#like everyone else - don’t give a shit about torture… Bad. an actual demon - feeds man snacks and gives blueprints to help free him and

[bleue-flora]

Okay, sorry for random thought, but does anyone else find it interesting that Badboyhalo is a demon and yet is one of the characters with the most humanity?…

[xhaotixaesthetica]

Guardian Witch!Hyunjin

Starlink Intergalactic Navigator

You are in: a genetic mutation of The Fantasia Star System 

TRIGGER WARNING: one mention of groping, one mention of a creepy man luring kids in a van, some sexual themes

man this is gonna fuck me up so hard but lezzgettit i need to stop reading jae’s tweets

idk how it works in y’all’s universe, y’all got some weird shit going on that one dude, trump? WILDT

but here in CS2001, witches are a subcategory of demons, so basically you got a guardian demon trailing after you 24/7

guardian witch! hyunjin looks like the above picture, his eyes are like that constantly, but whenever he works any kind of magic, his irises glow

hyunjin is not a subtle bitch and he works magic pretty much 24/7 so either they’re normally constantly glowing or flashing like a fucking neon sign

once when y’all were cuddling and he was staring up at the ceiling, his eyes were just constantly glowing and when you asked about it he said, “I’m protecting you.” all casual like he does this shit all the time which he does sis do you know how many shields and protection spells are around your fucking house

crying rn, where can i get me a guardian witch! hyunjin

hyunjin is v young, esp for a demon, he’s the same age as you, but all the other demons are fucking terrified of him and they never tease him about it except his eight other crackhead demon friends

boy knows some powerful magic, some neutral, some light, and some very very dark

no one outwardly knows if he’s ever offed someone but he never gives a straight answer to the question, only this smug little smirk, and he knows a little too much about some very disturbing curses and torture devices

this is not to say that he’s a bad person, he’s not, he’s like the chaotic good type

because the only people that end up on his shit list are the people who deserve it

that dude who groped you without your consent when you were 13? yeah no one knows what happened to him, hyunjin don’t fuck with that sexual assault shit

the creepy dude in the white van trying to lure kids in that hyunjin happened to spot when he was walking you home from school one day? yeah, he’s missing and a bunch of previously missing kids were recovered the next day

he’s not like a vigilante or an antihero, boy spends most of his time with you anyways, but this shit is everywhere and if he sees it, he’s gonna put a stop to it

there was no big event where you came home and saw him chilling on your bed and threw him out the window in fear if i saw hyunjin’s fine ass on my bed after i came home from school, i’d probs cry and need a bowl of cereal to cope

he was just kinda always with you

demons are notoriously bad parents so when his mom had him, bitch just kind of dipped and he was assigned to you

witches don’t eat, not like humans anyways, they feed off energy, what kind of energy depends on what kind of witch it is

guardian witches feed off the life energy of their person, so as long as you’re alive he is too

growing up, your parents were no stranger to the name hyunjin cause you talked about him constantly but they thought he was just an imaginary friend till you were like seven and hyunjin started his drum faze and he was “drumming along” to linkin park on your father’s office desk at 3am

now they just don’t comment when shit starts floating around the house or you scream at them when they try to sit in a spot where hyunjin’s already sitting

he can actually appear to people if he chooses to, he just likes fucking with your parents, this dumbass thinks their reactions are funny

two of hyunjin’s dumbass demon friends, these little assholes named minho and jisung like to hang around your house and eat all your fucking food, EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE FUCKING WITCHES AS WELL AND DON’T NEED FOOD

they hang around your house constantly, it’s like they live there

it’s lowkey a battle for who can get hyunjin’s attention

now onto YOU and hyunjin

boy is WHIPPDT

he low-key follows you everywhere, not like a stalker, he’ll just find an excuse to go anywhere you go

claims it’s cause you need protection, when really he does, cause this bitch is ready to throw hands at any single loud noise

you and hyunjin are a couple but were best friends long before that and it fucking shows

knows all your orders from every single restaurant, but he doesn’t order it, he just pops it into existence cause he’s lazy and he doesn’t like the way the cashier checks you out when you guys go

jinnie takes his job as your guardian WAYY too seriously

you ain��t going outside in late fall without a jacket, you better be wearing short sleeves in summer, no standing around in the rain you might get sick, ANYONE messes with you at school, you gotta tell him so he can kick their asses

some things hyunjin doesn’t have a solution for but he’ll just be by your side for it and it’s so calming. you got a test? he’s sitting beside you both while you study and while you take it lowkey trying to help you cheat, you might have to hit him a bit or accept his help and cheat, do what you gotta do sis, you won’t need that info later on anyways

you gotta come out to your parents? boy’s right there rubbing circles on your hand with his thumb

you gotta give a speech? he’s in the audience with a foam finger and a fucking banner with your name on it, trying to be stupid and make you laugh

supportive in the most tsundere way

“ooh, that looks cool” he says nonchalantly, looking your talent show dance and pretending like he didn’t just finish putting  up flyers for the show, highlighting your name and crossing out the other contestant’s names and drawing mustaches on them and acting like it was just your fucking solo performance basically

the. CLINGIEST. BABY.

“y/n can we cuddle i had a nightmare :(”

“jinnie....it’s noon and you don’t sleep”

“ >:( HOLD ME YOU DUMB BITCH”

despite how he acts and how clingy he is, this boy is so fucking tsundere and actually quite shy

his eyes glow when you hold his hand cause he still has to perform a silent spell to keep himself from blushing

he pretends to be all aloof when his friends are over

“y/n don’t hold my hand, you have two for a reason, hold your own”

this is said WHILE he’s crawling into your lap and literally drinking from the same cup as you

he’s not reserved about PDA around other demons who aren’t his friends, boy wants them to know you’re taken

“jinnie, what are you doing why are your eyes glowing?”

“i don’t like the way that asshole was looking at you”

“but your eyes only glow when you— HWANG HYUNJIN DID YOU JUST MAKE ME INVISIBLE?!”

“don’t worry we both are”

whenever hyunjin feels really REALLY strongly (anger, lust, happiness, doesn’t matter as long as the emotion’s really really strong), his eyes will glow completely green iris, pupil, sclera the white part for you uneducated bitches, and all

you’ve only seen this happen three times (minus when you have sex, boy’s eyes go green quicker than you can get him on the bed)

the first time was when y’all were fifteen and he realized he loved you

it was stupid, you were literally just about to fall asleep and he was playing with your hair and looked down and was like wow, i would really die for this moron

and his eyes glowed green and he just poofed out of your room and you didn’t see him for two days it was like that video of that cat that ran in and said i love you and then zoomed off real confused cause they couldn’t handle their emotions

the second time was when y’all were 17 and you were the first to say i love you

he. literally. started. crying.

I MEAN BLUBBERING, YOU HAD TO CALM HIM DOWN

cause he still has doubts that anyone could ever really love a demon and he thinks that you’re amazing and you could get any guy you want but you fell for him? that shit just got to him man, he wouldn’t stop saying i love for for like three hours

fight me you dumb bitch, you’re literally a fucking god and you deserve all the love in the world

can y’all tell i love hyunjin, i love hyunjin so fucking much :(

and the third time was when an angel tried to get you to ditch him

they do this shit a lot actually, they don’t agree with the idea of any sort of demon being a guardian so they try to get the human to break the bond and get a guardian angel

and this angel was bold, he walked up to you when hyunjin was right there, the nerve of him >:(

hyunjin’s eyes glowed green as soon as he realized what was happening

“you have three seconds to get the hell away from my human before we have a fucking problem”

he fucking growled the words out

ngl, it was hot, you’d never really seen hyunjin this mad before 

the angel was scared af

yall went home and fucked after, for a loooong time

if you ever want to get hyunjin riled up, call him hyunjin instead of jinnie

his eyes glow green and he does that thing that people do where they like close their eyes and roll their neck around, trying to release the tension from their shoulders and keep themselves under control idk if you know what i’m talking about but it’s so dom, jimin from bts did it once and i think i had a spasm

“yes baby?”

and he’s looking down at you really intensely, like you’re something to eat

you can always tell when he’s in the mood either cause his eyes are glowing or suddenly your name has switched from y/n, love, sweetheart, and loser to baby or prince/ess

MOVING ON

jinnie has an animal form

it is, you guessed it, A SAMOYED DOG

except his fur is as black as his hair and he’s kinda VERY big for a samoyed, and his eyes are green

people who know what samoyeds are and are supposed to look like are kind of freaked out when they see him but everyone else just coos over how cute he is cause he is

he’s a very happy pup, actually likes for you to walk him and take him to the dog park and shit

doesn’t like leashes, but he’ll never admit that he actually likes wearing the collar with your name on it

“i just don’t see why i have to wear it y/n”

“jinnie, you don’t, you made me buy it”

“it’s not like if i can’t find my way home or teleport if the pound picks me up”

“that’s what i said before you made me buy it”

*dramatic sigh* “if you insist, just put the damn thing on so i can go play”

“jinnie, you don’t have to wear it, i really don’t care—”

“ >:( YOU’D BETTER CARE, JUST PUT THE STUPID COLLAR ON Y/N, DON’T MAKE ME CHEW UP YOUR SHOES AGAIN”

even sometimes changes into his samoyed form while you're at school and walks around the street so strangers give him food and pets and tell him how pretty he is

he’s really carefree and happy in this form and usually only changes into it when he’s really stressed or just wants to chill or play

he likes to lay on you in this form big ass mf thinks he’s a fucking lap dog or some shit so you rub his ears and give him pets and belly scratches and will not move until he gets them

lays in sunspots and sways his tail like a cat

not afraid to use the puppy dog eyes and they work everytime

call him a good boy or a good dog and he’ll probably bite you

do NOT play tug-of-war with this damn dog, he does not care that you’re his s/o, he will fucking DRAG you with NO. MERCY

one time y’all were at the mall and he was trotting along beside you in samoyed form, happy as a clam, until some rando person came up trying to spit game

long story short, jinnie peed on their leg

he got an earful that day but he still hasn’t apologized and probably never will

“i had to go y/n”

“YOU COULD’VE CHANGED INTO A PERSON AND GONE TO THE BATHROOM”

“c’mon prince/ss, it’s not like they didn’t get what they deserved, who wants to be flirted with while they’re walking their dog”

his logic makes ZERO sense and he knows it, bub just doesn’t wanna admit he was jealous

and as he’s saying this he’s back hugging you, whispering in your ear, swaying gently, even nibbling on your neck and earlobe a bit

he’s got you wrapped around his finger and he uses that to his full advantage

he thinks you deserve it for stealing his heart >:(, how dare you reader

ANYWAYS THIS IS LONG ENOUGH CAUSE I’M A SUCKER FOR ALL THINGS HYUNJIN

so basically guardian witch! hyunjin is a really chill but really devoted boyfriend, protective af with a heart of gold and would give you the moon and stars but pretends like he would sell you to satan for one corn chip

The Fantasia Star System 

Starlink Intergalactic Navigator

[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching SPN 13x07 “War of the Worlds”

in which I explain exactly why I don’t enjoy Buckner/Ross-Leming episodes (beyond obvious problematic issues and pacing), and why Meredith Glynn’s episodes are better imo

03:41pm

don’t know what to expect, so it’s gonna be SURPRISE

not expecting greatness since it’s the deadly duo, but i’m hoping this won’t become a “cas is leaving and won’t be back or mentioned for 8 episodes straight” thing

(or a “these writers are racist and misogynists” thing)

-

THERE’S A FLY IN MY ROOM

why do they never just fly back out the way they came in??? THE WINDOW IS OPEN YOU CURSED BEAST

-

03:44

whoop time to pull my window blind down ‘cause this show is so dark and i can’t see shit

-

03:45

i have yet to care about asmodeus

and i decidedly don’t care about lucifer

i care about mary in the sense that i don’t want anything bad to happen to her but i’m fine with her not being part of the main story

does that downtrodden black demon have a name?? i’m still rooting for him either way

also still can’t tell if michael’s vessel is a white dude or not

(edit: i think maybe no)

-

03:48

frankly i am still unsure why jack blasted team free will across the room, repeating his last mistake, given that doing that killed someone before??

was it like a “if gonna hurt everyone and here let me prove it” thing? or a “i’m getting you out of the way so you can’t grab me” thing??

-

03:50

*insert stock footage here*

-

05:53

cas lists all the worst possible scenarios

yea he’s a dad

-

03:54

why is david haydn-jones credited in this?!?!?!?! WHAT

maybe a flashback

WHOA WAIT OSRIC CHAU TOO WHAT IS HAPPENING ??!??!!? 

ARE THEY ALL ALIVE IN THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE

-

05:56

cas: “my contact is already anxious... won’t speak in the presence of a stranger”

sure jan

what’s the bet the writers have a pool of “reasons cas has to go alone” and they just pick one from a hat

-

dean: “so introduce me, then i’m not a stranger”

good. please.

-

UGH I AM SO SICK OF CAS DOING THINGS ALONE

but tbh i’m kind of amazed dean is healthy enough to let cas go alone and not worry that he’s gonna lose the guy again, given he just got back from the dead

-

04:00

the was asmodeus is purring “jaaaaaaaack” makes me imagine him as a snow leopard

edit: i could definitely see him on a tarot card, a snow leopard with a scarred eye, sitting on a throne

-

04:01

“the jack”

i enjoy that lil twist on his name. like the jack in playing cards

-

04:02

such manspreading

-

04:03

asmodeus: “say wW’hH~at !”

hurr hurr

-

04:04

i’m finding it hard to pay attention to michael and lucifer talking about stuff

these episodes always feel like uuuurughghhh gotta push through

-

04:06

OMG OG OM OGM KEVIN

CAN WE TAKE HIM TO THE OTHER SIDE AND KEEP HIM PLEASE

OH MY GOD I MISSED HIM

PLEASE GOD LET THIS BY THE DEADLY DUO TRYING TO UNDO PAST MISTAKES, NOT INADVERTENTLY MAKING THEM WORSE

P L E A S E  DON’T KILL HIM AGAIN

-

04:08

this kevin is very different

kinda twitchy

maybe autistic? (i mean... could he have taken that "worm” insult more literally?)

-

04:11

lucifer: “can’t you see michael is a monster? pure evil??”

kevin: “okay i’m confused, aren’t you SATAN”

*snort*

-

04:13

so lucifer just leapt through the rift

where is mary though

-

04:14

how did all those people not see satan fall out of a GIANT GLOWING RIFT

-

04:15

“no eye contact, beverley”

-

06:16

HEY ASS-MODEUS, LEAVE THAT RANDOM GUY NAMED KARL ALONE

-

04:17

random guy named karl is dead

>:{

yup thanks let’s add another non-white person to the deadly duo murder list

-

04:19

i just had a weird moment where i was like “ugh the filler episodes are so dull” and then realised this was a plot episode, and actually i like the filler better than the plot because the plot is just shoehorned in by buckner and ross-leming between interesting episodes

-

04:25

paused for a bit to feed my cat

and while i did i was thinking i’d like jack to meet kevin. i’ve been thinking about that for a few weeks, but it seemed impossible for obvious kevin-is-dead reasons, BUT NOW

I HOPE IT HAPPENS

-

04:27

wait

so the witch told the winchesters she needed protection, then left without explaining why

and then the winchesters had to follow her there, to a place that was hard to find

and then tell her “we followed you here”

and it was hard to find even though they followed her????

and they just enter the house not assuming it’s a trap of some kind

.................

⁽͑˙˚̀བ̇˚́˙⁾̉

-

04:32

i replayed it, sam says “but we followed you here”

that “but” makes a lot of difference okay we’re good

-

04:35

this cabin looks exactly like all the other cabins they’ve used as a cabin

-

04:37

hm.

look, in comparison, i love meredith glynn’s writing (e.g. the one where sam and dean visit the therapist, the one where dean loses his memories). because yeah, her stories are whimsical and i adore that - but sometimes they’re also gory and can get dark. yet her characters are soft and emotionally available. and they make decisions because of curiosity, or worry, or sadness, or grief or... y’know, something core-deep and with lots of different perspectives within those emotions.

whereas buckner and ross-leming.... every decision their characters make are fuelled by straight-up anger and fear. and it’s usually surface-level - reactive, or sudden, without narrative depth giving a clear reason for that anger.

and i’m not saying that anger-fuel can’t be interesting, it’s that it makes it hard to watch for me. the characters feel more closed off, more directly just going for a “kill or be killed” thing. they want to hurt people, get revenge, use force to get information.

it’s not necessarily out of character, it’s just that a) there’s a lot of it, and every character seems to function the same way even though they’re different people, and b) the setup to those scenes isn’t enough to make me understand why they all begin by fighting, or torturing someone before asking nicely.

no, i don’t like ketch at all, but skipping straight to the I’MMA PUNCH YOU UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO HEAR doesn’t work for me

at all, on any level.

and this scene where dean punches ketch?? it directly parallels the information-gathering methods of dean, ketch, and asmodeus within this episode, and that just puts dean in a bad light. and honestly i can’t even tell if it’s intentional or if the deadly duo didn’t know what they were doing and they don’t know how else people ask questions.

it’s not “different because it’s dean doing it”. it’s a villain’s move. they all did the same thing, and it was violent and unnecessary every time.

-

04:47

so dean and sam know the parallel universe contains familiar people, still alive (freakin’ bobby for instance)

but when they realise ketch doesn’t recognise them, why the heck don’t they even consider maybe he came through the rift

it’s not like it was ages ago

they lost their mother through that rift probably three or four weeks ago

wouldn’t they assume maybe there was more than one portal ??

-

04:50

“his twin”

right

-

04:56

ugh more fighting

i don’t wanna watch ‘cause lady angels are probably gonna die

man i hope cas would leave them alive after being told the angels are going extinct

angels fight to the death way too often

edit: ??????? nobody died???? i’m impressed

-

04:58

lucifer calls cas “cowboy”

mmmmmmmm that’s right

dean’s lil sheriff of heaven

-

05:01

lucifer: “meth-head kevin tran”

ah that explains the twitchiness

-

05:03

“agent russell”

as in kurt russell i assume

-

05:05

cas: “yesss i would like to see you too, the sooner the better”

cute

and awkward

-

05:09

asmodeus shows up

there’s so many characters in this story jeez

i have no idea how the casual viewer could keep up

-

05:16

whoa that ending was sudden

-

.................hrhghgh i dunno

i’m still of the opinion that one of this writing duo is better than the other

the scene with lucifer and cas in the bar was pretty well written

the plot reveal with ketch and rowena’s magically-undead spell made sense and was well-spread throughout the story, but i fail to see why ketch would tell the winchesters about it

i’m a lil :/ :/ :/ that ketch is back ‘cause dear god i thought we were rid of him already

where is mary??

everyone is so angry

i hope rowena is alive though

this was all a big jumble of plotlines and... to be fair it could’ve been a lot worse. the pacing wasn’t as messy as usual. for revealing a whole ton of info, it was pretty decent really

hmm 6.5/10 maybe

just cause it had almost none of the things i like watching, but it wasn’t necessarily bad...........

:/

MORE KEVIN PLEASE

[renaroo]

Double Time (10/24)

Disclaimer: Red vs Blue and related characters are the property of Rooster Teeth. Warnings: Language, Canon-typical violence Pairings: Tuckington, Chex Rating: T Synopsis: [Hero Time Sequel] After the events of Hero Time, the city and Blood Gulch are prepared for the true return of superheroes in a big way. But while Washington is attempting to adjust to a new relationship and a new living arrangement, the call of new heroes and a new mayor mean major changes for his professional life as well as his personal one. How will the balance of values fare when his new partners come to test everything he’s made of.

A/N: Who’s ready for things to get SAPPY in here? I am. I’m totally read for some more sap. Which is why I wrote it. ;P 

Special thanks to @analiarvb, @secretlystephaniebrown, @thepheonixqueen, @ashleystlawrence, @washingtonstub, @imagentmi, @a-taller-tale, @icefrozenover, @matt-you-got-this, @notatroll7, and Yin on AO3 and tumblr for the wonderful feed back! I truly appreciate it more than you know.

All On His Own

When Wash usually opened the door and was met by Church’s unimpressed expression, he was a swath of emotions ranging from mutually annoyed to exhaustedly accepting. 

On that rarest of nights, Wash was relieved and -- more than even that -- had been the one to call up the annoyed former super villain himself.

“I hate babysitting,” Church reported immediately, shoving past Washington without even bothering to shut the door behind him.

“I know,” Wash replied, taking the time to shut the door. 

“Junior hates me babysitting even more,” Church continued, turning and giving a level glare toward Wash. “Like, I’m pretty sure that little demon is big enough now that if I was organic in any way he’d just eat me and be done with it.”

Wash let the rant run its course and began gathering the rest of his gear and putting on his visor. Junior murmured angrily and chewed on the edge of the couch in agitation as he watched get ready to leave him. 

“Does Tucker know that you’re talking to me without him forcing you to?” Church asked testily, looking through the fridge for beer. “He might get jealous or something else disgusting.”

“Pretty sure he’d just consider it a breakthrough and annoy us both,” Wash replied dryly. He stopped by the couch where the supremely upset Junior leered at him. He offered an apologetic smile and then held out his fist for a bump.

With a small chatter, Junior complied, apparently willing to allow all transgressions to melt away so long as his hero worship could continue.

“I don’t get why you’re doing this,” Church said, leaning against the kitchen island with his beer. Like he always did despite his inability to drink with nothing but a robotic gullet. “I mean, I’d personally quit the hero business after getting my ass handed to me on national television by a single dude with a shitty costume.”

“Black’s intimidating,” Wash replied, looking toward Church with a raised brow. “I guess you’d have been more impressed if he was wearing a florescent wig and bought the rest of his gear from Hot Topic.”

Church had the gall to look offended and waved to his chest and the Ursula sweatshirt that Wash was just about sick of seeing. “This is official Disney merchandise!” 

“Right,” Wash replied. “In any case, getting my ass kicked, as you say, is exactly why I’m going out tonight. I need to make some adjustments to my plans for the future. Need to restrategize--”

Letting out an annoyed groan Church held up his hands and shook his head. “And I made the mistake of making you think I actually cared. My mistake. Please get your dumb face out of here before I’m further annoyed. Too late. Now get out of here before I’m further annoyed. I’ll even say please. Since you cornballs love that bullshit.”

With a long sigh, Washington ignored Church and made his way instead over to the far more annoyed and far more curious Junior who was standing on the couch seat and leaned up against the back, trying to watch Wash more carefully.

“Sorry to be in such a rush, and for the unexpected babysitting, kiddo,” Wash said to the hybrid child. “I’ll be home before you know it, though.”

“Yeah, you’ve done a bang up job of keeping promises lately,” Church mocked.

Screwing his eyes shut, Washington let out a long grunt of aggravation. “Church.”

The robot crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Yeah? Church what?”

“Nevermind, just... watch Junior and try not to kill each other,” Wash said, heading for the stairwell. “Surely that won’t be too difficult for you to manage.”

“I’ll manage the shit out of it just to spite you,” Church snapped nonsensically.

Washington didn’t even bother responding to that notion, merely shaking his head as he headed up the stairs and got to the roof. He kept telling himself that arguing with his boyfriend’s best friend was really not the best use of his time. 

On the roof, though, away from wandering eyes of the strange community he had built out of his once very quiet and lonesome apartment, Washington was able to regress to nearly pure muscle memory. 

His motorcycle was maybe his favorite piece of equipment to use for obvious reasons, but his natural abilities and the training he had underwent through the sidekick program at Freelancer was truly most fulfilled by traveling across the rooftops of Blood Gulch. 

Racing forward one step at a time, one leap at a time, Washington felt everything fro the cool winds working against hi to the vibrations of the loud sounds of the city. 

Even before Tucker, even before being tied by mind, body, and soul to the strange Blood Gulch community, Washington had been letting the connection withe the city and its winds 

Which was a good thing because reaching destinations like Sarge’s falling apart house could otherwise easily discourage any veteran superhero who had ambitions of bettering the world.

Especially when the front door flew open and Sarge stood patiently with a gun trained between his eyes. 

“You’re’a trespassing, Scumbag!” Sarge called out without even taking the time to see that it was Washington on the other side of the gun.

“Guns are not legal inside city limits,” Washington reminded him dully.”And I have friends in high places these days.”

“Oh, right,” Sarge responded, putting his muzzle of his gun down. “But you should know, as a retired officer of the law, I have a conceal and carry! So, as the great Reds before me have said: Naner naner nah hoo!”

"I still don’t believe a word of any of that,” Wash replied, lowering his hands with some amount of confidence that Sarge wouldn’t shoot him at that point. No matter how earned or unearned that feeling might have been. 

“Hmph,” Sarge muttered. “Good thing I don’t care much for the opinion of someone who got their butt handed to them in front of national television.” He gave an appraising look over Washington. “Look pretty good now, though. Only bruised your ego?”

“Not nearly as much as the fact that everyone else keeps bringing it up for some reason,” Wash remarked. “But somehow I think I’ll manage. What I need to know is if Blood Gulch is still going to have some form of superheroes supporting it even without my oversight.”

Sarge tilted his head. “After that performance, you really think the only thing keeping the Red Dead Blood Gulch Gang on the current path is fealty to someone who can’t hold his own against someone in a terrible costume?”

“I really don’t think anyone who was a villain in this neighborhood has any right to judge other costumes, and I refuse to resort to complimenting someone who tried to kill me, but there was definitely a good sense of style with the Locus guy.”

“Please, he wore green,” Sarge snorted. “That’s almost as bad as you -- going around, showing off your physique in a costume that’s blue. Disgusting and foolish.”

“Blue is heroic,” Wash argued before he could catch himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh my god, what am I doing? I’m arguing with a madman who thinks painting street signs is a productive use of his time.”

“You’ve never seen what a menace those street signs could have been before I taught them what’s what!” Sarge argued. He chuckled. “Ah, those were the days. Before you came along and tried to make everyone go straight! Which is fairly ironic all things considering.”

“Oh, shut up,” Wash snapped. “This isn’t what I’m here for.”

“What are you here for, Washington?” Sarge asked suspiciously. “This is my home.”

“I came here because I faced my own mortality and I need to make sure that in the event of my death, that you -- as the leader of your little delinquent group of poker buddies -- can be relied on to still take care of the neighborhood,” Wash explained simply. “And that Tucker and Junior are going to be provided for.”

Sarge stared at him for a curiously long amount of time, his expression mostly unredable. 

“Yeah, sure,” Sarge replied with a casual shrug. “Why not? The boys seem to like them even before you came along. In fact, I think we may like them in spite of you coming along.”

Perhaps a bit in spite of himself as well, Washington let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. “Thank you, Sarge. That’s actually a comforting thing to hear.”

“It is? Damn it all, that wasn’t what I wanted at all,” Sarge muttered to himself. “Well, fine, whatever. I suppose I’ll admit to comforting you inadvertently someday. When forced under extreme interrogation or even torture.”

“Hm, and comfort is rapidly being lost,” Wash said to somewhat comfort the old, grouchy man.”

“Heh heh Bingo. Still got it,” Sarge chuckled. “But seriously, Kitty-cat, Blood Gulch belonged to the Reds long before you came along and proved to make a good hood ornament of nearly every type of vehicle one could imagine.”

“My humor is being drained rapidly,” Wash warned.

“I’m just telling ya not to sweat it,” Sarge said. “We’ll do what we always do in Blood Gulch. Rage against the establishment, fortify ourselves against mild annoyances. And stubbornly refuse to take care of the rest of the world. Even if it’s only three streets away from our neighborhood.”

“Okay I’m appreciating this conversation less and less the longer I stand here, so I’m going to make my leave. Somewhat dramatically,” Wash said, heading toward the other side of the street. “Pretty sure I saw a fire escape I could climb over here.”

“If you were my friend instead of acting like a parole officer for me and my movement, I would offer letting you use the second floor of my house! But you’ve not lost enough clothes on strip poker night for me to even call us acquainted!” Sarge continued to mock, shouting to make his point as Wash crossed the street. 

“I’m honestly ignoring you!” Wash called back as he reached the other side of the street and quickly made his way to the rooftops on the very fire escape he had been mentioning. 

Once again, he let his instincts run supreme. With the arrangement with the Reds no longer a concern, he could truly let loose and concentrate on a more average patrol. Specifically one that included taking out as many small time muggers and thieves as possible. 

Those plans for his evening, however, did not get him far when he was tackled by an invisible, but recognizable force and sent rolling onto the rooftop. 

“Tex!” he growled as he looked up and saw his fellow hero appear.

“Stay down,” she ordered, looking around warily before turning invisible again and slinking to his side, close enough he could feel her shoulder brushing his own. 

“Tex,” he whispered. “What are you doing?”

"Do you not have some kind of cat sense or something?” her disembodied voice asked testily. “Something useful in that repertoire of stupid you call your super powers?”

“I see very well in the dark,” Wash replied flatly.

“God you’re lame,” she muttered back. 

Squinting at her general area in annoyance, Wash pushed himself slightly off the pavement. “You sure you and Church can’t work... whatever it is out? It seems like you were made for each other. You definitely hold the same opinions of me.”

“Don’t offend me, I’m trying to save your life,” Tex said testily.

“From what?” he demanded. 

“There’s something that was watching you from a few rooftops over. Again. And I’m not convinced it doesn’t have something to do with the asshole who kicked your sorry feline butt on public access,” she explained. After allowing a moment to lapse into silence, she reappeared where she stood and scowled toward the buildings across the road. “Damn. Got away again.”

Officially annoyed, Wash leaped to his feet and glared at Tex. “Okay, start explaining stuff to me, and maybe start with why you didn’t help me the other day if you were seeing me get my feline butt handed to me.”

Tex turned and gave him a particularly daunting look. 

Flinching back Wash felt that swelling of boldness die a bit in his chest before he shrugged. “Please?”

She then shook her head. “No. I’m still looking into it.”

“Into what?” Wash demanded. “And what do you know about this Felix character that apparently saved my life? He seeps like... like...”

“A jackass?” Tex questioned.

“That’s putting it mildly. But... he saved my life,” Wash grunted out almost reluctantly. “And Tucker seemed to trust him.”

“Well, no shit, he saved the thing Tucker’s currently fucking. He’s lucky Tucker didn’t make moves on him,” Tex snorted.

“That thing is me, though,” Wash snapped.

“Which I’ve saved before, too. But Tucker knows better than to make moves on me. I would so kick his ass without thinking twice,” Tex chuckled. “But that’s beyond the point.”

Throwing up his hands, Wash was just about done with the circles they were running in. “What is the point, Tex? What the hell is going on?”

"I’m not in the business of giving straight answers,” Tex replied simply. “And for the record, I’m also not in the business of working with partners. Every time I do, I get disappointed. And I like you too much at a distance to really ruin that right now, so there’s your answer for earlier.”

Washington scowled at her. “You really believe I’m going to accept that as the final answer there. Tex, I can tell you know there’s more going on. And to be honest, as someone else who is pretty dedicated to a solo career, I’m not thrilled with needing to rely on you being truthful with me.”

“Solo career?” Tex laughed, looking back at him. “Wash, fuck off. You think you’re solo? You’re the furthest thing from it. Your problem is that you haven’t figured out yet when you’re relying on people too much and when they are or aren’t the right people to be relying on.” She looked off, a frown tugging at her lips. “Guess that was a lesson CT hadn’t gotten to yet.”

Thrown off at first, Wash let his jaw hang open. It quickly snapped shut however and he glared at his former teammate. “You don’t get to evoke Connie on the fly like that. She was my mentor. And she taught me everything I know.”

“Same,” Tex said. “In a less professional sense. Not that it matters in the end.” She turned away from Wash. “CT trusted me to help her with her suspicions. And because of that I know something about what’s going on right now, Wash. Can you trust me enough to take my advice blindly?”

“I don’t know,” Wash said honestly. “Maybe I have to remind you that Connie ended up dead by the end of all that. And I still haven’t gotten any answers for it.”

Tex hummed rather than fire back with a similarly damning remark, but Wash didn’t miss the way her eyes flickered with her glare. “Go home, Wash,” she said instead. “You might’ve come out of that fight physically intact, but you shouldn’t be out superheroing with any wounds. That includes your pride.”

“One to talk,” Wash said back. “You better keep me updated on whatever this mysterious thing that’s watching me is.”

“Maybe I will,” Tex responded before disappearing. 

Wash waited for a moment, until every sense he had told him he was alone. Then he reluctantly took Tex’s advice and started the journey back home. He hadn’t been able to keep track of his request to Tex like he had Sarge, but he figured she had been looking out for Tucker, Junior, and the rest of the Blood Gulch gang longer than Wash had ever been in the picture. 

He wouldn’t have to ask the same morbid line of questions of her. 

There were only three buildings between him and home when he recognized an outline standing on his roof. 

Encouraged and intrigued, Wash sped up, getting to the rooftop in record time, expecting to be met with the smells of a meal from the diner waiting on him along with Tucker. 

He wasn’t.

Once Tucker heard him coming, he turned and gave Wash something of a distant look, almost like he was struggling with what expression to pull. It wasn’t the most inviting reception Wash had has. 

“No leftovers from the diner tonight?” Wash asked as he landed on the roof. “I almost feel forgotten.”

“You went out tonight,” Tucker stated plainly. “One night after that thing with Locus and you went out again.”

“I’m fully healed,” Wash responded quickly, tilting his head. “You didn’t mind when I saved you and your son just two nights after being hit by a car.”

“Your son,” Tucker repeated again, the hint of anger in his voice not at all lost on Wash.

“We need to talk?” Washington asked worriedly.

“We need to talk,” Tucker confirmed, crossing his arms. “But I’m not really sure what either of us can say?”

“What does that mean?” Wash asked.

“I really don’t know,” Tucker said. “I feel like we’re stuck but we barely have even gotten started.”

“This stuff,” Wash said, waving to his suit and to the skyline of the city. “Tucker, it’s going to be a routine for me. And for you.”

“And this,” Tucker said, pointing at himself and to the door down to the apartment where Junior was no doubt eavesdropping eagerly. “This is going to be a routine for us, too. But only if we both want it to be.”

Taken aback, Wash tilted up his chin. “You think I don’t want it to be?”

“I think we need to work together to figure out how this is going to work. Especially where Junior is involved,” Tucker pressed. “Because I’m fine with babysitters if I know ahead of time.”

Suddenly, relief took over Wash’s body and he sighed with relief. “Church drank all the beer.”

“Yes!” Tucker shouted throwing up his arms. “Wash, you know we have to hide it! He completely wastes it! He can’t even get drunk.”

“You’re right,” Wash laughed. “My mistake.”

“You better believe it is,” Tucker said, poking Wash’s chest. “And mister superhero, I think I’m allowed to request one night off from you after near death experiences.It’s only fair.”

“You’re right,” Wash laughed. “But I had to put some things in order. Had to make sure plans were in place for bad scenarios. That I’m trusting all the right people.”

Tucker raised an eyebrow. “Are you trusting all the right people?” he asked curiously.

“I’m trusting you,” Wash responded lightly. “That’s more than enough for me. Now, c’mon. Let’s eat some Dinfast.”

“Dinfast?” Tucker asked, swinging an arm around Wash’s shoulders and guiding him toward the stairwell. “What the hell’s that.”

“Dinner-breakfast,” Wash retorted. “What? You’ve never heard of it? Who’s never heard of Dinfast?”