#looking at barry with these wild and affectionate eyes

[inursoulkitchen]

thinking about something happening in season 3 where the pouges need to sneak into rafes boat to steal something or get evidence that he stole the cross and as they’re about to leave to take whatever it is they came for rafe and barry come back.

and they think oh shit okay let’s just wait it out be as quiet as possible they aren’t gonna stay that long

and then rafe and barry start arguing and it’s getting heated and they’re getting closer and the pouges have never seen rafe look intimidated like this

except he doesn’t look intimidated. he looks turned on.

and rafe is saying things to intentionally get under barrys skin and then barry has rafe by his expensive shirt. they think for sure he’s going ti punch him but instead he kisses him.

the pouges go completely still under the deck their spying from and most of of them cannot look away.

psychotic dominating rafe is making out with his drug dealer meters away from them but there’s nothing dominant about him in that moment. he’s letting barry take complete control of him, moaning into his mouth.

it’s obscene.

they have to wait until they’ve finished fucking against the wall before they can leave.

[enquiringangel]

Family Dinner

for @themarginalthinker who wanted Max introducing Lucy to his Boys. Some David/Michael and vague David/Michael/Star because I am weak, lol.

When Max told him of his plans to turn some woman he met and her two kids, David got it. He was lonely once too. Before his boys came along, it had been just the two of them for a good thirty years.  And Max was many things, but entertaining company? Definitely not one of them. It was like living with an undead accountant. By that point David had seriously begun to wonder if it was possible for an immortal to die of sheer boredom.  

In his own way, Max had understood this. Though he got annoyed with him whenever David had been too messy or too obvious with his kills, in the very next moment he would dismiss it as ‘the impetuousness of youth’. And when David had come back to their lair one night unable to stop gushing about this guy he’d met down by the docks and how fun it had been to watch this scrappy kid defend himself with a crowbar against five guys and win, Max had studied him curiously and asked, “Would you like a brother, David?”  

The rest was history. Max had given him Marko, then later Dwayne, then Paul, and boredom and loneliness had become a thing of the past. So yeah, he could understand Max wanting to have someone on his own wavelength for company through eternity. That didn’t mean Max’s whole ‘let’s play happy families’ shtick wasn’t ridiculous though. He didn’t need mothering. That ship had long set sail. 

Still, Max was pretty insistent on them coming along tonight. “I’ve already told her about you,” he said, in response to the Boys’ complaints about wasting a perfectly good Friday sitting around a table and playing house when they could be off doing things that were actually fun. “Lucy said she would like to meet you all properly. And I wouldn’t want to disappoint her by turning up without you.” Despite their maker’s mild words and genial tone, the look in his eye made it very clear that their presence at this family dinner was not a request.  

"Besides,” Max continued. “Her boys will be there. This will be the perfect opportunity for you to get to know each other better.” 

The four younger vampires had all exchanged smirks, since they felt that they were already getting to know Michael pretty well on their own. But David wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to spend more time with him. There was a wildness hiding behind that Joe-normal façade. A darkness. David wanted to crack Michael open and taste it.  

Michael, he had decided, was even worth sacrificing a Friday night for. When he had shared this opinion with the boys, they had all teased him something rotten.  

Assholes, he thought affectionately as he glanced across at Marko and Dwayne who were crammed in the back seat with him. Paul had called dibs on shotgun to have control over the radio; Max insisted they were all going in his car instead of taking their bikes, but that didn’t mean they had to be subjected to Barry Manilow the entire way. Paul was currently slapping his thigh and singing along to Poison’s ‘Talk to Dirty to Me’. In the interest of keeping the peace, Max endured this in a long-suffering way, other than to keep turning the volume down. Whenever his attention was on the road, Paul would surreptitiously turn it back up again.  

Max drove along a rutted track until they came to a lodge-style farmhouse, the yard decorated with lots of wooden carvings. The boys had been here before of course, when they had dropped Michael home after their fun proved a little too much for his fledgling self to handle. They unfolded themselves from Max’s car, while their maker fussed around straightening out the wrapping on the bouquet he’d brought with him and adjusting his tie.  

The boys were dressed in their preferred style, though Max had demanded Dwayne put a shirt on for the occasion, something that Dwayne had complied with in malicious silence. The black t-shirt was Paul’s, meaning it was a size or two too tight, hugging Dwayne’s pecs. Across the front in white letters were emblazoned the words: ‘GUITARISTS FINGER BETTER.’ Max appeared not to have noticed. 

“Now boys, I’m sure I don’t have to remind you to be on your best behavior,” Max warned as he led them to the front door. The thoughts that streamed into David’s head were a reminder of what awaited them should they fail to do so: a few weeks spent clawing at the lining of a coffin buried in a shallow grave, with wild roses laid on the lid to stop them breaking out. Max had a very literal interpretation of ‘grounding’. 

One day old man. One day, David vowed, careful to keep the thought to himself.  

Just as Max raised his fist to knock on the door, who should open it but Michael? 

The half-vampire looked astonished to see them. “David?” he blurted out, ignoring Max’s attempt to greet him as if he wasn’t even there. “Guys? What are...wait.” He flicked his eyes between the four motorcycle-riding punks and the unassuming and badly dressed man in a suit and did the necessary math. “...this guy’s your dad?” In the bond blooming between their minds, David could hear Michael’s confusion over the fact that the gang had apparently been serious when they called each other brothers. ‘They don’t look anything alike...’ 

“We’re all adopted,” Marko put in helpfully, answering the unspoken question.  

Max cleared his throat. He was smiling, but if you knew him you could see there was definitely an edge to it. “That’s correct. Hi, you must be Michael.” He extended a hand in greeting. 

Michael didn’t take it, instead looking Max coolly up and down. “And you must be Max,” he said, sneering faintly.  

Max was spared from further awkwardness by the sound of heels tapping rhythmically on the carpet and the appearance of a smiling woman with short red hair. “Michael? Is there someone at—Oh, hi!” she said, hurrying over. Lucy smiled at him, before turning her attention to the four (seemingly) young men standing on the doorstep. For a moment her smile faltered slightly and as he met her eyes David could hear her thoughts loud and clear. ‘These are the boys who were in the video store a few nights ago...why would Max kick them out if they’re his sons?’ 

This lady’s smart. Guess it skipped a generation, David thought to himself. But Michael was pretty enough that it didn’t matter, he supposed. 

He gave her his most winning smile.  “Hi. You must be Lucy, we’ve heard so much about you. I’m David.” He clasped one of her hands like she was one of the debutantes he had never been allowed anywhere near as a human, and brushed his lips across the back of her knuckles. A quick glance at Michael told him that the other boy looked like he was either going to have an aneurism or punch him in the face again - it was fantastic. 

Lucy laughed, delighted. “My goodness, what a charmer! Max, you’re raising a heartbreaker,” she teased, still chuckling. 

“I try,” David said, smiling impishly. “This is Dwayne, Paul and Marko.” He nodded to each and the boys greeted her in turn, Dwayne with a nod and one of his bedazzling smiles, Marko with a grin and a little wave, and Paul with a brief hug and a kiss to each cheek, continental style.  

“I’m so sorry, where are my manners?” Lucy exclaimed, stepping back from the doorway so that they could file past her. “Please come inside, all of you. Michael honey, are you going out or coming in?” she added. 

Michael blinked; he had been staring at David so intently that when he tore his gaze away there was almost an audible rupture. “Hm? Oh right. Yeah, I was just leaving."  

Michael’s thoughts were full of Star, and it made David grit his teeth. He was not jealous; that was ridiculous. They were both his, and he didn’t mind Michael fucking her. But they could’ve at least had the courtesy to invite him to join them. 

(Okay, so maybe he was slightly miffed that Star had gotten a taste of Michael before him. Just a little.) 

“Aw, you’re not going are you Michael?” Marko asked as he stepped past Michael into the house.  

“Yeah, come on you gotta stay man.” Paul gave Michael a friendly shove, and then was quickly distracted by the novelty of his reflection in the hallway mirror. He drifted over to it. 

“You could give us a tour,” Dwayne suggested, poking at a taxidermied beaver smoking a cuban cigar.  

“That’s a good idea,” Lucy agreed, eager to have Michael stay for dinner with them all. And pleased that they already appeared to know one another and to get along so well. Max presented her with the flowers and she led him off into the dining room to go and put them into some water. 

Michael appeared torn. He wanted to see Star, yes, but the thoughts continuously leaking across into David’s mind revealed that what he actually wanted more than anything else was answers. Star hadn’t actually told him anything, and had in fact protested tearfully that she couldn’t, and that she didn’t know how to help him. But David had done this to him, hadn’t he...so maybe he could help put it right again. 

David looped his arm around Michael’s shoulders and gave him a friendly squeeze. “Come on, Michael. Stay. I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about,” he said, eyeing Michael meaningfully. His lips curled into a grin.  

After a moment, Michael nodded and stepped into the house, closing the door behind him.  

((The Boys 5 minutes later: *all jockeying for position at the mirror and standing there pulling funny faces and cracking up at the novelty. The line about Max's interpretation of 'grounding' was inspired by @marypsue's brilliant fic 'look for something left in this world'.))

[ceilingfan5]

Alphabet prompt- N with THB, and or Taako and kravitz please :3

“So there I was, in Walmart, of course,” Lucretia sighs, her head in Lup’s lap and her legs dangling off the side of the shitty couch. Barry’s cozily jammed in on Lup’s other side, the couch hardly the right shape or comfort level to accommodate all three of them, despite the fact that Taako was definitely crammed in there a moment ago. Who knows where he’s gotten off to. Kravitz tucks his legs up under him in his god-awful armchair and props his head up to listen, surprised at himself for being absorbed so easily into this friend group. He feels like an intruder, or a mimic, or some kind of fungus.

In a good way?

“And I was In the frozen aisle,”

“God forbid,” Lup says, teasingly. 

“Let me get out my story,” Lucretia says, stifling laughter. 

“And she bought fourteen Kid Cuisines, and a Teenage Mutant Neetle Teetles Pizza,” Barry adds, making her snicker. 

“Listen!” Lucretia clears her throat, trying to maintain some level of seriousness, but her usual composure just isn’t there tonight, as late as it is. It’s wild seeing this warm, vulnerable side of her. “I was in the frozen aisle in Walmart and I was trying to get something for dinner, and the man in front of me was taking his sweet time, and then this song came on the radio–don’t ask me what song, listen, don’t. I don’t remember. But-” she smiles, remembering. Kravitz feels surprisingly fond of her in this moment. 

“But it’s a bouncy song, right, something you could really jam to.” 

“Glad I’m not the only one who sounds like an old man when I use slang,” Kravitz mutters. Lup and Barry snicker. 

“And he- he’s still looking at the frozen food, but he starts bouncing his ass cheeks-”

Everybody struggles to hold back laughter. 

“And listen-” Lucretia tries to restrain herself, but she can’t stop smiling. “I’m not much of a manliker. But it was so cute. He turns around and sees me waiting and apologizes to me, and I wanted to say no, no, go on, you carry on bouncing that ass to the music, sir. He wasn’t any older than I am, and he looked so tired, and he just-” She reaches for the ceiling, grasping like a warm cat considering making biscuits for the evening. “It was sweet. Normally I document the profound and profane, but this moment was just so…alive. People, you know?”

“I dunno, I am a documented man-liker, and that’s cute as hell,” Lup muses, through laughter. “Too bad he eats frozen food. But I can fix him. TAAKO!” Lup hollers. “TAAKO, CUTE OR NOT?”

Fellow noted man-liker Taako pokes his head in from the other room. 

“WHAT,” he hollers back, even though he’s close enough now he doesn’t need to shout. It’s not a big apartment, especially with all of them squished in here like a pile of puppies. 

“Rate this rando on a scale of one to ten,” Lup demands. Lucretia covers a laugh. Kravitz’s eyes go to Barry, who looks amused but a little strained. 

“Not now,” Taako says, still a full twenty too loud. “I’m drinking shampoo to prove a point.”

“You’re-” Lup cracks up. “What now?” 

“You’ve got to listen when people talk, snorkel-brains,” Taako says, sort of affectionately. “Magnus was- MAGNUS, explain it.”

Magnus pokes his head out too, and Merle follows, not unlike a cartoon. Davenport is somewhere out of frame, probably folding his arms, but not not participating in shenanigans. 

“So listen- listen-” Magnus says, holding the shampoo in one hand and a towel in the other. “You put some on your lips and you’re supposed to be able to blow bubbles! But so far-”

“So far it feels like we’ve gotten in trouble for swears,” Merle says, nodding.

“Damn,” Lucretia says. 

“Fuck,” Barry agrees. 

“You guys saw that online, or what?” Lup shakes her head. “Stupids.” 

“It’s gonna be cool!” Magnus insists. 

“I think it’s horseshit,” Taako counters. “What’s this about boyliking.” His eyes go conspicuously to Kravitz. Is it warm in here suddenly? Maybe they should get the climate control looked at. 

“There was a guy in the grocery store bouncing his ass cheeks to the music, and Lucretia is wrapped up in how profound it was,” Barry says, not critically. 

“It was profound!” Lucretia insists. “It was nice. People should appreciate life more. I should appreciate life more. It’s short, isn’t it?”

“Debatable,” both elves say in unison. 

“Listen-” Lucretia sits up, swinging her legs back in front of her. She looks a little dizzy, but powers through. “Little moments like this are poetry.”

“Dear diary,” Taako intones, “Saw a guy bounce his ass. You might think it would be crass. But instead I want to say. I want to live another day.” 

“Amen,” Merle says sweetly.

“Don’t be dorks,” Lup defends, patting Lucretia’s back. “It’s a good little moment of being a living creature.”

“Sure,” Taako says. “And so’s this.” And he rubs shampoo on his lips, and then blows a ridiculous stream of bubbles, and everybody cheers. Lucretia’s story gets a little lost from there, because everyone has to try the shampoo thing, but it sort of sticks with Kravitz. 

Poetry. He hopes she knows he listened. 

[alexjcrowley]

Okay but watching Gotham as a HBO Barry fan is so wild like everytime I see Victor Zsasz I am like

No you are Noho Hank

I don't know HOW Anthony Carrigan managed to land the role of a homosexual (shut up Victor is gay shut up) mafia man TWICE but he did *insert Doofenshmirtz meme*

Which is a problem for me because my mind now just imagine that when Victor is not on the job he acts like Noho Hank. Like on the job he is all serious (as much as he can be serious) and stuff but when he is off the clock he IS Noho Hank.

Like it's a Sunday in the summer, Bruce Wayne goes to the beach only to find this dude

BECAUSE I MEAN IN BARRY THIS GUY ALSO WORKS FOR THE MAFIA SO I SEE A GIFSET LIKE THIS

AND IT'S ONLY BECAUSE OF THE FUNKY POLOS HE WEARS IN BARRY I CAN SAY THIS IS NOHO HANK AND NOT VICTOR ZSASZ

BUT TELL ME THIS LAST GIF DOESN'T GIVE OFF ZSASZ VIBES. LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME.

Everytime I see Victor on screen my mind goes "I wonder if he later he goes home and tells Cristobal about his day" BECAUSE YES IN BARRY HE HAS A CANON BOYFRIEND WHO IS ANOTHER MAFIA BOSS

ANTHONY CARRIGAN IS DOING WHAT NYGMOBBLEPOT FANS ONLY DREAM ABOUT

Oh and Noho Hank also talks in a unique way so you have to understand I hear Victor talking like this I like to imagine at some point Oswald and Victor will become food friends and Victor will start talking to Oswald like this

And Oswald is like "what the fuck Victor"

Please look at this. Don't tell me this is not Victor DO NOT TELL ME THIS IS NOT-

And I also like to imagine after an especially good killing, if he is alone, Victor does this

LOOK AT HIM DOING HIS LITTLE DANCE. LITTLE HAPPY DANCE. LITTLE HAPPY DANCE AFTER A GOOD KILLING.

Watch HBO Barry if you've watched Gotham and get brain damage I beg of you.

(Also Noho Hank is kind of incompetent in his job which always makes me laugh because Victor is incredibly good at his)

Otherwise I like to imagine they're twin brothers who landed in the same line of work and they're really affectionate with eachothers, even if Noho sucks at his job Victor never pokes fun at him for it and will stab who does

[backtothestart02]

Just Best Friends - 7/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: Enjoy. :)

...

Chapter 7 -

Iris rolled over the next morning, stretching her arm across the empty bed. She blew out a puff of air and opened her eyes when she realized it was just her in the bed. She groaned and rolled across it, getting tangled in the blanket and bed sheet before she realized she was nearing the edge of the bed and would fall off if she wasn’t careful.

Scooting back to the middle, she moved one pillow with her while pushing the other off the bed, then stretched out her arms and legs so they reached the bottom corners and sides of the bed.

“So,” she spoke aloud to herself. “He’s really gone.”

She curled herself up so she was sitting upright and pulled the blanket and sheet free of her legs. She scooted to the edge of the bed and got up, walking into the kitchen to make herself some coffee.

She really wished he hadn’t left. With the way she’d been feeling – and still felt – towards Barry and her dad, Eddie would’ve been the perfect distraction from all that. Maybe she could’ve even forgot about it entirely. Then Barry wouldn’t have to worry about her spilling his secret at all.

Not that she owed him anything. Not for keeping that secret from her for almost a year.

And what about you?

She decided to ignore the little voice in her head that continuously tried to point out the facts she didn’t want to acknowledge. That she was attracted to Barry, that she might have feelings for him, that she’d broken his heart not for the first time because she refused to acknowledge those two facts.

“And because I’m in a relationship!” she said aloud, wondering why she felt the need to defend herself to herself. It didn’t make sense. She’d already decided who she wanted. She wanted Eddie. He was her boyfriend, and she refused to break the loyalty she had to him.

Except when you cheated…

“Shut up!”

She sighed and braced her hands on the counter, watching the coffee machine work its magic for several minutes until the coffee was ready. Pulling a mug down from the cupboards, she poured some of the hot steamy liquid into the container. She set the pitcher back on its platform before digging in the fridge for the milk. She poured some into her dark beverage and put the gallon back. Then, after mixing the contents with a spoon and depositing the utensil in the sink, she walked over to the couch in the living room and took a seat.

Blowing on her drink, she then set it on the coffee table on a coaster she’d handpicked, and waited for it to cool some. She sank back into the couch and thought about the last time she’d been there.

The night she’d cheated…

No, no. The night Eddie had come home drunk and kicked her out.

And then nicely apologized the next morning.

That’s no excuse!

Neither is yours…

Ugh.

She hated her inner voice. She hated how right it was, so instead she opted for how annoying it was. What did it know anyway? It was a conscience. Maybe. Probably. But it didn’t take into account how she felt through all of this.

She’d been incredibly hurt by Eddie’s dismissal of her. The fact that he came home drunk at all was so shocking she hardly knew how to handle it. She’d tried so hard to make it a good night for him, for them. And it was all thrown out the window when he couldn’t get past the fact that she and Barry were affectionate with each other and that somehow meant that deep down they had more than platonic feelings for each other.

Well, he was right…

Argh. He was not right.

Oh, really? Then how come-

Pushing herself forward to cut off the voice, Iris reached for her mug and downed some coffee, even though it wasn’t quite cool enough to not burn her tongue and throat on the way down.

Right now, she decided, her cheating on Eddie was a non-issue.

Her inner voice snorted.

What mattered now was that Eddie was out of town and Barry and her dad had betrayed her. What was she supposed to do as a distraction? Work? She supposed she could work on mending things with Linda. Though, what was the point? They had never really been friends, and Iris had always been a little intimidated and felt threatened by her because Barry had chosen her to move on with.

She still remembered that first day he had come by CCPN, not to see her at her workplace, but to meet up with Lin-daa to go on a date. She scrunched up her nose in disgust. He’d never come to see her at her job even once, but he came to meet one of her co-workers that she didn’t even know about to go on a date.

She remembered shaking Linda’s hand and smiling brightly, happy to meet her, ecstatic even. Linda was happy, Barry was happy. They were all happy. And the next time she heard about them going out again, this time at Jitters, she’d been happy for him too.

She was so, so happy. She could hardly stand how happy she was. He was finally meeting a wonderful girl who would give him what she couldn’t. A romantic relationship.

And then that night had happened, and it had changed everything. For her, for Barry, for Eddie, for Linda. Barry had been so quick to break up with Linda after it, she realized there’d been no point in her being jealous at all of their relationship.

Ohh, jealous? That inner voice teased.

“Not jealous,” she said aloud, shaking her head.

She blew over her coffee another time, then hesitantly went in for a tiny sip. It was cooler now. Hot but not scalding. The perfect temperature.

There was nothing for it. Mad at Barry for his Flash reveal or not, she couldn’t face Linda at work. Even if she didn’t recognize her existence like before. Between Barry and her dad betraying her, Eddie being gone – mostly because he was mad at her – or hurt? Probably mostly hurt. And because he believed the answer to their couple problems was her making up with Barry. She rolled her eyes at that.

And then there was Linda and their nonexistent relationship. She still hadn’t been able to get a solid conversation out of her, or even a greeting. Linda hadn’t told Eddie of Iris’ little dalliance with Barry yet. That much was obvious. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t though.

Iris nibbled on her bottom lip and stared down into her coffee, setting it back on the coaster before going into her shared bedroom with Eddie and unplugging her now fully charged phone. She practiced her sick voice aloud a few times, the same one she’d used as an example for Barry when he needed to convince her dad he was sick back in elementary and high school.

“Hello?” she croaked as soon as HR came on the line. “My name is Iris West. I’m an employee at CCPN,” she rasped. “And I…” She coughed into the phone and heaved dramatically. “I won’t be able to come in today. I’m sick.”

Yeah, she didn’t want to deal – or not deal – with Linda at work today either.

…

Barry zoomed just to outside CCPN on his work break. Then he straightened his jacket and flattened some of his hair that had blown wild during his running. Glancing at his reflection in the glass door, he decided he looked okay enough. At least he didn’t look like he’d been running at super speed or been blasted by a massive wave of wind.

Joe didn’t know that he was here. He’d left a little earlier than his usual lunch break when he knew Joe was probably still busy with own work at the station or maybe even out at a crime scene that he – Barry – was hopefully not needed for. He knew that they’d decided to not interact with Iris for a few days, give her some space to breathe before making some peace with her, but Barry had decided what was the harm in trying it at least once the very next morning?

After all, her being mad at him was almost worse than her breaking his heart. It kind of was worse because it broke his heart in the process, and he knew she was right to be mad. About this at least. He couldn’t remember how many times he’d tried to convince Joe to just let him tell her. Joe would have none of it though. At least he was seeing the error of his ways now.

Swinging the door open, Barry walked in and immediately saw that Iris wasn’t at her desk. Mason, the Nobel-prize winner that had finally warmed up to her wasn’t at his desk either, which Barry found very suspicious until he spotted the man across the room.

He approached him and cleared his throat loudly.

“Excuse me, sir? Sir?”

Mason finally looked up at him and squinted his eyes where he stood at the copier.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

Barry felt fire in his cheeks but forced himself to get past it so he wouldn’t blush too hard in front of this stranger.

“I’m a friend of Iris. Iris West. Do you know if she’s in today?”

Mason made some sort of a grunting sound, then shook his head and pushed past Barry roughly, heading back to his desk with his papers.

“I-” Barry frowned, unsure of how to proceed.

Luckily, Linda had witnessed the entire thing and felt sorry for the poor guy enough to try and get his attention when Mason was gone.

“Hey, Barry. Barry!”

Barry looked in the direction of where his name was being called and sighed in relief.

“Linda!”

He walked over to her quickly.

“What’s with that guy?” He pointed in the direction of Mason with his thumb.

Linda crossed her arms and looked over Barry’s shoulder to where Mason was getting settled at his desk. Then she looked back at Barry.

“Oh, uh…he’s not super friendly to newcomers.” She winced. “Sorry about that. What did you need?”

Barry blew out a puff of air.

“I was looking for Iris. She and I had a little…”

“Oh, another…?” She winked dramatically.

“No, I mean, yes, but…” He sighed. “She found out I’m…” He mouthed the words ‘The Flash’.

Linda’s mouth fell open, and she shut it quickly while nodding slowly.

“Ah,” she said. “I thought she was supposed to…never know about that.”

“She wasn’t,” he ground out.

Her brows furrowed.

“What happened?”

He ran a hand through his hair, tousling it some.

“Apparently,” he lowered his voice, “I didn’t think to change my make-out style from Barry to a certain…scarlet speedster. She put two and two together real fast, and…yeah.”

“Wait a second, let me get this straight.” She held up a hand. “You made out with Iris, as…” she mouthed ‘The Flash’. “After you and I…as in, the same night?”

Barry’s head fell to his chest.

“Not my finest hour, I know. I just can’t…”

“Resist her,” she finished, shaking her head and smiling. “I can see that. Damn, it’s really good we broke up when we did or I’d be going mad with jealousy at this point. Not even sex can keep you from straying.”

He winced. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” she said, giving a short, quick laugh. “If anything, I’m amused.”

“Yeah?”

“Consider us friends, Barry Allen. That’s much better than just exes, isn’t it?”

He nodded reluctantly. “Yeah.”

“Besides you should have someone who knows…” She lowered her voice. “Your secret.” She returned to normal volume. “That isn’t pissed at you about it. After all, we were only dating a few weeks. You had every right to your secrets at that point.”

“And you’ll keep it, right? You’ll keep my secret?”

“Of course,” she said automatically. “I said I would, and I will. You have my word on that.”

He smiled tremulously.

“Thanks, Linda.” He looked back over his shoulder before looking back at her. “So, about Iris?”

“Oh.” She frowned. “I think she called in sick today actually. I thought I overheard that when I passed HR’s office this morning.”

“Oh.” Barry frowned too.

“But if she’s as mad at you as you make it sound like she is, then I probably wouldn’t be bringing soup by her apartment any time soon. A) she’s probably not actually sick, and B) she’s probably still rattled from the recent revelation she discovered.”

Barry sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, she came over to the house last night and gave Joe and I a piece of her mind,” he muttered, still feeling scarred from just how angry Iris had been.

Linda rubbed her hand on Barry’s arm to soothe him and pull him out of his dark thoughts.

“Just give her a few days, Barry. She needs time to process everything before she can even think of forgiving you or even being nice about any type of apology on your end. That’s how it would be for me if I was in her position, at least.”

“Right,” Barry said, mostly to himself, as Joe’s voice loomed in the back of his head. “A few days.”

Linda tilted her head to the side.

“Want to have lunch with me? Might serve as a good distraction from your problems.”

He shook his head.

“No, thanks. I should get back to the station before Joe realizes I’m missing.” He paused before meeting her eyes. “He also suggested waiting a few days before trying to talk to Iris.”

“Ah.” She smiled. “See you later then.”

“See you,” he said quickly, then power-walked to the exit and flashed back to CCPD.

Linda watched and shook her head in wonder.

“That is…something else,” she murmured, then sat back at her desk and pulled out her paper bag lunch.

…

The next day Iris came into work. She came in the day after too. Barry didn’t interact with her that second day at all. He just flashed past CCPN to see if she was at her desk, to make sure she was okay and not genuinely sick. On day 3, he decided three days was the absolute bare minimum of ‘few’ and that he would wait till the end of the workday to surprise her and hope she didn’t blow him off. If she did, he’d probably have to wait a couple more days to see if she’d be more open to talking then. But if she gave him an opening, he wasn’t going to just sit by and not take it. She wasn’t just his best friend. She was the love of his life, and deep down he saw a future for them romantically.

Iris, exhausted after a long day, and having realized there was no danger in Linda surprise-interacting with her, got her things together and headed for the exit. The last thing she expected was Barry standing there in a suit with a huge arrangement of roses in a heart shape on a stand. She couldn’t even get a word in before he interrupted her thought process.

“It’s too much? It’s too much. It’s the heart, right? It’s too cheesy. Alright, hold on.”

And before she could blink, the flowers had been rearranged. Now they formed her name in all caps: IRIS.

“Is that better?”

Still trying to process, all she could do was stare, looking at the masterpiece before her and wondering how to respond to it, especially since she’d decided at the beginning of the day she was still mad at him.

“It’s worse?” His face fell. “We’ll go back to the heart. It’s-”

“No, Barry! Wait, wait. It is so beautiful, and you are so sweet…in theory.”

His frown deepened.

“In theory?”

She sighed and approached him tentatively.

“Did you forget what happened just a few days ago? Already?”

His shoulders slumped.

“I thought that would’ve been enough time.”

Her brows furrowed. “For what?”

“For you to forgive me.”

She took a step back and scoffed.

“You kept a life-altering event from me for months, almost a year, and you thought a few days would be enough for me to just…let that go?”

His mouth fell open but nothing came out.

Iris rolled her eyes and started to walk away. Luckily, Barry snapped out of it and immediately pursued her.

“Wait, wait, Iris, hold on!”

“And what’s with the suit?” she demanded. “It’s not like we’re going on a date.”

“No, I know that. I just…I wanted to look my best.”

“For what?”

“For you, obviously.”

She stopped and turned to look at him.

“And I think flowers look best with a suit accompanying them. I mean…right?”

She sighed, ignoring the tug on her heartstrings from how hopeful he looked.

“Look, I know what you’re thinking,” she began. “How can I possibly be mad at you for keeping a big secret when I’m keeping an equally huge one from Eddie?”

His voice squeaked a little. “Well.”

He hadn’t wanted to say it, but…yeah.

“We’ve been friends for over 15 years, Barry. We tell each other everything. Or we’re supposed to. I may have had a few days to let things sink in, but that doesn’t mean I can forgive you for it. It’s too huge.”

He took a step towards her.

“Okay, if you don’t want to talk about that, can we at least address the elephant in the room? You’ve been avoiding it since it happened, and I don’t think it’s fair. With Eddie gone, I mean…”

“Eddie did not break up with me,” she said. “He’s just out of town. That doesn’t give me permission to just…pick up where I left off with you.”

“No, I know that,” he was quick to say. “But do you ever…want to?”

He knew it was a risky question to ask, but if she wouldn’t even consider talking about the Flash reveal from the other night, he figured the other ginormous elephant was worth talking about. It had been long enough.

Iris took a breath, fighting with herself to not break out in a screaming match in the middle of the street.

“Okay, fine. You want me to be honest? I’ll be honest.”

Barry held his breath.

“Am I attracted to you? Yes. Did I just figure it out that night? More or less. Has the memory of that night been stuck in my brain ever since? Pretty much.”

His eyes widened. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“But here’s the thing.”

Uh-oh.

“It’s just sexual attraction.”

He frowned.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means…we’ve been friends for so long, we were bound to develop a physical attraction to each other at some point. And for some reason neither one of us was smart enough to give in to a one-night stand to get those completely natural attraction feelings out of our system. It was going to come out and some point sporadically.”

“So, what you’re saying is…”

“I don’t have feelings for you, Barry. I love Eddie. He’s the only person I love. Romantically, at least.”

“I…see.”

“Ideally, a one-night stand would fix all of this, but I obviously can’t do that without cheating on Eddie again. And this time with actual sex.”

Barry gulped.

“It’s not gonna happen.”

“Right.”

“I will just have to…figure out some other way to get you out of my head. Or your body, rather.”

He wrapped an arm around the back of his head and did not succeed in stopping the blush that spread across his cheeks.

“I see.”

“And even if I did have feelings for you, which I don’t…”

“Yeah?” He licked his lips.

“All of that is moot, because I can’t trust you.”

His face fell.

“I feel like I don’t even know you anymore. Like you’ve been a completely different person since the moment you woke up from that coma.”

“Iris…” He reached for her, but she took a step back and held up a hand to fend him off.

“I’m sorry, Barry, but a few days and some flowers, gorgeous though they may be, is just not going to cut it.”

He found he had no words to that.

So this time when she turned away, he didn’t chase after her. He watched her walk away and out of his life. Again.

…

The plan was to go back to the apartment. That was the plan. But for some reason after Iris got into her car, she kept driving past a street she was supposed to turn onto and went to a familiar place instead. A place she knew better than the apartment she shared with Eddie and felt more like home to her, though she’d never admit it.

Jitters.

When she got inside the coffee shop, she headed straight for the back staircase without even stopping to get a drink. She opened the heavy, gray door and looked up at the long winding staircase above her. Taking a breath, she started the ascent, memories playing over and over in her mind with each new step she took.

She saw that first moment she really met the Flash again. That wink he’d sent her way. It had immediately caused chills to race down her spine. She’d been breathless, absolutely and completely. Was that what a crush felt like? It’d been so long since she felt that. She skipped that step with Eddie. He’d just come into her life when she was absolutely falling apart, and they’d naturally gone through all the relationship steps, but she never really had a crush on him. They’d missed that part somehow.

But she had a crush on the Flash. There was no denying it now. No denying how superficial it was either. She was a dedicated fan, and he was a superhero. There were probably loads of people had a crush on the scarlet speedster. She couldn’t be the only one.

But he’d met with her.

To stop her from running her blog, sure, but she knew the reason behind that now. She wondered how different things could’ve been if he hadn’t been trying to stop her during every clandestine meeting they had together. He’d probably have revealed he was her best friend sooner. But then she probably wouldn’t have had a crush on him or would’ve stopped having crush on him.

Right?

She kept walking up the stairs as another time flashed before her mind. Their second time on the rooftop. She’d been so happy, so full of life, so eager for even a snippet for her to include in her blog. And she’d been flirty too.

“My hearing is fine. It’s just selective.”

She smirked at that.

Another time… the time she cut off all contact with him, at least for a while. Because a meta had taken over his mind and nearly killed Eddie.

That made sense now too. Of course in a warped mind state Barry would go after Eddie. Eddie had wanted to take down the Flash since the second he believed in him, and then there was the other thing.

Barry was jealous.

“Don’t contact me again. Okay?”

If she had only known it was Barry.

She would’ve responded so differently. She would have understood. She would’ve wanted to know if he was okay, what he had gone through, how he’d broken through. She would’ve been entirely focused on him instead of her boyfriend. Eddie might not have liked that, but he would just have had to deal. Barry was her first and foremost, always.

She burst through to the rooftop, heaving, and went to the far side, leaning on the half-wall, which practically came up to her shoulders.

Her hands were trembling, so she gripped them to the stone as tightly as she could. And then she felt a gust of wind behind her and knew who was there. Who else could it be?

“Did you search the whole city for me?” She swallowed, as she turned around.

Barry approached slowly from the doorway.

“Didn’t have to. This is…your spot.”

Her irritation boiled up inside her again. Of course he knew that. He knew things about her that she hadn’t known that he knew. All because he’d kept this ginormous secret from her for months. He hadn’t let on at all, and she’d never figured it out. Maybe that bothered her the most.

“Yeah, it’s a special spot,” she said aloud. “It’s where I first met the Flash.” She shook her head. “All those times, you were standing right in front of me, and I had no idea. I don’t even know you anymore.”

Words she’d said before, but somehow they bared repeating. He needed to get it through his thick skull that she wasn’t going to just…forgive him because he was persistent.

“What are you even doing here?” she demanded.

He took a breath, ignoring her question.

“Every time I falter make a mistake, the thought of you is what picks me up and keeps me going. And not just as Barry, as the Flash too. With every meta, every crook, every time I have to step in and be a hero, it’s you, Iris. It’s you.”

Iris licked her lips, the words hitting home for her despite how much she didn’t want them to. It was a boost to know she was the support for a superhero. Even if he was just saying it to get her to consider forgiving him.

He closed the remaining distance between them.

“Look, what I’m trying to say is…even though you didn’t know everything about my life this past year, that does not mean that you weren’t a part of it. You were. Every. Single. Day. Without you…there wouldn’t be the Flash.”

And she knew in that moment, she was going to forgive him.

Her dad might be a different story, but this was Barry. How could she not?

Barry reached down and grazed his fingertips across one of her hands. She swore she felt a spark. She’d bet her life on it. She gasped even, albeit quietly.

“So, what do you say?” he asked, his voice gravelly and rough, almost like the Flash. Almost. “Are we good?”

And in that moment that she looked up into his eyes, she saw their whole life together flash before her eyes. Past, present, and future. She felt hope and longing and love. And she didn’t see Eddie in the future just then. She wasn’t thinking about him at all.

She felt butterflies too, exploding inside of her, and a dawning revelation hit her stronger than the one before she’d kissed him weeks before.

Oh, my God. I’m in love with him.

She could hardly breathe, and it was dangerous to be this close to him, to be touching him, knowing what she now knew.

“I think…” She licked her lips. “I think we might be okay.” She tried to push past the feelings cascading around her, but it was impossible. “Fresh start?” she made herself say, and he nodded.

“I’d like that,” he said. “No more secrets?”

She could almost laugh. She was sitting on a big one right now.

Tremulously, she smiled.

“No more secrets.” She tilted her head to the side, not wanting to part with him but knowing she needed a distraction that wasn’t confessing her undying love for her best friend while her boyfriend was out of town.

“You want to go see a movie?”

He grinned, and she wanted to melt. She’d forgotten how sexy that grin was. She hadn’t let herself think it, but now she was having trouble thinking of anything else.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’d like that.”

He dropped her hand, but she looped her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked toward the door on the far end of the rooftop. She felt like a girl with a crush, and she knew then with absolute certainty that if Barry had told her who he was from the beginning, her crush wouldn’t have gone away. It would’ve intensified.

And that should’ve worried her more than anything else.

But for some reason, it didn’t.

[glow-worm]

Powerless Ch. 3/4

(Read the rest on tumblr or on AO3 )

Barry showered, then went to bed himself—if only for a few hours. When he woke up, everyone was still asleep.

Given the hour, it was mildly concerning.

He checked on Davenport again, who did look better: less pale, resting easier.

He even popped in to Lucretia’s room, opening her door as noiselessly as possible. She was sleeping on top of her still-made bed, with the lights on in her room. He checked to make sure she was breathing, then shut the lights.

Then he hesitantly opened Lup’s door.

She was lying far to the side of her bed, eyes closed in meditation.

She had left room on her bed for someone to climb in and lay next to her.

His heart swelled, wondering for a moment if that space was meant for him—but remembered the few times Lup and Taako had been separated on missions, or when he had checked in on them while they tranced. They always left space for each other, instinctually, just in case one needed the other.

Still, he let his imagination run wild for a moment. He thought about being bold and climbing into the bed. After all, she had offered. And in her semi-conscious trance she certainly knew by now that he was here, yet she didn’t say anything.

No. It wasn’t right. If she was being affectionate it was because she needed comfort. She just lost her brother. She wasn’t in a good state of mind…it wouldn’t be right.

He closed the door.

Barry made breakfast.

It wasn’t great, but everyone needed to eat. Lup needed to eat.

He returned to her room and was about to knock on the door to tell her to come eat with everyone, but something was off.

A bit early to use a spell slot, but Barry Detected that Lup’s room had been Silenced.

He chewed on his lip, then shoved his hands into his jean pockets in defeat. It wouldn’t be right to barge in. He would have to just come back in ten minutes. Hopefully everything was alright. Barry sighed, and went back to the kitchen.

Lup was screaming. Tears streamed down her face. She tore things apart as she shouted at the top of her lungs.

When she had finished her meditation, she sat and thought about the previous day’s events a little more clearly.

Taako was gone.

Gone in a flash, and she was powerless to stop it.

And her grief made her powerless to fight back. Powerless to protect her friends.

She ripped pages out of an old notebook and burned them.

She threw things against the wall, she punched a pillow over and over and over again until she was worn out, her arms trembling. Her injuries throbbed against their wrappings in protest of her exertion.

She was going to find those drow.

And she was going to make them wish they had never laid eyes on her brother.

Lup didn’t bother cleaning up. She opened her door and swiftly closed it behind her, then noticed Barry standing in the hall with a tray of food.

She softened at the sight of him.

“Oh! H-hey, I, uh...” he stumbled awkwardly. “I brought you some breakfast? I know you probably don’t think you’re hungry, so, uh, I kept it light.”

He was right, she definitely didn’t feel hungry.

But, she hadn’t eaten since before they went out yesterday.

“Lucretia and Dav are up,” Barry said. “But you can eat in your room if you want some space.”

Lup quickly shuffled away from her door as if the mess behind it would disappear if no one else noticed it.

“Nah,” she said. “I’ll come out with you guys.”

So she joined the others in the kitchen and forced herself to pick at the food on her plate. It was just two eggs, sunny side up, with a little toast and coffee. Once she started eating she realized how hungry she was, so she finished everything on her plate—though she ate slowly, staring off into space as she did so.

Lucretia peeled an apple for her and put the slices on her plate, which Lup snacked on in a daze, tuning out the conversation around her.

In spite of her haze, she did take note before she retreated back to her disaster of a cabin that Davenport was walking with a crutch, his entire torso wrapped in bandages under his unbuttoned IPRE jacket. His movements were slow; when he stood up and walked he seemed to be in pain.

It hurt her to see him in such a state. She vaguely thought about asking Taako to help her make their captain's favorite dish--then balled her hands into fists and quickly went back to her room.

Lup was fairly withdrawn for a few days. The crew gave her some space, but after a while they collectively decided that Lup would have enough alone time while the others slept. So during the day, Lup had nearly constant companionship.

At night, she would prep food. Then when it was finally time for her to rest, she would instinctively leave space for Taako.

Barry tried to fill that space, in spirit, during the day.

And on more than one occasion, Lup invited him to fill that space at night.

Still, she was much more aloof than normal—which was completely understandable—and Barry witnessed two separate occasions where she turned around to make a comment or quip to her brother and froze when no one was there.

Not unlike how Taako was when Lup died, Lup became relatively snarkier in general and was much more prone to irritation.

What concerned Barry the most, though, was her behavior out in the field.

Without Lup, Taako became more cautious—seldom leaving the ship, reluctant to go on any adventures.

Without Taako, Lup—already a reckless person to begin with—needlessly threw herself into danger without a second thought.

The remaining four crew members tried to stay safe on the ship as often as possible. Davenport, unable to move properly, did not leave the Starblaster again for the rest of the cycle.

So when they did need to leave the ship, they would only send two—and Lup insisted that she should go every time.

Nearly two months later, she and Barry were out on the planet’s surface when they encountered another vengeful drow. Barry swiftly pulled out his wand, ready to Teleport—but Lup had different plans.

He watched in stunned dismay as she charged the drow head on with a branch she picked up off the ground, swinging it into his face and leaving herself wide open to a Magic Missile-style curse that sent her flying backwards.

Barry rushed to her side to help her up, but not without comment.

“Why—Lup, what the hell? Why didn’t you just cast something?” He asked.

“I left my wand on the ship,” she admitted.

“Wha—okay, say something next time?” Barry urged, exasperated. “Let’s get out of here, we’ll never beat him if you can’t ca—Lup! Stop!”

Lup chucked a rock at the drow.

Without another word, Barry seized her and cast Teleport.

They resurfaced back on the deck of the Starblaster, with Lup leaning back on the floor and Barry over her on his hands and knees.

He sat back on his ankles and put his hands on her shoulders, gripping them lightly.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” Barry demanded in frustration.

Lup wasn’t one to show embarrassment, but she showed something close to it now as her eyes darted away from Barry.

He paused, dropping the tension in his shoulders as he unraveled the realization forming in his mind. He let go of her, the irritation on his face giving way to pain.

“...Are you?” He asked quietly.

“Of course not,” Lup grumbled. “I just wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

Barry wasn’t convinced. He pulled her into a hug and just held her for a few moments before she wormed her way out of his arms.

“Dude,” she said. “It was a mistake. I said I was sorry. Let me get my wand so we can go back out there.”

He looked embarrassed for a moment, but half a second later he narrowed his eyes in chagrin, his mouth half open.

“Go—go back?! Lup, we’re not going back there,” Barry asserted. “Not when we know there are drow.”

“I’m not afraid of the drow,” Lup declared under her breath.

“Well you should be!” Barry retorted. “We are not going back. If anything happens to us, you think it’d be fair to leave Creesh and Dav by themselves for the rest of the cycle?! Capn’port’s having a hard enough time as it is.”

He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t. So he went on, “And also? We shouldn’t die when we don’t have to! You can’t ask me to watch you throw your life away for a stupid revenge scheme.”

“I wasn’t—that’s not—” Lup stammered.

“Sometimes you’re worse than Magnus,” Barry shook his head. “There is no reason to fight these guys. We wanted to study them, it’s clear that is not going to happen. They’ve already taken out three of us—if all seven of us get killed, it’s over for real. And I don’t know about you, but this is not a plane I’d like to perma-die on.”

“I get it, Bluejeans,” Lup asserted, her palms up in surrender. “Let’s go inside.”

Barry put his foot down the next time Lup volunteered to go out. Luckily, she didn’t argue.

The rest of the cycle was uneventful. They never found the Light of Creation. Barry felt guilty about that—after all, some of the drow had been relatively personable to them, and it wasn’t the whole civilization’s fault that a handful of folks had completely decimated the plane’s only hope.

Overthinking was pointless, though. They’d done this many times and would have to do it many times more. There had been and would be many more deserving planes that the IPRE would fail to save.

When the Hunger came, the Starblaster and its crew left with few regrets.

[shannonwrote]

Characters: Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Owen Grady, Barry (Jurassic World), & the Raptor Squad

Fandom(s): Marvel, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World

Notes: This fic started as a crazy idea in my head that wouldn’t leave me alone. 

*Warning: The prologue predates the release of Jurassic World and some liberties were taken regarding the inner workings of Owen Grady and the Raptor Squad.

Prologue

“Blue hates me,” Natasha said, brushing aside the stray strands of hair that escaped from her braid.

Barry laughed. “They all hate you.”

“True,” she agreed, “but Blue really hates me.”

“That’s because I like you,” Owen remarked appearing behind her. He planted a kiss on the side of her face. “She’s the Beta and I’m the Alpha. You’re competition.”

“Should I be worried?” She called after him as he continued down the platform.

“Probably,” he called back before disappearing from sight.

“You sure know how to make a girl feel special.” She leaned over the railing, as Owen appeared in the entryway to the paddock.

“I know,” he smirked up at her. “You’re the one wearing my shirt, not Blue.”

“This?” She said, pulling at the oversized flannel shirt she was wearing. “This is your way of making a girl feel special?”

He winked. “You know it!”

She shook head, mumbling incoherently in Russian.

“You picked him,” Barry said coming to stand beside her.

“Don’t remind me,” she grinned.

She felt her heart race in her chest as Owen approached the door to the paddock. He trusted the Raptors and the Raptors trusted him, but Natasha knew that could all change in an instant. The Raptors were wild animals and trust only went so far before instinct took over.

Typing in his code to unlock the paddock, he looked over his shoulder at her. “Always.”

“Forever,” she repeated back to him.

It was their version of ‘I love you,’ because ‘love is for children.’

Natasha took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She waited until she heard the paddock door close before opening them again.

“Blue! I saw that!” Owen’s voice sounded firm but affectionate.

Natasha watched Owen with the Raptors, and she marveled, as she always did, at the partnership between their Beta and their Alpha. They had an understanding that didn’t need words or commands, always knowing where the other was or where they were going to be. They were flawless. They were perfect.

“Your boy’s good,” Barry commented once the training exercise was over and the paddock doors had shut again.

“He sure thinks he is.”

“Hey! I head that,” Owen laughed from behind her. He snaked his arms around her waist and spun her around to face him. “Don’t be jealous,” he said sliding his hands into the back pockets of her too short jean shorts.

“I don’t know, man. I’m kind of jealous.” Barry laughed, pushing himself off of the railing and heading down the platform.

Owen pulled a hand out of Natasha’s back pocket and pointed at Barry. “No one asked you!” He felt her lips on his jaw and allowed his gaze to be pulled back to hers. “Don’t listen to him.”

“I never do.” She pressed her lips to his. “Besides, I don’t know why he’d be jealous. You’re the one that’s in relationships with two women who can kill you.”

Owen pursed his lips together, “I liked it better when I thought you were jealous.”

“I never said I wasn’t,” she winked, rolling out of his grasp.

“And where do you think you’re going?” He asked, grabbing her flannel and pulling her back into him.

“I’m late for training with the ACU. I’ll see you back at home.”

“Always,” he said pressing his lips against hers.

“Mhmm,” she mumbled into his lips, “don't tell Blue.”

She was out of his arms and down the stairs less than a heartbeat later.

“No fair!” He called after her.

She waved a hand behind her, as she crawled onto his motorcycle.

“Wait! That’s my bike!” He yelled leaning over the railing.

She threw a smirk over her shoulder. “I know.”

“First my shirt and now my bike?”

“I’m special, remember?” She yelled over the roar of the engine.

Before Owen had a chance to reply, Natasha and his bike disappeared in a cloud of dust.

[thenewnio]

Other Gem OCs!

Nephrolith (Voiced by Frank Welker as a monster and Jackie Buscarino as a Gem)

Gem Placement: Stomach

Made In: Era 2

Weapon: Sharp Teeth

Personality: Wild, instinctive, protective, intelligent

A mutant Gem formed from the kidney stone of a prehistoric human and born corrupted. She is the main antagonist of the pilot film. She returns in the series, having been healed by the Diamonds and Steven, though she still retains her feral personality. However, she eventually grows to be loyal to the team.

Spheridot (Voiced by Shelby Rabara)

Gem Placement: Right Ear

Made In: Era 2

Weapon: Limb Enhancers

Personality: Comically serious, prideful, irritable

An old Peridot rival of Emerald’s with a spherical hairdo, she challenges her to a battle in the first episode of the series.

Andesine (Voiced by Felicia Day)

Gem Placement: Small of Back

Made In: Era 2

Weapon: Sword Cane

Personality: Elegant, charismatic, forceful, self-assured, commanding, vivacious, crafty, bossy, regal, glamorous, pompous, powerful, proper, selfish

A rogue Gem hiding out on Earth since Era 3 began. She makes her debut when she kidnaps Blue Spinel to be her songbird.

Lady Lapis (Voiced by Jennifer Paz)

Gem Placement: Back of Right Hand

Made In: Era 2

Personality: Deadpan, enduring, practical, unwavering, professional, brutally honest, helpful

A Lapis Lazuli who works with Andesine.

Green Agate (Voiced by Christine Pedi)

Gem Placement: Right Breast

Made In: Era 2 

Weapon: Electric Scepter

Nickname: Aggie

Personality: Condescending, haughty, charismatic, short-tempered, charming, selfish, dishonest, pompous

Lilac Spinel’s rival, who poofed her and imprisoned her in a doll during an argument before forgetting about her. In her debut episode, she comes to Little Homeworld seeking to establish a position in Little Homeschool, only to encounter Lilac Spinel. She is usually easy-going and playful, and she's likely to come off as considerate to those she likes. However, her temper is just as foul as her rival’s, and she focuses more on making herself look better than those she views as a threat or could care nothing about. 

Selenite (Voiced by Asia Kate Dillon)

Gem Placement: Back of Neck (Lapis Lazuli), Upper Back (Pearl), Lower Back (Spinel)

Personality: Imposing, cunning, strict, commandeering, loving, a bit cowardly, extremely nurturing, ruthless

A three-Gem permafusion of a Lapis, a Peacock Pearl and a Clear Spinel, the traveling Selenite is first met during a mission to Chile. Like all fusions, her personality traits come from her three formerly corrupted component Gems: Peacock Pearl is the leaderly part, Lapis is the strong part and Clear Spinel is the affectionate part. Settling down in Little Homeworld, she soon develops a bond with Nephrolith.

Lime Spinel (Voiced by Sarah Stiles)

Gem Placement: Mid-Back

Made In: Era 2

Nickname: Limey

Personality: Boisterous, short-tempered, feisty, sarcastic, fussy, cocky, self-assured

Lime Spinel, or “Limey”, used to belong to Emerald, but due to an incident where the latter very nearly lost her life thanks to a massive blunder on the former’s part, was stripped of her title as Emerald’s companion before being poofed and bubbled. Centuries later, Spheridot obtains her as a sidekick to help her avenge her honor. When Limey and Emerald meet again, hijinks ensue, and she becomes Blue Spinel’s rival partly out of jealousy. Whenever she tries to help others, it usually ends badly for all those involved.

Rainbow Opal (Voiced by Bonnie Hunt)

Gem Placement: Base of Throat

Made In: Era 1

Nickname: Jennifer

Personality: Alluring, friendly, protective, curious, somewhat naive, silly, motherly, brave, funny

Found by Barry and the team during a snipe hunt, this corrupted gem is later healed, after which she becomes a good friend of Selenite and Nephrolith. She is very fond of chocolate.

Zoisite (Voiced by Cherami Leigh)

Gem Placement: Spine

Made In: Era 3

Nickname: Zoi

Personality: Innocent, curious, expressive

A newborn Gem with the power to create life from barren sand. 

Bloodstone (Voiced by Stephanie Sheh)

Gem Placement: Heart

Made In: Era 1

Weapon: Energy Sword

Personality: Cunning, zealous, sly, sneaky, confident, manipulative

A smooth-talking Gem who seeks Zoisite for her own ends. She became a wanted criminal when Era 3 came about.

Rhodochrosite (Voiced by Shirley Henderson)

Gem Placement: Small of Back

Made In: Era 1

Personality: Extremely eccentric, flamboyant, kind, intelligent

A Gem who helps the team protect Zoisite from Bloodstone.

Alabaster (Voiced by Octavia Spencer)

Gem Placement: Between Eyes

Made In: Era 2

Personality: Brave, good-hearted, funny, repentant

A corrupted gem resembling a gigantic flying jellyfish, she is controlled by Bloodstone, but is healed by Steven. Afterwards, she settles in Little Homeworld.

[chersyeux-blog]

REALLY  LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES. repost, don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good  luck ! TAGGED. no one TAGGING. whoever wants to

BASICS. FULL  NAME : Édouard Alexandre de Valois NICKNAME : Henri, Anjou & Chers yeux (only maman is allowed to call him ‘precious eyes’) AGE : I play him as being anywhere from 4 to 37  BIRTHDAY : 19 September  ETHNIC  GROUP : french (1/4 Italian) NATIONALITY :  french LANGUAGE / S : french, italian, polish, latin & greek SEXUAL  ORIENTATION: homosexual                 ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION : panroromantic RELATIONSHIP  STATUS : single until age 23 CLASS : royalty HOME  TOWN / AREA : Saint-Germain-en-Laye  CURRENT  HOME : depends on the verse (usually either Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Blois) PROFESSION : fils de France, Dauphin, King of Poland, or King of France depending on the verse

PHYSICAL. HAIR : wild, brown curls as a boy; intricately styled as an adult; receding hairline in his final years  EYES : He inherited the large, dark Medici eyes. very expressive & soulful. Long lashes NOSE : a fairly nondescript nose (not like grand-père lol) FACE : full, round cheeks like a cherub as a boy; thinner and more angular as an adult LIPS : fuller than most men’s, but not noticably so COMPLEXION : super pale, especially when ill or fasting BLEMISHES : several unhealing tuberculosis ulcers  SCARS : a few from normal childhood injuries, one on his right leg from his time leading France’s military, and many across his back and shoulders from self flagellation TATTOOS : none HEIGHT : 6′ as an adult WEIGHT : ranges between 63-70 kgs as an adult BUILD : thin and lanky FEATURES : see above ALLERGIES : fairly severe seasonal allergies USUAL  HAIR  STYLE : usually wild as a boy, styled as an adult  USUAL  FACE  LOOK : pensive with just a hint of mischief USUAL  CLOTHING : he loves rich fabrics (silk, velvet, lace) in a wide variety of colours. usually he wears a doublet and trousers, but has been known to dress in gowns when the mood strikes him

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : loss, hell, his declining health ASPIRATION / S : to understand the world, to get attention POSITIVE  TRAITS : deep, intelligent, charming, generous, witty NEGATIVE  TRAITS : antagonistic, unwise, disloyal, manipulative, asshole MBTI : ENTP the debater ZODIAC : virgo TEMPERAMENT : sanguine SOUL  TYPE / S : performer, thinker, spiritualist, caregiver ANIMALS : weasel (Attractive, Mischievous, Flirtatious, Conceited, Untrustworthy) VICE  HABIT / S : over$pending FAITH : roman catholic GHOSTS ? : no AFTERLIFE ? : yes and it haunts him REINCARNATION ? : no ALIENS ? : no POLITICAL  ALIGNMENT : he firmly believes in the divine right of kings, but for his time he was a bit unusual as he valued peace above enforcing religion

ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE : he’s a big spender 

SOCIOPOLITICAL  POSITION : precariously balanced at the top of the food chain

EDUCATION  LEVEL :  highly educated as befitting a fils de France

FAMILY. FATHER : Henri II of France MOTHER : Catherine de Medici SIBLINGS : Francis, Elisabeth, Claude, Louis*, Charles, Margot, Hercule, Jeanne* & Victoire* (*= did not survive infancy) EXTENDED  FAMILY : I’ll start drafting a chart NAME  MEANING / S : Alexandre- defender/protector of men; Herni- ruler of his household HISTORICAL  CONNECTION ? : the houses of Valois and Medici go back for centuries

FAVOURITES. BOOK : too many to count, but the princeling loves Chrétien de Troyes’ legends and one of adult Henri’s favourites is Essais by Michel de Montaigne  MOVIE : Too many to name them all. He loves romantic films as well as musicals, comedies & cerebral films 5  SONGS : Bohemian Rhapsody, I Am What I Am, Love Today, Somebody to Love, Uptown Funk DEITY : the Christian God HOLIDAY : Christmas MONTH : September SEASON : summer PLACE : his private chambers in Blois castle WEATHER : sunny and breezy SOUND : someone he loves reading to him SCENT / S : fleurs, usually lilies  TASTE / S : honey, summer berries, fresh baked pastries FEEL / S : warm arms wrapped snugly around him ANIMAL / S : hide yo lapdogs! NUMBER : 3 COLOUR : emerald green

EXTRA. TALENTS : flirting, debating, philosophising, fencing, dancing, self destruction BAD  AT : handling pressure, rejection, or criticism TURN  ONS : affectionate, attentiveness, cleverness, doting, gratefulness TURN  OFFS : disloyalty, bad hygiene, lack of style, teasing him, thinking well of his brothers HOBBIES : dancing, fencing, styling, debating, antagonising his siblings TROPES : Ermine Cape Effect, Spoiled Sweet (princeling only), Heir Club for Men, Royally Screwed Up, Spare to the Throne

FC INFO. MAIN  FC / S : Raphael Alejandro ALT  FC / S : OLDER  FC / S :  Art Parkinson, Ben Barnes & Joseph Fiennes YOUNGER  FC / S :  VOICE  CLAIM / S : the princeling: the little one in this youtube video; Adult Henri: Romain Duris (he’d be my fc if he had done more period pieces) GENDERBENT  FC / S : 

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : if  you  could  write  your  character  your  way  in  their  own movie ,   what  would  it  be  called ,  what  style  would  it  be filmed  in ,  and  what  would  it  be  about ?           A1 : I would call it A Thousand Disillusionments and it would be about his downfall from promising youth to tragic king Q2 : what  would  their  soundtrack / score  sound  like ?           A2 : It would start light and more upbeat and descend into deep, melancholic melodies Q3 : why  did  you  start  writing  this  character ?           A3 : I first fell in love with Catherine de Medici, but as there were others doing a brilliant job of writing her I explored the people that were important in her life and subsequently latched onto her problematic favourite son Q4 : what  first  attracted  you  to  this  character ?           A4 : I loved his fatal glamour, his boldness, his unapologetic sense of self Q5 : describe  the  biggest  thing  you  dislike  about  your  muse.           A5 : the abuse he subjects his younger siblings to and his lack of loyalty to those who love him most Q6 : what  do  you  have  in  common  with  your  muse ?           A6 : We both love dogs, are very affectionate and enjoy thinking deeply about the world Q7 : how  does  your  muse  feel  about  you ?           A7 : He likes the attention I give him Q8 : what  characters  does  your  muse  have  interesting  interactions  with ?         A8 : interactions on this account are fairly limited because I’m very shy about initiating things, but I love all of them. I especially love his interactions with the fam Q9 : what  gives  you  inspiration  to  write  your  muse ?         A9 : doing research and reading historical materials, reading JM Barrie’s writing gives me inspiration for writing the princeling Q10 : how  long  did  this  take  you  to  complete ?         A10 : not too long

[ahopefulneophyte]

0.3 “Prologue”

“S-slow down!”

“Nooo! That’ll take too long!”

As my foot caught a stray stone, I stumbled for what felt like the tenth time in the past minute, barely managing to check myself and avoid face-planting into the snow-covered ground.

Barry somehow didn’t miss a step as he raced down the street at maniac pace, dragging me by the arm behind him.

I had woken up early to get ready for Barry when he came by to get me. After wolfing down my breakfast, I’d tossed on my jacket at my mother’s reminder and headed for the door at 7:30. Upon opening it, however, I immediately came face-to-face with Barry himself, tapping his foot impatiently. As he saw me, his face brightened. 

“There you are!” he exclaimed, grabbing my arm and yanking me outside. “You’re late; I’ve been waiting for you forever!” Poking his head in through the door while I stumbled, he shouted, “HEY, MRS. I!!!”

“Hello, Barry!” came my mother’s reply from the laundry room. “Have fun and be careful!”

“WE WILL!!!” the hyperactive blonde boy assured her. Shutting the door, he turned around to face me. “So, are your ready to go?” I opened my mouth to reply, but Barry was already talking again. “Awesome! Let’s go!”

With that, he spun around and took off like a shot, hand on my arm. With a cry of alarm and a hasty attempt to match my friend’s pace, the two of us were flying through the streets of Twinleaf Town.

Up ahead, there was a large patch of ice stretching across the street, shining in the sunlight. My eyes widened.

“Barry?” I tried to keep the rising panic out of my voice.

“Yeah?”

“The ice.”

“Huh?” He turned back to shoot me a puzzled look. The fact that he was now not looking where he was going made me lose my fragile calmness, the slippery patch drawing ever closer

“Barry, there’s ice on the road!”

“Wait, what?” The lanky boy turned his gaze up ahead and yelped. Despite seeing the ice, Barry did not slow down like any normal, sane person. Instead – much to my dismay – he sped up towards our approaching misfortune.

“Barry, what are you doing?!” I squeaked in terror.

“I’ve got an idea!” 

“So do I! Try stopping!”

“Too late! Hold on tight!” Oh no, no no nononono. What was he going to–?

We hit the ice, and I felt my maneuverability hit zero, legs wobbling beneath me as I fought to keep my balance. Barry’s hand flew out and wrapped around the post of the fence at the corner for only a second. In that time, we swung like a pendulum, taking a sharp right turn before he let go and sent us hurtling down a new street, laughing like a maniac. I clung on to him, my fear of being sent flying off just slightly outweighing my fear of Barry himself as we slid over the frozen puddle. All too soon, we reached the end of the glistening stretch, and I almost faceplanted from the change in friction. I had to fight to keep my feet beneath me, and that wasn’t helped by my headcase friend running at a full sprint right out of the gate.

“Almost there!” he called, and I looked around us. We were leaving the main town and heading out into the woods. Up ahead, I could make out a clearing, where–

Barry skidded to a halt abruptly, and I toppled over, tumbling to the ground in a heap. I groaned, then looked up to see my friend’s concerned face peering down at me.

“You okay, buddy?” he asked, his voice sincere and devoid of mockery. A hand entered my vision.

’Must. Not. Murder.’ I gritted out in my head, instead grumbling a “yes,” taking the offered hand and allowing myself to hauled to my feet. As I did, however, I noticed that the hand was far too large to be my friend’s. I blinked and looked up. Standing next to Barry, clad in a green coat and white turtleneck, was his father, Palmer. 

“You okay there, Alan?” the Pokémon trainer asked, grinning down at me. His hair–blonde like his son’s–was wild and untamed, framing a face full of roguish charm and enthusiasm. His forest-green travelling coat and the large gold buttons that adorned it gave him the air of a general or a well-travelled explorer, both of which he was, in a sense.

“Y-yeah,” I answered, eyes widening in excitement. Before me stood a living legend–a man who I’d known growing up, whose name was held in enormous regard all throughout the region. A veritable real-life superhero to my young mind, whose presence was so tangible to me because he was my best friend’s–

“DAAAAAD!” Barry yelled, charging at his old man at full tilt. Palmer barely had the time to turn before the orange-white blur crashed into him like a very small freight train, little arms wrapping around the man’s torso. Palmer took the impact in stride, spinning Barry around and hugging him back with a laugh. Then, the boy wiggled out of the paternal embrace and hopped back, practically bouncing as he looked at his father excitedly.

“Okay, Alan’s here!” he exclaimed. “Now show us your Pokémon!” My eyes went back to the adult, an expression of fervent anticipation on my face.

“Right! Barry said you brought them with you!”

Palmer chuckled, reaching into one of the pockets of his coat. “Oh? Is that why you’re happy to see me? And here I thought you were just pleased to see your old dad!”

“Daaaaaad!” Barry exclaimed, stamping his foot impatiently. “Quit stalling! You promised!”

Unable to hold it back, Palmer let out a bark of laughter at his son’s antics. from his pocket, he withdrew three red-and-white Pokéballs, which both of us focussed on immediately. 

“Well, you asked to meet them...” the trainer tossed them into the air, where they opened, expelling three balls of light that rapidly expanded and shaped themselves into the magnificent forms of three fantastical creatures. “...and here they are! Croony, Dume, Ergo: say hi!”

Three beasts regarded us curiously. A massive burly monstrosity with a scaly grey-brown hide thick orange armour plating adorning its fearsome visage loomed over us, two spiralling horns protruding from its brow. It huffed, nostrils flaring as it lumbered closer, glaring at us. I felt sweat trickle down my neck, and I squeaked in alarm. Seeing my apprehension, Palmer patted the Rhyperior’s arm and called our attention. I glanced over at him, as did Barry.

“This is Dume,” he proclaimed affectionately. I couldn’t help but feel that the name felt aptly intimidating. “She looks scary, but she’s really just a big softie~” The man scratched behind one of the Pokémon’s armour plates and it closed its eyes, hissing appreciatively. I was hesitant to call a beast that had pummelled an Onyx into submission with just its fists ‘soft,’ but the thing was definitely several levels of totally awesome.

“She’s totally kickass!” Barry cheered, and Palmer let out a strangled cough.

“H-hey, sport,” he said. “Where’d you learn a word like that?” 

“Huh? Oh, I heard it in a movie that was on the TV!”

“Well, uh...” Palmer made a face. “...just don’t let your mom hear you say that.” He caught sight of me, and I could have sworn his face grew several shades paler. “Th-that goes for your mom, too, Alan.” I blinked. Mom wasn’t that scary, was she?

....

‘She must never hear about this,’ I vowed, miming zipping my lips shut to Palmer, who gave me a relieved thumbs-up.

“Anyways,” he continued. “That over there is Ergo.” He nodded over our heads, prompting the two of us to turn around. Hanging silently in the air not a foot away from us was the long, slender form of a Milotic, scales and antennae flashing in the sunlight as its cream-coloured body seemed to glow. Barry yelped, falling back on his rear as the serpentine Pokémon moved its face in front of his curiously, a long pink tongue flicking out at him unnervingly. “She might look pretty and delicate, but she’s a real powerhouse in the arena!”

“Didn’t she almost beat all of your last challenger’s Pokémon on her own last year?” I asked, amazed.

“You betcha!” Palmer answered proudly. “And she might’ve beaten them all if it wasn’t for that sneaky Roserade at the end.”

“Wow...” It was almost too much for words to see these powerful creatures in person. Barry had gotten over his initial fright and was petting the Milotic’s scales excitedly. I turned to Palmer’s last Pokémon. The Dragonite waved back at me, and I walked over to it, marvelling at its gentle but powerful demeanor. 

“And that’s Croony.”

I paused. “Why’s he called that?” Palmer started to answer, but his Pokémon did it for him, throwing its head back and letting out a low, wailing croon. It was loud, but the call itself was soft and carried a deep, melodious hum to it. It was a beautiful sound. 

Then I felt an odd sensation, as if something was tugging or pulling, just underneath my ears. My hearing grew warped and watery. I shook my head to clear it, and when I did, the Dragonite’s song sounded different. For some reason, it felt ...mournful. But the feeling was strange, watery and distorted, like a picture out of focus, but just clear enough to see a general outline. I shook my head again, irritated by the feeling.

The song stopped. I heard Palmer’s voice.

“Heheh! Well there you go! Pretty fitting name, huh? Thanks for the demonstration, Croony!” He paused. “Croony?”

I looked back, confused and a little disoriented from the persisting feeling that clung to me. Barry was laughing, hanging off of the Rhyperior’s arm as it dangled him a foot above the ground. Palmer was looking back at me, brow furrowing in concern. He took a step forwards. 

“Croony?” he repeated. I turned around again.

The Dragonite hadn’t moved. It stood absolutely still, staring straight at me with an unreadable expression. Its eyes seemed to surge with thoughts, infinite and intelligent as it regarded something I couldn’t understand. The pull behind my ears had only gotten more intense, almost painful now. I felt so dizzy, like my senses were doubling, mind jumbled up. Mutely, I watched the Dragonite’s eyes as it apparently reached a decision. Opening its mouth, it began to croon its keening howl again.

Only this time, I understood.

It... it wasn’t just a sound. It was sadness. Sorrow so gorgeous and immaculate, the likes of which I’d never imagined before. I could hear the mourning cold the air around me had veiled itself in, could see the grasses murmuring their solemn wishes in the breeze. One day, I would fly away from this somber winter land and return to the warmth of the springtime coast, but for now it was the time to contemplate, to pause and remember all the gentle, far-away memories of our time that we had–

I gasped as the sound. My head spun and ached, but I couldn’t care less. I stared in shock at the Pokémon before me. He regarded me silently, his soft blue eyes wide with confusion and astonishment. Then, the Dragonite slowly nodded, stepping back and walking around me, back towards his trainer. I blinked, shaking my head violently to clear it, all of the weight and strange sensation fading as I turned and followed.

Palmer was regarding me with some concern and not a small amount of curiosity.

“Did something happen there?” he asked. I looked at the trainer, pausing.

“Uh... I don’t know?” I replied, trying to sort out what exactly had happened. “It was like... I heard something?”

“Like what?” Palmer looked intrigued. I looked down at my feet, shifting as I tried to recall the feeling.

“Like... something sad, I think? I felt like... like, something was gone, and that was bad, but we... I? have to, um... be okay with that?”

“Hey dad,” I heard Barry call out, interrupting us. “Where’s Charpuppy?”

I felt another rush of excitement, willingly allowing myself to be distracted from this whole, bizarre situation. Charpuppy the Houndoom was one of Barry and my favorite Pokémon on Barry’s father’s team–due largely to the fact that he used to let us ride on his back when we were younger.

“Yeah!” I exclaimed, looking up. “Did you bring him?” I looked up, and saw that Palmer’s eyes were wide, like someone had hit him and knocked the wind out of his chest.

“Ah... well...” We looked at him expectantly. “That’s...”

“Dad? Is something wrong with Charpuppy?”

Then it clicked. The Houndoom’s absence, Palmer’s sudden, unplanned vacation during the height of battle season, the feeling of loss from the Dragonite...

“There... was an accident. A challenger caught Charp off guard with a water attack and... it hit something vital.”

‘A critical hit,’ I thought, my stomach dropping to somewhere around my ankles. Unexpectedly severe or damaging blows, the prospect of which terrified trainers everywhere.

Barry looked confused, like he didn’t–or refused to–understand.

“Wh-what do you mean? Where’s Charpuppy?!”

Palmer’s Milotic pressed its nose into Barry’s back, hissing softly. The boy bit back a sob, the reality starting to sink in.

As for me? I didn’t know what to feel. The strange feeling had returned with a vengeance, and this time I couldn’t muster the effort or concentration to ignore it. I could feel the same swirling eddies of sorrow gripping each of Palmer’s remaining Pokémon. Ghostly half-recollections–faint impressions of utterly foreign experiences–mingled with my own memories of the loyal beast. It hurt. The pain was a dull ache that cut through all my excitement and left me feeling drained. My cheeks were wet. I couldn’t stand it anymore. Palmer looked up at me, calling out.

“Wait, Alan,” But I was already walking away.

From behind, I heard a soft, somber croon.

That was the first brush I’d had with death.

It wouldn’t be the last.

[inursoulkitchen]

Also just in general more stuff pls I am starving and your brain is genius 💓💓

hiii again

- rafe will steal barry’s clothes (not the other way round despite the size difference because there ain’t no way that barry is wearing all that kook shit) and he fucking loves it

- rafe loves how they smell. like weed n beer n oil n something so barry.

- barry loves it. the sight of rafe in his clothes makes his mouth go dry, how the colours look against his skin and how the t shirts always ride up high on his belly and how they’re a mark saying mine

- before they even start sleeping together they constantly share a bed. it started with rafe coming over, getting high with barry and falling asleep next to him over the covers and barry pulling them back before tucking him in. and there’s no way barry is giving up his bed for rafe so he just lays down right beside him.

- and rafe Loves barry’s bed even tho it’s cheap as shit and has tears in the fabric and the pillows and super old he just loves it because it smells like what he knows as Home and barry is there beside him

- when he has to go home to tanney hill he can’t sleep a wink because it’s not barry’s room.

- the first time barry spends the night in rafes bed he is so content and is all “shit country club we been roughing it at my crib when you this comfy ass bed?” and rafe just shrugs and says “i prefer yours.” all embarrassed

- rafe is such an affectionate person when he’s stoned and will sit beside barry on the couch watching some dumbass show and has to be touching him in some way. head on the shoulder, legs in his lap, hand on the back of his neck. he just needs that.

- barry being super possessive over his boy and not trusting a single person who comes near him, keeping a tight grip on his waist when they’re out in public or at a bar because he can See the way people look at him.

- barry being the only one who can truly calm rafe and bring him down from whatever shit has wound him up again. rafes eyes shifting from wild to soft the minute barry has his hands on him and talking into his ear.

- boat trips out far to the nicest parts of the water and jumping in to swim, tipsy and just fucking around for a few hours without thinking about anything else.