted to say thanks for helping me back there. I was kind of a p*ssy to be honest and like a wuss so this is just a little thanks for all the help.”

Alucard didn’t know what to say so instead he just smiled. 

“Please, sit, sit, sit,” you pointed to the seats. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

Alucard awkwardly sat. Not ever having this type of service. He looked at you as you were preparing the finishing steps of your dish. The sun cascaded around you and you were illuminated like a goddess. You were breathtaking. Alucard blushed madly. You put everything on the table. Seeing Alucard’s expression you laughed, “are you alright?”

Alucard coughed, “yes, thank you for all of this. You really didn’t need to. It all looks beautiful.” He looked at the presentation. 

You took the seat beside Alucard. You could of sat anywhere else but you sat beside him. He almost couldn’t hear what you were about to say in that moment from how hard his heart was beating.  

“No need to thank me. I think we’ve done enough thanking and now its time to dig in.” You patted his hand. 

Alucard just looked at the food and he almost felt tears at his eyes. Nobody ever cared for him like this. 

“Is it okay? If its not to your liking I totally get it. You don’t have to eat it. I don’t even know if you like this stuff. I mean who knows maybe you only eat flowers and here I am serving you bacon and eggs.” You became flustered. 

“No, no, no this is lovely its just,” he choked back a cry. “Nobody has ever done anything like this for me, ever.”

You clutched onto his hand and gave him a beautiful smile. “Then that just means you have to eat double. As much and maybe more than what your stomach can hold.” You giggled.

Alucard blushed again as he started to eat quickly. Enjoying every moment of your company and food. “The beans are delicious.”

“Well I’m glad you liked them. Its my mum’s recipe, she always makes them like this.” You then recalled why you came on this journey in the first place. “My satchel!”

“Don’t worry, its safe.”

You raised your brow, “did you take a look?”

Alucard paused, “no, I would never.” He took a bite out of his bread. Chewing on the piece silently. “Maybe just a tiny peek.”

You pouted, “Nosy. I should of locked it.”

“Why do you have all those books in your bag anyways?” Alucard crossed his legs as he took a sip of his coffee. His light orbs staring intently at you. 

Seeing the rain start to become tiny droplets of rain you thought about your family and how you missed them. This was all for them. “My siblings you see are very ill,” your hand shook with anxiety. “My village is very poor and we are limited in resources, especially medicine. We’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work. They just seem to be getting worse. I’ve been researching and trying to find an answer and supposedly, I read that there is a certain flower that only grows in a specific area that may cure the illness. In the books there is a map and that’s why I was led to that river well more like I wanted to take a bath and that’s what led me to the river. But I’ve been on this trail for a while. I’m just, scared because it all depends on me. If I can’t find this flower, if I can’t find a cure and my family dies it will be my fault. I would have killed them.” You didn’t even realize it but you were crying. 

Alucard saw you were distressed and held onto your hand. He comforted you through your anxiety. Your teary eyes looked into his and he gave you a toothy smile, “I’ll help you find it.”

“What?” You rubbed your eyes.

“I know the place you need to go. I can guide you there. Besides the outside world is very dangerous for a beautiful girl such as yourself. I can see that this means a lot to you and I want to help.”

You dropped your fork and got out of your chair. “You mean it? You aren’t joking?”

Alucard chuckled, “I promise I am speaking truth.” Alucard flung his hand out to you. 

You quickly shook on it and shouted with enthusiasm, “deal!” You jumped up and down laughing as you hugged Alucard. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Can we please leave immediately then?”

“We can leave today.”

You danced, “yes. I’ll go change and get my things.” You brought the empty dishes to clean them as Alucard stood up with a smile on his face. 

You were something else, something different. A breath of fresh air in his depressing life. Maybe you were meant to be here. Maybe you were a sign. Either way Alucard thought that these couple of days were to be very exciting. Alucard was about to get ready when a piece of paper in the corner caught his eyes. It was crumbled. “Hmmm, what is this?” He bent down to pick it up and read the words. With just the first word to the letter his smile grew bigger and bigger. 

Alucard coughed as he raised the letter you wrote to him earlier but discarded high in the air, “Dear Alucard, to my savior. I would love for you to know that I am extremely appreciative for what you have done for me in saving my life-”

Your eyes almost popped out of your head. That letter was not supposed to be read by him especially. It was embarrassing. You dropped a plate in the sink and felt your whole world collapse. You wanted to crawl in a hole and die. 

“When I first saw you I thought you were a prince-” Alucard kept going until you couldn’t take it any longer. 

You sprinted and tried grabbing the letter out of his hand. “Alucard, give that to me. Now.”

“Oh you want this letter?” Alucard smirked. “You do sound like an obnoxious romantic whore.”

You gasped, “I do not! That was supposed to be my thank you letter and I didn’t like it and you weren’t supposed to read it. So give it back!” You jumped for it but Alucard raised it high in the air. “Alucard, give it to me.”

Alucard’s face came closer to yours as he pinned you against the table. “Why don’t you come and get it?”

You practically climbed him, snatching the letter out of his hand. “Aha!” But Alucard’s footing was off and he and you fell with a thud. 

The birds chirped lightly as Alucard laid under you and you fell on top of him, your arm bracing for the impact. Alucard held in his breath with a red blush as he looked at you so extremely close. You both held that position for what felt like forever. You eyes were wide in horror at the compromising position. 

You quickly stood up and were flustered. Forgetting where everything was. “Um, um, um. I’m going to go put my trip on so we can get ready for the clothes.” You quickly ran away. 

Alucard breathed quickly as he brushed back his long hair whispering the words. “My savior.” He noticed you were in such a panic mode that you forgot about your letter. It was left and Alucard was not going to leave or throw away evidence that someone saw him in such a good light. He loved that letter because it was from you. 

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[splendidshinobi]

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2003 LIVE REACT: EPISODES 6-10

back at it again with the white vans

episode 6: the alchemy exam

alrighty then

um mustang calling edward “ed” is EXTREMELY offputting

ohhhhhhh noooooo not shou tucker

FUCK

im wholly unprepared

them all being in central instead of east is low key jarring like my brain isnt computing it

alexander’s intro is basically the same 

nina bbyyyyy girl u deserved so much better

ed is such a fucking nerd...chemistry club modern au confirmed

god the more tucker talks the more i wanna beat his face in

al pretending to eat by tossing a potato in his armor i-

aww theyre playing in the snow theyre so pure

wonder how long thatll last

“bigger brother” and “little big brother” and ed doesnt even get mad

ed’s birthday party????????

A MELON? ED YOURE SO RUDE

so 03 had ed’s bday instead of elicia’s...CAUSE THEY GOT ELICIA IN THE WOMB

“it’s here!” “the tea?” “the baby!” hughes is a fuck head

ok so now they’re having elicia replace rush valley baby arc

this was winry’s time to shine in fmab i miss her 

if winry isnt here who is gonna birth this baby

oh my god they just realized ed can use alchemy without a circle

no wonder he’s been using circles this whole time

SO ELICIA JUST POPPED OUT????? WHAT

STUFF ALEXANDER IN THE ARMOR AND PRETEND YOURE A TALKING DOG???

“i dont think thats very funny” NO ALPHONSE IT IS NOT

THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING WITH THAT ONE I SWEAR TO GOD IN THIS ESSAY I WILL

damn bradley what up homie

im so thrown off by the way theyre doing the exam omg

seriously what the hell is fuhrer bradley’s purpose right now is he even the fuhrer in this i feel like they wouldve mentioned it

oh lord ed is about to impress everyone with his clappy hands

ok so next episode is nina FUCK

episode 7: night of the chimera’s cry

havoc babeeee

im gonna marry him my himbo king

also can RIZA DO SOMETHING PLZ

“huhhhhhhhh nina” ew tucker that was weirdly gross

wonder why

cant do it cant do it

do we think jean kirstein was modeled after jean havoc slightly looks wise

was that purposeful 

ill have to google 

serial killer who only targets women?  it cant be scar...scar drinks respect women juice

barry or slicer bros maybe? um ok

why did we start with liore if they were just gonna hop right back into the past for a huge chunk of episodes idk

assessment day??? oh noodles

AL WHY DID YOU TELL TUCKER TO MAKE ANOTHER TALKING CHIMERA ALPHONSE NO

THE NOISE I EMITTED IM GONNA TAKE A LAP

im gonna FUCKING SCREAM

ed r u writing to winry??? that’s a bit out of character for u good sir

no tucker put that baby down

im gonna fucking SCREAM

aww he burned nina’s picture thats not sus at all

SHESKA!!!!!

wait does the ironblood alchemist know what tucker did to his wife? thats kinda the vibe im getting

SCARRRRRRRR

looking like a pirate too damn

his voice sounds different is that j michael tatum 

apparently not it was dameon clarke in 03 ya learn something new everyday 

ew elicia has a lot of hair for a FUCKING NEWBORN

ed really is such a cynic very suspicious of everyone as he should be really

basque grand knowS SOMETHING

oh jesus oh fuck oh god please do not TOUCH THAT BABY

ed and al snuck back in to the house well u know what its for the best

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

im gonna cry again please god no

FUCKING DIE SHIT HOLE

she’s hurting? oh my god

my sweet angel

ew his eyes!!!!!!! 

tucker is such a fucking failure...like look at the chimera squad and greed’s theatre troupe being the way they are. ugh it really hits how fucking unfair it is 

ed was really about to split them? boy you know better

where is nina going...im hurting

ed really tried to save her in this one

SCAR KILLS NINA IN THE STREETS???????? SIR

thats different

oh snap 

oh FUCK

SCAR WHY DID YOU LEAVE HER BODY LIKE THAT

THE WAY SHE WAS ARRANGED ON THE WALL THAT WAS FUCKED UP

AND THEY FOUND HER LIKE THAT???? AT LEAST IN BROTHERHOOD THEY DIDNT HVE TO SEE HER CORPSE ARE YOU SHITTING ME?

that was fucked.

episode 8: the philosopher’s stone

can yall get ed and al away from nina’s fucking MURAL 

get out of the car mustang

finally jesus christ

roy mustang talking about healthy coping mechanisms dont make me laugh but alright baby boy go off i guess?

im curious about who this goddamn serial killer is though lets turn to that plot thread

r u kidding me

mustang is making ed and al take over tucker’s research?? thats actually wildly messed up

oh tucker was straight executed that’s a choice i guess

tucker and the philosopher’s stone sounds inaccurate but ok

ed please stop being mean to your brother

03 mustang has got me reaching for a fucking baseball bat on GOD

scar and edward having this conversation right now i literally cannot

WINRY yes bitch

BRADLEY WHAT IN TARNATION

JESUS LORRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDD

alphonse shut your mouthhhhhhhhhhh

im so confused what is bradley up to

“alchemists are not cold blooded murderers?”

i mean

kimblee would beg to differ for one

whos this creepy lady 

her voice sounds familiar

barry’s food shop?

the killer is barry ok got it

IS BARRY DISGUISED AS A WOMAN

I KNEW THAT WAS JERRY JEWELL’S VOICE

WELL I KNEW IT SOUNDED FAMILIAR AT LEAST

WINRY GET OUT OF THE FUCKING TRUCk

has PINAKO TAUGHT YOU NOTHING

ok so i VASTLY prefer suit of armor original manga canon barry

this is such an odd plot what in fuck

um OW the meat cleaver

im so confused this fucking plotline

oh hey alphonse nice of you to show up!

is barry still gonna become a suit of armor later on

it makes NO SENSE to introduce him otherwise 

everytime i see 03 mustang i wanna beat his ass HONESTLY

literally i will shove my foot up his ass

fullmetal here we go

ed thinks he’s so punk rock 

oh great scar’s seen the watch

episode 9: be thou for the people

ed you simp buying winry all this stuff my edwin heart is ascending

SIMP SIMP SIMP

“mr. elric”?? you mean MAJOR ELRIC

to be fair though fuck the military

YOUSWELL??? oh LORD

im gonna need to read a full chronology of this show

 alphonse continues to be a precious angel 

where’s my boy yoki!!!!!

edward you idiot don’t go flaunting your money

woof woof ed

al looks so offended by ed saying they just met

whereas in brotherhood didnt he totally throw ed under the bus??? 

a choice to be sure

ah there he is hello yoki

who’s the chick

shes a lesbian

yoki makes me miss my baby girl mei chang

mei where r u

WAS THIS MILITARY DUDE REALLY ABOUT TO CUT DOWN A CHILD??? oh my god

hawkeye getting a promotion yes bby girl

jesus theyre transferring them to east now OKKKKKAY thats not how it happened it the book but ill take it....just doing it the opposite way i guess

who is lyra who is she

cute some military bribery 

umm lyra what the fuck did you do

lyra is a homunculus im callin it now

they definitely invented/changed up some homunculi in fact im certain they did and shes one of em. gotta be

i feel like 03 wrote ed as much more insensitive towards others than he really is...just a vibe im getting

i know he was faking for the townspeople’s sake but i still get this vibe from other instances 

i mean i cant say its not “canon” because its 03 canon

anyways what a show off

i cant believe theyre going to east...fuery and breda better be there

ok finally some answers on their ages....ed got his license at 12 like normal and nina and youswell were when he was 12...liore was 15, 

if they didnt flash the ages on the screen id be lost honestly

at least we’re back up to “present day”

episode 10: the phantom thief

ed saying he doesnt wanna see mustang

same

03 mustang is activating my fight or flight and im choosing fight

ed cheating at cards totally checks out

um who the fuck is this woman

what is she wearing

SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THAT CUTOUT MAAM HOW DO YOUR C**CHY LIPS NOT POKE OUT

idk but this is fem!hisoka

“hey shouldnt we talk first” after getting handcuffed??? christ almighty these innuendos

siren??????? siren is probably also a “fake” homunculus

ugh

ok so the nurse is siren

ya aint slick girly

alphonse control your crush

I REFUSE!!!! ALMEI RIGHTS

why is al’s hair so brown in this flashback anywayssss

oh its spelled psiren ope

like she’s literally a batman villain...

oh my god...............the tiddy grab. my son would never

my son is respectful

is this her homunculus tat or just a random alchemy tat

the added plotlines and original content continue to confuse and astound me every single time....

ok but if psiren really was doing this for the hospital she wouldnt be so flashy about it. like thats how you get caught sweet cheeks

girly stop flirting with this child on god im gonna fucking kick you

now shes a nun????????????????

Shes a fucking troll i hate her

im going to kick alphonse into the sun 

oh great now shes a teacher

wow shes a savior. the savior of amestrian venice. greatttttt

ed looking exactly like this emoji on this gondola rn 🧍‍♀️

STOP FLIRTING WITH THE CHILD 

GOD THIS IS SO BATMAN VILLAIN ESQUE

alphonse plzzzzzzzzzz she aint your girl

ok so probably not the last we see of this ding dong con artist

ok so its starting to get muddy. im scared the 03 stans are gonna come after me like i do like it and im having fun watching it but some of the plot and characterization choices are just....odd??? idk i gotta keep going though!! im sorry i just stan arakawa and her work in all her glory!!!

[bburningbridges]

in this life, the days are full of joy

Summary: Kaldur is a kid--despite his best efforts to deny himself that right--and therefore, should live as kids do: happily. (In which Kaldur makes some friends, learns some lessons, and falls in love, smiling.)

notes: my embarrassingly late YJ Mini Big Bang fic! it takes place in season 1 and the art was drawn by the wonderful @shadesninde​! i love the results and im so glad this came together so well!!!

+

 It starts with Batman. Or rather, the girl by Batman’s side, with eyes half-closed from what could be weariness or simply exhaustion and fishnets. It takes Kaldur all of ten seconds to recognize her as Zatara’s daughter, and his stomach does that horrible motion that feels like ocean waves crashing against rocks. He never lets it show in face, choosing instead to meet her and give the smallest, most reassuring smile he can manage without drawing Batman’s attention.

 Zatanna, on her part, responds with the barest quirk of her lips--Kaldur takes it as a step in the right direction.

 “Aqualad,” Batman says, “a word.”

 Other people might end a sentence like that with a question mark. Batman is not other people. Thankfully, he’s coming to a stopping point in his book anyway, and puts up no fight as he stows Steig Larsson away for later. The flooring in the cave feels cold even to him as he goes to meet Batman and Zatanna, and about two paces away from them he’s vaguely aware that Robin’s probably in a vent somewhere, watching.

“Hello, Batman, Zatanna,” Kaldur says, and then to Zatanna adds, “My condolences about your father. How have you been faring?”

 “Thank you, Kaldur,” she says soft, but sincere. She turns her gaze to the side and nods shakily, “I’ve been…..faring, I guess.”

 He nods, accepting it as a valid answer; he can see the oceanic storms in her eyes and for that reason, it is answer enough. “The team and I are available for you in any way. If there is anything we can do to help you, please, let me know.”

 Zatanna looks at him again, this time her eyes are shiny and he does his best to not react to that. “Thanks,” she says again, but she sounds less shaky this time.

 “This is actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” Batman says. “The League--and Zatanna, of course--have decided to place her on the team, permanently for now. She fits well into your dynamic and has already proved to us that she’s a powerful asset.”

 Batman has a curious way of cheering up others--perhaps he knows that his oddly professional compliments delivered in his deep monotone are as grounding as they are factual; there’s something about his delivery that can straighten shoulders, lift chins, brighten smiles. Kaldur’s seen it in just about every team member and Zatanna is no exception; she sniffs once and then tries to hide a fairly satisfied smile behind it.

 “And the company’s not so bad,” she adds, in a tone more like herself.

 “I am happy to hear it,” he says, and he means it, wholeheartedly, and hopes Zatanna grasps that. He extends a hand out to her, and when she reaches out to meet it, grabs her in a firm Atlantean shake. “Welcome to the team, Zatanna. We are happy to have you.”

 “Honestly speaking….I’m pretty happy to have you guys too, Kaldur.”

 He smiles automatically, one that she returns in full, and as they release each other Batman says, “Call in the rest of the team.”

 “Ah,” Kaldur hums, casting his eyes up to the vent just a bit to the left of them, “I am sure by now they now. Is that not correct, Robin?”

 It turns out he was wrong--Robin drops out of the vent to the right of them, clucking his tongue. “Getting soft in your old age, Kal? I practically told you where I was.”

 Zatanna, surprisingly, doesn’t have the face most acquire after they witness Robin drop from the unknown for the first time. She looks more amused than scared, which is a convincing sign that she’s in the right place. “Welcome to team, Zee,” Robin grins, somehow unfazed by the hard glare Batman’s aiming at him. “Don’t worry about making a formal call, Kal.”

 “I know,” he says, one eyebrow quirked. “Where you go, Kid Flash is not far behind.”

 As if on cue, Kid Flash appears in the room in--well, a flash--one arm propped on Robin’s shorter shoulder. And the rest of the team trickles in after that, trying to look surprised even though Kaldur knows full well they’re a bunch of snoops who’ve likely been listening to the conversation since the beginning. He sighs, equal parts exasperated and affectionate for the lot of them, when Batman is suddenly hovering next to him and speaking in a tone low enough that no one else can pick up.

 “Look out for her, Aqualad. You aren’t just leading a team of heroes--but a circle of friends. Zatanna needs support both on and off a battlefield.”

 “I understand,” Kaldur nods, and Batman makes a vaguely approving sound in the back of his throat. He takes his leave not too long after, Zatanna standing amidst a circle of new friends, and when her gaze floats to catch his eye, he meets her smile with one equally sincere.

 +

 It turns out that Zatanna fits into the team like a glove--especially, to Kaldur’s exasperation, with Robin’s schemey tendencies and Artemis’ blunt honesty. Which is to say she spends a great deal of time drifting about Kaldur and being nosy.

 “So….what do you do for fun around here?”

 Kaldur sips his tea, eyeing her over the rim. He knows this tactic. He’s too savvy to the rest of them; she’s building up to something.

 “Stop crime throughout the globe in the event that the League--”

 “Kal.”

 He smirks, to remind her that she’s not the only one with a sense of humor. “Read, mostly,” he admits. “I was rushed to learn English as quickly as possible and I prefer to practice often to keep myself sharp.”

 Zatanna looks humbly surprised. “What kind of books?”

 “Stieg Larsson, as of late.”

 “Good choice,” she says. “Have you seen the movie yet?”

 He pauses in his next sip. “Movie?”

 “Yeah! It’s so--actually, I won’t spoil it for you. But now we have Friday night plans.”

 “Do we now?”

 “Yes, you nerd, I will chain your ass to that couch if I have to but you’re watching that movie with me. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.”

 Laughing, Kaldur simply shakes his head. “If you insist.”

 “Insist I do,” Zatanna sniffs. “Oh, here’s a question for you--is there math under the sea? Like do you learn to do calculus with fish or…?”

 “Ha,” he says dryly. She simply grins at him; it matches Robin’s. He can hardly believe how alike they act already and it’s barely been two weeks. “Yes, we learn math in our school systems.”

 “Great!” And, ah, there it is--Zatanna whips out a notebook and a paperback workbook. “Please help me, I think algebra might actually kill me.”

 Either her tone of voice, or maybe the sheer despair in her expression, squeezes a laugh out of him, and he tries to compose himself in a reasonable amount of time without accidentally offending her. It sort of works, but she mostly seems pleased that she’s gotten him to break.

 “Of course,” he says, still staving off extra waves of giggles. “Though I make no promises that I know any of this any better than you do. I haven’t looked at this type of work in a long time.”

 Zatanna already has a pencil in his hand, somehow, so he guesses she’s largely unfazed by that fact. “Let me guess--you’re in like, advanced advanced honors math?”

 “Wha--oh, you misunderstand,” he explains, after a moment’s confusion, “I do not attend school on the surface at all.”

 “What?”

 (She doesn’t seem outraged, more like betrayed. Also, like she may be plotting to do whatever it is that he’s done to ensure herself the same treatment.)

 Kaldur wiggles his free hand, showing his obviously webbed fingers and tattoo. “I’m far too noticeable. There is not enough makeup in the world to hide my true self from civilians.”

 “You lucky duck.”

 “It’s not as great as you’re thinking,” he says honestly. “The cave has been lonesome as of late, now that M’gann and Connor are attending school. Black Canary enjoys...how do you put it...”

 “Kicking the crap out of you?”

 “Precisely.”

 She snorts, propping her chin in her hand as she leans on the tabletop. “Yeah, but I’d rather put my feet up all day than go through this,” and she gestures grandly at the homework laid out. “This is like torture by quadratic formula.”

 “It keeps you busy,” he points out.

 “Yeah, I guess, mom, but it’s still boring.”

 “Zatanna--”

 “What about Red Arrow?” she interrupts. “He’s sort of on the team, isn’t he? Robin and Wally barely shut up about him. I guess I figured he’d be around more, since you guys are so close.”

 Kaldur hates how quickly he clams up at the mere mention of Roy; in a handful of seconds he’s gone from perfectly fine to not, just because she brought him up. Hopefully, it does not show on his face. He clears his throat to give him an extra moment to kickstart his brain, and then says, “Roy visits occasionally.”

 “But?”

 “But….it is just that: occasional. He does not like it here.”

 Don’t tell her how often you go to his place, he thinks

 “Typically, I make the trip to visit him.”

 ….Damn it.

 “See! That’s fun! I’m stuck in a desk all day and you get to galavant around the city with Roy.” She makes a truly bizarre face at him as she says Roy’s name, and Kaldur’s mortification is hidden by the startled laugh it draws from him.

 “I am getting the feeling that you will not believe me no matter what I say.”

 “Correcto, Kal. Deny all you want, but lounging around the cave all day must be nice. We’ll be doing a lot of that together, won’t we, roomie?” She cracks her knuckles and points a problem on the open page. “Now, be a dear and explain to me what the hell conics are?”

 +

 Things get both better, and worse, in a truly bizarre fashion that Kaldur has come to associate with the life of a hero. On one hand, Zatanna fits to the team like a glove, easily getting along with the other members and Kaldur himself, but members of the League make frequent checkups on her. He isn’t sure where she stands, legally, as Dr. Fate seems less inclined to release his host than ever, but from what Kaldur has picked up--certainly not by eavesdropping, of course--there may be a chance at getting Batman involved. Kaldur’s just….not going to touch that proverbial can of worms until someone can give him a rundown of what is actually going on. And on the other hand, for every cheeky line Zatanna dishes out, she has dozens of moments of pained silence, and he isn’t sure how to help her anymore than he already has been. It feels like he could do more...he just isn’t sure what ‘more’ would be.

 Plus, Kaldur’s relationship with the surface world is fluctuated more than ever. He has more bad days than good days, and he’s not sure where the sudden change came from, or if his attempts to reassure King Orin are working.

 The good news out of all of this is that he spends more of his evenings with his feet up on Roy’s dingy coffee table, listening to Roy complain and/or theorize, and generally just...hanging out.

 It’s nice. They don’t get to do this as often anymore.

 They’re both in civvies, by Roy’s request, because even he grows sick of the constant rush of always being in uniform. Kaldur finds that he doesn’t actually like arguing with Roy, particularly on trivial matters, thus the borrowed sweatpants and UCLA shirt.

 “Listen,” says Roy, which is automatically impossible for Kaldur to do because Roy has been gallivanting about the apartment without a shirt on for the last ten minutes, and it’s far more distracting that Kaldur would like to admit. “I’m just saying--”

 “Batman was very clear about discussing a possible mole,” Kaldur interrupts. “Not that I do not trust your judgement, but you are leaning too heavily on speculation.”

 “You think I dreamed up Artemis’ past?”

 “No, but I hardly believe family ties are enough to negate the fact that Artemis has nearly died for the team multiple times.”

 “The same goes for whoever the mole might be!”

 Kaldur puts a hand on his face, “Okay, allow me to rephrase: discussing this endlessly gets us nowhere, and you are giving me a headache. I came to see you because I enjoy your company, not because I enjoy talking in circles for hours on end.”

 Roy only shuts up long enough to laugh, which Kaldur isn’t as mad about as he could’ve been. “Okay, fine,” he half-chuckles. “You could’ve started with that, you know?”

 Kaldur simply shrugs. “I did not want to be misunderstood. My team is in danger, and I am grateful that you have made it a concern of yours to keep us safe, but I need a break, occasionally.”

 “Which is why you came to me, I get it. Sorry, Kal. I’m even the one who begged you to put on sweatpants, but this isn’t as relaxing as it could’ve been.” Roy looks down at the floor and sighs, then jerks a thumb to the kitchen. “I’m gonna get a soda, then we can sit down and talk and paint our nails or whatever. Want anything?”

 It’s more or less a question Roy already knows the answer to--Kaldur doesn’t have a sweet tooth, but he does have a taste for dark sodas, which Wally is half-responsible for. It was the first drink he’d ever had on the surface world aside from water, and it was essentially love at first sip. “A Dr. Pepper,” he says, and Roy darts into the kitchen to grab it.

 He comes out with two cans, tosses one at Kaldur, and drops onto the other side of the couch. After a few huge sips, he sets it down and says, “So, I talked to Ollie yesterday.”

 Kaldur pauses as he pops open his can. “Really?”

 “Well, Ollie talked to me. He says he wants to make sure I’m not dead, but he also had takeout and Fifa in his hand, which, last I checked, isn’t necessary to make sure someone’s still kicking. But anyways, he told me that Aquaman’s been a little….what’s the word…”

 Suddenly, the soda is very interesting, and Kaldur can’t look at Roy anymore.

 “Ah,” Roy says dryly, “I got it, it’s bitchy.”

 Putting a little too much force into it, Kaldur pops the tab and the drink fizzles down his hand. “King Orin has not been--”

 He stops short, because Roy’s appraising him with a specific look. And then Kaldur realizes he’s been played.  

 Shaking the soda off his hand, he fights a small smile. “...perhaps the king has been in less than high spirits.”

 “And why’s that, Kal?” Roy’s eyebrows quirk upwards. “You don’t think it’s because his uptight protege looks like someone took the fish out of his fishsticks all the time, right?”

 Kaldur can’t stop himself; he frowns, “I do not look like that. I do not even know what that would look like.”

 “It means you look like you did last time Orin got this worried about you. Did something happen with Garth and Tula again?” Roy’s tone has changed entirely, turning more quiet and gruff. “Wanna talk about it?”

 Kaldur tries not to wince. The last time he’d spoken about Garth and Tula, he’d been in a less than stellar mood, and he hadn’t skimped on tossing the word ‘heartbroken’ around. And he had been, truly, broken up over getting rejected. He’d felt like an alien in his own home. But things have changed since then; for one, he has a better relationship with his oldest friends now than before, when he’d been so reliant on Tula to uphold an image of himself that didn’t quite...exist.

 It is beyond bad timing to be thinking about...this in such close proximity to Roy, for a myriad of reasons, and besides, it isn’t entirely relevant to this particular conversation.

 “Nothing has happened with Garth and Tula,” Kaldur starts. He hesitates, then admits, “I’m worried about Zatanna.”

 “Zatara’s kid?” Roy blinks. “Why’s that?”

 “I cannot gage how well she is adjusting,” he says. “The League checks on her, but Dr. Fate is more militant in his grip on Zatara than he ever was with Kent Nelson. I fear she is not taking it well.”

 “She seems fine to me, and the League, according to Ollie.”

 Kaldur takes a small sip of his soda. “That is what worries me. I am well aware of what hiding yourself looks like, and I fear that may be what she doing.”

 “Ah,” Roy says quietly. “Is that all?”

 Kaldur’s surprised enough to cast a glance at him, which Roy simply shrugs at. “Like you said, you’re good at hiding things. Sometimes I’ve gotta a dig a little.”

 Kaldur scoffs in reply. “I believe that is something I am familiar doing towards you as well.”

 Roy smacks him with a throw pillow, nearly knocking the soda out his hand, but he’s laughing. “I get it, Kal, we both suck at being open. Now quit being a smartass and tell me what’s on your mind.”

 As the last of his chuckles fade, Kaldur sets his can down on the table, definitely does not look at Roy, and says, “My days at the Cave have been...lonelier, as of late.”

 “So you do miss Atlantis?”

 “No, I mean, well, yes, always. But not like before. And that is not the cause of my loneliness.” Kaldur sighs. “I spend most of my days in the Cave alone, while the others are at school. Frankly, it is boring. I do not know what we expected when we started this team, but I’ve made incredible friends, and I do not get to fill my days with schoolwork or family dinners the way they do. And it is...lonesome.”

 “...jeez, Kal,” Roy says. After a moment he leans forward on his knees, biceps tightening as he puts his chin on his fist. “You could, maybe, tell Aquaman that? Before he brings down the fucking government to figure out what upset you?”

 “He wouldn’t,” Kaldur says tiredly.

 “He could. Wouldn’t put it past him. He’s responsible for you and all that, he takes it very seriously.”

 Kaldur gives him a look that’s just downright confused. “What do you mean?”

 Waving his hand, Roy says, “Ollie says he’s pretty damn proud of you. Like,  if he had a wallet, it would be filled with pictures of you kind of proud.”

 There’s no intelligent comment that comes to Kaldur’s brain, so he just blinks at Roy like he’s grown as a second head.

 “It’s a joke. I mean, not really, because I’m about ninety percent sure he actually has it, but it’s just making fun of something really involved dads do.”

 “King Orin isn’t my father,” he says after several moments of silence.

 “No kidding.”

 “Then why would he--”

 His phone chimes loudly, and Kaldur cuts himself short to check the caller ID.

 “Zatanna?”

 “Kal, where are you?”

 Kaldur looks at Roy, at his sweatpants, and the couch. “...nowhere important,” and Roy makes a small sound that could be either amusement or offense, Kaldur can’t tell but turns so his back is to him anyway. “Is something wrong?”

 “What? No. Nothing at all, Kal, except you totally bailed on me.”

 “What?”

 “It’s movie night, remember? Stieg Larsson!”

 Kaldur sits there, truly confused as he racks his brain for any recollection of what she might be talking about. “Wait,” he says, remembering the first night she’d approached him with her homework. It feels like so long ago, but it’s been at the most, two weeks. “You were serious?”

 “As a heartattack. We’ve been busy every weekend since, but we all bit the bullet and got our homework done early enough we would be able to have some free time. And it’s not a team event unless you’re with us.”

 Kaldur swallows hard. Though his voice doesn’t betray it, he’s moved by her words and the solemn sincerity in her voice. “Of course,” he says. “I’ll be there soon.”

 And then he hears a chorus of cheers, and he realizes he was so confused he hadn’t noticed that Zatanna had him on speakerphone the whole time.

 “You better be!” Zatanna’s voice picks up over the noise, but she sounds relieved.

 “Yeah, Kal, the one night we actually get a breather and you’re off doing who-knows-what--”

 “Okay, okay,” Kaldur says, starting to chuckle.

 “Get your but back to the base ASAP!” Robin’s voice chimes in, “Oh, and tell Roy he can come to!”

 “You’re with Roy?”

 “I am hanging up now,” Kaldur informs them all, and does just that.

 When he turns back around, Roy is red in the face from trying not to laugh. Kaldur rolls his eyes at him, but he quietly notes that Roy does seem to be more relaxed, even after speaking with Ollie, and that is a good sign, at least. He raises one eyebrow delicately. “Something funny?”

 “No, not at all,” Roy shakes his head. “Just don’t look so surprised whenever people actually give a shit about you, okay? I’m not sure if it makes me wanna hug you or deck everyone else.”

 Kaldur blinks at him a few times. Roy laughs again, then shoos him off the couch. “Get outta here, hang out with your team.”

 “You won’t be coming with me?”

 “Hell no,” he says flatly. “I’m not gonna volunteer to hang out at daycare.”

 “Roy--”

 “Yell at me next time,” he snorts. “Now go. Night, Kal.”

 Kaldur feels an odd smile turn at the corner of his mouth, and tries to keep it contained as he gathers his things. “Goodnight, Roy.”

 Sometimes it’s so hard to feel warmth in his chest when Roy smiles; it’s like suffocating, knowing he is drowning in a terrible secret.

 And other times….it’s not hard at all.

 +

 Upon returning to the Cave, Kaldur receives no less than three wolf-whistles, three open stares, and feels his heart climb into his throat when Zatanna comments, “Didn’t know you liked UCLA, Kal.”

 He holds up his hands, not really sure what he wants to do with them, and winds up making a ‘go away’ gesture at all of them, to their delight.

 Despite that, movie night is wonderful.

 +

 Kaldur can’t get Roy’s words out of his head, about Aquaman, and he decides to do the responsible thing and speak to his king face to face. However, knowing it is the right thing to do doesn’t make it any less awkward.

 “So you are not having trouble making connections on the surface?” Orin asks, voice carefully pitched but face full of concern.

 Kaldur shakes his head. “No, it is, if anything, the opposite, my King. I know there was reason for concern before, but the team has come out of our ordeals stronger than ever. I fear it is the bond we’ve made that leaves me feeling so...alone, when they are not around.”

 Orin strokes his beard, nodding. Kaldur tries to ignore the fact that this feels like trying to explain to Batman that he’d been maybe-in-love-or-something-else with Tula so many months ago.

 ….oh, Roy was right, he is terrible at being open.

 “I will discuss something with Batman. Thank you for being honest with me, Kaldur’ahm,” Orin says, places a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. “I simply wish you would tell me of these things sooner.”

 “I apologize, my king--”

 “Do not,” Orin cuts him off sternly. “That is something we both need to work on. I will do my best to be more aware of your needs on the surface world, in exchange for you being much more honest with me than you have been in the past.”

 Kaldur looks at him, unsure of what to say, of how to ask if Orin is alluding to what he thinks he’s alluding to. “My king…?”

 “I am aware of your past altercation with Garth.”

 Oh, Kaldur had been wrong about the comparison to Batman. This is much worse.

 “We resolved it,” he mumbles, and he can’t think of the last time he’d been so embarrassed he couldn’t look his king in the eye. “That is no longer an issue.”

 “In regards to Tula, I am sure it is not. But I am well aware of what habits you fall to when you experience feelings you are unfamiliar with, Kaldur’ahm.”

 Not that Kaldur has ever died before, but he’s sure this very moment is worse. He hadn’t been lying when he said the king wasn’t his father--Cal Durham was, he knew that--but it still feels like being scolded and getting interrogated about the nuances of a crush by a parent nonetheless.

 “Forgive me, I am not sure how to say this delicately,” Kaldur says hesitantly.

 “Perhaps start by simply saying it.”

 Not that he ever envisioned having this conversation, but Kaldur definitely didn’t think he’d ever...come out to Orin like this. Or at any time. In his defense, it has been a tumultuous time, lately.

 “I….feel similarly towards a team member as I did toward Tula,” he starts, slowly, and not all confidently.

 And then he remembers what Roy had said, about Orin and pride and toting said pride with wherever he went.

 “This team member is male, my king, and I hope that you do not perceive me differently for this or--”

 “Kaldur’ahm, be calm, my son,” says Orin, and that alone is enough to make Kaldur’s shoulders sag with relief.

 Orin grips him by both shoulders, staring him head on. “There is no thing I can think of that could make me perceive you as anything but a prize of Atlantis, and the best choice for my protege. Have no fear, Kaldur’ahm, I care for you all the same. I have failed you in many ways, but I will not fail you in this regard.”

 He hugs Kaldur after that, and Kaldur breathes, at last.

 +

 A week after that conversation, Batman calls Kaldur for private conversation. Except their private conversation also includes Aquaman and Zatanna.

 He isn’t sure how to process the information at first. Aquaman’s presence helps, but he remains wary even after the king places a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

 “Kaldur’ahm, be calm,” he assures, and that does help.

 “Is something wrong, my king?” He casts a glance at Zatanna, who beams at him, which is just more confusing.

 “I spoke to Batman about my concerns for your wellbeing. However, Zatanna was the one who reached out to us about a possible solution.”

 She shrugs sheepishly. “Ever since you mentioned being alone in the Cave all the time I started working out charms that could disguise you. And I think I finally got one.”

 She holds up a necklace with a golden ball as a pendant. At his blank stare, she hides a laugh, “You wear it and it makes you look more like a surface-dweller. No gills, no tattoos, no webbing.”

 “In other words, as long as it works, you could go about the surface world outside of missions,” Batman explains. “Like the rest of the team. Even attend school.”

 Oh. Oh.

 Though his jaw doesn’t quite hit the floor, Kaldur feels himself go slackjawed and simply stares at Zatanna like she’s grown a second head. “You...developed this for me?”

 “Of course, Kal.” She looks half sad by his surprise, and motions for him to lean down enough so she can put it around his neck. “You’re my friend. I noticed how you’ve been slipping lately, and then movie night was the final kick in the pants I needed to get this done. Sorry it took so long.”

 He can’t think of anything else to say besides, “Thank you, Zatanna. You did not have to do this.”

 Zatanna sniffles, then pushes him back into an upright position. “I know, that’s sort of why I did it,” she says, then catches him in a quick hug. She steps back to hold him at arm’s length, appraising her work. “Not that you weren’t hot before, because you really were, but, uh….this is a good look on you.”

 Kaldur snorts, thankful for once that it's Zatanna who's the most awkward person in the room, rather than him. He turns to Aquaman and Batman, expression hopeful. “Is this acceptable?”

 Aquaman’s smiling, really smiling, and claps a hand on Kaldur’s shoulder, laughing. “It is wonderful! Truly, this is Zatara’s daughter. You have a way with magic, my dear.”

 “Thank you,” she says, obviously pleased.

 Batman doesn’t smile, per se--at least, not like Orin, but he’s at least vaguely happy. Or so Kaldur supposes. It’s hard to tell. “Good work, Zatanna.”

 She beams, and Kaldur can’t help but feel just as excited.

 +

The charm changes more than just his gills.

 It makes his hair appear jet black and curly, and rounds his jaw, but his eyes keep their shade. He spends an ample amount of time looking at himself in the mirror and struggling to recognize the person staring back.

 “Hold still, Kal--holy shit, you’re gonna break so many hearts,” Artemis says giddily. She swings an arm around him and Zatanna snaps a photo of both of them. “Seriously. This almost makes me wish you were coming to Gotham just to see the girls there lose their minds.”

 M’gann giggles behind her hand. “This really is pretty amazing, Zatanna. And Kaldur, I mean, you’ve always been almost ridiculously handsome...” she trails off, looking flustered.

 Kaldur smiles, surprised and flattered all at once, and when Wally gives Conner a slackjawed look he simply shrugs and says, “She’s not wrong.”

 “Okay,” Wally says flatly, “anyone else wanna say they’ve been in love with Kaldur, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

 “Aye,” his team says together, and that makes Kaldur’s face warm and he laughs again, unsure of what else to do under the weight of their stares.

 “As fun as it would be to attend to school with you, Artemis,” Kaldur says, honestly, because he can only imagine how Artemis’ alter ego might act, “I’ve already discussed with Aquaman and Batman. I’ll be attending Happy Harbor with M’gann and Conner.”

 “And me!” Zatanna adds, beaming. “I’ll be transferring in December. Uh, surprise?”

 M’gann immediately hugs her and squeals, in a way that’s so endearing, Zatanna can’t help but squeeze her in return. “This is going to be so exciting!”

 “Our fearless leader’s growing up,” Robin says, smirking, and Kaldur immediately thinks of all the times Roy called him less-than-flattering names for giving him the same treatment.

 “If you ever need any chem help, you know where to turn to, bro,” Wally promises.

 “We finally get to help you the same way you’ve been helping us this whole time!”

 Conner makes a face. “No promises from me. I mean, I’ve always got your back just...don’t ask me about English. I actually might make things worse for you.”

 Kaldur laughs, which Conner looks pleased by, and he’s almost overwhelmed by how excited his team is for him.

 “What name are you gonna use?” M’gann says thoughtfully. “I’m sure you could get away with Kal still, but you’ll need a last name.”

 “Actually, I was thinking of using Curry.”

 M’gann looks like she actually might cry, but keeps it together when she says, “I love it.”

 “Alright, Kal Curry, hold still.” He’s caught by surprise when Artemis slips behind him and pulls the necklace off.

 “Sorry, I just didn’t want to forget you. You you.” She bumps their shoulders together, and pushes his hand closed around the necklace. “I get having to hide, but here? With us? You’re still purely you.”

 Kaldur nods appreciatively, thankful she’s taken to the extra step to make him comfortable. She, M’gann, and Conner are at least vaguely aware of the disputes with Atlantean purists; frankly, Kaldur, despite his discomfort, displeasure, and anger with the creatures who try so hard to shame the diversity of his home, hasn’t thought of it in a while. He’s been….distracted, to say the least.

 “Thank you, Artemis,” he says quietly.

 She smiles at him, and behind her his team wears similar looks of genuine affection, and it’s a lot to take in. He’s not used to the attention, but he supposes, he should start to try getting more comfortable with it.

 And not a minute later, he gets a text from Roy saying: nice look and the bewildered expression on his face prompts a round of hearty laughter from the team. Robin winks, and says, “What? He wanted to see!”

 Kaldur just groans.

 +

 By the time M’gann makes the cheerleading team, Kaldur’s up to his ears in catch up work, both in school and out. It had been a while since he’d been in school, and he had to adjust, slowly but surely, to the constant pressure on his brain reminding him of a looming test. He admits, he missed it, in a weird way. Not that he particularly loves chemistry--though, his magic has made him very familiar with it--but he find it relaxing to solve problems in a topic he knows so well.

 Also, M’gann is in his chemistry class, and she has more of a tendency to mix chemicals wrong than he does. (To her credit, he’s pretty sure she does it just to make him laugh, and so far as a pretty high success rate.)

 English is surprisingly tough; Kaldur is fluent, but writing timed essays still gets him frustrated. His teacher laments that he’s too wordy, and being a bit more concise would help him. Trigonometry is just as terrible as it when he helps Zatanna with her work, but World History is, by far, his favorite. (It is entirely possible French wants him dead.) The only class he doesn’t have with Conner or M’gann is Art History.

 Due to entering later in the year, the only seat open the class in the back next to a kid with a clean-cut fade and a letterman jacket. He smiles easy at Kaldur, and Kaldur smiles easy right back.

 “Call me Vic, man,” the kid says, hand out to shake.

 “Calvin,” Kaldur replies, equally as friendly.

 “Alright, Cal, I’m gonna be your savior in the class. Mr. Wiseman’s a tough dude but he mostly just looks scary--that doesn’t mean this stuff isn’t hard as shit though.”

 Kaldur laughs, but soon learns Vic hadn’t been exaggerating.

 +

 Roy, being Roy, checks up on his him in the least subtle way ever: via text, on a Thursday night, as Kaldur’s hunched over a table full of homework, with Conner, Zatanna, and Wally.

 From Roy Harper: So how’s school going, kid?

 He groans immediately, ignoring the curious looks he gets from the others.

 To Roy Harper: I do not know how, or why, but I fully believe you knew Aquaman was going to do this and did nothing to stop it.

 From Roy Harper: Lol paranoid, much?

From Roy Harper: and yeah, i had a hunch, but i thought it would be good for you

 To Roy Harper: I suppose you were not entirely wrong.

 From Roy Harper: mhmm

 To Roy Harper: My apologies. What I meant to say was thank you. Since when are you wise enough to give me good advice?

 From Roy Harper: I’ve always been good at iti, I’m just shit at taking my own advice

From Roy Harper: also i should mention that i offered to let you live with me in star city but the jl didnt go for it

 Wally has just about forgotten his homework by now, seconds away from bouncing out of his seat. “Kal, what is it? Are you okay?”

 “I am fine,” Kaldur says in his best leader voice, and does his best to hammer his face into a neutral expression

 To Roy Harper: You what?

 From Roy Harper: i mean, it would've helped, right? with the loneliness?

 To Roy Harper: Yes, of course. I don’t understand why you didn’t say anything before I already made plans with Batman and Aquaman.

 From Roy Harper: didnt wanna pressure you

 “Oh,” Zatanna stage-whispers, “I know that smile. That means he's talking to Roy.”

 “Oh. Oh, wait, what,” Wally squeaks. “Really, dude?”

 Conner, very impatiently, comments, “If you’re going to be this loud, you can do the rest of my math homework.”

 “In your very best of dreams, Supey.”

 “Then keep it down, Kid Can’t Shut Up.”

 From Roy Harper: gtg, come over soon, we can talk about this later. plus i gotta hear your high school horror stories

From Roy Harper: and see Zatanna’s magic work in person, pics don’t do it justice

From Roy Harper: also, a little birdy told me you go by Curry now?

 To Roy Harper: Goodbye, Roy.

 From Roy Harper: hahahaha

From Roy Harper: see you, kal

 Wally asks again why he’s smiling, and Kaldur, none to gentle, tells him to can it.

 +

 As the weeks go by, he spends most of days at Happy Harbor with M’gann and Conner, and sometimes with Vic, who turns out to be football captain, and takes to Kaldur like a house on fire. His favorite thing, apparently, is to scare the living daylights out of Kaldur by greeting him with a friendly slap on the back of the head by his locker. Kaldur will get used to it, eventually, but he admits his crime fighting instincts kick in every time.

 Just before Thanksgiving break, Vic catches him first thing, while he’s still at his locker with M’gann and Conner before homeroom.

 “Cal! Glad I caught you man,” Vic says, trading his typical head-slap with a fist bump instead. “Listen, the team’s throwing a get-together Friday night. You should come.” He glances to Conner and M’gann, and adds, “All of you. The hell, man, I didn’t know you knew Kent and Megan?”

 “We go way back,” M’gann says cheerily. “And we’d be happy to go to your, um, get-together. Right, guys?”

 Conner shrugs, which everyone at Happy Harbor seems to understand is his way of showing excitement. Kaldur, on the other hand, hesitates for a second too long.

 “Nooo way, you can’t back out on me again. Last time you bailed because of the lamest reason ever, and I only take so many rainchecks before I get personally offended.”

 What Kal doesn’t say is that last time, Sportsmaster had spent a good part of Friday night trying to take his head off via hand-axe. It was a mission that ended with Cheshire kicking him in the face--again--and tossing Robin over the side of a building. It had been spectacularly long night for the team, and he’d just barely remembered to text Vic that he wouldn’t be able to make it after all.

 Instead, he shrugs noncommittally. “I’ll try my best,” he says honestly.

 Vic sighs. “I guess I can take that. But if you bail again you owe me.”

 He catches up to more of the football players after that, leaving Kaldur with M’gann and Conner.

 “You are gonna go, right?” Conner says first.

 “I am not sure,” Kaldur admits. “Victor is friendly, but I do not know the rest of the team, and--”

 “Oh,” M’gann says suddenly, sounding concerned, “Kaldur, are you...nervous?”

 The bell rings before he has to admit to anything.

 +

 Somehow, Zatanna finds out about the party, which means the whole team finds out about the party, via mental communications link, mid-mission.

 “Wait, you were thinking about not going? What the heck, man! If the captain of the football teams says go to his party, you go to his party!”

 “Is now really the time?” Kaldur grunts, trying to deflect a kick to the chest. Wally flashes by, carrying the merc off with him, and adds his two cents on his way out.

 “I say go, man! Live a little, let your hair down. Chillaaaax.”

 “Hey Wally? 2007 called, it wants its slang back.”

 “Don’t hate, Arty, appreciate.”

 “I’d appreciate it if your mouth didn’t move as fast as the rest of you did. On that note, I vote you go, Kal. Remember what I said about being a ladykiller?”

 Kaldur does his best to express a bland expression via thought, which gets a few snickers.

 “I don’t get it, why don’t you want to go?”

 “He’s allowed to have his reasons,” Conner says. And then half-screams and he rips the metal doors of the facility open with his bare hands.

 “Yeah, but what are they?”

 “Enough,” Kaldur thinks in his most threatening command voice. “There is a time and place for civilian discussion, and right now is neither the time nor place. This discussion is indefinitely put aside.”

 According to the team, “indefinite” means “as soon as we get back to base.” Kaldur’s barely out of the shower by the time someone’s knocking on his door, and he’s rushed to throw on a shirt and pants before he opens.

 Somehow unsurprisingly, it’s Zatanna in the hallway, hip cocked and wearing an expression that makes his brow furrow. “Can we talk?” she says, already slipping inside his room.

 She goes straight to his bed and tucks her feet up underneath her, the same way she’s done several times before. Her expression hasn’t changed.

 Sighing, Kaldur closes the door and leans against it. “Zatanna--”

 “No, you don’t get to do that anymore. Make excuses, I mean. Let me know what’s going on, or tell me to get out, just quit trying to hide.”

 After a pause, she too sighs, allowing her shoulders to sag. “I’m not trying to harsh, it’s just that--you’ve been there for me since...I just want to return to the favor. That’s what friends do, Kal. Tell me what’s up.”

 He must have a special talent for getting people to reach their final limits of patience. The air in the room turns uncomfortable, and Kaldur does his best to keep looking at the floor.

 Roy was right. He really isn’t good at this.

 “I am...I have my reservations about attending...for various reasons,” he says stiffly.

 “Are you worried about the charm wearing off? I can give you a backup if that’s the problem.”

 “No, no, Zatanna it is not your magic,” he says firmly. “You have done exemplary work. I have had no problems so far.”

 “Then what’s the problem?”

 Kaldur drums his fingers against the door. “I do not want to put you in an uncomfortable position,” he says. “To ask you to harbor my secrets from the team is….”

 “Dude, just say it already. I pinky swear no one’s gonna hear a word from me.” He hesitates, still, and she groans. “What will it take for you to talk to me? I’ve literally cried myself to sleep on your shoulder, secrets shmecrets. No matter how ugly you think it is, you can tell me. I promise, Kaldur.”

 Kaldur stares at her for a long while. He crosses his arms, visibly hesitant, then says, “I do not know much about how teenagers relate to one another without supervision on the surface world.”

 “Kal--” She stops, her nose scrunching in thought. “Oh, man, are you nervous?”

 Again with that word--Kaldur makes a similar face as he had when M’gann said it, but this time there’s no bell to rescue him from explaining himself. Instead he’s forced to meet Zatanna’s concerned eyes and nod.

 “It is much easier to be with M’gann and Conner than it is to be with other students. They know this,” he gestures to his hands and gills, “and they are comfortable with me as I am. I know the necessity of my ruse, but it makes it...difficult to be as honest as I would like to be. It makes connecting with the other students…”

 He trails off as she slaps a hand to her forehead. “Of course, I hadn’t even thought about it…. M’gann does it so easily, but I should’ve known hiding yourself wouldn’t come as easily to anyone else. And you’re not really used to how regular kids interact and...aw, jeez, Kal. I’m sorry.”

 “It is not your fault.”

 “I know, I know, but….I mean, I suggested this and now I want to help you.” She bites her lip. “It’s part of the problem of balancing two identities. Part of you is always gonna feel like you’re being dishonest. But you’re not. The reality of Calvin Curry is that he’s a transfer kid with an uncle from the area--but he’s also you, he’s kind, and he’s funny, and he’s genuine.”

 Kaldur doesn’t know what to say. He hadn’t been expecting that. He nods, unsurely, and Zatanna invites him to sit next to her.

 “Listen,” she says, “as long as you can show those kids why we all love you, you’ll be fine. The only thing that’s any different is the name you write on your essays. And you can tell people you really trust who you are.” She grins, “That goes for the party, and for us on the team too.”

 “Zatanna…”

 “It won’t be easy, but you’ll get used to it. Plus, you always have M’gann and Conner, and soon you’ll have me too.”

 He runs a hand over his head, trying to let her words sink in and let his guard down at the same time. It’s a similar feeling to going to the Academy in Atlantis; butterflies in the stomach at the thought of meeting so many new people and never knowing how well the interactions would go. But even then, he’d always had Tula and Garth by his side to ease his nerves.

 What Zatanna is saying is the same concept, just different faces, but the trust and familiarity is all the same.

 “Okay,” he says. “In that case, I will attend.”

 “Really? Kal, I wasn’t trying to make you feel like you had to--”

 “I know, I know,” he says. “I merely want to try what you have told me. Call this my leap of faith.”

 He smiles, and she smiles just as brightly in return. Without warning, she throws her arms around in a short but tight squeeze. Perhaps in the past, Kaldur would’ve flinched at the unprompted contact, but he finds himself working an arm around her to warmly return the embrace.

 “And, by the way, nice shirt.”

 He looks down and to his embarrassment, realizes he’d thrown on Roy’s UCLA shirt in his haste to get dressed. Groaning to drown out her snickers, he says, “This did not happen.”

 “I didn’t see anything,” she agrees, still giggling.

 +

 Kaldur, for all his apprehension, needn’t have worried; when he shows up, Vic smiles like it’s Christmas and immediately thanks M’gann for bringing him. “I knew I could count on you, Megan,” he says sincerely. He opens his arms for a hug, which Megan blesses him with, short and quick, and falls to her default by Conner’s side again.

 “Kent, I owe you.”

 “Consider it an early Christmas gift,” Conner replies.

 Vic laughs. “I’ll take it! Y’all come in, it’s cold as shit out there. Drinks in the kitchen, dance floor downstairs, upstairs is off limits.” He throws an arm around Kaldur and squeezes, “Now you’ve gotta meet the team! And Mal, the big guy’s been dying to get me to shut up about you. But first, you need a drink.”

 Vic’s about Kaldur’s size, even though Kal’s Atlantean strength gives him the upper hand, he lets Vic drag him away into the kitchen, where more kids are crowded into a variety of alcoholic drinks lay strewn about the counter.

 “We’re saving our cash for Christmas, that’s when we splurge on the good stuff,” Vic explains. But grabs a beer can and presses it into Kaldur’s hands. “Bottoms up?”

 Kaldur has had alcohol before--America’s drinking age is absurd, by Atlantean standards--but he’s never been big on it. Nonetheless, he cracks the can open and takes a long swig, causing Vic to cheer. “Okay, tough guy, wanna chug? We’ll chug.”

 The beer tastes terrible, unbelievably bad, but Kaldur clinks cans wtih Vic and chugs it anyway. He’s not worried about getting intoxicated--not only is the beer gross, it’s practically water.

 Which is why Vic gets him to chug another without much fight, and then they go off to find the rest of the team. As soon as Victor shows up, at least ten different voices all scream, “STONE!” at various levels of drunkenness.

 Victor laughs smoothly and loudly and points to each team member as he says a name. “Joe Jackson, Nicky Free, the twins Lewis and Thomas Jones--” and he goes on, until Kaldur has more names in his head than he thinks he can list, but he smiles big and friendly at the other boys and they do the same. Another shoves up again him, and Kaldur finds himself dwarfed by a kid with nearly half a foot on him.

 “And this fucking giant is Mal Duncan,” Vic says. “Mallie, quit thundering all over my parent’s place, you’ll bring it down!”

 “Laugh it up, Stone, I’ll bring you down with it,” Mal jokes, as the two pull each other into a quick hug. “Who’s the new guy?”

 “Calvin! Call him Cal. He’s the guy from my Art History class who should’ve joined the team this year, seriously. Don’t look at my like that, Cal, I’ve seen you run outta Wiseman’s class. You float like a butterfly and then some.”

 Kaldur shrugs sheepishly, which gets a laugh out of Mal. “Don’t let him embarrass you too much. Give Stone an inch and he’ll make it a mile.”

 “God, Mal, you sound so much like your old man right now.”

 “And proud of it,” Mal shoots back.

 “Mal’s old man works at STAAR Labs. He’s gonna get me a job there one day, right man?”

 “In your fucking dreams.”

 Kaldur can’t help it--he laughs out loud, both at Mal’s dry tone and Vic’s resulting pout. “Sorry--”

 “Nah, don’t worry about it, Vic knows he’s a joke,” Mal laughs. “And if I catch his ass anywhere near STAAR I’m slapping him into last week.”

 “Vic, you were right,” Kaldur says, “you really do bring out the best in people.”

 Mal belly laughs and Vic punches the both of them halfheartedly, and after that, it’s so much easier than Kaldur thought it would be.

 Too easy, actually.

 One of the cheerleaders shows up with a bottle of some liquor Kaldur can’t name, and before he knows it he’s had more than just a couple of shots, and it’s not until he bumps in Conner that he realizes he has gotten carried away.

 “Kal, are you okay?” Conner’s squinting through the dark to try and see his face.

 “I am fine,” Kaldur lies, with the confidence of someone who has just realized they are drunk. Or at least, buzzed. Which means it’s time to wrap this up; even inebriated, Kaldur’s still aware of his duties as a team leader. And that training tomorrow will be hell, should he wake up sick. “Actually, I think it would be best if we leave soon.”

 “Did something happen?”

 “No, I said I am fine,” Kaldur repeats. “But we have training tomorrow and I still run a team, and if Canary finds out that we missed morning training because of a party, I fear she may actually throw us through a  wall.”

 Conner snorts, but nods in agreement. “I’ll grab Megan. Don’t go too far, okay?”

 “Okay,” says Kaldur. It’s just past 11:00 when he looks at his phone--and then he gets the brightest idea to text Roy. He’d typically be at Roy’s place around this time anyway, if movie night wasn’t an option.

 To Roy Harper: remember that time you told me to let loose?

 From Roy Harper: Kaldur you bastard

From Roy Harper: you did not got drunk without me

From Roy Harper: oh my god you got drunk??

 To Roy Harper: i am not drunk

 From Roy Harper: no proper punctuation? Looks drunk to me

 Kaldur is extra careful to tap out his next message,

To Roy Harper: I am not drunk do not be ridiculous

 From Roy Harper: yeah, bc im the ridiculous one in this situation

From Roy Harper: where are you?

 To Roy Harper: Happy Harbor, with Conner and M’gann.

To Roy Harper: I am safe, mom, thank you for the concern

 From Roy Harper: dear god are you sassing me?

 To Roy Harper: I always sass you.

 From Roy Harper: yeah but you have never in your life admitted to sassing me. This is insane. For my next birthday youre getting wasted and were gonna play 20 questions and then my life will be complete

 To Roy Harper: I will tell you what we will not be doing.

 From Roy Harper: booze makes you a sass monster idk how i feel about this

 To Roy Harper: can you make it to the cave tonigght?

To Roy Harper: tonite

To Roy Harper: *tonight?

 From Roy Harper: i would go to fucking mars rn if i meant i got to see you like this

 To Roy Harper: I changed my mind, you are annoying, stay in Star City

 From Roy Harper: too late, im omw

 “Cal?”

 He looks up to see Vic, smiling sloppily. “Okay, Calvin, I see you. Who’s the girl?”

 “Huh?”

 “The way you’re smiling at your phone? You’ve got a girl, right? Do I know her? Are y’all--”

 Kaldur interrupts with a laugh, pulling Vic into a short hug. “Not a girl, my friend. Maybe I will tell you about it after break.”

 “You’re leaving already?”

 “Unfortunately, yes. Thanks for this, Victor, really.”

 “Hey, man, anytime. You’re fun as fuck, you get along with Mal--you gotta be a saint or something for that. I know moving around sucks, I just want you to know that Happy Harbor’s gonna be the best place you ever lived. I want you to love this place as much as I do.”

 “I think I might be getting there,” Kaldur promises, and Victor’s face lights up.

 “Booyah! That’s what I’m talking about, hornets for life!”

 “Okaaay,” Conner interrupts, getting Kaldur by the upper arm. “Thanks for the party, Victor.”

 “Anytime, Kent! Drag you and your girl to our Christmas shit, yeah? And you too, Curry, I swear to God--”

 “Goodnight, Vic,” Conner says, trying not to laugh, and then maneuvers him and Kaldur out of the house, M’gann not far behind.

 She’s looking at Kal with a funny smile, and loops her arm through his without hesitation. “So, that was fun!”

 She makes a face at Conner, who laughs, and then obediently loops his arm through Kaldur’s other one as well. “Oh, yeah,” he says. “Fun’s the word I would use.”

 “I can walk,” Kaldur says, frowning.

 “Oh, we know.”

 “This is just the only time you’ll ever let us get away with this.”

 Kaldur opens his mouth to argue, but winds up keeping it shut. They’re not wrong.

 +

 M’gann and Conner get him through the zeta-tube in one piece--though it feels much worse with alcohol in your system, Kaldur learns. The Cave’s mostly dark, thank goodness, which means Zatanna’s already in bed and whoever else is staying the night is asleep as well, presumably.

 They finally release his arms and exchange their goodbyes--M’gann kisses him on the cheek and says, “I’m proud of you, Kaldur. And of Calvin Curry. It’s nice seeing you like this.”

 He squints at her. “Under the influence?”

 “Relaxed,” she half-snorts. “I know that wasn’t easy for you but you look like you actually enjoyed it.”

 “I did,” Kaldur says, blinking, surprised by himself.

 “I can tell,” she smirks.

 He’s still functioning a bit slow, but Kaldur connects the dots after a pause. “Wait, is that a joke because I am drunk--”

 “Not to interrupt, but I think you’ve got visitor, Kal,” Conner says, pointing to the couch.

 Where Roy is perched, arms crossed, and trying to hide a smile.

 Kaldur had nearly forgotten about texting him, which had seemed so brilliant at the time, but now that Roy’s sitting here he can’t really make any correct sounding words.

 “Goodnight,” Conner says, voice dangerously close to teasing, and then the two disappear before Kaldur can read it into it.

 Back to Roy. Right. Kaldur just prays he won’t embarrass himself.

 “I did not think you would actually come.”

 Roy has his arms folded over his chest, and he untangles them to wave a hand in the air, as if brushing Kaldur’s words away. “No, it’s actually good timing. I’ve decided to join your team. Like, actually join. I was gonna surprise you guys tomorrow, but no harm done in spending the night.”

 Kaldur, remembering morning training, groans. “I have made a grave mistake.”

 “It’s okay, I’m sure even Batman’s shown up to work with a hangover. It’s happened to the best of us,” Roy smirks.

 Kaldur makes his way towards the couch, maybe a hair too fast and feels his balance suffer for it, and before he knows what’s truly happened, Roy has an arm around his lower back, steadying him, and the other around his shoulders. He is close, Kaldur’s brain supplies unhelpfully. Just...close.

 “I am okay,” Kaldur insists.

 “Course you are.”

 Several moments pass, and Roy doesn’t let him go. And, well, if they’re going to stand around like this--Kaldur shifts, his weight leans into Roy, and he allows his head to drop, ever so slightly, onto Roy’s shoulder. It’s barely anything, and so much all at the same time.

 Roy’s shoulder starts to shake. He’s trying not to laugh.

 “Shut up,” Kaldur snaps.

 “Oh my god, this is amazing. If you wanted to cuddle, you could’ve asked, man.”

 Kaldur scoffs and turns his head, letting Roy’s shoulder cover most of his face.

 “Wait, wait,” Roy wheezes, “don’t hide, lemme look at you. I gotta see Zatanna’s charm...thing at work.”

 He allows Roy to pull him away, take a once over.

 “The team said I was, as M’gann put it, ‘ridiculously handsome.’”

 “Yeah, no kidding,” Roy mumbles. The tips of his ears are flushed pink. “Is it the necklace?”

 “Yes.”

 And suddenly Kaldur feels warm fingers on the back of his neck; Roy lifts the string up and over, and though Kaldur feels no change, he knows he now looks like himself. He’s not sure if that makes the situation better or worse.

 “Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the gills, fishsticks,” Roy smirks as he slips the charm into Kaldur’s pocket.

 “I will not stand for the revival of that terrible nickname.”

 “Would you sit for it?”

 Kaldur makes to object again, but Roy adds, “It’ll be more comfortable for you that way, cuddle monster.”

 So Kaldur sits.

 Roy cracks a smile again, but doesn’t laugh, this time simply gets an arm around Kaldur and squeezes. “As fun as this is, you really have to sleep soon. And drink some water. And brush your teeth, damn, did they give you fucking moonshine?”

 He immediately goes to check his breath, but Roy knocks his hands back down. “Kidding, Kal.”

 “Oh.”

 “Oh my god,” Roy says again, and then Kaldur is pressed closer against him and the two lean back on the couch. It is, as Roy had said, very much a cuddling position. Kaldur belatedly realizes he doesn’t have any idea what to do with his hands.

“So….we need to talk, Kaldur.”

 “I do not like those words when you say them.”

 “No, shut up, I’m allowed to be dramatic too. Now’s obviously not a good time, but once you’re sober we really need to...I just need to tell you something. And we need to figure some stuff out.”

 “Okay,” Kaldur concedes. “Stay here a second longer, though. This is...nice.”

 Roy, for once, does not object.

 +

 The alcohol had made him drowsy, but it also burns through his system very quickly. Kaldur wakes up sluggish, but no headache, thank goodness. But he can tell it’s still early--much earlier than he would’ve liked to wake up--and he’s still pressed into Roy’s side.

 For a moment, he waits, struggling to determine the best course of action to take in the situation. Roy’s arm is around his shoulders loosely, comfortably, as if he could hold Kaldur to him forever. And if Kaldur weren’t so positively panicked, he may have let it happen.

 Instead, he attempts to lift himself up as gingerly as possible. Maybe he can escape this unscathed. Maybe he can retreat to his room, attend training and pretend this had never happened, even though his heart hurts at the very thought. This isn’t anything like his situation with Tula--he would never deny that he loved her, or even that he’d been in love with her, and the heartbreak he’d felt at being rejected was entirely real. But the way his heart breaks right now is from his own self-imposed distance, and the further he pulls himself away from Roy, the worse it gets.

 Kaldur has spent a long while denying himself of the things he wants most, and perhaps that is what causes him to freeze completely against Roy’s chest.

 He huffs, and to his chagrin, feels Roy’s chest rumble with a resounding chuckle. He can’t help that he digs his fingers into the fabric of Roy’s shirt as he pulls himself up enough to see the redhead’s face.

 Roy is smiling, albeit sleepily. It is the softest Kaldur has ever seen his face. He rests his hand on Kaldur’s head, rubbing his short curls, and for second the look between them is pure warmth, uninterrupted and much, much deeper than anything Kaldur ever expected. There’s a certain tenderness Roy allows himself, having just woken up, and he focuses it completely on Kaldur. .

 Just like that, the moment ends; realizing where is, Roy jerks into alertness, pulling his hand away from Kaldur’s hair and instead using it to rub at his own neck, eyes downcast in a rare moment of genuine embarrassment.

 Kaldur is not proud of the small gasp that escapes him when Roy takes his hand away. He lifts a hand as if to reach out to him and pull him back, quietly calling his name at the same time.

 “Roy--”

 “We need to talk--”

 They laugh, a bit awkwardly, and then Roy gestures at him. “You first.”

 Not to say he will ever be truly ready for this, but this as good a moment as any to confess and for once in his damned life, stop torturing himself. “I...There is--”

 Now that he is here, and it has been so long of picturing a similar moment, Kaldur doesn’t actually know what to say. This is not like speaking to his king, or his team. It’s like talking to Roy, and his typical candidness is why it feels so hard to be open right now. He’s never needed to right words to speak to Roy before, but this feels different and he doesn’t want to ruin it.

 “Quit thinking so much,” Roy says, gaze gone softer than usual, but not to the extent it had been when he’d first woken up.

 “I have been told overthinking is one of my worst qualities,” Kaldur says, mouth cotton-dry. Part of him thinks this would be easier if he weren’t still resting on Roy’s chest and looking into his eyes in a moony manner, so he pulls himself into a proper sitting position and steadily ignores how much is instantly misses the embrace.

 “So try not overthinking. Just talk to me.”

 Nodding, Kaldur grimaces. His resolve is already built, but his body has a hard time catching up to his brain. Nonetheless, he pretends like the very breath hasn’t been sucked out of his lungs and steels himself.  “The thing is, Roy, that I have feelings for you...and have felt this way for a while, now. Even when I harbored feelings for Tula. I do not think how I felt towards her was ingenuine, but it was...blown out of proportion,” he admits sheepishly. “I did not know how to tell you, or if I even wanted to tell you.”

 “Wait, why?”

 “Because, Roy, people do not typically react well when their best friend suddenly expresses romantic interest.”

 He winces, because he shouldn’t have been so curt, but Roy laughs, for some reason. “Yeah, you’re right. That’s why I didn’t say anything either.”

 That takes a moment to process. “What?”

 It’s Roy’s turn to look like a wrung piece of cloth. He’s pink around the ears and he explains, “You were heartbroken, for one. And then the mole thing happened--and the school thing happened, and you had your team, and your work cut out for you, and I guess I forgot how to open my mouth.”

 “I--I do not--” Kaldur shakes his head. “Is this why you wanted me to move in with you?”

 “What, so I could pine up close?” he scoffs. “I offered because you are my best friend, and you were clearly hurting, and believe it or not, sometimes people want to do things for you because they want you to be happy. I wanted you to move in with me so you wouldn’t be so damn lonely all the time. Aquaman’s the one who said he had a better idea.”

 Kaldur will decide later how he feels about the king’s meddling--for now, he feels a bit dizzy from how the emotions are running through his head at mock speed. “I would’ve said yes.”

 “I know! Which is why I gotta tell you that I’m-- the whole being into your best friend thing is...hard. Not in a bad way, just in a, I don’t know.” He runs a hand over his hair, not quite making eye contact. “It makes everything so complicated.”

 “Yes, complicated,” Kaldur echoes faintly. “I am all too aware of what you mean.”

 “I never wanted us to be an ‘it’s complicated’ situation, Kal. Half the reason I wanted to talk to you is so I could finally be fucking honest with you.”

 Kaldur’s heart is racing as he swallows hard. “I am sorry I did not say anything sooner.”

 “Shut the whole hell up. Why are you apologizing? When the hell did I complain about your timing? If anything, I’m mad at myself, not you.”

 “But I still--”

 “Still nothing, Kal,” Roy says plaintively, and then, in one seamless, fluid motion, leans forward to kiss him.

 Kaldur wastes no time; he brings his hands up to pull Roy closer, sighing through his nose, and the relief that settles in bones nearly brings tears to his eyes. He has everything he wants, right here on this couch, lips pressed against his. This is absolutely it, as far as he’s concerned. Roy’s returned feelings could keep him going for the next two weeks, sleep be damned.

 Realizing that he’s finally attained the happiness he’s spent so long denying himself of, Kaldur smiles, and does not, for one second, regret a single thing.

[shenanigans-academia]

Sports Festival Arc

Okay so I’ve just decided to talk about each episode individually since so much happens in them and I have a lot of things to say that nobody cares about ANYWAY MOVING ON here you go!

Episode 14: That’s The Idea, Ochaco

•Can we talk about how Todoroki had the prettiest animation in the intro please???

•Aizawa shows up like I LIVED BITCH we love one grumpy crippled old man (reminds me of this English teacher I had who showed up to class after breaking 3 ribs and couldn’t laugh or move and was in visible pain while teaching, Professor Saunders if you ever see this please just take a day off my dude)

•Mido: “Mineta don’t you know how important the Sports Festival is?”

Mineta: “yes but I just don’t want to get MURDERED”

...you know what he has a point

•Jirou to Kami: “most people miss their chance and end up just staying sidekicks. You know what that’s probably what’ll happen to you. You’re kinda dumb” BRUH SHE DIDNT HAVE TO MURDER DENKI LIKE THAT

•Kirishima being so excited for the Sports Festival is so cute I’m gonna cry

•Ojirou and Hagakure are so fucking ADORABLE

•Uraraka getting all pumped up/ ragey and Mineta being ✖️Mineta✖️ and Tsuyu just straight up SMACKING HIM IMMEDIATELY I LOVE HER COLD BLOODED ASS

•“YOUNG MIDORIYA!!!...do you want to eat with me?” I LOVE DADMIGHT

•Todoroki eavesdropping on Uraraka and Iida talking about Mido/All Might: Secret Child Theories activated

Episode 15: Roaring Sports Festival

•SHINSOU SNARKY PURPLE BABY BOY

•TESTUTESTU!!! loving the other classes showing up like fuck y’all 1A bitchass nerds right now honestly

•Kiri stop thirsting for Bakugou when he’s being an ass we get it, you’re gay and love an angry Pomeranian also WHY ARE YOU JUST STRAIGHT UP JUMPING OFF A BUILDING BOI WHAT IS YOU DOIIINNNNGGGGG ROCKS CAN STILL B R E A K

•Todoroki you dramatic hoe I love you but just. Take a nap. “We’Re nOt hEre To MakE FriEnDs” bitch you soft, shut up

•I’m genuinely curious what exactly is Midnight’s quirk? She’s the “R rated Pro Hero” but like...what is it? Is she just Super Sexy? Is it the pheromone thing that makes people think she’s sexy/ feeling aroused? Like what is her power exactly?

•”I just wanna say...I’m gonna win” KACCHAN HONEY WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

•Todoroki freezing EVERYTHING and being unimpressed by the giant robots sweetie you’re so extra

•Birth of Icy Hot Bastard nickname

•Mineta got fuckin MURKED MAN lmao at least he tried

•Mama Midoriya is Best Mom she worries so much

Episode 16: In Their Own Quirky Ways

•KIRI BREAKING THROUGH THE FUCKING ROBOT SCREAMING IM ALIVE HOLY FUCK (Also Testu bursting through too. Intro to the Hard Boi Twins)

•Lets go Sero and Tokoyami!!

•All Might’s little YES watching Mido using the robot part as a launcher for the explosion warms my heart he’s so proud of his boy

•MIDO vs. TODO vs. BAKU YES BITCH ITS THE BOYS

•”THIS JUST IN ERASURE HEAD IS A TERRIBLE TEACHER” “wait wHAT” I love 2 chaotic teachers

•Shiggy you’re gross please invest in some cortisone skin cream it majorly helps my eczema it can help you too sweetie

•”the 1st place winner is worth...10 MILLION” Everybody around Mido: Activate Instant Kill

Midoriya my boy rUN

Episode 17: Strategy, Strategy, Strategy

•”Wait, remind me of your quirks again. And your names” Bakugou I’m gonna kick your entitled ass square up babe

•Kiri we get it you want Bakugou to top you. Also I love how Bakugou’s just like let’s fucKIN GOOO SHITTY HAIR

•Iida I love your dramatic over-energetic ass so much

•”TEAM UP WITH ME PERSON IN FIRST PLACE”

“YOURE SO CLOSE TO ME WHO ARE YOU???” Hatsume please. Take a dozen chill pills

•Ah. There he is. Monoma. Rat Boi 3000. Let’s go babey

•MY FAVORITE BIRD BOYS YAMI AND DARK SHADOW COMIN IN CLUTCH

•Ah. Cue the Daddy Drama

•This game is just Kill Midoriya, huh

•Monoma is a pro monologuer and honestly? I respect that. But then again it doesn’t take much to get Bakugou riled up

Episode 18: Cavalry Battle Finale

•Shouji is a SCARY BADASS and deserves more acknowledgement

•no matter your opinion on him, Monoma is an interesting character and has a REALLY COOL QUIRK

•Endeavor? Just. Shut up

•Bakugou- I am powered by rage and nothing else

•”Has anyone seen Deku?”

Todoroki: tragic backstory time

Episode 19: The Boy Born With Everything

•Yo FUCK Endeavor lives, man

•Mido ”so why did you bring me here”

Todo ”...soooo THIS IS THE STORY ALL ABOUT WHY I’m depressed/ also are you All Might’s secret love child or something?”

•Okay but All Might asking Endeavor on how to raise a powerful child I’m cackling. But the more Enji talks, the more All Might’s just like “what the fuck are you doing to your kid??”

•Todoroki’s whole monologue is literally just him over sharing and rambling about his trauma I love it

•Bakugou why you being such a creep boo

•”He’s like a comic book character” BITCH YOU ARE TOO YOU’RE ALL LITERALLY SUPERHERO TEENAGERS JFC

•Midoriya telling his friends/rivals “I’m gonna beat you” is basically just his equivalent of “I have a crush on you” change my mind

•Kaminari. I’m disappointed in you. I expected the uniforms from Mineta but come on dude

•Ojirou is so PURE long live Tail Boi he is also too under appreciated and he is just. So good

•KIRISHIMA CRYING OVER MANLY MEN I LOVE HIM

•Kendo is best girl Class 1B

•”Uraraka? Who the hells that?” Bakugou don’t be fuKING RUDE

•SHINSOUSHINSOUSHINSOUSHINSOUUUUU

•Midoriya what did Ojirou fucking TELL YOU

EPISODE 20: Victory or Defeat

•Dadzawa activated, time to adopt a Sleepy Boy into the Hero Course

•Complete BAMF Midoriya has been UNLOCKED PEOPLE

•Poor Shinsou when he goes “im used to people thinking I’m a bad guy” I just couldn’t NOT think of Billie Eilish IM SORRY now I have Bad Guy stuck in my head YOU DID SO GOOD BABY IM PROUD OF YOU

•”Spooky IM A GHOST???” God I love All Might

•”Stop rebelling Shouto”

“It’s NoT a PhaSe DaD”

•Todoroki did you have to go so HARD BRUH WHAT THE FUCK YOU DEPRESSED SHOW OFF

Episode 21: Battle On, Challengers!

•Lmao get wrecked Denki

•Mama Kendo to the rescue come get yo kids

•Everyone at Mido, Please. Shut the fuck up and stop being CREEPY

•Midnight. Please stop lusting over your students it’s gross

•Hatsume played Iida like a fiddle and I’m crying baby boy tried so hard

•WE RESPECT OUR ALIEN QUEEN MINA ASHIDO

•Poor Momo

•KIRI vs. TESTU I LOVE HARD BOI TWINS

•Bakubabe you’re so UGLY I can’t why is your face like that

Episode 22: Bakugou VS. Uraraka

•”Pink Cheeks” Bakugou just learn your classmates names it’s not that hard

•Ochaco is so fucking STRONG

•”like I always suspected. Bakugou’s a total sadist” sometimes Mineta is just. Accurate.

•Can we please talk about how Aizawa was just like “The FUCK are y’all talking about Bakugou is doing what he’s supposed to do in these games it doesn’t matter if his opponents a girl or not y’all are DUMB” like THANK YOU AIZAWA

•Mic has no chill I miss him real talk we don’t get enough Present Mic

•”You’re wrong Kacchan” YOU TELL HIM MIDO

•Bakubitch may be a little much sometimes and I get why a lot of people don’t like him but he does understand his classmates ARE also strong and powerful and you know he respects them in his own weird way even though he’ll never admit it

•KIRI WINS THE ARM WRESTLING MATCH THATS MY FAVORITE BOY

•We love supportive parents (Ochaco’s parents. Fuck Endeavor. Just leave these kids aloonnneeeee you asshat)

•MIDO vs. TODO LETS GO BOYYSSS

•”I’m not worried about a couple of kids” you’re clearly not worried about your crusty skin either Shiggy learn some priorities

Episode 23: Shoto Todoroki: Origin

•IT’S SHOUTO TIME YALL

•All that power in one little fucking finger what the FUCK Mido also PLEASE STOP BREAKING YOUR BONES “I’ve only got 6 more chances” well there go your fucking hands my dude

•Aaaaand there goes your arm

•”You haven’t been able to put a single scratch on me yet, Todoroki” you’re doing a pretty good job of that by yourself Midoriya

•Baby Shouto kills me every time IM GONNA FIGHT ENDEAVOR

•IT’S YOURS. YOUR QUIRK NOT HIS. ITS YOUR POWER T O D O R O K I

•SHOUTOOOOOO

•Shouji grabbing Mineta by the leg so that he doesn’t fly away oh my god

•Endeavor and All Might come get y’all kids

•Midoriya’s fuckin dead rest in fucking pieces you masochist

Episode 24: Fight On, Iida

•Okay but why is Endeavor such a fucking Brick House holy fuck absolute unit of pure shit

•”In his first match he looked so sad. I was trying to figure out why...” it’s because you have a crush Mido

•And the first of many scars appears

•Recovery Girl is right and she should say it

•All Might said Quirkless Rights send tweet

•AHH TENSEI NOOOOO

•Highkey completely forgot about Stain OH WAIT THAT MEANS THE INTERNSHIPS ARE NEXT I really forgot the whole timeline wow

•Explosion Boy vs. Shitty Hair I love competitive boyfriends but Jesus Bakugou

•Testu cheering for his new friend tho? That’s the content I love to see

•Legacy Children Battle (Iida vs. Todoroki)

•”I didn’t know he couldn’t kick like that” he is ALL LEGS that’s literally his quirk Denki what do you mean

•Anybody fighting Todoroki: time to drag a Sad Bitch

•TENSEEIIIIIIII

•Bruh why did Iida tense up like that was your phone up your ass dude???

•Yo Stain is ugly as fuck

Episode 25: Todoroki VS. Bakugou

•Lmao Midoriya literally triggered Todoroki into using his Left Side

•And Todoroki triggered Bakugou by asking about his past friendship with Midoriya these boys are a MESS

•oh look it’s a Fucking Fire Gremlin

•BOOM BOOM BITCH THOUGHT YOU’D SEEN THE LAST OF ME HALF AND HALF BASTARD

•oh my GOD Endeavor shut UUPPPP

•Everyone listening to Bakugou go off at Todoroki: ...please seek some therapy

•SUPPORTIVE BOYFRIEND MIDO TO THE RESCUE

•The first time I saw this I highkey thought Bakugou actually killed Todoroki.

•Bakugou going feral for winning I can’t he literally looks like a trapped wolf

•We respect Tokoyami in this house

•About Bakugou ”Look at that face” I’d really rather not

•I’m sorry but Mineta sitting on Shouji’s shoulders is actually adorable

•Iida running through the hospital to his brother: It’s Loss

•I love the Iida Brothers so. Fucking. MUCH

•Shouto I’m so proud of you sweetheart

•Honestly I need more family stuff they’re all so interesting in their own ways and it’s a nice reminder that yes these are just kids and they have lives outside of hero school

SO that wraps up the Sports Festival Arc! I’m going to do the second half of Season 2/ The Internship Arc/ Final Exams all in one post so get ready for another long one ✌🏽

[sprinkleofhappinessuniverse]

When Jo Met Charlie

SPN Rare Pair CC Round: 10 | SprinkleOfHappinessUniverse vs @marunata

Pairing: Charlie x Jo

Prompt: Freezing Rain

Tags/Warnings: freezing rain, Charlie has a cold because of it, Charlie may or may not have a crush, mentions of swearing, not so humble bragging and my not so great writing (yes that's a warning) 

Word Count: 1, 573 

A/N: written for the @rareshipcreationschallenge. Im so sorry for posting after the deadline, this was meant to be posted last night but I had internet trouble! 

Jo basked in the peace that the now quiet roadhouse brung. She found it rather cathartic, quietly cleaning up and listening to the pouring rain batter against the window. There had been reports of nonstop rain all week accompanied by sub zero temperatures. As a result Ellen had dipped into her savings to install a new heating system in the roadhouse, so her staff and customers wouldn't freeze to death.

It had been a long and difficult day for Jo. She would never admit it out loud, managing a bar full of rowdy and loud mouthed people who never learned their please’s and thank you’s was a tedious job and a job Jo commended her mother for effortlessly performing and making it seem like learning the alphabet. Ellen was out of town for a few days and had left her daughter in charge. When Ellen first mentioned she needed someone to make sure the place doesn't burn to crisp, Jo offered her expertise more than eager to play manager and take control, however after today’s events she was seriously regretting it and it was only day one.

Ash needed to be somewhere, Jo wasn't too sure why, he had murmured something along the lines of “I ain't losing no bet.”. Rather than argue or question it she let him go early, which left her to close up by herself.

After putting the chairs on top of the tables, Jo collected a couple of abandoned glasses from a nearby table and put them behind the bar, ready to be washed. She had her back turned away from the door which meant she wasn't able to see who it was that walked in, only hearing the door open and the sounds of footsteps.

She silently cursed herself for not locking up, despite turning the sign on the door to say closed.

“Sorry we’re closed,” she shouted, not bothering to turn around. She expected to receive some sort of snarky, drunken response but was instead met with a series of sneezes. She turned around and did not expect to see a pretty redhead standing there. Her glasses sat on the top of her head, tangled in her hair that had become a sopping mess from the rain. Her blue hoodie hung tightly to her and small water droplets drip off it. She pulled one sleeve over her hand and made a feeble attempt at trying to wipe her nose.

“Dude? Are you okay?” Jo asked hesitantly, not exactly sure what to say to the girl who looked like she had seen hell. The girl held up a finger before sneezing again into her sleeve.

“I’m...fine…” she began, sounding snuffed up. “My car broke down, I got caught in the rain and my phone’s dead. Can I use your phone?”

“Sure,” Jo said, cocking her head to get the girl to follow her into the back room.

“I'm Charlie by the way,” the girl, Charlie, said to her. Jo turned around and quirked an eyebrow. “Uh, I figured, I should at least tell you my name since you're letting me use your phone and all.”

“Jo.” Jo said, earning small smile from Charlie.

The two of them walked into the back room and Jo grabbed her phone, tapping in the passcode and getting her phone app up before throwing it to Charlie. Charlie smiled gratefully before tapping in whatever number she needed to call. Jo decided to make some coffee.

“You know Dean Winchester?” Charlie asked suddenly. When Jo turned around she was met with Charlie holding up her phone, Dean’s called ID on screen. Jo nodded.

“Small world,” she murmured before tapping something on the phone and putting it to her ear. Jo wasn't sure what she meant by that until she heard a voice on the other end and Charlie say “hey Dean, so I kinda have a problem….”, then it clicked into place.

She felt a like she was intruding a little on the conversation so she busied herself by getting out a couple of cups of coffee and starting a pot up. Once he poured the water and started stirring the cup she heard Charlie finish up her conversation. She also didn't miss Charlie quietly say “and Dean, she's super cute, why haven't you introduced me too her?”

She smiled to herself and picked up one of her jackets laying stray on the back of a chair before handing it Charlie, so she was at least wearing something that was dry.

“Are you sure?” Charlie asked.

“Before you catch pneumonia or something, I can't have you dying.” Jo joked earning a smile from Charlie who gratefully took it and put it on. Jo went and grabbed the cups of coffee.

“So you think I'm cute, huh?” Jo said smirking as she turned around and handed a cup of coffee to Charlie. A startled look flashed across Charlie’s face and she blushed furiously. Jo being her ever so helpful self, laughed.

“I didn't--no---I--just, ugh,” Charlie stumbled, rubbing her hand on her forehead. “I'm making a real mess of this aren't I?”

Jo shrugged, lips pursed into a smile.

“It's not every day a pretty girl calls you cute.” Charlie broke out into a full smile and now it was Jo’s turn to blush.

“This is getting super cheesy. Flirting is not as easy as it looks on TV, Buffy didn't have this much trouble.” Charlie joked.

“Seriously, Buffy?”

“Buffy is like, one of the greatest female badasses of all time,” Charlie argued. Jo held her hands up in surrender.

“You're a real TV nerd huh?”

“Don't judge.” Charlie murmured before taking a sip of her coffee.

“Did Dean say how long he'd be?” Jo asked, after a few minutes if the two of the, drinking.

“Probably twenty minutes.” Charlie shrugged. “If you don't me gatecrashing here until then.”

“Sure, keeps me company I guess.” Jo replied, casually, as though it was no biggie having Charlie Around. However, on the inside, Jo was glad she didn't blush easily. In the ten minutes she had gotten to know the vivacious girl she had decided she liked her. Jo didn't warm up right away to those close to her, let alone a stranger. The two fell into a semi awkward silence and Jo tried to think of something to do until Dean came. “You any good at pool?”

“Why? You wanna play?” Charlie asked, a slight smirk teased at the corner of her lips. “I gotta warn you though, i’ll probably kick your ass.”

Jo snorted before standing up.

“Okay, you're on.”

The two walked back into the the main area  of the roadhouse. Jo walked over to pool tables and started to chalk up the cues. Charlie managed to land her eyes on the jukebox and began browsing through the various songs.

“I can definitely see why you and Dean are friends,” Charlie shouted over her shoulder. “AC/DC, Guns N Roses, a lot of Led Zep, is Classic Rock the only genre you have?”

“Shuddup and pick something already.” Jo chided. Charlie chuckled and put on A Whole Lotta Love before making her way to the pool table.

“So if I win and by if I mean When, I get to make you one of my own made drinks.” Charlie said. Jo quirked an eyebrow.

“Seriously? You’re gonna make drinks for the girl who works in a bar?”

“Just what until you try it. It's something of...an acquired taste.”

“Okay fine. And if I win, you have to help me run this place tomorrow.”

“You get drinks and I get labour,” Charlie pouted before sticking her hand out to Jo. Jo shook it. “Fine.”

“You ready to lose, red?” Jo remarked smugly.

“I'm your dreams.”

Neither girls expected the other to be so competitive. There was swearing, cursing and a lot of victorious fist pumps. Additionally, neither girls excepted to quite grow so close to together, despite it knowing each other for less than an hour.

It was the sound of Dean’s voice that broke the giggling and shoulder nudging.

“You guys didn't invite me to the slumber party. Did I miss the naked pillow fight?” He teased. Jo flipped him off. His eyes flickered between the two of them before breaking out in a knowing smirk. Both of them rolled their eyes.

“I’ll wait in the car Charlie, and i’ll pick your car up tomorrow.” He said waving them off and walking out.

“Good game.” Charlie said once dean had left.

“We still don't know who won.”

“Well, i’ll save you my terrible drinking making skills but I'll still help you out tomorrow. I mean if you want me too?”

“You wanna help out?” Jo crossed her arms.

“Sure, I guess I kinda liked spending time with you.” Charlie shrugged. Jo could feel herself blush and shifted her gaze to her feet.

“I liked spending time with you too. I guess.” She replied, her cheeks heating up under Charlie's gaze. Charlie leaned over and ever so softly kissed her cheek.

“Guess i’ll see you tomorrow.” Charlie said as she pulled away. She raised her hand in the Vulcan Salute. “Peace out.”

Yep, Jo definitely had a crush.

[hopelikethemoon]

Dinner With Friends (Javier x Reader) {MTMF}

Title: Dinner With Friends Rating: PG-13 Length: 3500 Warnings: Family Fluff and extremely mild angst.  Notes: You can find the Maybe Today, Maybe Forever Timeline here. And release order here. Set in January 1998. Shout to the one and only Tiernan for supplying the twist in this chapter.  Summary: Reader and Javier host the Murphys for dinner.

Taglist:  @grapemama​  @seawhisperer @huliabitch @pedropascalito @rogrsnbarnes @thewallpapergoesorido @twomoonstwosuns @gooddaykate @livasaurasrex @ham4arrow @hiscyarika @plexflexico @readsalot73 @hdlynn @lokiaddicted @randomness501 @fioccodineveautunnale  @roxypeanut @just-add-butter @snivellusim @amarvelousmandalorian @lukesrighthand @historynerd04 @mrsparknuts @synystersilenceinblacknwhite @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @exrebelshocktrooper @awesomefandomsunited​ @ah-callie​ @swhiskeys​ @lady-tano​ @beskar-droids​ @space-floozy @cable-kenobi​ @longitud-de-onda​ @cool-ultra-nerd​ @himbopoes​ @findhimfives​ @pedrosdoll​ @seeking-a-great--perhaps​ @frietiemeloen​ @arrowswithwifi​ @random066​ @uncomicalhumour​ @heather-lynn​ @domino-oh-damn​ @cyarikaaa​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​ @im-still-a-pieceofgarbage @ksgeekgirl​  @yabby-girl @xqueenofthecraziesx @punkass-potato @coredrive @pascalesque @theduchessofkirkcaldy @queenquazar (if I forget to tag you, I’m sorry)

“Stevie!” You called out when she started barking loudly — Josie had ensnared her into a game with Olivia and Emily and her patience seemed to be wearing as thin as your own. 

“Did you really have to name her Stevie?”

Steve questioned, shaking his head slowly as he leaned against the kitchen counter and watched you press the button on the top of the lettuce spinner. 

“I love Stevie Nicks.”

He pointed at you, “And that is bullshit.”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re just jealous that Sofía isn’t Stevie.” 

Steve glared, “Well if it starts with ‘S’.” 

“I’m sorry, do you have an issue with our daughter being named for Javier’s late mother?” You questioned, folding your arms across your chest briefly, before you emptied out the tossed lettuce into a larger bowl. 

“Not when you put it that way.” Steve huffed, shaking his head as he took a swig of beer. “How are… things going?”

You glanced over your shoulder at him, “The drought was quenched almost five months ago. Thank God.” 

Steve blanched, “I don’t need to know about that.”

“You asked.”

He narrowed his eyes, “About how things are going.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. 

You laughed, shrugging your shoulders. “I’m doing better. There’s still difficult days, but I work through them.” You chewed on your bottom lip. “And Javier is good at helping me.”

“He’s always been more than willing to give you a hand.” Steve said with a slow shake of his head. “The two of you were inseparable.”

You felt a faint blush rise to your cheeks. “I know. And we still are.” You grabbed a handful of freshly washed radishes and started cutting them down into smaller pieces for the salad. “He’s still just as stubborn about everything.”

“Shit. Isn’t he?” Steve snorted, rocking his head to the side.”I don’t know how you put up with that grumpy son-of—“

“Mommy!” Josie called out from the threshold of the kitchen. “Mommmmmy.”

You sat the knife aside and turned back to look at her, hands on your hips. “What’s up?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Dinner is almost ready.” You assured her. “Why don’t you go check on daddy outside?”

“Okay mommy.” Josie beamed at you. “Does daddy have sissy?”

“Aunt Connie does, rugrat.” Steve told her, “She’s out in the backyard with your father.”

“Thank you.” She said politely before leaving through the back door, followed by Emily and Olivia. 

“She gets away with everything doesn’t she?”

“With Javier? Oh, yeah. I’m the strict parent. Always.” You shook your head with a laugh. You didn’t actually mind filling the role of the strict parent, mostly because Javier was a marshmallow of a father.

“I wouldn’t have guessed that.” He remarked as he took a drink of  his beer, “You’ve always been the fun one. Javier? I didn’t know that fun was in his vocabulary.”

You rolled your eyes, “For the record, he was actually very fun in Colombia.”

“Really?” Steve gave you a skeptical look. “I think that might be the rose colored glasses talking.” He gestured to you with the bottle. “You were the positive influence he needed.” 

“Yeah,” You agreed. “He would’ve worked himself to death, if I hadn’t been there.” You scooped up the radishes you’d cut, tossing them into the bowl of lettuce. “Can you get the croutons out of the oven?”

“Look how fancy you are. Making homemade croutons.” Steve teased as he grabbed an oven mitt and pulled the pan out of the oven. 

“Josie will only eat a salad if there’s croutons in it.” You explained to him. “Javier hates the store bought croutons.” You grabbed the carton of cherry tomatoes, flipping the plastic lid up so you could rinse them off under the sink. 

You glanced back towards the backdoor as it slid open, a parade of tiny humans reemerging, followed by Connie and Javier. 

“Hot food, coming through.” Javier warned, clicking his tongue against his teeth to get the girls to move faster. “Come on kiddos.” He shooed them out from under foot as he veered towards the kitchen counter and sat the two plates of grilled burgers down. “Ever try to keep three girls away from a grill?”

You pursed your lips thoughtfully as you turned to face him, tilting your head to the side. “I tried it once, which is why I sent them out to you.” You grinned at him.

“It’s fucking hard.” He chuckled before he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to your lips. “Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome.” You used the dish towel and swatted him in the ass with it. He caught you by the belt loop as you stepped past him, pulling you in for another kiss.

“Need any help?” Connie questioned as she cradled Sofía to her chest, looking between the two of you. 

You shook your head, “You brought the potato salad and you’ve kept her occupied so I could get everything else ready.” 

“Do you have ranch?” She questioned as she looked towards the bowl of salad, “It’s the only way we can get Olivia to even humor eating something green.” 

Javier nodded, “Josie likes it on broccoli.” He stepped around you and pulled open the fridge to grab the bottle of ranch, as well as the other salad dressing options. 

“How do you get her to eat raw broccoli?” Connie questioned. “It’s an uphill battle to get anything green into the girls.” 

“Josie likes food.”

You rolled your eyes, “Josie will eat anything Javier asks her to eat.” 

He shrugged, “It’s true.” 

“I wish Steve had that effect on the girls.” Connie laughed softly, “He can get them to eat plenty of candy.”

You snorted. “He loves his Werthers.” 

She widened her eyes dramatically, “I swear to God, every pocket is full of wrappers!” 

Javier clicked his tongue against his teeth, “Should’ve done the patch, rather than going cold turkey.” 

“That would make sense,” Connie made a face. “Oh well.” She bounced Sofía in her arms as she started to wake up, “Did you see California is set to ban smoking inside bars?”

“They’ll just ignore it,” You countered, grabbing a tray and putting the salad and the salad bowls on it. “But it’s progress.” 

The three of you headed into the dining room, where Steve had managed to corral the girls into their chairs. 

“I don’t want a burger, mommy.” Josie complained as Javier sat the plate of burgers down on the table. 

“You’re not eating a burger, babydoll. You’re having a soy one with me.” You promised her, pointing to the second plate that contained two burgers that were considerably thinner than the actual hamburgers. 

“I want chicken.” 

“Princesa, you’re eating what we made for you.” Javier warned her, sitting down beside her, across the table from you. 

“Do we have everything?” 

“French fries?” Olivia questioned.

“Your mother made potato salad,” Steve told her, pointing to the Tupperware tub. 

You sat down beside Connie, taking Sofía from her so you could get her settled into her highchair beside you. You used your fork to grab a potato out of the dish of potato salad, plopping it onto Sofía’s highchair tray. You smashed it up with the fork, “You wanna try a bit of potato?”

Sofía seemed skeptical. She reached down and squished the potato between her fingers. 

You tapped your finger against your lips, “You eat it, sunshine.” 

Sofía gurgled and threw herself back against her seat, smearing the potato all over her face.

“Close enough.” Javier chuckled, shaking his head as he slathered mayonnaise on a bun for Josie. 

“More!” She urged, hanging on his arm. 

“Josie.” You gave her a look across the table. 

Sofía kicked her feet against the highchair as she leaned over and tried to reach the tub of potato salad that was well outside of her reach. “You like that?” You questioned, grabbing another potato and putting it on her tray, smashing it up for her again. 

She dramatically hummed her delight. 

“Look at that, she’s not always a grumpy baby.” Steve remarked with a short laugh. “I worried she was a carbon copy of her father.” 

Javier glared at him, subtly flipping him off so Josie couldn’t catch him.

You worked on fixing your own burger, glancing around the table to make sure everyone had what they needed. You really hated playing host. An ideal situation was a box of pizza thrown in the center of the table for everyone to fend for themselves. But Steve and Connie were such gracious hosts, you felt like you had to do the same. 

Javier had lived on grilled cheese, whiskey, and cigarettes for the majority of his bachelor years. He wasn’t one to complain. He wasn’t actually half bad in the kitchen when he put a little effort into it. 

“How’s things at the hospital?” Javier questioned Connie in between bites of burger. 

Connie grabbed her napkin and wiped her mouth off before answering, “Good. I’m not working as many double shifts as I was there for a while. I’ve actually had days off that felt like days off. No catching up on sleep.” 

“With my transition out of the DEA, it’s been nice to have her around more.” Steve added. “Hun, did you tell her about that lady you’re working with?”

You arched a brow, looking at Connie expectantly. 

“Oh! I totally forgot,” She laughed, taking a sip of water before she continued. “We’ve got a new medical social worker working on the floor that looks so much like you. I did a double take the first time I saw her. Do you have a secret younger sister?”

“Nope.” You shook your head, reaching for your bottle of beer and taking a swig. “Is my doppelgänger nice at least?”

“An absolute sweetheart.” Connie said with a grin, taking another bite of her burger before adding, “She’s actually from Medellín.”

Javier dropped his fork, causing it to clamp against his plate. You shot him a curious look, a brow arching upwards. 

“Colombia?” He questioned, taking a drink of beer to keep from choking on the bite of burger he’d swallowed nearly whole. 

“Is there another one?”

Steve cleared his throat, “You hadn’t mentioned she was from Colombia.” He looked between you and Javier with a knowing look. 

“I believe she came here as a political refugee. I didn’t ask for specifics.” Connie shrugged, “Why?”

The look on Javier’s face made the lightbulb come on. Holy shit. 

You leaned an elbow against the table, turning towards Connie. “Her name wouldn’t happen to be Elena, would it?”

Connie’s brows shot upwards, “Yeah! Wait — do you know her?”

“Some of us better than others.” Steve muttered under his breath, much to Javier’s horror. 

“Yeah.” You nodded your head slowly, “She was great. I’m glad she’s gotten herself out of that situation.” You looked towards Javier then, smiling a little. “I guess that promise of safety had follow through.” 

Javier rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, “I had no idea she was in Miami.” 

“It’s fine, Javi.” You assured him, “It’s a small world.” You watched him as he nodded his head slowly, staring down at his plate of food. Of all the people that the two of you had known in Colombia ⁠— the sheer irony that Elena had made her way to Miami was… something else. 

“I feel like I’m missing something.” Connie remarked, looking between the three of you curiously. “What am I missing?”

“Not in front of the kids.” Steve stated with a shake of his head. 

“Daddy, you gotta eat your veggies.” Josie said sweetly, pushing the bowl of salad towards Javier. “Don’t you wanna be big and strong like me?”

“Of course I do, princesa.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Javier, it’s fine.” You said firmly, shifting in your seat so you could brush your foot against his leg beneath the table. “Don’t get yourself bent out of shape over this.”

“I’m not getting ‘bent out of shape’.” He shot back, pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek as he stared at you. “I just can’t believe… of all the cities.” 

“What am I missing?” Connie questioned, nudging you in the arm.

You sighed, chewing on the inside of your bottom lip. “Elena was one of Javi’s informants. When was that?” ‘89 to ‘92?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Steve agreed with you, pushing his potato salad around on his plate. 

Javier was so tense you could see the corded muscles of his throat as he stared straight ahead at you. 

“So she was an informant informant?” Connie questioned, brows furrowed as she looked towards you.

“Yeah.” You nodded, “And it’s not nearly as big of a deal as Javier is acting like it is.” 

Javier raked his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily as he sank back in his chair. He scratched at his lightly scruffy jaw, not quite meeting your gaze as he looked across the table at you. “It’s a big deal to me.” 

Connie looked between the two of you, “I really didn’t mean to start something.” 

“You didn’t.” You assured her, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Hey Javi, did you leave the grill on?” 

He gritted his teeth together before he gave a stiff nod, scooting his chair back and getting up from the table. 

“Daddy, where are you going?” Josie asked with her mouth full of her burger.

“Daddy left the grill on.” Javier offered, meeting your gaze as you got up from the table. 

“Uh-oh!” Josie said with a sing-song voice, entirely oblivious to the situation. 

“We’ll hold the fort down,” Steve promised you as you followed Javier through the kitchen and out the backdoor into the yard. 

He walked a few paces ahead of you, before he stopped with his back to you. You considered staying rooted to the spot where you stood, but instead you moved towards him and curled your arms around his middle, resting your cheek against his back. “Javi,” You started, trying to keep your voice steady. “This is such a non-issue.” 

“For you.” He retorted, resting his hands over yours. “I feel like every time we take one step forward, something happens that sets us back. Every fucking time, baby.” 

“But it’s a non-issue,” You assured him, squeezing him a little tighter. “I liked Elena the handful of times we worked together. I’m thrilled that she’s thriving. Hell, I’m glad she’s here. Miami isn’t so bad.” 

Javier turned in your embrace, his hands settling at your hips. “I didn’t know she was here.” 

“I didn’t think you did.” You reached up and cupped his cheek, brushing your thumb over the rise of his cheekbone as you met his gaze. “Look, I know that’s a period of history you’re not particularly fond of, but… It doesn’t bother me. At all.” You tilted your head to the side, “I thought we were working past this.” You gestured between the two of you. “There’s no other shoe waiting to fall.”

His Adam’s bobbed as he looked down at you, “I just can’t fucking believe she’s in Miami.” He shook his head slowly. “Of all the goddamn places.”

“I think she had a cousin here.” You recalled, “Shit, that was a long time ago.”

Javier nodded his head in agreement, “Yeah.” He ran his hands over your hips slowly, “Last time I saw her was right after you told me…” 

“Did you tell her?” Your brows furrowed. 

“I did, yeah.” He recalled, “I mean she knew about you…”

“I know she did.” You reached you and played with the hair that sat against his forehead. “I thought you didn’t tell anyone.”

He shrugged a shoulder, “It slipped out. I figured it didn’t really matter that she knew. She was happy for us.”

You smiled fondly, “I think we should meet up with her.”

“What?”

“Catch up, see how she is…”

“Baby—“

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” You raised your eyebrows. “Hell, she might not even want to see either of us.” You shrugged your shoulders. “I just think it’s too ironic that she’s working at the same hospital as Connie.” 

“I’m not going.”

“That’s fine, I’ll go then.” You rose up on your toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “You need to stop worrying so much, Javi.” You brushed your nose against his as you raked your fingers through his hair at his temples. “I trust you.” 

Javier curled his arm around your waist, keeping you close to him. “What’d I do to deserve you, baby?” 

“Still trying to figure that one out.” You teased, kissing the tip of his nose. “Come on. Connie’s going to be stressing that she’s single-handedly destroyed our relationship if we don’t get back inside.”

“She was mortified.” He chuckled.

“Not nearly as much as you were.”

“I was praying for the earth to open up and swallow me whole.” 

You rolled your eyes. “You felt that way in the sex sho—”

Javier cut you off, covering your mouth with his hand. “Don’t.” He warned you. 

You poked him in the stomach and when he didn’t remove his hand, you swept your tongue over the palm of his hand. That worked. He quickly pulled his hand away, wiping his hand off on the front of his jeans.

“If you want to shut me up, you’re going to have to wait until we’re alone.” You told him, putting your hands on your hips, before walking backwards towards the back door. “But until then, we have guests to entertain.” 

“It’s just Steve and Connie.” Javier followed after you, his arms crossed across his chest. 

“Who are guests we’re entertaining.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “And you’re going to finish your food, otherwise Josie is going to believe she can skip dinner too.” 

“Fine.” He huffed quietly, shaking his head as he slid the sliding door shut behind him. “But we’re dropping this conversation. I don’t wanna talk about an informant in front of the girls.” 

You gave a mock salute, “Sure thing.” 

Javier caught you by the belt loop, pulling you towards him. “I mean it.”

“I’m not going to bring it up again.” You promised, curling your fingers around the back of his neck. “As much as I love torturing you I’m not cruel, Javier.” 

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to your forehead, “Thank you.” 

You smiled up at him, “No ‘thank yous’ needed, babe.” You took his hand into yours, interlacing your fingers as he headed back for the dining room. Steve and Connie had managed to keep the kids entertained in your absence. 

“She’s had about a full little potato.” Connie told you as she gestured to Sofía, “I think most of it got into her mouth.” 

“She gets really into her food.” You chuckled, releasing Javier’s hand as you both returned to your own seats. 

“Where’d you go daddy?” Josie asked, tilting her head to the side as she licked the dressing off a piece of radish, only to dip it into her salad bowl again. 

“Like I told you,” He reached over and smoothed his hand over the top of her head. “I left the grill on.” 

Connie gave you a wary look as you picked up your burger and took a bite. “So…”

“Everything’s fine.” You assured her, looking towards Steve then, “So have you heard any rumors in the DEA about the article?”

“Oh, I have.” He pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek and shook his head. “I hope you don’t plan on looking for a job in the federal government.” 

You feigned offense, “If I ever did, you’d know I had been abducted by aliens.” It was still bizarre to consider that you had spent so much of your early adulthood working towards a role in the very institution you wanted to pull down. 

“Baby, you know I have a class of students that would love to see you teaching.” Javier pointed out, beaming with pride. “End of last semester, I had her come in and give a lecture for the department.” 

You rolled your eyes, “It was a fifteen-minute talk.”

“With a forty-minute question and answer section.” Javier insisted, his eyes meeting yours with an adoration that warmed your heart. 

“I would only disappoint them,” You licked a drop of mayonnaise off your thumb as you sat your soy burger back down. “They already think you’re a tyrant when it comes to papers and grading.” 

Steve laughed, “Isn’t that because you do most of the marking for him.”

“And I go easy on them.” You grinned. “My teachers didn’t take any corners with me and I worked my ass off to get here.” 

“I don’t know if I can picture you as a teacher,” Connie said, giving you a once over. “No, I can’t.”

“Thankfully,” Javier started with a teasing tone. “They’re college students and not children.”

“And what does that mean?” You questioned, looking in between the two of them. “I am a delight.” 

“You certainly lectured us a lot. Back in the day.” Steve joined in. 

“Was I wrong?” 

“Rarely.” He agreed. 

“Well, we can't all be Professor Peña, now can we?” You quipped, nudging Javier’s foot under the table. 

He scratched at his jaw, shaking his head. “No, we can’t.”

“But I’m always interested in dropping in to torment you and Monica.”

“Do the other students know that you’ve all but adopted her?” Steve questioned. 

You started to answer, but Olivia was quick to announce, “I’m adopted!” 

Josie turned towards Javier, “Am I adopted?” 

“No princesa, you weren’t adopted.” Javier assured her as she grabbed at his arm. 

“Was sissy adopted?”

“No. Remember your mommy grew her in her belly?” Javier reminded her, giving Connie a sympathetic smile, before his eyes flickered towards your face. “Out of the mouths of babes.” 

“Seriously.” You laughed as you shook your head, reaching for your beer. “To answer your question, no. They don’t know.”

“Trying to keep things unbiased.” Javier explained as he scooped Josie into his lap, much to her delight. “She actually earned herself a B- on a test this week she should’ve aced.”

“You didn’t tell me that.” You frowned. “Why?”

“Her attentions a little stretched right now.”

“Of course it is.” You rolled your eyes, “Oh to be young and in love.” 

“Old and in love isn’t too bad, is it?” He countered with a wink.

You grinned, “It’s pretty good too.”