#save me nathan summers

[isthei]

haven’t seen deadpool and wolverine (yet) (i don’t want to pay for a ticket) (fuck disney) BUT i’m so mad they’re queerbaiting wade with logan when cable is RIGHT THERE. FOX SET HIM UP IN THE LAST MOVIE. GIVE ME THE CABLEPOOL I RIGHTFULLY DESERVE

[linkspooky]

It's not just the fact that Hori decided to kill a lifelong victim of grooming.

My two favorite comic book storylines are New Teen Titans Judas Contract, and Uncanny X Men's Inferno. They both feature villains / victims (Madelyne Pryor and Terra) that die at the end of the story. Terra is specifically fifteen years old and a victim of sexual grooming.

However, both of these stories are clearly written as tragedies. It's clear from the start that these are tragic stories not only meant to get us to sympathize with the victim turned villain but also the failure to save a clear victim is meant to make the heroes look bad.

Let me just list off all the shit Scott Summers put Madelyne Pryor through.

Fell in love with her only because she looked like his ex girlfriend Jean. Even though Madelyne specifically stated before getting into the relationship she didn't want to be jeans replacement.

Married her, and refuses to take time off to the point where he misses the birth of his own son leaving Madelyne at home to deliver her baby on the floor.

When he finally retires and they move to Alaska together he gets a phone call that Jean is still alive and abandons his wife and daughter for weeks to go back to his high school girlfriend.

Madelyne is attacked by a group of supervillains while Scott is away and just barely manages to escape but loses her baby.

She joins up with the x men to look for scott only to find out in the time she's been gone Scott had already gotten back together with Jean.

She is tricked into making a deal with a demon who wants to overthrow ilyanas control of limbo (she thought it was just a dream and the contract to sell her soul didn't matter).

She used her newfound power in order to find her child Nathan only to find Mr sinister there who reveals that Madelyne was a clone of Jean Grey, her entire life was a lie, she was made to breed with cyclops and produce a baby for sinister.

At which point madelyne snaps and decides to burn everything to the ground and kill her own child.

It's clearly telegraphed as a tragedy. The reference to Medea is pretty obvious. Madelyne had no chance from the beginning, however even in this tragedy Scott specifically forbid any of the heroes from using lethal force on her. Jean and Maddie mindmeld at one point and Jean literally begs for Maddie not to die and that she should live on to raise her son. They even throw a funeral for Maddie afterwards because be no one else would ever mourn her.

Not only do the heroes look bad, especially Scott for not being able to save her, they do at least try to talk with her, use non lethal force, and beg her at one point to let them help her.

On the other hand not only did Deku never engage Shigaraki Tomura once, just the vision of a crying child in front of him. Deku doesn't look like a failure for failing in his goal to save him he's still the greatest hero, they don't hold a funeral for Shigaraki, Dekus last words are about how he doesn't forgive Shigaraki (and therefore he deserves to die i guess because deku is the punisher now). Deku doesn't even give Shigaraki the respect of calling him by his preferred name he just calls him Tenko who was the only person Deku cared about saving.

It's not just about a victim dying it's about how the story promised us over and over again the kids were going to save the villains in the final act, that this was going to be an optimistic story about the new generation being better than the old.

Only for Horikoshi to deliver something entirely different. If I'm watching punisher I know what I'm getting into. I'm here to watch Frank Castle shoot mobsters. If Batman picks up a Tommy Gun and starts shooting mobsters that's bad because Batman wouldn't do that shit.

There's writing a story that's tonally inconsistent, or changing your plans for how a character is going to end late in the game and then there's this.

Which is basically narrative gaslighting. Where one thing is clearly happening onscreen but the narrative needs you to believe those gaslights clearly are not dimming.

I know Deku made no effort to save Shigaraki when he explicitly said they OFA is a power for saving but not killing, but don't worry Deku became the greatest hero anyway, and this is still a happy optimistic ending!

Horikoshi isn't looking for treasure in the house. Those gaslights aren't dimming. You're clearly being hysterical, woman.

[urdreamydoodles]

X-Men x Drunk!Reader (Part.2)

How they deal with their drunk s/o (Part.2)

A night out with your partner quickly turns wild as your tipsy self unleashes a little chaos around.

Characters: Wade Wilson, Cable, Hank McCoy, Colossus, Magik, Warren Worthington III, Alex Summers, Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, Psylocke, Sunspot, Lorna Dane, Domino, Dazzler & Morph

Wade Wilson aka. Deadpool

- Deadpool is absolutely thrilled by your drunk antics. The moment he notices you’re tipsy, he’s already planning a night of wild fun. He matches your energy effortlessly, encouraging every silly idea you come up with and joining in wholeheartedly. If you want to dance in the street, he’s right there, pulling off moves that are as chaotic as they are impressive.

- Your laughter and unfiltered words are music to Wade’s ears. You start complimenting him in the most exaggerated way possible, telling him he’s the funniest, hottest, most badass guy you’ve ever known. Wade pretends to be modest, fanning himself and swooning dramatically, but he’s genuinely touched by your words, even if they’re a bit slurred.

- You get the brilliant idea to dress Wade up in something ridiculous from a nearby shop, and he’s completely on board. Soon, he’s decked out in an assortment of scarves, sunglasses, and a feathery hat, posing for selfies with you. His confidence is unshakable, and the two of you end up laughing until you can’t breathe.

- When some passerby gives you a look for being loud, Wade immediately goes into “defense mode.” He makes a show of protecting your honor, using his humor and antics to both embarrass the person and make you laugh. “Nobody messes with my date,” he declares proudly, throwing an arm around you and grinning as if he just saved the day.

- At some point, you start getting sleepy, and Wade immediately notices, going from his usual zany self to surprisingly gentle. He’ll scoop you up in his arms, cracking a few jokes to make sure you’re still smiling, but his voice softens as he assures you he’ll get you home safely. You nestle into his shoulder, feeling oddly safe in his chaotic embrace.

- Once you’re home, Wade stays with you, making sure you have water and helping you settle into bed. His usual humor is still there, but there’s a quiet fondness in his actions. As he pulls the blanket over you, he murmurs, “You’re a riot, you know that?” and gives your forehead a gentle kiss before plopping himself down next to you to keep watch.

Nathan Summers aka. Cable

- Cable is instantly protective the moment he sees you’re tipsy. He’s not used to seeing you let loose like this, so he stays close, a steady presence by your side. His arm is there whenever you stumble or lean, and he keeps a watchful eye on your surroundings, not wanting anything to disturb your fun.

- You start poking fun at his serious demeanor, playfully calling him “Mr. Intense” and trying to get him to crack a smile. Despite himself, he can’t help but smirk at your efforts, even letting out a chuckle when you do an over-the-top impression of his voice. He finds your carefree attitude refreshing, even if he’s not used to it.

- Cable is a bit taken aback when you start rambling about how much you admire his strength and bravery, even calling him your “badass protector.” He’s not one for flattery, but he listens quietly, deeply moved by your words even if he doesn’t show it. He simply nods, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze as you continue.

- When someone tries to chat you up or gets a bit too close, Cable doesn’t hesitate to step in. He’s intimidating without even trying, and one look from him is enough to make the person back off. He keeps you close, his hand warm and solid on your back, murmuring, “You’re safe with me,” with a conviction that melts your heart.

- As the night winds down and you start getting drowsy, Cable insists on taking you home. He’s gentle as he helps you into his arms, carrying you like you weigh nothing. You rest your head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, feeling safe in his protective hold as he walks you back with steady, assured steps.

- Once you’re home, Cable makes sure you’re comfortable, fetching water and making sure you have everything you need. He stays nearby, his usual stoicism softened as he watches over you. As you start drifting off, he brushes a hand over your hair, murmuring, “Get some rest, sweetheart,” his deep voice surprisingly tender.

Hank McCoy aka. Beast

- Hank is both amused and concerned when he realizes you’re drunk, but he quickly adjusts, taking on the role of caretaker. He’s attentive, making sure you’re hydrated and offering you food, all while chuckling softly at your slightly slurred words and bright laughter. He finds your uninhibited state endearing, and it brings out his own softer side.

- You start playfully teasing Hank about his formal vocabulary, trying to mimic his mannerisms. He laughs, his eyes crinkling with genuine joy, and he can’t help but join in on the joke. “Oh, my dear, your imitation is most extraordinary,” he says with mock seriousness, and you both dissolve into laughter.

- At some point, you become fascinated by his blue fur, running your fingers through it and complimenting how “soft and majestic” he is. Hank is taken aback but incredibly touched, his cheeks flushing a bit as he watches you. He’s used to people being put off by his appearance, so your admiration means the world to him.

- When you start to stumble a bit, Hank is right there, steadying you with gentle hands. He’ll hold you close, a reassuring presence, and softly remind you to take it easy. You lean into him, feeling safe and comforted by his warmth, and he can’t help but smile as he wraps an arm around you protectively.

- Your laughter and openness make Hank feel cherished in a way he rarely allows himself to feel. When you ramble about how amazing and brilliant he is, he listens with a quiet smile, moved by your words. He’ll thank you with his usual grace, but there’s a hint of shyness in his voice as he murmurs, “You’re far too kind, my dear.”

- Once it’s time to head home, Hank stays by your side, making sure you’re comfortable and safe. He’ll help you settle in, bringing you a glass of water and sitting by your side until you’re ready to sleep. As you drift off, he gently brushes a hand over your forehead, his voice soft as he promises to be there when you wake.

Piotr Rasputin aka. Colossus

- When Piotr sees you’re tipsy and a bit too carefree, he’s both amused and a little concerned. His protective instincts kick in immediately. Piotr has a heart as strong as his metallic form, so he keeps a gentle but firm hand on you, making sure you’re steady as you go about your playful antics.

- You start trying to pull him into a dance, tugging at his arm and laughing at his initial reluctance. Piotr is a bit bashful about dancing, but he can’t resist you. Soon enough, he’s twirling you around with surprising grace, his booming laughter mixing with yours as he finally lets loose, if only for you.

- As the night goes on, you start telling Piotr how incredibly handsome he is, even trying to guess just how many abs he has under that metal skin. He blushes, but he doesn’t mind your flattery one bit. He responds with a soft “Thank you, my love,” finding your compliments both sweet and funny in your tipsy state.

- When someone accidentally bumps into you a bit too roughly, Piotr is quick to step in, shielding you with his massive form. He doesn’t say a word, but his sheer presence is enough to make the other person back off. You give him a wide grin, playfully thanking your “knight in shining armor,” and he laughs, ruffling your hair.

- As you start getting sleepy, Piotr doesn’t hesitate to pick you up effortlessly, cradling you in his arms like you’re made of glass. You snuggle against his chest, murmuring contentedly, and he smiles softly, pressing a kiss to your forehead as he carries you back home, a picture of pure gentleness despite his imposing size.

- Once home, Piotr makes sure you’re comfortable, bringing you water and even a snack in case you’re hungry. He tucks you into bed, his hand gentle as he brushes back your hair. He sits beside you, watching over you with a look of pure adoration. “Sleep well, moya lyubov,” he whispers, his voice soft and tender as he stays by your side until you drift off.

Illyana Rasputin aka. Magik

- Illyana is endlessly entertained by your drunk state. She’s more than a bit mischievous herself, so she finds your loosened inhibitions delightful, even egging you on with that sly smirk of hers. She subtly encourages your antics, ready to jump in if anything gets too out of hand but thoroughly enjoying the chaos you’re bringing to the night.

- You start talking about how incredible she is, praising her strength, her magic, and her beauty in a rambling but heartfelt way. Illyana is not one for sentiment, but your words surprise and touch her. She scoffs at first, pretending not to be affected, but she quietly pulls you closer, her hand lingering on your arm a bit longer than usual.

- When you start playfully trying to mimic her powers, making “magic” gestures with your hands, she laughs—a rare, genuine laugh that’s both warm and amused. She indulges you by creating a small, glowing orb of magic just to watch your reaction. Seeing your face light up with wonder makes her smirk proudly, her icy exterior melting just a little.

- If anyone dares to mess with you or give you a hard time, Illyana’s eyes narrow, and her voice takes on an unmistakably dangerous edge. She doesn’t need to do much; her mere presence is enough to send most people scrambling. She wraps an arm around you protectively, her expression daring anyone else to try something.

- As you start getting tired, Illyana simply opens a portal, whisking you both away from the noise and chaos. You end up somewhere quiet and peaceful, surrounded by the glow of her magic. She sits beside you, her hand resting on yours as you lean against her, and for once, she doesn’t feel the need to say anything.

- Once you’re home, Illyana makes sure you’re comfortable, a bit awkwardly but with genuine care. She may not be the type to dote, but she brings you water and even reads a few spells to help soothe you to sleep. As she watches over you, her usual guarded expression softens, and she gently murmurs, “You’re a fool…but you’re my fool.”

Warren Worthington III aka. Angel

- Warren is a bit taken aback by how uninhibited you are after a few drinks. He’s used to being the one people rely on, but tonight it’s clear you’re the one who needs looking after. He finds it endearing, though, and doesn’t hesitate to step into the role of caretaker, his wings folded protectively around you whenever he senses you might stumble.

- You start excitedly talking about how amazing his wings are, going on about how he’s “literally an angel.” Warren chuckles, charmed by your enthusiasm. He unfurls his wings just for you, letting you run your fingers along the soft feathers. He finds your awe adorable, and he watches you with a soft smile as you marvel at his wings.

- Warren isn’t one for public attention, so when you try to get him to dance with you, he’s a bit hesitant. But seeing how happy it would make you, he agrees, guiding you onto the dance floor. He’s graceful, his movements fluid and smooth, and he holds you close, making you feel like you’re floating on air as he twirls you around with practiced ease.

- When someone tries to flirt with you, Warren’s usually calm demeanor slips, and he’s immediately by your side, politely but firmly making it clear that you’re taken. He wraps an arm around your waist, his wings flaring slightly, a subtle but unmistakable display of possessiveness that leaves no room for doubt. You give him a playful smile, teasing him about being jealous, and he just shrugs, pulling you closer.

- As you start getting sleepy, Warren lifts you effortlessly, his wings unfurling as he carries you. The feel of being held in his arms, surrounded by his wings, is both comforting and exhilarating, and you rest your head against his shoulder, feeling like you’re in the safest place in the world as he flies you both home.

- Once you’re settled in, Warren makes sure you’re taken care of, bringing you water and a blanket. He sits beside you, one wing draped over you protectively. As you drift off, he brushes a gentle kiss across your forehead, murmuring, “Goodnight, beautiful.” His soft words and the warmth of his wing create a cocoon of comfort that lulls you into the most peaceful sleep.

Alex Summers aka. Havok

- When Alex notices you’re a bit tipsy and carefree, he’s immediately on alert, but there’s also a spark of amusement in his eyes. Alex has a playful side, so he’s more than happy to keep an eye on you while letting you enjoy yourself, but he’s right there, ready to catch you if you trip or get too wild.

- You start playfully challenging him, telling him you could totally take on his energy blasts. He chuckles, teasing you back, saying, “You don’t know what you’re asking for, babe.” He eventually indulges you, showing off a small burst of his powers, and you’re captivated, clapping and cheering him on like his personal cheerleader.

- As the night goes on, you get bolder, dragging Alex onto the dance floor despite his protests. He’s a bit awkward at first but eventually warms up to the idea, twirling you around and even busting out a few moves that make you laugh. His easygoing nature shines through, and he can’t help but grin as he dances with you.

- When someone tries to flirt with you, Alex becomes fiercely protective, pulling you close and giving the person a look that says “back off.” He doesn’t need to say anything; his arm around your waist speaks volumes. You grin up at him, half teasing and half smitten, as he steers you away, his arm never leaving your side.

- Eventually, when you start to get sleepy, Alex scoops you up in his arms, carrying you with ease. He whispers jokes and light-hearted teasing in your ear, trying to keep you awake just a little longer, but it only makes you smile drowsily, snuggling against him as he carries you home.

- Once you’re safe and sound, Alex tucks you into bed, a soft smile on his face as he brushes a strand of hair from your face. He lingers a bit, watching you with a fond gaze before quietly whispering, “Sleep well, sweetheart.” His fingers trail over your hand for a moment, a gentle reassurance that he’ll be there when you wake up.

Kitty Pryde aka. Shadowcat

- Kitty finds your tipsy, carefree self incredibly adorable, and she can’t stop giggling at how playful you’ve become. She’s happy to go along with the fun, but she’s also quietly making sure you don’t get into too much trouble, always one step ahead in case you need her to phase you out of a sticky situation.

- You start going on about how awesome her phasing powers are, insisting that she has the coolest abilities of any X-Man. Kitty blushes a bit at your enthusiastic praise but secretly loves it. She phases her hand through a wall just to impress you, grinning when you gasp in awe.

- When you try to get her to dance with you, Kitty is more than willing. She’s got a playful side and loves that she can let loose with you. The two of you end up creating a goofy dance routine, laughing so hard you nearly fall over, and it’s clear that she’s enjoying every second of your time together.

- At one point, you jokingly challenge her to see who can walk through the most solid objects. Kitty laughs, holding your hand and phasing you both through a wall together. You’re both in fits of laughter on the other side, and she whispers, “We make a pretty unstoppable team, don’t we?”

- When you start to get a bit tired, Kitty offers to phase you back home, giving you a playful wink as she grabs your hand. The journey home feels like an adventure in itself, with her phasing you both through shortcuts and making you feel like you’re floating on air.

- Once you’re safely home, Kitty brings you some water and makes sure you’re comfortable. She sits beside you, stroking your hand softly as you start to drift off, whispering sweet little reassurances. She gives you a soft kiss on the forehead, murmuring, “Goodnight, love,” before phasing out of the room like a guardian angel.

Jubilation Lee aka. Jubilee

- Jubilee absolutely loves seeing you tipsy and carefree, and she’s all about bringing even more chaos into the night. She’s hyped up by your enthusiasm and immediately joins in, cracking jokes and egging you on with her signature mischievous grin.

- You start going on and on about how incredible her fireworks powers are, even suggesting that she put on a little light show just for you. Jubilee, of course, can’t resist, and she lets out a small burst of colorful sparkles that dance around you. She loves seeing your face light up in awe, and she gives you a little “ta-da” with a dramatic bow.

- When you both hit the dance floor, it’s pure, unfiltered chaos. Jubilee matches your energy perfectly, spinning you around, and even busting out some hilariously wild dance moves. You’re both laughing so hard you nearly collapse, and she keeps you close, her laughter echoing over the music as the two of you revel in the moment.

- Eventually, you get it in your head that you want to make everyone in the room your friend, and Jubilee happily helps you out, introducing you to random people and hyping you up. She playfully calls herself your “wingwoman,” and it’s clear that she’s enjoying every second of being part of your night’s shenanigans.

- When you start getting tired, Jubilee wraps her arm around your shoulders, guiding you out with a laugh. She creates little fireworks along the way, lighting up the path back home like a mini parade, and you can’t stop smiling at her dedication to making the night special for you.

- Once home, she grabs you some water and a snack, plopping down beside you with a grin. She keeps chatting with you, telling you funny stories and making you laugh until your sides hurt. Eventually, she tucks you in, leaning down to give you a sweet, gentle kiss on the cheek as she whispers, “Night, party animal. Sleep tight.”

Betsy Braddock aka. Pyslocke

- Betsy doesn’t mind letting loose every now and then, but seeing you so uninhibited and tipsy takes her by surprise. She’s amused and a little cautious, watching you with that poised, mysterious smile of hers. Still, she stays close, enjoying the show as you reveal your playful side, a side she rarely gets to see.

- When you start waxing poetic about how stunning she looks—even more than usual—she chuckles, her cheeks tinged with a slight blush. Betsy can’t help but be a bit flattered by your enthusiasm. She teases you about your "poetry skills," but she can tell that you mean every word, and it melts her usually guarded heart.

- You insist she show off her psychic knife, asking if she can make one for you, too. Betsy humors you by creating a small, harmless flicker of energy, making sure to keep you at a safe distance. You’re mesmerized, watching the glowing psychic blade in awe, and she finds it endearing how fascinated you are.

- When you suggest a dance, she’s initially hesitant but eventually gives in. With that elegant, graceful way of hers, Betsy leads you across the dance floor, guiding you effortlessly through the music. Even as you stumble or laugh, she’s right there, keeping you steady and making sure you have a good time.

- When someone makes an offhand comment about you, Betsy’s expression hardens instantly. She sends the person a piercing glare that’s enough to make anyone think twice, subtly standing protectively in front of you. You may not notice it in your tipsy state, but she’s got her watchful eye on everyone around, making sure you’re safe.

- Once you’re both back home, Betsy gently helps you out of your shoes, her touch tender as she cares for you. She brings you water, brushing her hand softly over your cheek as you start to drift off. Before leaving, she sits beside you, fingers tracing gentle patterns on your hand, whispering a soft, “Goodnight, love,” before making her way to the door, leaving you feeling safe and cherished.

Roberto da Costa aka. Sunspot

- Roberto finds your tipsy antics absolutely hilarious and can’t resist playing along. He’s laughing the entire time, keeping up with your energy and encouraging you with that charming, mischievous grin of his. If there’s anyone who loves a night of fun and chaos, it’s Roberto.

- You go on and on about how his solar-powered abilities are the coolest thing ever, insisting he show off. Roberto is more than happy to oblige, creating a small burst of flame in his hand just for you. He loves seeing your eyes widen in awe, and he playfully asks if you’d like him to light up the whole room, winking as you cheer him on.

- When you challenge him to a dance-off, Roberto is all in, no hesitation. He matches you move for move, spinning and twirling you with ease, laughing as you both let loose. You feel like the only two people in the world, his attention completely on you as he guides you across the dance floor like it’s your own personal party.

- Someone tries to cut in, and Roberto immediately places himself between you and the stranger, giving them a polite but firm smile. “Sorry, they’re with me.” His protective side shines through as he keeps his arm around you, making it clear to everyone else that you’re spoken for.

- When you start getting sleepy, Roberto insists on carrying you back to the car, making the journey feel like some grand, romantic adventure. He jokes about being your “knight in solar-powered armor,” and you can’t help but giggle as he makes dramatic declarations about keeping you safe.

- Back home, Roberto gently helps you get comfortable, bringing you a glass of water and sitting beside you with a warm, soft smile. He stays with you until you fall asleep, his hand holding yours, murmuring sweet, affectionate words in Portuguese, promising to be there for you every step of the way.

Lorna Dane aka. Polaris

- Lorna can’t help but laugh when she sees you tipsy and carefree. She’s usually the one in control, but seeing you this way brings out her more relaxed side. She’s right by your side the whole time, playfully teasing you but also making sure you’re safe and sound.

- You start gushing about how amazing her green hair and magnetic abilities are, saying she looks like some ethereal goddess. Lorna just chuckles, brushing her hair back a little as she accepts your compliments, enjoying every bit of your enthusiastic admiration. She might act like it’s nothing, but she loves how much you adore her unique qualities.

- When you ask her to “do something cool” with her powers, Lorna grins, indulging you by making small objects float around in the air. She even creates a little magnetic bracelet just for you, slipping it onto your wrist with a wink as you beam with excitement, promising to wear it as your "superpowered good luck charm."

- On the dance floor, Lorna keeps you close, guiding you with that gentle but confident touch of hers. She laughs softly every time you stumble or lose your balance, steadying you with a smile and a quick, reassuring squeeze of your hand. Her presence feels grounding, even in the chaos of the night.

- When someone tries to cut in or grab your attention, Lorna’s protectiveness kicks in. She uses her magnetic abilities subtly, creating a little magnetic field to guide the person away. You may not notice, but she’s fiercely guarding you the whole time, unwilling to let anyone disrupt your night together.

- Back home, Lorna makes sure you’re comfortable, brushing a hand through your hair and settling you into bed. She sits beside you for a while, stroking your cheek softly and watching over you as you drift off. Her voice is soft as she murmurs, “Sleep well, my love,” promising to be right there when you wake up, her devotion evident in every quiet, caring gesture.

Neena Thurman aka. Domino

- Domino finds your tipsy antics absolutely hilarious and encourages you to let loose even more. She’s always been a fan of chaos, and watching you dance and sing off-key is a welcome distraction from her usual intense life. With a wicked grin, she keeps the drinks flowing, ready to match your energy.

- When you start complimenting her on how badass she is, she raises an eyebrow, clearly flattered but playing it cool. “You’re just saying that because you’re drunk,” she teases, but her smile tells you she appreciates your admiration. The way you look at her ignites a spark of warmth in her heart, and she can't help but playfully flex her muscles.

- You challenge her to a game of chance, tossing dice or playing cards, and she dives in, ready to show off her luck manipulation. Every time she wins, she leans in closer, whispering playful taunts and insisting that her luck has nothing to do with the drinks you’ve both had. Your laughter fills the air as you keep the playful banter going.

- Domino is always on the lookout for potential trouble, and if someone gets too close or too handsy, her protective instincts kick in immediately. She’ll casually place herself between you and the unwanted attention, throwing a nonchalant smirk over her shoulder while making it clear that she won’t tolerate any nonsense when it comes to you.

- When the two of you step outside for some fresh air, she pulls you in close, an arm around your waist as you both lean against a wall. Under the stars, she talks about her life, her past, and her battles, but she keeps it light, interspersing her stories with humor. You can see the softer side of her, the one she usually hides behind her tough exterior.

- After the night winds down and you’re both back home, Domino helps you settle onto the couch, bringing you a glass of water and an extra blanket. She curls up beside you, letting her head rest against yours, and in this quiet moment, she reveals a vulnerability she rarely shows, murmuring about how nice it is to let go every once in a while.

Alison Blaire aka. Dazzler

- Dazzler is a whirlwind of energy, and your tipsy antics only add to her excitement. She thrives on fun, and seeing you so carefree inspires her to embrace her inner party girl even more. Together, you create a raucous atmosphere that lights up the night, her laughter ringing like music as she encourages you to dance wildly.

- As you start gushing about how amazing her powers are and how she lights up the stage, she beams, clearly flattered by your compliments. “You should see me when I’m performing,” she responds playfully, a twinkle in her eye. The way you admire her makes her feel like a superstar, and she wants to show you just how dazzling she can be.

- When you suggest a karaoke battle, Dazzler jumps at the chance, pulling you onto the stage without hesitation. She brings her own flair, using her light-based powers to create a dazzling show around you, turning the room into a vibrant spectacle. Together, you sing your hearts out, her voice harmonizing beautifully with yours, creating a moment that feels like magic.

- If anyone tries to rain on your parade or come between you two, Dazzler’s fierce side comes out. With a swift movement, she sends a burst of light in their direction, enough to make them reconsider. “Back off, I’m with my number one fan!” she declares, standing protectively in front of you while keeping a playful edge to her tone.

- When you start getting sleepy, Dazzler notices right away, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you close. “Hey, don’t worry! I’ll take care of you,” she reassures, guiding you back to her place. With her, you feel safe and cherished, and she quietly hums a gentle tune as she helps you settle in.

- As the night winds down, Dazzler plays soft music in the background, her light powers creating a warm, cozy ambiance. She sits beside you, brushing her fingers through your hair, whispering sweet words about how much fun she had. You can feel her affection enveloping you like a soft blanket, and you drift off with a content smile, knowing you’re in the company of someone who truly cares.

Kevin Sydney aka. Morph

- Morph is all about having fun, so when he sees you a little tipsy, his eyes light up with mischief. He can’t resist joining in on your antics, turning himself into all sorts of funny characters and making you laugh uncontrollably. His playful nature only fuels your own silliness, and together, you’re a force of comedic chaos.

- As you drunkenly rave about how hilarious he is and how you love his powers, Morph goes overboard with the impressions. “You think I’m funny? Just wait until you see my best Wolverine impression!” He starts mimicking Logan’s gruff voice, making exaggerated gestures that leave you in stitches, tears streaming down your cheeks from laughter.

- You challenge him to a transformation contest, and he jumps at the opportunity. Each transformation is more ridiculous than the last—one moment he’s a giant balloon animal, the next he’s a famous movie star. Every time he shifts forms, you’re there, cheering him on and giggling at his antics, completely caught up in the joy of the moment.

- If someone approaches you two with less-than-friendly intentions, Morph’s protective side surfaces in a comically exaggerated way. He transforms into a hulking monster, looming over them and growling with faux menace. “You want some of this?” he bellows, cracking you up even more while also warding off any unwanted attention.

- Once the chaos of the night calms down, Morph helps you back to his place, where he makes sure you’re comfortable. He finds a blanket and wraps it around you, making a joke about “keeping his favorite human warm.” It’s sweet and silly, and you can’t help but smile at the genuine care he has for you.

- As you begin to drift off, Morph leans in, his usual playful demeanor softening as he brushes a strand of hair from your face. “You’re pretty great, you know that?” he whispers, his voice low and sincere. He stays by your side, watching over you as you sleep, feeling grateful for the fun-filled night and the bond you share.

[metis-iphigenia]

its like 2 am and im very tired so im sorry if this doesnt make sense i just want to talk about why i love scott summers.

•one of the reasons i love scott summers is because he is a flawed character who is quite doomed by the enviroment he was raised in. he makes mistakes a lot and learns that his actions have life altering consequences, later on he actually works on them.

for an example, in x-factor; scott left madelyne with their son nathan because the original 5 of the xmen were getting back together.(also the news of jean grey being alive) later on, Nathan is in the hands of apocalypse and mr sinister, later gets infected with that stuff etc.(idk how to explain sorry) and scott becomes aware that maybr if he didnt leave, maybe if he stayed he wouldnt lose the son he always wished to have. he is consumed by his guilt and grief. at least to my interpretion.

this is why i dont like actively calling scott a deadbeat dad because in the end he did come back for nathan.(he shouldnt have left in the first place i get that too) but calling him a deadbeat dad in my opinion just ignores his character as a whole.

or in xmen animated series, where in like the first episodes he has to leave morph. wolverine is angry at him justifibly(but its also not scotts fault(and morpherine canon guys)) scott does his best later on to be more careful to lead the team in missions, trying his best to not leave anyone behind etc its not very underlined that he does this but you can see it when you look for it.

•and not only that, i also find him very relatable and think his anger, frustration against the world very relatable. i also agree with his ideals.

cyclops ideals are a perfect balance between magneto's and professor x's ideals from my observation.

im gonna speak in xmen 97 terms because explaining my opinions is easier that way

professor x(as much as i admire what he stands for) is trying to help mutants but he is working towards tolerance, not acceptance. and like said in xmen 97, tolerance really is extinctence(i think this is how you spell it?? idk sorry english is not my mother tongue)

magneto doesnt want acceptance nor tolerance he just doesnt want humans(because of the years of opression he has faced, leading him to fight back against id but be the opressor as the time passes because humans(yes mutants are humans too) are corrupt like that)so he is trying to cause war for mutant liberation but his actions are causing people to be prejudiced about other mutants and causing them to be more violent towards them. even in the apocalyptic future, camps are being made for mutants because magneto himself started a war.(i will talk about my views on magneto on an another post because he really is a very interesting character corrupt by his own cynicism)

however what scott is working towards is acceptance and he is aware that if he just stands quiet to all the violence towards mutants and just busts his ass to save humans, he is the same as professor x, working towards tolerance. so now he uses violence to make people aware that mutants are going to live with them if they like it or not because he knows sometimes to be heard you have to scream. but his ideals towards mankind never changes because he doesnt hate them he hates their ignorance.

i do believe that since his mental health was declining(becasue of the years of opression and brutality he and his people have faced)he has done some things that were definitely problematic but this brings me to my first point of him facing the consequences of his actions.

overall, i do believe cyclops was right, i just think he also went about it wrong in some ways and that led to people not understanding him.

i find his backstory very interesting too(even though in changes but to me the orphanage later jack winters and professor x is the true one) i think about him being gaslit into forgetting his own little brother but him never faltering once and believing his own mind instead of someones tongue,his time with jack winters

(which i believe the interpretion of it being abusive because of the signs etc and how more impactful it makes that the first mutant he had ever actually known had hurt him instead of helping his own kind. it a parallel to our own world where even the opressors have managed to turn us against eachother even though we are all opressed by them, shunned because we are minorities)

later on him coming to live with professor and still being in a place where he is being used(i believe with my whole heart that professor saw scott as his son and sometimes forgot that they didnt share the same flesh but that doesnt change that professor did use scott, even without meaning any harm because professor in the end wants the best for all mutant kind but forgets to think about them as individuals)

•anyway to cut it short:

> i love scott summers because he makes mistakes AND learns from them, faces the consequences. and because of his mentality and the things he faced throughout his life that led him to making those mistakes.

there are lots of main characters in media who never really gets called out of the things they do(for example, annabeth from pjo with how she treated tyson, i love annabeth but it was just awful, also piper and her overall character(i chalk it up to rick riordan writing her badly because she is sorry to anyone who loves her))

>i love his upbringing and reading about it in any shape or form

>another reason why i love scott is because hes so bbg and miserable in a way i want to hug him so hard but also strangle him yknow

>>>>>TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS OF SCOTT SUMMERS WITHOUT BEING RUDE PLEASE!! if there is anything you dont agree with, you can always write it with the condition of being kind and not rude!!<<<<<<

[laurenairay]

you've been sent to save me - N. MacKinnon

Summary: what’s meant to be will always find a way.

Rachel Summers can’t stand Nathan MacKinnon. But when a mutual friend’s wedding pulls them together, will anything change?

Words: 3.4k

Warnings: some angst, some bad language

A/N: Here is my fic for @fallinallincurls birthday bingo! I chose wedding season/dates, forced proximity, meddling best friend, and invisible string theory. This was a lot of fun to write (and I can't believe I've never written a full fic for Nate before!), so I hope you enjoy it Bre! Sorry it's a bit late!

Title from always been you, by Shawn Mendes.

~

Invisible string theory suggests that everyone has someone in their lives who is attached to them by an invisible string that transcends time, distance, and geography. It’s fate.

~

June 2023

“There’s just one more thing.”

“Oh?” Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nate’s going to be a groomsman.”

Rachel immediately groaned, tilting her head backwards. A little dramatic perhaps but for Nathan MacKinnon? It was justified. She’d been over the moon when her childhood friend had asked her to be a bridesmaid for her wedding next summer, but now knowing that Nathan was going to be in the wedding party too?

“It’s bad enough that I can’t avoid that grumpy smirky fucker whenever he’s back for the summer, but now I can’t even avoid him for the happiest day of your life?”

“It really will be the happiest day of my life, won’t it?” she sighed happily.

“Angie, focus,” Rachel snapped, unable to stop herself from huffing out a laugh. She wanted to stay mad at her friend, but it was hard with the dreamy look on her face.

Angela just giggled. “Look, Brad has been friends with him for years, you know that. And I can’t change that – I’m sure it’ll be fine?”

“Angie!” Rachel whined.

She just laughed harder. “Rach, I will make sure he won’t act like an ass. I promise!”

“I’ll believe that the day I see it.”

~

June 2024

It was finally time for Angela’s wedding. After a full year of planning – helping choose the bridesmaid dresses, the hair and make-up trials, the hen do itself, spending her weekends making table decorations – the fateful weekend had finally arrived. Rachel had been given the option to travel up a couple of days early ahead of the wedding ceremony on the Saturday, so she’d eagerly booked the time off work, and was travelling to Inverary Resort bright and early on the Thursday morning. Rachel was ready to settle in and relax with the rest of the bridal party, all friends over the years from Cole Harbour, to celebrate one of her oldest friends marrying the love of her life.

What could possibly go wrong?

After 3 and a half hours of driving, Rachel was ready to kick her shoes off and pick up a cocktail, and as she spotted Angela running happily out of the main building towards her as she parked her car, she found a smile spreading across her face. This weekend was going to be amazing, she just knew it.

“You made it! How was the journey? We got in a few hours ago and it was fine for us – was it still okay for you?”

Rachel just grinned at her friend’s happy rambling, throwing her shoulder-length dark waves up into a basic ponytail before grabbing her bags out of her backseat. Thankfully the transportation of the bridesmaid dresses – a gorgeous olive green that suited Rachel’s dark hair and tanned skin perfectly -  were taken care of by Angela’s mom so she hadn’t had to worry about creasing that.

The two of them caught up as Angela walked her through the main lobby of the resort, picking up Rachel’s room key as well as a glass of complimentary prosecco. Rachel tried not to get too wide-eyed over the beauty of the venue, but it was hard not to gawp. The views alone were amazing, and she wasn’t even on the water’s edge yet. From what she understood, for the accommodation on site there was a main lodge with the majority of rooms, as well as whole bunch of individual cottages. Rachel had chosen to stay in the main lodge, as a single guest, so at least she didn’t have to walk far with her luggage.

“Alright, here you are. There are a few other guests already here so get settled and then come downstairs to meet us for drinks. It’s just a chilled day today, touring the grounds and relaxing really, with a dinner tonight at the Lakeside restaurant,” Angela explained, “I’ll see you soon?”

“You got it,” Rachel grinned.

Angela’s enthusiasm was infectious at the very least, and Rachel could feel herself buzzing as she unpacked her bags. She couldn’t wait explore the grounds of the resort – and she was more than ready for the spa morning tomorrow in the Glasgow house cottage that Rachel had set up for the bride’s party – but first, drinks.

After freshening up with a spritz of perfume and a swipe of lipgloss, Rachel left her room, phone and room key in hand.

“Look what the cat dragged in.”

No fucking way.

Rachel turned her head to see the last person she wanted to see standing two doors down from her with a suitcase at his side. He must’ve just arrived. It was just her luck that his room was so close to hers – Angela had better not had a hand in that – as always during the summers when he was home, it was like she couldn’t escape him. Nathan MacKinnon was everywhere.

“Look what the cat coughed up,” Rachel shot back, fake smile at full capacity.

Nate just snorted, rolling his eyes. “Aww don’t front, Rach, you know you missed me.”

“Like a thorn in my foot,” she said dryly, “And don’t call me Rach.”

Rach was for friends only. And Nate was no friend.

Nate held his hands up in surrender with a snicker, finally unlocking his room door.

“If you find yourself lonely in the middle of the night, you know where to find me,” Nate smirked.

“Eurgh, in your dreams,” she grimaced.

“Yes, frequently.”

No. Just no. The audacity.

Rachel gagged dramatically, hamming up the noises, and to her surprise Nate burst out into laughter, leaning against the doorframe as his face scrunched. That had to be the first time he’d laughed so genuinely with just her. She hated the way it made her stomach fill with butterflies.

“Oh man, I needed that,” Nate grinned, still chuckling, “I’ll see you down at the lounge bar?”

More bewildered than anything else, Rachel just nodded. “Yeah, see you.”

What the hell was that?

~

Angela’s plans for the spa morning on the Friday couldn’t have been more perfect, if for nothing else than to clear Rachel’s mind. Over the space of 4 hours, Rachel (plus the other three bridesmaids, Angela, Angela’s mom, and Angela’s soon-to-be mother-in-law) got a manicure, pedicure, and a facial, on top of full use of the sauna and pool. It was exactly what Rachel needed to wind down from her work week (and the weirdness with Nate yesterday) and relax ahead of the big wedding day tomorrow. By the happy glow on the bridal party’s faces, everyone else agreed.

After a light lunch, the full wedding party met up in the main lodge, ready for a rehearsal. Angela and Brad had wanted a full walkthrough of the running order, timings, and placements of the day, just so they were prepared, which Rachel wasn’t going to complain about in the slightest. It could never hurt to be ready.

Not even Nate’s irritating grin as he stood next to her, continuously nudging her with his shoulder, could ruin her peace.

“So, in terms of who will be walking who down the aisle, we’ve paired the groomsmen and bridesmaids up already.”

As the four pairings were called out, Rachel’s stomach sank. She was walking down the aisle with Nathan MacKinnon. Of course she was. So much for peace. This had Angela written all over it, the meddling wench.

“Rach, I-”

“Don’t even say a word to me right now, you giant potato,” Rachel hissed under her voice.

Nate choked out a laugh, leaving Rachel to make her face blank and calmly walk towards the other bridesmaids. Angela’s expression was all but begging her not to cause a scene. Like she would cause something as inelegant as a scene. No, she would wait until there was a moment to pull Angela aside because what the hell was she thinking?

“What the fuck, Angie?”

“Hi Angie, you look incredible Angie, thanks for planning everything ahead of your wedding tomorrow Angie.”

Rachel pursed her lips, hands on hips, but Angie just shrugged, an amused smile on her face. The two of them were in a little alcove in the main lodge, completely hidden from view even though everyone had gone their separate ways, so Rachel didn’t bother to hide her displeasure in her body language.

“I don’t know what you want me to say? The two of you are paired together to walk for all of two minutes. You can handle it,” Angie mused.

“Why him? You could’ve paired me with literally anyone else,” Rachel groaned.

“True, I could’ve, but it’s done now. Besides the two of you could use a little time to be friendly. Or, you know. Friendly.”

Bleurgh. Absolutely not.

“You are the worst and I don’t know why we’re friends,” Rachel grimaced.

“At this point, Stockholm Syndrome?” Angela beamed.

Rachel couldn’t help but to crack a grin, Angela just giggling at her victory.

“It’s two minutes, you will survive it. The two of you will look good together at least...”

What?

They were complete opposites – Nate was blonde, blue eyed, beefy and pale. Rachel was dark-haired, dark-eyed, slim and tan.

What?

“…and Nate’s obsessed with you anyway.”

“Ew, no, he’s not obsessed with me,” Rachel said, sneering slightly.

“No? With everyone else, he’s awkward and dorky. But with you, he’s laser focused. I wonder why,” she said, finishing with an innocent smile.

“Oh gee lucky me! I don’t know, because he’s an ass?” Rachel scowled.

“No, because Nathan MacKinnon’s flirting never matured past pulling pigtails on the school playground,” Angela shot back.

What?

“He’s not flirting,” Rachel scoffed.

Angela paused for a second, gazing over Rachel as if she was trying to figure something out, before she laughed incredulously. “Oh my God, Brad’s going to lose his mind when I tell him. You really can’t see it, can you?”

“See what?”

Rachel didn’t know what her face was doing to reflect her defensive words, but Angela held her hands up in surrender.

“Just take a step back and look at everything. He wants your attention solely on him and this is the only way that’s been successful in catching it. For twenty years – and you know it. Watch him with other people. Watch him with other women. He’s flirting with you, Rach. Just think about it.”

~

Watch him with other people.

Watch him with other women.

He’s flirting with you, Rach.

Just think about it.

Angela’s words swirled around Rachel’s head all through the rest of the day, and it was all she could do to follow her friend’s advice. She watched Nate, all through dinner and the drinks afterwards. She watched how Nate was beaming and friendly with Brad and their Cole Harbour buddies. She watched how Nate was bland and polite with women that flirted with him at the bar. She watched how Nate watched her when men approached her, always catching him looking at her, eyes intense and hot. Why did Angela have to put those seeds of doubt in her head? Why did she have to do it now, the night before the wedding, when there was so much else to think about?

Why did she have to be right?

Nate was so different with her than anyone else, even people they’d known all their lives, and it was completely turning everything she’d ever thought about him on its head. This wasn’t fair. She didn’t need this, not right now. It wasn’t fair.

The wedding day came with no further clarification for her thoughts, her head in full turmoil, and it took all of Rachel’s concentration and willpower to focus on being the best bridesmaid she could be. Angela wasn’t even aware of the way she’d swept the rug out from underneath Rachel’s feet, which was probably for the best if she was being honest, so Rachel just let herself get swept up in the excitement of all the bridal party getting ready together, hair and make-up and dresses and happy tears, all of them looking gorgeous by the end of it – Angela most of all.

As the time came for them to walk down the aisle, Rachel’s nerves were in tatters.

“Rachel Summers, damn. You clean up well,” Nate murmured.

She ignored the shiver his words sent down her spine.

“Bite me MacKinnon.”

He immediately raised an eyebrow, eyes assessing her.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, frowning.

Of course he noticed. Of course.

“Peachy,” she said through gritted teeth, plastering a smile on her face.

“I can tell you’re lying.”

“Gold star for you.”

It felt like an automatic defence to slip into their usual banter, Nate just huffed out a laugh, smirking slightly, all of it serving only to make her feel unsteady. How the hell had she missed this for so long? How easy their connection was? How his bitching was actually…flirting?

“Alright princess, let’s go celebrate our friends,” he mused.

As Nate stuck out his elbow, Rachel inhaled shakily but didn’t hesitate to slip her hand into the crook of his arm. Even through the jacket, she could feel the warmth of his body, the thickness of his bicep, and all she could do was try to keep a straight face, to not let anyone see how the simple touch was making her head spin. What the fuck was happening to her?

They walked in silence, in perfection symmetry, Nate sending her a small smile as they separated at the altar, and it wasn’t until the wedding march music started, signalling Angela’s imminent arrival, that she realised she was lost in thought. She needed to pull herself together, and quickly.

Rachel locked her eyes on Angela and Brad all through the ceremony, letting their happy smiles and obvious love for each other fill her mind, a smile of her own easy on her face. This was Angela’s day, that’s all she had to focus on. That’s all she needed. Still, in the drinks reception and through the sit-down meal, Rachel found her eyes drawn back to Nate, the two of them seated at the same table (of course, albeit not next to each other so her gaze was able to float over him without looking too obvious.

Just as the night before, the way he smiled at other guests versus how he smiled at her was completely different, and she was just glad for the prosecco nearby. She was going to need it to get through this night, she knew that much. As the speeches went on and the food was served, she felt herself getting more and more overwhelmed, feeling more and more stupid for how much Angela’s revelations were affecting her. Why was she making such a big deal out of this? It’s not like it was going to change anything, right? She’d get through the wedding reception and go back home tomorrow morning and avoid Nate until he left for Colorado next month. It was totally doable. It was a great plan. It was-

“And now, please join us on the dance floor for the bride and groom’s first dance!”

Fuck.

Rachel moved on autopilot, standing to the side of the semi-circle of guests as Angela and Brad walked into the middle of the floor. Just as the music started, she felt a familiar body moving to stand next to her, and she wasn’t able to hold back the shaky breath escaping her mouth, the softest whimper only audible to him.

“What’s wrong?”

You're the light, you're the night, You're the colour of my blood, You're the cure, you're the pain, You're the only thing I wanna touch, Never knew that it could mean so much, so much.

“Hey, Rachel, are you okay?”

You're the fear, I don't care, 'Cause I've never been so high, Follow me to the dark, Let me take you past our satellites, You can see the world you brought to life, to life.

“Rach. Rachel. Seriously, you’re worrying me.”

So love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do What are you waiting for?

She was worrying him? Rachel glanced up at Nate as Ellie Goulding’s voice continued to fill the barn, and the soft look in his eyes just about broke her. It was all she could do to inhale sharply and shake her head.

“No, I’m not okay. I need to get some air. I need to get out of here.”

Nate’s soft expression immediately turned serious, eyes more intense than she’d ever seen, sending a bolt of electricity through her blood. “Can you make it through the dance? It’s fine if you can’t, I can get you out.”

What?

“I…I can wait,” she managed to choke out.

Nate looked at her for a couple of seconds before nodding, arm moving to gently rest behind her as if some kind of fail safe, and it was all Rachel could do to focus on keeping her breathing steady, eyes stinging with tears as she locked her gaze on her friends as they twirled around the floor. But in reality she was barely taking anything in, other than the heat of his body protecting her. Because that’s what it was – he was protecting her. She knew she was a hair away from having a full-on breakdown, and the last thing she wanted to do was draw attention away from the happy couple. The last thing. It was only that thought that kept her together until the music ended, and the moment everyone burst into applause, Nate was whisking her outside, somehow neither of them being stopped by other guests for polite chitchat.

Small mercies.

When they were in a secluded grassy nook, Nate turned around to face her.

“Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

How could he even ask that?

“Am I okay? Of course I’m not okay!”

He held his hands up in soft surrender. “What’s wrong?” Nathe frowned.

“You! You’re what’s wrong!”

His eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Okay I know for a fact that I haven’t done anything to earn that.”

Rachel just groaned, clenching her fists as she closed her eyes briefly. He hadn’t done anything to earn it? He’d done everything to earn it!

In the 20 years they’d known each other, all she’d ever ‘known’ of him is the way he always poked at her, always the first to draw attention to her doing something stupid, untying the bows in her hair, jostling her in the school hallways. As they’d grown up he hadn’t really changed, even when he spent more time away for hockey. He still made fun of her choices in boyfriends, in clothes, in music, even being as dumb as to take the last beer at summer parties or the burger she’d been waiting for or laughing at her not being able to walk in a straight line when she was drunk.

But never anything cruel. Just stupid attention grabbing things that absolutely got her focusing only on him and no-one else, just like Angela said. Stupid irritating Nathan MacKinnon, and all of his stupid ideas, and stupid inability to actually talk like a human being.

It wasn’t until Nate started laughing that she realised she’d been ranting out loud, blurting out all of her angry thoughts to him, and it was all she could do to let out a frustrated bitten-off scream of frustration as he smirked that annoying smirk.

“You’re right, I don’t want your attention on anyone else. I never have, Rach, and I never will. If I’d known you hadn’t actually realised that, maybe I would’ve used my words. But where’s the fun in that?”

Oh that absolute ass.

Rachel let out another quiet shriek of frustration, grabbing the lapels of his jacket, Nate still laughing even as she pulled him down and pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss.

Invisible string theory suggests that everyone has someone in their lives who is attached to them by an invisible string that transcends time, distance, and geography. It’s fate. And for Rachel Summers and Nathan MacKinnon, they were destined.

[starlight-artbby]

I FUCKING LOVED THE NEW X-MEN EPISODE!!!

We got the Summers Family acting like an actual Family. I love how Kurt gave Jean the best advice like literally Kurt gives everyone the advice they so desperately need. Seeing Scott and Nathan fist bump to also gave me life. I also love when Jean talks about Maddie like I deeply believe Jean saw her as a sister but just didn't know how exactly to reach out when she went through so much.

Also can I talk about how much I love Jean being all Motherly?!?! Like telling Nathan to put on his seatbelt and putting it on for him. Then Scott also being dad and a good husband saying stuff like Nathan, Jean Run! Like ooh those two were finally acting like a family and I am so here for it.

Need more of the Summers Family I fear.

I literally hate Bastion so much already. Like how are you as a Mutant, basically getting rid of your kind? Not to mention Magneto starting war?!?! I could never blame him. Like he literally knew how ostracized Mutants would be from day one.

I also love how Kurt was ready to Kill fro Rogue in an instant. He literally would do anything for his sister and I love him for it .

Now hoo... Roberto's mother done pissed me off. So many parents would rather save face than protect their children. The hurt in his eyes when his mother didn't believe him broke my heart. Can we also talk about how Jubilee literally suicide jumped off that building even for just a second like she would rather hope she learned how to fly instead of surrendering.

I also once again loved the Cute Juberto scenes. I know a lot of people don't fuck with the relationship but I seriously love them. I think they are so cute. Also Roberto learning how to fly and practicing in the danger room! Like I loved that.

Morph was once again killing me with the jokes like not the Wolverine universe thing. I enjoyed seeing the Logan fight sequence when he was in the air and Kurt with swords was everything I didn't know I needed to see animated until that very moment.

Now Professor X done pissed me off still. Like HOW DO YOU FINALLY SHOW UP!!! AFTER EVERYTHING!!! You had the X-Men take over YOUR DREAM! And then you abandon THEM?!?! Like ughhh!!!

Good news thou, STORM WILL HOPEFULLY BE IN THE NEXT EPISODE. And maybe we will get her saving Jubilee and Roberto that would be cool.

I also hope Rogue wakes up soon. (Not to mention I loved seeing all those marvel characters especially Spiderman♡♡♡)

Also, I love Jubilee's new outfit. And the "To me my X-Men was everything. I love when they say that line. And seeing the faces?! Loved that. I am all to excited for the next episode.

[asunsetgrace16]

⌜ ｓｕｎｓｅｔ ｒｅｃｓ ⌝

Will be in alphabetical order by last name

All credit to the original writers

These are some of my favourite fics, edits and other random things that I've found. Please give these amazing authors some love!

*smut

^ig edit

✧ 𝗔 𝗙𝗘𝗪 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗬 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘

@bedsyandco - adorable blurbs, cutest everything, mwah 😘

@sunkissedbedard - absolute cutie, fellow Bedsy lover, 🥰

@cupidbedsy - I have to brag a lil, Emma is amazing person and her writing is *chef's kiss* phenomenal. she's my chaotic bestie on here

@olliesoakberry - cutest headcanons EVER

@nhlclover - some of the best fics I've ever read, definitely didn't absolutely got me into the BC boys

@chukys-mouthguard - such a creative writer and super fun person

✧ 𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗦

Mat Barzal

like something from the movies by @thewintersoldierdisaster

*Twisted in Bedsheets by @thewintersoldierdisaster

*we've come so far baby by @mendeshoney

Connor Bedard

^young stud by @marnerparty

Matt Boldy

belong to you by @nhlclover

Adam Fantilli

*Pent Up by @sc0tters

Luca Fantilli

missing you quietly by @bitchinbarzal

Jack Hughes

She's So Out of Reach by @theemporium

Vancouver by @bitchinbarzal

Luke Hughes

uh oh by @be4chywritez

Love Lost by @nhlclover

Love Earned by @nhlclover

Quinn Hughes

*thick thighs save lives by @scudevils

baby photos by @43-hugs

Just Give Me A Reason by @nhlclover

oh, my, my, my by @sweetteainthasummer

day by day, year after year by @43-hugs

Kent Johnson

Times You Were "Just Friends" by @drewsbuzzcut

Matthew Knies

Don't Chirp My Girl by @hockeybabe

Gabe Landeskog

a domestic evening by @drewsbuzzcut

Ryan Leonard

into you by @nhlclover

Nathan MacKinnon

Colorado (For the First Time) by @withwritersblock

The Fall of Home by @withwritersblock

monday morning by @matthewtkachuk

*Summers Back Home by @happer08

Fraser Minten

Always Been Yours by @lvrhughes

Owen Power

The Best Favour Yet by @sc0tters

Matt Rempe

at last by @mattrempe

Juraj Slafkovsky

Knight in Shining Armani by @itsjusthockey

Will Smith

Enemies With Benefits by @estapa-edwards

Trevor Zegras

The Morning After Always by @sweetestdesire

✧ 𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗢𝗦

TAKE MY HAND: National Hockey League 2023-24 by @ijustdontlikepeople

[emma23]

The dinner debate:

Nathan Bateman x reader

————————————————————————

Nathan Bateman wasn’t exactly the ideal roommate, but after you’d been invited to stay with him for the summer, you realized you didn’t mind his quirks all that much. His brilliance and philosophical ramblings were kind of endearing… if you could ignore the occasional hints of his unsettling, manipulative nature. Most people found him intimidating, but you had a knack for cutting through his intellectual superiority with your sarcasm, something that seemed to entertain him.

The deal had been simple. You’d stay at his tech compound, cook him dinner, and in return, Nathan would offer you a summer of relaxation, along with occasional deep conversations about AI and the future of humanity. But as the days turned into weeks, the dynamic between you two had started to shift.

It wasn’t just about dinner anymore.

One evening, after a long day spent working on some mysterious AI project, Nathan emerged from his lab, sweaty and disheveled, but still annoyingly handsome. You were in the kitchen, frying up some chicken, when you felt his presence behind you. He leaned against the counter, watching you with that infuriating smirk.

“You’re spoiling me, Y/N,” he remarked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Every night, dinner’s ready on time. I’m starting to wonder what I’ll do when you’re gone.”

You snorted, flipping the chicken in the pan. “Maybe learn how to cook? Or, you know, just survive off protein shakes and vodka like a normal tech billionaire.”

Nathan laughed, and the sound reverberated through the room, rich and surprisingly warm. You could feel his gaze lingering on you, and when you glanced back, you noticed the intensity in his eyes.

He was staring at you like he was calculating something. It wasn’t exactly romantic, more like he was solving a puzzle.

“What?” you asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“I’m taking care of you tonight,” he said suddenly, straightening up.

You raised an amused eyebrow. “How exactly are you going to take care of me?”

There was a playful challenge in your voice, and you couldn’t resist the mischievous glint in your eyes. You leaned back against the counter, crossing your arms, waiting for his response.

Nathan, being Nathan, laughed at the innuendo. “I knew you’d go there. By feeding you, Y/N.”

You rolled your eyes. “What are you going to feed me, Nathan?”

His expression darkened ever so slightly. “You truly can make anything sound filthy, can’t you? It’s a skill.”

You laughed, enjoying the light banter. “Too bad it’s not a skill I can be paid for.”

“Oh, you could be paid an awful lot for that skill,” Nathan replied, his voice smooth as silk as he leaned in just a little closer. The air around you felt heavier, charged with something unspoken.

“Don’t get any ideas,” you shot back, but your voice had a slight hitch in it.

Nathan chuckled, taking the spatula from your hand. “Move over, I’m serious. You cook every night. Let me handle dinner for once.”

“Handle dinner?” you scoffed. “You’re gonna burn the house down.”

“Do I look like the type of guy who doesn’t know how to handle a kitchen?” Nathan smirked, the arrogance dripping off him as he casually tied an apron around his waist.

You narrowed your eyes, amused. “You’ve literally been surviving off canned goods and alcohol. Pretty sure I’ve saved you from malnutrition this summer.”

He didn’t deny it. Instead, he started chopping vegetables with the same precision he used for his AI designs. It was kind of impressive… until he nicked his finger on the knife.

“Shit,” Nathan hissed, sticking his finger in his mouth.

“See? You’re hopeless,” you teased, grabbing a bandage from the drawer. “Here, give me your hand.”

“Only if you don’t take this as evidence against my culinary skills.”

“Too late,” you replied with a grin, wrapping his finger. You couldn’t help but notice how close you were standing now. The kitchen felt smaller all of a sudden, the space between you charged with an unfamiliar tension.

Nathan’s gaze shifted to your lips for just a moment, and your heart skipped a beat. He leaned in slightly, but then, just as quickly, he pulled back, a smirk playing on his lips.

“So… what’s for dinner?” you asked, changing the subject before things got too intense.

The rest of the evening was spent in a surprisingly domestic setting. Nathan, for all his arrogance, was actually a decent cook, and the two of you managed to create a meal without burning down the house. You sat across from him at the dining table, enjoying the food and the easy conversation.

“I’ve been thinking,” Nathan said between bites. “About our little arrangement.”

“Oh no,” you muttered with a smirk. “You thinking is never a good sign.”

“Ha, ha,” he replied dryly. “I’m serious. You’ve been here all summer, cooking for me, keeping me sane while I work on this project. I figure it’s time I returned the favor.”

You raised an eyebrow. “How are you going to return the favor, exactly?”

Nathan leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “By taking care of you.”

“Taking care of me, huh?” You couldn’t help the suggestive tone in your voice. “And how exactly are you planning to do that?”

Nathan’s expression darkened, his voice dropping a notch. “Well, I thought I’d start with dinner… but if you’re asking for something else, I’m open to suggestions.”

Your heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, you thought he might actually be serious. But then his grin returned, and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“You’re such a tease,” you muttered.

“Only because you make it so easy,” Nathan shot back, eyes sparkling with amusement.

Later that night, after dinner, the two of you ended up on the couch, a bottle of wine between you. Nathan was surprisingly relaxed, his usual intensity dialed down. You were half-drunk, your inhibitions low, and the conversation had shifted to more personal topics.

“Do you ever get lonely up here?” you asked, swirling the wine in your glass.

Nathan glanced at you, his brow furrowing slightly. “Sometimes. But I’m not exactly the most social person, you know that.”

“Yeah, but you could use some company that isn’t AI robots and weird tech projects.”

He smirked. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

You laughed, but there was something more serious in his tone that made you pause. He was watching you again, that calculating look back in his eyes, like he was trying to figure you out.

“Nathan…”

“Yeah?”

You hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer, your voice soft. “Are you ever going to stop pretending like there isn’t something between us?”

Nathan’s eyes darkened, his hand resting on your thigh as he leaned in. “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t want you to say anything,” you murmured, closing the gap between you and pressing your lips to his.

The kiss was slow at first, tentative, like you were both testing the waters. But then Nathan’s hand slid up your thigh, pulling you closer, and everything heated up. The months of tension, the unspoken desire, it all came crashing down as the two of you tumbled into something far more intimate.

Afterward, as you lay tangled in each other’s arms, you couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?” Nathan asked, propping himself up on one elbow to look at you.

“I just… I didn’t think my summer would end like this.”

Nathan grinned. “Yeah, me neither.”

You smirked, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. “So… about that dinner you were going to cook me.”

“Next time,” he replied, pulling you closer. “This was better, don’t you think?”

“Definitely better,” you agreed with a laugh.

As you got up to leave the room, Nathan called out after you, “Hey, don’t get any ideas. I’m still in charge here.”

You turned around, grinning. “Sure, Nathan. Whatever you say.

[scottxlogan]

Helllloooozzz I got really into scogan recently and because people never tag it it’s been hard to find domestic family fics for them and family fics are my favourite thing like, ever, and there’s only so many times a kitty like me can attempt to sift thru the mpreg tag to find something readable before it’s noggin goes a bit loose, so have ya got any recs ?? ^w^ I’ve looked up so many rec lists but no one lists family fics specifically :’3

Welcome to the fandom! You'll find a lot of really nice people here who will be able to point you in the direction of what you're looking for as there are some who probably know better than I do. If you're looking to chat with other fans there's a Scogan Events discord at https://discord.gg/FmJ24gFJ6X that takes part in a Scogan related bingo for writing, art, etc and other small events all year long. Plus, there's some great people to chat about Scogan with too if you're looking to interact with others who love the ship.

As for recs, I'm going to throw this out here for some of my followers to see if they have some favorites that might help you find what you're looking for. Off hand I know that Tweedle has written a few family fics with Scogan. They're up at her AO3 page at https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiAnLake/. In terms of my own stories, I know I've done a few and I'll list them below. I'm sure I'm missing some, but if anyone else has some recs/suggestions, please help me out here and add them for @beepmeowz if you can.

My fics (off hand that I can think of them. Not all are domestic fluff, but I'm sure some of my followers here can help out with the list of family stories)

Working It Out (One Shot/Rated T) Logan's stressed after finding Laura with a new companion who wants to be more than friends. Scott does his best to calm his husband down after Logan tries to follow Scott's approach to parenting.

Gone Forever (Multi-Chapter/Rated E) After the events of The Wolverine, Logan goes on a journey of his own to discover truths about the life he put behind him. An accident, a run in from a face from his past and a misunderstanding lead him closer to the truth he'd been seeking out, but will it be the key to his ending or his happily ever after? (This story features Scott as a single parent to a young Nathan as Logan finds himself finding love and embracing the family that was always just out of his reach)

Saturday Morning (One Shot/Rated G) Logan takes a moment to reflect on the blessings he's been given in his life.

We're All Different Now (One Shot/Rated M) When a mysterious woman from the future enlists Logan's help to change the past by saving Charles Xavier's life, Logan finds himself back in time at a pivotal place in time. With his mission to save Charles in mind Logan finds himself distracted by his feelings for Scott Summers, a man he loved and lost years before Logan was given a second chance to make things right. Armed with the mission to change only the fate of Charles and nothing else, Logan is torn between doing what was asked of him and following his heart to find a way to make things right with the one man he'd been forced to face a lifetime without the first time around. Will the second time around prove to be a means of repairing the damage that was done or will Scott and Logan's ill-fated romance repeat the same pattern with disastrous consequences?

And finally this one is a WIP series with a one shot and a multichapter, but it doesn't have a lot of family stuff yet as I have it still working out but it is a series that takes place after the movie Logan where Logan is still alive and finds his way back to Scott and Laura if you will.

It's up at

Scott makes a bold decision to resurrect his fallen lover, but in bringing Logan back to life, will it prove to be the key to saving the future or the key to destruction for humanity and mutants alike? How will Logan adjust to his return to a world that moved on in his absence?:

[kalinara]

So one of the best moments in early Krakoa, to me, is how the X-Men get founded (again).

Because originally they were disbanded, the idea being that Krakoa is supposed to be safe enough that the X-Men weren't necessary anymore.

But then X of Swords happens, and a good chunk of the team ends up trapped in the Otherworld, where death just happens to be more permanent (there's something that fucks with resurrection). One of the people on that team? Teenaged Nathan Summers.

So yeah, Scott, as "Captain Commander" of Krakoa wants to go save his kid and his friends/subordinates. The Council vetoes this.

Scott basically says, "yeah, no, fuck you. I'm going anyway."

Jean, a council member at this time, immediately resigns her position to go as well. Given that they're married and its her kid too, this was probably a conspiracy.

This could, of course, have gone quite badly. But as it happens, basically every non-evil member of the Council present (Storm is one of the members who are trapped) IMMEDIATELY wants to quit and come along.

It's a very quiet (pun intended), bloodless coup, when you think about it. If they'd wanted, they could have possibly dismantled the entire government right then and there.

The fact that they didn't might be a tragedy in and of itself.

(X-Men #15)

[sciderman]

Reading New Mutants #98 is such a wild experience because Wade still acts as the snarky and kinda sadistic shit talking queen of mercs, but he's also like...super menacing and competent too? Especialy next to today where people fuck him up like a noob, seeing him taking out a group of mutants with gadgets and tricks, body Nathan and having to be taken out by a suprise element was a true shock...and i kinda love it? Like, Wade shows up and he's actually a threat, but a threat that doesn't even take you seriously, he insults you but is also oddly polite to his main target. What is your take on the original version of Wade?

interesting question! really really reaaaally interesting question! new mutants #98 is an issue i've read like, a million times because newer comics always always always recontextualise it - so you find out, wait - domino was vanessa in disguise, so actually, she probably had an insight on how to take down wade better than anyone else - wait, nathan knew wade as someone who saves his life so was probably pulling his punches actually - wait - the guy who sent wade to kill nate was actually nathan's SON?? like there's five million plot twists that come after new mutants #98 that get me rereading it over and over.

i do love that wade's introduced as someone who is equipped and prepared – he definitely was more competent in the earlier comics, he was perpetually a threat, and always had just the contrived weapon in his arsenal needed to take out certain mutants with certain powers.

they kind of gradually started stripping him of all that - i think when he started making the transition from minor villain to empathetic anti-hero, they started stripping him of his teleporter belt, his image inducer, his swiss-army-knife arsenal that made every fight too convenient for him. and now - now he's just a guy with two swords and maximum effort.

i'm not saying it's bad – buuuut... i love the mission impossible movies. i love impossible gadgets. it's so much more fun to see than just, you know, guys hitting and slashing at each other. give me stupid weird gadget that wade has tucked away in some pouch belt of plot convenience specifically to take down this specific guy with weird specific powers. give me a competent wade who did all the research before going into the fight. not a wade wilson who kind of coasts by with dumb luck and gumption.

but - you know, on the topic of wade being hyper-competent in new mutants #98 it's - kind of not something i believe, either. sure, he's a menace to those kids but - remember, he does still get his ass handed to him in a humiliating kind of a way. what a start to his career. and these guys aren't shaken at all. no "oh my god. this guy is someone we should worry about. we should worry about letting him free." no. wade is shipped back to his employer in a box. there's no worry that he might come back angrier. deadpool's kind of a joke.

nathan summers does often maintain a level-head in general - buuut, i just don't think there was any moment in that fight that nathan really thought he was going to lose against wade. there was no "oh no, all hope is lost" moment. wade was just quick with his punches, sure, but i don't think the cards were actually in his favour. nathan wasn't incapacitated, and would have easily taken wade down.

he kind of just didn't want to, i don't think.

i think maybe he wanted to see what wade could do. and i think if nate really thought wade was a threat to the kids, nathan would have protected them more fiercely. there's no reason at all why nathan couldn't have so, so easily just - yeeted wade out of the building. wade really, really wouldn't have stood a chance if nathan really saw him as a threat to him or (especially) to the kids. nate's training up these kids. he probably saw wade as just - adequate practice for them, but no real threat. wade is completely manageable for him.

i think later on wade gets savvy to the fact that nathan usually pulls the punches with him.

nathan could so, so easily just...

if he didn't want to deal with deadpool.

i think vanessa probably knew that too. and i think that's why she stepped in when she did - because she probably thought if wade pushed too far and trod on one of nathan's nerves, it would be the end for wade. so she neutralised him.

i write a bit about it in i love you, wade wilson - my beloved fic about deadpool's early days.

[kmclaude]

Ive been listening to Jesus He Knows Me lately (Ghost just released the music video for their cover and its great) and its got me thinking of an AU were Tiefer goes on to become like a superstar priest/televangelist. Puts on an act about how Jesus saved him from his terrible childhood abuse, Jehan is his protege who he treats as his own son after his father died, maybe he's even got a wife he pretends to love (only in front of others) Absolute debauchery and abuse out of the public eye of course

not me like 'he could marry his sister' no but he sure could marry a wife that looks like her (honestly she fits the blonde t r a d wife look)

i am devouring this, brilliant, debauched, lovely

(honestly I was thinking about a question @idalwaves asked or reblogged about if being a different flavor of christian would like...how it would change tiefer or jehan's relationship to their sexuality or something -- like would bein southern baptist or fundie work -- and anyway it had me thinking about basically how catholicism is perfect for someone like tiefer who is gay and loathes women, whereas something like fundie or southern baptist that expects a patriarchical figure with a wife and kid, the family man archetype, would be painful for him. like torture to have to fake a loving marriage to a woman.)

BUT IT WOULD BE DECADENT god cuz he can be charming, put on a southern drawl (his accent is southern but different southern, cajun southern, and massaged away by a more new orleanian accent flattened out), lie and lie and lie -- has a wife he fucked (timed it all right and everything, natural family planning and all) until she got pregnant (thankfully quickly) because that's what she wanted, that's what was expected -- and if he works extra hard and after hours and away from her and the home its for god, it's the right thing, it's what she signed up for, of couuuuurse he loves her, ignore that he won't touch her except for briefly in public or when she needles wanting another child (and if he knocks her up enough and then crushes some pills in her food or drink to get rid of it because three's e-fucking-nough, well, hey, what she doesn't know won't hurt her...)

AND JEHAN WELL......things could be the same: dead exlover friend's son is left without a father and, well....wouldn't be too odd for him to offer to a new widow and new mother to take her eldest (his godson) under his wing, later even let him live with them (because he only has daughters so far and one day he won't be around -- makes sense to have someone ready to take over after he's gone -- jehan would be perfect for that -- in fact, it's not his idea's, it's God's even, God put it in his heart that jehan would take up after him -- so why not let him spend a summer with them...and winter...and spring...)

and you KNOW he is fucking jehan -- maybe he waits a bit longer than canonically, properly has him under his thumb until he's fifteen or sixteen (very much the adolescens that he finds attractive) or maybe it starts right after nathan died (he's not even attracted to a 10 year old's body -- not that canonically he's into a 12 year old's body either but at least puberty is hitting and it reminds him of him and nathan in their youth and he's not coping well -- but it's a heady thing, power, and he's been able to get wealth and opened doors and it's a far cry from being a beaten faggot whore on his sister's leash being whored out so why not, why not, it's not like jehan's upset about it, he always gets to cum, and it's not like his wife knows, it's not like anyone knows, why not? who's gonna stop him? God?)

basically tiefer would be soooooo much worse. not that he's great canonically but add wealth and power without rules?! (Catholicism at least has rules.) C H R I S T.

(honestly if you wanted to get real fucked up -- televangelism would probably make this also a modern or modernish AU -- say 80s or 90s at earliest making Tiefer being born....instead of 1930s, probably 1950s or 60s...and well....the implications of being able to take photo or video....well.....well....)

[whumpbug]

Hello Bug!! So I wrote a little fanfic about your boys Simon and Archie. I'm the one who sent you the prompt about Archie having a minor injury and showing up at Simon's apartment and ending up taking care of him, but I thought what you wrote was too perfect to add onto so I did something kind of different. I wrote something taking place during the two days Archie was in the hospital after his #1 Worst Injury. I also took the creative liberty of making it December 24th because why not

I don't know if either of your guys are actually Christian or celebrate Christmas but I still wanted to write a Christmas special because. wholesomeness

okay okay here it is I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE IT

------------------------

It was almost midnight. The only sounds were Archie’s labored rasps of breath and the heart monitor beeping steadily. The lights were dim, and the window had frosted over from the snow. Simon held his warm hand in both of his.

He reminded himself that he wasn’t to blame. He had to keep doing that, whenever his thoughts turned against him. He couldn’t have known what would happen, and there was no way he could’ve gotten there faster while still driving safely.

Still. It hurt. The image of Archie’s chest drenched in blood was something he’d never forget. He couldn’t have saved him on his own, so he had to take him here. Break his promise. And he hated that.

It couldn’t have been a worse time, either. He wanted to spend Christmas with Archie, but not like this.

Three soft knocks at the door. Probably a nurse, sent to check in on things. Simon forced himself to take a deep breath to keep his voice steady and called, “come in.”

His eyes widened when he saw a nurse, yes — but also four patients. All children. A dark-skinned teenage girl in a wheelchair held a large red box in her lap, wrapped with a green bow. A little redheaded kid — no more than five — had a handful of lollipops in the palm that wasn’t set in a sling. A boy on crutches with a dimpled smile and long braids was holding a book. A small girl with hazel eyes hugging a teddy bear was wearing a mask, probably due to a contagious respiratory illness. The nurse carried a pan of cookies.

For a beat, none of them said a word. Then the teen girl pushed herself forward and cleared her throat. “Hi. Is… is that really Vigil?”

Simon was stunned. He nodded.

“He saved me a-about a year ago. My name’s Natalie, but, um… back then, I was still going by Nathan. Did, did he mention me?” She asked quietly, curling a strand of her hair on her finger.

It took a minute, but Simon did recall — last summer. “He mentioned a Nathan,” he said. “Car crash. Right?”

She looked timidly off to the side. “Uh, yeah. We talked a little after. And he made sure all of us got home safe, so… so I thought it’d be nice to…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I mean, it wasn’t just my idea. Everyone helped.”

The nurse smiled down at the girl — Natalie — then looked back up to Simon. “We wanted to bring Christmas to Vigil. I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”

Before Simon could respond, the redhead with the lollipops piped up, “these are for both of you!”

She ran to Simon with little thumping footsteps and offered them to him. “When he wakes up, I want you to tell him they’re from Emily and that he’ll be all better real soon!”

Simon didn’t smile, but his eyes shone. He reluctantly moved one of his hands away from Archie’s to take the lollipops and place them down on the nightstand. “Thank you, Emily,” he said.

“I’m not Emily, silly! That’s my grandma. He saved her one time from bad guys. She says to give him her ‘best wishes.’ My name’s Quinn.”

“Thank both of you, then,” Simon corrected. Eyeing her arm in a cast, he added, “you’ll be better soon too, Quinn.”

That got her to smile. The boy was next in line, limping up next to Quinn. He held out a quivering hand holding a worn cover of a novel. Simon took it and peered at the title. The Journey to Planet 56, by Emilia Robinson. Science fiction, space adventure. Alright, now Simon was smiling — this kid really had Archie pegged.

“Do you think he’ll like it?” The kid prodded, eyes wide and hopeful.

“Trust me, he’ll love it.”

“Say it’s from Cuauhtemoc,” he instructed. “Um, that’s me. Temo for short. That’s my very very favorite book. And I want him to have it, because he got my brother out of an icy lake. Tell him get well soon.”

“I will,” assured Simon. He set down the book next to the lollipops.

The little girl with the mask on was next. She held out the teddy, which Simon noticed was a somewhat realistic model of a fuzzy black bear. Simon took it gently. “Thanks,” he told her quietly, moving to place it gently on top of Archie, but she frantically shook her head and started signing something. He paused, puzzled. “What…”

“That’s American Sign Language,” the nurse explained. “I can’t see what she’s saying from behind, but earlier she told me she wanted the teddy bear to be for you. Her name’s Esperanza.”

Simon blinked. Slowly, he pulled the teddy bear back and looked at it. It felt soft and warm in his hands. “For me?”

The nurse handed the cookie tray to Natalie for a minute to tap the kid with the mask on the shoulder. He signed something to her — probably translating what Simon said — and she nodded to him.

She signed something else, and the nurse interpreted, “you deserve something nice too. For saving our Vigil, you are a real hero.”

Simon was speechless. A hero. Since he’d failed to save Archie on his own, that was the last thing he dared think of himself as. The thought made his eyes sting and blur with the threat of tears. He took a deep breath to keep himself from crying, because he refused to — at least until all the kids were done visiting. He looked up at the nurse. “You know ASL?”

“My mother is Deaf, so it’s actually my first language,” he affirmed. “You want to say something?”

“Tell her… thank you.”

“Tell her yourself. It’s like this,” he said, pressing his fingers to his chin and then holding it outwards with a flat palm. Simon looked back to Esperanza and mimicked the motion as best as he could. Her mouth was concealed by the mask, but joy bloomed in her eyes. It reminded Simon a little of Archie — the way his smile lit up his whole face.

Natalie handed the cookie tray back to the nurse and wheeled closer to Simon. The other kids moved out of the way. She picked up the box in her lap and showed it off to Simon. “Do you… want to do the honors?” She asked quietly.

Simon considered it, but eventually shook his head. “Vigil should. It’s his gift, after all.”

“Okay,” she said. “I hope he likes it. We all pitched in to get it for him…”

“I’m sure he will,” Simon assured. He took the box from her and set it down gently on the floor. It was surprisingly heavy. He wondered what it was.

“And last but not least,” the nurse said, holding up the cookies. “These are for everyone!”

A chorus of cheers broke out among the children.

It was past midnight by this point, certainly. Christmas. And now, it kind of felt like it.

------------------------

So uhh what do you think? I usually write in present-tense but past-tense seemed right for this story

Also you get complete creative freedom about the ending. Do you think Archie woke up for cookies or did he get some a few hours after everyone left? If he woke up while everyone was still there, what did he say to them? What did they say to him?

And if he woke up after everyone except Simon was already gone (probably to their rooms because it is way past all of those kids' bedtimes), what did Simon tell Archie about the visit he missed and all the gifts he got?

Thank you so much for the go-ahead on fanfics Bug!! This was so much fun

also yes I made up the title and author of the book. I would've used a real one but sadly I am not in possession of any sci-fi adventure books

anon. anon i need you to listen to me. [grabs u by the shoulders]

when i say i cried real tears while reading this, i am not exaggerating at ALL.

THIS IS THE SWEETEST, WARMEST MOST WHOLESOME FIC I HAVE EVER READ AND I GENUINELY TEARED UP. im sorry it took me so long to reply i reread it like 10 times already. i LOVE it. SO. MUCH. everything, EVERYTHING about this fic was perfect but i'm going to talk about some of the highlights under the cut and then answer what i think the ending would be

HERE WE GO!

✮⋆˙

okay right away i just want to say anon??? your writing style is SO so so good???? like i was captivated the ENTIRE time

simon blaming himself is so painfully in character. like no simon you are not a bad person because you couldn't literally teleport to archie's location take a deep breath

ALSO THIS BEING A CHRISTMAS FIC MADE MY HEART SO SO SO HAPPY UGH

the thought you put into all the other patients??? the care?? god i don't know how you managed but i'm now attached to all of these kids they're so precious

NATALIE IS SO SWEET and i love the headcanon (well now its canon) of archie telling simon about all of the people he saves and simon remembering them

quinn is SO silly. also is this a reference to the little old lady he had saved in the hypothermia fic??

same with temo is his brother the kid that i made nearly drown in that fic? (sorry temo's brother)

EITHER WAY I LOVE IT AND ALSO TEMO GETTING ARCHIE A SCI-FI BOOK???? MY HEART. MY HEART IS EXPLODING. ANON YOUR ATTENTION TO DETAIL

GOD and little esperanza remembering simon. i want you to know that after those kids left simon sobbed. the wholesomeness was too much for him.

also anon i am so curious. WHAT is the box. this is my personal pandora's box im so so curious

GOD i just love everything about this. you made every single character in this so so so loveable and real and human and it just made me so so so happy. i hope you know my day, year, LIFE, has been MADE. thank you so so SO much

what do i think happens next?

okay anon i honestly think i might even write a little drabble for what happens next because i'm OBSESSED with this scenario, but i'm not going to put it here so the post doesn't get too long. but keep an eye out for that because this scenario is SO perfect.

essentially, i don't think archie would wake up while the kids were there. i think he'd probably stay mostly asleep, what with how drugged up he is.. BUT when he wakes up the next morning and simon tells him about what happened and where all these gifts came from, i think archie would start bawling.

like i think archie would be so touched and happy that it would just come out in a burst of tears and simon would probably join him because 1) he is equally as touched and 2) that man is sleep-deprived and emotional because of it.

the two would have a little tiny christmas morning celebration, they'd watch TV together, archie would read his book, but i think simon would probably fall asleep on accident later in the evening.

which gives archie the perfect oppurtunity to sneak out of his bed and go around thanking each of the kids. (simon would have stopped him if he was awake because. yknow. archie is still recovering from a bullet wound. but. archie is just sneaky like that.)

WELL ANYWAYS, thats what would happen in my mind. archie would find some way to thank them. he'd be too grateful not to.

✮⋆˙

okay real talk. anon thank you so so so much. since i was little, i dreamed of the day people would actually Care about little ocs and characters i made and it means SO much to me that you and other people like them. thank you SO SO SO much for writing this and as always, if you ever write more for them, know that i will be EQUALLY as thrilled. this is definitely a highlight of my YEAR. thank you thank you thank you!!!

[thevulturesquadron]

I JUST FINISHED THE EP!!!

Next season's gonna look fun af omg. Is this following a certain plot line in the comics?

AAA! YES! HI! Me too. Oh next season will be a wild adventure. To be completely honest I feel like, in a similar fashion to season 1, it will do a mix & match from different comics. 1. Jean & Scott seem to be following the timeline where Rachel Summers has pulled both of them into the future to help raise Nathan (The Adventure of Cyclops & Phoenix) in order to stop Apocalypse. 2. In the present we see Apocalypse in Genosha pulling Gambit’s card out of the rubble so it’s clear we’ll get to see him return as Death. Also Wolverine, Morph, Storm, Jubilee & Sunspot are probably still in the present so they will have to deal with that mess. 3. As for the past team I am tempted to say that Kang the Conqueror might actually be one of the major villains of Season 2 - in that sequence where they save Apocalypse we see a very high tech dome that could probably be Kang's doing. Another thing I read in a Collider interview with Brad Winderbaum was that they will continue focusing on the Claremont era, which makes me really happy. Article with a couple of other reading suggestions here What I do hope we'll see in Season 2 is who exactly sent everyone across the different timelines. My guess, and I will continue to believe it until proven otherwise, is that Bastion did it. We see him jump at the end and I don’t think that was towards the X-Men but towards the impact with the rockets. He knows that there’s no redemption for him so it’s more like a gesture of defiance than anything else. The reason why I suspect it’s him is because he assimilated Nathan’s arm WHICH had the tech that allowed Nathan to time travel in the first place. Maybe it was his way of giving the X-Men a shot at undoing what he had done. I guess only time will tell.

[lovebillyhargrove]

Wake me up when July is around

Harringrove slow burn. S1 Steve x Billy

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 feat. Tommy

*** Steve's pov

"Tell me once again what you saw in the photo lab, Nicole."

Steve can't fucking believe it. That weird Byers kid, he doesn't even know his first name, John or .. Nathan? Doesn't matter. Developing pictures of him, his girlfriend and his best friends partying in Steve's backyard?

Holy hell, they must be.. can they be from that unfortunate night in June when Steve finally got lucky with Nancy but then this whole terrible thing happened, and Barb went missing, and cops came to talk to him and his parents, questioned Tommy and Carol, Nancy too? It ruined his whole summer. His relationship with Nancy lost that sweet something that Steve's still trying to chase.

He is certain they never had any more parties like that, not at Steve's place, at least, not the five .. four of them, so it must definitely be from that night.

Steve's heart is racing. He tells Tommy to meet him after classes in the parking lot, before the game because they've got some business to deal with. Byers never visits the games, so he'll just be going home or wherever he's gonna go after school. He'll catch the freak there, have a couple of words with him. Maybe tell him it's wrong to spy on people, take their fucking pictures without them even knowing about it?? Maybe he's been doing it all fucking summer, not just that one time?

Okay, there's been this crazy story about his little brother who went missing last spring for .. several weeks. They found him in the end. What was it, June? Or July? Just right after Barb disappeared?

Fuck.

Anyways that fucked up story didn't give him any right to be taking pictures of them in the middle of the night. They were fucking naked in his bedroom, what kind of sick shit is that?

After the last class is finished Steve and Tommy go to the beamer with Carol and Nicole, as the main witness. Steve sees Byers walking towards his old rusty ford galaxie, head down, as usual and not looking at anyone. A true creep's behavior.

"Hey, man."

Byers stops in his tracks, a spooked expression on his face. Steve gets off the beamer and comes closer to him.

"Nicole here was, uh .. telling us about your work."

The guy clearly doesn't understand what Steve's talking about. Time to explain.

"And we'd just love to take a look. You know .. as connoisseurs of art."

Steve rips the backpack out of the weirdo's hands. Byers looks sick. Tommy and the girls are circling around like vultures.

"Man, he's totally trembling. He must really have something to hide."

Harrington opens the backpack, and holy fuck, Nicole wasn't lying. There are pictures of .. all of them in his backyard that night. Byers isn't even trying to snatch those from Steve's hands. He's caught red-handed and knows it.

"Here we go."

The picture of Harrington's room window, with his and Nancy's silhouettes?? Tommy's going through the photos muttering "Fucking shit" under his breath

"Yeah this isn't creepy at all."

Wait, this is Nancy's naked back, what the fuck.

"No, this is called stalking. Mmm-hmm."

Byers is just standing there, like a loser that he is, not saying a word.

Suddenly there's an interruption.

"What's going on?" Nancy is walking towards them, looking concerned. Carol pipes in

"And here's the starring lady." Steve bets Carol is enjoying the whole scene immensely

"The creep was spying on us last June. And we only find out about it now."

"Yeah, he was probably gonna save this one for later." Carol sing-songs pointing at the nude picture. Nancy is still looking at Steve with raised eyebrows, waiting for an explanation.

Steve's feeling disgusted. There's a nasty itch in his hands, the one you get when you want to squish a cockroach

He's also slightly surprised, and not in a pleasant way, with the fact that Nance didn't immediately take their side.

"Man, that's the thing about perverts. You know they just can't help themselves."

Oh, he knows what he has to do.

"We'll just have to take away his toy."

Steve takes Byers' camera from the backpack, and the freak lunges forward cause he knows what's gonna happen. Tommy stands between the two of them

"No no, wait, wait ... Tommy, Tommy."

Steve holds the camera in his outstretched hand and drops it, theatrically. There's a sound of a shattered lense. Carol and Nicole let out a gasp. Nancy covers her mouth with her tiny hand.

Let the pervert learn his lesson.

Byers still hasn't said anything, like at all. He drops to his knees, looking at the broken camera as if he's trying really hard not to burst out sobbing.

"Come on, let's go. The game is about to start." Harrington motions for the gang to follow him, which they do. The show is finished.

Wait, where's his girlfriend?

Steve turns around to see her kneeling beside Byers picking up the torn pieces of the photos. What the fuck?

"Hey, Nance!" Steve raises his voice in irritation. She gets up reluctantly and goes after her boyfriend, leaving the weirdo weeping over the loss of his possession.

The wind comes, swishing the remaining photo shreds away.

Seriously, what the hell.

***

Steve knows he has to focus on the game. It's Hawkins Tigers vs Greenwood Eagles. It's nothing big, just a friendly match, their school always holds a game at the beginning of each year inviting a team from nearby towns, just to mark the opening of a new season. The whole school is here, and Steve has to fucking concentrate.

He can't.

That freak Byers with his camera, fucking stalking them?? Maybe the police should take a closer look at him. He was the last one to see that girl, Barb. Steve didn't even know her so well, she was Nancy's friend. Should he go to the police? Or should he just drop it? This whole thing is so unsettling, but you know what bugs him the most? The way Nancy stayed behind, picking up those photo shreds, looking like she's on the freak's side. Was she not bothered by the whole thing?

Steve could see that Nancy changed after the mysterious disappearance of her friend in his backyard. He isn't blind, and yeah, that shit's heavy but he also can't understand where his fault is in all of that and what he can do to make everything better. And yeah, he would really like to enjoy his senior year at school, is that a crime? He wants to get wild at parties and .. and do something stupid cause that's officially his last chance to be just a teenager. And he wants that. He's used to getting what he wants. He wanted a new toy? Mommy got him one. He wanted to kiss Laurie? He did, and got his first girlfriend. He then saw Amy and fell in love again? Laurie cried for weeks. It was time for the Harrington heir to get his own car? Dad bought a brand new BMW 733i which drove all the guys insane with jealousy. Amy told him he broke her heart when he started going out with Katie. Katie doesn't talk to him any more when he dumped her and went after the smart girl, Nancy Wheeler. That one required effort, but here they are. Together.

Nancy never does anything stupid.

There she is, sitting in the stands, looking all preoccupied and shit. She's not even interested whether they are gonna win or lose

Things used to be so good last spring. The thrill of the chase, of getting the girl no-one even believed would pay attention to him? One of the smartest students at Hawkins High and the king of parties, in love?

Honestly, the game is the last thing Steve's thinking about right now, too. He's playing outrageously bad, and this moron Hargrove, of course, is pleased as punch. Fucking asshole.

Nancy leaves the match early, and Steve feels like it's all his fault, everything, just fucking all of it.

A hard shove to the shoulder brings him back to the court. Sorta.

"Why the fuck do they even call you king, huh?"

*** Billy's pov

Why even bother inviting another team for a fucking "friendly match" if you aren't able to fucking score? Billy should sign off the basketball team, it's a fucking waste of his time.

This whole gathering of losers moves around the court like a bunch of sleepy snails. Guess who the worst of them all is? The captain, Steve fucking Harrington. How was he even appointed captain is beyond understanding. Did he just suck the coach off at some point, and was that his most outstanding achievement, and that's why he was given the title?

Billy is disappointed to the point of bursting out with hysterical laughter. More than half of all scored points are his. He moves around the court like a flash of lightning. The guys from the Eagles stare at Hargrove with open mouths, clearly not having expected to come across him in the lamest town of all. The stands are going crazy, sensing the victory "Come on, Tigers!"

Billy misses his team back at home so much. He wants to fucking cry. He wants a challenge, he needs some adrenaline. Playing basketball has always been a pleasure for him, but now it's a fucking heartbreak.

Harrington is the worst.

Billy can see that Steve's mind is elsewhere. Like he's trying to pretend to get focused on the game, but he's failing spectacularly. Maybe it all has to do with the scene Billy witnessed in the parking lot today while he was having a smoke before the match. That was some kind of fucked up school drama, right there. Harrington broke some guy's photo camera. Shit must've been expensive, and the guy didn't look like he could easily afford to buy a new one. Billy's gut tells him it's about that girl. Uh-oh.

He doesn't give a fuck if Harrington has girlfriend problems. If you're playing you need to leave everything you've got on the court, and fuck the rest of the world, especially your ninny quarrels.

Billy has a strange feeling like .. there's something hidden in that pouty asshole. Something deep like embers of fire, like he could actually be interesting.

Let me piss him off, properly, right the fuck now.

He sees Andy passing the ball to Harrington, and in a second the ball's already in Billy's hands. It's like taking candy from a child.

Hargrove sends the ball right into the basket, and the crowd cheers.

Captain Loser is standing there like a complete idiot.

Billy gets close to Harrington's sweaty face and whispers

"Why the fuck do they even call you king, huh?"

Steve's hissing

"Leave me the fuck alone, asshole."

"I would but we're sadly on the same team here, dumbass. Your game is pathetic."

He'd gladly push him, bring the piece of shit down, but unfortunately he can't do it to his own teammate.

Hargrove prefers it when Harrington's on the other team. At least then he can get on the guy's nerves as much as he wants to.

After the game Coach Nelson congratulates the Tigers on the victory. He kinda looks proud. Of fucking what?? Everyone is off to the showers but the coach tells Harrington to stay behind and Billy overhears him say:" Pick up your game, Harrington, will ya? Recruiters be coming, what kind of captaincy is this?"

Let the bitch get what he deserves.

Billy has won, again. He has carried the whole game, from the beginning to end, on his back.

It's only the third week of the school year, and Billy's patience is wearing thin. He's gonna go off the tracks and straight into the asylum, soon. How is he supposed to stay sane here till fucking June?

In the showers Billy makes the water colder than usual. Just to cool himself off. Yeah, he still needs to survive till June here somehow. July even, depending on how much money he'll be able to save up. One day at a time. One fucking day at a time.

Guys from the team are fucking happy the Tigers have actually won the game. In the last hundred years, probably. They are all idiots. They should hate Billy for being the absolute best, but their minds are clouded with the excitement of victory.

Freckles is again getting into his space even in the shower, for fucks sake.

"Hey, man? Great game! Wanna go drink a couple of beers with us? We're celebrating!"

Fuck, Billy almost forgot. He really needs to hurry cause Max is gonna be out after her shitty club or something. The little rat can tell her mommy that Billy was late to pick her up and if Neil gets a whiff?? Guess who's gonna get lectured on the importance of being a good brother? Sometimes after listening to his dad Billy just wants to run into a wall, head on, so that his skull gets broken and all the bullshit that Neil's been telling him, spills out, leaving his head blissfully empty.

"Can't. Gotta drive my stepsister home. The little leprechaun is probably already waiting near the car."

There's a disappointed look on Hagan's face, which even seems sincere.

"Another time, yeah?"

"Sure."

He turns off the water and walks away, bumping into Harrington on his way out. The coach must've had a long talk with him. Their bare shoulders touch unexpectedly and there's a jolt of hot hatred running down Billy's spine. He doesn't have time for that now though.

"Look where you're going, asshole."

Harrington just glares at him silently, a flame of fire in those deep brown eyes appearing for a second, and goes to wash the shame of this game off.

***

On Friday Tommy, who's sitting behind him in Spanish, whispers "Hey Hargrove.."

"What?"

"Got a minute after school? Need to talk to you about something."

"Like what?"

"Just meet me under the bleachers, man."

"Mr. Hagan and Mr. Hargrove, please stop talking in class?"

"Lo siento, señorita Delgado, pero ya hemos terminado nuestras tareas y ahora estamos practicando el habla. Le estaba diciendo a mi amigo que me encantaría escuchar su propuesta de lecciones conjuntas adicionales de español."

(I am sorry, Miss Delgado, we have already finished our assignment, and we're practising speaking. I was just telling my friend here that I'd be happy to have extra lessons of Spanish with him.)

The teacher looks at Hargrove with an astonished expression, trying to hide a smile

"Bien. Trata de no molestar a los demás."

(Alright. Try not to disturb others.)

Tommy is whispering in Billy's ear again

"Dude .. what the fuck did you say to her?"

"I told her I'd like to make love to her tonight and she told my to come by her place at nine."

Hagan is snickering but shuts up quickly when the teacher's is throwing him a strict glance.

Hargrove goes to the bleachers after classes. What does Freckles have to say to him?

Turns out, Tommy's got a plan for a prank.

Apparently, the school's gonna be without security this weekend. Old Mr. Wiggins is going to be out of town due to a family emergency, and the second guard, Mr. Crawley was just taken to hospital, and Tommy has overheard a super confidential conversation between the principal and Mr. Clark, that the principal can't find anyone to fill in for the weekend on such short notice, and school grounds will be defenseless during the whole of Saturday and Sunday.

"We cannot pass up such an opportunity. It never happens, it'll never happen. Let's do it. It's a perfect time to strike."

Hargrove wants to ask Tommy why the hell he's asking him of all people but, judging by the look on Tommy's face, he's probably in love with Billy, so he doesn't ask anything.

The "strike" means taking a fucking tractor from a shed that Tommy's father owns to drive it to the school football field and plow something scandalous on it for the whole school to see on Monday.

"Noone plays football in this school anyways. The guys won't care, principal Foster won't care. Well, not too much. The main thing, we don't run into fucking cops. But the shed is just a five-minute drive from school grounds, and there's a dirt road, leading to the gate in the back. We won't even be driving on the road across town."

Billy kinda wants to say no since the whole "I don't give a fuck about this place" thing, but he's also only seventeen, and desperate for some kind of an outlet of his pent up energy. He's been diligently doing homework and writing application letters to universities for the past month. He needs to do something different.

He's probably crazy and this is an unwise thing to do. What if something goes wrong, and the whole prank ends with him getting expelled from school?

Billy loves the idea. He can see it, so clearly in his head, the nightmare that's gonna follow? Neil's rage? Dad's definitely gonna kill him. Skin him alive.

The most important thing is to have enough time to jump in the car and drive the hell away. Then, everything can just explode and never come back to normal.

Maybe that's what he needs. The explosion, and he'll come out of the fire, cleansed of all the burdens and free.

Billy knows this about himself. He's generally a very rational person. But sometimes something gives.

"Okay."

"Really? Oohh it's gonna be epic, dude! Harrington's gonna come, too. I hope you two will .."

Tommy is clearing his throat.

"What do you mean?" Billy doesn't want it to sound menacing, yet it still does.

"Nothing. I mean .. I don't know, you always seem to be at each other's throats like .. ready to fight like two bitches."

Tommy is afraid he's said too much too harsh.

Billy is chuckling

"Yeah .. maybe."

He's in good mood today, letting a conversation like this happen.

Billy looks at the watch and Max should still be at the AV club she's been going to. He's got plenty of time to kill. So he asks Hagan for more details. He wonders if Harrington is on board with him taking part in it, but Tommy must've built the necessary bridges.

They agree to meet at midnight on Saturday near the shed Tommy has mentioned. He explains how to get there from Cherry Lane.

***

On Saturday evening Billy parks down the street cause he doesn't want Neil to hear how he's sneaking off in the middle of the night.

At 11.45 he quietly climbs out of his window, gets in the car trying to make as less noises as possible, and drives to their agreed meeting spot. He sees Tommy's car parked nearby.

The night is dark and quiet, and there are myriads of stars in the black skies above them. The thin crescent moon is hanging high, white and sparkly. Billy takes a deep breath of the fresh and chilly night air. There are black voids of sinister woods all around him.

Tommy's already waiting.

"Hey, man."

"Hey. Where's King Steve? He coming?"

"Nah. The dude wanted to but bailed last minute."

Billy's what? A bit disappointed?

Give me a fucking break.

"Miss Wheeler is staying overnight at his place so.. he's probably getting his dick wet right this second."

Tommy is smiling gleefully but

There's an unpleasant pang of .. something in Billy's heart.

He doesn't understand why, but the thought of it makes him uncomfortable. Just for a second like.. He doesn't want to hear this information.

Anyway, why the fuck does he care.

"Okay, are we doing it or what?"

"Damn right we are."

Tommy unlocks the shed door, and holy shit, the tractor's huge.

"Do you know how to drive that thing?"

"Of course, since childhood. My dad sells farm machinery, so he's been teaching me how to drive all kinds of stuff."

They walk inside the shed and climb into the tractor's cabin.

"You have the key?"

Tommy fishes it out of his pocket and looks at Hargrove expectantly.

Billy, in his turn, takes out a couple of joints he's made at home. Tommy leaves the key in the ignition, his smile wide and merry.

"Ohhh man, hell yeah! Is that from California?" He smacks Billy's shoulder

"Yeah." Hargrove clicks the lighter.

"One now, one later?"

"Fucking yes, man."

Billy's putting his butt on the huge dashboard while Tommy's climbing in the seat. Billy doesn't know how to drive a fucking tractor, so Hagan is the designated one here.

He takes a long drag of the joint, letting the hot heavy smoke roll on his tongue, like viscous glue, before inhaling it.

Californian weed, immediately bringing memories.

He misses home.

Tommy takes the joint from his fingers, but starts coughing after the first drag

"That shit's strong. Fuuck."

"Yeah. Go easy."

Hagan's second drag is a success. They sit for some minutes in silence, just passing the joint to each other.

A question slips off Hargrove's tongue, although he doesn't even know why he's asking it

"What's Harrington's deal?"

"He's alright."

Tommy inhales the smoke again

"We've been best friends since primary school. Like .. always hanging out and stuff. But then he decides to go after that Wheeler princess, and .. fuck knows what.. I mean we're still friends and shit, and I've got his back but .. he's not the same since he got together with Wheeler. Carol hates her guts."

Billy can swear, Tommy's voice got sadder, but like .. there's an undertone to it. The hell .. ? Freckles has a crush on his pretty best friend? Hagan grunts, moving in the seat to make himself more comfortable

"I'm telling ya, this prissy bitch is gonna be the death of King Steve."

Billy isn't sure why, maybe it's the weed, maybe he just really missed having at least some sort of fun, but he kinda likes this. Smoke floating inside the cabin, the darkness and the wild exhilaration of a teenager who's about to do something really stupid and meaningless and potentially definitely dangerous.

"How do you play basketball so well?"

"Man, come to San Diego and give me a couple of months with you on the street courts. You'll score every goddamn time."

Tommy nods in understanding and Hargrove's putting out the stub.

Hagan rubs his hands excitedly and grins at Billy.

"You ready for some Indiana fun, Hargrove?"

Billy gets his ass off the dashboard and stands near the seat. His eyelids are a bit heavy but he wipes his hand on his face

"Start the fucking thing."

The sound of the engine pierces the silence and out of the shed and onto the road they go.

Holy shit, that's an enormous fucking tractor Tommy's driving.

Billy has no fucking clue how to drive a tractor.

"Watch the cars!"

Tommy's laughing

"Relax, dude. I know what I'm doing. Let's go baby!"

It's really just a five-minute drive through the dark field. The tractor is loud and shaking, or maybe it's the weed pulling tricks on him already.

"Hey, Hagan, lemme, lemme .."

Billy's pushing Tommy off the seat and grabbing the steering wheel cause he wants to drive the fucking monster too. Shouldn't be so hard.

"Okay, just .. fucking drive yeah?" Tommy is shouting cause it's LOUD.

"Sure thing!" Billy's shouting back, both of them high as kites.

The whole town is asleep.

School's not that far away.

They smash the lock on the gate to the football pitch with a crowbar.

Drive into the fucking field.

Billy is fucked if Neil finds out.

"What the fuck are we gonna write?" Tommy's still shouting cause the engine's running

"Dunno! A dick?"

"What the fuck, are you a plough artist or something? You can't draw a dick with a fucking plough. It's complicated!"

Billy's shrugging his shoulders

"I'd just write ASS!"

"Yeah! Foster is gonna be mad though!"

"Who's Foster??"

"The principal! There's a fine line!"

"What?"

"There's a fine line!!"

They both think for a second. Tommy yells

"Let's draw a crown!"

"A what??"

"Yeah yeah yeah let's do it man! A tribute to king Steve? A crown??"

"I don't care!! Won't they trace it back to Harrington?"

"Even if they bother, he's fine! He's got an alibi!"

Tommy's sticking his tongue out and imitating french kissing

"Dude, stop! It looks disgusting!"

So it's a crown.

Tommy shows him the stick to bring the plough down. He's holding his hands on the steering wheel, just in case Hargrove loses control.

"Let's go, fucker!"

They make a line at the bottom of the field, and uuuuup! A little bit down .. uuup. A little bit down .. uuup! One more time, aaaand dowwwn.

Job done. Easy-peasy.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

***

When they get the tractor back safe and sound and smoke the second joint sitting on some straw on the shed floor they mostly giggle dumbly. However, at some point Billy asks Tommy about the jobs here, and Hagan tells him about the huge super-duper construction. Starcourt, he thinks. His uncle Joe knows the contractor. Small town. Tommy promises to find out if they offer jobs. He's not sure though cause they have like professional crews working there and stuff, but it doesn't hurt to ask. His uncle asked earlier in the summer if Tommy was interested. Tommy said no cause last year of school. He's applying to a couple of colleges but most likely there's no college for him, he'll just end up working for his dad probably. Which isn't so bad.

***

On Monday morning the school is fucking buzzing.

The crown looks a bit crooked.

Like king, like crown.

Principal gathers all of seniors in the assembly hall during lunch break and calls for discipline.

"A bit too early for a senior prank? We understand Hawkins school is the best, hence the crown, but. Do not make me cancel prom."

Everyone falls silent.

Billy doesn't care about prom.

He and Tommy look as innocent as ever.

Harrington? Billy can bet a hundred bucks, Harrington looks jealous. Like he missed all the fun.

They get under the bleachers later, all three of them and Carol. Tommy does most of the laughing and talking. No-one's gonna know, just keep your mouths shut, boys. We did good. The principal is also an idiot, like Hawkins school is the best, haha.

Harrington is mostly silent, just like Billy is.

When Billy lays in his bed that night and lets the memories of his prior life bring him to sleep, he thinks that

He didn't hate Saturday night.

He's definitely not going soft on this town, but he didn't hate the night.

Tommy's okay.

Harrington is a pathetic pussy-whipped loser.

Billy would never.

***

Thank you @dragonflylady77 ❤️, as always)

Chapter 4

[laurenairay]

So I've posted a bunch of fics already this year...

The first half of this year has been busy! I have a few more fics ready to post for this summer (one coming this weekend!) so I just wanted to put together everything I'd written so far this year in case you missed any of these 10 stories!

◊ Elias Pettersson - Lately you've been on my mind Brock Boeser is the ultimate match maker – he knows he is. And he is determined to set his friends up.

◊ Jack Hughes - hopeless hearts just passing through Jack had messed up, again. Can he make it up to you this time, or is it too late?

◊ Seth Jarvis - every breath every hour leads to this Seth Jarvis was your best friend, your rock, your protector…but could he ever be anything more?

◊ Frederik Andersen - comes back to me, burning red Kendra Lee and Freddie Andersen lost touch after he was traded from Anaheim – will a surprise encounter bring back their friendship? And maybe more?

◊ Tyson Jost - summer days pass me by Mollie Thomas has been friends with Tyson Jost since they were children – but this summer by the lake could change everything.

◊ Nathan MacKinnon - you've been sent to save me Rachel Summers can’t stand Nathan MacKinnon. But when a mutual friend’s wedding pulls them together, will anything change?

◊ Matthew Tkachuk - Got me in the palm of your hand Wedding preparations are always emotional.

◊ Quinn Hughes - I got a secret, I'm telling everyone Quinn doesn’t think he’s good enough for Gianna. Gianna doesn’t think Quinn would ever like her as more than a friend. Jack has had enough of the pining.

◊ Nick Blankenburg - how long I had to fight to be living my life When Nora’s car breaks down, it’s just her luck that her ex-boyfriend Nick is the only one who answers the phone.

◊ JT Compher - Red Sundress A little red sundress goes a long way (to making JT admit his feelings).