#save me butter roll save me pls

[moderndaycirce]

Ok gonna put my academic hat on for a moment and talk a little about Phantom Liberty some more.

One of the things I've written about in my thesis is about RPG games and the mechanic of choice. We've seen this recently in the huge popularity of Baldur's Gate 3, and how the ability to play a game in the way YOU want to is a huge selling point (and I believe that Larian have set a new standard in RPG game development that we should all be demanding). Before 2.0's release, the devs kept emphasising these ideals around choice, around developing and building characters the way YOU chose, which was exciting, and yes, there are a few snags here and there and some ingrained assumptions about the way the players are going to play (which we can see looking at the skill tree, for example: monowire and smart weapons are connected to Intelligence, assuming netrunner builds are going to go for monowire and smart pistols). This is fair, it's a video game, not a tabletop game and we have to figure out what the rules and limitations to the system are, and we can't have everything completely customisable because that would be a nightmare to try and plan and account for.

Obviously they can't go back and change the way the actual game is structured to try and align more with the RPG they promised, that ship has sailed- and I hope for Orion they take BG3 into account- but what's bothered me most about the end of PL is that my choice was taken from me. If I want a future in which V lives, I have to take the depressing story they've given me. There is no option here for a true happy ending. Nothing I can do to push my tapeworm's meter up to 100, no roll check I can make to push to save everyone. We can argue about the Cyberpunk genre demanding sad endings till we're blue in the face, but the base game has a set of tragic endings already. They had the opportunity here to give players a choice- a choice to live and start again anew, or a choice to live and save everyone.

(Edited to add) Choice was also a big part in the side quests and gigs of PL. V was asked again and again to make choices based on the information they have and then live with the consequences of that choice (Netwatch chasing them after letting Bree live or losing some of the medicine to save Daniels).

Not only that, but tragic endings have become gaming's bread and butter for many years now. The "well nothing you did mattered and/or you'll die anyway" trope is overdone, overused and I'm tired of seeing it. Yes, there are many players who probably like this narrative structure. I'm not saying to take it away completely. I'm saying that players should have the choice to pursue an ending that fits the stories THEY are trying to tell through the development of their characters. For the character I created, the new ending is her worst nightmare and I therefore can't incorporate it into her canon because that's not the way I want her story to end. I can't think about incorporating any of the DLC into her canon because of it, despite really enjoying the majority of PL. That may be different for other people. Like I said, I wouldn't want to take that from anyone. I just want the choice.

[thelovelybitten]

vera's first watch of south park -- season four (part 2)

jfc i want 2 unalive... slowly

EPISODE 6: THESE THE BOYS ARE SO FERAL BYE messing w the sub with switching names NO KYLE IS SICK :’((((( MY POOR BOY NOT BUTTERS HE’S SUCH A CUTE CARD I LOVE BUTTERS SM miss information…. bffr garrison writing a SMUT FIC BYE MDFNVIFDMIMMVS miss information BYE STAN IS TRYING 2 HELP there’s only so much natural herbs can do :’( “KYLE’S MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD” SO TRUE SO TRUE CRYINGGGGG “I’LL GIVE HIM MY KIDNEY I’LL DO IT” stan would die for kyle and that’s on god babe not cartman being the only person in south park that matches kyle SMH kenny and cartman being actual kids ofc cartman won’t give it up “how much is ur life worth to u, kyle” cartman u fucking JACKASS if kyle dies i’m gonna be pissed stan worried abt kyle :’(((((( kenny >:( rightfully so garrison just come out as gay babe it’s not that hard clyde and tacos >>>> kyle’s life this is so fucked ew oh stan is serious he’s gonna get his kidney i forgot abt cartmans pig cartman is so smart okay that kinda slayed stan DON’T CRY “nobody cares if i die” KENNY THAT WAS OUTTA POCKET BUT ALSO SO TRUE MY SON “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS BULLSHIT. SCREW U GUYS I’M GOING HOME.” PIANO FALLS ON HIM :’( very cartman of u kenny OH THEY KILLING HER OOF wait how is cartman not dead ?!?!?!/! his whole ass kidney was cut off by an eight year old oh they defo put his kidney into kyle’s bod but faked it for cartman epic EPISODE 7 Chef winning U GET THEM KING. Ending racists PERIOD who TF is this teacher Cartman winning debates ??? Weird Oh LMAO THE CLASS AGREES HES A RAT MY FUCKING FAVE KIDS ON TEAM CHEF !!! WENDY, BEBE, CLYDE AND BUTTERS. ICONS Stan obvs on his uncles side but BIG BOO WENDY GET THEM BABY WENDY TELL UR MAN HES AN IDIOT STYLE VS WENDY AND CARTMAN ??? oh this abt to be good cartman tho… fat boo Chef schooling the kiddies (style respectfully) WENDY PROTECTING STYLE SO REAL THUMBS DOWN CARTMAN BOOOOOOOO NOT THE KKK 💀💀💀💀 THE MAYOR RLY DIDNT DO SHIT oh crap leaving it up to the kids WHACK Wendy and cartman in the same frame is just giving me the ICK NO WENDY DONT LAUGH ALL CUTELY AT HIM EW no bc cartman and Wendy together makes me physically I’ll wtf KENNY EATING THE MINTS “FUCK YOU” so real “I don’t think we stand a chance in this debate bc Wendy’s leading the other side” “Dude, ur just saying that bc she’s your gf” TRUE AND REAL Kyle so real for that omg OH SHIT KENNY NOOOO HE EXPLODED NO CRYING not Wendy & Cartman again LORD ARE U TRYING TO TEST ME I WANNA OFF MYSELF WHY IS TREY AND MATT GIVING WENDY AND CARTMAN AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS ARC HES EVERYTHING SHE HATES AND VICE VERSA STAN PLS COME COLLECT UR GF IM GONNA THROW UP MY DINNER NOT THE HAND TOUCH IM UNALIVING I CANT I FUCKING HATE IT HERE NOT WENDY FANTASIZING CARTMAN I WANNA SKIP IT SO BAD BUT I NEED TO HAVE AN HONEST FULL REACTION NOT THE ROLL DOWN THE HILL WENDY WOKE UP IT WAS A DREAM THE LORD SAVED ME FROM THIS HELL Wendy me too bc what the fuck Dunks head in water me too Wendy seeing cartman everywhere and haunting her NOOOOOO Wendy “please don’t let this be happening” I WISH IT WASNT BABY GIRL This KKK stuff is weird “BEBE IM ATTRACTED TO CARTMAN” Bebe IMMEDIATELY SCREAMS THATS MY DAUGHTER SHES THE MOOD no but Bebe is me rn BEBE NO DONT TELL HER TO KISS HIM ?!1?1!1) THE FUCK ARE U DOING Wendy PLEASE DOR THE LOVE OF GOD DONT I DONT NEED THAT IN MY BRAIN PLEASE IM BEGGING WHAT WOULD STAN THINK ??!?!? WENDY ARE U DELULU STANS LOOK OF CONCERN AS HE LOOKS AT WENDY STUTTERING AND PANICKING NO WENDY ARE U FUCKING FOR REAL NOOOOOO STANS FACE NO IM BREAKING IM DESTROYED IM IN SHAMBLES HIS SAD FACE NO STAN IM SOBBINGGGGGG cartman feeling so smug abt Stan’s girl kissing him I know stan is gonna go HAM ON HIS ASS Stan still upset NO I HATE IT HERE I HATE IT CARTMAN IS ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE TEASING STAN OH STOP IT STAN IS STILL SHOCKED STILL. S T I L L S T I L L S T I L L IM SOBBING AT STAN 😭😭 CARTMAN HAS FEELS FOR WENDY OH FUCK defo my least fave episode out of all seasons so far

[imaslutforremusandsirius]

heyy! could you do something where your in a poly relationship with Remus and sirius, you’ve been teasing them all day and they just get fed up and they tie you up with a vibrator at the full setting? idk this might be to much detail lmao

Take it

I present to you: Angry hotheaded werewolf and eyeliner wearing dramatic rich boy teaching you a lesson. Pls step on me-

Hope you enjoy!!

Warning: 18+

---

If there is something you enjoy doing it would be teasing your boys. And today you woke up and chose violence.

Pulling out your skirt you rolled the waistband up to make it shorter, just barely covering your ass. You decided to not wear a bra, but a simple white blouse with your house stitched onto the fabric. Everytime you moved the shirt would ride up to expose some of your skin and your nipples would harden, noticeable if someone would look at your chest. You put on your knee high socks and shoes, grabbing your bag and left to get some breakfast in the great hall.

Arriving there you made your way over to your boys and Remus turned instantly when he smelled your scent, smile dropping into a gape the moment he saw your attire. Sirius followed his point of view and his eyes scanned you body, jaw clenching.

„Hi boys“ you said, voice overly cheerful. „Saved me some?“

„Sure love“ Remus cleared his throat „the plate‘s yours.“

„Great, thanks!“ You gave him a kiss, digging into your food.

Sirius nearly moaned when you held his gaze and licked marmalade off your fingers. He just wants to bend you over and fuck you, wanting to show everyone that you belong to them alone. 

You winked at him, turning your attention to Remus who had been staring as well, a flush on his pale skin.

“You have peanut butter right there” you pointed out at the dazed boy.

“Hm?” His eyes were a little unfocused, staring at your chest. You bit back a smile and leaned forward, kissing it off. “There, now it’s gone.”

“Merlins beard”, James said “keep your private life P-R-V-A-T-E”

“You forgot a letter”, Lily pointed out. 

“Oh really?” James said seductively “You might want to tutor me Evans...”

Lily rolled her eyes and James pouted.

“Even I got embarrassed by witnessing this. Honestly Prongs, step up your game.” Sirius teased, laughing at his friends discomfort.

“Shut your mouth Pads, at least I’m not drooling over someone licking their fingers-”

Sirius cleared his thoat and you made an amused sound when you saw him blush. 

“Oh and Remus, your cup is already empty. Are you trying to slurp the glass through your straw or what?”

Now it was Remus’ time to clear his throat and look away from your tits.

James winked at you and you smirked back, for once your boyfriends decided to stay silent. James had been right after all. Looking down you saw them adjusting their pants and you giggled silently. 

---

„Can you grab the book from my bag I need the instructions“, Remus told you, trying to get the potion right. Sirius was sitting there, blowing spit bubbles.

You smiled to yourself when you heared them gasp as you bend down to get his bag. Turning around you saw them staring at your face, not only flustered but angry as well.

„What the hell are you doing?“ Sirius hissed, pulling you to sit down.

„What?“ You asked innocently. „You don‘t like my panties?“

Sirius‘ eyes widened and he immediately corrected himself. „Nonono baby they‘re fine I just-“

Remus grabbed your jaw turning your head to him. „What he‘s trying to say is: Stop acting like a slut and we‘ll drop the punishment.“

You smirked and shook your head. „I‘m not doing anything. You‘re just horny.“

Remus rolled his eyes and gave you a strict look. „Behave.“

„Yes Daddy.“

James screamed as your boys groaned in embarrassment.

„YES WHAT NOW?“

---

You and the girls were sitting by the lake, doing yoga. Fucking Lily and her ideas. It was fun, but way to hot to be doing moves like that. At least that‘s what you thought until you saw the marauders approach.

„What are you doing?“ James asked plopping down next to Lily on the grass.

Sirius and Remus took a seat next to you, sandwiching you in the middle.

„Yoga“ Lily said curtly. „Wouldn‘t expect you to know.“

James huffed. „Of course I know what yoga is. See?“

You were pleasantly surprised when you saw James doing the crow pose. That shit needed some real strength and apparently Lily was impressed as well. You smirked when she blushed a little at the muscles bulging in James‘ arms.

She chose to ignore him and turned back to you. „Right ladies, lets stretch our backs before we continue.“

You smirked when she threw you a wink, knowing about your plan of teasing the guys. You leaned forward, arching your back as you spread your knees a little. Your shorts were pulled taunt over your ass, thong peaking out from the waistband.

„Oh Jesus-“ Remus whispered, pulling his bag on his lap. Sirius‘ mouth fell open and he glared at you when you glanced over your shoulder to give him a coy smile.

---

„That fucking brat is doing it on purpose!“

Remus shot Sirius a bored look. „No fucking shit Pads.“

„God when I saw her this morning I wanted to bend her over and fuck her raw. Did you see how she sucked her fingers?“

Remus groaned. „I was too busy staring at her tits, Pads. Since when is she into yoga?“

Sirius snorted. „Not surprising to be honest, the way she bends when we put her into any position we want.“

„I just want to tie her up and-“

„-make her cum.“

They grinned at each other but quickly shut up when you sat down to eat your dinner. They did nothing more than press a kiss on each cheek and would not once glance your way. You were confused, why the sudden changevin attitude? Normally they would be all over you by now.

You decided to step up your game. You put your hands on their thighs after you finished eating and saw Sirius bite a little to aggressively into his meatballs. Remus stayed indifferent.

Your hands slowly crept higher, now directly over their crotches and Remus took your hand in his, squeezing painfully. You winced, but kept your hand on his lap, feeling him harden under you.

„Right we‘re done, Prongs and Wormtail, look for a place to sleep for tonight.“

James groaned „A-fucking-gain? What are you, 12?“

Remus stood up as well, grabbing your elbow to drag you to their dorm.

Remus shoved you on the bed, ripping your clothes off and kissed you hard. He pushed you back until your head was against the bedpost and straddled your belly, kissing his way down to your bare tits.

„I fantasized about these the entire..fucking..day“ Remus growled out, slapping your breast with every word. You cried out when he sucked your nipple into his mouth, teasing you with his sharp teeth. Sirius bend your knees and spread you open wide, blowing against your swollen clit.

„Ah fuck please!“

Sirius flicked your clit and you yelled in pain, trying to close your legs, not that you could match his strength.

Remus got off and went to his trunk, pulling out your vibrator just as Sirius gathered your wrists in his hand and tied them to the bed.

„Listen pup“ Remus said sharply „Since you think you can jus tease us all day by prancing around like a slut, we‘ll treat you like one.“

You were about to answer but Sirius took the chance to stuff your mouth with your panties.

„Noone asked for your input, puppy.“

Remus put the vibrator on the highest setting and pushed it in as far as he could. He fucked you with it for a few seconds until he found your sweet spot and pounded against it. You were crying out in pleasure, legs shaking and he let go.

Sirius and Remus knelt down on both sides of your legs to keep them open and played with your breasts.

„Look at her pretty tits Moony. I bet they‘re sore already.“

Remus smirked when your eyes teared up at his pinching. „Aw poor baby, must hurt really bad. Does it hurt pretty girl?“

You nodded, eyes glassy as you begged for your orgasm.

„If you cum“ Sirius drawled „we‘ll force more out of you. But if you can hold back, we‘ll give you only as much as you want.“

You glared at Sirius and he laughed as he saw your desperate expression. They knew how impossible that deal was.

You tried to hold back, you really did. But then they decided to make out right there, kissing and moaning into each others mouths so passionately, that you came at the sight. You screamed out your realse, the vibrator not only drilling against your sweet spot but clit as well.

Remus smirked and pulled the panties out as you continued to cry out, trying to get rid of the toy. Sirius pushed it back in and you came again, squirting a little as you nearly passed out from the force.

„Guess you made your choice slut, so you better be a brave little girl.“

You can‘t remeber how many orgasms you had as they ignored your pained cries and whimpers. Was it four? Five?

„Please!“ You wailed „Please enough! Please! Yellow! Yellow!“

Sirius didn‘t take the vibrator out, only lowered the setting and leaned over to pout. „What is it baby, can‘t cum anymore?“

You whined. „Siri please enough! I can‘t!“

Remus chuckled and leaned over as well, stroking your hair gently. „But baby, there is one more. I know there is. Don‘t you wanna make us proud, hm?“

You mewled softly, clenching your legs, but that made the soft hum of the vibrator press directly on your clit.

„Remus“ you whined as he took a hold of the toy, gliding it in and out. Sirius laid down between your legs, spreading them open and kissed you clit softly.

„Sirius“ you gasped „hurts!“

Sirius didn‘t respond, only sucking your clit in his mouth and lapped at it. Remus turned up the setting again and you let out high oitched moans, fucking back against the thrusts.

„Fuck you taste so good baby, c‘mon give me your cum.“

You trembled all over as Remus encouraged you to cum again.

„Let go pup, be our good girl“, Remus cooed, kissing you to keep you silent as you came for the last time, whimpering into his mouth.

„There we go puppy“ Sirius moaned, taking the toy out to lap at your hole. He hummed at the taste, licking everything clean and got up to kiss Remus, sharing your cum.

„I‘m never leaving without a bra again“, you said, panting hard.

The boys gave you mocking grins, prepping your face with kisses until you were breathless.

[angelz-dust]

masters of none - part 4 (jason todd x reader)

summary: after many months, we are back in action and back in reader’s head. pls enjoy these jason crumbs. if you need a refresher on the plot, the other chapters will be linked below!

word count: 3.7k

warnings: food/eating. alcohol. cursing.

part 1 /// part 2 //// part 3

gravity

ever since i ever felt ya, right there life couldn't seem better. tulip flowers in my sweater. ask me now, is this forever?

…

you rested your chin on the table before you, your arms hanging limply between your knees as you listened to your manager, dana. you were really just watching her mouth open and close while she pointed at a powerpoint. god, what you would've given for an extra hour of sleep. the all nighters in the studio were starting to take a toll. 

the feeling of the back of daisy’s soft hands brought you back to earth. the smell of cocoa butter dancing beneath your nostrils as her smooth engagement ring rolled across your cheek. you breathed in her smell, exhaling in content through your nose.

“you good?” she mouthed and you closed your eyes, giving her a little nod. the bassist rubbed her calloused fingers against your forehead, pushing strands of your hair past your hairline. you pouted when she eventually pulled away, leaving you only with the sensation of touch that once was.

you heard tyler shift in his seat and then felt some air graze against your hand. you looked under the table, noticing he was holding something out to you. you two made eye contact briefly before you scooted back in, grabbing what felt like an envelope. looking down at your lap, you saw a sticky note attached to it. jason’s money was what it said. you carefully put the envelope in your jacket pocket, sitting back in your seat now and looking at dana’s powerpoint. she was going over reports from your publicist, jerry, which you didn't particularly care about.

“now, i have to ask,” dana’s words pierced your bubble of inattention. “have you all thought about what i said about this next album?”

jordy raised his hand like a school kid. “yes?”

“y/n and i decided that we'd be okay with making our album a group project. it has been, admittedly, kinda hard and boring without everyone else. we’d honestly be doing ourselves a disservice by not doing it together,” jordy explained, dana clapping her hands together.

“wonderful,” she nodded, keeping her hands clasped. “i know you two were excited to do your own thing, but i was talking to jerry and he was really pressing me to get a group album from you guys. the people wanna see you guys as a unit of established artists, which you all are. so what's the concept? we never discussed it.”

“uh,” you verbally paused, raising your arms above your head to stretch. “disco, jazz, and funk. it's a mix of those.”

“retro is in right now,” dana nodded, pacing around the room. “how far back will this set us on a release date?”

you grimaced, leaning back in your seat, the back of the seat lightly bouncing as it absorbed your weight. you pondered the question for a moment. “if it’s gonna be a group thing, it'll have to be significantly longer. we have a decent starting off point but i'm gonna need way more songs now.”

“what about the rest of you? any tracks that we could swing?” dana asked, looking at the rest of the group. 

grabbing a pen and piece of scrap paper, you started jotting down notes as everyone spoke out to you. dex and quinton didn’t have anything, but they wouldn’t be a problem. you just needed to give them a beat to rap over and you’d be set. the twins had a finished song already that fit the concept, which was good. with tyler’s voice and aly’s excellent song writing abilities, you doubted very seriously that anything else needed to be done to it. daisy and hector had plenty of lyricless songs, too. funk and soul was their specialty, after all. misha even had a demo track she was willing to share. 

you looked over the notes you had taken, tapping your pen on the table as you hummed to yourself. “this could probably work. we’ll need to go over everything in the studio, though.”

“we should just do it now. no one is doing shit else today, right?” dex asked the group, who all shook their head. 

“i have a request,” you raised your finger, looking at dana. “i want gotham to be involved in this project.”

“gotham…” dana repeated slowly, unsure of what you meant. “care to elaborate?”

“music videos directed by student directors from gotham university, commissioning local artists for album art. dancers, actors, musicians, whatever. all of them have to be from gotham. i don't want any of the money we put into this project leaving this city,” you stated firmly, dana giving you a blank look. 

“i like that idea,” hector said, giving you a kind smile before turning to dana, shifting in his seat. the drummer was like a big brother, always backing you up in moments like these. “accessibility to the arts is really limited here and we should change that.”

“i’d rather give back to the city, too,” quinton agreed, playing with the gold cross hanging from his neck. “we’re one of the only groups in gotham known outside of gotham. we should use that as an opportunity to rep our city.”

“it sounds like you have your minds made up on this,” dana narrowed her eyes, letting out a sigh. “it would definitely be good PR.”

“because god forbid we do something out of the kindness of our hearts,” misha laughed, rolling her eyes. “we're trying to put the city on and you're worried about how it makes us look.”

“that's my job, misha. don't you want me to do my job?” dana retorted. “besides, i'm more concerned with the funding. you all don't have disposable income, believe it or not.”

“but i know someone who does,” she said with a singsong tone, giving you a look.

“i hope you're not referring to me,” you deadpanned. your income was far from disposable.

“i’m referring to our good friend, bruce wayne,” she explained, grabbing a business card out of her purse, handing it over to dana. “ever since i got invited to that charity gala, i've had a direct line to a representative with the wayne foundation. i say we ask them to help fund the project.”

“now that could work,” dana admitted, eyeing the card as she tapped her foot. “if we pitch for more youth involvement, it'll probably go over better. we all know how much bruce wayne loves saving the children.”

you frowned at how dana described bruce’s initiatives as a philanthropist. you were sure his motivations for favoring youth projects were good intentioned, considering his parents had been killed when he was just a little boy. you wanted to go into this good intentioned, too and you hoped that they'd agree. they being the wayne foundation and subsequently, bruce himself.

“ty and quinton could do something with forrester. if we’re going for the youth involvement route, i mean,” aly spoke up. 

“forrester correctional. our old stomping grounds,” quinton sighed wistfully as he patted tyler on the shoulder. “i think that would be a good idea.”

“they use the arts as an outlet for them, so it could be beneficial for everyone,” tyler nodded. “there are a lot of good kids there. just unfortunate circumstances, that’s all.”

“wasn’t one of bruce’s son’s a troublemaker before he was adopted?” aly continued, not noticing the look you and tyler shared. “i’m sure he’d probably be interested in doing something with them if his son comes from the same background.”

“it’s settled, then. you all keep working on the music. jerry and i will handle the rest. we need this album out before hector and daisy’s wedding,” dana said, grabbing her suitcase. 

…

hey, i have your money. did you still want it?

you stared down at the unsent message, your thumb floating over the send arrow. you hadn’t spoken to jason since that night after the race, as per his request. your mind kept wandering back to it, even as time still went on. what happened was scary, to say the least. fun, but scary. you wondered how the hell jason didn’t get the two of you killed. that part, you didn't want to think about too hard. everyone in gotham had their secrets and it was an unspoken rule amongst citizens to not pry. secrets were secrets for a reason. nothing good ever came from unearthing them.

speaking of secrets, you hadn't exactly told tyler and quinton what happened that night. not in detail. you conveniently left out the chase and stopping to get something to eat. omitting the first part was obvious, but the second one was for your own sanity. you didn't need them teasing you over nothing. besides, all that mattered was no one was dead or arrested. and for the way the three of you used to get down, that was a win. 

you considered texting jason earlier this week, just to check in on him, but you decided against it. he obviously wanted you to text him and you obviously had to do the opposite. his little mind game wasn’t going to work on you. you pressed send, frowning immediately as you did so.

maybe it already had.

“it’s too many people in this bitch,” dex sighed, the cold of the water bottle you had asked him for against your hand bringing you back to reality. blinking, you were suddenly very aware of the chaos surrounding you in the studio as you put your phone back in your pocket. you looked to your left, where jordy was leaning against the wall and scrolling through his phone. to your right was aly, who was scribbling in her songbook in the chair next to you. you remembered you were supposed to be working, too. “we need a new stu.”

“i’m working on it!” hector hollered from inside the booth as he and daisy were setting up equipment and instruments. you glanced up at the glass in front when you heard his voice, accidentally catching the pair share a little kiss. you quickly averted your gaze, smiling to yourself.

“new stu, new view, what it do?” quinton began to freestyle to a beat he was making on the coffee table in front of him. “off 92, posted up with southside crew.” 

“okay,” dex laughed, noddinh his head as he was vibing with the beat, making his way out of your line of sight. you heard someone, presumably tyler, join in and add some depth to the beat. it sounded like he was hitting a pencil against a shot glass.

“i got a new boo, but i’m tryna slide with misha, too,” quinton continued, dex adlibbing in the back as quinton lowered his voice to his signature melodic whisper. “on the low, nobody gotta know.”

“would you shut the fuck up?” you heard misha say, followed by a barrage of muffled smacking noises and verbal objections from quinton, who you assumed was on the receiving end of what sounded like an assault by pillow.

laughing to yourself, you leaned your head in aly’s direction, not fully facing her. “pass me the flash drive?” you held your hand out weakly. once you felt the plastic in your palm, you leaned back over and put it into the computer, pulling up the proper files. 

“we’re done back here,” daisy smiled at you, she and hector coming out from the booth. 

you clapped your hands together. “wonderful. everybody shut up, please.”

you pulled up the twin’s song and let it play, your eyes fixed on the colorful audio loops on the screen. the green ones were tyler’s vocals, the purple were aly’s. it looked like blue was reserved for instruments and red was any added sound effects or layered sounds. 

“you two sound really great,” jordy walked up behind aly’s seat, leaning against it as he swayed his head to the beat. 

“thanks. i wrote it with our mother in mind,” aly said, the words coming out of her mouth uncomfortably. you placed your hand on hers and gave it a little squeeze, which earned you a look of appreciation.

“it's missing something, though,” tyler scratched the back of his head. “i need the producer squad to give us some assistance.”

“oh, say less,” dex laughed, snapping his fingers to the beat with one hand and holding his glass of hennessy in the other. he danced his way over, taking aly’s seat as she, tyler and jordy moved to give you all some space. 

misha sauntered her way over, sitting against the table and flipping her hair over her shoulder. the smell of her sweet perfume floated in the air around you. “i think it just needs some fluffing up. some snapping might work. more vocal layering in certain spots.”

“i agree,” you nodded, dex letting out a satisfied sigh as he took a sip of his cold drink. 

“is it good?” misha asked him teasingly and he took his final swig, letting out a more dramatic and drawn out sigh. this time, though, it was on beat with the song. you were pretty sure it was unintentional on his part, since he and misha just shared a laugh before returning their attention to the screen.

after a moment of pondering, you swiveled around in your chair, looking at tyler. “okay, hear me out…”

…

two weeks of very diligent working between the nine of you had given you a lot to work with for the album. all that was left was to start putting things together. you still had a ways to go, but you had a good starting off point. as much as you hated to admit it, it was a good call on dana’s part to have you all do a group album. the fans seemed to be greatly anticipating the release and the work ethic the nine of you shared was incredible. even in that cramped little studio, you all made it work.

you all agreed to take the day off, but you were still working at some capacity. you had just traded one small space for another, working in your walk-in closet/home studio for the day. you still needed said walk-in to function as a closet, so there were still garment bags pushed up into a corner and shoe boxes haphazardly stacked, surrounding your desk that you had shoved in there. there was just enough space for you to move your chair and safely get out without twisting an ankle, a fate you often flirted with in that room.

in the spirit of your day off, you hadn't done anything too difficult. you were just trying to decide what order you wanted the completed songs to go in. it may seem like an insignificant detail, but the order was important. the transitions between songs couldn't be jarring for the listener. everything had to flow together with natural progression. at this point, it didn't matter since you weren't done with the album, but it was just giving you an idea of how to fill the gaps with future songs. 

the sound of your growling stomach indicated that it was time to stop for the day. you quickly saved all your work and headed to the kitchen. you popped some leftovers in the microwave and scrolled on twitter while you waited. the microwave beeped at you, so you set your phone back down and grabbed the bowl, mixing up the contents with your fork. the flash of light coming from your phone got your attention. a text notification.

are you home?

oh, so now he wanted to respond? cute.

despite your annoyance with the situation, you quickly responded with a yes and set the phone back down. you leaned against the counter, eating what little food you had in your reheated bowl. you mixed the contents around with your fork, grumbling. stupid jason and his stupid inability to text back. he could have at least had the decency to leave you on read. he probably didn't even have read receipts on. you weren't sure which was worse. tossing your now empty bowl into the sink, you grabbed your phone to read his next message.

i’ll be over soon. 

soon was very vague and you wished that you would've demanded an exact time, but that opportunity had passed by the time you thought about it. you busied yourself with tidying up, trying to make your place look presentable. you even lit your new candle, which you found yourself focusing your attention on while you waited for him to show up. staring at the flame was much more entrancing than you anticipated.

you heard the door buzzer go off. you weren't expecting anyone else, so it had to be him. you leaned against the wall, pressing your finger to the button.

“who goes there?” you presented the question as a joke, but your tone was a little flat.

“it’s the irs,” jason’s voice came through and you buzzed him in. 

not too long after, you heard him knock on the door. you cracked it open and the first thing you noticed was his cologne. it was a strong but pleasant scent. spicy and sweet. it was very intoxicating, actually. so much so that you almost forgot you were angry at him.

“hi.”

“hello.”

you opened the door fully and handed the envelope to him. jason eyed it suspiciously. he opened it up and began to count it out in front of you. he made an effort to do it very slow, the sound of the crisp dollars echoing in the quiet hall. his eyes stayed glued to yours as he counted out loud. you leaned against the doorframe as you watched.

“six… seven… eight,” he said, pulling out his wallet and stuffing it with the cash. “thought you would've skimmed some off the top.”

“i should have with how long you made me wait,” you said matter of factly, letting your annoyance be known now. 

“i know. i’m sorry,” he sounded honest but you couldn't see it in his face or in his eyes, which was worrisome. it was a nice alternative to listening to a sputter of excuses, though. “let me make it up to you?”

“how do you plan on doing that?”

“i’m so glad you asked,” he smiled. “as it turns out, i've recently come into some money. let me spend it on you?”

“so you like throwing money at your problems?” you asked him. well, you weren't really asking. it was more like you were telling him. 

“no,” he said, sounding a little offended. “i just thought-”

“you just thought that throwing money at me would make me forget about the fact that you ignored me for a month.”

“no, no,” he shook his head, sighing in frustration. “listen, i-”

“i really don't wanna hear it,” you said honestly, watching as his frustrated look turned into kicked puppy. you almost felt bad. “i don't like feeling stupid, jason. that's how i feel right now. i want you to make it up to me but you'll have to be a bit more creative than this.”

“you want me to make it up to you?” jason had repeated, confusion on his face. 

you poked him harshly in the chest. “you do that or you leave me alone. those are your options. goodbye.”

you shut the door in his face and let out the breath you were holding in. you weren’t sure how jason was going to react to your little ultimatum, but those were your terms. you liked him but you weren’t going to stress over someone you barely knew, especially with your assumptions about him floating around in your head. 

“i’ll be right back,” you heard him say through the door, catching you off guard. 

“what?”

“don’t go anywhere.”

you didn’t respond but you heard his footsteps getting quieter as he walked down the hall. the elevator ding indicated that he had left. you stood there, confused as to what it was he was trying to do. you were still stewing in your negative emotions, so you went and busied yourself again. you decided the dishes needed washing and got on it right away. in the middle of scrubbing the stubborn sauce stains out of your plate, you heard your door buzzer go off again. 

so he did come back after all. interesting.

you buzzed him in like you did before and waited by the door for him. he knocked and when you opened it, you were met with two gifts: a bouquet of pink tulips and a small box of something from the bakery around the corner. 

“i shouldn’t have ignored you. it was rude and stupid and i’m sorry. it won’t happen again,” he said to you, holding out the items to you. you hesitantly accepted them, taking the opportunity to look through the plastic opening of the box to see chocolate covered strawberries. 

“it better not happen again,” you pouted, looking up at him. you had to appreciate the effort he put in at such short notice. it was a sweet gesture and he actually looked sorry this time. 

“it won’t,” he assured you and you smiled.

“i forgive you. but you’re on thin fucking ice,” you reminded him and he grinned at you with a nod.

“i’m going to make it up to you. just you wait,” he said confidently. “not all of us are naturally creative like you, though. you gotta give me some time to think of something else.”

“seems like you’re getting your feet wet with the flower selection,” you noted, taking a whiff of the delicate and fresh scent. they’d look nice on your coffee table.

“lady at the shop said they would convey my sincerest apologies,” he explained, a hopeful look in his eyes. “did it work?”

“for now,” you shrugged, setting the items down on the table next to the door. 

“i can accept that.”

“you’re gonna have to because that’s all i’m giving you,” you said firmly. his charm wasn’t going to get him out of this one. not completely. “now go away. i want to eat my berries in peace.”

“i’ll text you as soon as i get the chance,” he told you as you were shutting the door. you peered at him, narrowing your eyes before shutting it again. “i’m serious!”

“goodbye, jason!” you said through the door. you heard his faint farewell as you walked away, plopping on the couch with your dessert in hand.

were you still a little mad at him? yes. but you weren’t going to pass up free stuff, even if you had made all that fuss about the money earlier. at least the gifts had some thought behind them. so long as he held up his end of the deal, you had a feeling being friends with jason wouldn’t be that bad.

hopefully, anyway.

[babyboibucky]

I can’t help but think about either a fluffy or smutty birthday with either college!bucky or roommate!bucky

Just like him walking up to you with a single cupcake with a single candle and otherwise either in boxers or naked.

But he also might want to take you out and do something really nice even tho he doesn’t have much money (cause college or sharing an apartment)

But he’d also be down to try that kinky thing you’ve wanted to try.

Basically he’d be super sweet and soft but also the kinky shit comes out because it’s your day and he wants to feel special. But if his gift to you is also a gift to him, win-win.

It’s my birthday tomorrow and this is all I want lmao 😂🥺

FIRST OF ALL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! ILYSM 😘

Here’s my birthday gift to you!!!

-

hey bday girl, come on over 🥳😏😘

You narrowed your eyes at Bucky’s text message, not from being suspicious but because it’s barely eight in the morning. On a Saturday. Both of you didn’t have classes and agreed to celebrate your birthday by having lunch out with your moms.

So what was he up to now?

it’s not even 8am yet, what do u want

i have surprise for you, come quick!!! 😚😚😚

im barely up yet, buck

ugh fine, i knew this wud happen. be there in 15. brush ur teeth pls, i want a kiss frm the bday girl 😗

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t bite back your smile. Since you were kids, Bucky always made sure to surprise you on your birthday and he was always successful. Except for your 12th birthday when he gave you a live frog as a gift, thinking you’d get excited over it since you loved the Princess and the Frog.

After brushing your teeth, you didn’t bother changing your clothes and waited for Bucky. Exactly fifteen minutes later, there was a series of loud knocks on your door.

“Happy Birthday!!!” Bucky greeted, wearing a triangular newspaper hat as he held up a peanut butter sandwich with a candle propped on top of it.

“Yeah so I wasn’t able to buy you a cake but I made you a peanut butter sandwich! Blow your candle so you can blow something else later.” He smirked.

You chuckled and shook your head, blowing out the candle before pulling Bucky into your room by the hem of his shirt. Bucky removed his hat and perched it on top of your head, placing the sandwich on top of your study desk before dipping his head for a kiss.

“You wanna see your surprise?” He mumbled against your lips before kissing you again.

You pulled back and nodded, “What is this surprise you’re talking about?”

Bucky took a step back and opened up his arms, “Open him up!” He exclaimed, motioning towards his pants.

You already knew what Bucky wanted to give you as a surprise. He had been making puns about you blowing his dick on your birthday that this wasn’t a surprise anymore. You were still going to enjoy yourself nonetheless. However, upon unzipping Bucky’s jeans and pulling his pants down, you were met with quite an unexpected gift.

His penis had a red ribbon wrapped around it.

You snorted and looked up at him from where you knelt down, “Are you fucking kidding me?” You burst out laughing, staring at his red ribboned cock.

Bucky laughed and pulled at the ribbon, removing it before pulling his pants back up, “Yeah, I am kidding. I just wanted to make you laugh.” He admitted, “But you can suck my cock later.” He added.

“I did buy you a gift though.” He said and fished out something from his back pocket.

It was wrapped in a pink sheet with a white bow on top. You grabbed it from his hands and ripped the wrapper, revealing a black lace underwear.

“Underwear?” You asked.

Bucky smirked, taking out a rectangular plastic from his pocket— a tiny remote.

“Vibrating panties.” He corrected proudly. “You said you wanted to experience wearing one so I saved up and bought you that.” He sheepishly admitted.

You bit your lip, preventing a squeal from escaping your throat but failed to do so. You jumped into Bucky’s arms for a hug and gave his nose a soft peck.

“What can I ever do to thank you?” You genuinely asked, because vibrating panties are pretty expensive and for Bucky to save up to buy you a pair? He deserved something in return.

Bucky licked his lips, “Wear it when we go out for lunch.”

-

“Happy birthday, darling! I missed you!” Your mom greeted as soon as you and Bucky arrived at the restaurant.

You hugged her tightly, “Thank yo—ohhh!” You almost squealed when you felt your panties vibrate.

“You okay, sweetie?” Your mom asked.

You straightened up and widened your eyes at Bucky, his hand inside the pocket where he placed the remote. He merely smirked at you.

“I’m good. Just felt my stomach rumble.” You nervously chuckled.

“Well, then sit down! Let’s order. What do you want, honey?” Bucky’s mom asked.

You took the menu and hid your face behind it, all the while Bucky toyed with the level of vibration. Your knuckles were turning white as you tightly gripped the menu, your lips turning red from how hard you were biting back your moans. Bucky watched you with amusement, placing a hand on your thigh and squeezing at it.

“What do you want to order?” He asked teasingly.

“Um, I’ll have the past-uhhh…” you accidentally moaned but immediately coughed.

“The what now?” Bucky asked again.

“Pasta— oh fuck….” You grunted when it vibrated again. “I dropped my phone. Fuck.” You said as an excuse and bent down.

“Watch your mouth, young lady.” Your mom warned.

You stayed bent down as Bucky continued to press on the remote, your legs knotting around each other as you felt your abdomen tighten. A devious plan hatched in your mind.

“I’m watching my mouth, mom.” You responded as your hand moved to unzip Bucky’s jeans.

He looked down at you incredulously but made no move to stop you when you bent down to lick a stripe against his clothed bulge before sitting up straight.

Bucky swallowed as he turned to you, eyes wide because holy fuck, he didn’t expect for you to do that in public. While you were in front of your moms.

“You two have any plans for the rest of the day?” Your mom asked as he glanced at you and Bucky.

“Oh yeah, we’ll have a lot of fun later. In fact, I have more surprises planned out for your daughter. I do hope she gasps out loud when she finds out about it.”

-

THIS GOT LONG LMFAO I HOPE YOU LIKED IT, BABY!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

[xjoonchildx]

dearest ana, as another humble request, pls list your favourite bangtan hair colours and/or styles. i KNOW this is going to put you through mass amounts of painful deliberation, and i, for one, cannot wait to read all about it. sincerely, hope xoxo

okay hopie my love - let's run down the best bangtan hairstyles.

*post not sponsored by olaplex despite the number of references i've made to that miracle product on the dash of late*

kim namjoon

say it with me (again). joon looks fucking amazing with an undercut. this undercut specifically with the silver/gunmetal hair, the close-shaved back and sides, this was a look and i'm almost certain i gasped out loud the first time i saw this set of pictures. the only thing i'm asking for now is thiccjoon with this cut and color. i don't think i've set the bar too high. give me what i want, bang PD. i've given you my entire life savings.

kim seokjin

blonde seokjin supremacy, period. y'all, seokjin is so flipping hot with this blonde hair i'm shook every time he does it. this whole era honestly. fire? save me? blonde seokjin came for souls and he got them. if anyone needs me, i'll be sitting on the floor in this middle of this circle of candles trying to summon him one more time.

min yoongi

mint muthaf*&^%n yoongi, y'all. this was a look on mr. min and he knows it. i honestly don't even think this color would work on another one of the members but it suits him so well, particularly when paired with these delightfully thick nerd glasses. be my poetry-reading, coffee-sipping emo boyfriend yoongi. i'm asking nicely.

jung hoseok

y'all, i really sat here for ten minutes mulling over this decision like important shit really hangs in the balance. first i was like, pewter hoseok. because that cut/color he was pulling off in the ON era was fire. but. then. i. thought. about. this. look. from. butter. not quite the ice blonde, not the banana yellow, sure as hell not that highlighter color they rolled out but this blonde. this white blonde with the shaved sides. this. THIS. send help.

park jimin

surprise, surprise. jimin looks amazing in literally every hair color, i know you're just shocked. so it took me a minute to pick. blonde undercut idol jimin? pink-haired kitty gang jimin? black-haired lip-ring wearing daechwita jimin? in the end, i had to go with a throwback. silver-haired, silver-tongued BST jimin who snatched my soul in this MV with this look. this suits him so damned well, the cut and the color.

kim taehyung

this might be the ultimate boyfriend fantasy picture. the messy bed head, just perfectly tousled. tae looks amazing with his god-given dark hair. it suits his style, his look, his vibe. may the stylist noonas never again disrespect this man's legendary beauty with another crispy ramen perm. he was crafted by the creator perfect as he is.

jeon jungkook

we've gotten a lot of different JK hair looks in the past year or so. we had that clip-on mullet in winter package, purple koo, blonde koo, bloo koo. but honestly none of those koos are as tasty as Original Recipe™ koo. jungkook has said himself that he likes his hair dark and you know what, we like it too. dark and just a little long, just a little sweaty? that's the shit i like. just perfect.

[ijustwant2write]

Chivalrous-Fred Weasley x Reader

(GIF credit to @messermoony​)

Masterlist

Prompt List

Tags: @obsessedwithrandomthings​

Requested by @witchglow: 'babe! can i request from prompt list 3 and 4 with fred weasley, pls? 💗✨'

3) 'Which do you prefer?'

4) 'You're actually amazing.'

Summary: On a trip to Hogsmeade, (Y/N) drags her boyfriend, Fred, around multiple shops (much to his dismay). However, what was meant to be a simple shopping spree, along with a date, turns into Fred being chivalrous and defending his girlfriend.

Characters: Fred Weasley x Reader

Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name

Warnings: Slight swearing, slight harassment, lots and lots of fluff

(A/N: Thought I would do one where Fred was still in school, and it's shorter than what I thought it would be)

                                   *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I ignored Fred’s fiftieth sigh as I pulled him into another shop, having spotted a dress I liked in the window. What ind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t force him to come into almost every shop to just browse, sighing when I couldn’t find that one thing I wanted. Also, the last time we had a trip to Hogsmeade, I let him go wherever he wanted, and I was the one bored out of my mind, it was his turn for a change. 

He still held my hand throughout the day, only ever letting go when I pulled my hand away to look through the rails, before quickly interlocking our fingers again; he could be such a sweetheart at times, but I knew he was trying to soften me up so that we would go for food soon. 

“Which do you prefer?” I asked Fred as I held up two tops, switching them every couple of seconds.

“I will buy both of those for you if it means we get to The Three Broomsticks sooner.”

I rolled my eyes, smiling at him as I glanced in the mirror again.“Do you think I could get away with both?”

Fred said nothing more, taking the tops from me and heading to the counter with a till, the shop assistant already ringing up the price.

“Fred, please don’t buy them!” I protested, sighing when he handed over his money.

“Don’t worry about it.” he said, taking the bag from the woman and holding my hand with his other one.“Got some extra cash after George and I held bets at the last quidditch match.”

I just giggled at that, shaking my head at him. It was never surprising to hear about him and his brother’s business ventures. I still felt bad for him paying, remembering that I should buy him something on our next trip. The annual snow fall made me shiver as we stepped outside, instantly nuzzling into Fred as we headed to The Three Broomsticks. On our way there, we passed by Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, glancing at each other with disgusted looks on our faces. We burst out laughing, knowing exactly what the other person was thinking.

“I am so glad you didn’t take me there for our first date.” I wheezed.

“I don’t know how people even sit in there, it’s an absolute eyesore.” Fred chuckled.

“I’m sure Madam Puddifoot is a lovely woman, but why did she decorate her shop like that?”

“I heard that on valentines day, it’s decorated with golden cherubs that hover over your table, and then they throw confetti over you.”

“But wouldn’t the confetti just spill into your drink?”

“Well, we’ll never have to find out because we’re never going.”

“Wait!” I tugged Fred back towards me as I spotted my friend.“Look who’s in there!”

He squinted his eyes, before they widened when he saw who I was referring to.“Thought she said Puddifoot’s was the tackiest place in Hogsmeade?”

We smirked at each other.“Yes, she did actually.”

My friend had obviously been asked on a date, too polite to express her disgust for the place. Fred and I waltzed up the window where their table was, rubbing away the frost on the glass before sticking our faces against it. We stupidly waved our arms about, laughing when we saw her mortified expression. Her date smiled uncomfortably as he watched us, seeing my friend swat us away with her hand, trying to act cool under pressure, as if we weren’t even there in the first place. Fred and I couldn't stop laughing as we scurried away, struggling for breath again,

After calming down, we trudged through the crunchy snow which was piling up in the streets, feeling the relief of warmth as we stepped inside the pub. There were other students spread across different tables, some classmates waving to us as we found a table for ourselves. I tried to stop Fred getting our drinks, but he was already heading towards the bar. Reluctantly taking a seat, I took off my hat, scarf and gloves, keeping my coat on until I was fully warmed up again. As usual, it was busy in here, filled with both students and locals. I kept an eye on Fred who has at the back of the crowded queue. It wasn’t like it was hard to spot him, he was the tallest out of everyone here. Without realising, a smile spread on my face, even just looking at the back of his head; he glanced back over to me, a cheeky grin being sent my way before he turned around again. 

“Excuse me,” a man said, standing across the table from me,“is this seat taken?”

“Oh, no that’s a spare seat, you can take it if you...” instead of moving the chair, he sat down in it,“...want.”

“Sorry, I know it’s a little forward, but looks like it’s working.”

He was around my age, but I had never seen him at Hogwarts before. Perhaps he was a recent graduate or from another school, though I didn’t really care. He thought I had invited him to flirt, but that was far from it.

"Sorry but I'm here with my boyfriend."

"Don't be shy, you'll relax once we start talking. I'm very charming when you get to know me."

"That wasn't an excuse, I really do have a boyfriend. He just up by-"

He interrupted me before I could even gesture towards Fred."It's just that, I couldn't help but look at you from the across the room. You're beautiful."

I sighed."Th-that's really sweet of you, and I do appreciate that. But please respect my words when I say I have a boyfriend."

He leaned forward onto the table, his smirk never faltering."You're welcome. It's just the truth. You know I-"

"Everything alright here, love?" It was Fred's turn to disrupt what he was saying. He placed down two butter beers, pulling the empty chair closer to me."You just look a bit uncomfortable."

The man struggled to crane his neck upwards to look at Fred, looking intimidated at his height. Fred could look a lot tougher than he actually was. He sat down, and I relaxed as he wrapped his arm around the back of my chair, holding onto my shoulder.

"I was just talking to her." the man stated, holding his hands up.

"No, you were bothering her. Mate, she's clearly told you to go away, and if anyone else does, whether it's a boy or girl, just do as they say."

"Alright, this is clearly just your friend pretending to be your boy-"

Fred scoffed."Listen to this sod. Just go away before I start making a scene."

The man huffed, pushing back the chair and causing it to scrape loudly on the floor. A few people glanced our way, having noticed the tension that was rising. But the noise level remained loud, so no one was really that interested with us.

"I'm sorry I left you, I didn't realise you would have to deal with such a prick." Fred said, looking upset with himself.

"Hey," I gently turned his face to look at me,"don't apologise for something that wasn't your fault."

"I know you didn't need saving either, you've always been able to handle yourself."

"Yeah, but it's nice to have someone else stand up with you. Come on," I pecked him on the cheek,"forget about him, let's enjoy the rest of the day."

It was nearing the end of the trip, and we sadly had to get going. We had spent a few hours in the pub, though as always, time flew by when I was with Fred. When we left, I held his hand a little tighter, noticing that the bright spark in his eyes had left, and although we had laughed and talked about many things, Fred wasn't acting like himself. Joining the rest of our classmates as one of the professors called out names, making sure we were all back on time, I caught Fred's attention by squeezing his hand.

"You're actually amazing." I firmly said.

"Where's this come from?"

"Can't I tell my boyfriend the truth? Don't get upset over some twat that wanted an ego boost. Any other man that comes across me has nothing on you."

He chuckled."Are you just being nice because I bought you clothes today?"

I grabbed his neck, making him lean down to kiss me."I mean, it didn't hurt. Other then that, there is the fact that I love you."

"You know this is almost as sickly as Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?"

I laughed."Yeah, but you secretly love it."

[crowrelli]

Pls tell me abt your Will Graham hcs!!

sdaghjhak i have a lot so heres just. the top of my head -

he hoards junk food and has genuinely broken hannibal’s nose once over a bag of pizza rolls

he/they

dyed his hair a lot in college and hannibal occasionally sees him staring longingly at a box of splat in the store

has each of his dogs’ handprints tattooed on his shoulder

cant keep an indoor plant alive to save his life

has and will blast country music every time hannibal pisses him off

has an allergy to peanut butter. which he forgets to tell hannibal until an accident on their first anniversary

feral.

alana: will youre not gay. are you sure hannibal hasnt... taken advantage of you? of the power imbalance? / will, standing in front of a biflag hung up in his house: ........alana please.

hannibal lets him pick the prey because he loves how wild will can get when hes on a power trip.

it takes them three months after settling in italy after the fall to for him to show up with a tiny dog under his arm.

he tries to sneak it in the house

fails spectacularly

[rvmmm21]

. six things vampires love about puppies .

[vampiremum!irene x puppy!wendy]

. . . . .

In Joohyun’s definitely unbiased opinion, Seungwan has too many habits that make her the cutest girl in the world. 

Here are just a few of her favourites:

one: 

Mornings aren’t the best, the vampiress especially can attest to that. But luckily, they have ‘Sunshine Time’ before school. Just as the gentle morning rays peep through the curtains, Joohyun dutifully rouses little puppy, peppering kisses over soft ears, feeling her actions prompt a string of tiny yawns, one big stretch, and the groggiest little mumble of “luv u mummie”. Joohyun’s heart sings at the sound of her title, and she tells her Wannie that she’ll never stop loving her too. They brush their teeth, but before they even think about getting ready for the big day of learning ahead, Joohyun’s bent forward with Seungwan’s both hands around her wrist as she toddles over to the window. 

She’s aimed for her favourite spot in the house, other than the play room, of course. It’s a homemade bed thing that Joohyun had crafted from an old duvet and some spare blankets. Joohyun thinks it kind of looks like a dog bed, but she only smiles when Seungwan gravitates towards it, knowing the penny will drop when little puppy is older. Within minutes, they’re in their routine position; Wannie snuggled into her blankies and the vampiress sitting right where the light draws the line into darkness. Joohyun’s knees hurt sometimes from the strain of how she’s sitting– staying in the dark but also reaching over as much as she can to give Seungwan the head pats she deserves (and whines if she doesn’t constantly get).

Because it’s still relatively early in the morning, Joohyun more often than not finds that Seungwan’s checked into Dreamland yet again. An adoring sigh leaves her as she detaches herself and lightly pads over to the wardrobe to get her uniform out while her snoozy puppy snores lightly in her puddle of sunshine.

They’ll pack lunch together.

. . . . . 

two:

Seungwan’s sense of smell is vigorous, which is great because it’s also how she shows affection. Sometimes, Joohyun will find herself with a chestful of mopey puppy in the middle of the day while she’s doing whatever she’s doing. She presses her nose into Joohyun’s clothes, or even just her collarbone and takes lungfuls of her mummy’s scent. 

“What’s the matter, puppy?” she coos, gently tilting her sniffling Wannie away from her.

Seungwan’s too upset to talk. She wriggles, wanting to latch on again. But Joohyun won’t give in. Not yet.

She takes the tip of a velvet ear between her fingers, giving it a few soft rolls and watching erratic breathing calm down. Truthfully, there’s no need to even ask what the matter is. Those teary eyes can hide nothing from her.

So she resigns, letting Seungwan quietly cuddle into her front.

“It’s maths homework, isn’t it?”

There’s a small nod against her followed by heavy inhales. The vampiress whispers to her baby until the hiccups even out and Seungwan is sound asleep. They’ll work on those equations later on.

Joohyun swears if maths were a person, they’d rue the day they ever hurt her Wannie.

. . . . .

three:

On a slightly more serious note, Joohyun has had to have some talks with her baby about self-assurance and dignity. It was on a walk one afternoon, and Seungwan had seen some other kids over by the swings.

“Swings! Push Wannie?”

Seungwan is always this excited about swings. Swingy Time gets her Wannie just as hyper as Swimmy Time. Joohyun holds her hand as they approach the swingset, ready to wait their turn. She looks down to see a tail held high, poking from underneath the seam of her puffy winter coat, something she learnt puppies do when they’re feeling friendly and happy.

That is, until Seungwan realises that, on second thought, she… didn’t really want to go on the swings after all.

As they near, the vampiress swallows a surprised gasp when Seungwan just… anchors herself to the ground. It takes her a while to figure it out, but when she observes closer, the problem shows itself larger than life. 

They’re not hybrids, just regular children.

A pang of heartache twists into her chest as she watches tiny hands move at the speed of light, furiously tucking her tail up and under her coat so it’s way out of sight before making grabs with outstretched arms at the baseball cap on Joohyun’s head.

She knows what Seungwan is doing, but she asks anyway, ready to teach her. “Why, baby?”

Guilty ears flip back and sadly droop down. Seungwan knows she’s been read, but she can’t help it! Those kids are going to run away if they see gross dog ears sticking out of her head!

“G-gib Wannie,” she pouts, quickly remembering her manners when Joohyun raises a brow down at her, “pl-please… mummie.”

“You’re hiding your ears, aren’t you?” The vampiress crouches. “Wan-ah, don’t do that. Don’t hide those cute ears and that happy tail. Mummy loves those so much.”

Seungwan is all but convinced. You may like it, mummie, but– ”when they see, they say Wannie’s weird.”

It’s time to be firm, and Joohyun holds a pouting puppy still. “Look at me, baby.”

Teary eyes meet hers.

“Those kids are not going to make fun of you. And if they do, then mummy won’t be happy with them. And you know what that means, right?”

Seungwan can’t hide her evil smirk. Extra brussel sprouts for their dinners.

“You’re not weird for having these,” she emphasises her point by smoothing a warm, chocolate ear and Seungwan’s eyes begin to close. She squeaks when Joohyun moves to untuck her tail from the base of her coat. “Or this.”

She’ll save the real talks about self-esteem and insecurities for when her puppy is older, but for now, Seungwan just needs to know that her mummy will have her back, come what may.

Hand in hand, they make their way over to the swings and the playing children. And aside from the initial blatant questioning about where she got those added features, Seungwan made a few new friends at the park that day.

(Joohyun was ever ready to pounce at the slightest hint of mean-spiritedness she felt– but she realised that it was just that no beating around the bush way that kids ask questions). 

. . . . .

four:

Oh, oh, okay. So Seungwan is a nervous little puppy as much as she’s a friendly one, right? And Joohyun finds that hilarious and heart-wrenching all at once when she watches her pup trying to make new friends but can’t seem to find the right way to introduce herself. It takes all her cooperating brain cells to not either roll about laughing or scoop the little thing up and smother her in reassuring kisses when the ‘I’m Shy, It’z Me’ stance comes out. 

Ears pressed flat, eyes burrowed into the ground, tail stiffer than a wooden plank.

The other hybrid kid pokes unsure, searching sniffs at the air around her, clearly very interested in becoming friends.

Aigo, you need a boost, don’t you baby, Joohyun coos, coming up with her magic hands to help her relax. “Wannie, come on. Say hello.”

She gives her shivering puppy a few butt pats to ease the tension. “Aigo, Chaengie won't bite. Look, she’s curling her tail! She wants to play with you, Wannie!”

A coffee-coloured ear springs back up, curiously folding over as Seungwan cocks her head. Chaengie wants to play too? She quickly glances back up at her mummy, as if double-checking with her that that really was the case.

“Mhm,” the vampiress assures with a few more tail pats of encouragement. “What have we said about manners, Wan? What do we do when someone’s happy to see us?”

Seungwan pauses for a second, but eventually looks up with soft, shiny eyes, whispering, “wag tail, mummie.”

Joohyun thinks Seungwan’s innocence in situations like these is astounding, but she knows she’s got the right idea. She smiles and nods in affirmative praise. 

We show them we’re happy to see them too– 

– so yes, puppy, wag tail. 

“Good girl! Go on, you can do it.” Her comforting presence takes a flame to the frozen fluff, and it begins to swish back and forth. Tentatively at first, but then like a speedboat motor, a couple hours later when they’re frolicking in the park, playing tag and one hundred percent best friends now.

Joohyun and Jisoo watch from afar, wondering how those silly kids were ever so shy in front of each other in the first place.

. . . . .

five: 

If Joohyun has one complaint, it would be the misfortune of physical growth. The vampiress misses the times where her arm span alone was enough to wrap puppy in a burrito hug during movie nights or… whenever a set of curious eyes spied her mummy’s arms lacking in… well, her. Unfortunately nowadays it’s a bit harder to cocoon her baby like she used to so easily do, only because Seungwan’s sprouted a few inches skywards. But Seungwan doesn’t know that. She still thinks she’s as little as she was when her mummy had spooked her and taken her home that night. 

And Joohyun’d be damned if she ever changed that.

. . . . . 

six:

Turns out that one way ticket to Nibble City was actually an All Seasons VIP Pass, because Seungwan is unstoppable.

Whenever she finds something she really, really loves, she does these little nibbles on them to show it. And it isn’t just limited to her dino-shaped butter biscuits or Pippin either. There are many things she loves! Mummy the most, of course. And then there are the inanimate objects.

As much as Joohyun doesn’t mind it, Wannie’s habit can prove to be a challenge. Especially when she finds the corners of pillowcases suspiciously frayed when she’s having guests over, or when she’s trying to stir Yerimie’s favourite kimchi soup, only to pick up the wooden ladle and find its handle all wet and indented with tiny teeth.

“Seung-Wan-ah!” she calls… in that tone.

That tone that soon has muffled, panicked thuds reverberating through the house as a little someone makes a break for her toy fort where she’ll be safe from the dragon’s wrath. 

She thinks she’s so slick until the dragon herself barges through that door, effortlessly bypassing all Seungwan’s meticulous booby traps and her blue blanket moat. Her castle, her safehold has just been ruined! All lines of defence defeated by the monster herself!

Her fort is under siege, so like any good ruler, Seungwan resorts to playing the deadest of dead. It’s never very effective though, because with just a few tickles, the dragon is able to conjure an innocent little puppy back to life.

“Wannie….” 

“Yis, mummie?” she replies, giggling softly.

And then the dragon’s gone and her mummy is back all of a sudden.

Joohyun shakes her head at how easy it is for Seungwan to make her forget why she was mad in the first place.

. . . . .

There are so many more things to list, and the vampiress could go on for centuries about Seungwan’s endearing quirks.

So perhaps she will, but for now, it’s time for a dino-shaped butter biscuit and some cuddles.

See you soon!

small note: this makes me think of you. when you see this, i hope you smile too.

an even smaller note: not proofread. i'll do that in a sec. but i missed them so much too! didn't expect to churn this out at this time but here we go.

[justasparkwritings]

Butter: A Collaborative Fantasy

A collaborative fantasy... please feel free to add to your master lists, to reblog and leave comments, to tag other writers. If more people write chunks, I will update this as the MAIN Butter & Unsalted collaborative filthy fantasy. 

IF I MISSED YOUR POST - TAG ME PLS

Additions to the story are getting lost in the other likes/reblogs (who ever thought I’d say that?), so PLEASE tag me! If you add on to the story - try and do it on the original post! 

Banner - me

OG prompt: Okay who is writing the fic Butter and it’s sequel, Unsalted?

@xjoonchildx​

what was her name again? margeríne?

sounded french. hoseok couldn’t exactly recall. all he could think about was her golden glow, the way she glistened. how smooth and creamy and delicious she looked in the candlelight.

just one look and hoseok knew —

he was toast.

@hauntedlilies​

Nothing could compare to. her -  not even Olivia, with her dark eyes. and long lashes fluttering so prettily against her cheeks when he took her extra virginity. 

He knew she deserved better, not a man functioning. like an. emotionally detached, well-oiled machine, but as he got lost in her heat all he could think of was how badly he wished he was churning someone else. 

Her. 

The image of skimming her sweet cream played like a feedback loop inside his head and when he spilled himself all over the woman underneath him, it was someone else’s name that slipped past his lips. 

As Olivia peppered a row of kisses along his jaw he buried his face in her hair, ears burning and the mess between their bodies a sticky reminder of his shame. Even after all this time, he knew no one could ever butter his croissant like Margeríne. 

@hesperantha​

Her memory was as sweetly-salted as the tears that ran down his fresh-baked cheeks

—the way she had rendered at his touch, creamy and moist, oleascent, at least 80% fat.

He bid his farewells to Olivia, the taste of their lovemaking already rancid on his tongue. Without a second glance he slid out the door and melted into the night.

@jinpanman​

It is fate when he sees Margeríne next on a Friday morning at Cat’s Tall Milk Café. Olivia is all but forgotten as Margeríne strides up to serve him with his plate, hot and ready.

The morning light that filters through the windows envelopes her in the softest glow and he once again wonders if her skin is as supple as it looks. Hoseok watches, hypnotized with the way sweat rolls down her forehead and drips onto his toasted bread, painting it in splatters of milky white and golden yellow.

Oh, how he would much rather her cream be drippin’ elsewhere— He takes in a sharp inhale and wills away the dirty thoughts. All in due time…

Boldly, he takes her hand before she can leave. “Please, let me take you out to the pastures this weekend!” It is to his great delight that she accepts.

Later that evening, a freshly waxed and glistening Margeríne tosses in bed and recounts her meeting with the most dashing man. She can’t wait to see if Hoseok will be The One who can whip her hard enough to make her cream.

THE STORY DIVERGED IT WAS MY FAULT

@justasparkwritings​

Seokjin stared at her, perplexed. “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Hoseok answered, cheeks burned from the summer heat.

“I just can’t believe she’s not butter,” Seokjin stared mystified at the spot she seemed to have melted from.

@ladyartemesia​

“I know... She looks just like her doesn’t she?”

“Yes, but it’s been centuries... The odds of her reappearing are spread so thin—”

“You saw the same thing I did. I don’t care what she’s calling herself this time around.”

“Well,” Seokjin drawled, a clever smirk drifting across his lips, “there’s only one way to find out isn’t there.”

Hoseok knew what was coming next, but the words still sent a sizzling shock of sensations down his spine.

“You’ll have to taste her.”

The younger man shook his head wryly.

“And how exactly do you propose I do that?”

Seokjin leaned back against the bar, letting his smirk deepen into shameless grin.

“I can tell you right now it’s going to take a lot of bread.”

@taegularities​

"Are you serious? I can't just walk over and butter her up. What if I scare her?" Hoseok hissed as the older man rolled his eyes in an annoyed manner.

"Look, either you take your chances or crumble for another century without her. We both know what that did to you."

Hoseok knew Seokjin was right. He'd waited for far too long to let this opportunity pass — but how would he control his churning stomach when he approached his girl, suppress the urge to call her by her old nickname Buttercup? As he'd always used to.

"Go and tell her you loaf her, Hoseok."

The man in question turned around, eyebrows furrowing as he asked, "What did you say?"

Seokjin sighed. "You love her. Tell her."

@hobipaint​

"Love her? Straight away? Won't that be a bit too.. greasy?" Hoseok asked.

"There's nothing like too much grease, Hoseok. We literally saved the burnt bread in the morning by over greasing it. Go ahead."

Hoseok sighed. His friend was about as useful as a butter knife in spreading cold butter.

"Look, unless you jam your way into her life, she's going to see you as this unnecessary, ignorant hole in the bread she's baking."

"That's why we use butter, right? clog up the hole-y bread and relish the creamy goodness surrounding the hard centre?"

Focus, Hoseok, focus.

"Yeah, but there's a very small margarine of error you can loose your Buttercup by. Unless you go overboard, you'll slip all over and make a mess. Butter her up, figuratively and literally."

@joheunsaram​

Before Hoseok could gather his nerves to make his way over, he and Seokjin were joined by Jimin, their golden haired friend sauntering over excitedly.

“Did you guys see her?” He asked in a theatrical whisper, groaning with his hands on his chest. “She’s absolutely divine, can’t wait to melt her on my tongue!”

Seokjin grimaced at his choice of words, opting to flick him not so gently on the forehead as he scowled. Hoseok, however, was still processing his friend’s comment.

“You like her?” He asked, incredulous, suddenly worried about competition.

Jimin smirked, an eyebrow raised, before chuckling. “Don’t spread this around, but me and her? Let’s just say we’ve been enjoying each other since the time I lost my jams.”

Hoseok could not help the way his heart jolted with envy.

(unsure which came first, @joheunsaram​ or @hobipaint​) 

TO BE CONTINUED

[tinyshe]

from soup and bread and on to savory hand pies/ pirozhkis! i love how just a few simple ingredients wrapped in dough can feed more than if served as a single. its like a baby casserole nestled in a warm blanket for your tummy as you dash about.

my two favourite doughs i will share with you (both wheat, one more bread like, one more butter laden pie crust like).

bread dough blankets 390 g : 2 3/4cup flour (i like high protein/bread flour to get that gluten fluff)

7g yeast : 2 1/2teaspoon active live yeast

12 scant gram sea salt (a little mound in your palm, not too much) : 2 teaspoon

59ml oil : 1/4cup oil (like olive oil)

237 ml water (warm for yeast activation) : 1 cup

This is base unit one, can be doubled, I’m not sure about adjusting to triple esp when dealing with the flour to water for yeast ratio (for me its an eyeball thing, if too wet, add scant flour until right; if too dry, sprinkle in water until adjusted but you don’t have to eyeball the yeast for triple, just do it). Make as you would a tiny baby pizza but fold in half and seal/crimp edges. We roll out, cut with big mug and pinch-work out to size but you could quickly make with squares or rectangles ... we’ve always done circles because that is the way it was taught to me and those before me (i don’t know the why of the circle shape, it just is).

pastry blankets

170g butter : 3/4cup butter (you might be able to do this with lard but idk; pls dont use nasty vegetable shortening! its not healthy)

250g flour : 2cup flour (hard wheat flour)

salt: just a little bit if your butter is salted, like 5-6g  or less depending on kind of salt/ taste

90ml sour cream or skyr (dense yoghurt w/o additives/pectin/gelatin): 1/2 cup

make like pie dough but smaller for hand pie, fold individual disc in half but can also use top and bottom crust, crimp and brush with egg yolk (egg yolk optional); don’t handle too much or it gets compacted, light handling = lighter crust plus with the butter is can get really melty-like/sloppy dough

i use a medium high heat (check your own ovens as they vary): gas stop 4 or 5, 400F/204c

type of filling to suit your wants/left overs; we like 1 meat with onion and a veg. can be done all veg (with cheese!) or what-ever

examples: opt 1) ground beef, onion, carrot, parsley; opt 2) bacon crumbs, potato, kohlrabi root and chili peppers/bell peppers; opt 3) spinach, mushroom, cheese (feta, cheddar, etc to match your taste), garlic. i like to pre-cook my filling as to keep the crust/dough from getting soggy; let it cool to easily handle for dough filling or if already cooked left overs, combine and mix well but squeezing out extra juices (save juices for soup broth).

[stxn-the-mxn]

Supergirl || Freddy Freeman X Reader

Request: Could you write something where the reader is the daughter of Superman and meets Freddy and he starts crushing on her really hard and she crushes on him hard too and eventually Superman and Shazam get them together? - Anon

A/N: This is literally 23k+ words pls read

Warnings: Shazam spoilers

***

Y/N Kent was the new student at Fawcett Central School. Her father had decided that she needed an actual education and not just hero training, and she had been on board until her dad set out the rules.

No powers. No cheating. No this, no that.

Was he trying to kill her? She’d never survive school at this rate. She was no longer looking forward to the first day of school. But unfortunately, Monday rolled around, as it did every week.

***

“Dad, why are you setting so many rules? It’s just school…” You said through mouthfuls of toast, and your dad sighed for the millionth time that morning.

“Y/N, it’s a public school. With regular people. It’s a place for learning, and hanging up the cape for six hours.”

You dropped your toast straight onto the butter knife, which rocketed it towards your dad. Naturally, he caught it without even looking away from his newspaper, which he still chose to read for some reason.

“It goes for six hours?” He nodded, and you collapsed backwards in your chair. Six hours… legally, they can’t make you do that, could they?

“And those six hours start soon, so you better head off.”

You slung your back over your shoulder, looking both ways before speeding to school. People probably saw, but they were also probably used to it, what with the Justice League and everything. 

You came to a stop in an alleyway across the road from the school, where no one would see you. Walking out, you saw a group of six kids standing in a line.

“Big school. 2,000 students. You might think ‘wow, so many strangers’ but not if you think of each of them as possible future friends, then it’s ‘wow, so many friends’!” The shortest girl said as you all crossed the road.

The young girl kept talking, saying something about the principal. Someone in that group must be new too. Walking into the school, you felt a tad overwhelmed by everything. Security guards checked all the bags as you entered the halls, and you began to panic.

Had you left some alien thing in there? Were you about to expose yourself on your first day? Would everyone figure out who you are? Would that affect your dad? Would th-

“Excuse me?” 

A boy, about your age, looked at you with concern etched on his face. His eyes were trained on your face, examining it. Was this a regular occurrence? Would I have to deal with this daily? Why did I not mind this boy staring at me?

“You’re new here, right? I haven’t seen you around before, so I figured.”

You passed the security guard your bag, forgetting all your thoughts as the boy talked to you.

“You seem scared. Don’t be. It’s just a new school.” He smiled, and you felt like you would melt on the spot. Who was this perfect boy? He picked up his bag, giving you a small goodbye before walking off to the girl who had been talking before.

You noted that he had a crutch. A disability, most likely.

Maybe school wouldn’t be so bad. 

***

By the time lunch rolled around, you had discovered that school was definitely bad.

Classes were boring, teachers were aggravating and some kids just weren’t fun. 

Stepping into the cafeteria, you were overwhelmed by the smell of it all. Was any of this legal? You grabbed a tray, copying everyone else and stood in line for food. A small tap sound from behind you made you aware of the boy from this morning standing behind you.

As you were pushed out of the line, you faced all the tables of kids, not exactly knowing what to do. 

“Follow me.” Crutch boy - you still didn’t have a name - led you to a table where another boy was already sitting.

“Flight or invisibility?” He said, and the boy with the red hoodie looked up, annoyance on his face.

“If you could have one superpower, what would you pick?” No one had time to respond before he kept talking. “Everybody chooses flight! You know why?”

Red hoodie - once again, you still didn’t have a name - spoke up, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“So they can fly away from this conversation?” You chuckled, thinking about the times you’d do just that when you and your dad argued.

“No, ‘cause heroes fly! Who doesn’t want people to think they’re a hero, right?” This kid was trying to get some kind of point across, but you weren’t sure what exactly that point was.

“But-But invisibility? No way. I mean, that’s pervy! Spying around on people who don’t even know you’re there. Sneaking around everywhere.” Red hoodie stood up, leaving the table, storming away. Crutchie’s voice grew louder.

“It’s a total villain power, right?” The whole cafeteria stared at crutchie as he picked up his crutch and went after hoodie.

You stood in silence, everyone’s eyes moving to you. Crutchie turned around, gesturing for you to follow him again, so you did.

“Then they did this study, and this is a real thing. They asked people the same question, you know, what power would you want? But this time, they made it so that the answers were anonymous.”

Shit, this was actually really interesting… 

“And-And most people, since they knew that it was secret, said invisibility. And I think that’s ‘cause most people don’t feel like heroes on the inside, deep down.”

You had followed hoodie and crutchie down the hall to the boys' bathroom, hoodie trying to escape this conversation.

“You’re gonna run away. I mean, you stole my Superman bullet.” Your head shot up at the mention of a Superman bullet. If he lost it, you could always get him a new one…

“Dude, I get it, I get it. You’ve been screwed over way too many times. You don’t trust anyone,”

You stood by crutchie’s side awkwardly, feeling like you weren’t meant to be hearing this.

“But that’s the thing about invisibility. You end up all by yourself.” You kept your eyes focused on anything that wasn't crutchie or hoodie. This seemed like a personal conversation.

“I didn’t steal your dumb bullet.”

Hoodie slammed the bathroom door behind him, leaving you and crutchie outside.

“Sorry about that. Billy’s just like that.”

So that was Billy. You still didn’t know who crutchie was, though. He didn’t seem like he was planning on introducing himself, so you took that job for him.

“I’m Y/N.” You stuck out your hand out of instinct. That’s what your dad always told you to do. Crutchie shook it gently, giving you a confused smile.

“I’m Freddy.” Crut- Freddy said. 

“Look, we still have ten minutes of lunch left. You wanna discuss superheroes over some shitty cafeteria food?”

You watched his jaw drop before it changed into a smile. He held out his hand, which you happily took, leading you back to the cafeteria.

“So, who’s your favourite superhero?” He questioned before you’d even sat down.

“How about we say it at the same time? Like on the count of three?”

You watched as his smile widened, yours automatically doing the same. He counted up from one, taking pauses in between, at the times when he started laughing a bit.

He reached three, both of you yelling a bit louder than intended.

“Superman!”

“Superman!”

He let out an odd, yet adorable, laugh, which made you giggle too.

“God, you’re literally the best person I’ve ever met.”

Your mind wandered back to the conversation earlier, and the stolen bullet.

“Hey, if you want, I could get you another Superman bullet.”

Once again, Freddy’s jaw hit the ground. Jesus, could you be any more amazing?

“Wait, really? How?”

“My dad, uh, he knows Superman.”

Nice save Y/N. 

“Holy shit! Have you met him?”

You were in deep shit now.

“Oh, yeah, a few times…”

***

The bell rang, and students piled out of their classrooms, in a mad dash to get home. You waited for Freddy, who happened to be in your current class, to finish talking with the teacher about the mark he’d gotten on a report.

“Freds, we should probably go.” 

You’d started using the nickname at lunch after a small game of Superhero Would You Rather. When asked if he’d rather have his childhood nickname as his superhero name or have his least favourite person pick his superhero name, he had decided that Freds would be a better name than anything the Breyers would come up with.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” The teacher sent him off with a wave. 

You walked outside with him, neither person noticing your incredibly close proximity. He walked over to the group of kids from this morning. His friends, maybe. He greeted them all, apologising for holding them up.

“No, actually we’re waiting for Billy. Did you see him insi- oh, hello.” 

Four pairs of eyes met you, and you tried not to freak out.

“Oh, guys! This is Y/N. She’s my new best friend. Y/N, this is Darla, Mary, Eugene and Pedro.” Freddy smiled proudly, acting as if he’d just won an award for something.

“Well, Y/N, it’s lovely to meet you.” The tallest girl, Mary, said, her voice incredibly sweet.

“Not to be so forward, but would you like to come over for dinner tonight?” Freddy spluttered out, his smile not faltering.

You smiled too, nodding in acceptance. From behind the group, you saw Billy coming down the stairs.

“Hey, how was it today?” The same girl asked, but got no response.

“That good, huh?” You joked, Billy sending a small glare your way, which surprised you. You hadn’t done anything to him.

The whole group headed to cross the road, only for a car to come speeding down the street, headed straight in your direction. Fuck, you couldn’t get hit by a car. Not here. If you did, everyone would find out your little secret.

Freddy noticed the car and immediately pushed you away, allowing himself to be rammed into.

“Freddy!” You screamed as he was knocked to the ground, his crutch being tossed aside. Two boys jumped out of the car, laughing.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” You yelled, gearing up to punch the two unless they had some reasonable excuse, which was impossible.

They picked Freddy up off the ground, shoving him against the car. 

“No way that’s gonna buff out.” One of the boys said, shoving Freddy again.

“You gonna pay for that?” 

“For the dent you made almost hitting me? Yeah, sure, um, do you guys take these?”

He held up his two middle fingers, making you snicker louder than intended. Your laughter ceased as they threw Freddy to the ground.

“What’s so funny, new kid?”

You stepped forward, not listening to Freddy’s yells for you to stay back.

“New kid? That’s the best you’ve got? Jeez, at least try to be creative.”

You hands curled into fists, trying your hardest to not just obliterate them right there.

“Aww, do you need your fake family to stand up for you?”

You were seething by this point, but you knew that if you did anything, you were absolutely screwed. All you could do was watch, hoping for some assistance. The boys kept taunting Freddy, kicking him as you all yelled for them to stop.

“What are you gonna do? Go home and cry to mommy? Oh, yeah, you don’t have a mommy.” 

That was the last straw. Just as you reared back to punch the dickwads, they were hit over the head by Freddy’s crutch. Billy threw the crutch over to you, and you caught it with ease.

“Man, sorry about that. That wasn’t fair, but then again, guys don’t play fair, so.”

As Billy took off, the boys in pursuit, you kneeled beside Freddy, easing him onto his feet. Handing him his crutch, he ignored it at first, leaning against you in a hug/physically support kinda situation.

“You’re still coming over tonight, right?”

“Jeez, Freds, you could’ve died and that’s what you’re worried about?”

He shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

“Yeah, I’m coming over tonight.”

***

Slamming open the door to your home, you ran in yelling about your day. Your dad was at the dining room table, reading some book he’d recently bought. You skidded to a halt, slamming your hands onto the table, causing a chunk of wood to break off.

Your dad raised an eyebrow, as you chuckled nervously, chucking the wood into a trashcan full of other wood pieces. Your end of the table grew smaller constantly.

“Sorry. Anyway! I made a new friend at school!” Your dad smiled, finding your excitement extremely infectious.

“And! And! He invited me over to his house for dinner!” Clark couldn’t say no to you, especially not when you’d been so adamant about not enjoying school earlier.

“Well, since we won’t be able to have our daily conversation over dinner, we might as well have it now.” You sat down, bouncing your leg extremely quickly.

“So, how did you meet?”

“Uh, he just helped me get over my first-day nerves. And we sat together at lunch, talking about superheroes. He absolutely loves superheroes! You’re his favourite, by the way.” You smiled, leaning on your hand.

“And then after school, these kids almost hit me with a car, but he jumped in front of me… they beat him up.” You trailed off, feeling tears spring to your eyes. “They, uh, they beat him up ‘cause he has a disability. And something about a ‘fake family’.” Your father leaned over, wiping away your tears.

“Oh, uh, it’s getting close to dinner time. I should head out.”

“Maybe get changed first. Dress up for your new best friend.” He winked, as you lit up red. 

“Dad, seriously? I really can’t do anything with you around.” You tried to act seriously, but your dad kept winking with different eyes, and you walked away, sighing as you tried to hold in laughter.

You hated that he was right. You also hated that you were going to be late because you were trying so hard to look nice. Why were you trying to look so nice? Were you trying to impress his family? Maybe. Yeah, that was it. Impress his family.

“Y/N, you’re aware of the time, right?”

You were out the door without a response.

***

Freddy paced in his room, as fast a pace as he could manage, panicking. Billy hadn’t come home, Y/N was coming over and everything was in utter chaos.

The doorbell rang, and Freddy wished that he was able to run down and get the door for you, but he was still getting down the stairs as Darla swung the door open. 

“Y/N!” She immediately pulled you into a hug which you happily accepted.

“Darla, I wasn’t expecting to see you.” 

Freddy slapped his forehead. God, you were about to be so confused. He didn’t explain the whole ‘group home’ situation. He wanted to explain everything, but Eugene had already appeared at the door.

“Eugene?”

Freddy moved as quickly as possible but still wasn’t able to beat Mary to the door. He saw your eyes darting around the room, your eyebrows furrowing more and more.

“What’s next, Pedro?”

Said boy, upon hearing his name, poked his head around the corner.

“Okay, I’m very confused.”

“Y/N! Follow me!” Freddy called from the stairs, and you walked through the crowd of kids, stopping to hug Darla.

“Welcome to my home. Sorry about that, I should’ve said I lived in a group home. I’m a foster kid, by the way.” He looked down, as if ashamed.

“Freds, if you think I’m gonna judge you for being a foster kid, you’re dumber than I thought.” You laughed by at the end, making Freddy laugh softly too.

Looking up, you saw a Batarang on a shelf. Walking over, you admired it, examining it closely.

“Yeah, that’s my Batarang. It’s a replica, obviously, but it’s really sharp. Like ‘could definitely kill you’ level sharp.”

You gave him a jokingly concerned look.

“I’d show you my Superman bullet, but, yknow…”

“Hey, as I said, I can get you a new one.” Placing a hand on his back in comfort, you felt him tense under your touch. You pulled away, afraid you were being too forward with the boy you’d met that morning.

“Hey, what happened to Billy?” 

“Oh, he probably ran away. I wouldn't be surprised.” He shrugged, going to sit down at his desk. You chose to sit on the bed, being careful not to hit your head.

You sat in silence for a while, both of your minds racing. Freddy thought about you, and how he actually had a girl, who wasn’t his family, talking to him. A pretty girl, none the less. You thought about Freddy, your first-ever friend. In less than 24 hours, he had quickly become the second most important person in your life.

He moved from the chair to beside you, sitting close to you, but with enough distance that it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable.

“Yknow, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who likes superheroes as much as you.” You broke the silence, glancing over at him through the hair that fell around your face.

“I could say the same about you. I was amazed when you said you liked them. And we both think Superman is the best, which makes it even better.”

He was utterly adorable. The way he rambled, stumbling over words as his mind worked faster than his mouth, never ceased to make you smile. You hadn’t even known him for 12 hours, but there was already something there.

“Dinner!”

Freddy glanced over at you and took this as another opportunity to continue the little trend you’d started. He stood up, smirking slightly, and held out his hand.

“Follow me, again?”

“You’re a dork, Freddy.” You laughed, immediately placing your hand in his.

***

“Freddy, could you do the dishes, please?” Rosa gestured to the kitchen, and Freddy huffed, making his way to the sink.

“If you want, Mrs Vasquez, I could help him with the dishes.” You offered, Rosa smiling warmly, thanking you for your offer.

You walked into the kitchen, seeing Freddy at the sink, collecting the dish soap and sponges. 

“Need any help?” He turned his head, nodding slowly. He handed you a towel, mentally telling you to dry the dishes after he’d cleaned them.

You could hear Rosa and Victor in the other room, talking about Billy. Rosa was on the phone, talking to someone about Billy. She mentioned something about him running away 23 times.

Freddy was also listening in, unaware he was splashing soapy water everywhere. 

“You know guys, I’m happy to look for Billy. More than happy.” He splashed soap onto your nose, and you blew it off. He was yelling back into the living room but eventually gave up and turned back to the dishes. “But no, you gotta wash the dishes, that’s what’s more important. What are you gonna do, Freddy? Run after him? Hahaha. Very funny.” 

You placed your hand on his wrist, and his eyes flicked up to yours. His tense expression softened, and his dishwashing pace slowed. Neither of you broke the eye contact, finding no actual reason to.

A slam on the window made you yelp, clutching Freddy’s wrist tighter. He screamed, clinging onto your arm. The man at the window held up a sign, saying not to scream. Both of you had done so anyway.

“No, no! I said don’t scream!” 

Freddy ignored his request, screaming out for Victor.

“It’s me! It’s Billy! It’s Billy!” The man whisper-yelled, trying to stop Freddy, who continued to yell out for Victor. 

“You asked me ‘flight or invisibility?’. I thought it was stupid but now I look like this and I need your help! Meet me back here after lights out?”

Holy shit. It was Billy.

As Victor entered the room, Billy ducked back behind the wall.

“‘Sup, bud? You alright?” Victor said, and Freddy froze, thinking of a lie.

“Sorry, Victor, we’re just a bit distraught about Billy.” You spoke quickly, trying to sound truthful.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just… I’m really sad. Because Billy’s gone.” Freddy spoke, far less convincing than you. “And, you know, maybe it’s my fault. Maybe I did it. Uh, you know, maybe I-I snore.”

“Hey, hey, hey. Not your fault, son, all right?” Victor pulled him into a hug, Freddy standing awkwardly still, as you stood beside them, eyes darting to the window. “We’ll find him, ‘kay?”

“You don’t snore that bad. But you kinda smell.” Victor left the kitchen, as you tried not to laugh. Freddy gave you a “haha very funny” look, before turning back to the sink.

***

“Hi, Dad, uh, I’m gonna be home a little late tonight.” Freddy watched you talk on the phone, making sure no one woke up or caught you sneaking around.

“No, yeah, I understand. I just figured you wouldn’t mind. No, I’m not going out this late. Just, the family decided to watch a movie and wondered if I wanted to stay.” Freddy was impressed at how easily you lied to your dad.

“Yes, thanks, dad. I’ll be home later. Goodnight, love you.”

You hung up, turning around to meet Freddy. With a raise of your eyebrows, you held out your hand. Freddy giggled like a little schoolboy, grabbing your hand. You snuck down the stairs, helping Freddy to miss the bum step.

He unlocked the door, pushing it open incredibly slowly to avoid it making any noise, closing it in the same fashion. He brought you round to the back of the house, seeing Maybe-Billy ahead of you, looking in a car mirror.

Freddy charged over, as fast as he could charge.

“Hey, stop right there! How do we know you’re not a supervillain using telepathic abilities to make us believe that you’re Billy?” He held up his phone, 911 pre-dialled. “All I have to do is press dial on this thing.”

“No, no, no I have proof! I have proof, here. Look, I lied okay.” He grabbed his backpack, ripping it open accidentally. “I took your bullet.” 

He pulled out the bullet, in its plastic bag, only for it to slip out. You lunged forward, catching it just in time. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Freddy and Billy worried about the bullet while you were more concerned about them noticing your reflexes.

“That was close. Nice catch.” 

“Guys, you know it’s me. And I know we’re not close friends or anything, but you guys are the only people I know that know anything about this caped crusaders stuff.”

“That’s Batman.” You and Freddy muttered in sync, leaving Billy extremely confused.

“What?”

“Forget it. Can I?” Freddy gestured to the glowing lightning on Billy’s chest. Billy nodded, and Freddy moved closer, outstretching his hand towards the suit. The lightning substance had some kind of elasticity to it, as it reached out to meet Freddy’s fingertips.

Freddy let out some kind of shriek or joy, which made you giggle lightly. He truly was a dork. He continued to play with the lightning, as you decided to try as well. The feeling was strange and sent a tingle down your spine, but you kinda liked it.

“Oh my god…” You whispered, a smile growing on your face.

“It’s crazy, right?” 

“What are your superpowers?” Freddy piped up, and you eyed Billy excitedly.

“Superpowers? Dude, I don’t even know how to pee in this thing?”

“Oh, that’s far too much information, Billy.” You said in disgust.

“Okay, c-can you fly?” Freddy suggested.

“Freds, he just got his powers and you think he’s able to fly already? Flying is difficult.” You said, not even realising what you said. The boys looked your way confused but didn’t question it.

Not even a minute later did Freddy have his phone out to keep video evidence of this. 

“Okay, let’s do this,” Billy said, preparing for his first flying attempt. “How do we do this?”

How the hell did he end up getting superpowers?

“Just, um, just like, Superman it.” Freddy imitated the sound of Superman flying, and you raised an eyebrow. Dork. “Obviously, you have to jump. Come on.”

“How is any of that obvious?”

“Try, uh, to believe you can fly. I know it sounds stupid but, I did this deep dive into the pyramid studies of superpowers and, uh, in 6 out of 10 cases, belief is the key.” 

You looked down, embarrassed by your rambling. Unfortunately, by looking down, you missed Freddy’s lovestruck gaze and Billy’s knowing look.

“Belief, belief, belief. Okay, okay. I believe I can fly?” Billy questioned his own words, which really didn’t help the belief part.

“No, yeah, I believe I can fly.” Billy ran towards a nearby car, leaping onto the hood. “I believe I can fly.”

He came crashing to the ground, and not in a graceful manner whatsoever. Billy looked at you and Freddy, both of you busy crying from laughter at his descent.

“D-did you believe?” You struggled out between the laughter. You found yourself struggling to breathe, laughter still pouring out. Freddy noticed the pain in your eyes as your chest and throat clogged with giggles.

“Woah, you okay, Y/N?” He said wiping away the stray tears escaping from your eyes. He had stopped laughing some time ago, but after he had heard your laughter, which sounded beautiful to him, he hadn’t wanted to stop you.

But now you were basically choking on laughter. Freddy flicked your arm, quite hard, and you stopped laughing, instead having to fake a yelp of pain. Blending in with humans was hard.

“Thanks, but also, ow.” You rubbed the spot he hit, hoping to at least come across as hurt. They seemed to believe, luckily.

“Oh, you wanna try invisibility?” Freddy suggested, still holding his phone out. Wait, did that mean he had video evidence of you actually dying from laughter?

“How do I do…?” Billy looked at you and Freddy for help.

“You… Forget it, you know.” Freddy sighed, deciding to give up on the whole ‘believing’ thing.

Billy stood still, eyes closed, possibly believing he was invisible. Freddy nudged you, before whispering something about tricking Billy. You were definitely on board.

“Oh my god! It worked!” You yelled, and Billy snapped his head up.

“Where’d you go?” Freddy looked bewildered. He was surprisingly very convincing.

“I’m right here, you can’t see me?” Billy had a stupid look on his face, not knowing you could see everything.

“I’m invisible!”

Billy danced around, looking like a complete idiot. You were trying everything to not burst out laughing again, but it was very difficult, considering how much of a fool he looked like.

“Hey! Nice outfit, dipshit!” A random passerby called out, breaking Billy’s gleeful jig. He looked at you and Freddy, and you both cracked up again.

“W-we may have been testing invisibility and super-intelligence at the same time.” Freddy wheezed out, his phone shaking from the laughter that reverberated through his entire body.

“Freeman, Kent, I’m gonna come over there and beat you two.”

Billy pointed angrily at the two of you, a spark of lightning exploding from his fingertip, hitting an electricity box on a pole. It sparked and exploded, and since you were right beneath the pole, Freddy pulled you into him to get you away from the sparks.

“Are you alright?” Freddy asked, dropping his phone to place his hand on your face. He had genuine worry in his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed softly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” You mumbled, not even noticing yourself lean into his hand. He did notice, as did Billy, and while Billy stifled obvious schoolboy giggles, Freddy was an alarming shade of red.

After a few seconds, he pulled his hand away and you tried not to whimper at the loss of his warmth. A small whine escaped, but it was quiet enough to go unnoticed. 

Freddy picked up his phone, which was still recording, and checked for cracks, of which there was none. He sighed in relief and turned back to Billy.

“The lightning emblem! It was staring us in the face the whole time. Literally!” He exclaimed, both his and Billy’s face lighting up with excitement.

You spotted a metal climbing frame at a nearby park. Metal conducts electricity. Could Billy do something to it?

“Hey, guys? You wanna try that electricity business on that thing?”

Billy and Freddy shared similar expressions, probably of weird and possibly dangerous ideas forming in their minds. 

Billy walked faster than everyone, mainly because you stayed behind him to talk with Freddy, though you would’ve been able to keep pace with Billy.

“This is insane, right?” Freddy exclaimed though you shushed him, as you were passing by homes. “We know an actual superhero now!”

If only you knew, Freds. If only you knew.

“I know, it’s kinda strange. You think he’ll be good at it?”

“With some training, maybe. Maybe Robin level, but nowhere near Superman.”

“No, no one can compete with Superman.” You smiled.

“Well, maybe Batm-”

“I’m gonna have to stop you there.” You giggled. Freddy chuckled too, agreeing that his statement was a bit far-fetched.

Up ahead of you, you could see Billy messing with the metal climbing frame. His electricity was surging through it. The metal was a conductor after all. He looked impressed with himself for actually controlling his powers.

After another minute or two, you and Freddy reached Billy, in awe of what he had done. You stayed back, still a bit worried that something could go wrong, and your invulnerability would show through and then there’d be a shit ton of explaining to do.

“Billy, we gotta give you a lightning themed superhero name now.”

A screech resounded in your ears, and you had to fight the urge to scream in pain. Unlike your dad, you hadn’t fully controlled your superhuman hearing. So distant sounds were extremely loud, and it hurt. A lot.

Freddy gestured in the direction of the scream, telling Billy to go be a hero. It wasn’t getting through to him, though.

“Jeez, Billy, you kinda suck at being a hero.” You said, pushing him in the direction of the scream.

“Oh, right!” He started to run in the right direction but suddenly shot across the park, crashing into a figure.

“Hyperspeed, check!” Freddy cheered.

You groaned, massaging your temples. It was painful, not being able to just give Billy real superhero advice that you had gotten from your dad.

You heard the interaction, trying not to scream. Billy was utterly useless. You were so caught up being frustrated with Billy that you didn’t notice Freddy walking over to join Billy. When you did notice has wasn’t by your side, you looked around for him.

Jogging after him, you got to his side pretty quickly.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” The woman with Bill asked, concern on her face.

“His name,” Freddy approached them all, a smile on his face “is Thundercrack. Hero to the people. With the power and speed of lightning all in one.”

You were about ready to ditch the boys, just out of pure frustration. 

“Dude that sounds like a butt thing.” 

“Mr Philadelphia.”

“That’s a cream cheese thing, dude!”

You hit your head against a tree repeatedly, not realising it was splintering until it toppled over in your direction. It was about to land on you when someone stopped it. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was Billy.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You walked back to Freddy’s side. Freddy’s eyes were wide with concern as he hugged you quickly. He didn’t need words to convey his worry for you.

“Uh, as I was saying,” Freddy started again, “Powerboy, cause he’s got all the powers. Cause sometimes, pepper spray can’t protect against evil.”

“Powerboy, do you know these children?”

“Like, like a teeny little bit. I don’t really know-” Freddy smacked him in the chest. “Yeah, they’re like, my managers. They’re like miniature managers.” 

“Yeah, we’re his managers.” Freddy nodded, and you once again sighed in disappointment. This was difficult work, and you were unsure when you became a babysitter.

“Powerboy’s not gonna work either, okay? So work on something else…”

“Hey, hey, hey...”

“Electricity manipulation, hyperspeed, super strength! Dude, you’re stacked!” Freddy had that giddy look on his face again, that you couldn’t help but love. “You’re as cool as Superman!”

“Almost.” You corrected, in sync with Freddy. 

Looking into his eyes, everything seemed to go in slow motion for a second. Was that normal, or some time-stopping ability you were yet to discover? You made a mental note to ask your dad later about it.

You were thrown back into a regular pace by the woman Billy was “protecting” shoving cash into your hands.

“I didn’t see you or what’s happened here. I don’t wanna know, just don’t hurt me.” The woman jogged away, leaving the three of you behind.

You looked at the money in your hands, Freddy glancing over to look at it too.

“Holy shit… we just made 73 bucks!” He took it out of your hands, but not in a rude snatching way, as he gave you an apologetic look afterwards. 

“73 bucks?” Billy gaped at the money, and an idea flashed through his mind.

“Guys? It’s late. You should go home…” You said, but the boys didn’t listen, too busy awing over the money. “Guys?”

Billy muttered something about having an idea, and just like that, they were walking away, leaving you behind. You contemplated leaving them behind and going home, but when Freddy turned around, and everything went slow again, you had to grab his outstretched hand once again.

***

“I’d like to purchase some of your finest beer, please,” Billy told the woman working the counter, in quite an over-the-top voice. You and Freddy stood behind Billy, hidden by his wide figure.

As he walked away, you and Freddy met the eyes of the cashier, and with an awkward moment of silent eye contact, walked back to join Billy at the fridges. You kept glancing back at the counter, suddenly nervous for some reason.

Something didn’t feel right.

“I don’t know about this…” You muttered, hearing Freddy hum in agreement.

“I mean, we don’t have a fake ID.” He continued your thought perfectly. Maybe he was the one with the superpowers.

“Guys, would you two relax? Look at me, I am the fake ID.”

A terrifying thought crossed your mind. Was Billy gonna take this seriously? Or would he abuse these new powers for his own personal gain? 

The doorbell jingled, and all of a sudden there was shouting from behind you. Spinning around, you saw two men in ski masks with guns. You let out a surprised yelp, alerting the two robbers to your presence.

Their guns pointed towards you before their eyes even reached the three of you. Freddy stood to Billy’s side, while you were directly in front of him. No one has time to think before a gun is fired.

The bullet zooms towards you, and at the last second, Freddy pulled your arm extremely hard, the bullet just grazing your arm as you collapsed onto him. The bullet hit Billy in the torso, right where you had just been.

The bullet clattered to the ground, as the three of you breathed heavily. You and Billy had just almost died, and your entire weight was on top of Freddy. 

“Bullet immunity.” You gasped, as the bullet rolled next to you. You got off Freddy, wildly aware of your red face, and his very similar one.

“Y-you have bullet immunity!” Freddy exclaimed as you helped him up, handing him his crutch. He pulled out his phone, opening the camera.

“I’m bulletproof.”

“Today is December 8th and this is video proof of authenticity.” That damn smile was back. That damn smile that you couldn’t help but replicate. “Shoot him again.”

“Freddy, what the hell?” You expected Billy to argue with Freddy, and avoid getting shot again. But no, he encouraged it, inviting the robbers to shoot him in the chest. And they did, each bullet like the last. 

You watched as Freddy shoved them in his pocket, and when he noticed you staring, he murmured something about memorabilia.

“W-w-w-wait!” Everyone faced Freddy, who still had his camera out. “We don’t know if the suit is bulletproof, or if you are. Shoot him in the face.”

You sighed into your hands, walking away from the group of idiots. You walked down another aisle, listening to the gunshots ringing. Dumbasses, the lot of them. You tuned out everything, simply pacing up and down the aisle.

The smash of glass hurls you back into reality, as you watch the robbers land outside on the pavement. Freddy joins you, a familiar concern on his face.

“You almost got shot…” He places his hand where the bullet grazed, his panic and worry blinding him from the fact that his hand was very close to your waist. 

You were very much aware of his hand but tried to ignore the warm feeling it brought.

“Yeah, I’ve had a bit of a shitty night, huh?” A sudden boost of confidence struck you. “Luckily, I’ve had two heroes to look after me.”

Freddy turned a light shade of red, nervously giggling. Billy appeared behind him, a smirk on his face and beers in his hands. 

“You two done being gross? I got the beers.” 

You happily took a beer, needing one after tonight. Your dad wouldn’t care. You couldn't get drunk, anyway.

“Sorry about your window! But you’re welcome for not getting robbed!” 

Freddy and Billy took a sip of their beers, immediately spitting them out. You, however, kept drinking yours. Their eyes widened as you chugged the whole bottle in a minute.

“Damn, alright.” Billy chuckled, as Freddy just watched you with amazement.

“You guys aren’t gonna drink those, are you?”

“No, not at all. Tasted like vomit.”

Billy headed back inside, buying some regular junk food, using up the rest of the $73.

“Yknow, habanero jerky, if you eat enough of it, could burn a hole in your stomach,” Freddy said, earning a disgusted noise from you. “Probably not you, though. Probably got stomach superpowers.”

You snorted softly. Stomach superpowers? Weird. You glanced at your phone, noticing the time. It was late. Very late.

“Shit, I’m sorry guys, I have to head home.” You sighed. “I wish I could stay later, but my dad wants me home now. It is a school night, after all.”

Freddy and Billy shared similar, sad expressions, though Freddy’s looked sadder. You awkwardly hugged Billy’s giant form, not noticing Freddy’s glare on the tall boy-man. 

And then, you moved to hug Freddy. It was much tighter than the one you gave Billy. You didn’t want to let go, and something told you he didn’t want to either. As you did pull away, you pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” You smiled, walking away from the boys, a stupid smile forming on your face. 

A similar smile appeared on Freddy’s face, as he placed a hand on his cheek. Billy nudged his shoulder, as they watched you leave.

“You’re whipped, Freeman, absolutely whipped.”

“Yeah,” Freddy grew extremely flustered, “Yeah I am.”

***

You rushed home, almost slamming through the door in excitement. Your dad flicked on the hall lights, making you freeze in your tracks.

“Uh, hi dad! I just got lost finding the bathroom.” You didn’t even try to sound convincing. 

“You are aware of the time, right?” He leaned in the doorway, pointing at the clock on the wall. It read 12pm.

“Yeah, uh, the movie was long.” Your dad raised his eyebrow, and you sighed. “No, uh, one of the kids, Billy, just got superpowers. Freddy and I were helping him out.”

“He got superpowers?” You dad asked, curiosity splashing across his face. “Overnight?”

“Yeah, basically. And since Freddy and I know the most about heroes, we had to help him get used to it.” You walked into the living room and sat your dad down. “Let me tell you everything.”

And so, you did. You explained everything; the lightning and sparks, and how Freddy had pulled you out of the way. The woman, and the tree, and how Freddy had comforted you after it had almost crushed you. The service station, the robbers and how Freddy had pulled you out of the way of a bullet.

You were about to tell him about Billy being bulletproof when your dad cut you off.

“You talk about Freddy a lot.” He smirked and your eyes widened. Talking about Freddy a lot hadn’t been intentional, but he was just always there. He was your first friend, and he liked the things you liked, and he talked to you and he was adorable and sweet and kind and h-

“Do you like Freddy?”

You froze. Did you like Freddy? With everything you’ve said in the past few minutes, all signs pointed to yes.

“I… I think I do. But I only met him today. Is that too soon?” You fell into a panicked ramble, every thought about Freddy spilling out into a chaotic sentence that didn’t make sense to anyone but you.

“Okay, okay, calm down. It’s okay to like people early on. Ever heard of ‘love at first sight’?”

“Dad! It’s not ‘love at first sight’.” You argued though something told you that maybe, just maybe, that was exactly what it was. Was ‘like at first sight’ a thing. Love seemed too strong at this point.

“You wanna talk about it?” Your dad placed a hand on your shoulder, as small tears slowly slipped out of your eyes. Why were you crying? This situation didn’t warrant tears. You weren’t sad, or angry or anything. You were just overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed. 

There were far too many emotions swirling in your head. Good and bad. You couldn’t do this right now. You hadn’t known Freddy Freeman for a day, and yet you were undoubtedly head over heels for him, but you weren’t ready to admit that to anyone.

“I… I’m tired. I’m gonna go to bed.”

You ran out of the room without a second thought.

***

Arriving at school, you instantly spotted Freddy and his family across the street. They were hard to miss, in a good way, of course. After last night, you were conflicted about whether to avoid Freddy or be around him, but unfortunately for you, your mouth moved faster than your brain.

“Freddy, wait up!”

He spun around, smiling brightly as he locked eyes with you. It was then that you noticed that Billy wasn’t there. Odd. but he did technically run away yesterday, so maybe he didn’t go with Freddy last night.

“H-Hey, Y/N!” He stumbled over his words, earning small giggles and chuckles from his family as they headed up to school without him.

“So, you have first period with me and Billy, right?” He asked, very clearly planning something. Freddy, you now discovered, always looked like he was up to something. 

“Um, maybe? Do you have science first, with Ms White?” He nodded, his smile still there. “Well, then I guess we have first period together. Why?”

“You’ll see. Just stick with me and Billy.” You raised an eyebrow at the mention of Billy, who was still a no-show. “Yeah, no, he’ll be here. He had something he needed to do first.”

As if on cue, a loud crash caused you to jump out of your skin. Spinning around, you saw the same boys who had beaten up Freddy staring at their destroyed truck.

“I’m gonna assume that’s what he needed to do.” 

“Yeah. Come with me, I wanna rub it in a little more.” 

Walking over to the boys, you both examined the destruction. The car was absolutely destroyed, and there was absolutely no way it could be restored. Freddy wandered over to the boys, a smirk on his face.

“You know guys… I don’t think that’s gonna buff out.”

You subtly high-fived him as you walked away from the car, but as your hands met, he intertwined your fingers. From the way he kept walking, he hadn’t even acknowledged what he’d done, and from the way your mind was racing, you really didn’t mind.

You entered the school building, passing through security easily and heading over to your locker. Freddy’s locker was across the hall from yours, so while you did, unfortunately, have to let go of Freddy’s hand, you easily kept your conversation going across the hall.

When you went across to join him, the conversation topic quickly switched to Billy and his new superhero alter-ego. You wished you had the confidence to reach over and hold his hand, but luckily for you, Freddy instinctively did it for you. 

“So, last night, when we went home, we found out how he can switch between forms.” He whispered excitedly, his voice rising every now and again as his excitement grew, but a soft hand squeeze from you was enough to quiet him down.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a flash of red and brown darting towards you and Freddy.

“Morning, Billy.” You said as Billy caught up to you, eyes instantly darting to you and Freddy’s interlocked hands. He raised an eyebrow, directing it specifically at you, and you really didn’t have an explanation.

“Nice job with the Breyers car.” 

The school bell rang, and as everyone else moved off to class, the two boys pushed you into a storage room to hide. You tried your best to ignore the lack of distance between you and Freddy.

You looked up, meeting Freddy’s eyes. His face was as red as yours felt. As awkward as you both felt being so close to each other, you couldn’t look away from him. Without even noticing, you shuffled closer to him.

“Coast is clear, let’s go.” Billy stepped outside, scanning up and down the hallway. He went to leave, but upon not hearing the sound of Freddy’s crutch hitting the ground, he looked back into the closet, seeing you and Freddy.

“Guys? Guys! Seriously, can you do this some other time?” He groaned, causing Freddy to whip his head around, still blushing. Billy chuckled, and Freddy gave Billy a look that screamed ‘we don’t speak a word of this’.

As Billy headed for the front door of the school, you still stood frozen in place. Freddy had been so fucking close to you. Your heart had been racing, your mind screaming and all the emotions from last night had almost come tumbling out.

“Y/N? You okay?” You reached for his hand, even though he hadn’t reached out as he usually did. He happily accepted your hand in his, feeling a familiar warmth as your hand slid perfectly into his.

Billy had been watching over his shoulder, finding a certain enjoyment in the pure awkwardness of the whole situation between his- his friends. As you and Freddy walked down the hall, hand-in-hand, Billy caught the soft smile on Freddy’s face. 

“Absolutely whipped.” He muttered to himself.

***

You sat on an empty oil barrel, watching as Billy used his lightning powers to blow up his school books. Freddy was throwing the books, both of them quite enjoying themselves. You didn’t know what to think.

Billy was a superhero now, and sure, he was still figuring out his abilities, but he didn’t show any signs of wanting to be an actual hero.

You had hoped that Freddy would teach him what actual heroes did, and yet he was encouraging Billy. You couldn't hate them, though. Billy was your friend, and Freddy was- well, he was something special.

“Hey, Freds?” 

Freddy dropped the English book he was holding, jumping at your voice which he hadn’t heard since the three of you had found the abandoned warehouse. He had been surprised that you didn’t want to participate but didn’t question it, afraid that if he was nosey he would lose any chance of actually getting you to like him.

“Y-yeah? What’s up?”

“I was just wondering if we were gonna spend the whole day exploding things? Why not test out some other skills?” You suggested, hoping to actually get something done today, and not have wasted a day that you could’ve spent actually learning something at school.

“Well, yeah, we could. What do you have in mind?”

“You’ve got your camera with you, right?” Freddy nodded, and your idea fell into place.

You brought the boys over to another part of the warehouse, pulling an empty notebook out of your bag.

“Freds, can you set up your camera, please?” He happily obliged, as you scribbled out a warning message onto the notebook. Freddy finished setting up the camera and started recording. You held up the sign in front of the lense.

A few seconds later, you flicked it over to reveal the page reading ‘Super Strenght Test 1’. 

“Right, super strength test, go!” Freddy informed Billy as you moved the page away, only to reveal Billy doing some weird dance-thing. You gave him a death stare, careful not to trigger your heat vision accidentally. 

Billy noticed your glare, and he was surprisingly intimidated.

“Oh.” He walked over to a stone pillar, rearing his arm back to punch it, and as his fist collided with the stone, it cracked and crumbled, leaving Billy and Freddy wide-eyed, while you simply watched on, impressed.

“Right, well, how about we test flight next?” You pointed to the old skate ramp outside, the boys’ faces lighting up.

***

The next few days continued much the same, with you writing down what test you were doing and making notes of Billy’s attempts, Freddy recording it all, sometimes helping Billy with the tests and Billy just trying not to die as you put him through all these tasks.

Your dad was yet to find out about you skipping school, though you knew he wouldn’t be too mad, especially if he knew what you were doing.

Billy had failed most of the tests, only succeding in hyperspeed and super strength currently. Freddy had pulled out the weirdest tests, like time-reversal and telepathy, while you stuck with the more classic superhero ones. He couldn’t teleport, but he was immune to fire, as you and Freddy found out the hard way. 

At the end of the day, you always found yourself at Freddy’s house, uploading the videos of Billy on YouTube. With each video, the superhero name changed, your personal favourite being ZAP-tain AMERICA. 

During these days of “superhero training” you found it difficult to stay out of the Superman-related conversations. Freddy often compared Billy to your father, and recently, you were discovering a new-found struggle of lying and keeping secrets from Freddy.

You told your dad everything, so he was up to date on Billy’s situation, often giving you tips that you always had to say you “read online” to keep from being suspicious. He still didn’t know you were skipping school, thinking that this training was the reason you were always home late.

In reality, you were home late because you didn’t want to leave Freddy’s home. You liked it there, and you liked his family, and yeah, you definitely liked him.

***

This morning, after you’d obviously ditched school, you once again found yourself discussing Superman.

“More powerful than a locomotive.” You nodded, agreeing with Freddy

“Locomotive? What are you, an old prospector?” Billy teased, as you thwacked him in the chest.

“He can leap tall buildings in a single bound.” You stated, gesturing to a massive office building in the city. It was a way away, but Billy hoisted you and Freddy over his shoulders and just ran.

Freddy looked dizzy when he was set down, so you rushed to steady him. He thanked you, that adorable smile returning. You smiled back, as Freddy fumbled for his camcorder. He almost dropped it, and you went to catch it, before realising he had added a wrist strap onto it.

“Right, so, single bound, ‘kay?” You turned to Billy, before looking at the giant building. Maybe you should’ve picked a smaller one.

Billy prepared to jump, and as he left the ground, he went flying into one of the windows. You gasped, hearing the screams from inside. You hit the recording button on the camera, stopping it in a rushed panic.

“Let’s edit that one before posting it.”

A few minutes later, Billy came out of the building, looking quite embarrassed.

“What’s up, Bill?” You giggled at his expression.

“I had to take the elevator.” He mumbled under his breath, but you heard it anyway. You laughed loudly, Freddy looking extremely confused. You whispered what Billy had told you, and Freddy lost it.

“Oh, yeah, yeah very funny.” Billy glared at the two of you, who were clinging to each other in an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

“You two are useless. I’m hungry, let’s get food.” Billy started walking towards a nearby shopping strip. As your fit of giggles ended, you trailed behind Billy, your hand in Freddy’s once again. It was a force of habit, now.

As per usual, you and Freddy wandered a tiny bit back from Billy, discussing whatever came to mind.

“Your phone’s charged.” Electricity came out of Billy’s fingers, hitting passerby’s phones. He kept doing it, some people looking impressed, while others looked weirded out. 

You caught up with Billy, both of you stopping for Freddy. Freddy had his typical expression on, which meant he was either planning something or that something was just on his mind.

“You know what? You really need, like, a mic-drop catchphrase after you do something cool.”

You sighed. A catchphrase? You loved Freddy dearly, but sometimes his ideas weren't exactly that good.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Of course Billy had been. Billy and Freddy were two halves of a whole idiot.  “I was thinking, what about, what about this? ‘That’s why you don’t mess with electricity.’.”

You snorted. That was truly, utterly terrible. Freddy seemed to agree, considering his raised eyebrow, and humoured smile.

“Catchphrases, obviously, aren’t one of your superpowers.”

“Your phone’s charged,” Billy said, again, striking one man’s phone which sparked and exploded, and the man was most certainly not impressed.

“You need to stop doing that.” You patted Billy on the back, making Freddy laugh.

Billy, however, wasn’t laughing, a suspicious expression on his face. You went to ask what he was planning, but he picked you and flung you over his shoulder, hyperspeeding his way out of the shopping mall, leaving Freddy behind.

“Billy? Y/N? You’re coming back, right? Guys?”

***

After that day, you found yourself being pushed aside in Freddy and Billy’s escapades. Everything became less about training Billy to properly control his powers and use them for good, and more about just figuring out what they could get away with.

Billy claimed that everything was helping him become a better superhero, but you weren’t sure how a strip club, lair, and video games helped with that. Freddy didn’t agree nor deny with what Billy said, and you honestly felt a little upset about that.

You would have thought that Freddy, of all people, would take this at least somewhat serious, considering his love for superheroes. Even your argument that Superman wouldn’t abuse his abilities like this had no effect on the boys.

So that evening, after uploading all the videos Freddy had taken while the boys played video games, you packed up your stuff to leave.

“I’ll see you guys at school, hopefully.”

They didn’t notice, too wrapped up in their game. You couldn’t ignore the tears that rapidly fell from your eyes. Going down the stairs, you were met by Rosa and Victor, who were still hanging up Christmas decorations.

You really loved Rosa and Victor, and you hoped they liked you too, considering how often you were around. It would be awkward if they didn’t like you.

“Hey, Y/N, are you alright?” Rosa asked, and in a split second of confusion, you forgot about the tears streaming down your face.

“Uh, I just hit my elbow on a table edge. Yknow how much that hurts, haha.” You could tell that they didn’t believe you. “Uh, Freddy and Billy were ignoring me. It’s stupid, don’t worry.” You spoke quickly, trying to pass it off as nothing, but the crack in your voice said otherwise.

Rosa brought you over to the living room, inviting you to sit down. She sat beside you, while Victor sat across, both looking at you with concern in their eyes.

“They’re ignoring you?” Rosa placed a hand on your knee, in a comforting manner. God, she was the best mother on this planet. 

You nodded, not speaking in fear of your voice breaking again. You wondered if you were stupid, being so broken over two boys, who you’d only known for a week, ignoring you.

“Just know that they don’t hate you, especially not Freddy.” You looked at Victor in surprise. What did that mean? “You’re all he talks about, ever. Not even Darla gets to speak at the dinner table now.” He chuckled, while you flushed.

“H-he talks about me?” You wiped away some tears, a small smile forming. Freddy talked about you. All the time. Rosa and Victor nodded, smiles on their faces too.

“He really likes you, Y/N. Billy does too, but nowhere near as much as Freddy does. We honestly can’t thank you enough for bringing them closer.” Rosa hugged you, Victor piling on top.

“Thank you, so much. But, uh, I should head home. My dad will start to worry.” 

They nodded, walking you to the front door. As you opened the door, a creak from the stairs alerted you to Freddy’s presence. He came down to the door, hugging you tightly.

“See you at school tomorrow.” He whispered, kissing your cheek quickly. You were frozen as Freddy gave you a final hug and went back upstairs. You had forgotten that Rosa and Victor were there until Victor whispered a “told you so”.

“Heh, um, well, I’ll probably see you tomorrow?” You smiled, hand instinctively going to your cheek.

“And probably more days after that.” Rosa giggled. 

With a smile, you left the Vasquezes home, now looking forward to tomorrow. 

When you arrived home, you didn’t even notice your dad in the kitchen. He definitely noticed you, and the stupid smile on your face, and the way you were humming to yourself. It didn’t take a genius to know what was going on.

“What did I say about love at first sight?” He said, to no one but himself.

***

Walking the school halls, all you heard were whispers about Philadelphia’s newest superhero. Thanks to the videos you and Freddy had taken, Billy- you were yet to decide on a superhero name- was quickly gaining popularity.

It seemed as though everyone only had superheroes on their mind. Obviously, that included your little trio of friends. It was somewhat nice, being the talk of the town, even if no one knew you were the talk of the town.

“Hey, yknow, you guys gotta wonder who’s filming those, right?” You looked curiously at Freddy, as did other students. A wave of worry crashed over you, something feeling off. “I mean, that’s bravery in and of itself.” 

“I mean, is it, though?” Billy commented, and then you knew that something was definitely not gonna go well today, so you kept your mouth shut.

“Yeah. I’d argue maybe even more brave.” 

“Holding a camera?” 

“Staring in the face of danger?” You felt the urge to make some comment about how neither of them had faced any real danger before, but you knew that would simply lead to a neverending run of questions, curious ones from Billy and concerned ones from Freddy.

You blocked their bickering out as best as you could, but the second the Breyer brother approached, you got ready to punch either of them if needed. They grabbed Freddy’s shirt, and you stepped closer to him, protectively.

“Hey, Freeman.”

“I-I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Freddy glanced at the fist around his shirt, before looking back at Burke.

“What? Is your bestie gonna hit us with a wheelchair this time?” Brett raised an eyebrow, mocking Billy. Your teeth clenched together. 

“No, maybe not him, but I have another best friend.” Shit. You could see where this was going.

The brothers turned to you, half of your body covering the side of Freddy.

“Oh, so you need your girlfriend to protect you, too?” They mocked, using stupid sing-songy voices. You flipped them off, glaring.

“She’s not my gir- No. My other best friend. Who might hunt you down and destroy both of you.” You really wished Freddy could shut his mouth every once in a while.

“Okay, Freddy.” You and Billy both whispered, attempting to drag Freddy away from the Breyers, but to no avail, Freddy stood his ground.

“You may have heard of him… Uh, uh, The Human Power Storm. Frequency Flinger, Sir Zaps-A-Lot. Yeah. He’s a man of many names.” You sighed. Neither you nor Billy looked impressed in the slightest. Freddy was wonderful, but sometimes he really needed to know when to stop.

“You know the Red Cyclone?” The Breyers, understandably, didn’t believe Freddy in the slightest. I mean, why would you? “You? My ass you do.”

“Oh, we’re a lot closer than you think. Maybe even at this very moment.” 

“Prove it.”

Oh no. Oh god no. It would’ve been a great time for you or Billy to jump in and shut Freddy up, but both of you knew how suspicious that sounded.

“I will, tomorrow. Tomorrow he’s gonna come to lunch.” You stared at Freddy, wide-eyed. This was not happening. “And… Right, right, Billy?”

Billy looked petrified, eyes darting between Brett, Burke, Freddy and you. Both your faces held concern and just a hint of fear.

“Oh, yeah, and then Superman’s gonna be bringing us dessert, right?” Freddy’s eyes immediately landed on you, and for once you didn’t fluster at this.

“Yeah, Y/N here knows Superman. Right, Y/N?” 

Everyone's eyes fell to you, including the highly skeptical eyes of the Breyers. If there was any time to be frozen with fear, this was not the time you expected. With a sharp inhale, you nodded quickly, as to get it over and done with.

The bell rang, and finally, the crowd of students disappeared. It felt stupid, but you wanted to cry. The Breyers remained in front of you, and you had never felt so intimidated.

“Tomorrow at lunch. You’ll see.”

“And when they don’t show,” Shit, they were including Superman in this? “Then we’ll kick both of your asses.”

Your hand found Freddy’s, squeezing it tightly out of fear and pressure. What were you meant to do now? Freddy started walking, Billy following quickly behind.

“So, wait, my identity's a secret so no one I know can get hurt. Except when it makes you look cool, then it’s all good.”

In a common occurrence from the past few days, you insisted on keeping your mouth shut, instead choosing to focus on the feeling of Freddy’s hand against yours.

“Billy, it’s not like they’re supervillains-”

“They’re close enough.” You murmured.

“They're just super douchebags.” 

“So you’re breaking your own rule? Got it.” 

You were amazed that no one had figured out Billy’s identity, considering the volume at which the two boys spoke. For someone determined to keep a secret, Billy was awfully loud.

“This thing is as much mine as it is yours.” You couldn't even find it in you to argue that; 1) no, it really wasn’t and 2) why didn’t he include you.

“Starting to think you think it’s all your thing.” Billy stormed into his classroom, Freddy hopelessly calling after him. When he gave up on Billy, he turned to you, a desperate look on his face.

“Y/N? Do you want to stay for dinner tonight?”

***

“All hands on deck,” Victor called, everyone besides Billy putting their hand in the centre of the table. You hesitated, until Freddy placed his other hand on yours, bringing it up to meet the others.

“Thank you for this family. Thank you for this day. Thank you for this food. Sorry Billy’s hand’s on vacay.”

You absolutely adored the Vasquezes and their crazy family that all perfectly worked together. Everyone’s hands dropped, grabbing cutlery and eating.

“Big news in Philly. Got a costumed hero. He’s doing good.” You smiled at the mention of Billy until you saw the looks on Freddy and Billy’s faces.

“Yeah, but is he, though?” Eugene piped up, everyone immediately intrigued by his comment.

“Ooh! Controversy, into it. Share with us your perspective, Eugene.” 

This was sure to be an interesting dinner.

“Just saying, he’s what? Charging people’s phones? So what? I can charge a phone with a plug.” You smiled at Eugene. That was an extremely valid point. Billy was, in no offence to him, kinda useless right now.

“Preach. Pedro, any thoughts?”

“Costume’s stupid.” You giggled, fully agreeing. It did look kinda dorky. Everyone else laughed along too, except Billy, which was even funnier to you. “Big white cape like he’s getting married or something.” You burst out into giggles, remembering when you had told Billy exactly that.

As you giggled, you didn’t notice Freddy’s hand on top of yours, or the smitten gaze he had. Everyone else, however, most definitely did.

“What if he didn’t get to pick his costume?” Billy finally spoke up, drawing everyone’s eyes to him. “Ever think about that?”

“You’re a specialist Freddy, and I’ve heard that you are too, Y/N. What do you two think?” Rosa prompted you and Freddy.

“Yeah, guys, let’s manage to see the positive.” Billy eyed you both warily, and as you went to speak, Freddy immediately cut you off.

“Okay, well, I think it looks likes he doesn’t have gratitude for what he’s been given.”

You wished Freddy had telepathy, just so you could tell him to not make this personal. But alas, he had no such ability.

“Very specific. All right. Y/N, what were you going to s-”

“Maybe to the superhero, gratitude doesn’t mean having to be clingy.” Bill retorted.

“Clingy? Wow, interesting take.” 

You didn’t want to be overdramatic, but you were sure you had never been more stressed in your entire life. 

“You know, maybe sometimes a superhero just wants a little me-time.”

Shit, they were making it personal. You kicked Billy under the table, only getting a glare in return.

“You know, me-time could also be construed as pushing away his family.”

You could feel the confused gazes burning into you like lasers. This had to be the most suspicious conversation ever.

“Family. Is that what they are now?” 

You hid your face in your hands, sighing in annoyance. Why did you ever think that this would be a nice, normal dinner with your friends and their family, especially after school today?

“It’s a classic symptom of “Superhero Syndrome”. Coined by German psychologist Heinrich Von German-Something, where superpowers become an all-consuming narcotic.”

Billy immediately got up from the table, and you watched with a fearful look in your eyes as the chaos came to an upsetting end.

“Son, we’re still eating dinner.” Victor tried to call Billy back, but it was useless at this point.

“What he needs is a sidekick,” Freddy called after the boy, and then everything clicked. 

“Name one cool sidekick.” Billy stormed up the stairs, leaving the rest of the family sitting awkwardly. You didn’t realise how nervous you looked until you felt Freddy’s fingers tracing small circles on your leg. The action was calming, and you shuffled closer to him.

“Darla, why are you so quiet over there, baby? You’re never at a loss for words.”

From the way in which Darla glanced at Freddy, Billy’s empty chair and you, you realised that Darla knew a lot more than you thought. 

“I’m eating.” The small girl mumbled through food, just to get her point across.

Once dinner wrapped up, Freddy went to head upstairs, until you reminded him that Billy was up there, and that didn’t seem like a good idea right now. Instead, you took him out to the front porch, sitting on the steps, gazing up at the sky.

“It’s beautiful up there.” You mumbled as Freddy sat beside you. For a while, the two of you sat in silence, just gazing at the sky and the few stars you could see. The night sky always reminded you of the first flying lessons you had with your dad, back when you first started developing your powers.

“Yknow, I’ve always wanted to fly.” Freddy broke the silence. “It probably sounds stupid, but flying sure sounds better than walking, especially with this stupid thing.” He chucks his crutch to the ground, both of you wincing at the sound of it hitting the ground.

You don’t speak, not because you’re ignoring him, you just don’t know what to say.

“This… This was a bad night for you to come over. I’m sorry it went like that.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other dinners for me to join in.” You didn’t notice the impact of your words, but for Freddy, the idea of you coming to more dinners was like getting hit with a ton of bricks.

Freddy instinctively moved closer to you, which was no longer a big deal to either of you, but this time Freddy was trying a something else. He moved ever so slightly closer, and you finally realised what was happening.

You moved closer too, your heart practically running a marathon. The moment seemed perfect, and for a while, it was. He was about a centimetre away from you now, and that distance was only getting smaller.

“Freddy!” He jumped away quickly as the front door swung open. Rosa smiled sweetly, not realising what had just been happening. “Could you walk Y/N home, please?”

***

By lunch the next day, you were still thinking about last night. You had almost kissed Freddy Freeman. Twice. The first time, Rosa had stopped you just in time, asking if Freddy could walk you home.

The second had been outside your home. He had just dropped you off and thought that would be his chance. Unfortunately, your dad had other plans, swinging the door open, also not aware of what had been going on. He had thanked Freddy for walking you home, and you looked forward to the day when Freddy realised he had just met his idol.

They were the only thoughts that clouded your mind as you sat with Freddy at the lunch table, a massive crowd waiting for Billy and apparently Superman to appear.

You were unfortunately skeptical about Billy showing up, especially after what Freddy told you about this morning. Billy had walked to school with Freddy, and then immediately ditched. Freddy didn’t want to believe it, but he didn’t think Billy would show either.

You looked worriedly at Freddy, knowing that there was no chance Billy would show. The Breyers were staring you two down, and you were getting very nervous with all the eyes on you.

“I’ll just call him. I’ll just make sure.” He got out his phone, holding it up to his ear. “It’s ringing.” 

Freddy was not a good liar in any way, shape or form. Not one single person here believed him. You knew that if you didn’t know the truth, you wouldn’t believe him.

“Red Cyclone, hey! Hey, what’s going on?” He paused for belief. Of which there was none. “Oh, that’s crazy! Yeah, it’s Freddy, by the way. Yeah, it’s crazy! Great story.” Someone from behind you snatched his phone away and you knew you were screwed.

“He’s not talking to anyone.” The crowd laughed and booed, and you immediately lived in fear of what the Breyers were gonna do.

“I was! I was! We’re friends. I know him, I do!” The crowd dissipated. “I know him! I know him! Uh, yeah.”

The Breyers laughed at your humiliation, and you latched onto Freddy in fear. You were royally screwed now.

“Shit.” You muttered in unison, giving each other frightened glances.

The Breyers dragged you out to the back of the school, to the alleyway between the school building and the hall.

Brett dragged Freddy aside, while Burke grabbed onto your shirt. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Brett carrying Freddy by his underwear, and when you looked back, Burke’s fist collided with your face. It didn’t hurt, nor did it leave much of a bruise, so you simply let him at it.

Better to let him get it all out now.

You did, however, get in one good punch on Burke’s face.

“Eat shit and die, Kent,” Burke yelled, punching you again.

“Eat shit and live, Breyer.”

Once the boys let you be, you rushed to help Freddy back to his feet. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, so you tried to act like you were hurt too, just to make him feel better.

“Are you alright? Burke packs a pretty mean punch…” Freddy’s hand traced where he had seen Burke punch you.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” You grinned, which made Freddy smile too. His smile, however, quickly turned to a grimace.

“We need to find Billy,” Freddy grumbled, not just annoyance, but anger in his voice. As if on cue, you spotted a spark of lightning in the distance. You spun Freddy around so he could see the sparks too.

“Found him.” 

***

Freddy marched up to Billy, who was performing some stupid show in front of a crowd of people. What a surprise. Billy was abusing his powers. He even had a box laid out for money. Why, of all people, did Billy get to have superpowers?

“Hey. Hey!” Freddy pushed the crowds out of the way, anger seeping through his words.

“Hey, young man!” Freddy kicked Billy’s speaker, causing the music to stop. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing? I’m in the middle of a show right now. How can I help you?”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. Was Billy really this much of an idiot?

“We just wanted to say thank you for showing up to lunch today.” From the look on Billy’s face, he had just recalled his plans. “Yeah, I got a little something called a, uh, suitcase wedgie, right? I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it, but it’s when someone grabs your underwear like that,” Freddy acts out his words as he goes, the crowd all with their phones out, “and holds you like a suitcase and walks you down the hallway.”

You scrunched up your nose imagining how painful that would be.

“And this was my underwear.” He throws the stretched out fabric in Billy’s direction, though it doesn’t go anywhere near him. 

“Gross.”

You stepped in line with Freddy, looking up at Billy in disappointment. 

“You said you’d come.” You uttered sadly.

“You said I would come!” You jumped at the outburst, grabbing Freddy’s wrist in shock. “I never said I was… I’m a superhero, dude!” 

You very quickly went from being disappointed to just angry.

“Yeah? Well, you’re acting real heroic.” You spat out. “How much people paying you today?” The venom lacing your words was thick, even Freddy looked at you in surprise.

“Listen, I have serious responsibilities now, okay?”

“Oh yeah, very se-”

“But that’s cool because I can carry that burden with my… hands! Lightning with my hands!” 

One strike of lightning struck much further away than you anticipated, hitting a distant bridge. It hit a wheel on a bus, and the bus came crashing off the side of the bridge. You gasped, catching Billy’s attention. He looked at the accident, before hyperspeeding away.

“We’ll just walk, I guess?” You asked, turning around to see Freddy already walking in Billy’s direction. 

The walk was long and tiring, and probably not good for Freddy in the slightest. You could see the whole situation unfolding, sighing as Billy did all the wrong things. What you wouldn’t give to go be better than him.

Reaching Billy, you saw a news reporter leaving, but there were still news cameras everywhere.

“Guys! Did you see that?”

“Yeah. You electrocuted a bus and almost killed these people.” Freddy stated, but it clearly wasn’t getting through to Billy.

“And then I caught it! Guys, I caught a bus with my bare hands! I caught a bus like people catch fly balls!” If it was any other day, you’d be impressed, and proud of Billy for using his power for good, but today you weren’t happy, and neither was Freddy. “Like, who does that? I do that!”

“Billy! You do nothing.” Freddy cut him off. “You take selfies and make people pay you.” You placed a hand on Freddy’s shoulder in comfort. “You know, forget it. I can’t really talk to you when you look like this.”

You and Freddy turned to leave, Freddy’s hand finding yours instantly. 

“You just wish it was you.”

You both froze, turning back around to face Billy. 

“No shit! You think? I would kill to have what you have.” You felt tears welling in your eyes. You had figured out why Freddy was so angry not too long ago. “Because everything I do is, like, some desperate attempt to get people to notice me. To not feel sorry for me.” He glanced over at you, seeing the tears on your cheeks. 

“I mean, look at me! Look at me. Do you even see me? ‘Cause most people don’t. ‘Cause they don’t want to. And now you don’t either. I mean, you think this is who you are? I mean, Billy, you’re 14 and now you’re no better than the Breyers.”

You could hear Freddy choking up, so you stepped in to help him.

“All this power, and all you did was turn into a show-off and a bully.” Your voice cracked, tears heavily flowing now. Freddy took your hand again, his one source of comfort, leaving Billy alone.

“Whatever, kid! I do what I want! And I’m like mid-20s probably! Maybe even, like, 30.”

You and Freddy didn’t turn back, storming away from the asshole you had once considered a friend. 

You were a fair distance away when you heard the sound of glass shattering from behind you. Judging from the height of the broken window, there was only one person it could be.

“Billy?” Freddy questioned, as said boy flew- wait flew?- towards you.

“Guys! I need your help!”

“You can fly?” Freddy exclaimed, his smile coming back. Billy was about to respond when another figure flew from the building, grabbing Billy and sending him to the ground. The concrete where they hit broke as easily as the glass, and you immediately went to inspect it.

Freddy joined you, staring into the open floor.

“Who’s the other guy?”

There was no response, but you and Freddy had the same thought.

“Supervillain.”

Screams could be heard in front of you, and you looked up to see swarms of people running out of a nearby shopping mall. That’s where they had to be. Why else would people act like that?

“Freds, this way.”

Freddy made his best attempt to run, only tripping a few times. Eventually, you made it into the mall, seeing the heard of people running in a panic. Billy was nowhere to be seen.

“Billy?” Freddy called out. “Billy?”

“Billy, where are you?” You joined in, yelling, searching for any sign of Billy.

So far, nothing. Freddy called out a few more times, but you had stopped, seeing the bald man scanning the mall. That was him. The supervillain. It took a few more seconds for you to register that the supervillain was flying towards you.

He grabbed both you and Freddy, slamming the two of you up against some lockers. Your heart was beating at an irregular pace. How did your dad do this?

“Billy. Where is he?” The bald man asked, and you tried your best to stay calm. Freddy was not doing well in the calm department.

“Supervillain…” He said quietly, his eye wide with fear. This was the sort of shit you see on TV and in comics, not everyday life. “Supervillain! Supervillain!” 

His screams were useless. No one was coming to your rescue. 

“Worse. Much worse.”

You didn’t want to cry, but there was a high probability you would.

“Radioactive anthromorph?” Freddy asked. “Psychic energy manipulator? I won’t let you read my mind. My mind is blank. You can’t get in.”

“I don’t need to read your mind.” He slammed both of you against the lockers again, making you whimper in fear. “Because you are going to tell me. Where is he?”

As hard as you tried, you couldn’t find Freddy’s hand.

***

You found yourself outside Freddy’s home, still being held by the supervillain. Fear was rushing through your veins, and guilt, knowing that if you were able to use your powers, you could’ve easily stopped this.

The supervillain rang the doorbell, and the door was immediately swung open, Darla only seeing Freddy at first. He was shoved inside, you pushed in next, hitting into a wall. You hissed in pain and caught Freddy’s concerned glance.

“How quaint.” Mr Supervillain said, glancing around the room. Everyone’s faces held similar expressions of terror. “Actually, I take that back. What a shithole.”

You were grabbed by the supervillain again, and he scanned you up and down, his brow furrowing. Shit, did he figure you out? He threw you back with the other kids, and you stumbled backwards into Freddy.

Freddy dug in his pocket, hoping to find his phone, but an ominous chuckle from Mr Supervillain gave you a good idea of where Freddy’s phone actually was. He pulled out the familiar black phone, dangling it mockingly in your face.

You were all shoved onto the couch, ordered to stay like you were dogs. Mr Supervillain unlocked the phone, his eye glowing. When did he have hacking as a power? You all watched him, too scared to look away.

A sudden pressure on your hand made you look down, seeing a familiar hand in yours. It had only been an hour, but it felt like much longer since you had had Freddy’s comfort. You moved closer to him, shaking with pure terror. 

“F-Freddy?” He looked down at you, and you didn’t have to say anything for him to pull you in closer. You had Freddy, but you wanted Billy here too. You wanted protection and safety and the knowledge that you’d be alright. You wanted your dad.

The familiar sound of a phone ringing startled you, and whoever was on the other side quickly picked up.

“Freddy, you were right. I’m so sorry I yelled at you.” You heard Billy through the phone, and both panic and relief set in. 

“Come home, Billy. Come home.” Mr Supervillain spoke, eyeing you all evilly. You shuddered under his gaze, holding Freddy tighter.

“Billy! Supervillain! Supervillain!” Freddy yelled, hoping to be heard through the phone. The call abruptly ended, Mr Supervillain stalking around the house once more. He picked up a Christmas wreath on a door, throwing it to the ground.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Mary asked, Darla clinging to her jacket.

What do I want? I want...” The lights flickered, and the sounds of rumbling thunder could be heard from outside. You saw the golden glow outside the frosted window, knowing who was on the other side of that door. “That.”

Eugene whispered a quiet “Whoa” from beside you as Billy landed outside. 

“Kick his ass, Billy!” All five of you turned to Pedro in surprise. You had never heard him speak that loudly.

Mr Supervillain pointed his hand at you all, a cloud of dust and smoke billowing out, the face of a monster forming in the cloud.

“No, no, no, this isn’t real. This isn’t happening.” You repeated your mantra to yourself, only stopping as Billy pushed some hair out of your eyes. You looked up at him, as he leaned close and whispered in your ear.

“Don’t look at that. Just focus on me.”

And you did. You gazed at Freddy, studying his face. For a while, you managed to forget about your surroundings. Not fully- how could you forget about the monster snarling and growling at you?- but enough for Freddy to be the main thought circling your mind.

“Let them go and I’ll come inside,” Billy yelled.

“Oh, first you come inside, and then maybe I’ll let them go.”

Billy did as told, storming towards the house. As he did, Mr Supervillain pulled the monster cloud away from you, and you relaxed a little. You were still on edge, but noticeably less so. Billy opened the door, fully entering the house.

“Good boy.” Mr Supervillain walked towards Billy, a smirk on his face. “Cause that’s all you are, isn’t it? How old are you?”

Billy stared the supervillain down, taking into account his glowing blue eye.

“Basically 15.” Mr Supervillain grabbed Billy’s face, humming in disdain.

“When I was a child, the old man told me I wasn’t good enough,” From beside you, you heard a faint whisper of “Evil monologue.” from Freddy. “Yet here you are, a coward. Run from me and the wizard chooses you? You’re not a hero.”

You almost yelled that he was more of a hero than Mr Supervillain would ever be, but the sudden feeling of Eugene clinging to your coat stopped you from going anywhere.

“But I’m gonna give you the opportunity to be one.” Mr Supervillain continued. “Give me the power of the champion.”

“No, don’t do it, Billy!” Freddy yelled, regaining the attention of both Billy and Mr Supervillain. The supervillain walked towards the couch, all six of you tensing up. You jumped slightly as a beam of lightning, not dissimilar from Billy’s, shot out from his hand.

It hit a door, seven rows of repeating images appearing, and an ominous glow from beneath it, as well as smoke that most certainly didn’t give you a good vibe. It opened itself, revealing what looked like a cavern of some sorts. 

“Give me the power and I’ll let them go.”

“Billy, no! You can’t do that!” You found your voice, yelling at your friend. From beside Freddy, Darla stood up, running to Billy. Mary followed behind her, calling for Darla not to go over there.

“Don’t go, Billy!” She pleaded over and over again, hugging the tall boy-man. You felt tears prick at your eyes, huddling your face in Freddy’s side more, so as to not see anything that could unfold.

“No, I have to.” Billy stumbled out, and you looked up, seeing Mary trying to pull Darla away. This was all too much. “It’s what a good brother would do. Right?” 

Billy walked towards the open door, Mr Supervillain not far behind.

“Billy,” Freddy said, trying with any hope to get Billy to stay. His attempts were useless, as Billy entered the door. You all watched on hopelessly, but the still-open door gave you and Freddy an idea.

“Freddy, we have to go help him.” You said, quickly forgetting how afraid you had been just a few minutes ago. You heard scuffling behind you, spinning around to see everyone gone. “Guys?”

“Y/N!” Freddy’s voice called from upstairs. “Get a weapon!”

You looked around, spotting the open kitchen door. You ran in, grabbing a small, but a sharp, knife and running back out to join the others. They all had their own weapons, but you glanced wearily at Pedro’s.

“Pedro, is that a lamp?” You asked, and he looked between you and the lamp.

“It’s an ugly one.” He stated, and you saw no reason to argue.

“Well, let’s go get your brother back.” 

You stepped through the door, glancing around everywhere. You marvelled at the beautifully terrifying cave surrounding you. It seemed to go one forever.

“Well, Y/N, where do we go now?” Mary asked, still holding onto Darla.

A familiar yelp of pain echoed through the cavern, followed by the voice of Mr Supervillain. It didn’t seem like much to go off, but you had some help. You pointed forwards, knowing exactly where to go. 

“There.”  

The cavern tunnels opened up into a strange temple-like place. You pushed everyone behind some rocks, blocking them from sight. You couldn’t have them getting hurt. You watched on, as the supervillain continued to speak, telling Billy of his past.

Billy started to push himself off the ground.

“I get it. I get what that’s like. Feeling like you’re all alone in the world.” Mr Supervillain demanded Billy to stand. “Feeling like there’s that one thing, if you could just find it. Then you’d finally be good enough.”

Billy stood, Mr Supervillain holding out some staff-thing.

“The champion’s name. Say it.”

Your leg bounced in anticipation, as the same dust clouds swarmed around the supervillain like earlier, except this time they formed seven full monsters. They surrounded Billy, snarling and baring their teeth.

Each one was horrifying, towering over Billy. Their mangled faces sent shivers down your spine, yet you couldn’t look away from them. Their glowing red eyes seemed to speak, digging into the deepest corners of your mind.

“Look, no offence, mister, but I don’t think those things have your best interest at heart,” Billy argued, and as you stared intensely at the scene unfolding, you missed Freddy’s call for everyone to follow him.

But his hand back in yours, pulling you with the group was enough to get your attention. The monsters spoke, their gravelly voices haunting. They spoke to the supervillain, telling him of his actions. 

“Don’t listen to this child.”

“Take the staff.”

“Hold it and say the champion’s name.”

They were using him. This wasn’t a team effort for them. These monsters had simply taken another victim for their own personal gain. From what Billy said next, it seemed he had realised what was going on too.

“They’re using you. You have to see that, that they are using you.” He said as you and the five others gathered in the centre of the room. Freddy poised himself, replica Batarang in hand. 

He looked at you for confirmation, and you nodded. He threw the Batarang as hard as he could, and everyone watched as it soared through the air. As he threw it, you handed him your knife, so he’d still have some protection. You could fight without a weapon, he couldn’t.

“Say your name.” Mr Supervillain said, just as the Batarang came in contact with his head. It clattered to the ground, Mr Supervillain, the monsters and Billy all turning to face you.

“His name…” Freddy smirked, as you all got into a fighting position. “Is Captain Sparklefingers.” You finished.

“And we’re gonna keep throwing things at your big, fat, ugly-eyed head until you let our brother go,” Darla said, and you were amazed by the young girl’s bravery.

The monsters were taken back into the supervillain's body, taking quite a dramatic exit. He moved towards your little group, each of you taking a few steps back in fear. Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw Billy reaching for the discarded Batarang.

You drew your eyes away from Billy, scared to give away his plan. Sparks erupted as he picked up the Batarang, and even more flew as he stabbed it into Mr Supervillain’s shoulder. Billy flung the supervillain into the rock wall, hopefully knocking him out for a bit.

“Boy, am I glad I didn’t sell that Batarang.”

Now wasn’t the time to be mad about Billy trying to sell Freddy’s stuff, but you’d grill him later about it. Billy came down the stairs, looking back at the supervillain every now and again, juts checking he was still out.

“Pedro, is that a lamp?” You let out a soft snort at the question you had asked earlier. Pedro sighed, muttering the same answer he had given you earlier.

“Come on, come on, come on.” Billy pushed you all to start running, and you did, not wanting to be there when Mr Supervillain came to. “Guys, I appreciate the thought, I really do, but I don’t think your weapons are gonna help. I mean, Y/N, you don’t even have a weapon.”

“Don’t need one.” You shrugged, Billy giving you a skeptical look. 

As you turned the corner, you all stopped, one singular thought in everyone’s minds. Eugene was the one to voice the collective thoughts.

“The door was right here.”

“Billy, how do we get outta here?” Mary asked, but everyone knew that it was unlikely that Billy had any idea.

“What, you think I know? I don’t know!” He rushed over his words, as he so often did.

“This way!” Darla pointed at a tunnel through the caves.

“Go, go, go. Follow Darla. Good job Darla. Go, go, go!” You all ran through the cave, waiting to find some kind of exit. Or at least something that wasn’t a tunnel. Unfortunately, it just seemed like tunnels.

“How long are these tunnels?” You groaned as you turned yet another corner into yet another long strip of rocks.

“Hey, Y/N?” Freddy spoke up, completely out of breath. This was unfair for him, having to run so much. “I’m sorry I dragged you into all this.”

You looked at him, bewildered. His eyes were downcast, staring at his feet as you both strayed behind the group. You lifted his chin up, looking into his gorgeous brown eyes.

“You didn’t drag me into this. I chose to come along, and up til now, it’s been pretty fun.”

He would’ve kissed you right then and there if it weren’t for Billy’s frantic screams for you to catch up, and the looming knowledge or the supervillain finding you. So you simply took his hand, as you so often did and ran as fast as Freddy could bear.

“Pedro, Pedro, come on.” You heard Billy up ahead, growing more frantic with each second. He turned around, seeing you and Freddy up the back of the group. “Freddy? Freddy, keep up. Darla, stay in front. We gotta hurry.” 

The tunnel ended, and you found yourselves on a bridge, stretching across a frighteningly deep chasm. You tried not to look down, but your curiosity overpowered your sensibility, as you glanced into the neverending pit.

Any wrong move and you could be falling down there. Great, well at least it was a motivator and not just a giant pit of doom. Past the bridge, there were simply more rocky passageways.

“Would it have hurt,” You complained. “To put up a signpost, maybe?”

Pedro, Darla and Eugene stopped, scanning their eyes over the room. As you moved closer, you saw that it was filled with doors. So many doors, it could have beaten the scene from Monsters Inc.

One of these has to be a way out, right?” Mary asked, and everyone’s eyes trailed upwards, even more doors coming into view.

“Yeah, I would hope so.” 

Eugene opened a door, and you peered inside. Three alligators in suits sat at a table, seemingly playing cards. Their heads snapped towards the open door, charging forwards. Eugene slammed the door in time, shaking his head.

“Not this one.”

Pedro opened the next one, revealing a misty view. A shadow moved forward, and as it broke through the fog, you saw a strange-looking creature. It reminded you of something out of ‘The Mist’, a book you had read earlier this year. It snapped suddenly, lunging at Pedro, who slammed the door on it. It kept writhing until Pedro finally got it inside.

You opened a door, seeing nothing but a forest inside until a giant eight-legged creature descended from the treetops. It’s eight beady eyes glared into your soul and you found yourself frozen in fear. The spider snapped its fangs, scuttling forwards. You felt like you could cry, almost screaming until someone closed the door on it.

“Y/N? Are you alright?” You nodded, only barely registering Freddy’s voice. 

“Okay, no more doors. Nobody open any more doors.” Billy announced, watching Freddy shaking you away from you fearful state.

When Freddy did bring you back, he sighed in relief.

“Jeez, let’s keep you away from doors, huh?” You smiled, thankful for Freddy and everything he ever did for you. You moved back to the group, standing exceptionally close.

“Come on, Billy. What are we gonna do?” Darla cried.

“Darla, I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. Just think. How’d you get out last time?”  Everyone’s voices were filled with panic, fear and nervousness, the sound of rocks breaking alerting you to a certain supervillain’s nearing presence.

“Uh, last time, I thought about the subway, and I was on the subway.”

“Okay. then, Billy, look, think about the subway.” Freddy babbled. “Think about any place except for here, okay?”

“What is this, The Wizard of Oz?” You said, trying to bring a bit of light into the situation. Only Freddy laughed, and it was more of a short sound than a laugh. Everyone was far too on edge right now.

You saw the moving glow of the staff from down the tunnel. You didn’t have much time now. If Billy didn’t think of someplace soon, you’d all be dead. Or injured, at the very least. Either way, it didn’t end well for you and the Vasquezes.

“Billy? Any time now…” Your eyes darted between Billy and Mr Supervillain, panic rising like a volcano, waiting to explode. The lightning symbol on Billy’s chest glowed brighter, but so did the light emanating from the staff held by the supervillain.

Your eyes remained on Mr Supervillain as he shot his hand out, a beam of light coming straight for you. If Billy didn’t get you out of there soon, you were all dead meat. To everyone’s relief, your cave surroundings disappeared just as the lightning was about to hit you.

When regained your bearings, your jaw dropped at your surroundings. Mary frantically covered Darla’s eyes, while you did the same to Eugene. In the midst of the chaos, you lost Freddy in the crowd. Billy’s height helped to navigate the exit, and as much as you tried to focus on the red and white in front of you, the noises coming from left and right were heavily distracting.

You pushed open the doors, feeling relieved to be out of there. It was crowded, and sweaty and sticky and you hated it. None of you were particularly impressed with Billy right now.

“Why are you covering my eyes?” Darla asked, Eugene nodding in agreement.

“Really? This is the first place you think of? Wow!” Mary rolled her eyes.

“You’re welcome!” Billy had a point. At least you weren’t dead.

“Why can’t I see what’s inside?” Darla asked again, Eugene nodding again.

“You two are not old enough.” You and Mary said, only taking your hands off their eyes once the door had properly shut.

“Old enough to know that was great music.” Darla smiled, and you couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s innocence.

“Not my thing,” Pedro muttered softly, and you suppressed a slight chuckle. You looked around, realising a certain blue jacket-wearing boy was missing.

“Where’s Freddy?” 

As if on cue, the strip club door swung open again, Freddy stumbling out, saying something about “Siracha”. You raised an eyebrow, but hearing Freddy wish them a “holly, jolly Christmas” made you laugh.

“Freddy! What are you doing?” Billy yelled as Freddy rejoined the group.

“Uh, n-nice people.” 

“Nice people? Come on.” You marched over to Freddy, grabbing his arm gently.

“Is that glitter? They have glitter! Can I get glitter?” You had to commend Darla for always finding a positive, even when they were all being chased by an evil supervillain. 

“No, not from them.”

A sudden crack of thunder had you all turning around to look back at where you came from, seeing a flash of lighting, much like Billy’s. Mr Supervillain was back on your trails. He burst out of the roof, a plume of smoke billowing from the building.

“Shit.” You muttered. 

“Go, go go. Everybody, go!” Billy pushed everyone to start running, but you simply looked worriedly at Freddy, who was trailing.

“Freddy, Freddy, Freddy!” Billy rushed behind him. “One, two three. Up, up. Up we go.” He picked up Freddy, bridal style, hyperspeeding ahead of everyone. You all kept running, not looking back at the supervillain, in fear of being spotted.

You all ran into an alleyway, the Christmas Village just across the road. Glancing around, you did a headcount, finding exactly six others, thank god.

“Alright, all people accounted for, let’s move.” You spoke, mainly to yourself. As long as you could count the six heads, you knew that you hadn’t lost anyone. Six heads. Just six. Six. Wait, zero?

Everyone else had run into the carnival, leaving you in the alleyway. Your eyes darted around, searching for Billy’s towering figure. In the distance, you spotted a familiar white cape in the distance and ran in that direction.

Billy was being surrounded by people with their phones, all taking photos and videos f him. You pushed through the crowd, only getting hit a few times. One person’s phone connected with your nose, and you yelped in surprise.

“Y/N?” Freddy’s voice sounded from inside the circle. He could recognize you just from you exclaiming out of pain? You couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not. Right now, it was very good as he fought his way through the crowd to drag you with him.

“Shazam!” 

A lightning strike hit the ground, and soon Billy’s tall alter-ego was gone, replaced by his regular self, who was refreshing to see amidst all the chaos. You pulled Billy into a quick hug, finally finding a chance to.

The crowd murmured about the sudden disappearance of “Powerboy” and you and the Vasquezes made your way out of the crowd, hiding behind one of the booths. You thought you had a moment to rest until you realised that Mr Supervillian would have seen the transformation lightning. Your cover was blown.

“Champion!”

“Shit.” You muttered as the seven of you watched the supervillain fly over the top of the carnival

“You don’t deserve that name. Hiding behind innocent people who will now die. Because deep down you’re still just a scared, little boy.” You all shared very similar glances at the mention of people dying. Fuck, where was your dad when you needed him?

The crowd of carnival-goers was silent, simply watching Mr Supervillain above them. Then, all at once, all hell broke loose. People were running everywhere to get away from the ensuing battle. Mr Supervillain began his destructive descend upon the carnival, blowing boots up and striking the Ferris wheel.

It sparked, shifting to the side. You could see everyone on the ride, panicked and fearful. You even felt bad for the Breyers. Even they didn’t deserve to die. The wheel was collapsing, and none of you could do anything. Except for-

“Well, you guys wanted me to be a hero.”

“You kidding? Okay, no. Old guy’s up there, harbouring multiple spiritual entities.” Freddy rambled, tripping over his words.

“Plus, he has the same powers as you.” You added, “And, no offence, but I mean, he knows what he’s doing.”

“Plus, I mean, you’re one of my best friends I don’t want you to die.” Freddy finished, muttering the last part nervously, his eyes moving between you and Billy.

“If a superhero can’t save his family, he’s not much of a hero.” As panicked as you were, a smile spread across your face at Billy’s words. You were well aware of Billy’s familial struggles, having been both Freddy and Billy’s go-to person to talk about problems they had.

“That was a decent catchphrase,” Freddy said, making you both smile and smack him in the chest at the same time.

“Shazam!” And just like that, your big red friend was back, ready to destroy whoever dared to mess with his family and friends, in your case. He jumped into flight, seeming to have already perfected a skill he gained that morning.

You felt useless, watching Billy do all the work as you simply stood with the others. You should have been up there, by his side, kicking evil ass with your friend. But then again, Billy could protect all of Philadelphia, you just needed to protect his family.

You all watched the fight intensely, trying not to alert anyone to your whereabouts. Billy seemed to be winning, from what you could see. He sent the supervillain hurtling to the ground, a resounding thud echoing throughout the empty carnival.

Billy flew down, landing across from where you were all huddled.

“Or try that again!” He looked to you all for approval, only receiving an ‘eh, sure’ from Freddy and a ‘never say that again’ from you.

“Billy, look out!” Freddy yelled, having seen Mr Supervillain preparing for his next move. Billy ducked just in time, but you and Freddy both felt that his move was not over yet.

“Laser eyes! Guys, he’s got laser eyes! Too bad your aim sucks balls!” 

You were about to tell him that, no they weren’t laser eyes, when the wooden planks behind him exploded, revealing one of those damn monsters again. It lifted up Billy, throwing him with ease.

You all watched on in fear as Billy landed in a nearby carnival game booth, Mr Supervillain stalking over to him.

“That’s his power matrix.” You said, watching both his glowing staff and glowing eye.

“His what-what?” Eugene looked at you in bewilderment.

“When the demon guys leave his eye, he loses his powers,” Freddy explained, you simply nodding along with what he said. “That’s why the Batarang hurt him.”

“Hey!” Mary suddenly shouts, you all turning to stare wide-eyed at her. “Over here!”

“Wait, what are you doing?” Concern and confusion are etched onto Freddy’s face, but realisation flashes across yours.

“Divide and conquer.” You said, Mary confirming your statement. “If we separate the monsters from the eye, he’s just an old man.”

“Gather the mutts” Mr Supervillain unleashes the monsters, and you all take off running. Mary and Darla are leading, while you help Freddy at the back of the pack.

Freddy is snatched away from you, and you speed up, yelling at yourself to not look back and keep running. You hear Pedro and Eugene yelping, knowing they got taken to. You speed ahead of Darla and Mary, only to hear the sounds of them screaming for each other as one more monster takes away your last two friends.

It’s just you, running as fast as you can. As fast as you can without using hyperspeed. You hide in a ring toss booth, hoping that the monster didn’t see your tumble in. Your breathing is heavy and ragged, but when the coast is all clear, you make a run for it.

Turning the corner, you see Mr Supervillain holding Billy, and not superhero Billy, but regular Billy, down into ice water. He’s not transforming, so you figure he isn’t able to. You look around for anything to help with, seeing a gun from some shooting gallery game lying discarded beside you.

You pick it up, aiming it towards the supervillain.

“Hey!” He turns to face you and the barrel of the gun. You fire, sending the bullet hurtling towards him. You suspect he’ll catch it, and it won’t do anything, but maybe it’ll distract him just long enough for Billy to transform.

And that’s exactly what happens. He perfectly catches the bullet, which was level with his eyes. You can sense the monster behind you, and now it’s too late to stop it. Just as it reaches out to grab you, you see Billy’s head leaving the water. You sigh in relief, happy that your plan at least worked out for him.

“Shazam!”

The lightning strike sends Mr Supervillain flying backwards, but he catches himself, properly flying to the open tent where you and your friends are held captive. Billy rises from the shattered ice, seeing all of you held kidnapped.

You’re struggling against the arms of your captor, as are your friends, but the monsters are stubborn, and they’re not planning on letting go anytime soon. Mr Supervillain stands at the centre of it all, awaiting Billy’s first move.

“Nice trick. Catchy. One simple word. I have a better trick. Four words.” You all stare at the supervillain, fear, stress and now pain on everyone’s faces. You can’t look away from Freddy and his face contorted in pain, and you find him doing the same.

“Kill the special one.” 

Everyone’s eyes flick to Billy, expecting a monster to go after him. What they aren’t expecting, however, is for the monster holding you captive to growl, bearing its teeth, poised and ready to kill you with no hesitation.

There are screams of protest, and the monster nears. You can’t tell if you’re breathing properly, but your guess is no. The loudest screams are from Freddy, who you can tell is crying from just his voice.

“Don’t hurt her!” He screams, only to be cut off by the monster holding him tighter, his words turning to hisses of pain.

Your head is in the mouth of the monster, and by now you’ve given up fighting. If this is how it ends, so be it. There could be worse ways to go out.

“Stop!” Billy yells, and you let out a breath you were unaware you were holding in. the monster puts you down, and all you want is to be by Freddy’s side. Billy comes closer to the tent, Mr Supervillain smirking as if he’d achieved something. As he walked closer, the monsters held on tighter, taunting and tormenting Billy.

“Billy, there’s one more demon guy in his eyes! You gotta just rip it out of his face hole.” Freddy yelled, before having a monster hand clamp over his mouth. He fought against the monster but to no avail.

“It’s where he gets his power!” Mary finished. The monsters moved in, surrounding Billy, all of you still held tightly in their many, many arms.

“Reach for it. I dare you.” Mr Supervillain taunted, as Billy knelt to the ground before him. “Wise decision. Hands on the staff.”

“Billy, don’t do this. Billy!” Freddy protested, but once again, no one listened to his pleas. You all joined in his plea, begging Billy to not do as told. 

Billy ignored you all, doing as he was told, wrapping his hand around the glowing staff. As he did, the monsters dissolved, leaving all of you to gather yourselves. Freddy stumbled right over to you. You caught him in a hug, feeling the exact level of comfort you both needed after that.

“He called you special. Why?” Freddy’s hands found your face, holding it softly as if he was scared to hurt you in any way.

“You saying I’m not special, Freeman? I’m a little offended.” Now did not seem the time for jokes, but hey, wasn’t that the perfect time to pull one out?

“You are so special, Y/N, but I need to know what he me-” He was cut off by Billy grabbing the staff, and slamming it into Mr Supervillain. He went flying backwards, buying you all some time.

“All hands on deck.” 

You knew what Billy was doing. He had told you exactly how he got turned into his superhero self, so you stayed behind when everyone else held onto the staff. They all waited for you to join, but you didn’t move.

“Y/N? All hands on deck. That includes you.” Freddy smiled, but you just shook your head. He tilted his head in confusion, going to pull you over as Billy said something about running out of time.

“Y/N, come on.”

“I think I’ll be fine on my own.” You smiled, knowing that finally, the time had come.

“Freddy, come on, we gotta do this now.”

They all grabbed the staff, waiting for Billy’s next instruction. Freddy and Billy kept looking back at you, as you kept an eye on Mr Supervillain in the back.

“Say my name.” 

At the same time, all five of this Vasquezes yelled out the same thing.

“Billy!”

You laughed softly, having had a feeling that that would happen.

“No, not my name. Say the name I say to turn into this guy.” You saw the realisation on their faces, as they all got ready to yell again.

“Shazam!”

The most powerful lightning strike you’d ever seen came crashing down, and for once, you didn’t have to run or hide from the sparks. It felt nice finally being able to be yourself. Once the light died down, you saw that the five kids and teens had been replaced with five adults.

Freddy’s crutch fell to the ground, and your excitement grew wilder. You stood beside Billy, seeing the five identical lightning-shaped glows coming through the fog. Your smile widened as they emerged, buzzing with happiness. This was probably the best-worst day of your life.

Pedro stood in green, Darla in purple, Eugene in grey, Mary in red and Freddy, your Freddy, down the end in blue.

You watched as they all gawked at themselves, impressed by their superhero counterparts. You were kinda jealous that you didn’t get a cool adult transformation, but that had been your choice so you wouldn’t say anything.

“Guys,” Freddy said, and when you looked at him, you saw that his feet weren’t on the ground. “What’s happening?” He kept moving upwards slowly, and something clicked in your mind. “I can fly!”

You giggled at his excitement, unable to forget your current thought. Freddy said something, back when Billy first became a hero. Belief was the key. Freddy had always believed he could fly.

Even in a grown-up body, his excited laughter was still as dorky as it was usually. You were so distracted by Freddy and his everything, that no one noticed Mr Supervillain rising from the floor.

“Guys. check out these guns.” Pedro said, and everyone looked at them grinning in shock and surprise, Darla even leaning over to poke said ‘guns’.

“Hey, Y/N, are you sure you’ll be fine without superpowers?” Freddy asked, to which you just smiled and shook your head.

“No, I’ll be fine without your superpowers, specifically.” You explained, leaving them as confused as they were before. 

“No. It’s not possible.” You all turned to see Mr Supervillain, rising from the ground.

“Gee-whiz mister,” You had to hold yourself back from laughing at Billy’s childish words coming from his grown-up body, “Sorry I took your cane. You want it back?” Billy snapped it in half, and you couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot.

“Guys, I don’t believe in violence, but I think we should kick this guy’s butt, like, really hard,” Darla said, everyone getting ready to fight. Freddy floated in the corner, holding up two middle fingers at the supervillain.

Mr Supervillain shot out his lightning at Darla, sending her flying backwards. The blast set the booth alight, but you watched Darla speed away from it. She ran back over to you all, stumbling a bit, but you steadied her.

“Guys, I think I can move really…” She sped her way inbetween Mary and Freddy, “fast.”

“Hyperspeed! Check!” Freddy pointed excitedly.

Mr Supervillain sent out the monsters again, and for once you weren’t scared of them. You eyed one up and down, searching for where you thought would be it’s weaker spots. All hell was about to properly break loose.

“Billy! The eye!”

Mr Supervillain lunged at Billy, sending them both up and out of the tent. It was just the six of you now, against six monsters. Perfectly balanced. 

“Look out!” Eugene spun around just in time, as a monster lunged for him. Lightning strikes sparked from his fingers, sending the monster flying backwards. He looked down as his electrified hands, as did everyone.

He accidentally set off another spark, hitting exactly where Darla was. She was, once again, flung backwards, but ran around to where Eugene was.

“You almost exploded me.”

Another monster appeared behind Pedro, and he put out his arm to defend himself. He hadn’t been expecting to catch the monster's arm and hold it away from himself. He threw the arm down, punching the monsters, as it soared backwards.

You and Freddy held similar expressions of unadulterated joy and excitement. Sure, Philadelphia could be destroyed by a supervillain and actual demons, but you were superheroes!

You saw a monster sneaking up behind Freddy, and without thinking, set your heat vision in action. You burned the monster, not stopping until it had run away to deal with its injuries. Everyone watched you, slacked jaws.

“What? I said I didn’t need your superpowers.” You said nonchalantly, though your mind was screaming about how good of a reveal that was.

“Y/N, you have superpowers? Oh my god, you have superpowers!” he went to lift you up to his level, but you simply floated your own way up. “Holy shit, you can fly, too!”

“Freddy, you’re flying right now, don’t be too impressed.”

“Yeah, but you can fly without having to say the word!” You had never seen Freddy geek out as much as he was right now. He was questioning everything you could do but didn’t ask how you got your powers. You told him everything you could do, and you felt that if he wasn’t losing his mind, he might have made the connection he needed to make.

The monsters didn’t seem to get hurt easily, as they kept coming back to attack you again. Mary got tangled up in the branch-like hands of one but threw it off her. You were busy helping Darla with an exceptionally big one when you heard Freddy from beside you.

“Dude, I’ve studied the fighting techniques of every single superhero. What do you got?” The monster you were fighting had scurried off to fight someone else, so you kept a watchful eye on Freddy.

The monster flicked its long claws out before they grew and sharpened even more.

“Well, that’s terrifying.” The monster prepared to lunge for Freddy, but he started running away from it. He took to the sky, the monster, unfortunately, having wings and following him. You wanted to go after him and help, but Eugene was having some problems and he would’ve needed more help.

“Eugene! Zap him over here!” You called, gaining Eugene’s attention. He zapped the monster, and as it flew towards you, you readied yourself to punch the ugly thing. You did, sending it soaring, ripping a hole in the tent.

You had to stand on your toes to high-five the now very tall boy. You used your arctic breath to freeze on of the monsters temporarily, allowing Pedro to weaken it more. The sound of whooping caught your attention, looking over to see Freddy flying through the carnival, the winged beast not far behind.

The monster crashed into the Ferris wheel, and it was then that you remembered that there were still people on the wheel. The impact from the monster caused the wheel to bend more, sitting at a terrifying slant.

“Oh my gosh, those people!”

You watched as one woman fell out of the side of her chair, clinging on for dear life. You wanted to go save them, but you couldn’t. You didn’t have anything masking your identity, and the Breyers were up there. 

The woman fell, and Darla ran to catch her. As the woman landed in her arms, you sighed in relief, before pinning around to punch the beast sneaking up behind you. Looking back, the wheel was still bending under its own weight.

“Pedro! Try and hold it up!” You instructed, said boy doing exactly that. And he did it well. The wheel was no longer collapsing, perfectly held in place by Pedro. You once again sighed, only for it to be revoked when you saw a four-armed monster on top of the wheel.

“Shit.” You didn’t really have anyone else to send out after the monsters. Did you risk the reveal of your identity? Your thoughts were whisked away by Darla cartwheeling in to save the day. She grabbed the two citizens, taking them safely to the ground, as Freddy flew past, still battling the flying beast.

“You’re not gonna believe this,” You used your enhanced hearing to listen in on him, only half paying attention to the monster you were fighting. “but you’re actually the first villain I've ever fought. It’s, like, kind of a huge deal for me.”

The monster growled, sending Freddy off flying again. You turned your full attention to fighting a beast, punching it a few more time, successfully knocking it out. Your mind drifted to Billy, wondering how his epic showdown was going. Hopefully, he was winning.

You watched Darla save a screaming Santa Claus, running him to safety, as Eugene electrocuted the monster, yelling out some Street Fighter reference while doing so. The monster you had just been fighting rose, targeting Pedro next.

You could see the conflict on his face, as the monster charged. You had to help, so you lunged onto the monsters back, punching it repeatedly. It simply flung you off its back, and slammed you against a wooden wall. You felt dizzy, trying to stand up, only to fall back down.

You saw Pedro getting tossed aside, same as you had been, and watched as the beast pulled the Ferris wheel down. The support beam snapped, while the other one continued to bend, the monster still pulling it as hard as it could. It continued to tip over, at a much more rapid rate now.

It seemed that everyone besides the Breyers had been saved, and you could hear them screaming. You were about to risk everything and save them when a blue streak pulled them from their seat. The wheel hit the ground, all people finally off the ride.

From above you, you could hear the Breyers screaming, while Freddy had an amused expression on his face.

“Is he giving us suitcase wedgies?”

You giggled softly, busy finishing off another monster fight with Mary. Freddy finally got his comeuppance with the Breyers. He landed, harsher than the other times, just to get the last laugh. You rolled your eyes at his childishness, before flying up to meet him.

“Nice going, hotshot.” You smiled, earning one back. 

“Yeah, I really showed those monsters what I’ve got.” He grinned proudly, his cape flapping in the wind. He looked happier than he ever had.

“I know, the Breyers were really screaming.” You giggled. Freddy suddenly dove down, swooping you up into his arms, which only made you giggle more. He flew back down to meet the others, and it seemed that the monsters had backed off for a bit.

“M’lady,” He said, placing you softly on the ground. You floated back up, pecking him on the cheek before touching the floor again.

“My hero.” You said, in an overly-dramatic and mocking tone. That sent you both into a fit of giggles, the other four watching with amused looks.

“This is nice, but maybe do it when you both look the same age,” Eugene commented, which made you and Freddy glow a bright red. “It’s just a little weird.”

The other nodded, and you smiled at the ground bashfully. No one noticed the monsters charging at you again. 

Two of them latched onto Eugene, who kicked and punched as hard as he could but couldn’t shake them off. Mary swooped in to kick the one that Pedro hadn’t seen, sending it hurling out of the tent, landing near two more of the creatures.

Mary and Darla went to take care of those three, while one more came after you, Pedro and Freddy. It was easy enough to keep one down with the three of you, so you ran to help Darla, who’s hyperspeed wasn’t doing much right now.

You went to land a hit on its ugly face when it dissolved right in front of you. Turning around, you saw Billy reaching in to rip our Mr Supervillain’s eye. You all watched as the glowing blue orb was torn from the socket, the demon entities being sucked back inside.

Eventually, the orb was fully removed, and the supervillain collapsed to the floor. Billy held the glowing orb in his hand, staring at it.

“Here’s the thing about power. What good’s power, if you got nobody to share it with?” 

All five of your friends landed behind Billy- Freddy had insisted on carrying you bridal-syle, and who were you to deny him his fun- looking at the defeated man before you. 

“Ta-da!” Billy exclaimed, presenting the evil orb to you all.

“That’s disgusting,” Pedro stated, and you had to agree with him.

“Fatality.” Eugene once again referenced Street Fighter and laughed in amazement of himself. “I got the voice.” He smiled, everyone smiling in approval too.

“What’s that?” Your heads snapped in Billy’s direction, the laughter ceasing quickly. Billy was staring at the orb, bringing it closer to himself. “I can have anything I’ve ever wanted?”

“Billy.” You said, your eyebrows furrowing. What was he doing? Realisation dawned on everyone, protests coming from every person.

“No, no, no!”

“Stop it!”

“Don’t look at that!”

The orb was at eye level now. Was Billy really about to do exactly what Mr Supervillain had done? He couldn’t be that stupid, could he?

“Billy don’t do it!” Freddy yelled, and you all jumped as Billy suddenly pulled the orb away from him. You groaned, rolling your eyes.

“That wasn’t funny, Billy.” You walked up to him and punched him in the shoulder. He yelped in pain, grabbing his shoulder. You walked back beside Freddy, happy with yourself.

“Jeez, you pack a mean punch.” It was then that the six of you realised that Billy didn’t know you had superpowers yet. Well, he’d find out eventually. “You got super-strength or something?”

“Actually, yeah, she does,” Freddy announced, the others nodding in agreement.

“Well, anyway, we can talk more about that later. You really think I’m gonna put a demon ball in my head? That’s disgusting,”

There was a debate between the seven of you as to whether Billy’s joke had indeed been funny or not. The consensus said no, except Eugene.

“Uh… Guys.” Mary said, regaining everyone’s attention.

You all looked to see a crowd of people walking your way. You ducked behind Freddy and Pedro, jumping down to hide in the fallen Ferris wheel, both of them looking at you strangely.

“No disguise. No secret identity.” You whispered, Freddy immediately nodding and making sure to cover up your entire figure while you hid, along with Pedro. 

The crowd clapped and cheered, while you all just stood awkwardly. Darla waved to the people, in her energetic little kid manner. 

“Alright, we did it!” Billy cheered, his family moving to line up with him. You wanted to be up there, but you’d have to wait until you got a costume and an alter-ego for that. “Hey, alright, yeah! We did it! We did it!”

The crowd cheered louder and louder, more people coming to applaud the heroes. You smiled from below the Ferris wheel, picturing Freddy’s face as all his dreams come true.

“Hey, you guys are all safe. There’s no more danger anymore.”

Your friends still stood awkwardly, not really knowing what to do, besides Freddy who was completely owning this moment. He was truly in his element. 

Eventually, the crowd died down, people leaving to go home after that night’s adventures. You floated up to join everyone else, who were still on a high from everything that had happened in just an hour.

“They all really love you guys.” You mused, earning happy smiles from everyone.

“They’ll love you, too, once we get you a costume,” You smiled softly at Freddy, his compliment meaning a lot to you, “I mean, how could someone not love you.” He rushed out his words, mumbling them quietly.

If he had been in his normal teenage body, you would’ve kissed him right there.

“Oh, guys, what do we do with this?” Billy gestured to the orb.

“Put it back where it came from, I guess.” You shrugged, not really having any other idea. “Which would be the temple cave thing. You transported us out of there, can you get us back in?”

Billy gave you his typical “I don’t know” face before it switched to one of concentration. He focused on taking you all back to the temple. Nothing seemed to happen, so you thought of something else.

“What if you all try?”

You watched them all concentrate on teleportation. You thought you might as well try too, closing your eyes tightly. When you opened them again, the bright lights and skyline of the city were gone, replaced by the rock walls of the temple.

“You guys can teleport!” You said, in a very Freddy-like manner.

Billy held the orb, looking for where it went. His eyes darted wildly, but Freddy’s locked on to something, Terminator-style.

“The pedestal, over there.”

“You sure this is gonna work?” Billy asked, placing the orb over the pedestal. A weird cage thing solidified around it, holding it floating in place.

“Told ya,” Freddy announced, as seven plumes of smoke left the orb. The plumes rebuilt broken statues of the monsters you had fought, each one even as terrifying in stone as they were in real life.

You just hoped they remained as stone for many years to come.

“You guys know what this place is, right?” Freddy asked, and you nodded in excitement. He had whispered it to you earlier, and you had to try very hard not to geek out.

“A dark, haunted cave with demon statues,” Darla said, and she wasn’t wrong.

“Well, yes, but also…” You and Freddy looked over at Billy, who looked at you weirdly. You saw the confusion being replaced by realisation, and then excitement.

“Lair! We got a lair!”

No one else was anywhere near as excited as you, Billy and Freddy were, but that didn’t matter.

“We got a lair.” Freddy smiled stupidly, giggling to himself.

“What’s a lair?” 

***

That night, after Freddy had flown you home, even though you insisted you’d be fine on your own, you had told your dad every single detail of the events that had just occurred. 

Two hours after your return, your dad knew everything. Billy skipping school, going with Freddy to find him, the bus, the argument, the supervillain, getting kidnapped briefly, the monsters, the temple, and the final battle.

He had listened intensely, saving his questions for the end of your story. When you wrapped up your story with Freddy bringing you home, your dad opened his mouth to start his questions.

“Are you hurt?” Head shake no.

“Did any of them get hurt?” Head shake no, again.

“So they know about your powers?” Head nod yes.

“And Freddy brought you home?” Head nod yes.

“And you’re together now?” Head nod y- wait, what?

Your jaw dropped open, as your dad didn’t try to hide his laughter. You burned red, fiddling with your hands. Your dad either maintained boundaries or never had them, and there was no in-between. 

“W-We’re not together. Sure, I like him and I think mayb-” You looked down, not only because you were saying too much, but because you felt your phone buzzing in your pocket.

You saw Billy’s contact, looking at it in confusion, but you picked up the call.

“Billy? What’s up?” You saw your dad listening in.

“I need your help with something. You said the other day that your dad knows Superman.” Once again, your comment has landed you in deep shit.

“Uh, yeah, what about it?”

“Can you get him to come to school for lunch tomorrow?” Your eyes darted up to your dad, who could hear the entire conversation.

“I’ll, uh, see… what are you planning?”

“I thought you’d want to help me surprise Freddy.” Now that Freddy was in the picture, you couldn’t back out.

“Oh, yeah I’ll see if I can get him immediately.”

“Thank you so much, Freddy will be thrilled. See ya tomorrow.” He hung up, and you looked sheepishly at your dad.

“So, uh, abo-”

“I’m going.” You blinked a few times as if that would confirm that you heard your dad correctly. “Look, I want to meet this Freddy you keep talking about. Make sure he’s good enough for my baby daughter.”

“Fine, just be gentle with Freddy. I don’t want him running away from me.”

“He’s in love, he won’t go running.” Your dad smirked, seeing how flustered you got. You stood up from the couch, heading out into the hallways, but not before turning back around, trying not to laugh at your dad’s childish actions.

“I’m going to bed before you embarrass me more.”

***

Freddy walked through the cafeteria, trying to find a table with some empty seats. He spotted one up near the back and redirected his path. Sitting down at the table, it wasn’t long before everyone at the table got up and left.

Freddy acted like he didn’t care, but deep down, he felt a pang of sadness. He hadn’t seen you since before school, and he already missed you. He wasn’t ashamed to say that maybe he might be in love with you.

“What are you doing?” The annoying voice of Brett Breyer came from beside him. “Waiting for your imaginary BFF to show up?” Burke went to grab a chip from Freddy’s plate when his hand was swatted away by yours.

“No, just waiting for me.” You sat down at the table, moving your chair closer to Freddy’s. The brothers walked away to a different table, not before Burke knocked Freddy in the head with his elbow. You gave them both middle fingers, much like Freddy had done when they almost ran him over. 

“Sorry, I'm late. I got caught up in class,” You lied, “Teacher wanted to talk to me about a paper we had to write.”

“All good things, I suppose?” Freddy smiled, leaning on his hand. 

“Yeah, yeah. She said it was an outstanding piece of writing.” You kept lying, only feeling a pang of slight guilt.

“Well, yeah, duh. You’re smart enough to go to MIT or Harvard or something.” You went an alarming shade of red. Freddy always knew the right thing to say, even when you were blatantly lying to him. “Just, don’t go there without me.”

“I’d never dream of it, Freeman.”

Your little moment was interrupted by four trays hitting the table, and four people sitting in chairs. Freddy looked at his siblings in confusion.

“What are you guys doing here?” 

“Well, we’re having lunch with you,” Mary said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“But you guys have different lunch periods.” 

“Well, we made a very special arrangement.” They all nodded in agreement. You tried to look past their not so great acting and lying skills.

Freddy’s eyes moved to his little sister.

“Darla, what’s going on?”

“Why are you asking me?” She asked, innocently, though she suffered from Freddy’s issue of always looking slightly suspicious.

“Freddy Freeman.” You all hid your smiles as Billy walked into the cafeteria. You heard a wave of silence pass across the entire room. Freddy covered his face in surprise and embarrassment. “This guy taught me everything I know about being a dope superhero. True story. You should get some pointers from him.”

Billy sat down on the seat besides Freddy, really laying his acting on thick. “What’s going on, my best bud in the whole world? Hey, Y/N, you’re here too! And also new kids that I’m meeting for the first time but seem very cool.”

You let out a short string of giggles, only continuing when you saw the dumbfounded looks on the Breyers faces. 

“Uh… I invited another friend. I hope that’s okay.”

You couldn’t keep the smile off your face as you saw your dad walk in, red cape and all. Every single person in the room gasped, pointing at the man that just walked through the door. As your dad approached the table, Freddy turned his head away from Billy, noticing the shadow.

He looked up, letting out an adorable yelp of shock as his idol stands beside him. You move a seat over, letting your dad sit down. Freddy seemed to be frozen in shock, only his eyes moving. You had a stupid look of affection on your face, so utterly in love with this dork.

Freddy suddenly broke out of his frozen state, a sudden tsunami of questions spilling out. He barely left any time for your dad to speak. Your dad glanced down, seeing your gaze on Freddy and the lovestruck expression on your face.

The bell rang, and Freddy sighed, going to grab his crutch and go to class. Billy held out an arm to stop him, and Freddy looked at his brother in surprise.

 “We got special permission to miss the last lessons of class, we just have to stay in here.” You explained, “But they only let the two of us stay. Apparently any more than that, and it would be way harder to explain.”

Freddy said goodbye to his sibling, your dad also wishing them farewell. Once they were gone, your dad dropped his proper superhero facade, but not completely.

“So, Freddy,” You smiled at Freddy’s gasp of shock at hearing his name coming from his idol’s mouth, “I hear that you’re some new, hotshot superhero, alongside Billy here.” Freddy nodded along, wondering if Billy had told Superman everything.

“Well, if you need any tips, I’ll make sure to get back to you.”

“Sure, dad, you can’t even message me back and I’m your own kid.” You snorted, not realising what you had said. Freddy and Billy stared at you wide-eyed. “What? Did I say som- Oh. well, haha, surprise?”

You looked to your dad for help, but he was looking at the clock on the wall.

“Well, my time is up, I have work. See you after school, Y/N. Have fun explaining. It was great to meet you, boys. Freddy, you have permission to date her.”

And with that comment that left you and Freddy a burning red, your dad ran out of the school building. Billy went to speak but just ran out with no words.

You turned to the curly-haired boy, who was staring at the door in which your dad had run out of.

“Freddy, I’m s-”

“I’m in love with you.”

“W-what?”

Freddy grabbed your face, practically smashing his lips against yours. It was extremely messy and chaotic, and neither of you knew what you were doing, but it was perfect. You pulled apart eventually, both of you giggling like preschoolers.

“I’m in love with you, too.”

[bravomckenzie]

Do you have anymore Bobby head cannons

you know damn well i do and i have even more this time (and more where these came from. i am more than willing to talk about bobby. constantly. always. just hit a bitch up. let’s discuss our digital mans)

very polite, always says please & thank you.

he loves rollercoasters and there’s nothing he wouldn’t ride. the crazier, the better. (great person to go to disney with. i feel it in my bones.)

always brings you flowers when taking you out on a date. sometimes randomly, just because he was thinking of you.

has never and will never back down from a dare. a common headcannon for him seems to be that he’s there because his friends dared him to try out and i absolutely believe it.

your parents would LOVE him, but hey, who doesn’t?

“would you still love me if i looked like this?” and you turn to see him making the most ridiculous face or his hair all messed up and looking weird

trash talks when playing games or sports and stuff like that.

^ loves charades but is so bad at it

unironic finger guns, snapping included.

refuses to enter a pool via the stairs. he’s jumping in with a running start.

his car is SPOTLESS even tho he’s a bit of a messy guy. i feel like he has a somewhat nicer car that he got as a ~treat yo self~ sort of thing after saving up for a little while. nothing crazy of course, he’s not buying a lamborghini or anything... but i do imagine it’s something relatively fast. maybe a mustang? i feel like he’d have really nice and upgraded speakers too.

he’ll let you paint his nails as long as he gets to pick the color... probably black and he’d just keep it on until it all chipped off on its own. he wouldn’t care/mind wearing it for however long. (he’d let you do his makeup too if you asked... probably won’t keep that one on tho lmao)

he has a recipe box in his kitchen filled with hand written recipes passed down from his mom and grandma 🥺

he has mouth of a sailor. fuck is his favorite word lmao

i can’t remember if he ever mentions siblings, but if he has them, he’s for sure the youngest. but i could also see him as an only child too.

once again despite being messy, i see his kitchen being freakishly organized. like if you put the butter back in the wrong part of the fridge, he’s going to notice immediately and HAS to fix it. he has one of those label printers that he uses to label everything he makes/uses. but the rest of his place? complete and total chaos.

crazy socks

random road trips without telling you where you’re going. he packs your bag and tells you he’s taking you somewhere but it’s a surprise 🥺🥺🥺

fusebox said his legal name is bobby. like that’s what’s on his birthcertificate, it isn’t a nickname. he probably gets annoyed when anyone calls him robert and cuts them off and corrects them along with an eye roll. i feel like he really likes his name and thinks it suits him (which i fully agree with)

knows many magic tricks but is bad at most of them “is this your card? no? it isn’t? oh wait... dammit... (long pause) okay, is THIS your card? what?! still no?! fuck.”

thanks for attending yet another bobby ted talk! pls send me your opinions abt any of mine + some of yours!! let’s be pals.

edit: he does have a sister!! (thank you @hannieanders!!) but i’m still sticking with being the youngest.

[green-eyed-whumpster]

My OC Universe: Rowan 92

Chapter 92 Summary: Rowan goes to bed, accompanied by his new friend. (Tags: @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi, @much-ado-about-whumping, @abitefullofeverything, @whump-me-all-night-long, @sky-or-something-idfk and @tears-and-lilies)

Trigger Warnings: PTSD whumpee, nightmare, child whump, strangulation, domestic abuse

“You-you’re sure you don’t mind?” Rowan’s voice was so hopeful that even if Peter wasn’t already convinced he would have crumbled.

“I don’t mind at all, Rowan, of course Olivia can sleep inside.” He smiled and grunted softly as Rowan threw his arms around his waist.

“Thank you, Peter!” He gasped, turning his face into Peter’s stomach. “Thank you so much!” Peter straightened as the vibration of Rowan’s voice rumbled through his skin and hesitantly patted Rowan’s head, rubbing his scalp comfortingly.

“Don’t mention it, Rowan,” He replied. “Olivia won’t make a mess, and she’ll keep you happy, there’s no reason to say no.”

He’s so sweet to me!

“And-and we can come with you into the village tomorrow?” Rowan asked, looking up.

“If you want to,”

“I-I don’t want to be left alone, if that’s all right,” Peter nodded softly and rested his hand comfortingly in-between Rowan’s shoulder-blades. “Well, rest up,” He smiled, stepping away carefully. “You can have a wander around the markets while I deliver my things.”

“Thank you.” Rowan smiled at him, genuinely, and stepped around him to go to bed, glancing back once to make sure Olivia was following him, which she was.

Peter waited until the door shut before turning and looking at Cordelia, who was actually turned away from him, looking at the book in her hand.

“Did you see that?” He asked softly, so as to not alert the boy.

“See what?” She finally looked up and Peter sighed.

“He smiled at me!” He hissed to her. “Like, a real one! The one he gives Olivia!” She brightened slightly and smiled at him.

“He did?” She asked, closing her book.

“Well, it was smaller, but he smiled at me,” Peter gushed, falling into the seat beside her.

“Aww,” She grinned and he grumbled sheepishly.

“Stop that.” He rubbed his cheeks and looked back at her. “It’s just, I wasn’t expecting him to get so close to me again so soon. Olivia may have been the most incredible thing you’ve ever done, Cordelia.”

“I was hoping that she would help your relationship.” She admitted. “I thought that if there was someone he could trust explicitly, he may be less jumpy around you.”

“You did this for me?” Peter asked and she nodded.

“I promised to get him to stay. This will make him stay. I’m sure.” She gasped as he lurched forward and lifted her into the air by her waist.

“You absolute angel!” He gasped, twirling her around. “Oh, I could kiss you!” She chuckled lightly as he pulled her into a tight hug, her toes still barely off the floor.

“Peter! Peter, really!” He finally puts her down and grins at her happily. “I wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction!” She scoffs, straightening her shirt as Peter attempts to suppress giggles.

“I can’t believe you aren’t Queen, you could sell dandelions to a florist!” He gushed and she snorted, rolling her eyes.

“You’re mad.” She replied and he chuckled.

“I’m going to take in a blanket for Olivia to sleep on,” He said as he moved over to the cupboard by the fireplace. Cordelia watched as he pulled out one of the thickest he owned and refolded it so it would fit Olivia on it when it was lain on the ground.

“You are far too kind,” She said finally. “It’s lucky you haven’t been taken advantage of.” Peter rolled his eyes and snorted this time.

“I am perfectly capable of looking after myself.” He said certainly. “And it isn’t luck, it’s skill.” He added as he wrapped his hand around the doorknob.

“Hey, Rowan?” He waited for a moment after cracking open the door before pushing it fully open. “I thought Olivia might like to sleep on something a bit softer,” The boy was sitting up in bed, scratching Olivia’s ears attentively.

“Oh, that was so nice of you,” He said as he looked up and shifted as though to climb out and take the blanket from Peter.

“It’s perfectly all right,” The man smiled, approaching the bed and turning his grin to Olivia. His eyes lingered on Rowan’s small form in the bed, his pyjamas hanging loosely from his shoulders. Cordelia hadn’t been able to find the servant’s pyjamas when she put together the pack for Rowan, and so settled for a larger man’s shirt, with intentions of adjusting it when she had an opportunity, but then promptly forgot about altering it. Peter thought he looked sweet with the too-big shirt on, having needed to roll up the sleeves so his hands didn’t disappear within them.

“Thank you, Peter,” Rowan smiled as Peter spread out the blanket carefully, making sure Olivia could lie beside Rowan without stopping him from getting up.

“It’s all right,” He replied, coaxing Olivia onto it patiently. “She should be comfortable, too.” He stood up again just in time to watch Rowan’s jaw click open in order to yawn. “You’re tired?” He smirked, and Rowan chuckled sheepishly.

“I-I am, sorry,” He muttered and Peter shook his head.

“It’s all right, you’ve had a long day.” Rowan’s face fell slightly and he glanced nervously up to Peter.

“I…I’m sorry I was so rude yesterday,” He muttered. “And then I snapped at you this morning when I found my…the grave. I hope you can forgive me,”

“Of course I do, Rowan!” Peter chuckled, patting the blankets over his thigh gently. “You don’t need to worry about it.” He indicated for Rowan to lie down and grabbed the ends of the covers. “It’s nice to see you smile,” Rowan blushed as Peter tucked him in and hesitated above him.

“I’m just going to say goodnight,” He warned softly before his hand rested against Rowan’s cheek and he leaned down. Rowan’s breath hitched in his throat as Peter gently kissed his forehead and stood up, pulling his hand away with him. “I hope you didn’t mind,” He added, smiling softly to Rowan.

“I-I did…no, I didn’t mind, goodnight, Peter.” He breathed and Peter’s smile twitched wider.

“Goodnight, Rowan,” He said quietly and looked down to Olivia. “Goodnight, Olivia,” The dog leaned into the pet Peter offered her and he moved over to the door. “Sleep well, you two.”

~

Rowan winced as he heard the door bash open and squinted at the form filling out the doorway.

“Father?” He rasped sleepily as he lifted himself to his elbows. “Is everything all right?” He flinched away as the figure stormed forward and wrapped a large hand about his neck, wrenching him higher to meet his father’s angry hazel eyes.

“Nothing is all right when you’re here!” He hissed, hurling the boy to the ground. “I hate the way you fucking pander to me! You always act the victim! Always so innocent! Like butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth!” Even the mere mention of butter made Rowan’s stomach rumble, it had been days since he last ate. “What’s wrong, father? Can I help, father? What can I do, father? You can go the fuck back to the deepest layer of hell you climbed out of and give me back my wife!” Rowan yelped as a foot made contact with his abdomen, forcing the wind from him.

“H-how would you rather I behave?” He gasped and whined as the foot pressed down on his ribs, compressing his lungs tightly.

“I’d rather never have to see your disgusting face again! You insist on mocking me with the memory of my Lucille and then ask what it is you’ve done wrong? If I didn’t know that that was all that remained of her in this world I would have crushed the life out of you when you first stole her from me!” Rowan shuddered as his gasp forced his ribs against the pressure.

“Pl-please! I can’t breathe!” He whimpered, tears sliding down his temples as he looked up at the dark shadow before him. “Please, I’ll do anything!” He had always been afraid that his death would have been at his father’s hands, but a part of him insisted that the man couldn’t despise him that much. He scolded himself for assuming such a thing.

“Get out.” The voice spat as he could suddenly suck in breath again. “I swear if I ever see you again I won’t hesitate to wring your neck like the little runt that you are!”

Rowan hadn’t even been able to pack any of his clothes as he scrambled to his feet and fled his home.

~

Rowan grunted as he was awoken by Olivia’s tongue slurping his face once again, he ripped his head away quickly so he could breathe and looked at the dog as she waited, assessing his mood.

“What was that for?” He whispered, wiping her saliva off his mouth. She grumbled as she dropped back to the floor and sat down patiently. “What, you don’t need to go outside, or anything, do you?” He asked and quickly scanned the room, panicking in case she had relieved herself already and he had to clean up whatever it was without Peter or Cordelia waking up. He wanted to be able to keep Olivia.

Her jaw fell open and she grinned at him, panting lazily. A proud look gleamed in her dark eyes, as though she had accomplished something. This something was oblivious to Rowan, but she watched as his face softened and he stopped making the whimpers that had woken her.

“I’m glad you did wake me up, though,” Rowan murmured, lying down again and looking at her. “You saved me from a nightmare.” She tilted her head to the side, as if to say ‘I know, I did it on purpose,’ and he glanced at the spare space in the bed, feeling too isolated. He suppressed a yelp as a sudden force landed beside him and looked up to see that Olivia had jumped up onto the bed, and was falling to her stomach so she could lean against him.

“I love you,” He murmured, lifting his hand to comfortably scratch her ears. “You’re such a good dog,” She settled on the mattress and groaned as she closed her eyes. “Yeah, you’re right,” He sighed, settling himself and closing his eyes as well. “It is late. We’ll have to get you off in the morning, though, we don’t want Peter to get upset.”

[sonicgetsrawed]

Sharp Cheddar

A modern Varian x Hugo one shot!!! The cheese is relevant in this one!! I’m putting it under the cut cause it got pretty long! Enjoy!!!

Hugo draped his arm across his face, trying to block out the sun that streamed in from the window. He was normally a morning person but he had submitted his last project for the semester and thought he deserved to sleep in a little bit. He rolled over, fully intending to pull his boyfriend into his arms only to be met with an empty bed. He groaned sitting up and shoving his glasses onto his face. A deep frown settled into his features noticing that Varian’s side was still made up. He shook his head, the idiot probably fell asleep in their lab again. He kicked the blankets off with the sole goal of dragging Varian to bed and ordering in. The semester had been stressful for both of them. Quite frankly he was surprised their relationship survived. Their relationship had been fairly new at the start of the semester, having been in the same dorm room the previous. They had been at each other’s throats then, until one particularly explosive argument ended in an equally explosive make out session. From there they started an actual relationship deciding to move in together off campus. Varian had insisted on getting a two bedroom apartment, claiming that he would be sleeping in his own room. That lasted two weeks and now the second bedroom was used as a lab space now, so it wasn’t a total loss. And they worked on opposite schedules so they both had time in the lab. They had learned very quickly that working together would lead to arguments, and that almost led to breaking up. Although once the fight was resolved it led to making up, which he quite enjoyed. But they had been doing too much of that lately, he was looking forward to having a relaxing few weeks of peace as they prepared for the next semester.

He padded across the room, not bothering to check his phone, the only person he wanted to talk to was in the same place as him anyways. He opened the door, surprised to see Varian in the kitchen. He had his back turned to him, various sand which ingredients spread about on their island.

“Love you too, Dad. Okay, I will. Bye.” Varian said, hanging up his phone and slamming it onto the counter next to him. His shoulders were hunched up to his ears and Hugo kissed any ideas of having a relaxing day goodbye. Varian’s dad was another major source of their arguments. He did not approve of their relationship in the slightest, always saying that Varian deserved better, could do better. Was he right? Absolutely, but he had a habit of taking things he didn’t deserve and he had no intentions of letting Varian go without a fight.

He made his way over to the smaller male. He still might be able to salvage this. He wrapped his arms around his middle, placing a kiss to Varian’s cheek and trailing down to his shoulder. “Good morning.” He was testing the waters, trying to gauge where Varian’s mindset was at. He was always on edge whenever he spoke to his dad.

“It’s afternoon. You slept in.” Varian said simply, only relaxing slightly in his touch.

“I know.” He replied, although he really hadn’t expected to sleep in that long. “Did you sleep at all?” Despite keeping his tone light, Varian shot him a warning glare over his shoulder. Hugo sighed as Varian escaped his grip, pulling a butter knife from the drawer. He pushed himself onto the island, watching with concern as Varian put the sand which together a little too roughly. “What did he say this time?”

Varian slammed the knife down on the table, bangs covering his eyes as he hunched over the counter. “Same thing as last time. Same thing as every time. I just can’t do this anymore, Hugh.”

He wanted to pull Varian into his arms, rub soothing circles on his back, and let him cry his eyes out. Instead he got defensive, he wasn’t even sure why. Maybe it was the fear that he might actually lose Varian this time. “Do what, exactly?”

“This! The fighting with you and my dad! It needs to stop.” Varian yelled, looking up at him with desperate, pleading eyes.

“Okay. Then tell him! This isn’t my fault. I’ve tried talking to him but he doesn’t want to hear it. You can’t blame me for this!” Hugo argued, letting his anger cloud his judgement.

“I-I’m not-“ Varian started, frustrated tears welling in his eyes.

“Yes, you are! You always get like this when you talk to him! You-you let him brainwash you!”

“He doesn’t brainwash me! Do you hear how ridiculous you sound?!”

Hugo had a retort ready on his tongue. It died when Varian deflated, tears falling in steady drops. He hated when Varian cried and it absolutely broke his heart when he was the one that caused it. “Var-“ He tried reaching out.

Varian backed away, out of his reach. “Maybe he was right. Maybe we moved to fast. I don’t even know what kind of cheese you like!”

“Cheese? What does that matter? I lo-“ He couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence, they hadn’t said those words yet and he didn’t want to say it like this. Not as a cop out in an argument, Varian deserved better than that, he was better than that.

“It matters because I feel like I don’t know you. I feel like you don’t know me. I don’t want him to be right, but I’m tired. I’m so tired, Hugo.” Hugo reached out again, desperate to keep Varian here, to keep him in his arms, but he slipped through his fingers like everything else that was good in his life. He didn’t know how long he sat there with the forgotten sandwich ingredients, eventually he had pulled himself together enough to move from his location. He wiped away a few of his stray tears. He wouldn’t accept defeat this easily. He would show Varian that they did know each other, and while his pride was his downfall he swallowed it and shot a quick text message to a number he didn’t even bother to save into his phone. It didn’t take long for him to get a reply. He quickly changed and jotted a quick note to Varian in case he came looking for him. Thankfully the meeting place wasn’t too far from his apartment.

He had to remind himself constantly that he was doing this for Varian to prevent himself from bolting from the pastel colored cat cafe. The blonde girl in front of him smiled kindly at the employee that handed her her drink and pastry. The foam cat on top of her coffee glaring into his soul, mocking him, with those beady foam eyes. His staring contest with the foam animal didn’t last long as Rapunzel dipped a piece of her pastry into the coffee, wiping the animal from existence.

“I’m so glad you wanted to meet up.” She said, a bit too cheerily for his liking.

“It’s not like I had a choice. I don’t have anyone to talk to about this.” Hugo responded, finally meeting her eyes. Normally he wouldn’t admit such a thing but he was feeling unusually vulnerable after the fight.

“Right, sorry.” She popped another piece of pastry into her mouth, taking a sip of her drink before continuing. “What happened this time?”

“We had another fight. He wants me to talk to Quirin.” He spat the name out. He had never gotten along with Varian’s dad no matter how hard he tried.

“So talk to him. If Varian sees you’re trying to fix things he’ll be satisfied. All he wants is for you to try.” Rapunzel explained as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

“It’s not that simple.” She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “Var thinks we don’t know each other.”

“Then show him you do.” She replied, eyes narrowed with a fire he had only seen a handful of times. It’s what made Rapunzel more bearable than the rest of Varian’s friends, her unwillingness to back down or give up on anything or anyone.

“How?” He asked, slumping forward in his chair, suddenly glad for their setting. No one he knew would dare set foot in this establishment and see the mess he was.

“You know, Eugene would probably suggest doing some big romantic gesture, but it’s all about the little things. The cupcakes he brings me when I’m sad, the extra paints he surprises me with on his way home from work, waking up early to get me coffee before I go into work. You know, things like that. They show you really care and know a person. Those mean more to me than any big gesture ever could.” Rapunzel explained, smiling as she lost herself in her memories.

“So bring him a cupcake?” Hugo asked, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

“No. You have to tailor it to you two. If you copy us it’ll just be an empty gesture. It has to come from the heart.” Rapunzel still had that stupid smile on her face, but he got the message. He stood an idea striking him.

“Uh, thanks, I guess.” He said as an afterthought as he headed out the door, not sticking around to hear her excited squeal.

It was dark by the time he returned to the apartment, various bags in his arms. He struggled to get the key into the lock and get the door open but he eventually got it. It was dark inside, which meant that Varian was likely still in the lab. He placed the bags on the counter and switched on the lights, eyes going wide at the sight that met him. The room had a giant blanket and pillow fort in front of their TV, lights strung from the ceiling, but Varian was nowhere to be found. He smiled softly to himself, setting up his horde of food in the middle of the fort. He couldn’t believe that someone would go through so much effort for him. He didn’t get much done before the door opened again. He pulled Varian inside before he could even properly process that he was there, pressing him against the closed door and kissing him like his life depended on it.

He reluctantly pulled away. “You did all this for me?”

Varian nodded, still trying to catch his breath. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken out my anger on you. I-I know that this doesn’t make up for the things I said, but I hope it’s a start.”

“I’m sorry too. You had a point about not knowing each other.” Hugo admitted, leading Varian to the fort. “So, I wanted to prove you wrong. It’s different food from all your favorite places.”

Varian made his way around the feast. “You got gyros?” Hugo nodded. “But you hate them!”

“But you don’t.” He said as way of explanation. “And.....” He shoved another tray into Varian’s hands.

“A cheese platter?” Varian raised an eyebrow, biting his lip in a way that sent his heart fluttering.

“Yup. I realized I don’t know what kind of cheese you like either. So, we’re going to try them all.”

Varian beamed before lighting up as if he just realized something. He dug around in the bag he hadn’t noticed before and pulled something out, placing it in his hands. “Do you have any idea how hard this was to track down?”

“Is this?” He asked staring in awe at the small blue toy car in his hand.

“Yeah. You said you always wanted one. It’s a little banged up, but we can repai-“ Hugo claimed Varian’s lips once again, relishing on how the other melted against him.

“It’s perfect. I love it.” He hesitated before deciding to speak his feelings. “I love you. I love you, Varian.”

“I love you too. I-I love you so much. I’ll talk to my dad tomorrow. We’ll work this out.” Varian responded.

“There’s no need. I already asked him to meet me tomorrow.” Hugo said.

Varian’s eyes lit up. “What did I ever do to deserve you? I love you.” Varian laughed, the sound like music to his ears. “I could say that forever. I love you.”

Hugo laughed this time, the sound quickly swallowed by Varian tackling him to the ground lips pressed against his the entire way down.

[retroateez]

Prophecy - Chapter Four

okay i’m gonna leave it here for now and post the other four chapters i have in the drafts when i get home from work,,, hope u enjoy!! (pls let me know if u do)

Prophecy Masterlist

wc; 2532

He strolled through the woods calmly, as he did almost everyday. The route was so familiar to him that he could walk the grassy path with his eyes closed. Not that he would do that, of course. It would be foolish, leaving oneself so vulnerable in the open. The tide splashed angrily against the sand a handful of metres away. He sighed deeply; the recent storm had wrecked the forest surrounding his secluded home. He just hoped the natural resources he needed hadn't been destroyed by those dangerous winds. Above him, the usual canopy of green had almost all disappeared, torn away by the harsh hands of the rain. He wrinkled his nose at being so exposed to the sunlight.

Eventually he passed through the alley of trees and stepped out onto the grey beach. Despite the sun, the sand was not glittering as it usually would. The waters were murky, disgruntled from the rage of the storm. His walnut coloured eyes sparkled softly as he surveyed his surroundings. His hair, soft and daffodil hued sat both messily and neat in gentle curls. It parted in the middle, allowing his piercing eyes to glare at people he didn't like.

Which was almost everybody.

Living alone on the outskirts of the most powerful kingdom sounded better than it actually was. He preferred to be alone, that way he could do his work without being distracted. But being a mage was exhausting work, and having someone cook his dinner when he was exhausted would be quite nice. Nevertheless, the magician was disliked purely out of fear. He was powerful. All mages were.

Living inside the kingdom was too risky for both himself and the citizens of the kingdom, so the king gave him a sizable amount of land roughly a mile away from the kingdom walls. He couldn't complain really. The mage's land consisted of mainly woods, which backed out directly onto the coastline. Luckily for him it was dense in herbs and creatures he needed for his work, so it worked out well for him in the end.

That's exactly what he was doing this gloomy morning. The sun was there, but barely. Hidden behind the clouds, clearly the sun was in no mood today. The ocean wasn't particularly happy either, like it had been drinking ale for 3 days straight and was currently trying not to explode from the hangover.

The mage had no idea what that was like.

Squinting at the sand, he began his search. He hated this part of being a mage. Skills in magic often required a basic knowledge in alchemy, and collecting the ingredients was the bane of his existence. Unfortunately for him, the only local source of this particular substance could only be harvested from sand mandrakes. The most annoying little bastards he had ever had the displeasure of coming across. Typical mandrakes were easy enough to come across, as if you accidentally stepped on one during a stroll in the woods they would scream bloody murder and possibly attempt to poison you.

But these ones would bury themselves underneath the sand and wait to attack you on purpose. He hated them.

No, he loathed them.

However, he really did need that specific ingredient, so he took a deep breath, pushed his golden hair back and prepared himself.

Yet, what he discovered on the beach was not what he needed, nor what he had expected.

A body lay, face-down, flat out just beyond the reach of the tide. He could tell by the darkness of the clothing that the person was soaked to the bone. Whether or not they were alive was a different matter, though. He sighed and approached the body cautiously, in case it was some kind of dead-alive, drowned hybrid-thing that would try and bite him when he got a little too close.

"Hello?" he called out quietly. "Are you dead?"

No answer.

"Excuse me," he tried again. "are you sunbathing?"

He rolled the body over so they were laying on their back. The mage inspected the body with his eyes and internally groaned.

Great. A human. A woman too.

He had nothing against women, but it meant that he couldn't just leave her on the beach. It he had found a random man, he probably would have done exactly that. But he was a polite mage, he had manners.

He also didn't want to be charged with murder if the guard patrol found a dead woman close to the mage's home. Most authorities would use anything to throw a magic wielder in jail. The only reason he was able to walk free was that he helped the king at his request. The king had a fascination for magic. The mage felt rather uncomfortable knowing that was the only reason he was alive, but he supposed it was better than being dead.

With a groan, he scooped the woman up into his arms.

"Talk about dead weight, holy shit"

He huffed as he began his hike back to his shack. As he walked, he glanced down at the unconscious figure he was carrying.

Her hair was wild, as if she had been dragged through an entire thicket of bushes a minimum of one hundred times. Her skin was covered in dirt, dried sand and honestly only god knows what else. He could feel her breathing shallowly, so that was a relief. At least now he wouldn't be responsible for her death.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks and cursed.

"Fuck sake!" He shot an angry glare at the woman he was carrying. "I didn't get the fucking mandrakes!"

-----

A warm, soothing scent washes over you, and you crack your eyes open the tiniest bit. First, you notice the pounding inside your skull, reasonating like a drum in a huge, empty hall, the bass bouncing off every wall. It's a dull ache but it's there. Your sight is still blurred from sleep, but above you, you can make out something vaguely wooden. Most likely a roof.

A roof?

You're inside?

Forgetting all your pain, you bolt upright, panicked.

"Where am I?" you blurt aloud.

Surveying your surroundings, you realise you're most definitely inside somebodies house. Despite having never been here before, it has a very welcoming feel to it. A lit brick hearth was directly opposite you, exuding a comfortable warmth as the wood inside it crackled. The room you were in was fairly large, with a single window and arrays of plants adorning every surface and crawling up the walls. The room smelt earthy and fresh too, like the roots of the flowers and emerald leaves made up part of the structure of the house itself. You wouldn't be surprised if it did.

Slowly, you pull yourself up off the bed and pace over to the window. The round, oak table just below it is cluttered with petals, pencils and other various objects you couldn't even attempt to identify. Multiple pots line the windowsill, each one filled with flowers the shade of bumblebees. You run your fingers gently over the honey coloured petals, gasping quietly when they radiate a yellow shine onto your hand.

"Ficaria verna," a deep voice startles you from the threshold of the door. "pretty, aren't they?"

You nod silently in response, staring at him blankly.

"Celandine?" He tries again, approaching both you and the flowers carefully. Again, you have zero idea what he was talking about.

With a sharp sigh, he plucks one of the flowers from the cluster of plants and holds it gently underneath your chin. You couldn't see it, but you assume the skin grazing the little yellow bud was glowing gold.

"Buttercups," he murmurs. "if they shine under your chin, that means you like butter"

You nod meekly, deciding that pretending to know what this mysterious man is talking about is the best course of action. Instead, your confused brain has other plans.

"Who are you?" you burst out. "Why am I here?"

His hand falls from your face, discarding the buttercup onto the table and turning back to you with a sour scowl.

"Is that any way to address somebody who just saved your life?" He snaps at you.

"I-" He moves closer to you, forcing you to back up.

"Is that any way to address somebody who welcomed you into his house? Completely ruining his plans for the day?"

You stand frozen, back pressed against the tough wood of the wall. Why was he suddenly being cold towards you? Naturally you wouldn't expect a stranger to be warm and welcoming off the bat but inititally he had seemed quite friendly. Did you annoy him by not knowing about plants? You didn't want to be rude but the average human being didn't possess an extensive knowledge about multitudes of vegetation.

"Human being?" he mused playfully. Your eyebrows shoot up in shock.

Did you say that out loud?

He stares down at you for what seems like millenia, his sandy hair falling forward the slightest bit as he towers over you. His silence is daunting and honestly, you have no idea what to do except just stand there. After all, you're a guest in this unknown person's house. And he did save your life, so the least you could do was just be quiet.

He reclines abruptly and sticks his large, calloused hand out to shake your own. You reciprocate the greeting shyly, your much smaller hand completely engulfed in his. Much like how the ocean totally swallowed you up.

"I'm Yeosang," he smiles. "I found you knocked out on the beach this morning. Any idea how you got there?"

"The storm," you explain. "I got caught in the middle of it and it threw me about like a ragdoll"

Yeosang steps away from you, leaving his bedroom into the main room of his shack and prompting you to follow him with a nod of his head.

The central room to the house is breathtakingly beautiful. Circular in shape, a collosal maple trunk stands proudly in the center, supporting the rest of the building like a pillar. Surrounded by open space and natural light, you have a hard time believing that you hadn't stepped into another dimension. The body of the trunk run straight up through the middle of the room, leaving you wondering where both the base and peak of the maple actually were.

The sunlight filters through the windows and also beams down between the branches of viridescent leaves above you, making you feel like you were in a fairytale. You half expected a fawn to come barrelling through, tripping over his spindly little legs but still determined nonetheless.

Still stood in the threshold of the bedroom, you stand statue-like, gaping at the view.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Yeosang smirks, stirring a pot which sat above a crimson brick stove over to your right. "It requires a lot of maintanance but it's worth it."

"It's so beautiful... It doesn't look real!"

Yeosang ladles the liquid from the pot into some bowls, and walks to the opposite side of the giant maple trunk. He places your bowl on a small, rickety looking table then he sits down in an equally rickety looking chair on the other side.

You politely sit down and eye your meal. You don't want to be picky but... it doesn't look very appetising.

"What-what exactly is this?" You ask in the kindest way possible.

He raises an eyebrow at you from across the table, and you pray to the heavens you haven't royally pissed him off. In a panic, you attempt to change the subject.

"How do you keep everything from burning in here? It's literally all wood! And there's no way it can be so naturally beaut-"

"Magic." Yeosang cuts you off, his voice cold and hard. "I didn't have to bring you back here, you know. I could've left you on the beach to die. I know the mandrakes get hungry quickly this time of year"

You gulp, his gaze on you now dark and polar opposite to the welcoming demeanor he had before.

"But I helped you anyway," he continued. "Better I found you anyway than the Ateez guards, they probably would've killed you right there on the sand."

Is he really this mad over a bowl of (what looks like) soup?

"I'm sorry!" You argue back. You don't really care who this Yeosang thinks he is right now. You have no home, literally nothing to your name and he's being a dick for no reason? This isn't fair.

"I'm sorry for inconvieniencing you by washing up on that beach. Maybe you should've let me die! I don't know who you are or why you're getting angry with me so if you're quite finished, I'd like to leave!"

You glare at each other angrily over the table. The both of you stay silent for a few moments, until Yeosang suddenly starts spooning soup into his mouth. You look at him incredulously; what is with this guys mood?

Deciding to play along and also knowing that if you did leave, you'd have nowhere to go, you also begin sipping the bubbling soup. You discover it is actually very delicious, and now you feel like a fool for insulting both the food and the confusing blonde man who you technically were indebted to now.

"I don't expect anything in return for saving your life," he says matter-of-factly. "I can see that you possess nothing of value to me on your person. However I may be willing to help you out, on a few conditions"

He lays his spoon back in the bowl and folds his arms, leaning back into his chair and waiting for your reply.

"And what are these conditions?" You ask, continuing to eat.

"You help me out when I need it, and I'll let you stay with me. Because you evidently are not from around here, and frankly, going up to the Ateez territory looking like that wouldn't do you any favours"

Offended, you look down at your mud-caked clothes, stiff from being soaked and drying awkwardly on your body. You realise too your hair is a complete wreck, sticking up in so many directions a compass would have a hard time figuring it out. It's matted and clumped together and you already know it'll be painful to fix. So maybe Yeosang does have a point, albeit a rude one.

You ponder his invitation, glancing around his stunning, fairy-tale home. Really, you have no reason to decline; you have no home, no job, and it could be an opportunity for you to start fresh, forget about your past as a lonely thief on the streets.

"Okay," you nod, peering straight into Yeosang's icy blue eyes. "I do what you ask, you let me stay."

He nods back, satisfied.

You finish the remainder of your soup (pottage, he tells you) and you turn to him as he washes the bowls.

"What now?"

He turns to you with a grin, one you haven't seen from him yet and it fills you with dread immediately.

"Fancy a trip to the beach?"

He was definitely going to kill you.

Chapter Five