#putting it in the tag in case people have other thoughts id be curious

[technicalthinker]

I feel like debating who Loki was talking to when he said "For You" in the last episode, is missing the point of the scene. And people referring to it as "cowardly" and a "no-homo" moment is just?? Baffling to me tbh because like;

First of all, it is obviously intended to be to both of them? If they only wanted to make it about Sylvie, Mobius wouldn't be there. If they only wanted to make it about Mobius, Sylvie wouldn't be there. If they wanted to make it about everyone they would've just framed it more equally, he does do it for all his friends ("for all of us"), but they have that scene to highlight these two specific relationships. The framing is quite clear, they have him take a last look at all of his friends before going down the stairs, but Mobius and Sylvie runs after him to have a final significant moment.

Which absolutely makes sense and is consistent with the show we have seen so far, s1 and s2 combined, which is what I love about it. And it was to be honest a surprise! Going into this season, I had little hope for Loki/Mobius interactions, just didn't want to expect too much since S1 had a lot of their connection, but that could've been it. I was shocked when s2ep1 was full to the brim with Loki and Mobius scenes? And then they kept reinforcing every week that they care about each other, is a funny duo to watch, and are important to one another.

And despite this, I expected the rug to at some point be pulled, especially compared to Loki's relationship to Sylvie. No matter people's personal viewing on the show, she is still cited as a love interest by showrunners and is just portrayed as that by the narrative a lot of the time. Sidelining that, even in s2 when the romantic hints are more vague, she's still a very important person in Loki's life. She played a central part of the plot and Loki's own character development of understanding himself.

So to me, I was surprised seeing Mobius and Sylvie side by side in the end. Both being framed as The important people in Loki's life. Then, however you wanna see in what ways they are important is up to you, but they are the people he keeps coming back to for advice and self-reflection. You can frame it as "oh it should've been only been Mobius and they added Sylvie to downplay it", which, I just disagree with (If they wanted to go for explicitly canon Lokius they needed to set that up even more earlier in the season but that's a post for another day). Sylvie is still like, a constant in the narrative and driving force of s1, even if s2 changes things around a bit, and imo it would be inconsistent if she just vanished here. I guess I am used to media that downplays a meaningful dynamic between two dudes in more aggressive ways, which they absolutely could've done, and would've taken me out of the story to be honest... but they didn't, Mobius and Sylvie got to be side by side in the end and that imo validated the Loki/Mobius dynamic way more than downplays it.

TLDR; The "For you" was for both Mobius and Sylvie because why would you frame it that way otherwise, and having them side by side like that validates Lokius way more than downplays it in a "no-homo" way considering the full context of the show.

[cherry-gemz]

Summary: This is a continuation of the movie Before We Go and my interpretation and imagination of an A/U. Brooke is you (Y/N) and Nick is still Nick :)

Prompt: "Just admit that I'm right." for @the-ce-horniest-book-club Drunk Drabbles for Nick Vaughan.

Pairings: Nick Vaughan x Y/N

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: <2k...is this a drabble still? Oopsies XD

A/N: I watched this movie for the first time just last week. It's now one of my top 3 Cevans movies! While I'm all for a romantic, serendipitous, spontaneous trope...much like Before Sunrise *no spoilers*, the ending was great, but I wanted a different spin. No pressure...yah, right! Either way, hope you enjoy xx.

Tags: @thesecretlifeofdaydreamss @tonystankschild @a-little-counter-esperanto

****************************************************************

You sniff and rub the end of your coat sleeve with your nose. Had to be the chill in the air, you thought. Not the fact that you just spent the most amazing and life changing night with a man you just met hours before and it was ending.

You stare out the train’s window; the gentle hum of the cart gliding across the steel tracks echoed in your thoughts. You shook your head in thinking that you made a mistake. I should have stayed...I should have told him how I felt…

“Nick. It's you again. Listen. I want to give you one more piece of advice. You're gonna be playing one night... Grand Central... thinking of every reason in the world to not go see the girl that broke your heart. Then, you're gonna meet somebody. And now, at first, she's gonna seem… icy. You're gonna know right away she's trouble. She's gonna take all your money. You're probably gonna get punched in the face. But stay with her; you're gonna need her a lot more than she needs you. And at the end of the night, you're gonna want to say some things, but don't. Don't ruin it. It's nothing she doesn't already know. Just give her a kiss. Wish her good luck. And thank her. Thank her for showing you that you can love more than one person in this life.”

He was unbelievably charming. You said so yourself. His raw talent with the trumpet was beautiful and different from what you were used to. The suburbia of the Boston bubble was what you were forced to live in now. You were from London, you were cultured and refined. Sure things with Michael were exciting at first, but the ho hum of the daily diatribe of routine became loathsome. Dépaysement. But you still never wavered in your marriage. Unlike Michael who had crossed that sacred line and lost your trust. It wasn't even fully the physical aspect that he went to another woman. It was the intimacy of telling her his deepest desires and then some that hurt the most. That he would want to share that with anyone else but you. But tonight. Tonight was what made you see clearly.

"It's possible, isn't it? It's possible that you could meet somebody who's perfect for you even though you're committed to somebody else," you asked as you bit your lip.

"No, no, see, I think if you're committed to somebody, you don't allow yourself to find perfection in someone else."

You found yourself blushing and cupping your cheek in thoughts of Nick. He was right. The whole night was a cluster mess of you trying to get home before Michael so you'd be able to throw away that wretched note. That he'd come to his senses and forget Linny. That he'd realized he was a fool and you'd start over. Just like old times.

However, slowly that feeling of reconciliation faded away little by little as each hour in the city passed. You couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but somehow the scrappy trumpet player Nick Vaughan etched his way into your icy heart and left an impression and stayed.

His fluffy, dark hair - so soft and inviting for you to rake your fingers through it was enough to drive you mad. His scruffy beard, which tickled when you kissed. You already loved ghosting your palms over it softly and imagined being able to do it whenever you wished. He said earlier into the night you weren't his type; you scoffed, but we're annoyed that it bothered you. You were a classic model of what guys were into, looks wise. Sure, your attitude was what rubbed some people the wrong way, but Americans really were too sensitive.

He however...he was the full package. Every toothy grin, wink, and full hearty laugh. He was addicting. He was a dead ringer for a heartthrob, but you also couldn't hate the guy for it. He was the friend you'd call to bail you out of jail at 4am and the boyfriend that you could see settling down with. It was nauseating really.

And then his lips. His soft lips...you can’t believe you kissed him in the hotel room. And then again at the train station. But you would have kicked yourself for not doing so in the first place. The way your fingers interlaced themselves on his terry cloth robe, how desperately you wanted to press your body against his. All you wanted was for him to feel that burning need within the apex between your thighs and extinguish it all night. But it was more than that, he was what you were missing. But you were kidding yourself. You weren’t running to Michael, you were running away from Nick.

But why? Because of the unknown? Because he actually knew who you were deep down inside? How could a man you barely knew, change you? Change what you thought was true, what you thought was love?

You dove your hand into your wool jacket’s pockets to push any thoughts of self-doubt, when you realize there was a piece of cardstock. You were puzzled to find it and immediately smiled in recognizing the hotel survey card. You bit your lip as you read down the survey questions one by one and notice Nick’s handwriting at the bottom, ‘turn over’ with an arrow.

Curious you turn over the hotel card and he’s written the word ‘yes’. Yes? You furrow your brow and contemplate further what he would be saying yes to. You think about the night - the time at the bar, helping him with Hannah, when you went to the psychic reading. Yes? What in the world - and then you turn the card back over and realize that on the second to last question it asked “Will you be likely to return?”

None of the boxes are checked, but he’d written ‘yes’ on the back. Yes. Yes he’ll return? Where? To the hotel? But when? You look up and rush to think about stopping the train dead in its tracks to return back to Grand Station. You breathe out heavily and come to terms that this isn’t a movie. He’s not chasing you down the tracks, jumping on the train to find you. Or is he? You wouldn’t put it past him. The whole night was filled with serendipitous concourses, this would be icing on the cake. You dart your head around to see if he’s in the cable car. It’s like in every rom com movie ending, the man of your dreams will be right there. He’s somehow charmed his way into boarding the train and found you waiting like a princess in her high tower. The train car is dark and bleak, only a few passengers are riding it as it’s the first route to Boston on a Sunday. You peer over to see if he’s in the next cart, but alas he is not. You slump in your seat and rub your thumb methodically over his words.

"Have you ever had a feeling that somebody was going to play a major part in your life?” you ask.

“Yeah."

“Do you know the most interesting thing about hotel art? It's what's on the back.”

It’s then you realize you have to return to New York. This story wasn’t about you and Michael anymore. No, it was about the man who selflessly helped you while you were in need, not only at your dire hour, but metaphorically as well. This was meant to be. You were meant to miss your train, break your phone, and meet the handsome man named Nick Vaughn. You knew he’d still be in the city because of his audition for the day with Duke at least, if you could just get to him somehow...

*

Your knees bounced as you sat on a cushioned chair in the hotel lobby. You had planned to wait there all day, but then realized the $13 train ticket was your only way of providing you security back home. So you went home. Confronted Michael. Cursed, cried, and then relief rushed over you as he had read your letter and how you knew about the affair. How you wanted to throw fists on his chest and tell him how much you hated him. But once you saw him, you found it didn't matter to you anymore. Someone else was worth fighting for. Your marriage was over. The hatred and spite you once had for your husband had dissipated. Your world didn't end like you thought it would. This wasn't your only chance at love. You were choosing to be happy, whether it was with Nick or not. This was the first time you were going to jump without having a net.

And Nick was wrong. Michael didn't want to work things out, he was coming to tell you that he loved you, but that and he'd be returning to Atlanta for good. The house, car, everything was yours: Nick said so himself, you gotta be okay with not being okay. So you walked away. You made the choice just like the psychic said and took it in stride, you faced the music.

However now you found yourself back in New York. Not the once stranded woman at a crossroads less than 24 hours before, but the woman that made a choice. You were worried that Nick would see it as you running away again. Running away because Michael didn't choose you. But in reality you didn't choose each other.

Still without an ID, you took your car and better against the four hour drive to the city and hoped a cop wouldn't pull you over. You thought of the night in the hotel. The laughs, the closeness you two encountered. The playful and cheeky way he could make you feel seen. You were starting to get nervous, what if he doesn't show up? What if I missed my chance?

"I'm an idiot," you murmur to yourself. "I can't believe I'm here."

You stand up and realize there Nick was there in your path. He looked a little worn, obviously from staying up all night. But he had changed and showered from the looks of it, and his signature trumpet case held in his hand.

"Well look who it is. The biggest loser in New York."

You laughed and blushed at the sight of him. He slung his trumpet case over his broad shoulder and walked over to close the gap.

“Just admit that I’m right.”

"Admit what?" You ask as you find yourself touching his jacket sleeve.

"Admit that you couldn't get enough of me." You hitched a breath from his words.

"You can say that."

"I can't believe you came back," he responded. His blue eyes gazed into yours as he brushed away a tendril of hair from your face.

"I read your answer to the survey...on the back."

"The stay did exceed my expectations and I did say I would return," he smiles.

"And here you are."

"Here I am…" he pulls away slightly as he's reminded that you're married.

"I jumped," you replied.

He's taken back by your statement and furrows his brow.

"What? With what?"

"I told Michael it was over."

"Wow. I'm so...sorry, Y/N."

"Don't be. You said so yourself, at some point it was time to face the music."

He nodded, absorbing the information.

"Say what's in your head."

He shook his head and grinned,"I'm just glad you came back is all."

"Yeah? How'd you know?"

"I didn't. Just sure as hell hoped you would."

He intertwines your fingers with his and holds tight. Like a missing puzzle piece found, your hand fits perfectly with his.

"Whaddya say we get out of here?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I may know a place," he smiles devilishly and gives your knuckles a kiss.

You grab his dress shirt collar and turn him towards you. He runs his hands through your hair and places his lips upon yours, kissing you deeply. It's a kiss so passionate, so perfect - that after you part, neither open your eyes for a few moments afterwards and he embraces you tightly.

"Good, because I'm not going anywhere."

[sisterspooky1013]

Damsels, Chapter Five: Work That Gameboy

By SisterSpooky1013 / Tagging @today-in-fic

Rated E / Read previous chapters here

Mulder arrives at work early, looking longingly at Scully’s car in the parking lot. Approaching it, he peers in the windows looking for…he isn’t sure what. Her car is, as usual, neat as a pin with no indication of where she went or why.

In his restlessness the night before, he’d thought a lot about why it bothers him so much not to know where she is or what she’s doing. If the roles were reversed, he would expect her to wait it out and trust him to take care of himself, but for some reason he’s struggling to do the same for her. He thought at first that it was her tendency to get hurt or need help, but by comparison he needs her help just as often as she needs his, so that doesn’t track. Then he thought maybe it’s that he doesn’t trust Skinner to do what’s in her best interest, but Skinner has shown a tendency to be protective of Scully on numerous occasions (and in fact Mulder strongly suspects his feelings for her go beyond the bounds of strict professionalism), so that isn’t entirely logical either. Skinner may have left him out to dry with the New Spartans, but he doesn’t believe the man would stoop low enough to treat Scully in the same manner.

In the end, he realized that it’s pretty simple; he’s just crazy about her. His protectiveness doesn’t have anything to do with how capable she is, or the situations other people might put her in, or even situations she might put herself in. He misses her, and cares so much about her that not even knowing where she is feels wrong. It feels like a piece of him is missing, and he’s not allowed to know where it is or when he’ll get it back.

After pretending to work for an hour, he sulks up to Skinner’s office and asks for a few minutes of his time. Skinner is immediately irritated, though Mulder doesn’t realize that it’s in response to him and not a preexisting condition. He stands in front of Skinner’s desk, looming over him.

“What do you want, Agent Mulder?” Skinner grumbles, not looking up from the document he’s reading.

“I’d like to know where Agent Scully is, sir.”

Skinner sighs heavily, dropping his head to his chest.

“Get out of my office, Agent Mulder,” he says in a low, menacing tone.

“Sir, I’m not asking to contact her, I would never compromise her case, I just need to at least know where she is. What if something happens and I need to find her?”

Skinner stands, looking Mulder in the eye with an intensity he’s seen on very few occasions, none of them fond memories. “Agent Mulder, Agent Scully explicitly asked me not to tell you where she is, or what she’s doing. Even if she hadn’t, I STILL would not tell you, however I hope that if you don't respect the direct orders of your superior, you might, at the very least, respect Agent Scully’s wishes. Now get the hell out of my office and do not bring this up again, understood?”

Mulder glances down and notices Scully’s keys on the desk near Skinner’s nameplate, her Apollo 11 keychain easily identifiable. He leans forward, putting his hands on the desktop, one covering the keys.

“Sir, if anything happens to her, I’ll-“

“You’ll what, Agent Mulder?” Skinner challenges him, stuffing his hands in his pockets in a show of bravado.

Mulder straightens, palming the keys as he stands, and leaves without another word.

Scully arrives at the club just before 2 pm, wearing shorts and a tank top as Angel had instructed. After stuffing her purse into a locker, she finds Angel and Tibet on the floor, which has returned to its daylight state of clean and quiet. Queenie restocks the bar while Ben fiddles with the sound system.

Tibet is up on the stage while Angel sits at the tip rail, offering pointers on a new dance Tibet is working out. Scully immediately notices that Tibet’s hair is cropped short and worn in its natural curls, and realizes she’d been wearing a wig the night before.

“So I was thinking that I could either take my top off just before or just after the first chorus, tell me which looks better, okay?” Tibet says to Angel as Scully enters and takes a seat beside her.

“Benny! Hit me with the music!” Tibet shouts, and then repeats her performance twice, revealing her breasts at a different point in the song each time. When she’s finished, she sits down on the edge of the stage in front of them and asks for their thoughts, her breasts still uncovered.

“I think the sooner the better,” Angel says. “They come here to see your body, so show it to em!”

Tibet nods. “What do you think, Desi?” She asks, stretching a smooth brown leg out to her side and leaning into it.

Scully suddenly feels entirely out of her league in terms of providing an opinion. “Uh, well, generally speaking I guess I’d say wait. You want to build some suspense, right? Make them work for it?”

Angel looks at her suspiciously out of the corner of her eye. “You don’t fuck on the first date, do you?” She asks with a haughty grin, and Scully’s eyes go big at the question. “I’m just messing with you, let’s get to your training!”

“Alright,” Tibet begins as though she’s done this dozens of times, tugging the straps of her shirt back over her shoulders. “So, have you ever given a lap dance before?” she asks plainly, and Scully’s cheeks flush.

“Well, kind of I guess. In college, though more as a joke than anything else. I would definitely consider myself a beginner.”

“Got it, got it,” Tibet responds. “Well, for the most part dancing is about creating a sense of intimacy. It’s fake, obviously, but the more your customer feels like you actually care about him, want him to look at you, like that he’s appreciating your body, the better you’ll do. Your stage set is just about showing yourself off and getting them curious about you. The real money comes from lap dances and VIP, and the more you can draw attention with a really great stage set, the more customers will want to spend time with you afterward. Angel is a beast on the pole and she can teach you all those tricks, but I consider myself the lap dance expert around here, so I’m gonna teach you that part.” She smiles and jumps down from the stage, pulling a chair away from one of the tables and gesturing for Scully to sit in it.

“Oh,” Scully says, and sits as instructed.

“Sometimes, when you’re on the floor, customers will flag you down or ask for you, and that’s great. But you also have to approach people, because they’ll be too shy to ask. So you might come up and do this.”

Tibet saunters towards Scully with a secretive smile on her lips, stepping so close that her thighs thread between Scully’s knees. Next she leans down, placing her hands on Scully’s shoulders and bringing her mouth to Scully’s ear.

“Would you like a dance, Baby?” she asks in a syrupy voice, and Scully feels a shiver run down her spine. Tibet backs up. “Okay, now you try.”

“You want ME to do that?” Scully clarifies, and while just asking someone if they want a lap dance should be the easiest hurdle to clear, she’s finding that it’s still an uncomfortably high one.

Angel turns her head toward the bar and calls out, “Queenie! We need some liquid courage over here!”

Queenie walks over with a bottle of tequila and three shot glasses, pouring them wordlessly before returning to her task.

Angel holds her glass up, Tibet and Scully following suit. “To new career paths,” Angel says, and Scully smiles thinly, clinking her glass with theirs and throwing back the shot with a grimace.

Three weeks. She’s been gone three weeks, and not a word from Skinner. No update, no information, though he’s stopped by a couple times and asked, drawing increasing amounts of rage from his boss. He’s finished all the paperwork, re-organized the files, cleaned and rearranged the office (only to immediately change it back) and spent hours upon hours imagining where Scully might be right now.

He kept her keys, just in case, but knows she’d be unhappy with him invading her privacy by snooping around her apartment. That’s why he waits three whole weeks before he finally does it. He has a key to her apartment and could have gone there at any point, but her personal keyring also holds the keys for her gun safe and her mailbox, which may prove helpful. After work on a Thursday, he drives by and lets himself in, the warm vanilla smell of her immediately invading his nostrils as he opens the door. He sighs deeply, pulling her into his lungs; it feels like coming home.

First he waters her plants, which are looking half dead, and makes a mental note to use watering them as the reason he came here if asked. Next he opens her gun safe, and is struck to find her service weapon holstered and tucked neatly inside with the safety on. She doesn’t have her gun? What the hell kind of assignment is this? He brings in her mail, which is no help at all, and leaves it stacked on the counter. Next he lays down on her bed, shoving his face into her pillow and breathing the smell of her shampoo for a few minutes before he has the thought to look for her overnight bag.

Scully has a go bag in the trunk of her car for emergencies, but given the opportunity she’ll use her overnight bag and pack for the weather, situation, etc. Opening her closet, he finds it on the floor near her laundry hamper, empty save for a travel size can of hairspray tucked into a side pocket. In her bathroom, he finds all her toiletries accounted for, including her toothbrush. The more he sees, the more confused he is. Even when he’d spent time undercover with dangerous individuals, he’d been allowed to bring his own toothbrush.

Moving to the hallway, he picks up her landline and dials.

“Dana?” Maggie Scully’s voice answers on the second ring.

“No, sorry, Mrs. Scully, it’s Fox Mulder.”

“I saw Dana’s name on the caller ID, is she with you?” Her voice carries worry.

“No, I’m just here at her apartment watering her plants, sorry to confuse you. Have you been in touch with Dana, Mrs. Scully?”

“No, Fox, I haven’t heard from her in weeks. She told me she had an assignment that would take her away for a while and that she’d be unreachable, but I’m a little concerned that she hasn’t contacted me yet.”

Mulder closes his eyes. “I wish I had anything to share, Mrs. Scully, but I’m in somewhat of the same boat. A.D. Skinner isn’t concerned and it does sound like he’s in touch with her, but I was hoping she might have called you.”

“I’m afraid not,” Maggie replies sadly.

“What did she tell you when she left? Did she share any information at all?” he asks hopefully.

“Um, let me think. She said she was going on an assignment and that she’d be out of touch for a few weeks. And she said she’d bring me some Tastykakes when she comes home,” she adds.

“Tastykakes, what are those?” Mulder asks, his investigative senses tingling.

“They’re a treat we always get when we go to Philadelphia; little packaged snack cakes. The kids always loved them.”

“Are they only available in Philadelphia?” he asks, heart pumping.

“I’m not sure, but that’s where we always get them,” Maggie says hopefully.

“Thank you, Mrs. Scully. That’s really helpful. I’ll let you know if I track her down, okay?”

“Thank you, Fox. Take care.”

Setting the phone back on its cradle, he does a little victory dance. It isn’t much, but it’s something. Scully is just a few hours away in the city of brotherly love.

Three weeks. It’s been three weeks of practicing stage sets and lap dances in the afternoon, serving drinks in the evening and well into the middle of the night, and then sleeping until noon. Her arms and legs bear fading bruises from her acclimation to Paul the Pole, the crooks of her elbows and knees sporting slight calluses that help her get a good grip (with an assist from the grip powder Angel has instructed her to use). She’s given Tibet and Angel dozens of lap dances each, the other standing by to coach her on making sure one foot stays on the floor. After three weeks, she found that her barriers were mostly in her head. Once she was able to let go and just move, she’s actually pretty good at it.

That day she arrives in pink cotton shorts and a white tank top, now so used to being scantily clad that it no longer makes her self-conscious, and prepares to do a full dress rehearsal of the routine she worked up with Angel’s help. Queenie and Ricky sit down to observe what is more or less a test of her readiness, and one she intends to pass. Where she would have expected to feel nervous, she’s excited, ever the eager student motivated to impress and exceed expectations. Ben kills the daytime lights to make it look and feel like it would if they were open, and her set begins.

Moving onto the stage, she can barely see her audience with the bright lights trained on her. She quickly gets lost in the movements she rehearsed, feeling graceful as she circles the pole and hitches an arm around it, spinning in a feathery arc. When the point in the dance comes to remove her shirt, she does so as a well practiced step in a strategy, without any feelings of exposure. Soon enough her bra follows suit and she is left with only her tiny pink shorts, nipples hardening as they graze the pole. The undulation of her hips, the pop of her booty out towards the audience, the slip of a hand down the inside of her thigh; they’re each a part of the method. Precisely planned and executed in much the same way as she might dismantle and clean her gun, or prepare a slide for the microscope. It isn’t much different than performing an autopsy, she had reasoned. Except instead of: Y incision, open rib cage, remove organs, examine stomach contents, collect specimens, examine brain, it’s: arch back, grasp breasts, spread legs, thrust pelvis, rub thighs, grind on the pole. She’s always found her strength in taking a clinical, detached approach to difficult tasks, and that turns out to be just as effective on the stage as it is in the lab.

As she finishes, her small audience erupts into applause, standing in ovation as Ben brings the house lights up halfway. Scully smiles shyly, stepping down to join them on the floor as Ricky approaches her and slings an arm around her bare shoulders.

“That was fucking fantastic, Desi. Sexy as fuck. Let me see you do a lap dance now.”

Continue Reading

[firstagent]

Review! Digimon Adventure: (2020) Episode 51: The Mystery Hidden Within the Crests

In this episode, a research consortium pulls the team aside and forces them to wonder about the crests they’ve been ignoring since the very beginning.

In case you needed any more proof that the fight against Millenniumon was a fleeting and relatively insignificant moment in the series, consider how quickly everyone moves on to other business. Without a moment’s hesitation, with barely a second thought, everybody is ready for the next thing. It’s as if Millenniumon was never the cataclysmic battle the show spent twenty episodes assuring us it was. As a way to set up the next arc, this could be far worse. There’s a promise of another major clash, a mystery to investigate, and a genuinely interesting development poking out from the background. But its entire premise underscores just how badly the kids refuse to consider their own situation and complacently ride the rails the world puts them on.

Even if we the audience know the adventure isn’t over, it would have been awfully nice if the kids themselves believed it a little longer. They get their moment on the hillside to relax for a minute—they’ve earned that—but before they get a chance to really ask the question, Garbemon buzzes them with their next instructions. Mimi’s rightfully annoyed at the interruption, but everyone’s quick to end their break and pop off to the next thing. For all that we’re supposed to believe they’ve gone through, there’s no sign of weariness, no thoughts of going home, and only the tiniest echoes of hope that this was the end. This isn’t the only season guilty of ignoring this (Xros Wars even doubles down when only Akari seems to show trip fatigue), but it’s another missed opportunity to humanize the kids a little before returning to business.

Garbemon leads them to an impressive research facility, populated by scattered cameos and Wisemon from Xros Wars. But rather than experimenting on the kids ahead of Millenniumon’s revival, they’ve been hard at work investigating data and hosting the giant crests hovering over an altar. The result of their research? Absolutely nothing. They spin that as a positive, a known mystery they’re curious to have no data on, suggesting that it goes further back than recorded history. It’s a legitimate mindset, but it also takes away any purpose beyond translating whatever future discoveries the kids are bound to make. Oh, and making the kids actually think about this stuff for once.

It’s amazing how little thought the kids have put into where they are and what they’re being dragged through. The crests have consistently appeared before them to boost their power at opportune moments, but not a single one of them has given it a second thought. Koshiro dismissed them as some sort of ID tag, despite bearing no resemblance to the written Digital World language he’s encountered before. Even then, he didn’t bother bringing it up until now. Given the power that they surely must have recognized is attached to those symbols, why should they be so surprised to see them on ancient pedestals? Why wouldn’t they want to understand the significance of them, especially when they’re unique to each individual and the reward is maximizing the power they generate? That’s power they should have needed against what they should have believed was the ultimate enemy.

Considering how much Millenniumon had been hyped, they’re not that shocked to know there’s something worse beyond him. Clearly they noticed how easily he went down too. The Great Catastrophe is too vague to think about right now, but the fact that the Soundbirdmon are back and unleashing attacks speaks to… something relevant. So is the sudden inability for Patamon and Tailmon to evolve. It’s a good thing there are interesting tidbits in all that, because there was nothing special in that fight with the Kirby knockoff.

There’s also something kind of interesting about the compasses all pointing in different directions. It’s the first time the show suggested the kids’ paths are supposed to be different. It acknowledges that they’re different people, their crests mean different things, and they’re going to behave differently to reach their full potential. Because after fifty episodes, they haven’t yet. They’ve been almost entirely uniform in their thinking, with no disagreements in sight. So that lack of foundation makes it easy to be cynical about this gesture. You’d be inclined to dismiss this as an excuse to split up the party again.

My Grade: C

Loose Data:

How embarrassing for the kids that they hadn’t questioned the crests at all while Garbemon gets a glimpse at one and immediately recognizes its significance and drops everything else to research it.

Given its previous usages in the franchise, the mad Yggdrasil vibes coming out of this research facility are awfully strange. No points if it turns out that was intentional.

The return of the Soundbirdmon is very notable as it harkens back to the Devimon faction, potentially independent from the Millenniumon camp. Two different enemy camps would have been kind of fun if they had clashed for more than five seconds and if we hadn’t long forgotten about the Devimon camp.

Between the focus on the mountain of unsortable junk data at the facility Burpmon spitting out Garbemon because he doesn’t like garbage, you would have thought the solution would be using the unappetizing junk to deter him from eating the fighters or their attacks. But no, it was using whatever they had lying around to stuff his pie hole! He’ll eat junk just fine; Garbemon was just a red herring.

It took them ten episodes to drive from the area around the hot spring to FAGA. It took them half a second to get from FAGA to the research center. Watch how little time it takes to get from the research center back to the hot spring.

Actually, how weird is it that Joe’s solution to Patamon and Tailmon’s inability to evolve is to take them to a spa treatment at an notoriously unwelcoming hot spring?

See reviews of every Digimon episode at Digimon: System Restore! Support the site by joining our Patreon!

[sheron-c]

XiSang Fic Recs

I haven’t seen any rec lists floating about, so for the XiSang Week 2020 challenge - Day 7 - Free choice, I wanted to create a rec list of my personal favourites for Nie Huaisang/Lan Xichen ship. There’s actually a lot of stories that are great and I don’t want to duplicate the entire ship tag, so these are just the top 10 that I found super enjoyable: 1.  My Heart is a Saber by peskyjellyfish (~11k)

Summary: Huaisang is on his way to Xinglu Ridge when he gets sidetracked. Rec: This is the fic that gave me everything I wanted to read about them post-canon. Nie Huaisang is angry and damaged, Lan Xichen is hurt and curious, and they find the kind of hope in despair that can only be found together. 2.  come and find me (lying in the bed i made) by ImaginationCake  @demonic-cultivar​ (~22k)

Summary: After Jin Guangyao dies, Nie Huaisang is ready to enjoy his life free from the burden of revenge plots and subterfuge. But his decisions have resulted in a deep guilt that he can't shake, and he struggles to stay afloat with no one left to support him. To top it off, he finds himself tangled up in politics that he really couldn't care less about.What he does care about is Lan Xichen's opinion of him, but Lan Xichen won't even look at him anymore. Nie Huaisang can only hope that his life doesn't get any worse. Rec: The fic that got me into this ship! ♡ I did of course come to AO3 looking for more NHS & LXC content immediately after watching the Untamed. After seeing that ending scene with their conversation on the Temple’s steps I wanted more, but I wasn’t sure it was a romantic ship for me until I read this story. It’s got everything, a kidnapping, a rescue and a bad case of feelings :D 3.  A Skilled Tactician is the Jewel of a Kingdom by Hypatia3 (~50k, WIP) Summary: During the Sunshot Campaign, Nie Huaisang wants to help despite his terrible sword skills. But there are other things he's good at, and nobody can say his mind is weak. But nobody has to know.After all, he wants to go back to his life of general uselessness after the war is over, and Nie Mingjue would never allow it if he saw a single sign of competence from him.But this has consequences that he didn't expect. Rec: One of the absolute best stories in this fandom when it comes to Nie Huaisang’s characterization -- he’s clever and yet so very Huaisang, in such a believable way that *hands* I can’t explain how much satisfaction I get out of reading and rereading this story. Honourable mention:  A Decisive Victory by Hypatia3 (~24k, WIP) Summary: When Jin Guangyao acts against the Nie Sect a little earlier, Nie Huaisang ends up in over his head as acting sect leader. But he has a responsibility and a duty to his sect. His brother is counting on him until he recovers.Or Nie Huaisang loses his temper, starts a war, and impresses a lot of people along the way. Rec: This is not marked XiSang, and is a divergence from the earlier Tactician story (around chapter 7) but it’s such fun to read and Huaisang’s interactions with Lan Xichen are top notch, so I can’t help mentioning it here.

4.  from tomb to tomb by @the-pretzel​  (~16k)

Summary: It's a lot easier to get truth out of someone, even one with a very good reason to lie, when they're drunk. Or, five times Nie Huaisang was drunk and once it was Lan Xichen's turn instead. Rec: Written to capture moments over the years during the course of the show, as Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang dance around each other, this story is absolutely beautiful and vivid. I can still see the scenes of the story pop up in my head like drawings, of Lan Xichen walking in on semi-hungover Nie Huaisang and the sheer tension between them enough to keep you breathlessly reading.

Honourable mention:  when i'm reborn by @the-pretzel (~1.1k)

Summary:  Nie Huaisang's daemon settles the day he finds out what Jin Guangyao has done. (His Dark Materials fusion) Rec: A very short, very lovely daemon AU, which I’m definitely reading as XiSang :)

5.  What I had to do by @ibijau​ (~20k) Summary:  After three years in seclusion, Lan Xichen gets an unexpected guest he would rather have avoided. Yet when he learns that Nie Huaisang is dying from a curse, he is forced to confront his guilt toward Jin Guangyao's fate and the people his sworn brother hurt. Rec: I’d say this is a fandom classic, so you’ve probably read it already :D But, one of my favourite things about this story is the way it captures Nie Huaisang running away from emotions, and Lan Xichen being selfless when it comes to those he cares about. 6.  gather jewels from graveyards by LuckyDiceKirby (~15k) Summary: Nie Huaisang stole happiness from Lan Xichen. He stole peace. If he could just see him, and see for himself exactly what he’s done, and know—that will be enough. Then he’ll be able to paint again, and his hands won’t shake as he does it, and he’ll remember why he ever in his life bothered to put brush to ink to paper. After all, a man should have to live with his mistakes. There is no other way to learn from them. His brother believed that. Rec: One of the first stories I read for this ship and so well done! This is one where Nie Huaisang feels very guilty, and who doesn’t enjoy reading that? Nie Huaisang comes to the Hanshi to make amends, and doesn’t go away when Lan Xichen won’t see him.

7.  When the world is cold (I will feel a glow) by @marsdiogenes (~3k)

Summary: Xichen is trying very hard to get his crush to notice him, but gallery curator Nie Huaisang has a job to do and would appreciate it if Lan Xichen's beautiful face would stop for a moment so he can focus. Mingjue just wants to have a nice, quiet family dinner and for everyone to respect his efforts.

Rec: I don’t normally go for Modern AUs for this ship, but this was so fun and sexy! Also Nie Mingjue’s knowing reaction is :3 8.  to embrace doubt by fensandmarshes, Fleetling, idendreams, medievalfantasyqueen, space_enjolras, sxnshot (blasphemyincarnate)

Summary: Five times people thought they understood Nie Huaisang + one time someone admitted they didn’t - a collaborative, semi-chronological character study of Nie Huaisang through other characters’ eyes. Rec: Okay, it’s technically not marked shippy, but you tell me that someone who thinks about Nie Huaisang the way Lan Xichen does in this story, in the chapter that’s from his pov can possibly not love him, and I won’t believe it. The lyrical prose is the best description in a paragraph I’ve ever read of Nie Huaisang.

9.  Love of my life, I hate you by Ibijau (~126k) Summary:  With Qishan Wen growing ever more powerful and menacing, QInghe Nie and Gusu Lan decide to cement a firm alliance between their sects through a marriage between their children. Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang are less than thrilled to learn this, but nobody is asking for their opinion anyway Rec: At first, I wasn’t sold on Lan Xichen being so thoughtless in his treatment of Nie Huaisang as a child and mostly wanted to smack him, but damn if the later events don’t make up for it, make him grow up, and turn the tables around. :D This story is utterly satisfying to read, like one of those novels that give your Id everything you want, eventually. I love slow burn and this is that in spades! So much fun, I’ve re-read parts of it multiple times already.

Honourable mention: Ibijau has so many interesting XiSang stories, like the one where Jin Rusong survives and Nie Huaisang ends up raising him (Second Chances For First Time Villains), and the one where Lan Wangji and Nie Huaisang, both in love with someone else, make a marriage match and solve crimes together ( We can light a match and burn it down), the god!LXC AU, and many others. Check them out! And finally,

10.  Chapter 95: LXC finds out about JGY and tells NHS,  from MDZS short fics by nirejseki ( @robininthelabyrinth) (~1k) Summary:  In that AU where LXC pretends to be LWJ and discovers NMJ's head, what if he went on a quest to put the body of his old friend together and along the way accidentally ran into NHS who's on the same mission. And they realize the other knows! Rec: Nirejseki writes a lot of great Nie brothers content, and this is one short story that can arguably turn into XiSang in the future. The possibilities of this AU make it so exciting, I had to include it on the list even though NHS and LXC only talk and nothing else happens.  ...Okay, that was more than ten fics here, but can you blame me? 😍 I love these two together. And with the XiSang week running we have so much new stuff!

[shhh-no-ones-home]

artistry (1/2) bucky barnes x reader

+++++++++

part 1 part 2

therapy, and hatred for the same things; the beginning of a beautiful love story 😌

also sorry this is not any of the stories on the list i published a couple weeks ago. ive been submerged in the falcon and the winter soldier and really wanted to write more for Bucky so here's the beginning of that. i will be working on the other stories they just may take more time. but for now i hope you all enjoy the bucky content!

Song: never know by set it off

tag list: @cynic-spirit

+++++++++

I stood, knees to the couch, arms folded over my chest, Studying the wall as best I could. God I fucking hated it. It was so polite and warm and inviting. Barf.

"Disturbing."

I grumbled, hearing soft footsteps against the carpet.

"Oh sorry, they told me to wait in here I didn't realize there was someone-"

I glanced over at him for a moment. He seemed like he wanted to leave but I'm sure he was curious what I was doing. I was staring at the wall behind the couch after all.

"It's kind of infuriating isn't it?"

I asked, looking over the pale greens and blues.

"Um, what is?"

He now seemed very confused. I nodded towards the mural.

"Sometimes when I look at this wall too long I can just imagine myself punching a hole in it."

I half laughed.

"I couldn't tell you how many times I've wanted to offer to paint over it."

I uncrossed my arms, side stepping the couch and touching the wall gently.

"I never really thought about it but it is kind of ugly isn't it?"

He sent me a smile and I couldn't help laughing more.

"Y/n."

I said offering my hand to shake.

"James."

"Firm grip ya got there James."

He rubbed his gloved hands together, looking to the floor as his smile faded.

"Thought I knew my own strength."

I kept the smile on, touching his shoulder gently.

"Hey, a firm grip isn't necessarily a bad thing. Besides, no harm no foul. I'm sure you put it to good use."

I winked at him and he seemed like he didn't know what to do again. Until he let out a nervous laugh.

"Right."

I nodded once, looking back over the wall and dropping my hand from him.

"I should probably get going, doc should be in soon and I wouldn't want to take away from your session."

I walked past him.

"It was nice to meet you James."

As I reached the door he cleared his throat.

"Hey y/n-"

He said quickly and I turned back around to face him. He was fiddling with his fingertips, pinching the leather of the black gloves.

"I uh, don't get out much but I was wondering if you'd like to get a drink. Maybe, talk about how you'd repaint this wall?"

He pointed to it haphazardly, a smile making its way back to his face. In that moment I couldn't help the one creeping it's way across my own lips. I nodded quickly.

"I'd like that a lot James, uh here, you can call or text me at this number and we can work something out."

As I spoke I reached into my bag and pulled out a business card that I probably hadn't used in too long. The edges were fraying and my occupation had changed but I handed it to him anyway. He held it between both hands and looked over it.

"Are you free tonight?"

He asked, hope behind his eyes. I pretended to think for a moment.

"Ya know what I think I am."

I said and his smile got wider.

"Meet me at the bar at the corner of tenth and Jefferson?"

I nodded slowly at his inquisition, backing up into the doorway and squeaking when my back hit the wood.

"Eight o'clock, don't be late."

I said, turning and almost running into Dr Raynor.

"Oh, sorry, uh have a good session."

I mumbled quickly, ducking past her.

"I'll see you tonight James."

°°°°°°°°°

As I sat at the bar alone I began to doubt he was even coming. It was almost nine already and I was starting to think I was stupid for even waiting this long. Maybe I should go. Or maybe I should try to find someone else to talk to. The band was pretty good after all. I sighed and raised my finger to get the bartenders attention. when she turned around i opened my mouth-

"I'll have what she's having."

I heard, looking over to James with wide eyes as he sat beside me. He was wearing a navy blue leather jacket of some kind that exposed his left, metal, arm.

"You actually came."

I said surprised. He seemed almost ashamed.

"Sorry I'm late. My friend needed me and we got a little caught up. I was going to call but-"

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and the top was barely hanging onto the base by a wire. the flip phone kind of took me aback though. but it didnt matter, he showed up.

"It's okay, im just glad you actually came."

He let out a nervous laugh and took a sip of the drink the bartender had sat down.

"I was hoping you'd still wanna talk, even though I'm an hour late."

I nodded, looking over his face as he fully turned to me and my face fell.

"An hour late and bleeding."

I reached towards him and touched his temple gently. He winced at first.

"You wanna get out of here? I can get that fixed up; I only live about a block away."

I suggested and he nodded slowly.

"Uh yeah, I'd like that."

I paid the bartender and stood up, James following me outside. I inhaled deeply at the scent of rain as the sky darkened with clouds.

"So, something life-threatening happen on your way here?"

I asked, laughing a little as he looked to me.

"I'm kidding. Unless it did, in which case I'm glad you're okay."

He scratched the back of his neck, pacing slowly beside me.

"Good talk."

I said and he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry I just, I don't do this often and I feel like I've already lost my chance with you."

I looked to him and drew my brows.

"would i have invited you to my house if you had?"

he shrugged, side nodding before tucking his hands into his pockets. i frowned when he didnt respond.

"look, james, i think I'll be the judge of whether or not youve lost your chance and right now I say you haven't. but you said you wanted to talk and there's not a whole lot of that going on."

He let out a nervous laugh.

"Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

I asked, slipping my right hand into his left elbow and he stopped. He looked down at our arms connected for a second and then I felt bad.

"Sorry, I just uh, figured it'd lighten the mood a bit. Sorry."

I pulled away and kept walking.

"Wait. No, it's just-"

I looked back at him and watched as he opened and closed his hand a few times.

"I don't really associate good things with it so it took me off guard a little bit. You can, uh, you can hold my hand if you want. That's fine."

He stepped closer to me and took my hand in his. I smiled at him and nodded.

"Thanks, I guess I just wasn't really thinking."

We kept walking.

"It doesn't bother you?"

He asked and I shrugged.

"Why would it bother me?"

There was a long silence as we rounded the street corner.

"I don't know."

He said softly.

"Uh, we're here."

I said, letting go of his hand and walking up the stairs to unlock my front door, looking to him as he looked over it. when i offered for him to come inside he hesitated for a moment but followed me in anyway.

"here you can sit here, let me get a look at where this blood is coming from."

he watched as i pulled the stool out form under my breakfast bar and i felt more nervous than before. it had suddenly occurred to me that we would be getting much closer and that led to some pretty self-conscious thoughts. but who was i kidding? he bared himself to me already, why should i be scared?

i inhaled deeply as he sat, moving to turn another light on so i could see better. i moved back over to stand between his legs, touching his jaw lightly and tilting his head down. he kept his eyes on me as i touched the wound gently, hearing his breathing hitch in the back of his throat before i let go to get a cold wash rag.

"so, you wanna tell me what happened?"

i asked, trying to lighten the mood as i came back and began wiping the dried blood away from the cut at his hairline. my finger tips were at his chin and he seemed more relaxed now.

"i was helping a friend."

he repeated like before. i nodded once.

"you live a dangerous life don't you James?"

he looked up at me with innocent eyes.

"bucky."

he said and i raised a brow.

"bucky?"

"thats what my friends call me."

i nodded once.

"are you calling me a friend?"

i asked and he finally cracked a smile.

"if you want to be."

he said and i let out a short laugh.

"and if i dont?"

his smile began to fade and he cleared his throat. i looked to the ceiling for a moment before leaning down and kissing his cheek gently.

"thats not what i meant bucky."

when he looked back up at me he seemed so lost, like this was a new type of kindness. part of my heart broke thinking about what could have happened to lead him here.

"what do you say we call this a trial run? we can take a weekend sometime and maybe go to the art museum down the street, get pizza for lunch, and just have a good time."

he seemed like he was still trying to study me as i put the wash rag on the counter and wiped my wet hands on my jeans.

"no blood, no confusion, just two people having a good time."

i held my hand out for him to shake. he nodded slowly, the smile barely there as he reached for it.

"i think id like that y/n. i think id like that a lot."

[plaidbooks]

Best Friends - an EDL Bonus

A/N: This is just a collection of Devon and Sonny bonding--I wanted them to be close, but there was nowhere to really put it in the main story. This chapter references “Sheltered Outcasts” and “Intersecting Lives/Heartfelt Passages” (yup, Mike dies in this one--I very briefly mention it). This takes place in the middle of chapter 15, but does not spoil anything for that chapter. Also hey! The dude who threatened Barba in the show is here!

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Tags: normal SVU stuff, mentions of death

Words: 2497

Taglist: @the-baby-bookworm @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @stardust-fray @permanentlydizzy @glowingmess @ben-c-group-therapy @infiniteoddball @whimsicallymad @averyhotchner @mrsrafaelbarba @dianilaws @detective-giggles @evee87

SVU Department

Friday, March 18th. 12:05pm

Devon made it into the 16th precinct, looking for Detective Fin, maybe Detective Rollins or Sonny…anyone but Liv. She glanced around, trying to find any of the detectives when her eyes locked with the Lieutenant’s. Devon tried to hide behind a passing officer, but to no avail.

“Really, Dev?” Olivia asked, coming over to the agent.

Devon smiled sheepishly at her friend. “I’m sorry, Liv. But now that Rafael’s back to work, I’m just going crazy at home. Are you positive you don’t have anything I can help you with?”

“Can you lift your arm over your head yet?”

Devon nodded, then demonstrated, lifting her left arm gingerly upwards until it was as high as she could normally reach. The physical therapy was going well; she had her full range of motions back. The muscular strength, though….

Olivia, sensing this, commanded, “lift that stapler over your head.”

Devon turned to Sonny’s desk, staring at the stapler sitting innocently on the hard wood. Detectives Fin, Carisi and Rollins had come back from whatever they had been doing and were watching now. Not wanting to appear weak, Devon took the stapler in her left hand. She got it off the desk and made it until about chest height before she dropped it, hissing in pain.

Olivia sighed, stooping to pick up the stapler. “If you knew you couldn’t lift it, then don’t hurt yourself, Dev.” Her eyes softened as she replaced the stapler on the desk. “Go home. Relax. Take this time to reconnect with yourself.” Devon ducked her head, not making eye contact, and nodded. “Carisi, could you give Devon a ride home, please?”

“Sure thing, Lieu,” Sonny replied, coming over to Devon. Defeated, she followed the detective out to his squad car. But before they got in, Sonny gestured to her, getting her attention. “Hey Dev, can I talk to you about somethin’?”

Curious, Devon replied with, “of course, you can. What’s on your mind?”

Sonny seemed a little nervous, shifting on his feet before he started. “It’s just…I just did an undercover in a shelter, with sex offenders…posing as a sex offender. And, I don’t know, I just don’t think I’m cut out for the whole undercover thing.” He stopped there. Devon watched, waiting for him to continue. He took a deep breath, then continued, “ya know, I went in hating those guys, thinking that 20 years was them getting off easy. But now, after spending so much time with ‘em, it’s hard to not feel…to not think that they may have changed since they were arrested.”

Devon nodded. “You saw them as people, rather than the criminals you normally see them as.”

“Exactly! That’s exactly it. And I just…I don’t know how to…” he trailed off.

“Sonny, don’t feel guilty about it; they are still people. Sure, some of them are the worst of the worst. But a lot of them do go to therapy, go through rehabilitation. It’s just that loud, violent minority that overrides the ones that do make it.”

Sonny shifted again, looking at the ground. “I’m just…I’m scared that the next time I’m interrogating a sex offender, that I won’t be able to do it well.” There it was, his real fear.

Devon took her time thinking about her words before answering. “Hey,” she started softly, waiting until he looked up at her. “Like I said, there’s a loud, violent minority that doesn’t get better, that are horrible rapists. If you want to help the victim, then you have to treat your perps like they are that minority. It’s sad, and it may be unfair, but that’s just how it is.”

He nodded slowly, letting her words sink in. “God, I don’t know how you do undercover so much,” he grinned.

Devon smirked back. “Undercover is rough; it’s not for everyone. Plus, I get to go into sex trafficking rings and drug busts, not therapy sessions.” She tapped her hand on top of the car before going to open the door, but Sonny had frozen, his eyes locked on the spot her hand tapped. “Uh, you alright there, Sonny?”

Slowly, his bright blue eyes shifted to hers, and a grin broke across his face. “Did I just see a ring on your finger?”

Devon’s eyes widened and her face split into a matching smile. “Ah, did Rafael not tell anyone that he proposed?” She shook her head at her fiancé’s silence, but Sonny was already coming around the car, sweeping her into a huge hug, singing his congratulations and dragging her back into the precinct to show everyone else.

Apartment of Rafael Barba and Devon Motely

Friday April 8th. 1:35pm

Devon was lounging on the couch, watching the Mets game when she got a call. Looking at the ID, her brow furrowed, seeing Sonny’s name displayed there. They were already friends, but ever since their undercover talk, Devon and Sonny grew closer. They had an understanding of each other, and Sonny felt like he had someone to talk to about tough cases, someone that wasn’t on the force, or his priest. And talking to Sonny about SVU cases gave Devon something to do; she was still barred from going to the department, but she could at least give some advice. Consultations, as Barba called it.

“Hey, Dev. I’m just calling to give you an update. Someone threatened Barba, so we have a protection detail—” Sonny started. Devon could vaguely hear Barba yelling something in the background, something that sounded like, “is that Devon? Are you insane??” But Devon had stopped listening, her stomach dropping.

“I’ll be right there,” she replied.

“No, no, it’s fine. See, I’m just calling to let you know that it’s all taken care of—” Sonny was backtracking hard; Barba’s voice could still be heard in the background, calling him an idiot.

“I’m on my way.” Devon had turned off the TV, grabbed her glock and badge, and was making her way to the door.

“Wait, Dev—” Sonny started but she hung up, already out the door, hurrying down the steps and waving down a cab.

Office of Rafael Barba

1 Hogan Place

Friday, April 8th. 1:52pm

Devon almost sprinted to Barba’s office, pushing past the crowd of attorneys. Two officers were stationed outside his office, set up by Carmen’s desk. The officers attempted to stop her, but she shot them a glare, showed her badge, and pushed past them. Sonny was still inside, as was Detective Rollins.  Barba, who was standing by his chair, hands on his table, groaned when he saw you.

“Dammit, Carisi; now my injured fiancée is here, in danger,” he glared at the detective, who put his hands up in surrender.

“I’m sorry, Barba. I didn’t think she’d come. I just wanted to let her know what was happenin’,” he explained.

Devon crossed the room quickly, wrapping her arms around Barba’s shoulders, kissing his cheek briefly. “What’s this about you being threatened?”

Barba placed his hands on the arm across his front, leaning his head against her chest for a moment before he broke away. “It’s nothing, mi amor. Nothing worse than before. Besides, I got a protection detail on me already. You should be home, resting.”

Devon clucked her tongue at him. “I’ve been resting, for months. I’m getting tired of it, honestly. Plus, I still got one good arm; if I recall, I was able to protect you before with only one arm.” She smiled faintly, remembering those early days, when their only worries were the Aces, and not the NYPD, or anyone that they felt like they could hire. “Does this have anything to do with that CO your prosecuting?”

“Probably,” he muttered. Right then, both detective’s phones went off. They glanced at the message, then at each other.

“Gotta go,” Rollins said as they both hurried out.

Devon watched them leave. “That sounded bad.” Barba nodded in agreement.

Apartment of Rafael Barba and Devon Motely

Friday, April 8th. 9:37pm

“I still don’t know why we need an unmarked outside. They realize that I live here, right?” Devon said, leaning against Barba’s frame. They were on the couch, the news on in the background, but neither of them really watching it. It was simply on for noise; the air was too tight in the silence.

“Just for protection, Cariño,” Barba replied, pulling her closer against him. They were both waiting, though neither mentioned it. Sergeant Mike Dodds, on his last day with SVU, was shot on the job. He was in the hospital right now, and they were waiting to hear from Olivia, or any of SVU, on his condition. They both wanted to be there, but Olivia barred them, saying it was safer for them to stay home. So, home they were. At least until tomorrow, then they’d visit, safe or not. If he was still alive, though neither one acknowledged that thought. He had to be alive…he had to be.

“I cannot believe I had to hear that you were threatened through fucking Sonny, again,” she huffed, though she wasn’t really mad. She knew why Barba didn’t say anything. And while she was incredibly grateful that Sonny did, she also knew that there wasn’t much she could do in her condition. Plus, if she was planning on retiring from the Feds, then she wouldn’t be able to do anything, anyways. And she was going to have to get used to that, as much as she didn’t want to.

“Remind me to strangle him next time I see him,” Barba muttered under his breath and Devon chuckled.

“I’d love to see you reach that high,” she smirked.

Barba shot her a glare. “I’m taller than you.”

“Yes, but I’ve been trained to take down people bigger than me. If I remember correctly, I’m the one that taught you how to throw a punch.”

“And you’re a good teacher. That’s why I know I could take Fordham down.”

This made Devon laugh out loud. Just then, Barba’s phone went off, and Devon’s laughter came to an abrupt end, waiting to hear the news.

“Barba.” He waited while he listened. “What?” He waited again, then sighed. “I’m so sorry, Liv…. Do you want us there?” He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Devon sat up to look at him, concern blossoming in her chest. “Okay, we’ll be there first thing in the morning. Thanks for calling. Get some sleep, okay? Bye.” He sat there for a moment after he hung up. He took a deep breath, “Mike Dodds just died.”

Devon’s heart stopped. “What? How? I thought Liv said he woke up, was doing fine?”

“He had a massive stroke, couldn’t recover.” Barba couldn’t go on.

Devon felt the unspoken words. This could’ve been her, when she was shot just a few short months ago. This could’ve been her fate. Devon leaned back against him, head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, bringing her close to him.

“I love you, Dev. I love you so much,” he whispered into her hair, kissing the top of her head softly.

She stroked his arm with her fingers gently. “I love you, too, Rafael.”

Forlini’s

Saturday, April 9th. 3:35pm

The bar was packed with officers in their dress blues; everyone in there was celebrating the life of Sergeant Mike Dodds. He was a good man, and he had touched all of their lives in one way or another. Devon had only met the man once, maybe twice, but he was nothing but kind, professional. She had an instant like of him and was sad that she never got to work with him, really. She was more there for support of her friends at SVU, and for Barba, who knew the man more than she did. And while she listened and laughed with those who told stories of the Sergeant, she couldn’t help but feel an uneasiness…a guiltiness. She felt it the most when was gave her condolences to Chief Dodds, Mike’s father. He had been polite, cordial. But she could still feel the animosity…or was that in her mind? Was it survivor’s guilt, even if she wasn’t involved in the shooting? Even now, sitting at the bar with Barba and Sonny, she could feel the Chief’s eyes on her, questioning why she had lived while his son had not.

SVU Department

Sunday, April 10th. 9:30am

“He looks so much smaller in there,” Barba said as the men in the lineup were led away.

“Any chance I could get 10 minutes alone with the guy?” Devon asked, still glaring at the man who had threatened her fiancé. Ten minutes was a long time, and she’d make every minute count. Barba smirked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her from the window.

While Sonny walked with them, he said, “Felipe was paid $250 each time he talked to you, counselor.”

“$250, that’s it? I should be offended,” Barba scoffed. “Who paid him?”

“Wouldn’t say, but we’re keeping the protection detail on ya.”

Devon perked up, “again, just 10 minutes with the guy. I can get it out of him.” Though, she shuddered when she remembered Barba’s face the last time he watched her interrogate someone.

Barba just squeezed her tighter before he turned to Sonny. “You still want to be an ADA?”

Sonny shifted. “I’ve been thinkin’ about it, yeah.”

“I’ve heard there’s an opening in Brooklyn. I can put in a good word for you.”

Sonny looked touched at the offer, but declined, saying, “I took an oath to serve and protect. ‘Sides, after what happened, it just doesn’t feel like the right time, ya know?”

Barba nodded. “I get it. In the end, we’re all just passing through…. How’s Benson doing?”

“She’s…taking it pretty hard,” Sonny mumbled. Weren’t they all? Barba used his free hand to pat Sonny’s shoulder before he led Devon out of the precinct.

Once they had made it into the back of a cab, Devon said, “let’s get married sooner rather than later.”

Barba raised an eyebrow. “Scared I’ll run off?”

She smiled at him, giving his chest a light smack. “No, I just—life’s too short, ya know?”

That sobered Barba’s mood as he nodded. “Think June is too close?”

It was early April now; that gave them about two months to plan everything. That seemed doable to Devon, but it still gave her pause; having a date in mind made everything real. She still had to leave the Bureau, figure out what the hell kind of wedding they were even going to have. Though, if there was one thing she knew about Barba, it was that he was an amazing planner. She didn’t know, however, how well his court planning’s would translate to wedding planning.

“June sounds perfect,” she replied, leaning in to give him a sweet kiss. He returned it, grinning against her mouth.

[hazbinextgeneration]

Into the Casino Ch12

The trip back home wasn't anything he hadn't been expecting. She was quiet for the most part with only gazing out the window and him patting her arm in reassurance and smiling in glee. He had made good progress today. Found out a whole bunch of stuff for his curious mind to disect like a frog in class and exploit it when the time was right. But for now, he preferred to get home and get some greatly deserved rest. And that they did. But Amalfia still couldn't shake the....strange feelings she that was still bouncing around her skull. Mostly around one particular issue....Who was Lou? Now that question could easily be answered with 'He's your boss of course.' or 'He's the guy courting you.'. Or another number of things. The casino's owner. The one who helped her. Mr. Lou- But she wasn't interested in that. She still got a strange feeling whenever she stared into those red eyes. They held something behind that smile. She tried asking Cyber about him....buuut

"Eh- I don't think it's my place to really say. Everyone's past down here is personal to them. Why don't you ask him yourself? Ain't he supposed to be the one you're dating or something?" And her answer told her if she asked anyone else they would give the same answer or refuse...Frankly she did ask once or twice more about the topic, but he expertly dodged it and changed the topic back to her and asked her questions on her likes and interests. Not that she didn't appreciate he seemed to want to know about her but she barely knew anything about him. And this wasn't about to be another one sided romance with a man she barely knew. She wasn't about to be put through that thing again. Not if she could help it. But that idea was pushed back for now because after a few days of her normal routine of waking up by Cyber and working on whatever list Lou gave her for the day, she was surprised when one day when Lou came up and announced they were again going to that side shop he knew and getting her a new dress for her. She blinked and asked why. He chuckled. "The ball of course.~ You don't think I would let a beautiful young lady like yourself go in just any dress, did you? Oh no, no. My dear. Nothing but the best for the woman I ...adore.~" So once again she was whisked off into the car, down to the Black Market, and taken into that little clothes shop. But this time he introduced her to the small ladies who ran the place and beckoned her to be taken to the back...Well she wasn't to be taken back there by herself with two absolute strangers and gripped onto him as one tried to reach out to take her. Making Lou raise a brow and get to play the hero as he gently assured her and brought her into the back room himself. After explaining exactly what they were looking for, in Lou's words: "I want something resembling the radiance and grace of a peacock. I trust you ladies to work your magic with what I pay you." She blinked up at his request and rose a brow. A peacock? He wasn't going to ask her what she wanted in the dress? She didn't have to ask when she was ushered by the women and was made to pose out as they took measurements of around her midsection and chest, height, and strangely enough her arms. All the while she nervously glanced back between them and Lou who always gave a smile and those strange red eyes. And funnily enough, as soon as they were done it was time to go back home. All of that which took the amount of one hour to happen. He had no interest in stopping anywhere else it seemed, wanting to hurry and get her back home. In their hurry she didn't even notice Cyber had tagged along until she was back in the car. ...He was that much in a hurry huh? But once and a while-...The question and worries would still bounce around and cause her to sometimes space out in thought. But other than that, she didn't think about it once...That was until she was gathering dirty laundry to clean and when she picked up the very same dress Cyber had her squeeze into before that 'date' and wouldn't you know it? A small pink piece of paper slide out and she almost missed it if the golden shiny words written on it hadn't shimmered in the light and caught her eye as it landed by her hooves. Making her pause and blink at it. She slowly bent down and picked it up, bringing it too her face to read the small print. And those eyes lit up. This was-...This is the card Rita had handed to her. And the words were still neatly printed and bold enough for her to read the address and name of the club she owned. And an their conversation came rushing back to her. "W-Well he knows Mr. Charles-"

"Oh! Trust me. Those two know each other very well. They have past connections through their second businesses...Still do."

... ..... ......?!

Charles KNEW Lou. And he knew enough it seemed about him to have an actual past and enough to hate him....He could answer all your questions, a small voice whispered to her and her eyes widened. She could find out exactly what he was like. What he did. WHo he was. Her body lighting up at the excitement of it all....Before it all came crashing down. She wasn't sure how Lou would feel about her leaving let alone going to one of his rivals and talking with a man who clearly made it clear they hated each other even if Lou's smile hid it very well. He would definately be against the idea if he didn't tell her no first....And that's when the idea came to her. She quickly tucked the card into her dress pocket and grabbed the laundry. She had a certain set of Rules to check. ***************************************************************************************************** The familiar clanking footsteps of Cyber's feet came down the hallway. Another day of waking up Fuzzy and getting her groggy self ready to go do whatever Lou decided to haul her around to do. He was certainly enjoying taking his time with this whole take over plan. He was acting most days as if there wasn't any plan and looking through schedules and taking care of the fools betting souls and watching the flow of new ones steadily come to him. It what made him the powerhouse he was...but if this whole scheme of using her magic worked...he just might become one of the new overlords. She saw the lust for power he always had when he made contracts or one a particularly hefty pile of souls to add to his ever growing power and collection. But it always increased by a large amount when he spoke of the many things he wanted to do with her magic once he figured out how to extract it from her. But she still thought the party was a stupid idea. Too many people could see her for what she really was and it could turn into a real problem. She has TRIED to explain it too him- "I don't think this is a good idea, Boss. What if someone sees her? The horn is a pretty dead give away." "Cyber, you underestimate me. 'Sides, no one really feels any energy off her correct?" "Well...no. She radiates about as much energy as the janitor. But those outbursts though, big crowds and curious demons has a high possibility of causing a trigger to that magic, and to be honest...That one thing I might not fully be able to save you from." "Oh, trust me. I rarely ever make mistakes. And I have thought long and hard about this choice. If someone does find out or Rita blabbers her mouth, then we'll get 'curious' people who might want to take a peak and id the decide they want my dear pet for themselves, then it could cause quite the problem. Especially if someone on a higher level of magic and power catches wind of her." His red eyes narrowed slightly as if the thought made him slightly angered. "I already put too much time and effort into this already to have any set backs, and the very last thing I need is her dead or falling into someone else's hands.....Keeping her a secret is key, but now that word must've already gone around by the few times we went out ...and Rita- It'd be wiser to let others see she's 'weak'. Let them think I'm only humoring another woman for amusement like Rita already thinks. Hiding her now would only cause suspicion." Dang it! She hated when he had good points. But right now she had to wake someone up. So it was quite a surprise to her when she opened the door to shake her awake and she wasn't laying on the bed. Which looked made like no one slept in it at all. And the room was empty as well...Cyber blinked...Where was- "Cyber!" She whirled around to find said unicorn all groomed and dressed, holding a peice of paper, and smiling. "Sorry if I wasted your time, but I decided to get up early today to get my list done." She lightly shook the paper. Cyber still paused studying her but relaxed with a smile. "Finally getting used to the work schedule, huh?" "Oh yeah! Im hoping to finish everything Lou wanted me to do by noon. I wanted to ask him something important, but I think I can only do it i-if everything's finished before then." "Oh..And how do you figure that?" "Im in charge of his schedules. He's supposed to be meeting with an important client from the black market today about trading good with him." She rose a brow and hummed. "Well, if that's the case, then I guess I better head back. He'll be needing me on the floor if you're already up." Amalfia nodded. "That's what he told me. He's waiting for you by the lounge, and don't worry about breakfast. I made sure the cook made you and him something." Her brow rose further as she hummed again and made her way past her. Oh she was up to something. It was clearly obvious and she wasn't trying to hide it. So that begs the question. What was it? ..Lou was pretty interested too when he was informed, but he merely chuckled and told her they would wait for noon and see what she intended on planning on asking him. In the meantime, the busy floor easily took up their time as Lou did the usually laugh and greeting. Encouraging some poor bloak to bet more than needed or speaking with a curious few people who looked interesting to him. Every once and a while they would catch sight of her quickly running past with something in her hands or going somewhere on the upper floors, but that was about it. LOu raising an amused brow everytime she did go past. Time pasted. And guess who finally showed up to talk with him. The dirty man was definately from the scummier side of the city but Lou still smiled, shook his hand, and offered to escort him to his office where he usually conducted business...the one with carniverous plants and a heavy duty door in case things went south or if he wanted to do 'extra' persuasion. And on the way up, there wasn't any signs of Fuzzy anywhere. Guess she was busy doing something. So they opened the office door, gestured for the man to enter, he did, and was about to go in themselves- "LOU!! W-Wait!!" He paused and looked up amused when a white blur came jogging down the hallway towards them both. He watched with a smile as she stopped and leaned over with a wheeze. Trying to catch her breath from darting all the way down from where ever she came from. "I-I...*sigh* f-finished e-everything." "Marvelous. This must've been your fastest time yet. Now you can have the rest of the day off yo relax." He opened the door more and was about to enter when a rather rough tug was received on his arm and he was actually turned around by the desperate looking unicorn and ..paused in shock for a brief moment. "W-Wait! I-..I n-need to ask you something.'' "Darling, Im always happy to answer your questions, but as you can see-" He gestured to the inside of his office. "I have a very important meeting t-" "I want you to let me go out somewhere on my break." She snapped interrupting him. Which was a..minor shock to him. She had never done something like that before during her stay...how long has it been now? Almost a full year. Time seemed to slip by when you were planning and had her do the same things everyday. Her face was determined and her hands were still wrapped around his arm in a tight grip-...He blinked and quickly recovered. Cyber having an almost confused look. "Now why in all hell would you want to do a thing like that? Demons out there would use you like a rag doll til you were nothing but broken pieces on the sidewalk-" "According to your employee policy,which I happened to have read the whole thing last night-" She interrupted him again making him pause. "- employees are permitted to leave to other places on t-their break but to be back before their break ends and as long as they report to you or your floor manager first, and since I have the rest of the day that means I just have to get back before nighttime. Which according to your own policy is eight thirty for most day staff including me." ....He opened his mouth- "I want to go out and I-..." She inhaled. "I w-want to visit Rita's." Silence. Cyber blinked, caught off guard by what just came out of her mouth and one look to Lou, told her he was definitely not prepared for something as bold as that. As he just paused and stared down to her with a blank expression...before that smile came back and he gave a huff of dry laughter. "Now why on earth would you even want to go to a place like that? A pure being such as yourself would be eaten alive there-" "She invited me." Technically that wasn't a lie. Rita did invite her to drop by sometime for a chat even if it was never a personally invitation. Lou how ever gave slight narrowed eyes with that smile at the now suspicious situation. But paused again when he felt something on his hand and one dart to it gave him an answer as she intertwined their fingers with one hand, small rose ring glimmering on it, and her face turned into one of pleading. "P-Please. ...D-Do it as a favor for me. A-And I promise I'll make it up to you later." .....Red eyes blinked back to her. Those purple eyes giving an honest look...and something jolted in him."....I" "HEY!!" They all turned to the impatient looking man waiting for him. "Are we conducting business or are you playing cutsie with the dame?" "Oh..Of course! This won't be but a moment!" He slowly turned back to her with a forced smile. Cyber could tell right away he was holding back the urge to just say no for sake of not being rude to her and ruin any progress he had made....But this was RITA they were talking about and Charles was there....Those two could easily ruin everything. But for some reason....This gal was dead set on going and by the sudden surprise and bold display they just witnessed, she wasn't about to take no easily....He could've just easily let Cyber take her but...his eyes side glanced back to the man. This guy claimed to have angelic weapons. Usually most if not all were instantly bought off the market usually by higher and the strongest demons to increase their own strength and to help prevent these things from being used on themselves. He had a chance to gain quite a few if this gentleman did hae some like he claimed and if this deal went right...Which means he NEEDED Cyber's backup......Which meant his brain had to bust into over drive and form a plan quickly....And this one involved the only other capable person he could trust at this moment. With a sharp inhale between clenched fangs, he turned back to her with a smile. "Very well....but on the condition. You don't go alone. Cyber and I are in a very important meeting so Disease will be accompanying you there and back...I would like you to stay close to him. If you agree, then you may go." She stared at him, before sighing and giving a smile with a nod of the head. "Y-Yes. Yes! Of course!" He hummed and turned to Cyber. "Get him immediately. Now." She didn't have to be told twice as she literally ran off without saying another word and he sighed- The further closing of her hand around him made him look back to her smiling face..and pause again. "T-Thank you. I-I know how you must feel about this, but I have to do it....I-It'd be rude to not show up." "...Yes. Not showing up when expected can be rude." They stayed like that for a few seconds, tensely waiting and while they were she slowly released her grip from his hand. He slowly flexed his squeezed fingers out, looking to them for just a moment, before putting his arms behind him back just in time to see Cyber rushing around the corner with a confused Disease in tow. He blinked as she pushed him forward and they stopped right in front of them. "Uh...You wanted me?" He sighed. "Yes. My darling here-" He nodded to her. "-wishes to visit..R-Rita." Disease blinked confused. "Myself and Cyber can't be spared and Midnight would probably...not do as good of a job as your could." He hated admitting this but Disease smirked up at his compliment anyways. "I need you to take her there and back. Do you understand what Im saying?" The snake man gave a salute and smile. "No problemo, Bosssss. Ssshould be there and back in no time!" Amalfia beemed and sighed in releif- "Hey! Are we doing business or not!?" She jumped and quickly began walking away from the door. "Ok. Thank you, Lou. Ill be back. Bye." She mumbled quickly as she scurried off. Disease was quick to make a move after her, but gagged and gave a tiny yelp when Lou grabbed the hood part of his hoodie and turned him around to face the bright red eyes that narrowed at him. "Listen good. Watch her every move carefully, and do NOT leave her alone with Rita or any of those workers." A grimace can over his features. "I don't need her findout out any information that could scare her off. Im counting on those abilities of yours, Disease. Do NOT let me down." Disease merely gave a thumbs up before wriggling out of his hold and dashing off in the direction she left. With a sigh he stood back straight up and rubbed his face. This wasn't what he wanted to get into right now, and one look to Cyber told him she was mentally saying the same thing he was. 'I don't like this'. But he didn't have time to think on it right now. With a forced smile he turned back to the scruffy looking man. "Now. Where were we?"

All characters except for Amalifa belongs to @palettepainter

[dragon-kazansky]

Fate - Arthur Fleck x reader

Summary: It was too good to be true that Arthur could be happy.

The sad truth of life was that you had to deal with shit that got in the way. Fate was strange that way. You had to suffer through the hardships and for some it got easier. For others it didn’t.

Arthur’s condition wasn’t a secret to you and it hurt your heart to know he was battling with his own mind most days. All he wanted to do was become a comedian and live his life without the weight of suffering and greed.

People were horrible.

Except you.

From the day he met you he knew you were special. You smiled at him and you meant it. The look in your eyes was soft and curious. You greeted him every morning and talked to him about the little things.

He liked you a lot.

It took him a bit of time to go as far as asking you out for a date. You have no idea how happy he was when you agreed. The smile on his face remained there all day as he went home and danced around his flat.

He was the happiest man in the world.

This was the happiest he had ever been.

He didn’t have a lot of money so he didn’t take you anywhere special. He was incredibly embarrassed about it, but then you looked at him was that soft loving gaze of yours, and you reached for his hand. You told him you didn’t care.

The only thing that mattered was him.

He gave a big genuine smile.

“You look so much better when you smile.” You told him.

He very rarely smiled for real any more.

“Your smile is beautiful.” He told you.

You both left that restaurant hand in hand. You walked and talked. You laughed and danced. Neither one of you cared about anyone else. It was just the two of you and that’s all that mattered.

His heart melted when you defended him from a loud group.

He fell in love when you came to his side. He couldn’t control his laughter. He reached for the card. You remained standing beside him, supporting him. You kissed his temple and held him while others stared at him.

He reached for your hand.

You were special and he loved you.

He escorted you back to your flat. You invited him inside. He accepted.

He didn’t go back to his place that night.

Waking up beside you was a blessing. You were awake when he woke. Your hand was brushing through his hair and you were smiling at him.

This feeling was a good one.

“Morning.” You whispered.

“Good morning.” He smiled.

You made him breakfast and sat with him to watch some morning TV. When he told you he had to check on his mother, considering he didn’t go home last night, you went with him. You wanted to help and make yourself useful.

For the first time in a long time, his life felt normal.

You made his mother lunch and went for a walk with Arthur.

“I really like spending time with you.” He told you, hoping you felt the same. He had never spent so much time with another person who wasn’t his mother.

“Me too. You’re a really sweet guy, Arthur. I wish you all the happiness in the world.” You gave him your biggest and brightest smile.

His heart leapt with joy.

“You make me happy.”

“Then I hope that I never have to leave your side, Arthur.” You pulled him closer to you, kissing him.

His arms slowly wrapped around you, pulling you into him as much as possible.

His life felt complete. He smiled more. He was in love.

That evening, on the steps that led to home, he danced on them. Your laughter only boosted his ego to show off a little.

He felt more confident.

You were proud of him.

You hurried up the steps and wrapped your arms around his thin body. He laughed. A proper cheerful laugh. For once he was feeling like a normal human.

You walked with him back home.

That night you stayed at his place. He assured his mother wouldn’t mind.

He felt like he could get used to having you in his home. He wondered if it was possible for him in the future. He would like that. Very much so.

As the months passed, you grew ever closer to Arthur. He took you out often. You spent more time in his apartment than your own. You picked him up when the days were bad. He held you during the nights. You cooked for him. You made him happy.

He never wanted it to end.

But he should have known.

Fate was cruel to people. It gave them everything and then it took it all away.

It was a lovely afternoon in the fall. Arthur was at home seeing to his mother. You were coming round after work. He was going to treat you to dinner, one of the recipes you had taught him.

He watched television with his mother until the time you were supposed to be back.

At first he just thought you were late. You sometimes stayed behind to lock up when your colleague just wanted to head home. You were nice to everyone, so it makes sense you would stay to help.

The concerning thing was just how late you were.

Hours ticked by and he became worried.

You hadn’t called him to say you were going to be later than usual. Your apartment was locked up tight and though he knocked, he knew you weren't there.

His heart began to feel heavy in his chest.

Somehow he just knew.

Arthur put his mother to bed. He began to pace the floor vigorously. All sorts of thoughts were running through his head, and like a tidal wave, every bad thing that you had cast away from his mind, came rushing back all at once.

He was afraid.

Time was passing and there was no sign of you.

His world was quickly crumbling.

He waited. For hours he sat there in his living room waiting. Nothing. 

No sign of you whatsoever.

Then his phone rang.

He answered quickly, one: as to not wake his mother, and two: in case that was you calling.

It wasn’t.

On the other end was a man. Someone from the GCPD.

Now he was sure something was wrong. Why else would they call his home?

“Is this Arthur Fleck?”

“Yes. Yes, it is.” His voice was rushed, full of worry, desperate to know what was happening. His mind was unfocused, thinking up the worst case scenarios.  He hoped with every fibre of his being that none of them were true and his anxiety was playing tricks with him.

“I’m sorry to call at such a late hour, but your number was the only one we could find.”

He swallowed.

“You could find?”

“Do you know Y/N L/N?”

“Yes…” He voice dropped, his breathing picking up.

“I’m sorry to ask this, but would you mind coming down to the GCPD?” There was something in his tone of voice. He knew something was wrong, so why wouldn’t the cop just tell him? He just wants to know where you are.

“What happened? Where is Y/N?” 

“I’m sorry Mister Fleck, but….” He paused. Those few seconds felt far too long to Arthur. “Y/N’s body was found by a group of teenagers earlier this evening. We’ve been trying to find their next of kin, but Y/N doesn’t seem to have any family in the city.”

The last bit was tuned out of Arthur’s mind as he focused on the words ‘Y/N’s body was found.’

No. That wasn’t possible. It couldn’t have been you.

“No. No. No. That can’t be right.” He mumbled down the phone, leaning against the wall. “You must have made a mistake.”

“I’m sorry Mister Fleck, but their ID was clear.”

He dropped the phone, his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. The word ‘no’ left his lips over and over again like a prayer. He curled up into himself and let the tears fall.

He should have gone to your workplace to walk you home.

He should have been there with you.

Fate had dealt its cards and decided to take you away from him. All his happiness had been snatched away in a single night and he was broken.

The cry that left his lips didn’t sound human.

He didn’t care at that moment if his mother had been woken up by his wailing. All he cared about right there and then was the fact that you were never coming home. He wouldn’t be able to hold you at night, hear your laughter, see your smile.

He would never get to tell you he loved you.

Arthur Fleck, a man who’s life had been nothing but a tragedy, a man who found love and learned to enjoy life again with someone special, had been broken once again. Only this time there was no one to fix him.

Everything good that Arthur had, was gone.

Someone had taken you from him. Stolen you from him.

Things after that night began to change.

The cards that fate had for Arthur began to unfold. If losing you wasn’t enough to destroy him entirely, the truth of his childhood would.

It was Arthur’s fate to become the Joker.

It was the Joker’s fate to find the person who took you from him and rid him from this filthy city.

He had nothing left to lose.

As he sits in Arkham, staring at the blank wall, ignoring the doctor, he thinks of you. It was this city that took you away from him, so, as the Joker, he was going to Gotham pay.

You were the one good thing Gotham had to offer.

Now it had nothing.

Arthur smiled.

You’re the reason the Joker exists.

You were his fate.

Tags:

@ntb-outsider @awyr @fandombeehive  @charmed-asylum​

[mazzelloiii]

Cheesy Christmas songs - TGIC gift for @fallingprincess

hi @fallingprincess, i’m your secret santa for the fantastic Thank God It’s Christmas event organized by @dtfrogertaylor ❤️ i hope you have a great day filled with many many amazing things!!!!!!!!!!!

this is your gift, a lil Ben x reader fic i wrote. hope you like it!

title: Cheesy Christmas songs

pairing: Ben Hardy x reader (but the whole borhap squad is in it)

warnings: none, really. (i just wanted to say that english is not my first language, so if there are spelling mistakes or wrong structures or whatever, just let me know)

words count: 2.2k

summary: Since you moved to England, your life has been nothing but work. With Christmas just around the corner, you find yourself hating everything holiday-related because you don’t have anyone to share the magic of Christmas with. Or do you?

Christmas was all around you. Decorations were hanging everywhere you went, people overcrowded the streets with their hands full of bags, still shopping for presents, and you could hear All I want for Christmas is you or Baby it’s could outside in every shop, café, even in your workplace and in your apartment, coming from your neighbours’ place.

It was a downright nightmare.

You hated it, and so you had been in a bad mood since the beginning of December.

To be fair, it wasn’t that you hated Christmas per se.

Actually, you loved it when you had the chance to spend it with your family and go all out, hanging mistletoe everywhere in your house and putting a massive tree up in your living room, drinking hot chocolate and blasting Michael Bublé’s entire discography at all hours of the day. Yes, you were just like all those Christmas-crazed people in the streets you had almost yelled at.

But this year… everything had changed. You had moved to another country, and that meant that you didn’t get to see your family during the holidays, and that already put you in a bad mood. Add to that the fact that even though it was the holidays you were going to work most days, because you needed as much money as possible to pay your rent, and that you hadn’t met more than a couple people since moving, and it all explained why you were acting like the Grinch.

You couldn’t help it, really. You wished you could spend the holidays being carefree and light-hearted, but it was all so much… you felt overwhelmed.

Having responsibilities really sucks, you thought while retrieving your small apartment’s keys from the pocket to open the door.

In that very moment your phone started to ring.

-One moment, just one fucking moment!-you yelled, as if whoever was calling you could hear you.

It probably was an advertisement call, or your boss telling you that you had to cover someone’s shifts.

When you saw the caller ID, your eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Lucy. She was a coworker, a fun girl you really enjoyed talking to in between shifts or during breaks, but you still weren’t so close that you would dare to call her a friend. Even though the relationship you had with her was probably the closest thing to a friendship you had made since moving in that goddamn place called England.

You answered, curious as to why she was calling you. You had never talked on the phone, nor you had exchanged texts.

-y/n! Fucking finally!-she said with a laugh. You could hear other people talking in the background, as well as music. Needless to say-a Christmas song.

-Sorry, I was opening the door…-you replied, a little embarassed.

-Oh, it’s okay. Don’t worry. I was calling to invite you to the fucking-best-Christmas-Eve-party eveeeer!

She had sung the last part, and you heard whoever was with her laughing and mocking her.

-Oh yeah, she’s definitely coming after that stunt-said a deep voice, while another added:-Sorry if I tell you this, Luce, but singing is not your greatest skill.

You thought for a moment. Why was she inviting you? You weren’t even that close… and she was clearly in good company already. Was it out of pity?

-Listen, Lucy, thanks for the offer, really, I appreciate it, but I’m really tired, so I think I’ll just get in bed really early…

She interrupted you mid-speech:-Oh, stop already with that, Grumpy! Come on, you’ll have fun. My friends want to meet girls and at first I got really offended because they have me and don’t appreciate me enough, but then I thought that they would really like my amazing coworker. So just come… please?

Despite everything, you found yourself smiling.

Maybe… it wasn’t a bad idea, after all?

You had just got home from a shift, and your next one was tomorrow afternoon. You had plenty of time to stay home nursing a hangover in case things got a little too crazy at that party… for fuck’s sake, you deserved some fun.

-Yes, Lucy. I’m coming.

-Yesss! I’ll text you the address. Come as soon as you can.

Maybe your Christmas was going to be a little less shitty than you originally thought.

 You got out of the uber, trying to find balance on your heels. You had been trying to find the right outfit for what felt like forever, finally opting for a simple red dress that showed your shoulders, elegant but not too much. Then you had put on a layer of mascara and a coat of lipstick.

You didn’t want to look like you had put too much effort into it, even though it was the first social event you were attending since moving to England.

You approached Lucy’s building and quickly got in, feeling a little nervous as you found the right floor and rang the bell over the tag that said Boynton.

The door opened and you found yourself in front of a guy with blond hair and the most striking blue eyes you had ever seen. He was tall and quite muscular, but he was wearing the most obnoxious Christmas jumper you had ever seen, red and green with little Santas in different positions all over it.

-Nice jumper-you grinned.

He immediately blushed at your words.

-I’m Ben, and I don’t usually wear clothes this ugly, I swear-he said-you must be y/n.

You shook hands and you felt a shiver go through your body at the contact… who knew Lucy had such attractive friends?

When you walked through the door, you were welcomed with the smell of baked cookies and the view of Lucy sprawled across a couch with another guy, plus Ben who had just joined them.

-y/n!-Lucy yelled-come here, join us, I want you to meet everyone!

You sat with them and the guy introduced himself as Rami. He seemed quiet but fun, and he and Lucy were quite the pair, him all silent and her screaming at the top of her lungs.

-Sorry for her, when she drinks she always gets like this…-Rami explained to you with a smile.

-I didn’t drink anything! Stop saying bad things about me, you meanies-she retorted with a pout, then she hugged Rami and put her head on his chest.

Ben gave you a meaningful look and stretched you his hand to take:-Why don’t we go see what Joe and Gwil are doing, y/n?

You took his hand and he led you to the kitchen just around the corner, where two other men seemed busy with a tray of gingerbread. Ben’s hand left yours, and you had to stop yourself from reaching for it again. It had felt so warm…

-y/n, you are here! Come taste our cookies-said the shorter man of the two, who had reddish brown hair, with an American accent.

You felt kinda dizzy for a moment, realizing that in only five minutes you had had more social interactions than you had in months.

You smiled and took a cookie from the tray.

 -These things you baked… what the fuck are them?

Ben’s question caused Gwilym and Joe’s immediate indignation: the tall Welshman you had met in the kitchen flipped him off, while the other man blew him a raspberry.

You just laughed at their shenanigans.

The four of you were sitting on the living room floor, on the carpet right next to the Christmas tree, sipping hot chocolate and eating gingerbread cookies. Rami and Lucy were on the couch engulfed in each other’s arms, their eyes closed but not quite asleep yet.

-Really, were they supposed to be gingerbread men? This one I’m eating looks more like a rugby ball.

-Shut up. y/n likes them. Don’t you, y/n?

You nodded exaggeratedly at Joe’s question.

-Yes. They are perfect. Don’t listen to this one, he’s just mean-you said, gesturing to the blond man sitting right next to you.

At your words, Ben’s mouth gaped.

-Et tu, Brute?

You shrugged and showed him your tongue.

-I thought you were on my side-he pouted.

-Aw, but I am, you poor thing-you replied sarcastically, but you couldn’t help but smile at his petulant expression.

-Doesn’t seem like it.

You comforted him with a caress to his shoulder, and out of the corner of your eye you saw Gwilym and Joe exchanging a glance and smirking.

You felt your face heat up.

Was it that obvious that you were really flirting with him? But most importantly, was he flirting back?

-So, are they… a thing?-you said out of the blue pointing to Lucy and Rami, trying to divert the general attention from you and Ben.

-Not officially. They are making us suffer so much, for fuck’s sake. It’s so obvious that they are into each other, but first there’s Lucy coming to us worried that Rami doesn’t like her back, then Rami calls me and says he’s sure Lucy doesn’t like him like that. It’s like being back in middle school, Christ-Gwilym answered, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling.

-And you, y/n? Do you have someone special, a boyfriend, girlfriend?-Ben asked you nonchalantly.

-Oh, no. I moved here just a few months ago… I barely have any time to eat or sleep, left alone to find a boyfriend-you said, a little embarassed.

-And no one’s tried to make a move on you? Wow.

You didn’t know what to answer to that, so you just chuckled lightly. So he was flirting back with you.

-Ben, why don’t you show y/n the balcony? Gwil and I will go make some other cookies, since you ate all of them-Joe said, getting up and heading to the kitchen with the other man.

-Shall we go?-Ben asked you, extending you his hand.

You took a deep breath and took it, nodding.

 -Pretty, isn’t it?-Ben asked you.

You were on the small balcony of Lucy’s house, looking down at the park just across from it.

-I mean, it’s not the greatest view, but it’s really rare to find a house with a balcony in London-he added right after.

You nodded and leaned against the white wall next to you, closing your eyes and enjoying the cold air of the night against your face.

Then you let it all go.

-Tonight seems so crazy to me. I hadn’t been around people like this in so much time… I only worked and studied, and barely took care of myself. Hanging with you guys made me realize that this is all real… I really moved and my life is continuously changing every day. And I’m so fucking terrified.

He turned and looked at you, but remained silent.

-This is all such a cliché-you laughed then. The whole situation seemed absurd.

He looked startled at you.

-What is?

-Everything. Me, my life right now, you flirting with me and taking me out to show me the balcony… I thought you would use a better excuse to get me alone, to be honest.

He snorted at your words.

-This was all Joe’s doing, actually. He tries to be a good wingman, but I would do much better on my own. Is it working, by the way?

-What?

-Me flirting with you.

You felt butterflies fluttering in your stomach but tried to hide it with a snarky smirk.

-Oh… I’ll have to think about it. Try harder, maybe?

He rolled his eyes, then his face became serious and he took your hand into his gently, giving you time and space to retract it if you wanted. You didn’t.

-And about what you said… I get it. Moving away from home is scary and hard, and you are a hero for enduring it all on your own for so much time. But you don’t have to figure it all out alone. We are all ready to help you if you want. Lucy, Rami, Joe, Gwil and me, of course. I can be your friend, before we try to be anything else, if you want to.

-Wow, I… Thank you.

You were at a loss of words, and you could feel your eyes welling up with tears. Don’t cry, don’t fucking cry now, you told yourself.

You hadn’t realized how difficult it all had become to do everything on your own and not have anyone to share your daily life with, and now you were feeling all the weight you hadn’t even known was on your shoulders leaving you, and the sense of relief was amazing. You didn’t have to do it all alone. Thanks God.

Before you could say anything else you felt loud cheers coming from inside the house, and then someone put on Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas is you.

Ugh, cheesy Christmas songs. Maybe you could start to like them again, after all.

-Looks like it’s midnight. Merry Christmas, y/n.

You smiled at Ben. Then you did something that surprised even yourself: you got closer to him, so close that you could feel his breath on your face, and gently put your lips against his.

He immediately responded to the kiss, putting his hands on your middle.

It was quick and sweet, just a brush of lips against lips.

When you pulled away, you both had your cheeks red.

-Merry Christmas, Ben-you whispered.

Maybe your holidays weren’t going to be as bad as you originally thought.

[maladaptive-ninja-returns]

The Bad Guy (1)

Bucky x fem!Reader

CHAPTER 1: THE FAKEOUT

Series: A Bad Guy ruins Bucky’s day. But turns out it’s the bad guy he needs to seek help from after all. New York may not have changed much for him, but there are certain things he is discovering to be quite new!

Chapter warnings: swearing.

A/N: @writing-prompt-s​ once gave a prompt last year that stuck with me…I don’t remember the exact wordings but it had something to do with the reader/writer being the villain having a crush on the hero, always finding excuses (or crimes) to meet them. One day they are getting their ass beat and you decide to jump in and save the day. This one is same but with a liiiiiiiitle twist

Word Count: There are times I wish I was a llama. or a cat. Now is one of those times.

“You can do it. You. Can. Do. It. You’re the man. You’re the freaking man. Yes. Yes. You got it. You absolutely got it.”

“You okay, man?” Bucky had to ask.

“You absolutely don’t got it. I can’t do it, man. I’m outta here.”

Bucky grabbed Scott’s arm before that guy could rush back to the SUV they had come in. As much as he wanted to kick this sweaty ex-thief out of here, he knew the plan wasn’t going to work in Scott’s absence. He needed a guy to make him seem legit. At least that’s what Natasha had told him.

“Calm down,” Bucky reassured the man who was sweating tennis balls by now, “you just need to show the ID. Natasha has taken care of the rest and I would be doing the talking. Okay?”

Scott was half-listening by the time Bucky had finished. “Huh? Yeah! Yeah! Cool cool cool cool cool cool cool!”

Bucky could empathise on some level with Scott. After all, it was weird for an ex-con to visit a prison as a fake lawyer while trying to get a felon out of there under the noses of the authority. 

The plan was pretty simple. Arrange a meeting with that woman whom Bucky had met earlier, gain her trust, get her out of jail under the pretence of getting her to help with an unsolved case and find out the location and identity of the people behind the theft of Tony’s precious painting.

Simple.

Then why was Bucky’s back feeling so wet whenever a humid wind blew at the opening of every rusty door in the maximum-security prison?

The room was covered in cameras in all corners. To Bucky’s satisfaction, Natasha already told him and Scott they did not record any conversations for lawyer-client confidentiality- so any conversation that was about to happen was going to stay between these three. The musty smell of the room was somehow familiar to both of them, bringing mixed feelings to the surface- to which they barely had time to react when a figure in orange jumpsuit walked in, forcing all their attention on it.

“Hey boys!” You greeted the party, already recognising Bucky from the rendezvous you two had a few days ago. “Ay!! You’re that beat cop no one listened to that day!”

Bucky did not know how to react to that. He was not really expecting their interaction to go this way. Scott, on the other hand, was a little relieved to have your attention glued on anyone but him.

“Oh, right! I told you we’d be having the conversation after I get processed,” you added with a tone of realisation, “Wow, I didn’t know you were so into that robbery!”

You dragged the chair out with your leg and sat on it, legs spread wide- keeping comfort over societal mannerisms. Resting your cuffed hands on the table you gave a knowing smirk to Bucky, who was trying to figure out what exactly was going on behind that viciously delicious smile. “Or is it something else that is intriguing you?” You raised a brow. "Did I use that right? Intriguing you? Something that you're intrigued by?"

"That sounds better," Scott blurted out, regretting it the very second because now your suspicion-filled eyes were all for him.

"You…" you narrowed your eyes at Scott, making the man sit straight in his chair.

"He's my lawyer," Bucky was quick to dive in, "I mean, he's the lawyer we-I... he is interested in represen...He’s a lawyer." For the first time in his life, Bucky was glad Scott and Sam had forced him to watch Law and Order.

“...ok...kay.”

"Scott. Scott Lang," he introduced himself, bringing his hand forward for a shake.

“You have the eyes of a thief,” you stated while Scott’s hand was still in the air, making the poor man slowly take it back while his pale face looked at Bucky with an ‘I told you so’ expression. “No wonder you’re a lawyer.”

Next moment, you slumped into the chair, looking a little offended at something Bucky did. Or so he thought. “Did I hurt you?”

Bucky blinked at you before his brain smacked his accelerating heart to give something instead of just sitting there. “I’m sorry?”

“Did I hurt you the last time we met? I get that I have some kinda...powers but I don’t just throw them around. We could have had a conversation over some prison coffee. You didn’t have to bring your friend here.”

It took three seconds at minimum for Bucky’s brows to shoot up and his lips to crack wide in a smile. “W-what? No! He’s not here for me. He’s here for you. We’re getting you out of here.”

It was hard to put a word into the expression you just gave. Your eyes shifted between the two men while your open lips were shut and your face tilted a little towards the door.

“Uhhhhh-” was the only thing coming out of your mouth till your body got up from the chair and your cuffed hands pressed together towards your company- “listen, cop guy...man. I really meant it in a casual way when I said we’ll ‘talk later’. I don’t really know how much you’ve read into this. I mean, I would say ‘at least buy me dinner first’ but I am kinda scared as to where that might lead us. Good, God! Now I’m wondering what would you have done if I’d said something more like ‘hey, let’s f-”

“NO!” Bucky nearly jumped off his seat, his hands over the table trying to stop your words from coming out from a safe distance. “I’m not getting you out of here because I like you-” he stopped right when he heard himself, watching your curious eyes witness his mouth play him like a ten-cent flute- “no, I mean I like you but not in that kind of...what I mean to say is I know why you tried to steal that painting. I found out from my sources that these paintings are being used by this new mafia around the world supplying narcotics and codes on the trafficked girls and boys to their buyers for bids. And I was hoping you could help us catch the people behind the...painting.”

Bucky was cursing himself right and left, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks at nearly messing it up. Why did she have to be this accurate? His inner voice mocked him before smacking him in the head and calling him a jock.

“I don’t know if you remember but I was caught by you guys while threatening the New Yorkers.”

“While you were trying to help Ste-Rogers. Captain Rogers. And no one caught you. You surrendered yourself.”

“I hate cops. I can’t work with them.”

“You won’t be working with them. You’ll be working with us. Me and a couple of my friends.”

“I don’t work for free. And before you put a price tag on my work, remember that I am inside this prison because I want to stay here. For now.”

“How about a date with Steve Rogers?”

“Dude, you can’t put a price on my-wait what?”

“I’ll ask him to go out with you if you catch those sons of bitches.”

Maybe it was the serenade playing from somewhere inside the prison. Or maybe it was the sun strolling in from the windows. Or maybe it was the mention of his best friend that made your pupils go wider, your fingers work over the skin on your arm, doodling some invisible hearts with a bitchface before you straightened from the table and the sound from your cuffs nearly made Scott fall off his chair.

“I don’t work with supes. They disgust me. Especially Tony Snark and his redhead sister and that C-grade Legolas. I’m out.”

“We won’t be working with them. But I can pull a few strings to get you that date. I promise. And I’m sure Steve...Rogers would be more than willing to go out with you if there is one less bad guy walking out on the streets.”

“...you better not be joking about this-”

“James Barnes.”

“James. Because if you are, I will drive a monster truck into your house, take away your pet and fuck your mother till she forgets her own name.”

“My mother’s dead,” he was quick to add while Scott gasped at the audacity of this bitch- you; you were the bitch.

“Your girlfriend, then,” you simply shrugged. Bucky’s brain straight away flashed to a two-second fantasy of you and Natasha in her room, on her bed.

“Bold of you to assume he has a girlfriend,” Scott chortled till he could see Bucky’s Winter Soldier parts staring at him with all the coldness.

.

It wasn’t in his nature to give a place to bad things inside his Bucky heart. It definitely wasn’t in the now peaceful Winter Soldier’s nature to peek from inside Bucky and stare with stars in his eyes at the woman coming out in her shirt and jeans topped by a leather jacket. She’s bad, his mind kept ringing the gong, real bad. And when that wasn’t enough, she put on those aviators to shield her eyes from the harsh noon sun, walking towards him with the strut that said she was woman enough to grab someone by the balls if need be. You’ll get yourself killed by a woman, Barnes, his mind went off again.

“No, I won't,” he muttered out loud.

“What?” Scott asked.

“What?”

Bucky tried to ignore him, his eyes stuck on you as you came and stood by them.

“Keys,” you ordered, watching Bucky fish his pockets without breaking eye contact and handing the keys of the Land Rover to you. “Let’s go.”

Scott grabbed Bucky by the arm to pull him closer. “Dude! She has the keys!”

“...okay? Why are we whispering?”

“Wh-What are we gonna do if she tries to do something...evil!”

“Like what?”

“Like I don’t know, throw us off a cliff! Or drive us into a wall. Or worse, go over the speed limit in the city!!”

“Relax! I’m here,” Bucky reassured before opening the door to the back seat of the car for him. “I got you.”

Hopping in and sitting next to you, he noticed for the first time how you smelled like a pleasant mixture of spring and citrus.

“What cologne is that?” you called out from nowhere while turning on the engine, turning to look at Bucky.

“Uhhh….it’s an aftershave. For men.” He nodded, cursing himself instantly for adding that last bit. Of course, it’s for men, you twat!

“Smells nice,” you complimented before turning out of the parking spot.

“I’m glad you’re on board with this,” Bucky stated, trying to undo the mess he made a few seconds ago, “I wasn’t trying to overstep when I-we decided to get you to help us out.”

You chuckled, shifting gear.

“Oh, sweetheart! One, I loved this isn’t an automatic. Those are for weak testicled-babies. And two, you clearly misinterpreted me in there. When I said I was not expecting you to bail me outta jail for a date, I wasn’t grossed out by it, darling. I liked it.” You leaned a little closer to Bucky- having a glorious view of his pupils go wide like oceans with endless pits- to end him with one last whisper and wink. “In a very kinky way.”

And just as the car swerved out to the wide road, Scott could feel the air leave his lungs. “What have we done,” he whispered to himself, questioning all that was about to come.

[shaineybainey]

“Noble Intentions”

Lab Rats [T]

The Lab Rats and Mighty Med teams face off with the greatest threat to humanity yet: The Incapacitator, a supervillain bent on becoming the most powerful in the planet. …Which makes things super awkward for Leo, considering that their newest nemesis is his father. AU. Lab Rats vs Mighty Med redux.

** DISCLAIMER: SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMER **

tagging: @fruggin-bitch​ @verified-dumbass​ @dysfunction-ality​ @neshatriumphs​ @clockradio93​ @serpent-princess​ @weareoutofmaplesyrupdave​ @aaaaahhhhh1234​ @lover-of-dc-comics

X: Castle in the Sky

Leo watches quietly as Horace listens to his breathing with the stethoscope. The instrument is cold against his skin, but he does his best not to flinch. One wrong move, and the pain in his ribs can double.

“Well, your lungs seem like it’s working okay,” Horace says, taking off the apparatus and draping it back on his neck. He stares indecisively at the nasty bruise beginning to form on his patient’s skin. “Of course, we’re going to have to transfer you to the hospital outside. We have x-rays here, but not really for humans.”

“Okay.”

“Hm.”

Leo sits up and observes the doctor as he leaves the room. So far, so good. He had thought on his way there that glares would rain down on him since everyone apparently knows now that he’s the son of a supervillain. However, the people he had talked to since getting there have treated him like a normal person.

In fact, besides the look Tecton gave him earlier, the nurses and Dr. Diaz had been kind of apathetic while dealing with him.

It’s as if he was just another patient.

When Horace comes back, wheeling in a wheel chair, a thought pops up in Leo’s head.

“One of the nurses has gone off to alert your family of you being here,” Horace says. He blinks back the sleep stinging his eyes, rubs it off, then adds, “It’s probably best if they don’t see you until after the examinations. They’ve been kind of frantic. Don’t want them squeezing you, what with your seemingly broken ribs and everything.”

“Um – “

“They’re probably going to have to meet you at the other hospital, though. We have x-rays here, but not really for humans.” He frowns. “Did I already say that?”

“Dr. Diaz.”

“Huh?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

Horace sighs, his shoulders dropping dramatically. “Is it going to take all night? Because my shift ended two hours ago.”

“How long have you been here?”

Horace consults his watch. “Probably going on 36 hours.”

“No, no – I mean, how long have you been working at Mighty Med?”

Horace’s features furrow as he contemplates on it. “Probably since the hospital was first built, long before you were even born,” he answers. “Why?”

“So, you know a lot of the people who’s worked here. Right?”

Horace eyes him suspiciously now – a glimpse of Leo’s expectation from earlier. “We may not be like a regular hospital,” he says, “but protecting the patients’ and employees’ identities is still a responsibility that I don’t take lightly as chief of staff.”

Leo nods. “Good,” he says. He then hops off the examination table, but instead of sitting on the wheelchair, he limps past Horace to retrieve the black safety box.

With the chief’s eyes on him, Leo shows him the emblem on it.

Horace frowns at it. Then, the expression clears. “What is this?” He closes the door behind him and asks, “Where did you get this?”

“So I can count on you to keep a secret,” Leo says, wincing as he climbs back on the examination table.

“Those safety boxes were issued only to chief of departments some decades ago,” Horace says. “Where did you find this?”

Leo doesn’t reply. Instead, he opens the box, finds the ID, and then hands it to the doctor.

Horace takes it. A look of shock and sorrow rises to his face after reading it.

“Do you know him?”

“Where did you get this?” Horace asks.

Leo notes the coldness of his tone and the sharpness in his gaze. “I found it by accident,” he says, holding back for now just in case. “I saw the emblem and figured I should ask someone who’s worked here a long time. It says Dr. Castle was a neurologist here. Is that true?”

For a long while, Horace only stares at the card. Then, he smiles sadly to himself. “Hezekiah was my best friend. He had the craziest ideas, but he was a good person. He loved helping people. He was a people person.”

“Did he have a family?” Upon Horace’s glance, Leo says, “This isn’t information that my father will be interested in, I promise. And even if it is, I think I proved already that I can keep secrets – from heroes or villains.”

Horace considers it. “You said ‘did,’” he points out. “There’s a reason for the past tense, isn’t there?”

Leo’s eyes give the answer.

Horace sighs, disheartened. “His family was originally from Tennessee. His parents worked hard to put him through school, but then his mother got sick a year before he graduated. Died right after. His father got to see him become a doctor, but years of working in a factory with poisonous chemicals took a toll on him. He died after Kai’s 26th birthday.”

“He lost his parents young.”

“He did. He didn’t have any siblings, so Mighty Med was his family.” Horace smiles. “Like I said, Kai was my best friend. We drove each other crazy, but he was a brother to me.”

“Why doesn’t he work here anymore?”

Again, Horace pauses contemplatively.

“Who’s Solstice?” Leo asks, hoping to encourage the conversation forward.

Horace frowns. “Who’s Solstice?”

“Female superhero. You haven’t heard of her?”

Horace shakes his head, curious. “No.”

Leo sighs—causing a powerful pang of pain to knife through his insides.

It snaps Horace awake. “Uh, we probably should – ”

“I’m fine,” Leo lies, holding his hand up. Answers are more important right now. “I’m fine.”

“Uh, I’m the doctor here,” Horace says. “You are not.”

“Please, Dr. Diaz. I need to know more about Dr. Castle and Doris Snow.”

“Doris Snow?” Horace’s eyes narrow as he thinks. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

Despite the limitation imposed on him by the broken ribs (and probably broken many other things), Leo gingerly opens the box to search for the document. “Originally, she was a mathematician at NASA,” he says for the meantime. “Then she became a superhero.”

“NASA?”

“Yeah?”

It stumps the doctor for a while. Then, an incredulous laugh escapes him. “That crazy guy…”

“I’m sorry?”

“NASA, you said?” Horace laughs, shaking his head. “I knew it. I knew he would fall for something like this.”

“Something like what?”

Horace lets out a breath, amused. “That’s why he stopped working here,” he answers. “He had just been appointed as head of the neurology department when a case came up. Hopefully I can talk a bit about this now, but from what I know, there was an accident involving a mysterious alien artifact exploding at a remote facility.

“Different experts were called in; NASA, too, unsurprisingly. The government wanted to know what it was that the Air Force found. They were examining it. Next thing they know – boom!”

“It…exploded?”

“Yeah. Rumor is that something in the test caused it to do that.” Horace’s eyes narrow. “Something was up with it, because we had an influx of reports of people acting strangely, people going missing. People acting strangely and going missing—”

“NASA employees?”

“Almost everyone who was in that building, not just people from NASA,” Horace says. He frowns thoughtfully at Leo. “I can check the files of the ones who came here before, but I don’t remember a Doris Snow. The name sounds familiar, but not as a superhero’s alter ego.”

“The League won’t have anything on her, would they? They probably weren’t even established when these accidents happened.”

“Huh. You know more than a regular kid from California should know,” Horace notes. “I’m suspicious.”

Leo hands him the draft letter. “I think the gap in the time between the first documented proposal for the establishment of League of Heroes and the actual date it’s established gives me more reason to be suspicious.”

Horace reads. “This…” He shakes his head. “This can’t be real. The League was established in the mid-90s. It was proposed by Dr. Sebastian Kline.” He hands the letter back to Leo. “I was there when it happened. It can’t have been by her.”

Sebastian Kline. It’s the first name he’s gotten in regards to his grandparents. Leo wonders if it’s a name his father knows too. “You said Dr. Castle left because of what happened with the alien artifact,” he prompts.

“Yeah, but I can’t tell you exactly why he left. It’s top secret.”

Leo stares at him. “Fine,” he hops off the table when the doctor won’t give. He sits on the wheelchair. “I’ll just wait until Tecton sees me again. I’ll ask him.”

“Okay, wait.” The decision tears Horace apart, but it’s evident even to Leo that the temptation of knowledge has become too irresistible. “Ugh, I can’t tell you this. It’s too dangerous.”

“My dad and I just got caught in a crossfire. Nothing in my life right now is not dangerous.”

“No. You don’t understand.” Horace walks on over to the examination table, leans on it as he decides. “I can’t tell you. I want to, kid, but I can’t. Like I said, I have to protect my employees and my patients. If even the little that I know gets out, we can be looking at something catastrophic.”

“But it’s been decades since.”

“Don’t underestimate how long evil can linger,” Horace cautions.

Leo wants to press for more, but somehow he understands. There’s something bigger at play, something that his father understands and Dr. Diaz doesn’t know he hold pieces of. More and more, it becomes clear that his grandparents’ deaths may be more than just a random act of violence.

Grandparents.

Leo fishes for the photograph from his back pocket and is relieved when he finds it still there. He takes it out, unfolds it, and smiles at them. Then, he gives it to Horace. “He married her, you know. Solstice,” he tells him.

A smile comes up to Horace’s lips as he looks at his best friend and his wife. “She’s pretty.”

“She is. Their kids don’t know what I know about them, though, so I’m kind of hoping we can keep this a secret.”

“Kids?”

“Two sons. Men now, actually,” Leo says, taking the picture back.

There’s a knock on the door. “Dr. Diaz, they’re waiting for him outside,” Philip says, peeking in. “I’ve told the Davenports. They said they’ll be making their way there.”

Horace nods, disoriented.

“Did you want me to cart him out for you?”

“No, no. I – Yes, but give us just one second.”

Philip nods, confused. He takes his leave and closes the door.

“Where are his kids?” Horace asks quietly. “Are they alive? Do you know where they are?”

Leo chuckles. “They’re no stranger to you, Dr. Diaz.”

“They’re...?”

The grin on his face shrinks. “You’ve probably been hearing about their oldest all shift long,” he says. “The Incapacitator. Joel Jones – Castle, actually. My dad is Dr. Castle’s son.”

The door opens again. “Dr. Diaz, I’m so sorry, but we really have to take him out there,” Philip says, grabbing the handles of the wheelchair. “The nurse said they’re pretty swamped, and if they don’t take him in within the next five minutes, the kid will have to wait for a few hours for a check-up.”

Horace nods numbly, his mind swimming with the new information. “Okay,” he says. “Okay.”

It dismays Leo that he didn’t get any more information. Still, the thought that he’s met someone who was another important part in his grandfather’s life makes him smile. “Thank you, Dr. Diaz,” he says as the nurse carefully turns his wheelchair around.

Horace grabs the armrest of the chair before they get out the door. He hesitates a moment. “Can you tell me more about what happened to him?” he asks. “Your grandfather?”

Leo nods. “After we both get a decent amount of sleep,” he promises.

Horace nods. He doesn’t seem to want to let go, questions about his best friend anchoring his fingers in place, but eventually his grip loosens.

Leo gives him a smile before he completely vanishes from view. It gives him some hope knowing that his grandfather is important to someone who’s in a position of power. Maybe that can keep the superheroes off ending The Incapacitator. Maybe they can arrest him without hurting him.

He looks down at the picture of his grandparents, grinning at him.

Maybe the world isn’t such a hopeless place after all.

[prettyyoungtragedy]

Written in the Stars (2)

Characters: Bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: You’re the type of woman who is headstrong and fiercely independent. Heiress to a fortune and one of the most brilliant minds of the 21st century. Until you’re forced into witness protection. Your “Protection” turns out to be 220 pounds of dreamy, sassy, delightful Bucky Barnes. Whatever could go wrong?

Warnings: Swearing, if that's a warning these days. 

A/N: Oh man, all the love for chapter one made me scream! I hope you like part 2, here’s Bucky being bossy, an annoyed reader and a little sassy humor for everyone! if ya wanna be kind and throw me a pretty comment and a reblog? I’ll love you forever.

This was generously Beta’d by my beta @suz-123 without whom I will never have any good ideas! thank you buddy!

Tags: Hit me up in my ASK box!

Links are being an asshole so you can find other chapters of this fic in my WIP masterlist in my bio!

“Think you can handle this?” Sam asked as he handed Bucky one of his handguns, watching his friend strap on his bulletproof vest. Bucky didn’t need it but it was better to be safe than sorry in this case, especially when Hydra was involved they probably had ways of bringing the Winter Soldier down.

“Yes, what do I look like? An amateur?” Bucky responded rolling his eyes at Sam’s incredulous question, taking the gun from his hand and holstering it to his hip.

“You know that’s not what I mean.” Sam shoved Bucky’s shoulder slightly.

“I know, I’ll fine. It’ll be fine,” He gives Sam a reassuring smile. The pair were an odd couple but had become the support the other needed in hard times. It was weird sharing this unbreakable bond of friendship because of Steve, but it was a comfort to both of them knowing each had the others back. When they weren’t bickering incessantly with each other Sam and Bucky were a formidable force.

“What time is the meeting set for?” Sam gives Bucky the black box with the comms in them and waited as he placed it in his ear.

“Steve and I are meeting at the new apartment in an hour, I have to escort her there.”

“And she’s fine with moving apartments?”

“What do you think?” Bucky’s tone dripping with sarcasm,

Sam laughed and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, gripping it lightly. “That woman is going to eat you alive buddy,”

“Nah, women love me, it’ll be a walk in the park.”

Sam nods, “Well, good luck out there, man. This might not be President Ellis but she sure as shit is more important to us, right now.”

“Don’t need luck,” Bucky grinned at him as the two of them walked out of the weapons vault, he strutted a few feet in front of Sam before turning around to face him, “I am the fucking Winter Soldier.” He spreads his arms cockily as if he were showing off his grandeur.

This response makes Sam chortle with laughter, and shake his head at Bucky’s arrogance. He wasn’t wrong though, Bucky Barnes was part The Winter Soldier and part Avenger, he was a fucking machine.

~~~

It was barely seven in the morning when you hear the door to the safe house open, the rather shitty safe house that Nick Fury and his squad of morons had forced you to live in the past four days.

The soft creak of the wooden floors as their footfalls hit the hardwood. The alarm bells in your head going off and, immediately, you shot up out of the double bed and to your feet, ready to fight whoever was walking towards the bedroom door, not that you were any kind of fighter but if worst comes to worst, you’d be ready to get scrappy about it.

To say you were a little on edge because of the briefing yesterday wouldn’t be a lie. You were putting on this sarcastic brave face, but in fact, you had spent the entire night tossing and turning too afraid that if you close your eyes you wouldn't wake up the next morning.

So, when the bedroom door was flung open, it was only natural in your tired, sleep deprived state that you let out a scream of terror, only to come face to face with James Buchanan Barnes.

“Well good morning to you, too.” He said amusement in his eyes as he took in your cowering figure which was now in a pathetic defensive stance.

“What the fucking fuck?!” You exclaimed at him, straightening up, trying to pick up the modicum of dignity you had left after that scream.

“I was testing you.” He shrugged.

“What the fuck kind of test was that?!”

“To see how quick your reflexes are in a panicked situation.”

You stared open mouthed at him for a moment, a million insults hurling through your mind which you wanted to shout at him, but, instead, you snap your mouth shut and glower at him. Folding your arms over your chest, you realized you were barely clad in a t-shirt and scanty shorts that had been given to you by some shield task force member, as you hadn’t been allowed to your apartment yet to get any of your clothes.

“Get dressed, we’re moving you to a secure location today.” He ordered completely ignoring the fact that you were giving him a death stare.

“Wait, what, when do I get to go home?” You rebutted, but Bucky doesn’t listen to you. He whirled around and marched out the bedroom shutting the door in your face. Once again, you are left stunned at just how rude this asshole was, you stared at the door open-mouthed and blinked rapidly, never in your life had you ever been ordered around and it was infuriating you.

You took a slow deep breath and clenched your fists at your side,

“Deep breaths,” You muttered to yourself, “You can’t kill him, he’s the reason you’re going to live through this shit show.”

One. Two. Three.

You exhaled deeply and opened your eyes, “You can kill him after.”

This thought seemed to make you gleeful, and suddenly you had an idea. If the Winter Soldier was going to be your bodyguard and make your life hard, you were going pull the exact same shit with him. Then and there you decided to be the most painful version of yourself just to see how far you could push your limits with him before he quit.

Grinning to yourself at your plan you made your way to the bathroom to get dressed.

~~~

Twenty minutes later, you stood in front of your protection detail. The Winter Soldier stands a few feet closer to you than the rest of them, he hands you a little ID with your picture printed on it, a watch that has a small sleek black screen on it and what looked like a phone.

“ID to get you in and out of the tower without hassle,” He pointed to it, “The watch is programmed with a tracking device and is connected to Stark servers as well as FRIDAY the Avengers personal AI, there’s a heart monitor, for proof of life and should your heartbeat drop or become erratic in any way it will alert your protection detail. Anything you need, touch your finger to the screen and it will assist you, like a personal assistant. Should I not be with you, there is a panic button and it will alert us of your danger.”

“Proof of life, like I’m a hostage. How fun.” You retorted. You waited as he slid the watch onto your wrist, and the screen flashed to life.

“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes.” A female voice with an Irish lilt rang through the receiver of the watch startling you, slightly.

“Hi FRIDAY, configure the watch. It is on the subject, lock in the location and secure Astro mode.”

“Astro mode?” You piped up looking at Bucky.

“Highest security level.” He responded not looking at you, his gaze is fixed on the watch as he waited for it to configure.

“Configuration complete.” FRIDAY states and Bucky nodded.

Then he pointed to the sleek black phone like object in your hand, “Stark tech, no incoming call or text can get through without going through the security checks at the Avengers tower. All your contacts have been programmed in there and no one can trace the IP or caller ID on your phone. The only people with this number is myself, Steve Rogers and Director Fury, for safety reasons, of course, no one but me will call you.”

“Wait, why do I have to give up my phone? That is stupid.” You began to protest but the look Bucky gives you shuts you up instantly. Clearly, he isn’t in the mood for your shit, well, at least not yet.

He ignores your little outburst and then almost robotically turned away from you towards the three men that stood behind him, patiently waiting for him to finish giving you instructions.

“These three are handpicked by me for this assignment, each one of them has gone through stringent tests and background searches before being assigned to protect you. Should I not be around, the highest ranking officer will step in and take over protection detail.”

“Why wouldn’t you be around, I thought you were supposed to hover like an annoying shadow?” You interjected, sarcastically.

Bucky gives you a deadpan look and ignores your comment again, “For safety reasons, they will only be known to you by their code names.” He pointed to the blonde on the far right, he looked like he deadlifted buildings, “Agent 27; codename Achilles,”

Then pointed to the brunette with blue eyes and a grim face, “Agent 12; code name Arcas,”

Lastly, he pointed to the tallest of them all, broad-shouldered with a hard face, he looked like he never smiled. “Agent 8; codename Dionysus.”

“What’s with the Greek codenames?” You asked, genuinely curious why all their codenames were that of Greek mythology.

Before Bucky could answer you, however, his phone rang and he quickly answered it. A curt conversation over the line indicated to you that whoever was on the other end was telling him to hurry up because he muttered something along the lines of ‘Have some fucking patience’, before cutting the call.

“Let’s move.” He nodded curtly to the rest of the agents, they immediately dispersed and headed for the exit. You waited a moment before Bucky turned towards you, his expression is stoic and hard, and you sense an immediate shift in his attitude.

It was time to get to work.

“I have three golden rules, three rules for you to follow and we will be fine in every situation.” Bucky’s voice almost steely and robotic as he spoke, “Number one, I move, you move, doesn’t matter when or where, you listen to every instruction I give you, no arguments. You stay behind me at all times, there isn’t a moment when you’re ahead of me, unless, I specifically instruct you to be so. I am your human shield, you got it?”

“Oh good, a human shield. This should be fun.” Your snide answer goes unanswered by him as he continued.

“Number two, I am not here to fuck around, I’m not a pretty boy for you to show off to your high society friends, I am not in the field of playing games and entertaining your bullshit. My number one priority is keeping you alive, and if you act like an idiot, you die and I don’t need that on  my resume.”

“You think you’re a pretty boy?” You barked out a laugh

“The prettiest,” He bit back before continuing, again, “Number three. Wherever you are, I am. You do not go anywhere without me. You have to piss? I am standing at the door. You have a check-up at the doctor? I am there. You need to blow your nose? I give you the tissue. Do you understand?”

“I mean this is a little excessive don’t you thi-”

“Do you understand.” He cuts you off in a demanding voice, your defiant eyes meet his and you glared at him.

The instructions seemed simple enough but the fact that he was going to control every aspect of your life was suddenly annoying you. He was right, everything you did he was going to have to be there for it and that didn’t sit well with you.

“I have a life you know, I can’t have you hovering around me when I go on dates and out with friends.”

“Well, in the interest of keeping you alive, you’re going to have to suck it up and deal with me hovering, sweetheart.” Bucky moved closer towards you, his steely eyes piercing into yours and as much as you want to fight his every command at that moment, the sensible side of your brain is telling you to shut up and listen to him, “Besides, you won’t be going on many dates in the coming months, believe me.”

“I mean you can try and stop me from living my life, but good luck with that,” You jeered back at him, folding your arms over your chest in defiance.

A look of shock skittered across his face for a moment before he reigns his emotions in, and that stoic expression settled over his face again. Bucky is about to say something to you but changes his mind and just shakes his head.

“Follow my every instruction when we leave,” He ordered you and you felt your nerves prickle at the demanding tone he used with you, but you remained silent, “I move, you move? Got it.”

“Yes Soldier, I got it. Relax.”

Bucky clenched his jaw at your response but chooses to ignore your sarcasm again, clearly, his resolve was resolute because you would have at least expected some kind of chirp back with all the sass you were giving him.

He turned away from you and began to make his way out of the safehouse with you following closely behind him. It’s a quick trip down the elevator and into the lobby of the building where your usual car was waiting for you. You were a little relieved that not everything had changed, you still had the same driver and the same car.

Small victories. You thought.

For a moment you forgot that you were under supervision and walked a little faster, cutting in front of Bucky in an attempt to get to the car before him. It’s an innocent mistake on your part as you neared the freedom of being in a car and not cooped up in that safe house, but that moment of freedom is suddenly wrenched away as quickly as it arrived.

Bucky hand closes around your arm halting you just seconds before your hand touches the door to the lobby entrance. Whether he intended to or not, the force with which he stopped you from exiting startled you and you gasped in shock.

“What the-” You began to say but he cuts you off.

“Stay behind me, I said I move, you move. How am I supposed to protect you if you’re in front of me?” He snapped at you letting go of your arm.

“God fucking damn it, it’s like two meters to the car!” You exclaimed.

Bucky took a deep breath and steadied his temper. He was about two seconds away from yelling at you in the middle of the lobby, but he knew he couldn't, or Steve would punch the lights out of him for embarrassing the team and being unprofessional, also not with these many witnesses around. He stepped around you and pushed open the door, the cool morning air hitting his skin as it gusted into the lobby.

His eyes scanned the area from the entrance to the car, he takes in every detail he can, the pedestrians walking past, the other guests at the hotel moving around, talking to each other walking in and out, his eyes move like a hawk across the rooftops of the building for any signs of danger then when he was satisfied he stepped aside and gestured for you to start walking again.

You rolled your eyes at him and rather caustically walked out the lobby raising your hands in surrender as you approached the car. A hint of amusement hits him as he watched you walk over to the car and throw him a belligerent look before getting in loudly calling out to him,

“Oh, look, whatever shall I do, I made it to the car by myself.” You rolled your eyes at him so hard, Bucky could have sworn he heard them roll.

He shook his head and followed you, biting back the sudden smile that wanted to appear on his face from that display you had just put on.

Man, you weren’t going to make this easy for him.

~~~

Bucky stood in the massive living room of your penthouse apartment in Manhattan, his eyes moving across the living space with quiet amazement. He had been around technological advances and Stark’s fancy lifestyle long enough to know luxury but this, this place was phenomenal.

The entire space looked like it belongs in a magazine, from the beige tones throughout the room, accented by creams and golds to the marble flooring and pillars that stood at the entrances to it.

There wasn’t a thing out of place, not a speck of dust anywhere. For a home, Bucky found it surprisingly cold, but the problem with it was there was too much open space which was like an invitation for anyone trying to get to you.

There were staff that worked for you, chefs, cleaning staff, a driver, people who picked up your clothes, bought them for you, your personal assistant, too many people and too many eyes for his liking.

He didn’t have time to screen every single person in your life, so he made an executive decision right then. The team would have to move you to a different safe house or keep you at the one you were at. It was just safer that way, and if push came to shove he would have Steve run background on everyone in your life before bringing you back here.

Of course, he knew this wasn’t going to sit well with you and a small part of him felt amused by the fact that you were probably going to throw a shitfit about it.

“Sergeant Barnes?” A voice brings his attention back to the people in front of him and he looked up at the person, it was one of the STRIKE members they’d brought here to fit in a new security system.

“What is it?” He replied,

“We are done setting up the system, would you like us to show her how it works?” The agent asked,

Bucky shook his head and took the tablet from his outstretched hand, “No, I’ll run through that with my team. Thanks.”

The agent gave him a polite nod before he walked away once more. Bucky scrolled through the system they’d installed throughout your apartment, it was one of Stark’s best security systems linked directly to FRIDAY. It was biometric so only the pre-approved list of persons could come and go without him knowing about it, but he still didn’t like this place.

Just then you walked into the living room and looked around for a moment before your eyes met his and you crossed your arms at the sight of him. Bucky smirked,

He annoyed you, good.

“So are they done wreaking havoc around my home?” You asked annoyance thick in your tone,

“Yes they are but don’t get comfortable yet, we’re going back to the safe house.”

“Wait what, why?”

“Because I have decided you won’t be staying here,”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused, go pack your shit up.”

Bucky watched as your face turned from shocked to completely enraged, he was full well expecting a tantrum from you and that is exactly what he received. Amusement rippled through him as he watched you defiantly fold your arms over your chest and start yelling obscenities at him.

“Absofuckinglutely not! I refused to stay one more night in that crappy apartment in Brooklyn, I would much rather Hydra kill me then stay one more night in that hell hole.” You exclaimed dramatically, “I was promised protection not uprooting my entire fucking life to go live in Brooklyn for this trial, I will not leave, I refuse. You can go to hell,”

You were breathing heavily from anger when you were finally done yelling at him, all while Bucky just looked at you with a bored expression on his face.

“Are you done?” He asked,

“Not even close,”

“Okay well, then you can continue to yell at me once we’re in the car, let’s go.”

And before you could even say anything further, Bucky gripped your arm firmly but gently and began to haul you towards your bedroom to collect your things.

~~~

It was supposed to be business as usual but it felt like the furthest thing from it. You walked into your lab on Friday morning and were met with the sight of Bucky Barnes leaning against the wall, sunglasses on, one hand in the pocket of his black jeans and the other holding his phone in the other. Dark hair falling into his eyes as he frowned down at his phone.

“Why the fuck are you here?” You sighed walking up to him not bothering to say good morning or any other pleasantries for that matter.

Bucky looked up from his phone, an amused smile on his face, he tucked his dark hair behind his ear on one side and shoved his phone into his pocket.

“Why, good morning sunshine.” He replied smoothly, amusement ripe in his voice.

“Again, why are you here?”

“I feel like you seem to be forgetting my instructions.” Bucky said pulling off his sunglasses and revealing those ridiculously blue eyes, “I said, I move, you move, but somehow this morning I show up to move you and, whaddya know? You’ve already left for the day, care to explain?”

There is clear sarcasm in his tone but also a hint of demand. He’s upset with you but isn’t showing it or trying not to at this point. You didn’t want to be escorted to work, not after the shit show last night when you had to run through the entire layout of your penthouse home with them only to have Bucky tell you that you will no longer be allowed to live there because there were too many entrance points.

Needless to say, you threw a shit fit, and stormed off, but, alas, were followed by the Winter Soldier who wordlessly put you in your car and drove you right back to the safehouse, kicking and screaming.

So this morning, you awoke earlier than usual, got dressed and slipped out of the safehouse, without any of the agents noticing. It actually amazed you how easily you got past them, clearly, they weren’t very good at their jobs.

Your whole life you had the freedom to come and go as you pleased and now that you had to hand over the reins of your life to someone else, it was frustrating you. Your every move was going to be monitored and someone beside you at all times, this wasn't the life you were used to.

“Jesus H. Christ, I just needed to feel normal for two seconds, okay. I can get myself to work safely.” You said irritably rubbing your forehead with your hand.

“No, you can’t.”

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t get yourself to work safely because you don’t know what threats there are out there. I, on the other hand, do and seeing as it’s my job to get you places safely, I would appreciate a modicum of agreement here.”

“So would I.” You retorted stubbornly, “You have me cooped up in that shitty safehouse in Brooklyn, when my gorgeous Manhattan apartment is going to waste, deserted and dying without me in it.”

You watched him sigh and clench his jaw again, becoming frustrated with your defiance. Bucky ran his fingers through his hair and looked down at you, a scowl on his handsome face, now.

“I am really trying to be patient here,” He said exasperatedly, “but you’re not making this easy, can you please just follow my instructions?”

“Fucking fuck, fine. But can I at least move out of that shitty apartment and into my home again? I hate that fucking place.”

Bucky lets out an exhale, the exasperation clear all over his face. “Fine, We will move you to a different location not your place but one better than what you’re at, also I take you to work and get you home every day, end of story.”

You rolled your eyes and brushed past him, walking into your lab. Bucky followed you, you watched as his eyes sweep the entirety of it before they settled back on you.

“I really don’t think you need to be here 24/7,” You sighed, “This whole situation is being made such a big deal of, I can take care of myself, you know.”

“This is not a game.” He replied moving to lean against one of the metal lab tables.

“I didn't say it was but I know what I have gotten myself into and I can handle it!”

“No one is saying you can’t, but, you need to take this seriously-”

“I am taking this seriously! You think I don’t know what’s at stake here?!” You were suddenly shouting at him, “I am uprooting my entire life for this god damn cause, I am going against my family for this cause, I know the seriousness of it all!”

“Then stop acting like a child and listen to me!” He shouts back and you fell silent. You weren't expecting him to yell back at you, and it kind of scared you. Bucky suddenly stood taller and his figure seemed to double in size as if he rose to his full height, and it was dominating.

“Get out, I need to work.” You muttered turning away from him so he wouldn’t see the sudden tears in your eyes. It was frustration and fear building up inside you and he wasn’t helping.

Bucky took a deep breath and reigned his anger in, he shouldn’t have yelled at you, but he doesn’t care right now. All he knows is he needs to keep you safe and if you are a belligerent asshole the entire time, it’s going to end up costing someone their life and he’d rather it was not you.  

“I will be outside,” Bucky said in a steely voice before he turned sharply and marched out of your lab once more, leaving you alone with the silence, your thoughts and the panic now rising in your chest.

~~~

The lab felt like a safe little bubble as you lost yourself in your work. Hours ticked by before you noticed the ache in your stomach reminding you it was time to eat something. You glanced up at the clock and realized it was almost one in the afternoon, you also realized that you had left Bucky to wait outside for you not bothering to check up on him.

Why the fuck do you care? You had no idea but you felt a little guilty leaving the giant brick shithouse of a human to wait outside for you.

Grumbling under your breath about how stupid it was that you needed him to hover once again, you pulled off your lab coat and tossed it onto the table before walking out of your lab.

You half expected Bucky to be waiting for you right outside the door but to your surprise, he was not. A small part of you was disappointed that he wasn’t but you shoved that aside and quickly made your way toward the elevator, maybe he was going to let up on this ridiculous notion that he had to accompany you everywhere and you could have a peaceful lunch.

Hitting the elevator button repeatedly, you waited watching the orange light flash from floor to floor as it came up to you.

“Just so you know, repeatedly hitting the button doesn’t make the elevator go any faster.” A voice suddenly said beside you, it was close to your ear.

You whirled around, a strangled scream almost erupting from your throat as you slapped your hand over your mouth to avoid screaming. You were met with Bucky’s amused blue eyes and a smirk on his face.

“Motherfucker!”

“No, that would require me to sleep with someone's mother, of which I have not done so, yet. I think,”

“Don’t fucking sneak up on me!”

“I did not, you don’t have situational awareness.” He shrugged.

“I so do.”

“Oh, really? Tell me one thing you noticed that is out of place on this floor.”

You glared at him for a moment, why was he always challenging you, then your gaze swept across the length of the area. It was the reception area of this floor, bright green plants, glass walls, metal doors and signs leading to every lab. The smell of rubbing alcohol and sterilizing agents mixed in the air, with a hint of cherries from the floor cleaner.

There are a few people about, the security guard, Wallace, who as always there, the receptionist, Jody, who was on the phone, a few people sat in the reception area. Either waiting for someone or something, you notice nothing out of the ordinary.

“There’s nothing out of place…” You say it a little hesitant because you already know he's placed something that sets him on edge.

“Look again,” He orders and you follow his command eyes moving across the room again, “See the security? He’s not wearing his badge, why? That should be a red flag already if you didn’t know him. He could be anyone.”

“I know Wallace, he’s worked here for years.” You retorted.

“Beside the point. Now, look at the receptionist, she's not focused on her surroundings, isn't watching who's coming and going, how will she know who any of her guests are? The guy in the green jacket on the couch,” Bucky gestured towards him and you looked in that direction,”He’s carrying a firearm, but I can see his police badge from here which means he's law enforcement, but why is he here?”

“Cops come here all the time for forensics, when they need help or are short staffed.”

“Right, but have you seen him before?”

You looked at the man and shook your head slowly, “No.”

“And see the lady over by the water cooler, look at her nervousness, she’s not supposed to be here and her body language tells me that, immediately.”

You hadn’t picked up any of the things Bucky had just pointed out to you, and it amazed you just how keen his attention to detail was.

“Last but not least,” Bucky stepped a little closer to you just as the elevator dined on the landing, “You walked out of your lab, looked around the room, and never saw me when I was sitting right here.” He motioned towards one of the chairs near the elevator and you frowned.

How the hell had you not seen him, that was not possible.

“But I-” You began to say and he shakes his head.

“Situational awareness.” Was all he said before he gripped your by the elbow and guided you onto the elevator, “Where to?”

“Lobby, we’re getting lunch.”

A curt nod and he pushed the button, his hand remaining on your arm the entire ride down to the lobby and even as he helped you into the car.

~~~

“There’s a bagel stand right there!” Bucky exclaimed, pushing open the lobby door the two of you walk out onto the steps of the massive office building, the air outside is cool and crisp, a nice change to the spring heat for once.

“Well, I don’t eat cheap bagels from a stand, I eat croissants from Butter.” You snorted shaking your head at him,

“What the fuck is Butter?”

“It’s my lunch restaurant, and you’re taking me there.”

“No, I am not.”

“Yes, you are.”

You crossed your arms defiantly and stood your ground in front of him. He’d already took your home from you and your freedom, he wasn’t going to take your lunch place from you now, too.

“Fucking hell,” Bucky muttered caving to your defiance.

~~~

“So, you got rid of my car.” You noted as the two of you walked into the restaurant you wanted to eat lunch at. Bucky tried to protest bringing you here, but you simply stated that if you didn't get lunch from this place you would have a full-scale meltdown in public and he would have to deal with it. To which he begrudgingly agreed even though he seemed tense the entire way there.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because the replacement is an armored car that can withstand the rounds of AR-15’s.”

You fell silent at that response, you weren’t expecting it or that he was prioritizing your safety at such a high level. As you walked towards the table near the window the usual spot you sat at Bucky stopped you. You frowned up at him and waited as he looked around the room, before steering you in a different direction.

“What are you doing? I want to sit there.” You protested.

“No, you can’t sit here.” He shook his head.

“James I want to sit there, I always sit there, it’s my table.”

“No. Look around, for fucks sake.”

You paused your argument for a moment and looked around with a frown, you clearly didn’t see what he saw.

“I don’t see anything.” You snapped.

“The exits are blocked from that area of the room, they are obstructed by the pillars. The window opens up the vulnerability of a sniper, and the area is raised, hazardous for quick escapes.”

Everything he had just pointed out was something you wouldn’t have even thought of, it made a little more sense why he was assigned to you, the man was like a robot when it came to safety.

“Situational awareness.” You said softly, realizing he was right.

“Situational awareness.” Bucky nodded, a pleased glint in his eyes when he sees you finally understand what he is trying to say.

“Alright, where are we sitting?” You asked.

Bucky gestured to a table nearby and walked you over, his hand on your back as he did so. The waitress comes over and hands you a menu she flashes Bucky a wide smile which he returns. Obviously, she blushes three shades of red and scurried off once more, you rolled your eyes at this. To be fair, he was really pretty.

Bucky took up a stance near the table not joining you, he crossed his arms over his massive chest, that broody look settling over his face once more as his eyes moved across the restaurant. You frowned at him,

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sit down, you idiot.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“I don't care, I don’t want to attract attention by having your 220-pound ass hovering around me.”

“It’s for safety.”

“Well, you look really stupid and people are starting to stare, so sit the fuck down.”

Bucky chuckled, an actual chuckle and this amazed you. Had you really gotten the grumpy Winter Soldier to chuckle?

He doesn't say anything, instead, he walked over, kicked back the chair and dropped down into it, beside you. Resting his hulking forearms on the table, he looks at you, pointedly.

“Better?”

“Much.” You replied unable to keep the amused smile off your face.

He shook his head and said nothing. Instead, he watches you with a playful glint in his eyes. He doesn’t know how, or why, but he finds himself having a glimmer of interest in you. Maybe he even liked you a little, it was all that defiance and sass, it just reminded him of small Stevie.

Boy, was he in trouble with this one.

[ariadne-rx300-blog]

(R)e:volution

Summary: The RX300, arguably the most elusive design of Elijah Kamski's creation. An undisclosed prototype tasked with human-android relations espionage, equipped with a real-time observational UI, social protocol, combat tactics and looks to kill. How does a painted genius so easily lose track of his own spy? (Android OC/Connor)

Additional Tags: Pre-Deviant Connor, Pre-Android Revolution, OC backstory, Mostly Canon Compliant, Elijah Kamski has ulterior motives, OC is Kamski’s surveillance android, sort of like when people say Google is listening to your conversations, she’s kind of like that, OC observes Connor at work, for “observational research purposes”, this totally isn’t one of those types of romances, except it totally is, probably, Drama & Romance, Fluff and Angst, Deviant Love, Connor Deserves Happiness, Big Brother is Watching

Link to Chapter 1

2 || At Any Cost

Chapter Summary: "What makes me what I am?”

RX300 #151 073 925 - 21

Awaken, fair Eve, skin as alabaster in the light of an artificial moon. The Garden has unfinished business with you.

                                                                                                    AUGUST 15TH 2038

P a r a d i s e

As dusk fell, Kamski's simulated arboretum[1] had taken on an ethereal light, jarring in Eve's vision as she stepped forward into inverted god-rays on the rocky path. One foot in front of the other, she pushed past glowing plants with fronds brushing synthetic skin, tickling her cheek had she been capable of the sensation. Her LED spun blue in the simulated darkness, displaying her calm distance from that which was subjectively beautiful. The pathway before her formed itself slowly but steadily, illuminated by her steps as she went with her main directive in mind.

He stood on a pedestal in this dreamscape, arm extended as he stroked a large paintbrush across a previously-incorporeal canvas, hues of blue forming on the pillar before him, contrasting the inverse nature of the world around them.

"Elijah," Eve addressed him, simulated breaths expressed in glittering plumes. He paused, a smile passing over his features as he set his idle painting aside. Stepping from his pedestal and down to her level, he regarded her with the kind of consideration that could only be expected of a man in constant search of answers.

"Eve." He hummed as he approached, eyes glimmering curiously, "I've been closely watching your work. As you're already aware, you are equipped with the latest observational technology--in particular, an interface that I as your sole director may obtain oversight of at any time." She stood still as he circled her contemplatively, her face fixed forward, expression unchanged. "You are my eyes. Anywhere that you can go, I can go. It is a great gift, but one we must hide."

She blinked like a child with tired eyes to his lecturing. He placed his hands upon her shoulders, reaching just a bit taller than his own, his eyebrows rising and falling as he processed her rigid response to his grasp. "Your task is of great importance to me," He gently chided, "to my company. To the world, inevitably. The information we need is imperative to the advancement of human history."

"I understand," she spoke deliberately, "it is my purpose to uphold the expectations you have for me. I am designed to impress, not disappoint." Words fit for the ears of her creator. He'd programmed her well enough to give him adequate lip service, even in the event of a miscalculation or subsequent error.

"Good," He grinned, heaving a sigh that seemed to betray his outright confidence in her abilities. "At the moment, I believe I have an urgent case worth looking into." He stepped backward, finding his place among the luminescence of simulated flowers, turning on his heel and spreading his arms wide. His hands closed, fingers splaying to conjure a transparent monitor in the space before him. Pictures and videos flooded the screen, as well as various taglines heading the articles that surfaced on its intangible display.

Eve surveyed the images, poised to take in only the details that would be deemed necessary. A prominent variable caught her attention and easily debunked this mentality, however; an android detective, purportedly on active duty in the same location, its[2] conventionally approachable appearance wavering in the ether.

"I've arranged transportation, your alibi has been forwarded to you. The authorization you'll need has just been cleared by the DPD. Survey the crime scene, and keep an eye--" Elijah gestured vaguely to the enlarged image of the android in question, "--on that one. Take note of its actions. Don't let anyone onto your motive. This is strictly confidential observational research."

New Objective Received.

A wave of sensory overload flooded Eve, causing her eyes to harshly blink open. Blueish, bruised moonlight caressed her arm where she stood at a large, arched window looking out over broken waves. CyberLife Tower. The room that greeted her was more or less a glorified walk-in closet, complete with an array of outfits fit to dress both androids and humans--or, in the case of Eve on covert occasions, androids posing as humans. This mission required as such, seeing as the DPD wouldn't take kindly to any android apart from the obvious showing up to observe an active deviant threat.

Tensions had risen so quickly, with curious attachment to the Detroit area. It made sense that Kamski would be so adamant about attempting to frame deviancy from every angle, as had been Eve's clear goal since her inception. Being unable to show up to a crime scene himself without flags being raised by reporters and by the American public as a whole--this was why he'd been so determined on sending her instead. On the outside, he'd declared his apparent resignment long ago, secluded himself away from the public eye for sake of personal privacy.

On the inside, he still headed the operation, pulling strings where needed and providing his legacy with the occasional adjustment; new amendments to his original formula where necessary. If he couldn't be where the action was to see for himself, at least he could have someone to act in his stead. In this case, something with the power to act as his inside source, his live feed.

                                                                                                    AUGUST 15TH 2038

T h e  P h i l l i p s '  R e s i d e n c e

Exiting the taxi had proven a hassle in itself. Eve moved through the throng of people who had gathered at the perimeter, buzzing with curious minds and excitable conversation over the active threat that was taking place high above them. The entrance of the apartment building burst open to reveal a disgruntled police officer holding a woman securely by the arm, escorting her through the flickering line of holographic police tape. She struggled frantically, and Eve saw her chance to move past personnel as the woman began to wail, much to the morbid curiosity of the gathered crowd.

"It has my child!" She bawled, "If you aren't going to save her, let me do it myself!"

Slipping into the complex and onto the elevator with ease, Eve ascended to the 70th floor. She prepared herself, armed only with words (to angle herself away from suspicion), a convincing ID (to provide evidence of the truth to her lies), a pen and notebook (to act as decoys; she had no real use for them aside from aiding her disguise), and an olivine polyester jacket (an aesthetic touch tailored to enhance her visual impression.) With some luck, the attention would be on the event at hand and not on her sudden, mysterious appearance.

She entered the luxury suite's foyer, casting her gaze around in silent surveillance. A framed photograph of the once-happy family to her right, a partly-drained aquarium to her left, shot-up yet still intact. On closer inspection, a single dwarf gourami swam within, unfazed by the circumstances that had befallen the household. The water that clung to her heels indicated the fish had recently been lying on the floor, leading to the conclusion that someone had carefully put it back in its rightful place. No human fingerprints... an android had saved it. Strange.

"Excuse me, miss, may I see your ID?" A prompt, as expected. Given the importance of the current events taking place across the country, DPD was sure to have the place on lockdown. What had once been a family home had turned into a crucial, currently-escalating case of deviancy.

Eve regarded the officer that questioned her, the woman's face drawn into a deeper emotion beyond her recognition. Eve shuffled in her jacket pockets, preserving her disguise as she put on a ruse of human forgetfulness. She 'found' her fake license soon after and proffered it to the officer, "I'm a journalist with Detroit Today," she lied, smiling with about as much excitement as she could simulate. "this is my first big break!"

The policewoman breathed out a sardonic laugh, "This is my first big case, too." Eve's expression faltered as the officer reluctantly handed back her ID. "I wouldn't look so bright if I were you, it's a bloody hellhole in there. That machine made a right mess of the place." The policewoman seemed satisfied thereafter and returned to her work guarding the entranceway, a slight stutter to her steps. Eve nodded to herself in delayed acknowledgment, taking a moment to recalibrate.

Proceeding to the main room, she quickly observed the damage that had been done by the perpetrator in question. Two bodies to the left and right; fatally shot by near-perfect aim. The first bodies Eve had witnessed. Glass had scattered on the ground from the ricochet of bullets leading back to the foyer. That mother was lucky to be alive; why would she have wanted to risk her life? She was untrained and would easily have been apprehended. If anything, her interference would have worsened the situation at hand. Her daughter, taken hostage by their own domestic android.

Eve stopped dead in her tracks as her view was obscured, thought process unexpectedly derailed. A tall man brushed past her, heeding her no mind as he went to examine the body in the living room. A correction was quickly made as she noted a spinning LED--a tall android had made its way to examine the body, leaving her in the lurch for a moment as she took in this new information. Given context clues and the general information she had, the only androids that had been permitted access to the crime scene (aside from herself, secretly) were that of the deviant perpetrating the crime and the android negotiator itself. This one, the one Kamski had wanted her to watch, the prototype detective.

SWAT bickered in the other room, apparently unable to make positive contact with the hostage or the deviant that had taken her. A few stood at the doorway to the terrace, arguing amongst themselves as they repeatedly aimed and lowered their weapons through shattered glass. Eve was invisible to them, a quiet bystander in an unexplained moment of weakness. She caught herself gawking and immediately straightened her back, keeping to the shadows as she observed the detective at work.

The android kneeled by the body of a dead man, stopping still as its programming kicked into gear. It stepped over the body, turning, and for a moment its dark, piercing gaze seemed to look right through her. Was it equipped with a function unlike her own? At most, she was aware of her own ability to pre-construct scenarios, had she the need to defend herself. But, the ability to recreate events that had happened prior? Now that was an interesting function of which she was not capable.

The detective blinked, then stooped to interact with an object on the ground. An electronic tablet likely dropped by the victim in his last moments. A look of recognition seemed to pass over the android's features; it turned its head to the terrace entrance, occupied by armored officers, then stood up to stalk over to the other body. A blue-blooded bloodhound, as was the comparable analogy that came to mind. It was strangely incredible, watching another android acting solely upon its programmed instincts.

In turn, Eve paused, blinking her eyes closed as she sent out a cursory report on her findings. Come to find, when she opened her eyes again, the bloodhound was standing before her, watching intently. "Hello," it smiled as it politely introduced itself to what it had apparently assumed was human, "my name is Connor--I'm the android sent by CyberLife. I couldn't help but notice that you seem a bit... preoccupied with my actions." Bouncing gently on its heels, it seemed curiously eager to interact with her, even despite its current, rather pressing objective. "You said that you were a journalist, correct? Is there anything you would like to inquire about my functions?"

Her chest expanded as she inhaled, pupils widening like camera lenses to little effect. It couldn't scan her... but oddly enough she couldn't scan it either. "Eve." She reciprocated the smile, settling back into a more casual, 'human' stance. "What can you tell me about the bodies, Connor? I noticed you had little trouble looking them over." She chose her words carefully, lips falling open as she processed each phrase. "Is that part of your programming?" She readied her decoy notebook and pen.

"Yes," It gave a small nod, LED spinning yellow as it seemed to take in every detail of Eve's face. It blinked excessively, struggling in its repeated attempts at an assessment of her identity. No doubt, had Kamski enabled it to detect anything past her inherent cloaking technology, it would have been able to uncover her true nature off the bat. It was dangerous to be this close to something that could so easily dismantle you, had it reason to, though evidently this thought was lost on her. After all, she wasn't a deviant; she wasn't prey, and even in the crosshairs of the hunter she felt no fear. She felt nothing, frankly.

"I am an RK800 prototype model, capable of high-grade military combat and investigative tactics." Eve noticed it fall into humanlike mannerisms as it explained, its head tilting slightly, a lock of synthetic hair falling over its forehead. It was undoubtedly designed to appear trustworthy to the human mind and had facial features that were overtly soft in nature, with brown eyes that were almost... gentle? Odd. "Per your inquiry, I am equipped with the ability to scan and reconstruct past events using the evidence that is available," Its voice piqued interest and carried a warm, unassuming tone. "and I even have a social protocol, which you've clearly noticed." A wink, followed by that rapid blinking again. Eve's eyebrows furrowed.

"Where the fuck is that negotiator?" The SWAT captain, on his last straw, broke the atmosphere between the two like an arm. The detective android, Connor, straightened itself at the first sign of urgency, wordlessly refocusing its energy on the task at hand. It didn't waste any goodbyes on the false-journalist, strict in its obedience, instead returning with long strides to examine the dead officer lying in the center of the room. Eve scurried back into the shadows and out of the captain's warpath, though he set his sights on her the moment she made any sudden movements.

"You're obviously not one of mine;" he sneered impatiently as he approached, "Are you authorized?"

"I am." Eve insisted, standing tall and nearly as forthright. "Eve Turing with Detroit Today. I've already been cleared." He looked her over, assessing a final judgement, though she attempted to null his suspicions with mirrored impatience. "Exactly how many more times do I have to answer?"

"None," The captain, 'Captain Allen,' she noted, puffed indignantly. "Your name's on the list." He crossed his arms over his chest and gestured with a nod towards Connor, his demeanor relaxing substantially. "Just, stay out of its way. This is a high-priority case, and things are about to get hairier." Technically, Connor had approached her, not the other way around. She didn't dare argue that fact, though, instead dismissing herself from the conversation with a submissive nod. Captain Allen promptly turned on his heel and returned to his team, likely deliberating over a backup plan in the master bedroom.

Across the room, Connor crouched low. Eve stepped forward despite the captain's warning, stooping to better capture the android's actions. The detective reached forward, retrieving the deceased officer's pistol. It was against the law for androids to possess any form of weaponry, as Eve had been programmed to acknowledge--watching Connor holster the gun in its back pocket caused a stir in her. Was it still a crime if used to further the mission? In Connor's mind, apparently not. It had said that it was trained with military combat tactics...

'Fascinating,' She shut her eyes tightly to the sensation that abruptly overcame her, standing upright as she felt as though someone were digging around in her head with a fork. Kamski's commentary moved through her mind as though they were her own thoughts, yet still clearly foreign to her processing. 'It didn't even hesitate.'

When she blinked her eyes open again Connor was poised to exit onto the terrace. The detective slid the door open and she scrambled to frame the oncoming scenario, ignorant to members of SWAT who voiced their concerns for her safety. She perched herself at the shattered window as the primary event commenced.

A fair-haired android stood at the opposite end of the terrace, a PL600 of domestic function with a small human girl in its grasp--the deviant and the daughter taken hostage. Somehow the previous descriptions hadn't done the actual visual much justice. Things became real as soon as the situation had presented itself before Eve's eyes. The girl squealed, deviant gruffly murmuring under its breath. A shot ripped through the atmosphere as Connor entered onto the scene, the bullet making impact with its clothed shoulder, spattering blue blood and rendering its wounded arm exposed and sparking.

"Hi, Daniel!" It shouted, much to the dismay of the offending android. "My name is Connor!" A SWAT helicopter flew to hover ominously over the scene, the wind from its blades tugging aggressively on Connor's suit jacket.

"How- how do you know my name?" Shock evident in its tone, the deviant's expression quickly twitched into unadulterated anger. It was hard for Eve to comprehend the emotion that struck its synthetic skin so easily, as though what it was feeling were more than simulation, bearing deeper roots than its superficial make.

Connor started forward, slow in its steps. Calculated, monitoring Daniel's rising ire. "I know a lot of things about you; I've come to get you out of this!" Pool furniture having been flung across the terrace in the all-encompassing gale, Connor reached to push a chair out of the way as it continued. "I'm an android, just like you." The detective-turned-negotiator pleaded despite steadily worsening conditions, "I know how you're feeling!"

"What difference does it make if you're an android?" Sneered the deviant with little regard to Connor's shallow empathy, "You're on their side! You can't understand how I'm feeling!" Daniel growled frustratedly and the hostage frantically screamed. "Are you armed?" The deviant spat, one arm clinging to the squirming child with a death-grip, the other pointing a pistol at Connor with potentially fatal aim.

"No!" Came the instant lie. "I don't have a gun!" Eve held onto the windowsill with bated breath, eyes wide. Connor was especially brazen, approaching a highly unlikely situation and directly working to increase its chance of success. It was particularly breathtaking and nonetheless unprecedented.

Daniel called Connor's bluff, though the detective's resolve remained unshaken. "You're lying! I know you have a gun!" A tango with ultraviolence; it was ironic that the one who'd committed the crime would appear more frightened than that of its foil.

"I'm telling you the truth, Daniel, I came here unarmed!" Another bold-faced lie in the face of clear opposition.

A wounded officer lay dying in a red pool of his own blood, barely conscious. Connor set its sights on the man, multitasking. "They were going to replace you and you became upset. That's what happened, right?"

Eve blinked as the deviant seemed to momentarily withdraw its guard, somehow affected by Connor's words. "I thought I was part of the family. I thought I mattered..." It snapped suddenly, firing up into chaos once more. It shook the gun in its hand exasperatedly, the child along with it. "But I was just their toy, something to throw away when you're done with it!"

Steps away from the dying man, Connor poked at Daniel's nerve with a fine tool. "I know you and Emma were very close. You think she betrayed you, but she's done nothing wrong!"

"SHE LIED TO ME!" Daniel roared, "I thought she loved me... But I was wrong. She's just like all the other humans!"

The young girl in its hold, 'Emma,' wept openly. "Daniel, no..."

Connor's attention drifted from the dying man to the erratic deviant. It kneeled to address the wound that Daniel had caused--a bullet through the arm, the injury oozing blood onto concrete at an alarming rate. It was a wonder the officer hadn't already fainted from the trauma or faded altogether. "He's losing blood," Connor stated, expression vague. "If we don't get him to a hospital, he's going to die."

"All humans die eventually!" Daniel exclaimed with disdain and utter lack of sympathy, "What does it matter if this one dies now?"

The detective's lip twitched as conflicting orders flitted across its vision. "I'm going to apply a tourniquet," It said finally, moving to assess the officer's punctured arm. Daniel fired a warning shot, the bullet shooting sparks from where it crashed into the ground near Connor's kneeled position.

"Don't touch him!" The deviant ordered, "Touch him and I kill you!"

The threat was palpable enough. The PL600 had already murdered three people; Emma's father, and two first responders: one lying cold in the dining room, the other afloat, facedown in the terrace pool. Had attempted to murder a fourth, the officer under Connor's attention, and a fifth, the small girl helpless in his arm. Connor, however, was not a 'person' in that regard; solely by the given definition of being an android had it forfeited any right to individual importance.

"You can't kill me," Connor barked, quickly untying its tie and wrapping the wound tight. "I'm not alive." Daniel expelled a breath of frustration as the detective stood to its feet and resumed its careful approach. "Listen," It started, "I know it's not your fault." A pause, followed by a further move for sympathy. "These emotions you're feeling are just errors in your software!"

"No, it's not my fault... I never wanted this... I loved them, you know?" Daniel was selfish, shaken again by Connor's prodding and eagerly responsive with a volatile demeanor. "--But I was nothing to them!" It argued, still pushing back. "Just a slave to be ordered around!"

'Loved' them... A 'slave'... Eve's lips puckered in silent contemplation.

"I can't stand that noise anymore!" The deviant suddenly yelled, "Tell that helicopter to get out of here!"

Connor moved to optimal distance then did as asked, waving the helicopter away from the scene. "There," The terrace calmed as the windstorm slowly died. "I did what you wanted." Even as the negotiator acted in favor of Daniel, the deviant proved unsatisfied. Connor had reached the threshold, and the night was on its last leg.

"You have to trust me, Daniel!" It begged upon selective ears, "Let the hostage go and I promise you, everything will be fine!"

Daniel's pupils shook as retroactive weakness took hold. "I want everyone to leave... And I want a car! When I'm outside the city, I'll let her go!" With the gun to Emma's head, it switched objectives, attempting to bargain in the face of looming destruction. Striking a deal with the devil for the sake of self-preservation, a remarkably humanlike mistake.

With so many sins, what was there left to save? Connor's lips pursed into the fine line that kept the deviant away from its stained freedom. "That's impossible, Daniel." Justice to be served. It spoke logically, "Let the girl go and I promise, you won't be hurt."

"I don't want to die..."

"You're not going to die." It was almost laughable, the pile of lies that had built up to this point. "We're just going to talk. Nothing will happen to you. You have my word." The word of a being comprised of wires and synthetic skin, a mind made of mathematical equations and social protocol, of programming for the purpose of deviant suppression. The word of a deviant hunter. An untrustworthy, nonempathetic, inhuman being with no ounce of rank to live up to its own promise of credibility.

Hesitation. An atmosphere riddled with the pungent mixture of death, chlorine, and gunpowder. A final problem[3] waiting to be solved.

"I've spent my life taking orders..." Daniel lowered the gun, its free arm opening wide as it had inevitably surrendered to its fate, intending to take its hostage along with it as its shoes hit the edge. "...Now, it's my turn to decide."

Time slowed as the PL600 careened backward over the cityscape below. Emma's scream tore across the terrace, body struggling for purchase as gravity increased. Connor sprung into action, shedding its patience to meet Daniel's desperate act with its own. Eve gasped for air as the detective leapt for the girl[4], gliding forward to collide with the deviant and pulling Emma to safety in one fell swoop.

The two androids tumbled over the side and out of view as Eve left the scene with numbed haste.

                                                                                                    THE TRUTH IS INSIDE

1 Similar to Amanda's Zen Garden, but instead centered around Kamski, acting as a sister subspace to the prior. The two exist separately, with Amanda's Zen Garden existing for Connor and Kamski's Paradise simultaneously existing for Eve; two sides of the same coin ("nature versus nurture.") As opposed to Amanda's emphasis on both literal and metaphorical 'nature' in the environment around her, Kamski's is a combination of nature and technology, with an infusion of cosmic influence to represent knowledge and the 'nurture' side of the argument. The name "Paradise" refers to the Garden of Eden from the biblical tale of Adam and Eve... more or less showing Kamski to be a self-proclaimed 'God' figure.

2 This is written from the perspective of Eve, a nondeviant android. Although Eve perceives herself with female pronouns, she perceives the other androids around her to be "it"s, like nonsentient objects. It's a blind irony.

3 Referring to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's infamous Sherlock Holmes finale "The Final Problem," originally intended as the end to the beloved detective's stories as a whole. Holmes and his archnemesis Moriarty duke it out, inevitably perishing together by way of falling into the gorge of the Reichenbach Falls. This is mirrored by Connor's act of sacrifice, as both he and Daniel die by falling off of the apartment building.

4 Software Instability ^

[yrpspiritsintheshadows]

The Way Home

The Way Home

“So, since we weren’t on the boat, I gotta ask… How did you dispatch the adults?” Lucian asked the scientist as he followed him. 

“Hm? Thought it’d be obvious. Euthanasia, than cryogenics to preserve the coprses.” The scientist smiled. “It was honestly rather easy once we had them under wraps. They’ll do anything for their young. Quite different from normal sharks.”

“Is that so? Did they… say anything? I just find it frustrating that you didn’t try to talk to them first, to study their intelligence.”

“That’s what the juvenile is for. The adults were already past their prime anyways.”

Just keep talking. The court is gonna eat this up. You all are going to jail for murder.

“Honestly, isn’t it exciting? We’re introducing a new species to the world!”

The scientist opened up the door to the supply room, sliding a rather hefty cart with a collapsible sling on it.

“Oof, here!”

“Thanks… Mind if I ask you one more thing?” 

“Hm?”

Lucian rushed him, slamming the man into the wall, grabbing him by his neck.

“How much does this hurt?”

“AUGH!”

These sickos… They were a couple. They were in love. They were trying to raise a family.

“I’m going to ruin your life.” He whispered before hitting a pressure point as the man slid to the floor unconscious. Lucian looked through the man’s pockets, finding an ID, a keycard… and the man’s wallet.  

“.... This’ll do.” He took out the cash in the wallet, pocketing it. “Consider it your payment for me NOT killing you.” 

He grabbed a few other supplies before hurrying off with the cart, locking the supply room behind him, leaving the man where he was. No one would be going there, at least, not right now. He knew Eiji wanted in and out as fast as he could.

Soon as he was in the room with the tank, he composed himself, waving his “colleagues” over.

“Got ‘im. Our guide had to… go away.” He smiled thinly, a cold look in his eyes.

No one wanted to know what he meant by that.

“What do you got for us?” Eiji asked.

He held up the key card, a wicked grin coming across his face.

“...Oh, you absolute genius.”  Eiji rubbed his hands together. “Let’s roll.”

“Right, just follow me. I saw an elevator in the hall.”

“Perfect.” 

They hurried off, heading right on to the next level of the building.

Now, they were on the level that lead to the tops of the different tanks. Most were empty, nothing but concrete awaiting below.

“Just act normal. Perfectly normal.”

“We’re alone.” Lucian looked up and down the hall, scoffing a bit. “Besides, I wanna have a few words with the rest of ‘em.”

“Lucian, we can’t go to jail for killing murderers. I’m already pulling in enough favors so we don’t get slapped with vigilante justice.” Skyler hissed, smacking his shoulder.

“I know, I know.”

Chase looked around, noting the cameras in the area were on the ground. He occasionally got a glimpse of a shadow along the wall.

“I think we’re getting a warm welcome.”

“Good.”

Before long, they were at the old Great White enclosure. The filters caused the water to ripple and shift on the surface.

EIji turned to his team, giving them a serious look, taking off his glasses.

“You guys ready?”

“Ready. Hikaru’s not gonna come to the surface willingly. He knows their tricks.”  Skyler frowned, looking down into the depths. “One of us is gonna have to go in… Unless…”

“He’s also still a shark.” Eiji knelt in front of the water, rolling up his sleeve, reaching his hand in, splashing at the surface of the water, creating ripples that disrupted the filter, creating a sound. 

They didn’t have all day to wait for him. If he didn’t come up on his own after this, Eiji would go in himself… but he wanted to give the kid a chance to make his own decision.

“Come on Hikaru…” He whispered.

Chase kept his BB gun aimed at the hallway, not taking his eyes off of it.

Skyler pulled out her bat, stirring the water with it, causing more ripples.

These movements should at least make him curious. It should be close enough to the “yummy hum” regular sharks fall for.

There was movement below, coming right up at them.

“Do you hear that?” Lucian whispered.

“Their stupid hum trick? Or the footsteps?”

“The footsteps.”

They narrowed their eyes, getting into position.

“Lucian, you keep by EIji, Hikaru might be hurt.” Skyler pulled her bat out of the water. “Eiji?”

“Skyler… Go sma-ACK!” 

A sandpapery hand gripped his as tight as they could, clawed fingers digging into his skin. Eiji bit his lip, bracing himself as Hikaru pulled hard, nearly sending him into the water.

“Whoa! Hikaru! Easy! Easy! I’m not gonna hurt you!”

The boy’s head surfaced for a moment, his eyes full of anger as he pulled harder.

“Liar…” He hissed. “Liar…”

“Easy… Easy…” He pulled out his pendent, showing it to him. “I’m like you!” 

Hikaru froze up, hesitating, swimming closer, curiosity coming to his eyes.

“You’re not with them?” He murmured.

Eiji shook his head, giving him a gentle look.

“I promise, I’m not with them. You can trust me.”

Hikaru growled, moving back. 

Eiji frowned, reaching into his bag, turning the ghost box up to full volume.

“Hikaru.” The box blared out, in its monotone voice. “Hikaru, we are here.”

That, made the boy pause.

“... You can see them?”

“No… but my son can. And they lead me to Hideki. My name is Eiji. I’m from the Memoria coven.”

Hikaru sunk deeper, eyes growing wider.

Eiji held his free hand out to him.

“C’mon. Your mom and dad helped us every step of the way. We can send these people to jail.” 

“I… I can see Hideki?” Hikaru’s eyes were dark, keeping his distance… still keeping a grip on Eiji, in case he had to pull him into the water with him. He was faster. He reasoned he could outswim a human running for their life.

He wanted to trust him so badly… but he was still scared. The outside world seemed like a far away dream, compared to the way he was living now.

A test subject, ran day in and day out. Fed stuff that’s not even fit for cats. Poked and prodded. Mocked….

His eyes stung, reaching for Eiji’s hand.

“You can see Hideki. We’re going home right now. Okay?” Eiji grasped his hand, pulling the boy up, partially lifting him out of the water. 

“P-Promise?” His tail swished, unsure… something felt wrong.

“I promise.”

An alarm blared overhead, causing them to jump.

“Sorry to interrupt such a sweet theft-ACK!”

“LIKE HECK YOUR INTERRUPTING THEM!”

Eiji looked over just as Skyler swung her bat at a guard’s head, knocking him unconscious.

Chase was using the end of his BB gun to hold another back.

“You guys better get your butts moving! Time is not on our side anymore!”

Hikaru huddled against Eiji, shaking like a leaf.

“It’s okay. You're okay.” He looked at the guard with disgust. “What do you wanna do to him?”

Hikaru looked between the adults before a dark look crossed his eyes.

“Into the water….”

“You heard the boy! Eiji, go!” Lucian slid the keycard into his front pocket. “Swipe this on any doors you see and make a break for it.”

“Right.”

“You thought it’d be that easy?” Hikaru asked, as Eiji bolted off with him.

“Let’s just say I was hoping faking being a horrible person would work.” 

It wasn’t long before the team rushed to catch up to them, Chase’s BB gun missing.

“Took all my effort to not go over the side too.” He panted as they entered the elevator.

“Basement level.” Hikaru whispered to Eiji. “They brought me in through there. It’ll go outside. We are going outside… right?”

“All the way out.” Eiji held him close, cradling him in his arms.

While Hikaru was trying to keep quiet to keep minimum exposure away from them, he knew it was just a matter of time.

“One small problem…” Hikaru reached behind him, brushing a piece of plastic.

“... Frick.”  Eiji knelt down, turning him around seeing a tag protruding from the boy’s dorsal fin. “Be honest, does that hurt?”

“It did when they put it in. I know how to pull it out though. They can’t track me without it. This is tag number three.” Hikaru fumbled for it behind him. It was harder to grab it, dripping water like crazy. “If I change back it’ll be stuck in me still.”

“We’re almost to the basement.”

Skyler checked her phone, noting a message.

“One of my friends from the force just messaged me. They’re already storming the building from the front.”

“So we go out the back!” Eiji helped Hikaru reach the tag, making sure it didn’t shift, until the boy could unclip it.

It took a few minutes, the boy sighing in relief as the tag fell free from his fin. The next time he transformed into this form, the hole would be fully healed.

“How long does it take to change back?” Eiji asked. 

Hikaru sighed shakily, looking at his form. He was so tired. It normally was easy to force a shift back to human, but right now… He wasn’t sure.

“I… I don’t think I can… Not right now. You guys have no idea how hard they ran me until you guys showed up.” Hikaru looked up at the team, a frown on his face. “... Did you mean it? About… them going to jail?”

“Every word.” Eiji offered his arms to him, the boy wrapping his own around his neck. He stood, lifting him up. 

“Thank you.”

The basement floor opened up to them, rushing out.

“Left!” Hikaru cried out as Eiji veered that way. “The door’s this way!”

“Right!” 

He fumbled for the keycard, sliding it into the door as it was pushed open into the light of day as the sun shone down on them.

There was chaos outside, police were swarming the building. 

“Skyler? Be honest, are we gonna be screwed if we leave now?” Chase asked, crossing his arms. “I mean, we did our damage.”

“I’ll handle this…. Buuut.” She grabbed Lucian by the arm. “I’ll need Lucy.”

“HEY! What did I say about LUCY!?”

“Chase, go with them. I got this.” 

Chase nodded, hurrying off to handle damage control. Eiji slowed his jog to a walk, knees becoming shaky as he reached his van.

“We’re almost home free, kiddo.”

“Deki…?”

“Deki’s gonna spoil you like crazy.” Eiji unlocked the car, setting Hikaru along the back seat. 

The boy’s eyes were drooping, threatening to close at any time. He didn’t want to sleep yet. He wanted to know exactly what was happening.

Eiji squeezed his hand, giving him a gentle smile.

“You’re a tough one. I can appreciate that. I’m a twin too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yup. Older than my sister by ten minutes. How about you?”

“Five minutes older… Deki’s technically my “little” brother.”

“You’re a good big brother then for hanging in there so long.”

Hikaru shrugged, curling up on himself. He was quiet, his body shaking still. 

Eiji frowned, hesitating before looking through the van, finding a blanket Carmen had stashed in there. Mainly for the times where Ken had dozed off. 

“Is this okay?”

Hikaru looked at him, nodding a little.

“Yeah… Thanks.”

“Welcome.” Eiji wrapped him up. 

Hikaru curled up more… sniffling, as he tried to hide it. 

Eiji frowned, sitting beside him, stroking his back.

“I’m so sorry, Hikaru.”

“Why…? Why us?” He whispered, a small sob escaping him. “What’d I do bad? What’d Okaa-san and Otou-san do bad?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I promise that.” Eiji kept stroking his back, frowning. “You didn’t deserve anything that happened… and I can’t promise everything’s gonna be perfect.”

“Nope… Hello foster family… New town…” 

Eiji shook his head, confusing him.

“When I said we’re going home… Hikaru, you boys are NOT going to be alone in this. I won’t allow that.”

Hikaru sat up, rubbing at his eyes. 

“Why?” He sniffled. “Why do you wanna help two freak kids and risk getting killed like that?”

Eiji gave him a gentle look.

“Because, I’m a dad too. If someone murdered me I’d want someone to watch out for my son. And…” He sighed shakily, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ho boy, I wanted to tell you when we got you back to your brother, but you two really are similar, y’know that?”

Hikaru tilted his head.

Eiji smiled a little.

“My friend, Skyler, she’s a social worker. She’s helping my wife and I.” He offered an arm to him. “Hikaru… we want to adopt you and Hideki.”

… What?

The boy gave him a bewildered look, tilting his head. 

“Why?”

“Like I said, we want to give you a chance. I can’t turn back time… but we can make sure you guys have a chance to just be kids.” Eiji gave him a warm look. “To go on dates, to go after your dreams, get into mischief and feel weird, in the way every normal teen does.”

“That… That sounds amazing…” Hikaru sniffled, looking down. “I… I’m sorry. I just don’t…”

“Don’t know how to process all this right now?”

He nodded, wiping at his eyes again. 

“But I do want that… I wanna… I wanna be normal. I wanna tinker with my stuff again, I wanna eat normal food and rough house with my brother and… and…”

Hikaru lunged forward, tackling Eiji a bit, hugging him tightly. Eiji brought his arms around him, stroking his back.

“I wanna go home…” He sobbed a little. “Please… just take me home.”

Eiji hummed softly, rocking back and forth a little.

“We’re gonna take you home, kiddo. To Hideki. You can meet my wife… and our youngest son. You okay with having a really young little brother?”

“How little?”

“He’s just six.”

Hikaru chuckled a little.

“Just a lil shark pup…” He relaxed a bit, curling up to Eiji… his dark brown eyes sliding closed. A small glow overtook his form, as a long tail became lanky legs. Rough, shark skin adorned with tiger stripes faded to pale skin, the fins on his head, fading away into messy black hair.

He was dressed in a purple t-shirt and khaki shorts, but he was there.

Eiji held him close, stroking his hair, taking in the boy before him.

Safe and sound. 

Right where you belong.

ooooo

“Hikaru.” 

He winced, rolling away from whoever was speaking. He was just so comfy. He didn’t want to move. It was warm… So warm…

Where am I though?

“Hikaru, wake up buddy.” 

He opened his eyes slowly, looking around blearily. He was still wrapped up in the blanket, strapped into the car. He was still leaning on Eiji at that.

“Hey there.” Eiji smiled. “Sleep well?”

“Y-Yeah…” He paused, yawning into his hand. He buried his face into Eiji’s jacket, not quite ready to move just yet. He stopped, looking at his hands, opening and closing them slowly.

Not having to stay in his predator born form to keep alive in the water… He was actually himself again. He grinned, tears of joy stinging his eyes.

“I’m…” He laughed a little. “I’m really okay.”

“That’s right, kiddo.” He ruffled his hair, grinning. “You changed back after you fell asleep.”

“Good…” He yawned again, shaking his head. “Alright, I’m up.” Hikaru, looked up at Eiji, giving him a grin. “I’m ready.”

“Come on then.” 

He helped him out of the car towards the house. Unlike Hideki, Hikaru didn’t even blink at the large house. He took note of it, more so wondering where his brother was in this large house.

Eiji didn’t even get to open the door before it was thrown open.

“HIKARU!!!!” 

The boy cried out as Hideki tackle hugged him right to the floor. His eyes went wide, looking up at his twin.

“You’re okay… You’re okay…” Hideki laughed, hugging him tightly. 

Hikaru returned the embrace, burying his face in his shoulder.

“Yeah… M’right here. Nii-san’s here.”

“Karu-Nii…” Hideki nuzzled him, a churr escaping. His grip tightened a little, keeping his sibling close to him. “Sorry, I-”

“Missed you too.” Hikaru finished, tears of joy running down his face. “I’m home… I’m really home.”

“We’re home.” 

The twins looked up at the towering house, the last of the daylight bouncing off the windows.

It wasn’t the house they grew up in… It would take time to adjust.

Hikaru ruffled his hair, helping Hideki to his feet.

“So, where’s this room I was told about?”

Hideki chuckled, pulling him inside. 

“First, come meet the rest.”

Carmen and Eiji were just inside, sharing an embrace. They had been watching, keeping their distance to let the boys have their moment. Ken was hiding behind his mother, a timid look on the child’s face.

“Hikaru, this is Carmen and Ken. They’re part of the family too.”

Hikaru bowed a little.

“Thank you for… for taking us in and…. and for everything.”

Carmen smiled gently.

“You’re family now. We’ll always have our family’s back.”

“Even weird shark kids?”

“Oh, especially.”

Ken hurried up to him, tilting his head.

“Uh… Hi?”

“Are you a new big brother too?”

Hikaru knelt down to his level, ruffling his hair up, eliciting a giggle.

“Sure am. Anytime you need me, I got your back.”

“Yay!” 

Hikaru yelped as Ken tackle hugged him, but didn’t fall over this time. Instead, he just lifted him into his arms, leaning on his twin a little.

“So, what do you think, Bro?” Hideki asked, smiling. 

“I think… I think this is what our parents would’ve wanted.” Hikaru replied, looking up to Eiji and Carmen. 

“Alright you three, c’mere!” Carmen brought all three boys into a bear hug, eliciting laughter from them.

Eiji chuckled, bringing out his phone for a quick picture.

“Welcome to the family boys. Welcome home.”

[ilcaeryx]

Limelight: Chapter 2 [Bakugou Katsuki/Reader]

SUMMARY: In their ingenuity, villains spurred the competence and excellence of heroes with unexpected consequences. Before, most heroes could focus solely on combating villany and make a living out of it. Today, a well-established hero is multifunctional: a protector, entertainer and idol in one person. Engaging the public the way a celebrity would is a common strategy, leaving the tabloid industry flourishing and eager to make a killing.

Number 2 hero Bakugou "Ground Zero" Katsuki refuses to indulge others' fantasties... though he'll make an exception for you.

TAGS: Reader-Insert, Idol-like Heroes, Friends to Lovers, Romance, Vacation, Long-Distance Relationship, Hero Dating Civilian, Influences from K-pop, Comedy, Aged-Up Character(s), Idol Variety

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Clickbait

Okay, the last sentence in the prologue was definitely hyperbolic; a 'device' (if you can even call it that) utilized by the 'author' (read: barely sentient being) to introduce a spark of curiosity in the readers. In the fast-paced modern world there's little time to waste in reading about one singular event when these interconnected societies over the globe cause hundreds, if not thousands of events. More often than not, the reader will stop mid-scrolling and raise an eyebrow over a particularly bizarre occurrence. If you want the entire 0,5% of a person's daily attention-span, an ounce of deception will do the trick.

  In my case, if I've played my cards right, that last sentence interested you and hopefully you'll remember it some fifteen chapters from now. I guarantee you it'll happen.

We're all in agreement that clickbait and hyperbole are trashy ways of spreading news and that many events undeservingly receive more attention than they should. After all, at times those titles prove to be downright false.

  However, it wouldn't be completely untrue to state that clickbait and hyperbole forced Bakugou Katsuki out of his residence into a bullet train speeding southwards late at night. Knowing Katsuki, there's no way he'd ever admit to it either. He never had cared much in keeping appearances, admittedly, yet there was something intimately disturbing in acknowledging that the constant pursuing of the tabloid writers bothered him. It was not a confession he would bring up to anyone. Not Kirishima, not his parents nor coworkers.

  Much like any other young adult in this era, Katsuki repeatedly turned the screen of his phone on and off with such compulsion and fervor that would impress professional Guitar Hero players. His phone was new and barely customized, which is why he constantly had to swipe away the existence of every NEWSFLASH: HERO X DID Y announcement that popped up on his home-screen. Earlier today a severe flood had forced a platoon of heroes into action and his phone had gone absolutely batshit. Honestly, who gave a fuck? Unless you lived there, it wasn't necessary. Once he had settled into his vacation house, he would uninstall whichever app was responsible.

  Until then, he'd just keep it off. No one would call him this early.

  Those motherfuckers. How'd they find me?

  If it hadn't been for the weak dawnlight catching the lenses of the cameras, Katsuki would have dismissed the shantily clad trio as tourists. Bathing in sunlight by the train-station exit, the human leeches held their big-ass cameras like they were their first-born child. Quite literally cradling their ticket to a paycheck.

  Question was if he originally was their target or if they were snooping around for another celebrity.

  Katsuki slowly pulled up his dark hoodie over his hair and re-adjusted his plain mouth mask, making sure it reached half-way up his nose. He wouldn't see shit with sunglasses on, so he didn't bother picking them out of his jacket pocket. It was fucking annoying to walk around clad like a rapist or a robber, but rough clothes together with an aggressive stride usually kept people away. The last thing he needed was any exposure at all - he wanted to lay low. A gathering of paparazzi around his vacation house together with fans or curious people would be an unfortunate test of patience.

  Fuck, that would probably destroy his career at this point.

  Walking through the open-air train-station while staying undercover felt contradictory, like a gazelle hiding in plain sight. As he passed by the unmentionables, he repeatedly convinced himself that it wasn't him they were after. He walked too fast to hear anything properly, though he didn't hear any camera shutters, which pleased him. By the time he had boarded the small bus to the village, the nitroglycerine that coated his palms had soaked through his bus ticket.

 Shirahagi village was fine, he guessed.

  In reality, it was an overgrown, chaotic mess exposed to the weather; blooming vegetation and simple houses were clustered in an irregular fashion, creating a labyrinth of low visibility and shadows. The main road that led from the lackluster bus-station downhill ended in a smaller plaza, he could see. Part of the village was completely submerged under the dense tree-crowns, from his view on top of the hill. Wherever his place was, he couldn't tell.

  A succinct summary: it was an utter clusterfuck.

  Katsuki knew that somewhere in these tangled roads there was a mom-and-pops-style grocery store. Hell, it was possibly small enough that he would devour their entire sortiment in the two weeks he was to spend here.

  Other than that, he didn't know shit. Prior to yesterday afternoon, he had never heard of Shirahagi. Through a game of telephone, one of his old ex-classmates (that he didn't remember at all, coincidentally) spoke to another and so on until Alien Girl messaged him to check it out yesterday. She had written that it was a pretty cool place but he suspected that she either had ties to the old lady that offered to rent out a house in an extremely short notice or that she had misheard the name.

  It seemed like a calm and desolate place, so he had struck a deal.

  For now, this was all he needed.

   Obscured behind a crescent-shaped road was the old lady's house. In contrast to the untamed flora towering above it, the residence was a well-polished gemstone; the hedges were neatly cut, the facade in decent shape and it seemed like the walls wouldn't cave in from a slight breeze. Frankly, it'd be worth the money if his house was similar.

  Not that appearance particularly mattered, but he didn't want to freeze to death in case of broken walls or windows or whatever.

  A back curved by age was hovering above a flowerbed, knees digging into the ground. Mrs Takahashi. Katsuki let go of his luggage and held onto the metal fence, inclining himself over it.

  "Lady!" he said, voice loud and clear. "I'm Katsuki, the guy that called yesterday. I'm here for the vacation house."

  Mrs Takahashi struggled to stand up, using her hands to push herself back on two feet. Her legs shook enough that Katsuki tensed his shoulders.

  "I was wondering when you would drop around," Mrs Takahashi shuffled around, removing her gardening gloves by the fingertips. The old lady had a weathered face, like a granite wall cracking up, and she didn't look too impressed as she eyed him. Perhaps she didn't recognize him.

  Katsuki shrugged lightly, not knowing what to say.

  "My hearing isn't what it used to be anymore; I could barely hear you over the phone. New technology these days, they don't make anything like they oughtta." Mrs Takahashi walked up to him, reaching out her palm towards him. Oddy enough, Katsuki impression of her was beetle-like. With her back bent over, the purple wool jacket was kind of like her carapace. Her head and neck were sunken towards her chest and her limbs were slim, like those of an insect.

  In fact, he was calling it now. Her Quirk definitely had something to do with beetles, or at least insects in general.

  She harkled her throat and wriggled her fingers. Katsuki pressed his lips and reluctantly reached out to shake her hand. When he grasped her hand it simply remained limpless, a sloppy, unenthusiastic welcome to Shirahagi.

"I don't want your hand, son, I want your identification. My niece and nephew have told me all about these scammers that are going around nowadays."

  His eyes narrowed very slightly.

  I see how it's gonna be.

  This could turn out nasty, he thought as he retrieved his ID out of his wallet, handling it to her. Everyone had a short description of their Quirks along with the usual information on their ID-cards. Even if she didn't know about his profession, the Quirk description 'secretes nitroglycerine through perspiration and ignites it into explosions' was uncommon. It wasn't hard to find out the name of a hero just by searching for a Quirk description.

  Mrs Takahashi seemed at peace, at least. A mild humm erupted from her and she gave him the ID back.

  He quickly put it away in his wallet.

  "Be mindful of the attic," she said and dangled a key in front of him. "If I hear you've harassed my ghosts you'll end up regretting it."

  After this poor display of social interaction, he could finally move into his vacation house.

  Thus began Bakugou Katsuki's two day barricade against all of Shirahagi and the only objectively safe and correct choice he made the next 6 months.

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