#me making Reed in another if game: oh shit here we go again

[kaijumydude]

(click on images for better quality!)

@bodycountgame​ Couldn’t pick which I liked better so why not both? Reed Sarabhai 🌿 25 🌿 Nonbinary (he/they) & Pansexual

just your local nature loving, anxiety ridden softie

Ro choices: Imogen, Adegoke, and Charlie ;wink wink

+ two meme-ish personality boards under the cut

[ratofthemedievalsewers]

Heart of Steel - Part I

DBH Connor x Male Reader

Word Count: 2.5K+

Content warning: Minor injury detail, PTSD, language

Original game dialogue I got from this video:

https://youtu.be/32Np9LKI1Vg

We were attacked in the night.

After returning from a mission back to an outpost several miles from the red zone, we removed our gear save for a few pouches on our belts we could bother with later. Our team leader set up a fire while the SQ800s, CyberLife commissioned combat androids, began loading up the trucks with extra artillery and resources. A job that could have waited until morning, but Alpha always gave the androids something to do. He said that they creeped him out when they would just stand there in a dormant state, waiting for their next mission to be given to them.

"You know what I'm going to do when I get home?"

"Here we go again."

"I'm going to get me a WR400," Foxtrot; not everyone's favourite but he certainly kept us entertained when there was nothing to do.

"Uh-huh and with what money are you going to be using to pay for this WR400? A military salary definitely ain't gonna cut it." Echo always called out Foxtrot's bullshit, he was the only one that had the patience to deal with him.

"Fine, my birthday is comin' up, if you put towards two-thirds of what it costs we can share. How does that sound?"

"I am not sharing anything with you, I don't know what diseases you carry." Their constant back forth sent chuckles through the group.

"Alright, that's enough you two. It's getting late and past everyone's bedtime, I want you all awake by O-five-hundred at the latest," Alpha would often stop them before Foxtrot would take it too far, but he could never hide the twitching smile on his face.

"Yes sir," Foxtrot mock saluted as he stood from his seat around the campfire. "Hey Echo, that offer is still-"

One moment Foxtrot had a wide grin on his face, the next there was a hole in his head between his eyes, the sound of gunshot ringing in everyone's ears.

"SHOTS FIRED! GET TO COVER NOW!"

"FOXTROT IS DOWN! I REPEAT, FOXTROT IS DOWN!"

It was dark, we couldn't see where they were firing from. The android was the only one still standing, firing off in random directions as they were gunned down. The next was Delta, shot in the left shoulder, then the throat. My gun was back in my tent and there was no chance of me getting it. Stupid.

"MEDIC! GET TO DELTA! NOW!"

"GRENADE!"

I heard the thump by my feet before I saw it. You would think it would be terrifying, to know you're staring death in the face, but for a second it was peaceful. My body was cold and I already felt like a corpse, the Rigour Mortis freezing me in place, just softly gazing at what would kill me.

Something grabbed me before the grenade exploded, saving my life but destroying the android.

The bedsheets were crumpled and soaked in sweat again when my eyes shot open. It was hard to breathe, the panic was still running through me and closing up my throat at the memory.

In; one, two, three, four. Hold; one, two, three, four. Out; one, two, three, four. Hold; one, two, three, four.

It took a few minutes for me to remember where I was. That I was home and that I was safe. Out of nervous habit, I gripped my dog tags, they were wet from the sweat that had soaked through my shirt in the night.

"Shit." It was four in the morning, there was no chance of getting any more sleep and the station wouldn't be open for another two more hours at the least. Saying that; Fowler wanted to speak to me first thing, which never meant anything good for anyone.

It was aching again at the joint. The biomechanical component always felt itchy where it joined at the elbow. Anytime I would have that dream I would scratch at it in my sleep, it was like my subconscious knew it didn't belong. It knew my rotting left arm was still in the desert somewhere being picked apart by vultures.

It's almost ironic; to be saved by an android and then to have part of one attached to me. I hated it.

*****

"Morning Cyborg, you look like shit." Gavin was forever pleasant to talk to.

"Fuck off, Reed." He constantly hovered around the coffee machine, hogging it like it was his newborn baby. "Is Fowler in yet?"

"Not yet, you in trouble?" He took his time making his coffee, exceeding in being the department's resident asshat. "Did he catch you looking at porn on your work terminal again?"

"I'm pretty sure that's only ever happened to you." Not wanting to be reminded of his previous escapades I got no response. Gavin let out a small huff before moving to the side with his fresh cup of coffee, freeing up the machine.

"Officer (L/N)." Oh for fuck's sake.

"Sir?" Captain Fowler stood outside his office, his coat half soaked from the rain.

"My office, I need to speak to you." He didn't give a second glance to me before turning and letting the glass door shut behind him.

"Ha, good luck cyborg." Shooting Gavin the middle finger, I followed Captian Fowler into his office.

"What was it you wished to talk about, sir?" Feet shoulder-width apart, back straight and hands behind my back; habits from the army were destined to die hard. Often I would find myself moving my hand up to salute before leaving the presence of a superior, something else for Gavin to make fun of.

"You're aware of the deviant cases I've assigned to Lieutenant Anderson, correct?" Fowler sat at his desk, wet coat now hung on its rack, but there was slight dampness to his suit blazer where his coat had been left open.

"Yes sir. I believe he's being accompanied by a prototype RK800 from Cyberlife."

"That's correct. I'm sure you're aware that these deviancy cases are on the more..."

"Dangerous?"

"...Unpredictable side. Now, I can't exactly issue a gun to a prototype android if it's going to be in the field and, while I value Hank as a police officer, his record is on the rougher side."

"Captain Fowler, with all due respect, I don't believe-"

"Office (L/N), with all due respect, you don't have an opinion in this matter. I want you to accompany Lieutenant Anderson in these assignments just in case a deviant becomes too much for him or this android to handle. You've certainly got the skillset for it and you're not unfamiliar with working alongside androids, unlike quite a few officers in this department."

"I understand that, but-"

"Whatever you're gonna say I don't want to hear it." Captain Fowler didn't give me a chance to argue as he stood and walked to his office door, the annoyed look on his face worsening. "Hank, in my office!"

I let out a sigh before Captain Fowler turned back to his desk. Through the office wall made of glass Hank reluctantly made his way towards us grumbling something under his breath at the request, the RK800 model obediently following behind him like a little, lost puppy. Hank sat in the chair opposite Fowler while the android stood next to me, giving a small smile as a greeting.

Captain Fowler was the first to talk, "I've got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day. We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their android maids and that kind of crap... But now, we're getting reports of assaults and even homicides, like that guy last night. This isn't just cyberlife's problem anymore, it's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta deal with it before the shit hits the fan. I want you to investigate these cases, alongside officer (L/N) and see if there's any link."

"Why me? And why do I need a god damned partner? A stupid android is already too much. Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit?" Props to Hank for trying, but arguing with Fowler was like talking to a brick wall. "I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case! I know jack shit about androids, Jeffery. I can barely change the settings on my own phone."

"Everybody's overloaded. I think you're perfectly qualified for this type of investigation," They were already starting to blow up at each other.

"Bullshit! The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin' androids and you left me holdin' the bag!"

"CyberLife sent over this android to help with this investigation and I've given you (L/N) as well. You've got a state of the art prototype and a leading police officer to act as your partners."

"No fuckin' way! I don't need partners, and certainly not this plastic prick and some action hero fucker."

"Nice working with you too, Lieutenant Anderson," I said under my breath, not intending for the others to hear. Connor turned his head slightly in my direction, I could see his LED blink yellow for a moment before going back to its bright blue.

"Hank, you are seriously starting to piss me off! You are a police lieutenant, you are supposed to do what I say and shut your goddamn mouth!"

"You know what my goddamn mouth has to say to you, huh?"

"I'll pretend like I didn't hear that, so I don't have to add any more pages to your disciplinary folder 'cause it already looks like a fuckin' novel! This conversation is over."

"Jeffrey, Jesus Christ! Why are you doin' this to me? You know how much I hate these fuckin' things. Why are you doin' this to me?" Most of the department knew why he had such a distaste towards androids, no one could necessarily blame him. Ever since losing his son Hank had become completely different as both a person and an officer. Admittedly, Fowler was harsh on him, but if he wasn't then Hank would drift.

"I've had just enough of your bitching. Either you do your job or you hand in your badge. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." Hank left in a strop, letting out his frustration on Fowler's office door.

"Well then..." Connor was quick to break the tense silence. His voice caught me off guard, it was smoother, more human than any android's I had heard before. The SQ800's voices had always been more robotic than other models so it had been a shock when the androids back home had sounded so normal, it felt like that all over again. It was jarring. "I won't keep you any longer. Have a nice day captain."

Connor left and I followed behind, giving a small nod of dismissal to Fowler despite him still looking at his terminal screen.

The android went straight to Hank either oblivious or ignoring the lieutenant's current bad mood, granted there was never a time the bastard was in a good mood. Heaven itself could rain down on Detroit and he'd huff at it like a hair in his food.

"I got the impression my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I'd like you to know I'm very sorry about that. In any case, I'd like you to know I'm very to be working with you." Ever the enthusiast.

"I'd give in now. You're talking to a toddler in a fifty-year old's body and the toddler is having a hissy fit." I half sat and half leant against Hank's desk, using my arms to support my weight.

"Apologies, I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name is Connor, I am the android sent by CyberLife." He turned to me, a gentle and manufactured smile on his face. "It's a pleasure to be working with you too, officer (L/N). I'm sure we'll make a great team."

"Er... (Y/N) is just fine."

"Is there a desk anywhere I could use?"

"No one's using that one." Hank points to the desk opposite him, while still sulking like a child.

"Gasp, it speaks," I said in a sarcastic tone while turning to Hank.

"Fuck off. I've already got an android on my ass, I don't need you on it too."

I grabbed a terminal pad before perching myself back at the edge of Hank's desk while Connor got comfortable at the empty one. The light at the side of his head flashing yellow for a moment like he was hesitant to speak."You have a dog, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"The dog hairs on your chair. I like dogs. What's your dog's name?"

"What's it to you?" Hank shifted in his seat, "...Sumo... I call him Sumo."

"Under all those shitty shirts and questionable stains there's a warm, beating heart," I say more to myself than the other two, skimming over the recent case files sent in by Fowler.

"Officer (L/N)... (Y/N), knowing that we'd be working together I read your academy and field records. You have quite an interesting background."

"Oh yeah, then you understand that I may be a little driven to get these cases over with. I can't say I'm a fan of you terminators."

"I understand you have a... warped view of androids due to what you've experienced, but I hope you understand that I am your partner and not your enemy."

"Connor, you're not my partner, you're cyberlife's latest gizmo for us kick around." I sigh, turning to sit at my desk adjacent to hanks, taking the terminal pad with me. "Just look through the deviant case files. Terminals on your desk, knock yourself out."

They're nothing but machines. They are not your friends.

"Two-hundred and forty-three files, the first date back nine months. It all started in Detroit... And quickly spread across the country." Connor had only connected the terminal moments before.

"Don't work your CPU too hard," I mutter under my breath, catching a quick huff of amusement from Hank.

"An AX400 is reported to have murdered a man last night. That could be a good starting point for our investigation." Hank was doing his best to pretend Connor didn't exist, but the android was persistent. Connor stood from his chair and made his way into Hank's personal space.

"Uh, Jesus..." Hank turned his chair away.

"I understand you're facing personal issues, Lieutenant, but you need to move past them and-" For an android, Connor has some balls on him.

"Hey! Don't talk to me like you know me. I'm not your friend and I don't need your advice, okay?" Hank's mood had soured like milk, it wouldn't be long until Fowler was adding another page to Hank's disciplinary folder.

"I've been assigned this mission Lieutenant, I didn't come here to wait until you feel like working."

"Connor, you're just gonna-" I had wasted my breath, Hank had already stood and was grabbing onto Connor by the collar of his Cyberlife jacket and slamming against the screen next to his desk. "Hank!"

"Listen asshole. If it were up to me, I'd rather throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a match to it. So, stop pissing me off... or things are gonna get nasty."

"Hank," I placed a hand on his shoulder to try and lightly pull him away from Connor but only earned a nasty side-eye. "Leave off him, you don't get paid enough to replace him."

"Lieutenant... Officer (L/N), uh... sorry to disturb you," Looks like the tin can was saved before Hank could knock the light out of him, "I have some information on the AX400 that killed that guy last night. It's been sighted in the Ravendale district."

"I'm on it." Hank didn't glance back when he dropped Connor's collar. The puppy dog look on his face almost made me feel bad for him... almost.

"Come on, WALL-E. Don't want to keep the old man waiting."

[heartbeatan]

Devil's Garden (Chapter 2)

Return to Chapter 1.

Return to Table of Contents.

Return to Desperado Series.

Return to Taehyung Fanfictions.

Return to Masterlist.

Chapter Two

Taehyung arrived mid-morning to The Devil’s Garden the next day. The establishment wasn’t open to the public yet – it usually wasn’t until near noon – but a lot of the staff were there already, hustling around the property tending to crops, the distillery and preparing the guest services. He was guided down a long corridor by the hostess until she eventually released him in front of your office. You weren’t there yet. You were somewhere else on the property and would be there “momentarily” or so he was told. At first, Taehyung sat patiently in the winged chair across from your desk – smoothing out his tie and straitening the lapels and pleats of his freshly pressed suit.

But patience was never Taehyung’s strong suit and soon his eyes began to wander towards the nooks and crannies of the room. The space smelled clean – clean in the way a woman would keep it. Like fresh laundry, or a citrus cleaner, perhaps a vanilla incense was placed somewhere in the room. He gazed over the bookshelves to his right, looking for the source and spotting the jar of oil and reeds. He stood up before he realized that he had, then strolled across the room.

“Yup,” he said out loud as the scent intensified, confirming the diffuser was the source. His gaze then wandered beyond it, to the books and the knickknacks strewn over the shelves. Organized chaos is what he would call your system. Clean and tidy, but without direction. Files related to business were stored between novels, which were propped against trinkets and photo frames. This office, this shelf, each piece was telling a story - although he didn’t quite know yet how to read it.

The first thing that really caught his attention was a short, silver, decorative dagger, propped up on a simple plexiglass stand. It was the kind you’d find in a games shop. The kind people, of a certain taste, would splay throughout their homes and hang from walls. It seemed massively out of place compared to the contemporary, bright décor of the room. Perhaps it was a gift, or an artifact from a phase you went through in your younger years. He then noticed a box, wood carved and antique looking. He couldn’t stop his internal private eye from flicking the latch to peer inside.

Cigarettes. Taehyung smiled. So, you weren’t as squeaky clean and polished as you first appeared. You too had a dirty little habit the way he did. Except, unlike him, you hid yours. Probably only had one every once in a while, when the world became just a little too stressful.

He closed the lid, then moved a little further down the shelves, ghosting his fingers over the books until he reached one that intrigued him. It was a romance novel – he could tell from the spine. He recognized it as the drugstore type that his mother liked to read. He reached for it, taking it from its place on the shelf and flipping it over in his hand to read the summary.

This one was about a woman at the turn of the century. Young, pretty, wealthy and from “good breeding.” But all she had ever wanted was to rough it with the lads at the tavern: drink beer; gamble over poker; wear pants. A woman who would soon meet a strapping but primitive type man, who would offer her what she wanted at a cost of one wild night together.

Taehyung’s sniffed in amusement as he read the ridiculous description, but it had his curiosity regardless. He wondered… was this simple fantasy, or did this type of scenario titillate you? Was this something you dreamt about late at night - something you secretly wanted? One night of passion with a man who would debase you… use you… ruin you… before you returned to your pretty little life and the boring fucker you meant to live it out with?

He knew these thoughts were biased and self serving, but, oh god, did he enjoy the idea that they could be true; the idea that he could be your Sir What’s-His-Face, owed one night of making you come over and over again.

Maybe it would happen here, at the winery, under the cover of darkness so that sucker of a husband of yours would never find out. After hours, so that no one would be around to hear the sounds he’d make you make…

Taehyung replaced the book on the shelf as he heard voices and footsteps in the hall outside your office. Before returning to his seat, however, something else caught his attention. A photo within a frame. It appeared to have been taken there, in front of the visitor’s entrance. You were there, centre, surrounded by just a few people – far less people than worked here now – but he deduced it was a staff photo. Probably from when you first opened The Devil’s Garden. Next to you stood a man, tall, handsome, grinning widely with his arm wrapped around your waist. Taehyung hated him immediately.

“Mr. Kim,” he turned his head towards the door as you called his name. You stepped across the threshold, smiling brightly at him, more preoccupied by the stack of papers in your arms than of the stranger canvasing your office.

“Taehyung, please” he reminded you, hating how the formality of his name sounded off your tongue.

“Sorry!” you apologized as you threw the stack of papers onto your desk, before turning to him and sticking out your hand and smiling. “Taehyung.”

For some reason, your gesture for a handshake felt even more formal than calling him Mr. Kim, and he didn’t like it either. But nonetheless, he reached out and shook it, but not before his eyes – just as they did the first time you met – flickered down your body to drink in the sight of you. Today, you were in yet another dress. But this time, it was a little more formal, a little bit tighter, and he could swear by the way he marveled at your legs that it was a little bit shorter too. This time, you wore open-toed high heels, and he salivated at the way they showcased your feet and curved your spine. In fear his unconscious objectification of you was obvious, he snapped his gaze back to your face, but your eyes were not on him. Instead, they too had flitted to his shoes, then back up his form, over his broad chest, until they locked with his. For an awkward second, you stared back at him in what appeared to be a state of shock. As if you had been caught. Your cheeks blushed slightly – he was sure of it. Were you… checking him out?

No way, Taehyung thought to himself. You were just sizing him up. Reminding himself what a shit show he looked like yesterday, you were probably surprised that he had cleaned himself up so well today. For some reason, that made him even more embarrassed. He wasn’t sure why – either for the fact that you saw him a mess just less than 24 hours ago, or for the possibility that you realized he was cleaning up for you.

“Is this your first husband?” he blurted out suddenly in a bid to overcome the awkwardness he felt. He pointed backwards to the picture frame he had just be looking at when you entered the room.

“Yes,” you confirmed as you peered over his shoulder to its place on the shelf. “We weren’t married yet, but yes.”

“So, he worked here?”

“Sort of,” you shuffled your head, implying that it wasn’t that simple. “He was going through school at the time. I was supporting him, but he worked here sometimes to help me out.”

“What did he go to school for?”

“To be an electrician.”

“You like your tradesmen, then?” Taehyung quipped, but immediately regretted it. What kind of an asshole jokes with a woman he hardly knows about the type of men she fucks? What kind of an asshole jokes about someone’s dead husband?

This kind of asshole, he thought as he braced himself for a look of disappointment and offence to flush across your face. But, to his astonishment, it never came. Instead you laughed.

“I do have a type, I supposed,” You chuckled as you walked behind your desk. You gestured with your hands to the pile of papers you had brought in with you. “I brought everything I could find dating back to when Ezra and I first got together. Fortunately…” you curved your lips into a mock grimace, “we haven’t been together that long so there shouldn’t be much to sift through.” Taehyung smiled at your apparent humour over your present situation. It put him at ease knowing you were the type capable of laughing at your own circumstance. So many of his clients weren’t – no matter how ridiculous the request or even more ridiculous the return – he received a many a lectures on his lack of sensitivity and jaded emotives.

“Well, let’s get started then,” he suggested as he pulled his suit jacket off his shoulders and began to roll up the cuffs of his shirt.

 

Even though the work itself began slow, the morning passed by rather quickly while you taught Taehyung your bookkeeping style and he showed you what to look for. The hostess delivered lunch to you both in the office sometime mid afternoon, prompting a necessary break for you both. Taehyung asked you more about the inception of the winery – a question more so in personal curiosity rather than in detective interrogation – and you animatedly told him nearly every benign detail of how you opened and closed your lucrative paralegal service in the city in pursuit of your new passion for wine making and hospitality. The story eventually led to a personal tour of the property – just him and you, wandering the vineyard and buildings. You teaching him all the things he already knew or didn’t know about wine making, as well, sharing with him your dream to expand… to open a bed & breakfast on the property… to even the wild idea of owning a small chicken coop for feeing your guest the freshest of feasts. Your passion for your work lifted his mood, but at the same time made him incredibly jealous – or at least, nostalgic. Nostalgic for a time when he was impassioned by his work. When he was bright eyed and ambitious, attaining a career he was passionate and driven for.

“Did you always want to be a private investigator?” you asked him, as you two made your way back towards the main building.

“Sort of,” he replied, trying to hide the grimness that came with his answer. “I wanted to be a detective. A P.I. was just sort of plan B.”

“You could still do it, I’m sure!” your tenor bubbly and encouraging. “It took me a little courage and a few years scraping by, but I made it my dream come true. I’m sure you could too!”

He smiled meekly, appreciative of your words and the naivety behind them. “I did, actually.”

“You did?” you asked in confusion.

Taehyung nodded. “I was a detective. For many years.”

“Oh?”

He could tell from your tone that you were both curious about the story but that you had also picked up on the fact that it was a bit of a sensitive subject. Normally, he would have ended the conversation right there. In fact, normally, he wouldn’t have revealed his past career at all. But today, next to you, he felt different. Today, he felt he could talk about it, even if it was only a small piece.

“I did it for years. But then I left for a while. Thought I’d go back eventually, but… started doing this instead.”

“I take it something happened?”

“It can be a taxing job. It’s also more political than most would like to believe.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” you apologized, noticing how Taehyung’s language had become more elusive.

“It’s fine,” he shook his head. “It’s just a long story.”

You made the rest of your way back to the office mostly in silence. Taehyung regretted it. He had wished the conversation had stayed on you – that he could amusedly listen to you babble about nothing and everything. But, fortunately, the awkwardness soon faded as the two of you returned to the office and buckled in to working hard for the remainder of the day. At least the apparent awkwardness faded.

For Taehyung, even though he could for the most part will himself to become lost in his work, there were too many times when his eyes and mind would wander onto you. Damn, did you know what an effect you had on him? You were so god damned fuckable. The way your lips curved, and your brows furrowed when you concentrated drove him wild. He just knew that was how your face would contort when you were focusing on coming, and fuck, did he ever want to see that. When you leaned forward over your desk, he could catch an incendiary glimpse down that fucking dress of yours, leaving him near salivating at the thought of biting down and marking the soft mounds. At some point, you left your chair for a file stored a top one of the bookshelves. With your back to him, he could shamelessly watch you with out getting caught. Admire the way your body stretched and flexed, the way the fabric of your dress would pull, taunting him with a potential glimpse of your bare ass.

If only you were his in this moment. Or at minimum, if he knew you wanted him too, he would have stood up and crossed the floor. He would have stepped up behind you. You would have felt his chest ghost over your back, just before you would have felt his hand travel slowly, smoothly, tauntingly up the back of your thigh then underneath that skirt. He would hear you gasp faintly when his fingers brush over the silk protecting you from him.

He knew your panties would be silk.

He’d slip his finger along your slit again, this time a little harder, let you know he meant business.

“We’re working, Taehyung,” you would breathe unconvincingly. “Someone might catch us.”

He’d raise his other hand, covering yours as it gripped around the ledge of the shelf in front of you, anchoring you to something so that you knew he didn’t care enough to stop. He’d then drag another long finger across your dampening core, but this time, he’d end his movement by gripping a hold of the fabric, pulling it tight in his fist. As he pulled, your back would arch a little, your ass would perk for him, and you would feel the tension of the fabric tight against your clit. Your gasp would let him know that you too didn’t care enough about getting caught.

He’d release his grip, but he wouldn’t strip you of your panties. No – he would want you to come in them, stain them so that you’d have to go without them for the rest of the day. Be reminded of him everywhere you went that afternoon. So, he’d slip his hand beneath the fabric instead. Touch you raw. Make you drip. Until, inevitably, through gritted teeth you’d beg for him to sink his fingers into you and fuck you harder.

“This is that last one,” your voice broke his thoughts as you returned to your desk with the box you had pulled from the top shelf. “Everything from the last month.”

“Good,” he replied, looking down at his watch to check the time. “What time do you need to be home?”

“Well…” you began slowly. “Ezra is supposed to be done at six… Which means he should be texting me at any moment telling me he’ll be home late.” Taehyung could tell you were trying to be humourous, but it was clear you were annoyed and feeling a little hurt.

“If he does, let me know. Let’s finish up this if we can.”

It felt like working under a ticking time bomb. Curiosity hanging in the air as you both waited for the cellphone to buzz - waiting for the alert that Ezra wasn’t coming home on time, and the prompt for Taehyung to climb in his car and try to figure out why that was. But the message never came. Through it all, you managed to complete the audit of the books.

“Did we find anything?” you asked Taehyung as you stretched back in your chair, both mentally and physically exhausted from the task.

“No. Not that I can see,” he replied. “Everything seems to be in order here. You run a tight ship.”

You sighed.

“I know it seems like a waste, but this was a good first step,” he said, noticing your slight disappointment. “This is a good thing. We don’t know what he’s up to yet, but at least we know he’s not stealing from you.”

“You’re right,” you nodded. “I just want to know what the hell is going on. I’m tired of feeling paranoid.”

“I know this is the most annoying thing to hear in a situation like this but… you just have to be patient. We’ll get there.” You looked up to him, a thinly pressed smile on your face. He could tell his words comforted you a bit, but not enough. “And in the end, there could be nothing. He might be telling the truth.”

The words tasted bitter rolling off his tongue. He thought perhaps they would ease your mind, but it felt like he was telling a lie. If your husband weren’t up to something, this would be a first for Taehyung. Rarely were his client’s intuitions ever wrong – especially when they had gone about taking the step to call him in the first place. He doubted your suspicions were unwarranted, but as you sat across from him now - your eyes locked on his, your lip tucked once again between your teeth, and the surface of the desk between you just begging to be cleared so he could lay you over it - he also selfishly wanted your suspicions to be right. Wanted to know that your husband wasn’t worthy of you.

And then it came… the buzz of a notification on your phone. Both your eyes gazed to each other, then to the phone vibrating on the desk. You picked it up, swiping the screen to unlock it and reveal the message. Taehyung watched you as read it, saw how your lips pursed and your shoulders sunk.

“What does it say?” he asked, but you didn’t answer him right away. Instead your thumbs tapped rapidly over the screen as you replied to him. Moments later, a second buzz came. You sighed audibly as you read his reply.

“It’s Ezra,” you dropped the phone back onto your desk and crossed your arms in front of your chest. “He says he’s going to be late tonight.”

Taehyung looked you over as he felt your aura of brightness dim into one of disappointment.

“Is there something else?” he asked. “You seem more surprised than I expected?”

“It’s just…” you looked back to him, but he could tell you weren’t sure if you wanted to share your thoughts. “Tonight was a bit of an anniversary of ours. We had… special plans. He promised.” His stomach knotted at your words. He didn’t know what your “special plans” were, but he knew what they would be if they were with him.

“Did he say what he was doing?”

“Just that he had to work. Said he’d wouldn’t be home too late.”

Taehyung nodded, unsure of what else to do.

“Since my dinner plans are now cancelled… are you hungry?” you asked. He was. He wanted to stay. But this was the perfect opportunity for surveillance. So, he replied with a polite “no.”

“You should go home,” he suggested instead. “Wait for your husband. Let me know if something changes.”

 

Some time later, Taehyung found himself parked along a darkened street located somewhere in an industrial district on the outskirts of the city. Although dimly lit, he had a clear view of the yard located behind Stintsons – the construction business Ezra worked at.

The building was dark. The yard empty. But Taehyung noticed the station wagon still parked in the lot. It had to be Ezra’s. Hell, no one even drove a station wagon anymore – what were the chances another employee had one as well? He swiped the screen on his cellphone, noting by the clock that it was almost eight. He then opened his messages, clicking on your name to read the last thing he sent you.

TH 6:09 PM: Let me know when he gets home.

He could tell you had read the message, but still there was no reply.

A creak in the still evening perked Taehyung’s ears. He squinted through the darkness to see a figure exiting the building and making their way towards the station wagon.

“There you are,” Taehyung breathed. He watched as the figure climbed into the car, as the lights and engine roared, and as the vehicle pulled itself from the lot and headed down the street. Taehyung reached for the ignition, turning the keys to bring his own car to life, then carefully pulled out into the street to follow.

The wagon drove through the town, down the main roads until it made its way to the highway, taking the pass that Taehyung knew was in the direction of your home. He noted how incredibly unsuspicious it was. Most who were hiding something tended to travel down back roads, take indirect routes, avoid CCTVs. Although this was his first night of surveillance, the thought crossed Taehyung’s mind that perhaps Ezra really wasn’t up to something. He was at the office just as he said he was. Now he was heading home, just as he said he would.

Regardless of those thoughts, Taehyung kept the tail – following the wagon off the exit, down a long residential street, until he turned into a crescent. Taehyung parked his car, turning it off and letting the lights go dim. He watched as the wagon pulled into a driveway. Noting the number on the house, he quickly pulled out his notepad, flipping through the pages until he found the address you had given him.

Yup… this was your house. He looked back up as the wagon door open. The driver climbed out of the car, brandishing a bouquet of flowers in his arms.

“What a fucker,” Taehyung seethed as Ezra made his way up the stairs, opening the front door to the home before he disappeared inside. That’s when his phone buzzed with the receipt of a new message.

Y/N 8:56 PM: He’s home.

 

Taehyung sat there in his car on the street for a while, watching the sky turn a pitch black, watching the lights of the neighbourhood disappear as each household fell to sleep. He was biding his time, but he was driving himself mad in the process.

He replayed over the image of a flower bearing Ezra arriving home to his gorgeous fucking wife who had been waiting all to patiently for him. Better yet, he obsessed over the possible scenarios of what came next. It was an “anniversary” type of night, you had told Taehyung. A “special” night. Were you angry at your husband for coming home late on your “special” night? Did you throw those pathetic flowers back in his face? Or, were you pleased? Did his flowers make you swoon for him? Forgive him? Did you thank him with a long, sensual kiss as he made his way through the door?

Was your “special” night supposed to be romantic? Perhaps, this undeserving, lucky son of a bitch walked into an erotic scene you had planned for weeks. Perhaps a silk robe adorned your shoulders, and you held in each hand a glass of wine – one for you and one for the man who would get to fuck you. Or maybe it was more of a romantic night, and you were upstairs already, your body splayed across the bed and covered only by a tiny chemise, waiting for someone to come find you and make love to you. Or maybe you were a little bit naughty. Maybe you wore lingerie, flame red, tit lifting, and ass hugging. Maybe you were waiting on the kitchen counter, or the dining room table – your legs spread wide, your hands caressing your own body – signalling for your man to eat you until you cried, then pound you until you went blind. Could your husband even fuck you that good?

Even through his jealousy, Taehyung’s dick twitched at the thought. He knew he could fuck you that good. He knew just what he’d do if he was the one walking through that door, and he couldn’t wait to get back home so he could rub one out as he imagined it – just the way he did last night in his chair and again this morning in the shower. He probably could jerk off right there, in his car, outside your house, like some perverted stalker who knew they wouldn’t be caught – but he didn’t - even he had limits.

Another hour rolled by, and the neighbourhood was now completely quiet and shrouded in darkness, save for the single lamp post. Convinced it was safe, Taehyung quietly exited his car, taking with him a long thin rod. He crossed the crescent then walked up your driveway, stopping when he was next to the passenger door of the station wagon. Taking a quick look around, he slid the thin metal between the driver’s side door and window, maneuvering the piece until he heard the gleeful click of the door unlocking. Sliding himself inside, he first popped the centre console and shuffled through the items for anything of interest. When nothing came about, he checked the glove box, quickly scanning over each piece of paper.

He paused at an envelope, noting the familiar insignia on it. It was from the train station. Flipping it open, he found inside two tickets – dated for a week from today, both headed for the coast. Two tickets. That meant Ezra had intended for two to travel. You hadn’t told Taehyung anything about travelling. Did you know? Was it a surprise? Was that why he worked late, to make extra money for a trip? Or, was it a trip for him and his secret lover? A thousand scenarios ran through Taehyung’s mind, but he had no time to mull them over now. Instead, he snapped two pictures of the tickets before replacing everything as it was.

 

The next morning, Taehyung woke to the irritating sound of his phone buzzing and ringing beside him. Through groggy eyes, he looked towards the clock on his bedside table. Empty bottles of beer and wine blocked his view, and he remembered what he had done after he got home last night.

“Fuck,” he croaked as he finally felt his hangover when he moved to find his phone. The call went to voicemail before he could reach it. He considered ignoring it and rolling back over and back to sleep, but curiosity of who was calling him at six in the morning got the better of him.

It was you. You were the one to call him… but that wasn’t until after you had texted him 11 times already.

Taehyung sat straight up in bed, clicking your number as he did, waiting for you to pick up.

“Taehyung,” your voice came through in a clear distress. “He’s missing!”

[mainstream-deviant]

Tendershipping Week - Day 7!

@tendershippingweek

Day 7: Reunion (We made it! Day 7! Woot!)

Length: The "long one" - 1375ish, below the cut or here on A03 Ship: pre-gemshipping Other Tags: afterlife, introspection (of a sort), TK pov, TK having Feels, Atem makes an appearance, Ryou being Ryou

*******

The reeds were just two steps too far away for him to reach, like the afterimage of a vivid dream. He’d been trying to figure out how to clear up the image, to see who was there, for as long as he’d been here – a few seconds? A decade or two? It was a strange thing, to be both without body and without anchor. The first was his pathetic norm, but the latter left him feeling… floaty? Vague? Kind of… of whatever the fuck. It was weird.

He’d planned on Ammit’s jaws or Zorc’s wrath, but not wherever this ‘halfway to the reeds’ was. How the hell he’d gotten here was anyone’s guess, but he was damn sure going to find a way out. In a minute – or maybe a millennia or two? He’d never been great with time, but he was even worse at bailing on a goal, so his escape was a given eventuality.

He was considering whether he could use his robe for anything useful – or if it even had a use of any kind, or if it was really there or just something his confused mind had imposed on his surroundings in an effort to force it into some vague sort of normalcy – when suddenly there was a sound to the side of him. He hadn’t really noticed the lack of it until it appeared – strange, that. He turned – shifted awareness – cast out his Ka? – to investigate.

Stupid fucking son-of-camel’s-ass Pharaoh. Of course the first clear thing he saw would be his stupid face.

He glared, and tried to will some sort of blade into existence. He’d like to think the mists around him wobbled consideringly, but who the hell knows. Either way, the Pharaoh lifted his hands placatingly.

“I don’t want to fight.” The Thief didn’t dignify that with an answer, and so he continued. “Or rather, the fight is long over. The Items have released their souls – yours and mine as well.”

He quirked an eyebrow at that. “Explain.”

The Pharaoh looked confused. It was a pleasing look. “I am not sure how else to do so – the spirits trapped within them are freed. Their purpose was served. I imagine they went to the reeds, but only the gods will know for sure.” The Thief King stared at him intensely, weighing the truth of the words as carefully as Anubis would weigh a feather to a heart. The Pharaoh, insufferable bastard that he was, offered him a comforting smile and nodded his head.

Well fuck. He really didn’t have a reason to lie, did he?

He imagined pain in his knees as he crumpled to the not-ground, and wondered why he would imagine that. Too damn used to pain, perhaps. He flinched horribly when the pharaoh laid a hand on his shoulder seconds-hours-days later, but he couldn’t shake him any more than he could avoid the rest of his words. “It’s alright. It’s through.”

Oh son-of-a-bitch, he’d been sobbing. The tears snapped into focus as soon as he realized he should notice them. Shit. He pulled away again – successfully this time. He dragged slow air into his lungs, willing the rest of the tears away before he forced himself to an upright-ish sort of position and faced the Pharaoh – oh yeah, Atem, right – once more.

“So fine. It’s done. Throw me to Ammit and be done with it.”

The Ph- Atem – had the audacity to smile. “No.”

“What the fuck do you mean n-”

“I’ve negotiated us passage.”

Bakura hoped his withering look was as clear to the pharaoh as Atem’s face was to him. “Passage.”

“Yes. Back to the world of the living, to live and die properly.”

“I don’t even want- ” Atem cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand.

“Would you prefer to take your chances with Ammit as you are?”

“That’s not your fucking choice!”

Atem stared him down. “Perhaps not. But a pharaoh cares for his people, and sometimes that means making choices. And this one is already made. Come. Our partners await.”

“Don’t you dare- ” But Atem had already snapped a hand around his wrist – and how did he move that fast, did he even move at all, what did that even matter anymore – and their surroundings shifted.

The second it took for them to blink back out of wherever-the-fuck lasted longer than any he’d lived through before, and he filled it with a thousand thoughts. Where were they even going, why were they bothering to go there, what the hell kind of difference would this even make and can he just let the story end already this is getting ridiculous –

Wait, did he say partners?

No.

No, that was just unnecessarily cruel. What kind of noble-ass king sends a demon back to his victim? His thoughts wrenched violently back to streaming white hair and tenacious, horribly ill-advised curiosity and he imagined the area where his stomach would be sinking.

Whether his own wretched soul deserved another shot at a so-called life was highly debateable, but Ryou damn sure didn’t deserve to be stuck with him for even another second.

His host, who had shown him fear – but also kindness, and curiosity, and a strange and misplaced loyalty, or maybe it was just possessiveness, but either way it was dumb – who had helped him and hindered him and tried so desperately to understand – his little landlord, who was too damn nice for his own good and too damn stubborn to know when to shove a bad thing aside, and who he absolutely should have partnered with more than he ever had, what a wasted opportunity that was, who loved his friends so fiercely that if Bakura had made even a flicker of effort to be counted among them, he’d probably have won this disaster of a shadow game… and who, if he had any sense left after the ring had done with him, would kill him on sight.

Well, it looked like his next life would be short one.

And just like that, it arrived.

He blinked in the new reality – everything was too sharp, too clear after the haze of wherever-it-was – and vaguely registered that his knees did, indeed, hurt like hell where they’d landed on the hard stone. He rubbed a hand along them, and saw a familiar-foreign hand perform the action. Huh.

There was a ruckus nearby, and he turned to see a whole group of them crowding excitedly around Atem, exclaiming over his sudden appearance. Bakura, it seemed, had been missed in the shadows to the side. All the better. Maybe if he moved quickly enough, he wouldn’t have to –

“Um, hello.”

Bakura froze, eyes still on the pharaoh’s group and noticing too late that a flicker of white hair didn’t feature in the tableau. He turned his head and met the wide-eyed stare of his former host. He couldn’t read the expression, though he wasn’t sure if that was because it was Ryou, or because it had been too long since he bothered to try to read one. He sighed and hunched in on himself. Here it was. If there was any logic in this world, he’d be screamed at, and maybe beaten at least half to death in revenge for all the crap he’d put –

“Are you OK?”

Bakura’s gaze snapped up. Say what now? Ryou was clearly better at reading facial expressions, because he smiled gently and repeated himself.

“Are you OK, now?”

Bakura sat, still and shocked, for what was very definitely too many seconds under anything resembling normal circumstances. At least he could tell this time. Eventually, he gave a sharp nod of his head.

Ryou smiled brightly. “Oh good, I worried.”

Bakura stared at the outstretched hand that was presented. There was simply no good way to respond to this. What kind of madman would just push aside all the nonsense that –

“Let’s go join the others and figure this out. I’m sure there’s a story to tell.”

Well.

Well then.

Bakura sure the fuck didn’t know what this was, but as he took Ryou’s hand – soft, warm, scratchy little nails and life – and let it help haul him to his feet, he did know he sure as hell wanted to find out.

[adelfie]

“he’s the one who has the least to gain from saving the world”

onyx equinox [also on ao3] pairings: yun/izel CW: language word count: 1858

Summary: A quiet conversation/musings between Yun and Izel while everyone is asleep. 

Izel’s decision at the end of OE was cool, but there wasn’t enough content for me to predict his thought process as to how he got there. So I wrote a scene taking place before the finale to provide some insight. idk if it worked. And you bet I made the POV 3rd person limited from best boi Yun. 

When Yun awakens from his sleep, it’s still night. Their group is safe asleep here -- they were lucky to find this village just a few ways off the main city, bordering a forest. Earlier, they tried to get a place in the city itself to rest, but the guards didn’t react well to Izel’s eyes. 

“Freak!” one of the guards shouted, pulling out a macuahuitl and swinging it. “You’ll smite our lands if we let you in! You’ll curse anyone you look at!”

Izel gasped and stumbled backwards. “N-no, I don’t mean any harm! Please!”

Bubbling red anger pulsed through Yun’s veins at the hostile guard who looked like he was going to swing his weapon in Izel’s direction. Besides him, K’in’s hands tightened over the ball and he took a step forward. Yun was faster about it, pulling Izel back and out of the guard’s range.

“Forget it!” Yun said sharply, glaring at the man. “We’ll find somewhere else.”

The village is a godsend -- or rather, is not. Actually, anything the gods might send these days seems to come straight from the pit of cursed nightmares. The village didn’t give them any shit, which was a nice change of pace. But, as Zyanya pointed out, it’s probably solely due to the fact that Izel thought to cover his eyes this time when they asked for shelter.

Yun blinks blearily at the reeds that make up the ceiling in the small shelter and wonders what woke him up. Usually he’s out like a light until the sun comes up. He can even sleep through K’in’s loud snores. He shifts his arm from where it’s draped over his own forehead, and with the slightly larger field of vision, he sees what he might have sensed while sleeping.

And, oh.

Because Izel is sitting up on his woven mat, his slender small back against the wall. The cloth that he borrowed from Xanastaku to cover his eyes under the ruse of being blind has been pulled down to his neck, and the boy absent-mindedly rubs it as he stares down at his legs.

“Hey,” Yun says, his voice clogged with sleep-tiredness.

Izel stiffens, looking over at Yun with surprised green eyes, bright and obvious even in the dim waning moon light sprinkling through the window. For a moment, Yun is rendered speechless. They make him look so otherworldly. Yun doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the touch of the underworld glowing in them. Sitting up, he considers Izel, looking into those eyes as if he’ll figure out all the things that torment him.

Which is, admittedly, a lot these days. In their group, it’s not like any of them have a shortage of trauma, but Izel carries so much that Yun can’t even imagine.

So he settles on, “Something on your mind?”

“Kind of,” Izel says, and looks back down. “I can’t sleep. Sorry if I was too loud.”

“Yeah, the sheer volume of your thoughts really disturbed me.” That gets a smile out of Izel, and Yun pushes away the last bits of sleep from his mind. “So. What are you thinking about?”

Izel shakes his head. “It’s nothing, it’s stupid. Besides, I don’t want to wake them up.” 

He looks over at the lumps of their other companions, and Yun follows his gaze. On their respective mats, K’in, Zyanya, and Xanastaku are fast asleep.

Grinning, Yun scoots himself off his mat and over so he’s sitting closer to Izel.

“Now we can whisper.”

Izel just looks at him, blinking rapidly, like being offered kindness is something he isn’t used to. Kindness hasn’t been offered to him enough, Yun corrects himself silently, and promises to change that.

“K’in sleeps like the dead. Speak your mind, humanity’s champion.”

“I hate that.”

“Come on. You’re not doing a terrible job. Admit it to yourself. We just have what, two gates left?” Yun looks to where K’i’k rests in Izel’s belt and thinks of another thing to be optimistic about. “And hey, the big cat is letting us rest.”

Yaotl is also softer now, much as the word sounds like a crazy descriptor. Yun doesn’t say it aloud -- and certainly isn’t planning to -- but he’s noticed the way the jaguar is protective of Izel in a way that doesn’t involve shouting at him.

Izel slides his feet in, bringing his knees up to his chest. 

“It still feels like he’s not telling me everything.” He shakes his head slightly. “But that’s not what I… I was actually thinking about my home.”

Yun raises his eyebrows. “Tenochtitlan?”

“Yeah. I mean, I can’t remember that much. And also Uxmal. I thought I’d… I never thought I’d go anywhere. I didn’t want to really go anywhere, not like you and K’in.” Before Yun has a chance to respond, a shadow falls over Izel’s face. “And now, moving around and not staying in one place is all I’m doing.”

It's not an unusual thought to have. Yun looks over to where his twin is sleeping while cradling their mystical ball and thinks about the place where he and K'in considered home. It's only been a few days since they left with Izel, but Oxte'tun feels like they lived there a century ago. They wanted to leave, to explore the world together before they even met Izel. But fighting for humanity was never in the plan.

He wonders what the place looks like now that its been ravaged by Mictlantecuhtli. He thinks about his favorite market, the one lady who sold delicious fruit, the ball court that he and K’in had practically grown up in, the temple. Maak.

Izel’s eyebrows are furrowed together, and Yun resists the urge to smooth the crease out with his fingers. 

“And I know I’m supposed to be humanity’s champion, but I can’t help but think, why? Why me? What do you think they’re gaining from all this? I mean, sure, closing the gates is part of it, but… why should I do whatever Queztalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca want me to do? What are they trying to do?” 

The boy’s voice is small, even among their whispers. His eyes are sharp, and Yun can see the wheels in Izel’s head turning and turning, like the thoughts won’t stop. It’s no wonder that he hasn’t been able to sleep.

Yun doesn’t know, because who knows what the gods are thinking? He gives Izel a wry look. 

“Maybe you can just ask them.”

Izel snorts. “Yeah, let me just do that.”

They fall into a comfortable silence, each in their own thoughts. Yun watches as the smile on Izel’s face lingers before his expression slowly takes on an air of reflection. Those poor sad eyes. They look even sadder when Izel brings them back up to Yun.

“It’s a game to them, isn’t it?” Izel muses. “Humanity isn’t even that high of a stake for them.”

“There’s no rush for them like there is for us,” Yun agrees.

“So they just chose me because I’m a big joke.”

Yun can’t argue that, because as much as he sees Izel as their leader now, the moment they met he saw nothing but a skinny excuse for a boy. But so much has happened since then.

“I don’t know if… well, we don’t get to always pick the next thing that happens to us,” he struggles out.

“Yeah. It fucking sucks.”

Izel’s response doesn’t miss a beat, and Yun barks out a laugh, before remembering he has to be quiet. In the corner, he can see K’in stir before letting out a soft snore, lost in slumber. In the next mat over, Xanastaku is murmuring softly in her sleep. Closest to the wall, Zyanya is still, and Yun has no doubts that she is probably listening to their whole conversation.

“I wish they’d let me follow Nelli. They should’ve picked someone else instead.”

The words feel like a crushing blow to Yun’s lungs. Izel’s the smallest in the entire group, and although there's a very real and big fear that reflects off his face, the way anyone his age would react, there's also a stern wariness of someone older, someone who's seen and been through too much, and wants it all to be over. In a way, Yun can see why the gods picked Izel. It’s not because he’s small. It’s because he’s the one who has the least to gain from saving the world.

He’s kind of the worst prospective champion, and the gods knew that.

It’s a sick, twisted, messed up game.

“Izel… “ Yun says softly, genuinely, “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

Izel’s fingers are back to rubbing Xanastaku’s cloth around his neck. 

“I hate being by myself. I’ve never… there was always Nelli.”

As Izel pauses, Yun feels the words settling into his mind. He thinks he gets it. If the roles were reverse, if what happened to Nelli happened to K’in, Yun wouldn’t -- he couldn’t --

When Izel speaks again, his voice is very near broken.

“It hurts, Yun.”

Yun closes his eyes. Leaning his head back on the wall, he tries to find the words to say. But he can’t.

Because if he didn’t have K’in. 

He can’t even finish the thought. So there in the dark, Yun finds Izel’s hand and presses his palm to the back of it. His own voice is quiet. So quiet, Zyanya probably can’t pick up on it. 

“I know. I’m right here.”

The silence falls over them after that. It feels like minutes later when softly Izel slumps sideways into Yun, his head coming to rest on his shoulder.

Are you tired? Yun wants to ask, but he keeps his mouth shut because looking down, he can see Izel’s eyes drooping closed. When his eyelashes finally touch his cheeks, Yun stays still and feels the weight of the boy, feels his breathing getting slower and falling into a rhythm. After a moment, Yun carefully pulls Izel into his arms, making sure not to jostle him awake as he carefully adjusts him down on his mat. Izel’s head lolls wearily to the side, but he continues to sleep.

It’s a miracle, and then K’in has to ruin it.

“Is this a stay-awake party? And I wasn’t invited?”

Yun glances over his shoulder to give his twin the K’in shut up face he’s had to use ever since they were babies. K’in has propped himself up but is too groggy to catch it.

“Shush,” Yun whispers aggressively.

“Mmph, what’s going on?” Now Xanastaku is awake, drowsily squinting from her mat.

“A party, apparently,” complains K’in.

Yun looks down at Izel in a panic, but the boy seems deep asleep. It looks like the exhaustion has caught up to him. 

Zyanya has not moved once, but her voice takes command.

“Sleep, all of you.”

Nobody hesitates to comply, other than K’in shooting Yun a confused tell me later look before flopping back over. Yun settles back onto his own mat, feeling himself slipping back to sleep, but not before noticing that Izel has a tight grip on his hand, even in his sleep.

Yun doesn’t let go.

[writeyouin]

Connor X Reader - Do You Dream? Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Tired

A/N – Here’s hoping that everyone’s doing okay.

Warnings – Minor violence. Minor non-con.

Rating – T

Connor stood alone in the corner of the briefing room, listening to the instructions for the Strike Team. He was relieved that Hank had been chosen to lead the rescue attempt and that he was allowed to be a part of it after disobeying orders. Captain Fowler had told Connor in no uncertain terms that he was going to be punished for his insubordination at the warehouse, after the case was closed. Thankfully, the Captain was just as concerned for you as everybody else was; he at least saw how valuable it was to keep Connor on the force instead of punishing him immediately.

In the sombre meeting, Connor didn’t think he had ever seen the force looking so intense. Even Gavin, who was usually so arrogant, was listening intently with a grim expression on his face. Thanks to Connor’s insubordination, the blueprints to your suspected location were displayed on the projector behind Hank.

“All right,” Hank said, resting his hands on the podium. “Connor and Jenkins will be with me, taking the front entrance.”

Hank pointed to the entrance on the map.

“I want Reed, Martinez & Piotr at the back. Sanchez, Jones, Potts – You’re on the fire escape. As far as the rest of you are concerned, I want you posted outside in case shit hits the fan. You got that?”

There was a chorus of “Yes Lieutenant,” after which Hank excused everyone to gear up for the mission.

Once everyone but Hank and Connor had left the room, Hank put a comforting hand on Connor’s shoulder, “We’ll get her back son.”

“Yeah,” Connor quietly agreed, praying that Hank was right; if he believed for even one second that you were dead, he knew he would stop functioning.

You stared down at yourself in your new outfit, feeling nauseas. The Flayer had given you time to dress in the tiny bathroom, but not in your original clothes. He had provided a blue lingerie cat-suit with slits across the ribs, black thigh high stockings, and a children’s police badge to pin over the strap.

While the outfit was humiliating, you had no choice other than to wear it. After you had been forced to strip to save Connor’s life, the Flayer had stolen your other clothes. So, it was either wear the lingerie or remain in your birthday suit for him to ogle you. As disgraceful as the outfit was, you were actually grateful for it, or rather, you were grateful for the imitation police badge anyway. While the badge was only plastic, the pin was metal.

Carefully, you used the pin on your shock bracelet, attempting to pry some of the wires loose. You hoped there wasn’t some kind of alarm hidden in the bracelet, but there was hardly time to worry about such things. Any day now the Flayer could decide to kill you. After all, he was only waiting for your face to heal so you would be a better fuck when you were dead. He could decide at any minute that it wasn’t worth waiting for and kill you anyway. Besides, even if he did wait for you to heal, he wouldn’t be waiting long. Whatever medication he was giving you was working faster than anything you had taken before. In another week, the light bruising left over from the assault would be completely gone.

You released a shaky breath as you managed to pry a yellow wire off the bracelet. You hoped the Flayer wouldn’t notice that it was missing among the masses of other wires. Although you longed to tear away the rest of the wires, you knew you were running out of time; if you didn’t go back into the cellar, the Flayer would know something was wrong. Besides, you also wanted the element of surprise when you sprung the attack and while he might not notice on missing yellow wire, he would definitely notice if there were no wires left at all.

You pinned the imitation police badge onto your outfit, thinking it might make a good memento mori, should you survive your escape attempt. There was no guarantee that your plan was going to work. The yellow wire might have nothing to do with electrocuting you; if that was the case, then by attacking, you would be signing your own death warrant.

You allowed yourself one more minute to limber up which was refreshing after being tied to a chair for so long. Taking a deep breath, you left the bathroom, ready to fight for your life as soon as the perfect opportunity presented itself. As you stepped out, the Flayer was stood by the door, watching you intensely.

“Aren’t you a wonderful sight,” He praised, licking his lips.

His hand was poised over the watch, ready to electrocute you, should you make any move against him.

“I’m not a fan,” You replied dryly.

“Oh? You have a problem with such a ravishing outfit? It doesn’t make you all hot inside?”

“I just find lingerie to be a funny concept. Why bother getting all dressed up like this if the idea is just to remove the outfit immediately for sex?”

The Flayer laughed hard at that. “Yes, yes, I see your point. If it makes you feel any better, I plan to have you stay in the outfit until the thin veil of death separates us, m’lady, but first, you must play another of my games. Now, present yourself before me,” He gestured to the spot in front of him, careful to keep his hand close to the watch at all times.

Obediently, you did as he commanded, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“Very good, m’lady. Now, I want to watch you pleasure yourself. Go on, finger that tight little pussy of yours.”

Your lip drew back in a snarl as you threw yourself angrily at the Flayer. He pressed his finger against the button on his watch, shock painting his face when nothing happened. You let out a banshee-like scream of rage and started a violent assault on your captor. Here was a man who had stalked you, became a figure to fear, beat and humiliated you, and murdered multiple innocent women who you now felt a kinship towards. At your hands, the Flayer would pay, for all of those he had hurt.

Each team of the Strike Force was in position at the warehouse. Connor, Hank and Jenkins took the front entrance, with Connor hacking each of the cameras on the way in. While he would have liked to hack them all at once, it was impossible to do so. The cameras were all on separate relays, leading to various power sources; once again, the Fornication Flayer had proved himself to be a tech genius.

Fortunately, the Flayer was not around to activate the turrets dotted around the building. However, that only added to Connor’s growing list of concerns. If the Flayer wasn’t monitoring the security network, where was he? Connor once again prayed for your safety. He wished he had a gun, should he need it to aid you, but as android laws still wouldn’t change for another few months, Connor would have to rely on his team.

“Back entrance is clear,” Gavin’s voice came from the earpiece.

“Fire escape clear,” Potts added.

“Front is clear,” Hank replied. “Reed, take your team further in to sweep the first floor. Potts, take your team to sweep floor two. We’ll take the underground. Stay in radio contact and for god’s sake, be careful. This isn’t your average criminal.”

Painstakingly slowly, everyone pressed on in their search to find the perpetrator and, with any luck, you. Every room, corner, and doorway were checked. The only sound to break the silence was the occasional “Clear” on the radio, usually followed by an order from Hank.

Finally, it seemed that the search was getting somewhere when Jenkins stumbled into a darkroom. Hundreds of photographs of the Flayer’s victims were pinned to the walls, taken before and after their deaths. The newest photos were in a pile at the end of the table. Connor started flicking through them, hoping to find some sign of your location. There were several pictures of you and Gavin walking to and from his apartment, then a few of you and Hank together. Connor’s hand clenched into a fist, creasing the next picture; it was one of you and him on the park bench when he had kissed you; the shock on your face was palpable. Where was the Flayer that night? Neither of you had seen him, but sure enough, he had been there to photograph one of Connor’s worst memories.

Flicking quickly to the next picture, Connor’s thirium pump seemed to squeeze in nervous anticipation. It was you, beat, bloodied, and unconscious, tied to a chair in a dark cellar.

“Lieutenant,” He beckoned Hank over, showing him the picture.

Hank let out a muted, “Fuck,” but then he saw what Connor had. On the wall behind you was a number. If the picture was anything to go by, you were on floor -5. Hank gave orders to Gavin’s team to meet him in the stairwell.

Unable to wait any longer, Connor slipped away from the others, heading down the stairs. Before he could go any lower, he was tugged back by Hank.

“I gave you an order to wait,” Hank growled.

Connor pulled his arm free of Hank’s grasp, “If it was anyone else-”

“I will not have you running in and getting yourself killed. You hear me? You wait until the others get here or you fall back. Are we clear?”

Before Connor could answer, a woman’s scream came from below. Connor didn’t need permission to go this time as Hank ran downstairs and he followed. When they got to the bottom floor, Hank had his gun trained on the first door they came to. Connor stood to the side of the frame and at Hank’s signal, pushed it open. What they saw made them falter.

Your fists were covered in blood as you beat the man underneath you senseless. It only took a few seconds for the pair to realise that your kidnapper wasn’t getting up any time soon. Connor ran to your side, resting his hands on your shoulders and pulling you away from the man.

“NO!” You screamed, flailing, “I’M GONNA KILL HIM.”

“(Y/N)!” Connor yelled. “IT’S ME, CONNOR. I’VE GOT YOU.”

It took you a few minutes to calm down from the blind rage you had been in. “Connor?” You looked up to the concerned face of your best friend, and then to Hank who was handcuffing the unconscious form of the Flayer.

“You found me,” You whispered.

Connor took his jacket off and wrapped it around you, “We never stopped looking. Come on, we’ll get you out of here.”

“Wait,” You said before Connor could drag you away. You approached the Flayer and removed his watch, explaining that he used it to activate his technology. Shortly thereafter, you gave up any semblance of control to Connor who removed you from your prison as fast as he could.

While Hank’s team took care of the Flayer, you were taken to the hospital for an examination. Although Connor wished to take you back to his home once you were proclaimed physically well, Captain Fowler ordered you back to the precinct for a report. Connor was about to argue but you rested a hand on his shoulder, giving a small, tired smile that somehow managed to reflect only your sadness.

“It’s okay,” You told him. “Let’s just get the statement over with.”

So, with only the lingerie and Connor’s jacket to wear, Connor drove you to the station. Although you were physically and emotionally exhausted, you did your best to explain everything that had happened, from the Flayer’s deception about being Gavin, to the final moments leading up to your rescue. Everything you said was filmed to save you writing the report for a while. You were surprised when Captain Fowler apologised for bringing you in immediately.

“We’re giving you three months paid sabbatical,” He told you, “during which you will be appointed a psychiatrist trained for situations like this, okay?”

It wasn’t really a question and you didn’t bother to argue anyway; if it had been anyone else in your shoes, you would expect them to see a shrink too. “Yes, Captain.”

“Good. Take her home Detective,” Fowler addressed Connor. “And make sure she gets some rest.”

Connor nodded, and led you back to the car, setting off for Hank’s place.

“How are you feeling?” He asked for the first time since seeing you.

In the serenity of the car, you felt safe enough to answer. “I’m- Shit, I don’t know. I’m a lot of things. How about you, Con? How have you been?”

“This isn’t about me (Y/N). I just- I need to know you’re going to be okay.”

“I-” You wanted to tell him that you were in love with him, but with so much going on, you knew it wasn’t the right time. Before you knew it, you started crying. “I’m sorry.”

“What? (Y/N), you have nothing to be sorry for.” Connor pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car.

You shook your head, “You’re wrong. I- I have to say sorry. I’m sorry that I made you worry, I’m sorry that I hurt you, I’m sorry that we argued, I’m sorry I left you to go with Gavin, and I’m sorry I-”

Connor pulled you into a tight hug, cutting you off. You could feel his tears dripping down your neck. “It was my fault,” He whispered. “I chased you away. Don’t apologise when it was me who failed to protect you.”

He might have gone on about how selfish he had felt the night that you had left him, but it didn’t seem to matter. In the silence of the car as the two of you clung onto one another, nothing else mattered.

“Connor,” You said after a few minutes. “Let’s go home.”

“Yeah, okay.”

There was nothing else to say as Connor took you back to Hank’s small house. Sumo, who had been sleeping on the kitchen floor, peeked at you through sleepy eyes. He let out a low whine and lazily wagged his tail against the floor to show that he was happy you were back. After petting him, you looked around dazedly, unsure of what to do next.

“Do you want to sleep?” Connor asked, keeping a close eye on you and monitoring your stress levels.

“Not until I shower,” You said trying to sound more assured than you felt.

“I’ll get you some clothes.”

Although you had taken all of your clothes to Gavin’s, Connor still came back with some of his own pyjamas. Despite the fact that the android didn’t sleep, you had gotten him a few pairs for Christmas, claiming they were good comfort clothes; he usually wore them when night time rolled around.

Connor noticed that you showered silently, and he missed your terrible singing that used to fill the house when you got washed. He always used to make fun of you for it in one of your many games and you would often claim that he was just jealous. Now, there was only the pitter-patter of water to hear, accompanied by the occasional splash.

“I’ve put fresh sheets on Hank’s bed,” Connor told you once you came out of the bathroom. “He won’t mind you sleeping in there tonight.”

Although you knew he was right, a look of panic crossed your face; if your nightmares were bad before the Flayer had caught you, they were only going to be worse now.

“What’s wrong?” Connor asked.

“I’m scared,” You breathed. “I know he won’t come back, but what if-”

Connor drew you into another hug, stroking your hair tenderly, “It’s okay. I promise I won’t let anything else bad happen to you.”

You wrapped your arms around Connor’s slender waist, “Stay with me?”

In a silent agreement, Connor led you to the bed, tucking you in and staying to spoon you. Exhausted from your incarceration, you fell asleep almost instantly, and for the first time since you had gone, Connor allowed himself to go into a much-needed stasis as well.

A few hours later, Hank came back from the police station, feeling his age start to catch up with him. He wasn’t entirely sure that you and Connor would be there, thinking that you might have gone to your own apartment. Padding into his bedroom, Hank stopped short. Seeing you and Connor sleeping together tugged at his heart. He knew about everything that had happened at the park before you went to Gavin’s place.

Sighing heavily, Hank murmured, “Don’t break his heart kid.”

With that, he went to sleep on the sofa, painfully aware that nothing would be the same for a while.

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[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Cardcaptor Sakura S2-S3

“If you had called me, I would have fixed it for you” Get u a man who wants to fix ur bike’s flat tires

“I wonder which teacher will be in charge of us this year” I’m going to hazard a guess that it’s the one that you keep having prophetic dreams about battling in the moonlight

“Ms. Mizuki is kind, is pretty and she makes me all dreamy” lmao @ this criteria for justifying whether ur sensei is up to no good

U know, Sakura melting like 10 feet of snow bc she lost a present from her crush is exactly the type of emotions I expect from these preteens

Syaoran liking Sakura is also very funny because she’s very observant of other people so it’s like [Syaoran blushing and glancing at Sakura] [Sakura glancing back in befuddlement]

“But when you do, it means you’ll see him as well” WILL U STOP THIS OMINOUS MOONSHADOWING 

Does EVERYTHING Mizuki says have to be some kind of prophecy

Syaoran is really just becoming progressively more infatuated and embarrassed with every scene

“You’re always watching over Sakura, aren’t you?” Tomoyo doesn’t need a voice to call people out LOL

You see this is exactly my point what is the reason for having a voice card if you have a song card or vice versa what’s your logic Clow

LMAO I SHOULD’VE KNOWN:

Sakura: Why r u both here

Toya: It’s Take Your Boyfriend to Work Day

“Sakura is cheerful as usual today” “That’s all she has going for her” Very older brother kind of statement

That shot of Syaoran showing his strawberries to Yukito (and Sakura, by extension) cutting to Toya, cutting to Ms. Mizuki.... the interpersonal dynamics at play here

“You know her from before, right?” THAT’S ONE WAY TO PUT IT

**Go to jail Mizuki

“I’ll tell you in a little while” Toya is not prepared to have discussion about his Relationship History at this time

I mean I’m not an expert but isn’t Sakura’s main magical item a key wouldn’t that help with this Lock situation

YFDHSKHFKJSHFK Mizuki could you be more threatening

I assume the wind will cover up the noise of this loud magical chant

“Don’t tell dad I have a fever” 😭😭😭😭😭 Sakura you’re so little someone needs to take care of you

“If I do [stay home], I’ll trouble everyone else” SAKURAAAA 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

“It was about Sakura” TOYA’S BIG BROTHER MODE ACTIVATED

LOL TOYA’S SUSPICIOUS GLANCES ARE EVERYTHING JHDJKHFKJ HE CAN SENSE THE “GHOST” IN KERO

Well if the living plush toy didn’t give it away, the fact that Toya has already met and identified Mirror as a ghost will

Ddfhjkdhfkj Toya didn’t even pause he was just like [Sigh] ‘Guess I’m gonna feed a ghost now’

“I have a vague idea of what she’s up to” OH MY GOD TOYAAAAAA

Awww Meilin holding Sakura up to capture the Clow Card you know what that is? Growth

This kind of domestic shopping nonsense is the shenanigans I NEED

Syaoran is physically winded from running away from his feelings

OMG STOP THESE PRE-TEEN DREAMS ARE SO CORNY AND GREAT LMAO @ SYAORAN FANTASIZING ABOUT HIM AND SAKURA BEING THE LEADS IN A MOVIE TOGETHER WITH HIM GIVING THE CLOW CARDS AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR A WEDDING RING

Gljlgkdjlkgjlkf I still cannot believe they let 11-year-olds roam this freely they don’t need an adult to BOARD A TRAIN??

“They’re foretelling dreams” So if we believe this, here are the future facts:

1. Sakura’s gonna do a fashion show for Tomoyo 

2. Syaoran is going to give Sakura all the Clow Cards and maybe propose 

3. Yukito and Toya will definitely know Kero is a living creature and they’re gonna be chill with it

4. Normal battle prophecy stuff

“Seeing Ms. Mizuki... it makes me all dreamy”

*Sakura really only crushes on people that her older brother had feelings for first this is like when I was into Yugioh and Beyblade bc my brother was into them first 

**Go to jail Mizuki

“I don’t want to be the prince” Will u want to if it’s u and Sakura tho

This was pointed foreshadowing I could not have predicted

[Chanting] ALL DRAG FAIRSTYLES ALWAYS

“I just woke up” u LIAR Toya you wanted to make your baby sister breakfast

SYAORAN WHERE WERE YOU EVEN KEEPING THAT BIG OLE MAGICAL SWORD TASSLE

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS TEAMWORK COMBO ATTACK WE LOVE A PARTNERSHIP OF POWERS

“Isn’t that a guy playing the Queen” are you in any place to make a judgment Toya

“Please, seal us together” Light and Dark confirmed as Lesbian Icons

“The final decision rests with Yue, but please do your best” LMAO IS THE REASON THAT YUKITO IS ALWAYS CHILL HANGING OUT WITH HIS FIFTH GRADE BEST FRIENDS IS THAT HE IS SCOUTING THEM OUT FOR YUKITO’S NEXT DRAG SUPERHERO

U know if I did not have very hazy memories of who Yue is I could be tricked into thinking it was Mizuki lol (but then again TSUKIshiro soooooo maybe it’s obvious always lol)

“That bath sponge” “Kero is at Tomoyo’s house” ‘BATHSPONGE’ MEILIN PLS

AW rescuing lost birds turns out Syaoran has always been a sweetheart

Meilin finally gets to use her martial arts skills and help again!! Good for her

“I’m your fiancee until you find the girl you like the most” Not to put a damper on ur cousin marriage dream (stop) but that ship has sailed twice over Meilin 

“There’s another person” WELL WELL WELL HOW THE TURN TABLES MOON MAN

“Being with you is rather useful when capturing Clow Cards” is Syaoran’s way of saying “<3 <3 <3″

Syaoran is really conflicted bc he likes Yukito and he likes Sakura but when Sakura likes Yukito he wants her to like him instead this is truly a broad range of emotions for Fifth Grade Romance

Ddfjhdskfhk Kero looks so serious scouting out the intentions of the Toya’s Magical Exes Club but his face is like “>:[”

“You’re the one that uses the powers of the moon” What does this MEAN that’s supposed to be Yukito???? I am confused

“There’s no such thing as a coincidence...” “...There’s only inevitability” So now Toya’s joining the prophecy game? This is A Lot

Omg I do love the big lion version of Kero I forgot what he looked like

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BIIIIIIIIIIIITCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“Too lenient as always” “And your personality is as bad as always” I don’t think I care for Magical Yukito he’s being a little harsh

“He completely cuts all ties between his disguise and his consciousness, so that the candidate doesn’t sense him until the Last Judgment” so his subconscious just happened to feel like being a 17-year-old boy who wanted to date Sakura’s brother LOL

DON’T BE A BITCH YUE YOU’RE FIGHTING AN ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD WHO PERCEIVES YOU AS SOMEONE SHE CARES ABOUT

Oh my god NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I DON’T WANT ANYONE TO FORGET WHO THEY LOVE

This is so fucked up kjhgkfhdg Sakura’s family forgetting her mother, Sakura and Toya forgetting Yukito, Tomoyo forgetting about caring about Sakura, Syaoran forgetting about caring about Sakura ahhhhhhhhhhh

WELL WELL WELL MS. MIZUKI CAME THRU THANKS WEIRDO

**Still jail tho

OH SHIT NEW MAGICAL STAFF I LOVE THIS AHHHHHHHHH

“I want you to be friends with me, nothing like Masters or stuff like that” SAKURAAAAAA

“You knew that Mr. Tsukishiro wasn’t a human” “Yeah” TOYA WHAT!!!

The fact that Yukito doesn’t know his other half is kind of a bitch has very Yami Bakura energy I can’t believe what I needed in my life was Yugioh but less Heterosexual

iii

“If you leave that early, Yuki won’t be there yet” So... is Toya just chill with the fact his boyfriend is the moon

I don’t want Syaoran to leave!!! He is a sweetheart and I love him

“He seems like a nice boy” is thiiis the rude boy I remember from watching this when I was a kid bc ngl I was confused when Syaoran was nice bc I remember someone being a little shit

“I didn’t mean to surprise you” said Eriol, after popping out suddenly from behind a tree

Syaoran said ‘I will only share Sakura’s affection with one (1) boy and that is Yukito’ 

“I’m not going back. I’ll be here for a while.” I can’t tell if this is a New Magical Person thing or a ‘I love my friends and don’t want them to forget me’ thing

DHJKGHKJHG this random girl just clinging to Toya’s back and eyeing Yukito like “WHATCHA GONNA DO ABOUT IT MISTER”

I guess since Meilin’s gone Nakuru’s going to fulfill the role of Unrequited Crush Gal Who Cannot Read The Emotional Room

Clow Reed really appearing to just throw Sakura’s entire life in disarray

“This is the first chance to film you in a while!” Tomoyo you have filmed Sakura going strawberry-picking and playing whack-a-mole since when do u need an excuse lmao

“I don’t think we made plans like that” again Toya since when do u and Yukito need plans aren’t you together like 22/7

Syaoran refuses to show Sakura that he’s feeling anything beyond blushing and yet he gets mad when other people are more forthright with their emotions and honestly what a teen mood

“I.. you” rude I can’t tell if Nakuru interrupted a love confession or a I Know You’re the Moon confession but either way rude 

“You don’t know? Then I’ll take him” WHAT DO U MEAANNN THAT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS

“Eriol is a kind person” [Thor meme voice] Is he though?

As much as the jury is still out on Yue I really do love these magical girl transformations

These group meet ups have gotten even less subtle you might be able to hide some cosplay and a plush toy but a full grown man and a lion with wings??? Gjkghkjdhgk how did they get to Penguin Park with no one noticing

There is some satisfaction in there finally being an adult (or at least a kind-of-18-year-old) on their team

Oh my god??? OH MY GOD? WHAT A POWER-UP I LOVE IT SAKURA GETTING HER OWN CHANTS AND CARDS GOOD FOR HERRRR

Poor Toya it’s worrisome when ur baby sis is a magical superhero

It’s interesting and hilarious that Yukito’s appetite is proportional to his alter ego’s use of magic

“Because she’s like you” Toya IS trying to tell Yuki that he’s a moon person awwwwwwww

If we’ve learned anything from Tomoyo’s choir recitals it’s just that perhaps singing is more dangerous than any of these kids would prefer it to be

Nakuru aside from the fact I’m pretty sure you’re a new Big Bad leave Toya alone he doesn’t want to be touched and he’s with someone already

I like that no matter how many times Yamazaki lies, Sakura always takes it in good faith

I have given up on this show having anyone have a normal relationship with their teacher (except Wei who has done nothing wrong ever in his life)

“I’m sure that the person you like is happy” shout-out to Tomoyo for being semi-well-adjusted I guess 

“The kid is being controlled by something” GUESS WHO JUST BOUGHT STRINGS FOR PUPPETS IT’S SUSPICIOUS NEW KID 

If I know my shojo manga tropes it seems like this Friend vs. Friend battle is going to lead to a Hug of Passionate Restraint

Psych it was a Hug of We Are Tired From Magical Force

Who are you British Bitch Boy with your Bitch Cat haven’t they been through enough

“I’m surprised you’ve held out this long without a single bite” do NOT eat TOYA

“And I’m not a human in the first place, so gender doesn’t really matter” I am so tired of anime creating non-binary characters only to make them evil and/or inhuman blah

I DON’T CARE FOR ANY OF THIS WE DON’T NEEEED AN EVIL ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD AND AN EVIL KERO AND AN EVIL YUE NOBODY ASKED

“Why did I buy this thing anyway” u know why Syaoran 

LMAO YUKITO DRINKING OUT OF A FULL SIZE MILK CARTON KILLS ME

“The only times I turn red or feel like my heart will explode is when I see him” Incredible it has taken Syaoran like... 18 episodes to realize his feelings for Sakura. Bisexuality be like that sometimes

SCREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM DID YUE COME OUT JUST TO GIVE SYAORAN BACK HIS TEDDY BEAR

“The reason why you are confused when you see Yukito is because of the magic powers from the Moon that you feel from Yukito” did Yue just say ‘ur not bi ur just confused’ kjhkjdhdgkj Yue confirmed for biphobic

Really how many things does Eriol have to ruin before Sakura realizes he’s evil? The piano.... thread... a teddy bear

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG SAKURA HAS WINGS IT’S A REAL MAGICAL GIRL TRANSFORMATION AFTER ALL

You know if Elementary School Clow is NOT evil this is a really fucked up way to be teaching a lesson

Toya come help ur boy Yukito is exhausted and he doesn’t know why :(

Ahhhhhhhh this tree leaning scene is the exact and only thing I remembered about the interactions between these two before watching this now

“I don’t want you to disappear” THE ROMANCE RETURNS

“Are you doing this on purpose” Toya has had it up to here with his confessions being interrupted

BOOO Toya was right I don’t want Yue-kito to disappear either

“There is someone suited to this, but Yukito...” KJHGKJDHGJHDKJ IS TOYA GONNA BECOME THE SOURCE OF YUE’S MAGICAL POWER I’D DIE

“You knew this would happen if you called Tomoyo” I mean... Kero’s right

I don’t know that Erase in particular was necessary for the sheep but it does make me giggle to see Sakura lift playground structures

I was gonna say I’d wager ten dollars something happens to that bike after Eriol touches it but then I remembered this episode is called “Sakura and the Panicky Bike” so it’s not really even worth betting

Of course your family members are going to worry if you suddenly develop magical narcolepsy Sakura 

I LOVE that Toya’s magical powers seem to be developing more as well

I feel like not enough people are giving Sakura credit for the fact she is like 11? She hasn’t had a lot of time to work on this stuff

“I can’t let [the cards becoming ordinary] happen! I finally got to be friends with all of them” 😭😭😭😭😭 Sakura’s good heart always gets me

“What are you going to do?” SHE’S GONNA PUT HERSELF IN A MAGICAL COMA 

Cell phones are a hilarious addition to the plot and I love that they are like top of the line bc it’s the 90s lmao and that Li is include in the phone tree 

“If you collapse, I’ll catch you” KERO NO. 1 SAKURA STAN (tied with Tomoyo and Syaoran)

Lmao these siblings would be born on a Leap Day and April Fool’s respectively

SCREAM at least it’s on brand for Eriol to be a pathological liar (also RIP Sakura and Syaoran for their gullibility still)

TOYA PLAYING HIS MOTHER’S SONG REST IN PIECES MY HEART

Sdkhkhkjdhkd Toya failed confession count: 4 this time feat emotional piano ballad

Also also I will say it’s not like Yuki doesn’t come to your house VERY frequently Toya couldn’t you just tell him what you need to say the numerous times he is visiting or going with you to school

Oh hey! I share a birthday with Sakura’s great-grandfather that’s funny

“Nadeshiko was only 16 years old” YEAH SO WHY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING GRANDPA UR NOT THE ONE TRYING TO DATE TEENS U R TEACHING

I know Kero being seen on the TV is for giggles but the implication that magic makes you playable on VCR... incredible

I want to know what Toya’s gift was!!! 

Hahaha I guess that the Alice and Wonderland size-shifting would have more of an impact on Sakura’s empathy than most people 

“Two-thirds of all cats on earth right now are aliens” I mean... if we go by the cats we have met in this show.... Yamazaki’s right

“Actually, I have a rather mischievous personality” NO KIDDING ERIOL

“Where are you going” “To where the queen is” I will DIE if the Queen is Toya but I assume the Queen of Hearts will be Sakura’s mother actually since that’s the kind of anime trope that u should expect

Yue dropping Sakura like a hot potato is a little funny he can stay 

What is more ridiculous Syaoran hiding the sword behind his back or the fact it worked

“Then... it’s not Yukito?” that was one whole crush ago keep up Sakura

“I am the Queen” WELL THAT’S NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING AT ALL KJFHGKJHGJHGJKFHG

Current list of things that Eriol has ruined: Pianos, threads, teddy bears, sheep plushies, bikes, leaves, 

The transition to Eriol’s deep adult voice always trips me up

“Don’t hug me” “I’m going to hug you” Respect! Toya’s! Boundaries! Nakuru!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL @ Spinel’s drunken tirades I won’t lie I love this erratic behaviour

Guess Syaoran is over his Yukito crush for real but boy cannot stop running away from his feelings for Sakura poor guy

AWWWW THIS TEDDY BEAR MONTAGE OF SYAORAN BEING AT PEACE WITH HOW HE FEELS NOW

LMAO DID ERIOL JUST TRAP THESE TWO IN AN ELEVATOR TO WORK OUT THEIR INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS THIS SHOW IS IN SUCH A WEIRD EMOTIONAL PLACE

“I’m glad for you,” said Eriol/Clow, who has repeatedly mildly traumatized these kids but seems to be like ‘it all evens out if I do some preteen matchmaking’

“Hey, can I call you Syaoran too?” Awwwwwwwwwwww that’s cute also it’s wild that in the pacing of this show despite like probably at least thirty episodes of them being friends THIS is the first ep (Ep 57!!!) that they address each other by first name

HJGJHGDHGFHJG AMAZING HOW IS SAKURA GOING TO HIDE A FULL GROWN MAN (WHO SHARES A BODY WITH THE PERSONALITY HER BROTHER LIKES!) AND A WINGED LION IN HER BEDROOM

OHJFKJSDHFKJSHDKJFHKJHFKJHKJHDKJHF I CANNOT CONVEY THE COMEDY OF THIS MOMENT IN WORDS SO:

“So that even if [my dad] was reincarnated, he would still fall in love with [my mom]” Interesting reveal that Yue was actually in love with Clow (makes sense; he’s the ‘I’m gay I’m homophobic we exist’ meme) but the only romance I will accept for Yue is if he ends up in a Greedlingfan-esque triad with Yukito and Toya and that’s that on that

Poor Yukito he must think he’s going nuts he just appears places with no memories 

Well this is hardly a fair match up Syaoran can’t be expected compete with a reincarnated ancient wizard

GOOOOOD WHY DOES ERIOL DELIVER HIS CRYPTIC MESSAGES OF ADVICE THROUGH SPORTS GAMES

“It feels more like [Eriol] is watching over someone very dear to him” Tomoyo correctly discerns that Eriol is the bearer of fucked up magic lessons

Wow Tomoyo is really here to talk Syaoran through a whole journey of emotions 

“I.. you...” OH MY GOD SYAORAN AND TOYA START THEIR CONFESSIONS IN THE SAME WAY JHHJSGFDSGJH WOW 

It’s okay Syaoran you did your best no one in your immediate social group can finish a confession it seems

“You were trying so hard so hard to confess your love for Sakura last night” Tomoyo really doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to her romantic pep talks huh

Awww Syaoran wants to tell Meilin how he feels about Sakura first 

Uh oh post-battle Meilin has taken note of Syaoran and Sakura’s use of each other’s first names

“If something happens, please think of me” AWWW Tomoyo looking out for Meilin’s feelings that’s my girl

“What makes me even madder is that I still can’t grow to hate Ms. Kinomoto” awww Meilin  

“You’re a tardy little monster” suspicious Toya is one of the best parts of this show   

The fact that Sakura doesn’t think Toya knows because he’s not making fun of her... tru sibling energy

Failed confession count: 

Toya: 5...6

Syaoran: 2

TOYA IS SUCH A SWEETHEART BUYING PRESENTS FOR THE CARD THAT PROTECTS SAKURA AHHHHHHHHH AND OMG HOW DOES HE KNOW WHAT MIRROR LOOKS LIKE

Sakura loves the cards and the cards love her I love one (1) Cardcaptor

“But now, he helps me out a lot” “That’s why I don’t like him” AWWW TOYA 

“I will see you again in your dreams tonight” could you be a bit less creepy Eriol

OH NO CURSE OF THE DISAPPEARING BOYFRIEND TOYA YOU GOTTA HUG THE MAGIC BACK INTO YUKI

Tomoyo is an impeccable wingman for Syaoran she has had his back at every step

WE LOVE A POOL PARTY EP YEEHAW 

"I don’t ever want you to disappear” Toya’s declarations are getting more passionate with each failed confession (also I see that when he grabs Yuki’s wrist he stops fading)

“If you use magic in here, you don’t know who might see you” so they’ll notice her hiding behind a half rock wall but somehow a glowing waterslide will escape their notice???

“If Sakura had used her card any later than when she did, you were going to stop your magic” I feel like that is the LEAST Eriol could do

“Do you dislike swimming now” OH HOW NICE TO CHECK IN WITH RIKA AFTER YOU ALMOST DROWN HER

“You’re just lacking experience now. I’m sure that you will be able to do it. Skiing... and other things.” “You said that before! What does that MEAN” Syaoran is tired of Eriol’s Cryptic Sports Advice too

Dghgfjdgfjhg Sakura crossing herself in preparation for hearing a scary story lmao

Current failed confession counts:

Toya: 7

Syaoran: 3

Eriol confirms he will not kill preteens in an avalanche just to teach them magic I guess they had to draw the line somewhere

“I know the truth... that in reality you are...” Does it count as a failed confession if it’s for a scene?? Also are they the leads of this student film bc if so wow

“I know what’s really going on. That you are...” Well we’re definitely up to 8 now

:(((((((((((( It really hurts Toya to see Yukito like this SAVE HIIIIIIIIM

“At this rate, Toya’s important thing will be taken away” like what his love virginity LMAO

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT’S HAPPENING THE FACE TOUCHING THE REVEAL HFDUHFKJHFJDHFKJHDJGHJKHGJHG

“If I don’t see you, I can’t give you what I want to give you” a kiss?? LOL

“I want you to protect Sakura, and also protect yourself” OH OH OH 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH TOYA YOU’RE SO SELF-SACRIFICING THIS IS SO SWEET U WANT TO PROTECT UR SISTER AND THE LOVE OF UR LIFE SO UR GIVING UP SOMETHING THAT’S A PART OF YOU THE MELANCHOLY THE INTIMACY I’M WEEPING

“It’s obvious that you, a child, can’t support all of it” Ahhhhhhhhhh so many reveals at once poor Sakura, Toya was only helping

In truth I did not think the power exchange would happen all at once I thought it would be like recurring boyfriend whack-a-mole:

Yukito, sleepy: I’m off to battle

Toya: K bye Yuki [intimate embrace]

Yue: [Catches sleepy Toya]

“I want Yukito to know my true feelings” I mean I’m gonna tell you right now Sakura I think he’s in love with your brother and also you’re like 11 but u do u I guess

“It doesn’t matter what you are. As long as you don’t disappear and are at my side, I don’t care about anything else” Toya ur so romantic

“I’m all right. Just a little sleepy.” Oh how the narcolepsy turntables.....

I know all I want to talk about is Toya right now but he is so PATIENT and GENTLE with his sister’s feelings god

“But the person that you like the most isn’t me, Sakura” why do both halves of Yukito feel the need to moonsplain people’s feelings to them jkhfgkjjhfjhfjkh

HAHAHAH I was wondering how Yuki was going to handle this preteen love confession and he just went ‘No. Family-zoned.’

“You realized this because you have someone you like the most as well, Yukito?” 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

“Is it my big brother?” “Yeah, it is” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“Though I think that Toya is my number one, I’m not sure of his feelings” HE GAVE UP HIS MAGICAL POWERS FOR YOU TO BE AROUND HIM FOREVER YUKITO HOW MUCH MORE REASSURANCE DO YOU NEED

Omg the vowing to yell at each other’s future boyfriends khkdhfkdhfs I love this friendship good for them 

Eriol really DOES trap people in enclosed spaces to work out their interpersonal problems this reincarnated 11-year-old relationship therapist my god

“But if I cry or make a sad face, I’m sure Yukito would be troubled” poor sad Sakura but also I’m kind of glad she didn’t abide by Yukito like... telling her how she felt? It would’ve felt a little insincere to walk ALL of it back but I think she was mostly doing it so Yukito and Toya could be together in peace

“It’s all right. I’m sure you will find him” SYAORAAAAAAAAAAANNN

Awww Syaoran is so happy about this Grand Gesture scarf <33333333

“I knew that Sakura’s feelings for me weren’t completely the same as her feelings for her father... But I can’t delay her finding her true number one because of her feelings towards me” no shit Yuki but also maybe it was an okay call it gave Sakura a simple out

Toya’s gentle head touch as he gives Yukito reassurance aaaaaah

“He’s going to steal away something that I’ve been cherishing all this time” this is Toya’s weird way of saying he gives Syaoran and Sakura his blessing lol (lot of these blessing going around lately)

Toya’s love language is touching Yuki somewhere from the shoulders up

“I feel like he’s still alive and he’ll come to make fun of us at any moment” ur not wrong Kero

“But I’m still not you, Mr. Clow” U JUST BE URSELF SAKURA!!

What we have learned from this trip to the past so far is that Mr. Clow has always loved to give people cryptic messages and then disappear

I DID NOT EXPECT A MONTAGE OF BLOOMING FLOWERS TO BE WHAT MADE ME SHED A TEAR IN THIS ANIME BUT THE SYMBOLISM - CLOW’S WORDS - SAKURA UR SO GOOD THIS IS A NICE SHOW

“It’s Clow Reed’s fault,” said Clow Reed, eleven years old, about himself

“Why did he have to trouble Sakura so much?!” Kero said FRIENDSHIP ENDED WITH CLOW REED SAKURA IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND

I appreciate that Yue was like, ‘Gotta bring Toya with me to the battle I can’t just leave him in the street’ 

Sidenote: What made them start running in the first place was it the loss of light or was it just Yukito/Yue going ‘MY SAKURA SENSES ARE TINGLING’

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FINAL BATTLE KERO VS. SPINNEL, YUE VS. RUBY MOON, SAKURA VS. CLOW???

OH SHIT TRANSFORMING EIGHT CARDS AT ONCE WHAT A POWER UP 

Make that six cards but STILL

“Light and Dark are the first cards under our jurisdiction” I AM RIVETED 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

SCREAM THE TEAM SUN MOON STARS GROUP HUG MY CHEST WILL BURST

OH FINAL WAND!!!!!!!!! MAGICAL FRIENDS EDITION

SYAORAN HELPING HER TRANSFORM THE CARDS TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAMWORK

“We are friends with you, right Sakura?” KEROOOOOOOO YUEEEEEEEEE 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

“I like you” [Cut to classroom] Oh awkward seems like Sakura kind of verbally left Syaoran on read for that one

“Wouldn’t conversation be more pleasant when there are tasty sweets around” Sdfhkjshfkjshfkj unbelievable Eriol-Clow wants to have his final words of wisdom delivered via tea party

“There were a couple of things that happened that weren’t expected by myself or Clow Reed” LOL he means Syaoran and Sakura and also probably Yukito and Toya jhjhdfjkh fair it’s just the never-ending charisma of these siblings 

Oh hey Ms. Mizuki what are you doing at this weird tea party (go to jail)

If Mizuki was in college when she met him he was what???? A baby??? How old ARE you Eriol

“You’re not going inside, Yue?” I was WONDERING why Yue wasn’t part of this ridiculous gathering lmao

“But I can talk of old memories... If it suits your fancy, I will talk whenever you want me to” Ahh Eriol trying to provide Yue some closure 😬

WOW ERIOL EXPLICITLY EXPLAINING THAT HE DID NOT EXPECT THE ROMANTIC DYNAMICS AT PLAY JDHJHFDGHKDHGKHDKFJ 

Omggg Sakura created a new card for Syaoran ahhhh they’re really very cute

“That bear... Can I have it?” The way these confessions were written is really VERY GOOD

What a WEIRD SHOW but u know it did something to my heart 

[fluidityandgiggles]

Dalton Big Bang day 1 - The Canadian Girlfriend Experience

Writing Masterpost, AO3 Link

Notes: So... y’all. Dalton fam. Hear me out.

I understand that y'all are gonna be mad at me for staying up until (four? five?) five in the morning to post this, but I'm something like 90% sure I'd forget to post it in the morning (afternoon), and I have to write tomorrow's fic anyway, so... here's an extra early fluffy mess. Hope y'all like it.

I had to write this one... I really really had to. Han's girlfriend is a big deal to me. I hope you understand it.

(And for the uninitiated in pathfinder - the rank system is wild, feats are taken every two levels or so, Logan’s character is basically invincible, defeated only by Dwight’s monk and the absolute insanity that creating a monk in pathfinder can end up being.)

—————

"I really have to go to sleep," the familiar (by now) high-pitched voice said through the headphones, stifling a yawn. "My drama class is moving props to the auditorium tomorrow for our exam and my mom would be mad at me if I don’t go to sleep in the next thirty minutes."

"So go to sleep, Lils. I won’t be mad at you."

"Okay! I’ll text you in the morning! Love you, bye!"

"Good night."

Han finally let himself snort a bit after his girlfriend hung up, watching as she disconnects from the game a few moments later. He did say he’ll only play Starcraft today so long as Leah is available, and now that she’s offline…

He just closed the game and went back to working on his Pathfinder session prep.

Han met Leah at the San Diego Comic-Con last summer. On day one, she approached him because she thought the Westwoods’ Bat family cosplay was really cool. On day two, he approached her because her Arwen cosplay was flawless. By day three they’d already ditched the con to have a not-date lunch at In-N-Out, found out they’re in the same guild in World of Warcraft, Han found out Leah has a voice acting channel on youtube, they exchanged phone numbers, and by day four they may have not spent the whole day together but they certainly went on a date-date at the end of the day.

They’ve been rather inseparable for the following three weeks, but by then Han had to face the reality of it all. Leah’s phone number was weird to him from the start, sure, and he was willing to pass off her accent as a speech quirk, but it wasn’t until those three weeks ended that it finally sunk in that she’s not American. And like most good things, her visit too has to come to an end.

Maintaining a relationship online just… didn’t feel the same.

1 Unread Message

‘Merril: Can I suggest an idea for Mishka’s character arc?? You can say no, I just had an idea is all!’

Caterpillar: I’m all ears

———

"While this mess of a… bargain is happening," Logan called as Merril and Reed tried to catch their breaths from laughing. "Can Dwight and I get to the diplomatic debate?"

"Sure," Han sighed, watching his party quickly derail the session. "But let’s take a break first."

The first to disappear at the sound of "let’s take a break" was Lucy, who ran to the bathroom, accidentally knocking off Logan’s dice tower in the process. Merril got the brownies out and on the table, everyone pulled their phones out…

Han could take a couple moments to look at the pictures Leah sent him earlier. According to her, they were not yet done with lighting cues, and she was going crazy, but seeing her in her period piece of a costume and leg brace prop made him feel excited for her, somewhat.

Caterpillar: wish I could been there to see it 

Jabba the Hutt: Oh no! Don’t say that! Jabba the Hutt: I’ll send you the filmed version when I get it, but it’ll probably be really bad anyway.

Caterpillar: im sure it cant be that bad 

Jabba the Hutt: Han, it’s a high school production of the Glass Menagerie. Jabba the Hutt: My class is also doing the play version of Spring Awakening. Jabba the Hutt: It *can* and *will* be that bad. Jabba the Hutt: Trust me. 

"Han?" Merril called before he could answer that one. "Hansel, are you listening?"

"No, I wasn’t. What was it?" He grabbed a brownie, leaving his phone aside for a second.

"Wizards of the Coast announced a new edition of D&D," she said again, smiling gently. "Do you think you’d want to try it?"

"I’m already one step ahead of you there. I’m going to playtest it when it— excuse me…"

Jabba the Hutt: WE FINALLY FUCKING FINISHED THIS Jabba the Hutt: I’ve never been happier to say I’m getting offstage, I need someone to punch me!

Caterpillar: dont you mean pinch?

Jabba the Hutt: I meant what I said and I said what I meant.

Han tuned back in time to hear Logan say "I just really don’t want to have to mess with the power system again", which resulted in Dwight throwing a bag of chips at his head.

"Fourth edition has a very special place in my heart, Wright. Don’t talk shit about it around me."

"Yeah, why all the hate for the power system?" Lucy frowned (when did she get back from the bathroom?). "It’s not all that different to how feats work. Would you complain about getting a new feat every odd level once we switch systems?"

"Not going to happen, Lucy."

"Aw man, but I wanted to play Vampire the Masquerade next!"

"And we already said Merril is going to run it," Han reminded her, checking his phone one last time. "But we’re not switching our current game to another system. Not gonna happen."

There was a quiet "hell yeah" from Merril as Han’s phone buzzed with a new message, but before he could even read it, it was snatched by Lucy.

"Wha… who are you talking to, Han?" She laughed a bit, scrolling up, and then her eyes went wide open. "Well… damn."

"Don’t act like you’re surprised, that’s my girlfriend. You met her before."

The silence in the room was so tense, Han swore he could hear a pin drop. 

"...a girlfriend?" Dwight was the first to ask, raising a brow. "Since when?"

"You know, I honestly thought she would’ve forgotten all about you after two weeks…"

"Since a few months ago," Han told Dwight, taking his phone back. "Can we continue, please?"

"No! It’s interesting!" Merril joined in, resting her chin on her hand as she got closer, pushing some papers a bit. "How did you meet? Where is she from? Can we meet her?"

"We met at Comic-Con and no, you can’t meet her. She’s… not from here."

"...is she Canadian?" Logan raised a brow too, starting to laugh.

"Noooooooo…?"

"Oh yeah, Han’s Canadian girlfriend."

"She’s not— let’s start to fucking play, this session isn’t going to end itself."

By the end of the session, Han couldn’t say he’d be surprised if the whole school found out by tomorrow. And if anyone (namely the twins) made fun of him for his "Canadian girlfriend"... so be it. 

———

"Is this Canadian girlfriend of yours coming to prom?" Julian’s tired voice came through the phone, sounding like he was about to pass out. He just arrived at school earlier today, already tired from the flight, and immediately got coddled by Logan.

"She’s not Canadian, Julian. You’re the twenty-fifth person I’ve told this already."

"So where is she from? Would you please tell just one person?"

With a quick glance at the security footage, to make sure Logan wasn’t listening, Han whispered "her name is Leah, I met her at Comic-Con in San Diego last year, she’s from Israel and no, I doubt she can come to prom. She has her own prom to attend."

"...okay, so this Israeli girlfriend of yours. Got it."

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you want to keep her a secret…?" He clicked his tongue. His laugh sounded a bit rougher than usual. "You know how things can end up. You of all people."

"I… I’m just not sure I’m ready for… dude. Is Logan drooling on your shoulder…?"

"Give him a break, Westwood. He’s adjusting to his new pills."

"I asked about the drooling."

"He does that sometimes. I just let him be."

"...why is everyone so interested in my girlfriend? Is it really any different from David and Katherine?"

"I don’t know how to break it down to you, Westwood, but you’re not exactly the type anyone would expect to even have a girlfriend."

A shift in the camera footage made Han cuss silently, covering his microphone.

"...she said she’ll be here for graduation. Hers is in late June, but she finishes school in May."

"Yeah. May. When prom is."

"Do you want to talk to her yourself?" He could hear Julian snort. "I’m not kidding. I’ll give you Leah’s phone number and you’ll convince her yourself. I can’t."

"Because that totally won’t be crazy."

"Julian."

"Hansel."

"Just fucking ask her, you absolute nerd!"

"Can you stop ordering me around? This isn’t Hollywood. This is my girlfriend we’re talking about."

"Can you at least send me a picture of her? So I’ll know she’s real?"

"...fuck you, Larson."

Han sent him a picture anyway. A picture of the two of them that Lucy insisted to take while they were in San Diego. They coordinated somehow, Han with his LOTR shirt and Leah with her whole Arwen cosplay. It was the happiest day he could possibly remember.

And then, a snort through the phone.

"...so you’re Leah Appelbaum’s mysterious Maryland boyfriend? Huh. Didn’t know you lived in Maryland."

"...you know Leah?"

"We had auditions in the same building two years ago and she approached me because she’s a fan of Something Damaged. She insisted on keeping in touch. How did you meet her?"

"At Comic-Con… please be gentle about this, Julian."

"Okay! I just… wow. I know where you live now. Sweet."

"Don’t you dare try to blackmail me with that information, Larson."

"I won’t. There’s nothing to worry about."

———

"...you know what?" Han sighed as the last session before prom was about to close off. "Roll sense motive."

The clatter of dice hitting each other and everyone cussing filled the room, quickly picking up their dice and looking.

"Fifteen!"

"Seventeen!"

"Five!"

"How’s you get a five, Lucy?"

"I’m a barbarian, what do you think—"

"Thirty-four."

Dwight practically glared at Logan. "What the fuck, dude?"

"I play a half-elf cleric, Dwight," Logan answered, straight-faced. "Plus two to wisdom straight away, rolled extremely well, I have a plus five modifier to wisdom and the alertness feat. I took a single rank in sense motive every time we leveled up and now I have ten ranks. On the tenth rank in sense motive or perception, you get a bonus four to the skill instead of the usual two. Thus, ten plus four plus five equals nineteen, plus the fifteen that I rolled. That’s thirty-four. Do I sense motive?"

"...everyone who rolled above a fifteen, and that definitely includes Flint—" Han could see Logan smiling smugly. "Everyone who rolled above a fifteen can see that this woman is telling the truth. Anyone who rolled a twenty or above, Flint, can also sense that—"

There was a knock at the door. There was never a knock at the door. But now there was. And as Reed got up to open the door, Han silently hoped it wouldn’t be anyone who shouldn’t be there—

"And this is your boyfriend’s room," Julian’s voice came through as Reed’s jaw dropped. "Thank you for picking Julian Larson to be your tour guide, we hope you enjoyed the trip."

"Very! Oh, hello!" The girl at the door waved at Reed, who waved back. The whole party waved back. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, those nerds are just playing dungeons and dragons. You have nothing to worry about." Reed finally returned to his seat as Julian kissed the girl’s cheek, chuckling at the shock. "Logan, I’ll be expecting you to pick me up at six. I want my pre-prom sushi."

"I promised you I will, Princess, don’t panic."

"Okay, just making sure."

As Julian left, the girl went to sit on Han’s futon and look at everyone. Long brown hair, half of it bleached; dark eyes behind a pair of green plastic-framed glasses; a bit on the heavier side, like Han himself, and wearing a floral summer dress and a pair of short leggings. Her face was flushed red, her lipstick a dark blue, and her nails painted black that just started to chip.

Han missed her so much.

"So… hi." She waved around again, a bit confused. "What’s up…?"

"Who’s this?" Dwight was the first to speak.

"My girlfriend," Han replied, sounding rather insistent. "We were just about to finish our session, Lils. Can you wait?"

"Mmhm! Absolutely! I’ll be so quiet, you’ll forget I’m even here!"

Nobody forgot she was there. Merril kept looking over to her, Reed and Dwight seemed skeptical as ever, and the only person who was normal about it was Lucy. But it wasn’t news for Lucy, she’s met Leah before after all. All the while Leah sat there, chuckling at the game and waiting patiently for Han to finish, which he did twenty minutes later. Dwight practically ran out, followed by Logan who needed to pick his own boyfriend up for dinner, but…

"So where are you from in Canada?" Merril asked first, making Leah smile. 

"I’m… not Canadian. Did Han tell you I’m Canadian?"

"Where’s your lipstick from?" Reed asked next.

"Umm… it’s, it’s from NARS, I picked it up on the way here, I forgot to pack my own makeup and—"

"Is Han taking you to prom?"

Han choked on his water at that. "I can’t leave my room for prom, Merril. Health risks."

"You can have an indoors prom."

"We planned on watching Battlestar Galactica and ordering takeout," Leah admitted. "But… an indoors prom would be nice. I’m not going to mine anyway. My class is writing this… really offensive skit about one of the math teachers and I don’t want to be a part of it."

"What’s your prom even like…?" Reed squinted, sitting back down. "That you do skits."

"It’s… not really a prom. Israel doesn’t really have the promenade culture, it’s just like a showcase the whole class does for family and friends before graduation… I’ve never liked this practice, you know, I think it’s just…"

As Leah rambled on, Han took his time to clear the table and silently hope Merril and Reed leave soon. Those two have prom dates after all. And neither are a Canadian girlfriend.

[fandom-necromancer]

289. You’re special to me.

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900

Gavin wasn’t the most beloved person in the precinct. More a magnet of disdain and hatred, someone to be avoided. That had made the man so interesting in RK900’s eyes. He had been partnered up with him, but maybe he would have chosen him regardless had he been deviant back then. He was still accommodating to the new feeling of freedom and the lack of mission parameters. It had happened only recently; the Detective had played a huge role in it. The decision to safe the man hadn’t really been one and the red walls and warning signs in his mind didn’t stand a chance.

But what came after had him seeing the world with new eyes. He existed for himself, not to fulfil a task, not to be the perfect tool. And that made relationships and human interaction more important than ever. For the time now, he resorted to observing and understanding before trying his own advances with others.

Unfortunately, that made him realise his soldier protocols were still partly active. At least when it came to Gavin, the strong urge to [protect] and to [keep save] sprang into action. Every time when someone talked foul about him, something in him wanted to stand up for the man and defend him. But it didn’t seem to affect Reed. He had to hear it. He had an exceptionally sharp hearing.

‘Heard there is a new case, real gruesome serial killer. Turning their victims into “pieces of art” as they put it.’ ‘Ah damn, that sounds awful.’ ‘Yeah, sounds like a job for Reed. The asshole probably enjoys the stuff.’

RK900 looked up to scan his partner: Still fixed on the report he was writing, still putting up the appearance of focus and relaxation. But his fingers pushed down harder on the keys.

Two days later, the situation repeated itself. ‘There is this guy hunting down the officers that want to arrest him. Already two dead and three injured.’ ‘Shit… Hopefully he won’t get into our area of influence.’ ‘Ah, don’t worry. We could get Reed on the job, the guy doesn’t seem to care whether he dies.’ ‘Hah! And we would elegantly get rid of him.’ At least this time, RK900 could establish eye contact with the two beat cops talking and had them very quickly minding their own business.

The incidents stringed together. A joke on the detective’s expense, unpleasant work loaded onto him when no one else wanted the job or deemed it too dangerous. It was… saddening to say the least. His partner was a competent human being and by far nicer than they made him appear. He couldn’t understand why they talked about him that way and with every overheard word he felt sicker and sicker.

He was sure to explode at the next uttered disrespectful word. Gavin’s passiveness made it even worse. Why was he not doing anything against this? RK900 went over to the breakroom to get another coffee for the human. It was the least he could do for him. As he waited for the liquid to pour into the mug, someone joined him – officer Person. ‘Getting some coffee for Reed?’ ‘Yes’, RK900 answered. ‘He is working very hard lately.’ ‘I don’t get how you could live with the guy.’ ‘What do you mean?’ The coffee was forgotten. This wasn’t about to go down that road, was it? If it did, the man didn’t know what he was about to conjure. ‘Nah, you wouldn’t know it. He’s very tame around you. He was one hell of an asshole! What did you do? Kicked him in the balls when you first seen him?’ RK900 narrowed his eyes and took in a synthetic breath. ‘I showed him the basic means of respect, a quality you all seem to lack around here!’ ‘Woah, calm down, big guy! It’s not like it’s not justified.’ ‘Oh yes?’ RK900 took a step into Person’s space, making use of his added height. ‘Would you be so kind and tell me the reason just how your behaviour can be justified?’

Person had taken a step back and their conversation now shifted from the breakroom to the bullpen. ‘You speak about him as if he was an asset. A tool. Not a person. You shove your unwanted cases his way, you use my partner as a means to keep your own damn list nice and clean. You talked about rather letting him die than be at risk yourselves. I say it again: tell me your reason behind all of this. Because I can’t understand how a human being can be so cruel. What has he done to you to deserve this?’ Officer Person was at a loss of words and so was the whole precinct as it seemed: Everyone was looking at them in shock. Maybe some felt guilty, but RK900 knew they would forget about it again and continue talking about his partner in this manner. ‘So? I’m still awaiting an answer. Or does this mean you just enjoy picking on someone who has no one to stand up for him despite himself?’ Everyone was staring at them, except for Gavin, who had sat hunkering over his desk. ‘It seems to be the later. I would advise you to stop, because I don’t know how I’ll react the next-

Nines, please stop. RK900 halted his speech to read the message popping up in his HUD, immediately looking over to Gavin. Please just stop, it won’t make it any better, trust me. RK900 sighed, shooting the man one last glare, before returning to his desk.

As soon as he had lost the attention of their co-workers, RK900 scooted nearer to Gavin. ‘Why did you tell me to stop?’ ‘Please, not here.’ ‘Gavin, I can’t take it anymore. Don’t you hear how they speak about you? This… this simply isn’t right.’ ‘Let them say what they want. It doesn’t bother me.’ ‘It bothers you! You just accommodated to it. You are not like they describe you. They tell lies about you and make you something you are not. I… I never recognised it as I was still a machine, but now… I want them to stop. It sickens me.’ ‘But it’s not your business, you hear me? It shouldn’t make you uncomfortable. It is me they are talking about. Also, trying to do something about it will only make it worse. Please, promise me, you’ll ignore it? I don’t want them to get any more attention than they already got.’ ‘Fine. I’ll do it for you. But I won’t like it. And I don’t think your strategy is healthy.’ ‘That’s okay. As long as you don’t throw hands again.’ ‘To hear that from you…’ ‘Ah, shut up, tin-can.’

That night before stasis, he thought about what happened. He would respect his partners wishes, but he wouldn’t allow this to continue. And he had a plan how to do this already.

The next day, there was a fresh coffee sitting at the Detectives desk upon his arrival. All his pens had been refilled, there was a cooled sandwich next to the coffee and an umbrella hidden under RK900’s desk. He knew the Detective hated the rain, but was too stubborn to take one with him, expecting the weather to obey his command.

Gavin sat down, eyeing the breakfast first, then RK900 who was quietly working away already. Two could play the game of ignorance. The android refilled the mug three times and once came back with a candy bar, before Gavin had enough. ‘Why the hell are you so excessively nice today, toaster?’ ‘Hmm? Oh, I’m just doing the bare minimum.’ ‘Bullshit. What is going on, tin-can?’ Another sigh. ‘Gavin, in case you didn’t notice, you are special to me. And if I have to accept that everyone in your surrounding is treating you like shit, then I will make sure to balance the equation a little. You deserve happiness just like everyone else and I am very happy to have you as my partner. And you deserve being treated nice for once.’

[supergraphicultramoderngirl]

the inexhaustible variety of life

summary: Cyrus Goodman has isolated himself from the rest of his prep school, but will an easygoing transfer student manage to crack his shell?

pairing: tyrus

word count of chapter: 1,514

first chapter, previous chapter, next chapter

—————————

chapter 6: connections

After clinging on to someone for so long, it was hard to get used to talking to no one again.

In reality, it hadn’t even been that long, but Cyrus felt as though TJ truly understood him better than anyone else. He didn’t believe all of the shitty rumors against him, and wanted to be his friend regardless.

But now, Cyrus has shoved him out, and he would probably never talk to him again. He just proved all of the rumors right.

Luckily enough, he would be leaving within the next month to visit his parents at home for a week, so he decided to get a jumpstart on packing to get his mind off things. Off TJ.

(Although, it seemed to be practically impossible.)

Cyrus began yanking his suitcase off the top shelf of his closet in order to put a bit of his things in there, but with his luck, the suitcase wouldn’t budge. “Come on, little fucker, there’s only room for one thing stuck in the closet,” he muttered angrily.

He pulled harder, which succeeded in getting the suitcase down, but also succeeded in knocking the shelf over and making the suitcase fly at his face. “Shit!” he exclaimed, falling on his ass.

Three seconds later, he heard a knock on his door. He sauntered over to open it, expecting to see Reed taunting him again, but was instead surprised to see the curly haired girl and the pixie cut girl from the basketball game that seemed to be forever ago now.

“We heard a loud noise while going to visit our friend, are you good in here?” the curly haired one asked.

Cyrus gave them a tight lipped smile. “Yep, I’m good, just trying to pack some stuff up. My suitcase, though, is not a fan.”

“Oh! Do you need help?” the pixie cut girl volunteered excitedly.

“Andi, what about Amber?” the other one mumbled to her.

“She can wait, Buffy,” she— Andi— mumbled back, turning to face Cyrus again. “Really, we’ve got nothing going on for a while, and could use something to occupy our time. We don’t want anymore falling suitcases, do we?” she joked.

Cyrus shrugged. “I guess I could use the help. Come in,” he said, widening the door for them to pass.

After they were in, he added, “Oh, and I’m Cyrus, by the way.”

Buffy hesitated. “As in Cyrus Goodman?”

Cyrus scoffed, quirking an eyebrow. “So you’ve heard about me.”

•••

For someone who used to talk to no one, it was surprisingly difficult to avoid Cyrus Goodman.

Don’t get him wrong, there was nothing TJ wanted more than to spend time with the boy, but he figured that after the outburst on Saturday, Cyrus would want to be left alone for a while. So, TJ tried his best to give him space.

That is, until he realized how many classes they actually had together.

(Nearly all of them.)

He had to practically pry himself away from Cyrus, trying to not ask him for help with math notes or make sarcastic comments in their literature class. Which, granted, was easier to manage, considering they sat further away from one another. The worst part of it all was that in their history class, Cyrus’ assigned seat was directly in front of his. AKA, the ultimate test of TJ’s patience.

He succeeded, though. For a whole week. But then, it was Saturday again.

Cyrus wouldn’t want him there yet, would he?

Not even trying to go up and ask him, TJ made his way to the library, picked up the school’s copy of The Glass Menagerie which he needed for his next assignment, and plopped down into a seat. He flicked through it for a few minutes, making his way through the pages. He was just getting invested when he heard a voice behind him, one he expected never to speak to him again.

“Time is the longest distance between two places.”

TJ jumped slightly, turning to face a mildly disheveled and obviously tired Cyrus who leaned his weight on the shitty library chair with his hand. “Oh, hey. Nice quote,” TJ replied, feigning nonchalance but missing by a long shot.

“Nice choice of play,” Cyrus gestured toward the book, playing along.

“It’s for class.”

“Right.”

A beat of almost unbearable awkward silence fell over the two boys, and TJ was almost prepared to get up and leave when Cyrus finally spoke.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you like that, I’ve just... I had a lot going on.”

TJ leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, concern apparent in his face. “It’s okay, do you need to talk about it?”

“Um, yeah, actually,” Cyrus mumbled in reply, pulling over a plastic desk chair to sit in across from him. “I, uh...” he started, cutting himself off with a deep breath.

“Take your time, Cyrus, it’s okay,” TJ reassured him, placing his hand on his knee.

Cyrus gave him a small smile. “Thanks, I just don’t know where to start.”

“Wherever you need to.”

Cyrus breathed heavily, then began, “I used to have this one best friend. Granted, it probably wasn’t healthy, considering he’s the one that got me the rep I have now, but we were practically inseparable. We talked about everyone together, and we did a bunch of stupid shit that I guess was fun at the time, but I kinda regret it now. I trusted him with my life, though. So, when I wanted to tell him one of my deeper secrets, it was only natural that I would end up doing that.” Cyrus’ eyes were misty at that point, and TJ rubbed circles with his thumb to try and comfort him in anyway he could. “He didn’t take it so well, and he cut ties with me at the end of the school year last year.”

TJ furrowed his brows, concern, bewilderment, and a dozen other emotions running through his brain. “How bad could that secret have possibly been to make someone cut ties with you? That’s ridiculous. Whoever this guy is, he’s an idiot, because you’re one of the best people I’ve met and I know for a fact that some secret isn’t gonna change that.”

Cyrus flushed a bit and looked down at his shoes, but TJ just chalked it up to lots of emotions and deep conversation at once. “Thanks, it means a lot, but that doesn’t change the fact that he still isn’t okay with it, and recently he’s been bugging me more about it, teasing me and implying he’s gonna tell people.” Cyrus looked up, directly into TJ’s eyes, and whispered. “I’m just so scared, TJ.”

TJ removed his hand from Cyrus’ knee and placed it on his shoulder, his grip firm but reassuring. “Hey. That’s completely valid, okay? But we can make it stop. We can go to the principal, make sure he doesn’t bug you again, alright?”

Cyrus nods, then shakes his head. “But if we go to the principal, he wins, doesn’t he?”

“What?”

“Then I’m the wimp.”

TJ pulled his arm back to his side. “Getting help to get out of an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation doesn’t make you a wimp, Cyrus. It makes you brave,” he said, instilling a sureness in Cyrus that he hadn’t had for a long time, and unfortunately reinforcing his crush on the blonde.

“Okay. Okay, let’s do it. Now,” Cyrus said, standing up, TJ following a second after.

“There is one thing, though,” TJ added as they began walking towards the office.

“What?”

TJ sighed. “There’s a chance Metcalf might not budge if he doesn’t know what your ex-friend is threatening to tell everyone, so you might have to tell him your secret. Do you think you would be comfortable with that?”

“I’m going to have to start telling people at some point, anyway, so might as well,” Cyrus replied with a sad shrug.

“What do you mean?”

“Actually, it might be best if I start with telling you, since you already know me better than most people,” Cyrus reasoned, mostly to himself, leaving TJ standing confused next to him.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Cyrus,” TJ replied.

Cyrus stopped walking as he responded, “No, I want to, I think.” He took a quick yet stabilizing breath and looked directly into TJ’s green eyes, noticing the golden flecks for another countless time. “TJ, I’m gay.”

The contact was sudden, but certainly not unwelcome. TJ’s arms wrapped around him quickly became one of his favorite feelings as his heart began to speed up and his arms slowly rose up to reciprocate the hug. TJ murmured into his ear, “I’m so proud of you for telling me, Cy. I know how hard it is. And your ex-friend is a total asshole, by the way.”

Cyrus chuckled. “Yeah, he is.”

They pulled away after another beat and continued making their way towards the principal’s office, while TJ tried not to overthink the way he’d never wanted to let Cyrus out of his arms.

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #205

Sat Sep 7 2019 [02:15 PM] Wack'd: Previously on Fantastic Four: Reed, Sue and Ben went into space with an alien lady named Adora to save her world from Skrulls. Meanwhile Johnny checked out a college for the rich and famous, where he is unknowingly targeted by an assassin who shoots lasers out of his camera and has atrocious facial hair [02:16 PM] Bocaj: Did they meet catra [02:16 PM] Wack'd: No [02:16 PM] Wack'd: It'd be better if they did [02:16 PM] Bocaj: They did meet Tigra though [02:16 PM] Bocaj: It’s a similar concept without all of the same trauma [02:17 PM] maxwellelvis: And to also recap, this is like the first time the Four have gone up against the Skrulls since the Lee/Kirby run, and their old enemies have gone up in the galactic food chain since then. [02:17 PM] maxwellelvis: They also no longer look like goblins. [02:17 PM] Wack'd: They're just in time for the end of the world!

[02:17 PM] Bocaj: If they don’t look like goblins the. What’s the point? [02:17 PM] Wack'd: Agreed [02:17 PM] maxwellelvis: See what I mean? [02:18 PM] maxwellelvis: This is the Skrulls at their peak. [02:18 PM] Wack'd: Skrulls are a superstitious and cowardly lot

[02:19 PM] maxwellelvis: This must be before the Skrull Emperor and/or Empress [02:19 PM] Bocaj: A lot of things have a Supreme in marvel [02:19 PM] Umbramatic: SUPREME [02:19 PM] Bocaj: The Kree, the skrulls, the sorcerers, the AIM [02:19 PM] Wack'd: The SuprAIM [02:19 PM] Bocaj: Nice [02:20 PM] maxwellelvis: No wait, that cannot be. [02:20 PM] Wack'd: Anyway the Skrulls are using hit and run tactics. Show up, fuck shit up, retreat from weapons range before the enemy has a chance to retaliate, launch another attack, repeat [02:20 PM] Wack'd: The upshot is that this buys Reed, Sue, and Ben a little bit of time before things get too bad [02:20 PM] Bocaj: I mean, good tactics if you can get it [02:21 PM] Wack'd: Yeah this is actually a clever way to establish stakes while still giving the team a chance to get their bearings [02:22 PM] Wack'd: SCANMAN! WITH THE POWER TO...SCAN!

[02:23 PM] Wack'd: I give Keith Pollard a 6/10 for wacky hat effort

[02:23 PM] maxwellelvis: In that big spread, I just noticed, you can see that the artist took pains to show that Adora's people aren't getting entirely curbstomped; you can see that they've managed to down about three Skrull ships, if you can figure out the color coding on the lasers. It's just, that's three ships out of... a lot more than that. So it shows that they're fighting courageously, but are still outgunned, outmanned, and almost out of time. [02:23 PM] maxwellelvis: S'a Kirby original, Dorrek's hat. [02:23 PM] Wack'd: Pollard's kinda toned it down but I guess it's the same general idea as this 60s one [02:24 PM] Bocaj: Skrulls have dogs [02:24 PM] maxwellelvis: I can't find a picture of him from then, but have this screenshot of Dorrek from the 1967 cartoon [02:24 PM] Bocaj: I want to believe in green shapeshifting doggos [02:24 PM] Bocaj: That’s not green [02:25 PM] maxwellelvis: Nobody was the right colors in that cartoon. [02:25 PM] maxwellelvis: It's got coloring errors worse than Star Trek: The Animated Series up the wazoo, and I'm pretty sure this show doesn't have the excuse of a colorblind guy doing the colors. [02:26 PM] maxwellelvis: Also love that Dorrek says it's not fair that the Fantastic Four are here when the way he's been waging war here hasn't given the illusion of any sort of fair fight. [02:26 PM] Bocaj: Love those giant ears [02:27 PM] Umbramatic: ye [02:28 PM] Bocaj: Apparently one of the skrulls reed turned into a cow (which was later turned into hamburger and eaten) was a relative of Dorrek’s [02:28 PM] Bocaj: To put it lightly he hates the fantastic four with all his hate [02:28 PM] Wack'd: So the Watcher creates the illusion of an incoming Earth starship, freaking the Skrulls out and causing Dorrek to point all his troops at it. And then the Watcher mopes a little about breaking his oath again [02:28 PM] Bocaj: All he does is break his oath [02:29 PM] maxwellelvis: I'll reiterate, Uatu is like the Doctor but lacking the backbone to actually chew his people out for their total non-interference policy. [02:29 PM] Wack'd: Meanwhile back on Earth...Johnny's already moving into a dorm! Things move fast at Security College [02:29 PM] Bocaj: Like the doctor I think he got put on trial once [02:30 PM] Wack'd: well that's not creepy

[02:30 PM] Bocaj: Wow that’s very illegal [02:30 PM] Wack'd: So it turns out this was all a Batman Gambit [02:30 PM] maxwellelvis: Wait, that’s illegal [02:30 PM] Bocaj: I can’t believe Johnny rebellious youth supports the police state [02:31 PM] Umbramatic: oh no [02:31 PM] Wack'd: That random lady who insulted Johnny for being intellectually uncurious and immature a few issues ago was hypnotized into doing so by The Monocle because by weakening his ego and making him doubt himself he'd be easier to convince to go to this school [02:31 PM] Bocaj: .... [02:32 PM] Umbramatic: oh [02:32 PM] Bocaj: Villains sure have incredibly specific plans sometimes [02:32 PM] Wack'd: He didn't have hypnosis last time we saw him but "murders people with camera lasers" is kind of a weak gimmick so I don't mind [02:32 PM] Wack'd: Also: Lanie had a point! Johnny should be more interested in the fact that he got go literally go to space numerous times [02:33 PM] Bocaj: Hypnotism is one of those powers villains tend to get for free [02:33 PM] Bocaj: I think super Skrull has it [02:33 PM] Wack'd: Oh hey another shadowy mastermind. Not sitting in a chair facing away from the camera though

[02:34 PM] Wack'd: What's the point of video calling if you're not going to show your face? Just call him on the fucking phone [02:34 PM] maxwellelvis: This doesn't surprise me. The Monocle just doesn't have the presence to command an entire story by himself. [02:34 PM] maxwellelvis: @Wack'd Ask the Sovereign [02:34 PM] Wack'd: Eh he was a hired goon in his original story too [02:34 PM] Wack'd: He's an assassin for hire [02:35 PM] Wack'd: So Johnny goes to bed. And then he and every other student on campus hear a compelling voice that leads them to the administration building. HYPNOSIS [02:36 PM] Wack'd: Also the compelling voice is calling Johnny "John" and. Nope. Wrong. never gonna get over that [02:36 PM] Wack'd: MEANWHILE BACK IN SPACE [02:37 PM] Wack'd: Oh hey this weird bubble city of survivors are from Xandar! [02:37 PM] Wack'd: Their planet it looks a lot less destroyed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe [02:37 PM] Bocaj: Yeah I don't think Xandar gets destroyed until 200something with the Annihilation story [02:38 PM] Wack'd: ...but it's [02:38 PM] Wack'd: it's already destroyed [02:38 PM] maxwellelvis: COMPLETELY destroyed [02:38 PM] Wack'd: this bubble city is all that's left [02:38 PM] Bocaj: I just realized that Xandar might be a riff on Kandar [02:39 PM] Wack'd: Aliens love brain uploading

[02:40 PM] Bocaj: What a perspective [02:40 PM] Wack'd: hahahaha ben points out they stole this shot from *forbidden planet* [02:40 PM] maxwellelvis: That's a heck of a way to preserve your culture, but I sure hope the brains are happy in there. [02:40 PM] maxwellelvis: Metahumor, or Marv Wolfman ribbing the artist? You decide. [02:41 PM] Wack'd: Anyway the Skrulls want this computer, or more specifically the fucking metric ton of power it takes to operate it, to give themselves an upper hand against the Kree [02:41 PM] maxwellelvis: Or, with the changeover in how comics are made, would that be more like directing the artist? [02:41 PM] maxwellelvis: And there we are. [02:41 PM] Wack'd: Probably conscious homage [02:41 PM] maxwellelvis: Gotcha [02:43 PM] Wack'd: Anyway the Skrulls come back! Fight scene! [02:44 PM] maxwellelvis: Anyways, I should have figured that this was motivated by either expansion or asset acquisition. [02:44 PM] Wack'd: Kinda weird that the Skrulls have ground troops (or, uh, anti-grav troops) rather than just using spaceships for everything [02:44 PM] Wack'd: But it gets us a fight scene, so [02:45 PM] maxwellelvis: It's a fool who commits all his resources to one branch of his military. Don't know if that's an actual saying about war and warfare, but I feel it's true, at least from my limited strategy gaming experience. [02:46 PM] Wack'd: I mean this is a little like if Germany sent troops into Britain during the Blitz. Really you're just risking blowing up your own dudes

[02:46 PM] Umbramatic: SPLAM [02:46 PM] Bocaj: Spinel [02:47 PM] Wack'd: Yes [02:47 PM] Wack'd: So! Reed, Sue, and Ben are knocked out and taken to the Skrull ship [02:47 PM] Wack'd: And so we cliffhanger into...*sigh* [02:47 PM] Wack'd: Nova #25 [02:47 PM] Wack'd: Dammit

[baddcop]

🎵🎵🎵🎵

MUSE MUSIC MEME.  * ( NO LONGER ACCEPTING. )

You sent four so I’m bouta go apeshit and do 4 songs oop. 👀

I’M NOT A SAINT. - BILLY RAFFOUL.

Well I’ve had one too many cigarettes burning up my lungsHad the taste of one too many lips hanging of my tongueSunday morning getting high, drinking here aloneThinking up a brand new alibi for not coming homeAnd I’m sorry I say “fuck” so much.

I’m not a saint, but I could be if I tryLord knows I’ve got habits to breakI’m really good at being good at goodbyesI’m gonna give you fair warning that II’m not a saint, but I could be if I tryLord knows I don’t learn from mistakesAnd I’m not here unless I’m here by your sideI’m not a saint, but I could be if I

I’m sure at this point it’s been made painfully aware how much Gavin depends on drinking, sex, fights and so on to cope with how he feels. (Although he doesn’t show it) and while he knows he shouldn’t do so he tends to self sabotage his relationships out of fear of rejection, which usually works. He tends to use it as a shield while also feeling guilty about it, as well as feeling angry and wanting someone to blame. It’s a sort of vicious cycle he’s in and he’d really rather be better because he knows he could be. Gavin is painfully smart, a lot smarter than I think he’s given credit for and a lot smarter than he lets on. It’s part of what makes him good at his job (and he is good at his job when he wants to be of course.)

Sober up and settle down, give a little talk‘Bout how I can’t keep from runnin’ ‘roundSay it’s not your fault, oh, ohAnd I’m sorry I lie so much

Gavin lies, he lies and fronts and is aggressive because that’s his only defense. He can’t seem to get out of the cycle he’s put himself into even though he knows he could be better and even though he knows it’s not exactly good for him. Misery is a comfort to him, it’s all he’s ever known, pain and being alone is what he understands and anything outside of that frightens him. It frightens him because he’s scared it will end, scared about how much it’s going to hurt when he has to go back to what he knows. And it’s a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy. He pushes people away or doesn’t try and eventually they leave and it solidifies that beliefe that he can’t be happy, that he doesn’t deserve it and that any happiness he feels is a fluke and will eventually end. It’s scary for him because he can’t control another person and he thrives on being in control, having it taken from him or having to be out of control is mortifying and he never wants to feel like how he felt when he was a kid ever again. Unfortunately, he’s gone to extremes to do so and sadly it’s worked just how it was supposed to, whether he intended to do it or not.

I’m gonna give you fair warning that IWill be the reason for the tears in your eyes

Gavin knows how he is. He knows he’s messy, depressed, angry, jealous and possessive. He knows how he acts and how he keeps people at bay and he doesn’t know how not to do so. So when someone gets close to him he tends to lock up and try to warn them, another sort of self-fulfilling prophecy type of situation where he uses it both as a means of keeping people at bay and at removing responsibility from himself to try and avoid guilt. A lot of the time he’ll use the “Well I told you– I told you how I was. This always happens. It was bound to happen again” stuff as an excuse because he hates how guilty he feels and he doesn’t want to admit that vulnerability.

GO FUCK YOURSELF. - TWO FEET.

Fucked and drank all nightActed all alrightHad no need to fightTonight, tonight

As stated previously, Gavin uses sex, alcohol and so on to cope. It definitely helps him to release his built up aggression, his need for touch, and control. Effectively, it’s the perfect means of guarding himself. He’s allowed to be in full control, he can play the role of a charming stranger for the night, he receives touch and sexual attention with no strings. Usually, if he’s looking to sate that need he’ll avoid fighting and opt instead for keeping his face unbattered to better catch people’s eyes. Men or women or whatever he doesn’t care. As long as he gets to be in control he enjoys it. Every now and then he caves and submits, is raw and relinquishes control to his fling and disappears into the night glad to never see them again and have to deal with the baggage and embarrassment of them knowing some weakness he perceives himself to have.

Cast me far awayPlay these little gamesActin’ all okayToday, today

Using his anger as a shield, as well as his rather rough behavior towards friends and coworkers, comes to him like second nature. He’s been doing it for so long he can’t imagine not pushing people away. It’s effectively the way he keeps people’s eyes off of him, no one cares to look for long when they don’t care and when they don’t really know how deep that hurt runs. He’d rather he keep people at a distance and that they return the favor, it’s much safer for him like that. Tina, Christ, they don’t know how much he carries around or just what he’s gone through. And he likes it like that.

ME, MYSELF & I. - G-EAZY & BEBE REXHA.

Oh, it’s just me, myself and ISolo ride until I die‘Cause I got me for life (Yeah)Oh, I don’t need a hand to holdEven when the night is coldI got that fire in my soul

Gavin effectively believes he’s going to die alone. He’s thought about it more than once, he’s thought about it when he was younger and he kind of tries to come to terms with that “fact” by ignoring it completely. He tries to convince himself and others that he’s better off alone and that he’ll be fine on his own. It’s a lie. He finds it really hard to trust people as a direct result of how much he was kicked around, abused, neglected and moved around like baggage as a child.

Hun, and as far as I can see, I just need privacyPlus a whole lot of tree, fuck all this modestyI just need space to do meGive the world what they’re tryna see […]‘Cause this hunger is drivin’ me, yeahI just need to be alone, I just need to be at homeUnderstand what I’m speakin’ onIf time is money I need a loanBut regardless I’ll always keep keepin’ onFuck fake friends!We don’t take L’s, we just make M’sWhile y'all follow, we just make trendsI’m right back to work when that break ends, yeah.

Everyone else in the precinct effectively has some kind of life, something outside of work. In my own personal headcanons, Tina is married, Chris is a father, Hank is babysitting Connor now that he works there. (no one with these muses has to agree to these I was just trying to flesh out the world Gavin is involved in) Everyone but Gavin at the office seems to have some sort of family or closeness outside of work. Gavin, however, does not. He’s given everything he can to this job, his career is everything to him and he uses it to keep people at bay once again. He is absolutely a very intelligent and driven man underneath all of his issues, and he’s smart enough to be bothered by the fact that he feels incredibly lonely. Yet, instead of changing, he once again just delves into his work, using anger as a means to guard himself claiming that he just needs his privacy, wants to focus on his career, trying to use his hunger to advance his career as a means to put himself above his coworkers.

Yeah, and I don’t like talkin’ to strangersSo get the fuck off me, I’m anxiousI’m tryna be cool, but I may just go ape shitSay “Fuck y'all!” to all of y'all facesIt changes though now that I’m famousEveryone knows how this lifestyle is dangerousBut I love it, the rush is amazin’Celebrate nightly and everyone ragesI found how to cope with my angersI’m swimmin’ in moneySwimmin’ in liquor, my liver is muddyBut it’s all good, I’m still sippin’ this bubblyThis shit is lovely, this shit ain’t random, I didn’t get luckyMade it right here ‘cause I’m sick with it, cuddyThey all take the money for grantedBut don’t want to work for it—tell me now, isn’t it funny? (Nah)

I really really think that Gav actually has anxiety and depression as a result of his trauma. This isn’t made very stereotypically obvious as he uses his sort of brutality and anger to overcompensate and impress people. But he can’t stand silence. He tends to bury that anxiety beneath his anger so he can more “safely” express it as “Fuck you”s and so on. Coping with his feelings via alcohol, fighting, looking for an adrenaline rush. He’s absolutely reckless sometimes both because he doesn’t care, and because he absolutely thinks he’s smart enough to get away with it. The success he’s achieved thus far isn’t something he ever places on luck no matter what, it’s the one thing he holds firm on that he worked hard for and he will without a doubt drag you if you’re not willing to put the time into your craft or goals to achieve it.

Yeah, lonely nights I laid awakePray to Lord my soul to takeMy heart’s become too cold to breakKnow I’m great, but I’m broke as hellHavin’ dreams that I’m foldin’ cakeAll my life I’ve been told to waitBut I'ma get it now, yeah, it’s no debate.

The detective has spent a lot of time on his own, that’s no surprise and I’ve probably overstated it at this point. The nights he doesn’t go out looking for a fight or fuck are… much worse honestly. He drinks himself into sleeping after a night of blasting music, screaming and howling into the night, breaking things and punching walls. Knowing full well he’s exempt from noise complaints being filed because of the landlord. He tries to do anything to drown out the noise in his head. Reed is completely aware of how cold he is, it keeps him safe but he’s absolutely broken up about it, although he’d never admit it and tries never to show it. Emotions have never been “safe” for Gavin to show, he’s been screamed at relentless inches from his face for it as a child, for crying for being sad, for being a child. Always pushed aside, never made a priority until much later in his life, until he self-sabotaged that too. Now that he’s been on his own for so long he’s not stopping for anything anymore, he’s going for what he wants and only what he wants even if it destroys him. He is angry and wounded about his past still and wants to hurt people because of it, wants to take it out on them, despite knowing it’s not really their fault. It’s just another unhealthy outlet.

ASSHOLE. - HOOLIGAN CHASE. (TW: FOR DRUG MENT.)

Baby, I’m a bad boy, I might hurt youI need a therapist and a perc too[…] I ain’t got no drugs, I’m turnin’ to an asshole

This song effectively encompasses everything about Gavin’s front. It’s a lot more vulgar and Horny than the other songs on his playlist, the entire beat just radiates his energy and so do some really key lyrics. Reed, as stated before, tends to warn people that he’s an asshole when he’s gotten into relationships as a means of omitting guilt “when” it goes wrong and to keep himself safe. Despite being a cop now, Gav’s nose wasn’t always clean for lack of a better phrase. (While he’s mostly clean now he narrowly avoided getting into quite a lot of trouble.) While he’s aware he needs some form of professional help subconsciously, he’s far too afraid to get it for himself and doesn’t really see a point as he views himself a bit like a lost cause.

[13-reasons-ideas]

Finding Peace in Another Part 7

TW: passing mention of sibling death

Waking up feeling a pair of eyes on me, I groaned as I slowly rolled over to face him. “Hmmm good morning you.” I said sleepily. 

“Morning sleepy.” He replied with his sexy morning voice, head propped up, resting on his hand, eyes darting from my eyes to my lips, almost as if asking permission. Smiling, I put a hand on Monty’s neck, pulling him down for a tentative kiss. He quickly started playing with the sides of his flannel as he intensified the kiss, “as good as this looks on you, I’d like to see it on the floor again.” I giggled, reaching for my phone I saw it read 6:30 we have a little time I thought. I moaned softly as he began kissing and sucking on the back left side of my neck, hopefully not but possibly leaving a mark. Letting him have his fun for a few minutes, I gently tugged on his hair “as much as I would love to spend the day in bed, we have school. I need to get ready, and unless you want Bryce or the others to know about this already, you have to go.”

“Five more minutes, please?” He pleaded against my neck. Acquiescing, five minutes of making out quickly became fifteen minutes of touching and teasing each other before I reluctantly pulled away after a particularly rough scratch on his back. 

“We have to get up now. We are running late.” Slowly disentangling myself from Monty, I deliberately grabbed a pair of jeans and slipped them on sans underwear, smirking at him. 

“Oh damn that hurts. How am I going to get through the day knowing what you’re wearing? Or rather, not wearing. Can I at least have my flannel back?” 

Making a show of thinking about his questions, I smirked “hmmmmm... nope. I don’t think so. It’s mine now.” 

He growled in response, getting up slowly and finding his jeans, quickly slipping them on and giving me a devilish look. “You want to play that game this morning baby girl?” 

Screeching, I ran from my room, laughing as I heard him catch up to me. Monty grabbed me by the waist and pulled me flush against him. I could feel the effect that my teasing had on him against my back. He growled in my ear “first, you get me all turned on, and leave me high and dry. Then, you put pants on without underwear. And now, you decide I can’t have my shirt back? You little tease.” Whispering in my ear, he continued. “What am I going to wear to school today then little one?” 

Clearing my throat, I softly offered one of my brother’s old shirts. The mood shifted almost immediately, though he didn’t release his grip on me. 

“You have a brother?” He asked, slightly surprised. 

Ignoring his question, I simply asked “what size do you wear?”

“An extra large. You have a brother?” He asked again.

“I did.” I replied quietly, shrugging a bit. 

“D-do you want to talk about it?” Monty asked softly, concerned for me. 

I simply shook my head no. Turning back to him, I repeated my original offer and explained they were basically all plain so it wouldn’t be that suspicious. 

“Yeah, sure. If you don’t mind.” He replied. I nodded in response and took his hand, leading him to the basement where the rest of the boxes were held, waiting to be unpacked. Walking towards one, I opened it quickly, not wanting to go through the box or be near it for long and motioned for him to go through it. Monty quickly found one and shrugged it on. I smiled at him and we went back upstairs so I could make coffee and find something other than his shirt to wear to school. After it was made and I had a more appropriate top on, I sat on the counter and held my cup up to my mouth, gently blowing on it. I watched Monty as he got himself a cup. It was now 7:02 “If you don’t want Bryce or anyone to see you leave, you can go out back and hang a right, go down the street and cut through the parking lot.” I told him. He nodded and looked at me, smirking. “What?” I asked him shyly. 

“You have sex hair.” He finally replied after a couple of minutes, stalking towards me. I reached up to try to fix it as he leaned down slightly to plant a kiss on my lips, his hands resting on the counter on either side of my hips. There was a knock at the door and we both froze. 

“Becca, are you still here?” We heard Scott yell asking through the door. Looking at Monty, I called back to Scott. 

“Yeah Scotty. I’m still here. Just a minute!” Giggling softly, I pushed Monty out of the way, climbing off the counter and motioned for him to hide in my room as I fixed my sex hair. I pulled it up into a messy bun, not realizing that there was a sizeable hickey on my neck. Before he went, he leaned down and pressed an intense kiss to my lips. 

“See you soon.” He whispered to me. 

“See you.” I whispered back, struggling to get my black low top converse on. After he went to my room, I ran to get the door seeing Scott and Bryce standing on the other side. “Hey guys what’s up?” I greeted them, still slightly out of breath from the kiss. 

Scott furrowed his brow, “you okay Rebecca? You seem a little out of breath.”

“Y-yeah Scott. I’m fine. I just realized I forgot to turn the tap off all the way while I got ready.” I said, lying through my teeth. 

“Oh… okay. Anyway, we were wondering if you wanted to walk to school with us since it’s nice out.” Scott said simply. Bryce just looked at me as if he expected something of me.

“Uh... sure guys. Let me just grab my bag.” I replied, turning to grab my backpack. 

As we walked, Scott on my left and Bryce on my right, we spent most of the walk to school talking about pointless shit. Mostly questions about what it’s like back home and stuff. After a few blocks, Scott looked at me and noticed the hickey Montgomery had given me that morning. “Is-is that a hickey?” He asked, surprised. Bryce turned to me after he processed the question and tried to look for himself, a shocked smirk on his face. It made me slightly uncomfortable. I quickly brought my hand up to my neck and touched it gently. Thinking fast I flinched slightly and for the second time that morning, lied straight through my teeth. 

“No Scott. I burned myself with my flat iron last night.” 

Scott raises his eyebrow at me. “You were using your flat iron... at night?” 

“Yeah. I used my diffuser to dry my hair after my shower and... let’s just say my hair was... fluffy. So therefore, I had to straighten it.” I silently prayed to God that he would buy it. 

Shrugging, he simply replied “okay.” 

Spotting Montgomery walking towards us, without his usual flannel, I exclaimed “oh look! There’s Monty. We should walk together.” The boys nodded as I ran ahead of them, reaching Monty before Scott and Bryce could. “You left a fucking hickey on the side of my neck. Scott fucking saw.” I said through clenched teeth. Before he could answer or I could continue, the boys caught up to us. 

“Someone excited to see our resident douchbag?” Bryce smirked looking at the two of us. His eyes lingering on Monty’s choice of clothes for a second longer than I wanted. I hope he doesn’t ask questions... but at least Monty left his shirt for me. I thought to myself. Bryce’s eyes went back to me and he tried to hide the fact that he was looking me up and down, almost appraisingly. I tried to ignore the feeling in my chest.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “No. Thought that title was saved for you Bryce. I just decided I wanted some coffee on the way. Can we stop at Monet’s? My treat.” The boys all agreed quickly because who says no to free coffee. Keeping up with Monty, I whispered. “Don’t think you’re off the hook for the hickey Montgomery. I had to tell Scott I burned my neck with my fucking flat iron last night.”

Montgomery smirked trying to hold back a laugh. “Did he buy it?” 

“I think so. He seemed to accept the answer at the very least. We will finish this discussion later.” Turning back to Scott and Bryce, I yelled “you know, for star athletes you guys are pretty fucking slow! I’m short as shit and I’m still faster than you. Move your asses! I want my coffee.” Bryce gave me the finger as Scott laughed, both boys sprinting to catch up with us.

When we got to Monet’s I spotted Tony’s red Mustang. He was standing, leaning against it as he looked at us. He rose an eyebrow at Montgomery and I when I caught his gaze. “Uh, hey guys. I have to talk to Tony about an English paper really quick. Take some cash, get whatever you want. I’ll get a medium Americano, one-exactly one-Splenda and a splash of half and half if you don’t mind.” I told the boys taking out my wallet and handing a wad of cash to Scott. They nodded and went inside as I walked over to Tony. “Hey.” I said lamely, awkwardly pulling my bag up on my shoulder, unsure of how to approach the topic at hand. 

“Hey.” He replied.

“You saw us together last night, didn’t you?” I cut right to the chase.

“Yeah. You looked pretty cozy.” 

“You... you won’t tell anyone, right? We uh... we haven’t really... we don’t want people knowing yet.” I asked, realizing I was more worried about his response and confused about Montgomery and I than I thought I was.

“No Becca. It’s not my business to tell. Just watch out for yourself, okay? Montgomery De La Cruz is... well he’s a lot of things. Just be careful.” Tony told me, trying to sound like he didn’t actually care all that much, but failing to do so. 

“Okay. Thanks Tony.” 

“No problem.” He said as I turned to walk away. “Hey! Wait a second!” He called from behind me. I turned with a confused look on my face. He beckoned me back to him. “Frozen spoon for the giant hickey. Oh, and someone is going to notice that he isn’t wearing his usual attire so... keep that in mind next time.” 

I simply smiled and nodded, waving bye as I walked into the coffee shop. Scott was just finishing stirring my coffee. I took it from him and took a tentative sip, “hmm. Not bad Reed.” I smiled and took another sip. He chuckled and put his arm around my shoulders as we left the shop and made our way to school. As we walked, I turned to Monty and saw his jaw was tense, obviously displeased with Scott touching me in such an intimate way. We agreed not to tell anyone about us... and we never said we couldn’t see or touch other people. I’ll bring it up to him tonight. He must have felt me looking at him because he turned and raised his eyebrow at me, as if to say, ‘this isn’t over’ and went back to talking to Bryce about baseball stuff. We walked the rest of the way to school like that, Scott’s arm around me making conversation-and giving me shit for my Splenda in coffee order- and Montgomery and Bryce talking about baseball. Almost as if last night and this morning were forgotten. Almost. 

Arriving at school, promptly at 7:48, I mumbled something about having to go to the bathroom and slipped out of Scott’s arm making my way to a more secluded hallway, away from prying eyes and ears. I hoped Monty got the hint to follow me. I turned when I felt someone touch my wrist, smiling at Montgomery. “Hey.” I said lamely.

“Hey yourself.” He replied, looking down at me, still holding my wrist.

“Are you mad at me?” I asked him quietly. He was quiet for a moment, like he was deciding if he was or not. 

“No. I’m not pleased, but I’m not mad.” He said finally. 

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Okay. Are you mad at Scott?” Again, he was quiet. 

“Yes and no. We can talk more later. I’ll come by after practice. You have to go to class.” He said, seeming to end the discussion for now. Montgomery looked over his shoulder quickly before placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. “See you at lunch baby.” He murmured before turning around and walking to his locker. Sighing, I made my way to my own locker and went to History. I felt my phone buzz and saw that I had a text from Montgomery, ‘Bryce going to Chloe’s after practice. Will come over around 6.’ Smiling I quickly replied, ‘Are you staying over? :)’ As I walked into class and sat down, Montgomery replied, ‘if you want me to baby, I will.’ I thought for a second and typed ‘yes please. Make it 6:30 though. Run home and grab a change of clothes. Specifically, another flannel. Promise not to hold that one hostage.’ The final bell rang just as he responded ‘okay. Class baby’. Sighing, I took out my stuff for class as Zach sat next to me. We exchanged pleasantries and chatted a bit until Coach started class. It was going to be a very long day. And it would be a long night. Montgomery and I had a lot to discuss tonight. 

[getoutofthewater]

[Detroit: Become Human Fanfic] Cloudburst

Rating: T

Warnings: Murder, horror elements

Chapters: 5/5 | Words: 21,549  [AO3]

Notes: A mystery/ghost story, vaguest 50′s setting, human AU. Not focused on ships, but there’s some Gavin/Leo and a bit of Markus/Simon. Main povs are Gavin, Tina and Leo.

Summary: When Gavin Reed agrees to drive his cousin Elijah Kamski to the Manfred Manor there’s no way for him to foresee the strange night that awaits them. 

                                                        CHAPTER 1 

“You have to come with me” Elijah Kamski said into the phone

“Why the fuck would I?” his cousin growled, never shy to show his annoyance and aggravation

“To do me a favor”

Skeptical silence was all that was heard on the other side of the line

“Come on, Gavin!” Elijah insisted “There will be good food and expensive booze, you can bring a plus one…” he added uselessly

“Can’t your girl go with you?”

“We have talked about this,” Elijah almost huffed “Chloe is not my girl, and she’s been at her sisters’ for the past month, as she should after what happened with her mother, any news on that by the way”

“If there were I couldn’t tell you,” Gavin barked “but no…”

Elijah huffed in frustration, not that he was expecting a different answer, was it too early to expect results from the police? Or was the case going cold? Not something he could simply ask his cousin without ruffling his feathers, not ideal when he wanted a favor

“So,” Elijah continued “if she were feeling like making it she would have contacted me already, I don’t want to press her at a time like this, but I don’t feel like arriving by myself… or leaving the villa by myself either…” he said in a desperate attempt to use the truth as a hook

There was a defeated groan at the other side of the line; his cousin was not as though as he’d like everyone to think

“Phck!” Gavin said “Listen, I’m picking you up and dropping you off, and that’s it”

“Fair enough” Elijah replied

“Whatever, see you tomorrow” Gavin slammed down the receiver, just like Elijah to drag him into something bothersome like this with such short notice.

“Who are you seeing tomorrow?” Tina asked curiously, sitting at his kitchen table, one of his cats sat on her lap, advising her on their match of Gin Rummy

“Fucking Elijah wants me to be his chauffeur” He replied moodily, sitting opposite to her, picking up his cards again

“Where is the genius going?” she said drawing a card

“The Manfred Manor”

“That’s fancy!”

“Is it?” Gavin asked without any real interest, more focused on his cards than in the conversation

“They say the Manfred Manor is incredible” Tina said enthusiastically “Carl Manfred has collected all sort of amazing things”

“Didn’t think you’d be interested in knick knacks and curios”

“Everyone but you is interested in Carl Manfred’s curious” Tina chided “The man is a legend, he’s traveled all over the world, he’s been a recluse ever since his accident but of course your cousin gets an invitation!”

Gavin sighed “Do you want to come?”

“Yeah, sure” Tina said with a small laugh

“I’m serious, he said I could bring some other damn idiot”

Tina instantly brightened up “I’d love to be that damn idiot!”

“We start at 5,” Gavin said drily “I’m not dealing with the morning rush and it’s 2 hours just to reach his freaking bunker, who knows how much more to reach Manfred’s”

“Perfect,” Tina smiled “Gin!” she called out fanning her cards over the table and scratching the cat’s head

“Phck,”

They started on their way in the dark and cold of the very early morning; Tina soon fell asleep only waking up when the morning sun hit her uncomfortably right in the face, she sat upright in the passenger seat, ironing the fabric of her trousers with her hands, belatedly wondering if she should have put on a dress instead, but she only had the pink cotton she’d worn to her nephew’s christening; it wasn’t unflattering, her mother knew how to pick a dress that’d favor her daughter, but she didn’t recognize herself in it, it made her feel awkward and uncomfortable, things she usually wasn’t at all.

When they arrived to the Kamski Villa, it was everything Gavin said it would be, uncomfortably sterile and silent. Tina was glad they weren’t staying around, Gavin’s place could be messy, and hers could be noisy, but she always thought they felt comfortably lived in, places where she could relax and feel at home, either dancing by herself in her own apartment or reading in Gavin’s couch with two or three cats piled on her, card games on fridays; if she was being honest the Villa left an odd taste in her mouth she hoped wouldn’t carry on to the Manor. She was really looking forward to that.

As they came back outside with Elijah in tow, she rushed to take the back seat while the boys put Elijah’s luggage in the back, leaving the cousins in the front seemed adequate since Elijah would need to guide Gavin to their final destination, she relinquished her usual shotgun without complaint.

“Thank you for taking care of my cousin, Miss Chen” Elijah Kamski said to her once they were on the road

“It’s not an easy job!” she chirped

“I can’t imagine it would be” Elijah huffed.

Gavin growled

“And please, Tina is just fine” she added ignoring him

“Elijah” he said turning on his seat to give her a handshake

“I see your girl has been teaching you manners” Gavin mocked

“She’s not my girl” Elijah said “and yes… she has…”

“I bet that’s not an easy job either” Tina said

“Elijah is worse than me, that’s for sure”

“I hope not!“ Elijah said “That’s a horrid thought!”

The city gave way to the country side, the sight of houses became more and more rare until they found themselves driving with only the sight of trees at either side, all of them in the cozy copper and reds of autumn, although the strong wind and the grey clouds rolling in and looking almost like smoke from a fire forecasted a storm

“Why couldn’t that fucking geezer live in civilization” Gavin complained, not one to enjoy an atmospheric view

“Is it true that he doesn’t leave the Manor at all?” Tina asked

“I’m afraid so” Elijah said “He used to live in the city, he was quite social, I’m told he had many wild parties. The Manor was only meant as a summer house, but after his accident he holed up in it”

“Guess you can relate” Gavin huffed

“I sure can” Elijah replied completely unbothered. That he was a well known recluse did not bother him, he was a young man but his patents and inventions were making him more than enough money for him to give himself the luxury of not holding back on any of his misanthropic tendencies.

Elijah frowned, then opened his mouth as if to say something else but seemed to think better of it, not that Gavin would let him get away with it. Gavin looked at Tina through the rear view mirror, their routine taking over. He’d let her do the talking on crime scenes all the time, she was good at putting people at ease, and people at ease tended to talk.

“Is anything the matter?��� Tina asked  

“I was just… thinking…” Elijah said with a light scowl “this invitation is slightly odd”

“How so?” Tina added

Elijah shook his head dismissing the idea and remained silent.

Tina and Gavin exchanged a look, they would let it go for now, they had good instincts cultivated by years of training and police work. They knew it was something worth pursuing later, but right now they wouldn’t get anything more.

“Oh! Look!” Tina said, pointing at a hitchhiker down the road, a welcome distraction “We should give him a ride, we are in the middle of nowhere, and those clouds look like the sky will start falling any second”

“I’m already the chauffer for one person, I’m not fucking taking anyone else anywhere!” Gavin spat, even pushing down on the accelerator, unwittingly splashing muddy ditch water on the hitchhiker (unwittingly because Tina always gave Gavin the benefit of the doubt, if she didn’t who on earth would)

“What the hell, fucktard?!” the hitchhiker shouted, if for nothing else than to relieve some of his frustration with the day… the week… the month… the year… his life in general… the first car he’d seen in hours drove away completely unconcerned, and now Leo was muddy and wet and cold…

“Shit!” he slung his rucksack over his shoulder in a careless, rough movement, only managing to unbalance himself, his foot twisted painfully and he fell

“Fucking dammit!” Leo scrambled up, now he was muddy and wet and cold and he’d probably sprained his fucking ankle.

He started walking, now with a newly acquired limp, excellent, but if he waited for another car it could take all day, and wouldn’t it be just like him to die freezing in the woods, or mauled by bears? Or whatever else could happen to you in the woods during a storm, Unknown Man Dead by Freak Lighting Strike (page 30). And hadn’t some people disappeared around here or something creepy like that only a few weeks back? Leo thought he’d heard something, a voice? A scream? Well you always heard all sort of weird noises coming from the woods, foxes were odd little shits always screaming like murder victims.

A cold shiver ran down his back at the thought, and he became aware of how alone he was. If he were to be ambushed and killed right here, right now, nobody would hear him. If he was buried right under that tree with the creepy face-like trunk nobody would even think of searching for him. Markus would only think he’d dismissed the invitation, and to tell the truth that had been Leo’s initial plan.

It seemed almost insulting, a letter from Markus (not even his dad) telling him his dad was planning to have this get together, the first since his accident “I hope you’d like to join us, I’ve heard you are doing so much better now and –“ Leo hadn’t read the rest before scrunching it and throwing it in the paper basket.

He’d dragged himself out of his addiction all by himself, he wasn’t doing “so much better”; he was only barely getting by and keeping away from trouble, he owed like 3 months’ rent because most of his money went to cover old, dangerous debts. He was hungry all the time, he could barely make his bills although his job as a clerk in a bookshop wasn’t all that bad, he was trying to write something as well, that was going alright.

The day before this get together farce he sensed he was about to be kicked out of his apartment, before that could happen he’d grabbed everything he could fit in his rucksack, anything important, told Mr. Doel at the bookshop he would be out of town for a week visiting his ailing father (none of this a lie) and he’d hitchhiked with some farmers as far as they could take him.

And now he was here, essentially because he had nowhere else to go, and there was always that idiotic sliver of himself, that truly stupid yearning buried deep inside him that told him, maybe, maybe his dad would like him better this once.

He’d been walking for a few minutes on his newly injured ankle when a pickup truck slowed down beside him. Leo eyed it suspiciously, an older man was at the wheel, a second one, only slightly older than Leo sat on the passenger seat. Leo smiled at them in relieved recognition.

“Where you going, son? Not getting up to trouble are you?” Lieutenant Anderson said, as his big saint bernard peeked outside the window, drooling all over the side of the car “Hell, Sumo! Let me talk to the kid!” he said placing his hand on the dog’s head softly

“Not this time… I hope” Leo replied with a sheepish smile “Do you know the Manfred Manor?” he asked “It’s okay if you aren’t going that far I’ll take what I can get”

“We are going past it, to the lake” Connor said

“Connor!” Hank chided in fond exasperation “He doesn’t need to know our life story”

“I think it’s only fair when he’s shared his destination with us, Hank”

“Fine, fine” Hank said, “If you are sure you wanna go there, hop right on the back, son. Too much dog in the front to fit another person”

“Thanks a lot!” Leo said with a smile, swinging his rucksack on to the cargo bed and then climbing in himself, awkwardly trying not to put much pressure on his bad ankle. He took his beanie off to feel the wind going through his hair, the clusters of trees, the crisp autumn chill and the wind that already smelled like water seemed much friendlier now that he had company and he was in a car, with the trees passing by in a blur not giving him time to imagine creepy faces in them.

“Look, Hank” Connor said after a few minutes, pointing at a car at the side of the road “I believe that’s Detective Reed”

“Just pretend you don’t see him, Connor!” Hank said gruffly “We are already late and I’m not stopping again”

“Are you sure, Hank? “

“He’ll be fine, look he aint alone, got Chen and some other twit with ‘im”

Gavin looked up to see the passing car, not soon enough to see it was Hank and Connor’s but just in time to see the hitchhiker in the back flipping him off.

“Fucking –“ Gavin said giving the middle finger back to the now empty road

“You sort of deserve it” Tina said, sitting sideways on the driver’s seat “I’m pretty sure that was Leo Manfred too” she smirked

“Yeah, right” Gavin glared at her, then directed his words to his cousin “So, can you do something about the engine or what?”

“I’m trying to concentrate” Elijah said drily as he tinkered under the hood “Cars are not my specialty but I’m sure I can figure it out”

Gavin left him to it, he knew plenty about motorcycles but not that much about cars, plus the fucking genius may leave it better than he found it, didn’t hurt having Elijah doing some actual work for once either.

“Try it” Elijah said, Tina complied turning the key in the ignition; the engine came alive with a loud roar that hid the faint, distant ghostly voices trying to tell them they should go back.

[igottaketchumall]

I wrote another short Tyrus oneshot :))

TJ: Buffy I need to tell you something super important

I'll be at your house in like...10 minutes.

Buffy: Tj it's 4am

Wtf

TJ KIPPEN

JUST CALL ME

TJ: HHHHH

NO

I'M GAY OANICKING

Buffy: lmao what's going on

TJ: SOMEBODY

TOLD ME

CYRUS IS STRAIGHT

BUFFY I WANTED TO ASK HIM TO HOMECOMING AND I DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN

Buffy: who told you that??

Cyrus used to have a huge crush on Jonah he's not straight

He's really fucking gay lmao

TJ: Lester told me??

He said Reed told him that Cyrus told him he's straight

You think Reed lied to him?

Buffy: Cyrus probably just didn't want to come out to Reed and Lester yet they aren't that close

TJ: you think so?

Buffy: yes I do TJ

and what do you mean again?

TJ: I used to like this boy named Tyler

He was really sweet

Until he found out I liked him and told me he was straight, which uh made me feel like shit and really stupid.

Idk

I was just really happy

And then i found out I never have a chance with him

I just

Ugh

I don't want that to happen again

I don't want to fall in love with some only to be told that I'll never have a chance with him years later.

Buffy: that won't happen with Cyrus I promise

I'm so sorry that happened TJ

But you should really get some sleep ok?

I care about you and if you're going to ask Cyrus tomorrow you should go get some rest :')

It's going to go great!

TJ: okay

Thank you

Ily

Buffy: wow I'll never get used to that

But ily too

...

TJ: Cyrus?

Cyrus: Yeah?

is everything ok?

TJ: yeah, everything's okay don't worry :')

but thank you for caring

Cyrus: of course

so why did you message me so late?

not that it's a problem! :))

TJ: I just...couldn't sleep...

Cyrus: what's on your mind?

TJ: it's just that...

we're in 9th grade now, and I realized "oh shit, homecoming's a thing". It's something I've always heard about but never been able to go to and now I cAN.

and I've just been thinking about that a lot cause i'm not sure if I should ask someone, but I really want to.

it sounds really fun! and I don't want to miss this opportunity! 

but i'm scared...

Cyrus: take a deep breath in, and then out.

and look out your window.

look at the stars. 

TJ: ok...

Cyrus: and think about how we'll all be here for you tomorrow no matter what happens :)

TJ: they're beautiful...

Cyrus: :)

who do you want to ask, if you don't mind me asking?

TJ: someone I've liked for a while.

it's a secret, for now at least.

hey, can I call you?

Cyrus: yeah, sure, we just have to be quiet.

TJ:  okay.

I just want to hear your voice :)

Cyrus: :)

TJ:  :)

also, Cyrus?

I feel a lot better.

thank you <3

...

"is he going to ask him today?" Buffy sat next to Andi at lunch.

"I think so, unless he wants to do it at  homecoming." Andi responded, opening her small bag of apples. 

During the day, TJ was nervously texting Andi about asking Cyrus to homecoming. This had been going on for weeks ever since it was announced homecoming would be soon: If Andi didn't respond, he texted Buffy, if Buffy didn't respond, he texted Jonah, and if Jonah didn't? He went to Marty. 

But the first person he always went to before texting was his sister, Amber. During the day he was talking to Andi since he had two classes with her, and didn't text Amber since he and Andi were already talking. 

  He had all these ideas popping into his head and then would come up with reasons as to why Cyrus would hate it, and now today was the last day before homecoming, and also the day of the pep rally, and TJ had a plan.

"yeah, he seems really nervous, like more than he has been for all the weeks he's been obsessing over this." Buffy said, taking a bite of her mac and cheese. "but I think he can do it."

Andi smiled. "Me too, he's over at a table with Reed and Lester right now coming up with the finishing touches of his plan"

"Plan?"

"He wants to ask him at the pep rally, in front of everyone! I told him that might make him way more nervous than he already is but, maybe it'll work?"

Buffy nodded. "I can see it working" she moved her spoon around with her hand. "kind of" 

Laughing a little, Andi looked over at the lunch line where Cyrus was getting the last of his food and getting ready to walk over to them. They both really hoped TJ's plan went as well he wanted it to.

...

The basketball game for the homecoming pep rally was coming close to and end, and TJ was getting more and more worried. 

Reed gave him a thumbs up from the bleachers and Lester smiled quietly next to him. Looking up at two of his best friends supporting him, he felt a little bit better. Then his eyes shifted over to Andi, Buffy, Jonah, and most importantly, Cyrus.

'and think about how we'll all be here for you tomorrow no matter what happens'

He can do this. 

The game was over. Lester and Reed were obnoxiously cheering from the bleachers, and he had so many other friends supporting him. 

Let's do this I guess.

"Um, hello everyone I...I would like to say something for this pep rally's over."

and now all eyes were on him. TJ closed his eyes and thought about his call with Cyrus, and when he opened them he was smiling wide.

"I want to say something to someone really important to me. His name is Cyrus Goodman. He's been the most supportive person in my life, helped me become a better person, and because of him I believe now that I can do so much. I've never been surrounded by so much support and friendships before I met him, and i'm really glad he wasn't able to get his own muffin because I might never have walked up to him at the swing set and be where I am now. Thank you Cyrus, you're the best person I know, and I would really love it if you were my date to homecoming."

Andi, Buffy, Jonah, Lester, and Reed were cheering loudly along with the whole school, and TJ could feel his face heat up. The positive response was amazing. 

And then his eyes drifted over to Cyrus, who was literally crying. He felt like crying too and his first thought was to motion for Cyrus to walk down the bleachers towards him. Jonah nudged him with his arm with a wink, and Cyrus laughed, walking towards TJ.

Soon he was running, and once he reach

Once they both let go, they looked at each other and around the room as everyone was still screaming. Reed threw confetti into the gym, as requested by TJ for the plan, and TJ laughed as a bunch got in Cyrus's hair because gosh, he looked so cute.

"So, are we going to homecoming together?" TJ smiled, still really nervous.

"SAY YES!" Reed shouted way too loud.

TJ blushed but Cyrus was laughing, which made TJ relax a bit and smiled back.

"Yes TJ, we are." 

[hh-rose]

Pre 3x18 Fic

This is my most extreme hope for what is going to happen in the next episode. I know that it won't, but let a girl dream. Also, 90% of this killed me to write.

TJ was sitting on the bleachers during his free period just taking in some fresh air. Then, he saw newly diagnosed with a stress fracture Buffy Driscoll. She was really struggling to get across the football field to the school. TJ knew that he needed to help her. He saw a golf cart on the football field, and he ran over to it.

“Can I offer you a ride?” TJ asked when he drove up to Buffy. Buffy looked at him with a surprised expression.

“This is like really against all sorts of rules,” Buffy stated. TJ shrugged.

“Hold on, didn’t you like just get arrested?” TJ asked. “You already have a criminal record; why not add more to it?” Buffy didn’t say anything. “Come on, we’re not gonna get in trouble. I’m only driving you to the building. It’s like seventy-five yards away.”

“Fine,” Buffy replied carefully getting into the golf cart. She winced. TJ would have asked about her foot, but he knew Buffy wouldn’t want to talk about it.

“Can I ask you a question?” TJ asked. Buffy opened her mouth to answer, but TJ beat her to it. “If you say you already did, then I will push you out of this golf cart right now.”

“Okay, okay,” she said, putting her hands up in surrender. “What’s your question?”

“Do you think Cyrus is mad at me?” he asked. He knew full well that Buffy had an answer to the question, but she wasn’t going to say it.

“You’re going to have to ask him that,” she answered. That’s what TJ was expecting. He sighed.

“I really hope I didn’t mess things up with him,” TJ said softly. He took a breath before he spoke again. “He really means a lot to me.”

“I’m sure if you talk to him, you’ll sort everything out,” Buffy offered. She looked at TJ and smiled softly. “You know that you mean a lot to Cyrus too.”

“I don’t know about that,” TJ said with a slight laugh. “Why would I mean anything to him? I’m just some jerk who keeps ruining his life.”

“TJ, you know that that’s not true,” Buffy said trying to really convince him, but it was to no avail. They had arrived at the school.

“Here we are,” TJ stated. “That’ll be ten bucks, Driscoll.”

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him and limped away. TJ laughed and started to drive back to where he found the cart. He was going to return it, and everything would be back in order. Then, TJ started thinking about Cyrus. Oh, Cyrus. He missed him so much. He just wanted things to go back to how they were before. Maybe he wanted things to be slightly different than they were before.

Just as he was contemplating everything about their relationship, TJ heard a loud boom. He quickly shut off the golf cart and ran to see what he hit. Band equipment. Shit. Nobody was around. TJ could have gotten away with it, but he didn’t want to. He would just report himself, and maybe Metcalf would get it.

“What did you do?” someone asked angrily. TJ turned around to see an angry ginger kid walking toward him. He remembered Cyrus telling him that the kid was named Gus.

“I’m so sorry. It was an accident,” TJ explained. “I used the golf cart to help my friend, and I was just trying to return it. Really, I’m so, so sorry.”

“Likely story, Mr. School Bully,” Gus said sarcastically. TJ gulped. “This was no accident, and we will see to it that you are punished.”

“Gus, please it was an accident. I would never do this on purpose,” TJ tried to tell him, but Gus was already gone. Fuck. TJ was freaking out. He sat down on the bleachers. He needed to breathe for a second. He needed this to all go away. He needed to not be known as the bad guy anymore. What he didn’t need was Cyrus to see him like this.

“Teej, what’s wrong?” he heard an all too familiar voice ask. He looked up to see a very worried Cyrus. TJ didn’t answer. “It’s that serious.”

“I messed up, and I think I might get in a lot of trouble,” TJ explained. Cyrus sat down next to him.

“We can figure this out,” Cyrus stated. “It’s going to be fine.”

“Cy, no, you’re not getting involved,” TJ said, finally looking at him. Cyrus looked hurt, and obviously TJ felt bad, but he couldn’t care. He couldn’t have Cyrus getting involved in another one of his messes.

“Why not?” Cyrus asked defensively.

“You don’t need to fix another one of my problems,” he said. “I was the one who ran over the band equipment, and I have to be the one to get myself out of this.”

“You ran over band equipment?” Cyrus asked. There was no emotion there. He wasn’t sad or disappointed or angry. He was just Cyrus asking a question. TJ didn’t know if that was good or bad.

“Yeah,” TJ said, hanging his head. “It was an accident—”

“You can tell me about it later,” Cyrus said, standing up. TJ stood up too. “I have to go talk to Gus.”

“Underdog, you really don’t have to,” TJ practically begged him. Cyrus smiled and shook his head.

“Teej, why wouldn’t I help you? You’re one of my best friends,” Cyrus said, still smiling. TJ was smiling now too. He was still one of Cyrus’s best friends. Cyrus was still willing to do anything for him. Everything was falling back into place.

“Thank you,” TJ said, more about still loving him than about helping him with the situation.

“Thank me after we get out of this,” Cyrus said, smiling at TJ one last time before leaving to go talk to Gus. TJ didn’t think that a conversation about him running over some poor kids’ band equipment could make him this happy, but, then again, TJ was always deliriously happy when Cyrus was around.

…

As promised, Cyrus talked to Gus and worked everything out. He texted TJ and told him not to wear gel in his hair to school the next day. He also told TJ to meet him in the auditorium during their free period. TJ had no idea what Cyrus got him into, but he was oddly not worried about it. He knew that Cyrus had a plan, and that plan was going to fix everything.

“Thank, God, you’re here,” Cyrus said when TJ got to the auditorium. Cyrus was wearing a suit, and, honestly, TJ forgot how to speak for a second. “Nice sweater. You look very innocent. That’ll work for us.”

“Can I ask what exactly is going on here?” TJ asked, finally finding his voice again. Cyrus smiled at him and led him to the stage.

“Well, I used to be in mock trial with Gus, and I knew that he loved being in fake court,” Cyrus stated. “So, I told him that we could have a trial for you. He would say his piece and then I would be the defense. He agreed.”

“Cy, that is the best plan ever,” TJ said excitedly. Then, Gus and his two friends arrived. TJ was nervous, but he could do this. It was gonna be fine.

“All rise,” Gus’s one friend, Nathan, said. TJ imagined that he was going to be acting as the judge. “We are here today to decide whether or not TJ Kippen is guilty of the heinous crime that occurred on the football field yesterday. Gus, please begin with your opening statement.”

Everyone sat down, and Gus walked over and stood in front of the two tables. Cyrus had his game face on, but TJ was having a hard time staying calm. He had no idea what Gus was going to say, but he knew that it wasn’t going to be good.

“We all know that TJ Kippen has never been the nicest person around,” Gus said. TJ let out a shaky breath. “He made it his mission to make other people unhappy. He used me and my friends for homework answers, and then he made fun of us. He is probably using Cyrus right now.”

No, no, that was not true. He looked over at Cyrus who looked genuinely hurt by the comment. Cyrus had to have known that that wasn’t true. Cyrus looked over at him and smiled slightly. TJ felt a little at ease.

“So, I have a few questions for TJ Kippen,” Gus said looking at TJ. TJ gulped. “TJ, is it true that you once made Buffy Driscoll do your homework for you, and then you got her suspended from playing basketball?”

“Yes,” TJ whispered. Gus smiled.

“Is it true that you were friends with Reed, another notorious bully and someone who stole his dad’s gun?” Gus asked.

“Yes,” TJ answered.

“Is it true that you once broke someone’s jaw because you punched them in the face?” Gus asked. TJ gasped. How did Gus know about that? It was before TJ had actually met Cyrus in person. He knew who Cyrus was, and he always admired him. One day, someone on the basketball team said something mean about Cyrus, so TJ punched him. TJ felt bad that he broke the kid’s jaw, but he didn’t feel bad for punching him.

“Yes, but—” TJ tried to defend himself.

“Is it true?” Gus asked again.

“Yes.”

“Is it true that you ran over the band equipment yesterday?” Gus asked.

“Yes, but please you have to understand that it was an accident,” TJ begged, but Gus didn’t seem to care.

“It is clear that TJ has done countless horrible things in the past. Why should we believe that this is any different?” Gus asked Nathan. “This was a malicious act committed by a bad person, and I hope that you agree with me.”

TJ was a mess. There were tears in his eyes. He wasn’t that person anymore. He was different. Didn’t people know that he was different now? He changed. He was a better person. He was a good person. He was trying his best to be a good person. Cyrus was staring at him. He could tell that TJ was upset. Cyrus stood up.

“I’d like to call a recess,” Cyrus said. “We can pick up again tomorrow.” Everyone agreed and left. TJ and Cyrus were left alone in the auditorium.

“TJ,” Cyrus said softly. TJ wouldn’t look at him. “Look at me, please.”

 “I don’t want to talk about it right now, Cy,” TJ said, standing up. He looked at Cyrus and smiled. “Thank you for everything, really. I’ll call you later. I just need a little time.”

“Okay,” Cyrus said. TJ was about to leave when Cyrus spoke again. “Teej, just know that I don’t see you as that TJ anymore. You’re not who you used to be.”

TJ nodded. He couldn’t talk about this. Not right now. Not with Cyrus. He needed space. He needed time. He needed to be alone for a little while.

…

So, the next day, TJ returned to the auditorium after school and prepared himself for hopefully a better experience than the day before. He was pacing when Cyrus arrived.

“Teej, it’s gonna be okay. I got this,” Cyrus said confidently. TJ smiled at him. “When have I ever let you down?”

“Cy, you could never let me down,” TJ said moving closer to him. “You don’t have it in you. You’re perfect.”

“I’m far from perfect,” Cyrus said bashfully. TJ smiled at him. He was going to say something else, but then Gus and his friends arrived.

“Okay, Cyrus, it is your turn to offer your defense,” Nathan said. Everyone sat down and Cyrus stood in the middle of everyone. TJ’s eyes were glued on him.

“When I first met TJ Kippen, he did something kind for me,” Cyrus started. “Yes, he was asked to do so by Buffy, but he still did the kind thing. And, he did so many other kind things after that moment.”

“The next time I saw TJ, he hung out at a swing set with me,” Cyrus said, smiling at him. “That was when TJ truly began to change. He became this amazing person who I am lucky to call my best friend. TJ Kippen is an amazing person, and I think that anyone who thinks different is fooling themselves.”

TJ couldn’t stop smiling. Cyrus walked closer to him. “I have one question for you, TJ Kippen. What were you doing with that golf cart before you hit the band equipment?”

“I saw that Buffy was struggling to walk, so I drove the golf cart to her and offered her a ride,” TJ explained. “I was on my way to return the cart when I accidently hit the equipment. I didn’t mean to, and I am so incredibly sorry about it.”

“If you can sit here and tell me that the TJ sitting before us is truly a bad person, then I think that you need to reexamine a lot of things,” Cyrus said. He walked over and sat down next to TJ. Nathan stood up.

“I think that it is clear that TJ is not guilty,” Nathan said. He turned to TJ. “I’m sorry that we judged you unfairly. You truly have changed.” TJ stood up and walked over to the three of them. He shook their hands.

“I’m sorry for everything I did to you in the past,” TJ apologized.

“The past is the past,” Gus offered. “I’m sorry, too.”

“The past is the past,” TJ said with a smile. Gus, Nathan, and their other friend who TJ did not know the name of left.

“You did it!” TJ said excitedly. TJ put his hand on Cyrus’s shoulder. Cyrus put his hand on TJ’s arm.

“No, you did it. I just pointed out a bunch of true things about you,” Cyrus explained. He looked down at his watch. “Crap, the game’s almost over. We have to go.”

Cyrus’s hand slid down TJ’s arm and into his hand. He started running and pulling TJ along with him. TJ never once let go of Cyrus’s hand. When they got to the gym, everyone was rushing toward the court. They won! Cyrus ran to hug Buffy. Before he got there, he and TJ heard a familiar voice.

“Kippen, I see that you’re hanging around with the wrong crowd again,” the voice said. Kira was standing right in front of them. TJ didn’t say anything. Cyrus looked at him, but TJ still didn’t say anything. He began to walk away, but TJ was still holding his hand.

“Please let me go,” Cyrus said, trying not to cry. TJ let go of Cyrus’s hand.

“Cy, please, wait,” he begged. Cyrus shook his head.

“Just give me some time, TJ,” Cyrus said. TJ nodded. “I just don’t think I can talk to you for a while.”

Then, Cyrus was gone. Kira was still standing in front of TJ. He had had enough. He was done with her bullshit. He had to make it clear that he was done with being tortured by her.

“Kira, what is wrong with you?” he asked harshly. “You don’t even know him. You know nothing about him. Cyrus is the most amazing person I have ever met. You can continue ruining other people’s lives because you’re insecure, or you can grow up and start dealing with your own problems. You can tell everyone what you have hanging over my head. I don’t care anymore. The only thing I care about is Cyrus being happy. So, don’t you ever, ever go after him again, or I will make your life a living hell. Do you understand me?”

“Huh, if that’s what you want,” Kira said leaving the gym. TJ stood there, red and shaking. Everyone was looking at him. He quickly ran out of the gym. He looked for Cyrus, but he was already gone. He called him, but he knew that he wasn’t going to answer. He was just going to leave him a voicemail.

“I told Kira off after you left, but it was too late. You had already gotten hurt, and I’m so sorry,” TJ said into his phone. “Kira is probably going to tell people something about me, and you might not want to talk to me again. I just want you to know that you mean the world to me, and I just want you to be happy. So, if you don’t want me in your life anymore, I’ll leave you alone. I don’t want to, but I’d do anything for you. Underdog, you are the most amazing person in the universe, and I hope that you know that.”

TJ shut off his phone and put it in his pocket. He hoped that Cyrus would still want to talk to him, but he would probably never talk to him again. You don’t always get what you want, and TJ Kippen wasn’t an exception. Cyrus was on the other side of town thinking the exact same thing.

@iloveboyz27