#wait hold on i galaxy brained. robin

[stellarspecter]

hi. um. jatp stranger things au. bc eddie is soooo lukecore

[fandonnavyce]

Patrol Partners 2024

This is my co-authored fic for this event. Shout out to Leonardo_Turtle for being a great partner!

Aka the Brain Dead Meet Cute where Tim and Danny are Trapped in An Elevator during a Rogue Attack

Danny presses the 12th floor elevator button to take him to the new exhibition in the observatory. He has been looking forward to seeing it since he had arrived in this dimension but never had the time to visit until now. The exhibition was supposed to be a stunning gallery of all the exciting xeno-meteorology on the different planets in the Cassiopeia Galaxy. Danny was so looking forward to seeing it. Danny fired off a quick text to Tucker, as he impatiently watched the numbers above the elevator doors ascend. Ding went the elevator upon its arrival to the 12th floor. The lift doors parted open.

CRASH

Startled at the sudden noise, Danny looked up from reading Tucker’s reply. Streaks of red and black went smashing through the hallway’s window in a shower of shattered glass. Multiple bodies hit the ground. The one in red smoothly rolled to his feet but he was being ganged up by the other three fighters dressed in iconic black outfits - Ninjas and (red and black costume with a stylised cape and domino mask) Red Robin?! Danny had heard of the vigilante Red Robin before, but he had never seen him in action before. (Warning Long Post)

Three on one seemed like an unfair fight but the hero was more than holding his own. Danny silently reached over to press the ‘Open Doors’ button as watched the fight with great admiration. Red Robin was deftly dodging the multiple attacks from multiple angles. Sliding out of range and using his staff’s greater reach to counterattack with such elegance, it looked choreographed. So Danny decided that the best thing to do was to not get in the way. Instead he would wait for the fight to be over. Danny pressed the ‘Open Doors’ button again.

Whilst Red Robin batted away a shower of shuriken with his staff, Danny prevented the doors from closing again. With a stunning swing Red Robin managed to knock one of the ninjas out of the fight completely. The two remaining ninjas shared a look before pouncing. With aggressive coordinated attacks, the fight sped up. As the intensity increased, Red Robin's staff became a blur. Then it began sparking with electricity. It took short work before the second ninja was convulsing on the floor. Red Robin then knocked the third ninja to their knees before swiftly electrocuting him right in front of Danny. The slumped over body crumpled at Danny’s feet.

Danny was looking at the unconscious ninja, and giving them a little nudge with his foot, when he felt someone staring at him. He looks up and finds Red Robin staring blankly at him in total disbelief.

“What?” Danny says as he gives the ninja a bigger nudge. “He’s in the way.”

“And you didn’t think to use the stairs to get away?” Red Robin asks. “Or just get to safety like a normal person?”

Danny surveys the fight and, as if the thought had just occurred to him, he says, “Yeah I should probably leave. I don’t think the exhibit is still open after this.” Danny pointedly looks around at the scene. Then he shrugs and motioned towards the elevator. “Need a lift?”

Red Robin looked at him like he was insane. Then he just sighed and nodded his head.

"Might as well," Red Robin said while dragging the ninja out of the elevator by his leg. He lifted his hand to his ear and looked away while saying, "B, need a cleanup on floor 12. Heading down for a perimeter check."

Danny watches as Red Robin comes closer and enters the elevator. For the last time Danny reaches over to the elevator buttons but this time he presses for the ground floor. He shifts over so that the vigilante can have more elbow room. The elevator begins to descend. The pair stand in silence. Danny keeps giving side glances to Red Robin who seems to be either unaware or merely ignoring Danny’s furtive looks.

Danny's slouch straightens up immediately when he feels the elevator's momentum suddenly slow down with a loud screech. A siren goes off. Danny looks down to find Red Robin’s hand clutching his arm as if to brace him. Danny stares down at the gloved fingers holding onto his sleeve, stares up at Red Robin, then back down at the hand with a look of confusion. Danny opened his mouth to ask why but the vigilante had already retracted his hand, and was visibly cringing. He reached his hand up to his ear.

“Batman, Batman come in,” Red Robin hurriedly says into his comms. But the vigilante only received static. “Oracle,” he tried instead, his voice was a studied calm.

“No response?” Danny asks commiseratingly. Behind his mask, Red Robin looked blankly at Danny before shaking his head.

“The elevator is causing interference with the signal so I can’t get through.” Red Robin then cocked his head. “Can I borrow your phone?” he politely asked.

“Why?” Danny asked suspiciously, holding his phone protectively close to his chest.

“I think I can use it to boost the signal and get through the interference,” Red Robin explained. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it back in one piece,” he reassured.

Danny grimaced, “I don’t think my phone will be compatible with your tech.” Danny’s current phone had been cannibalised and rebuilt by Tucker during a feud with Technus. It had ended up so modified that Danny would be unsurprised if any day now his phone woke up sentient.

“Can I at least try?” he asked with an expectant hand out. Danny couldn’t find any good reason to say no. Reluctantly he handed over his phone, placing it directly into the vigilante’s hands. Red Robin flinched when their hands touched, and Danny winced back. Red Robin had clearly been startled by how cold Danny’s hands were even through their gloves.

“Sorry, cold hands,” Danny apologised. He trotted out the usual fib to explain it away. “I have low blood circulation.” Nodding silently, Red Robin appeared to accept that. Nervously, Danny fidgeted as Red Robin physically inspected his phone, taking off the back and everything. Danny looked over Red Robin’s shoulder to watch what the vigilante was doing. Red Robin’s eyes never left the phone. Eventually though, the vigilante gave up the attempt and agreed with Danny’s initial assessment.

“I’ve never seen a model like this. Where did you get it?” Danny was saved from answering when suddenly the intercom crackles to life above them.

“Good day good citizens of Gotham city, you might be wondering why I brought you here today.” A nasally sounding voice spoke. “Well it’s quite simple really. The Batman thinks he is smarter than me and it’s getting on my nerves. So, I decided to give him a challenge he can't beat. That’s where you lovely people come in. If Batman solves my three riddles, I will release the hostages. If he doesn’t…..” The voice starts cackling. “If he doesn’t then the observatory goes boom. Batman, you will receive your first riddle in five minutes. Be ready”. The intercom fizzles out, leaving an awkward silence.

Danny hears Red Robin silently cursing while he stares at the now silent intercom. He feels a bit guilty for getting him stuck in the elevator with him so he decides to break the tension.

“Well, he’s a bit of a fruitloop isn’t he? Wonder what his deal is.” Red Robin turns his head towards Danny with a flabbergasted look on his face.

“You wonder what his deal is, do you even know who he is?” Danny looks back at Robin, awkwardly staring at Red’s disbelief. It dawns on Danny that he had just messed up.

“Whaaaaaat?” he laughed nervously. Danny felt his smile stretch just a bit too wide for a human. “Of course I do!” he lied. Internally Danny was furiously debating with himself whether or not to just admit he doesn’t know. He decides to double down on the lie instead. “This is the guy who does, who does the stuff with the you know… the other stuff.” Red Robin’s stare is unrelenting. Danny begins to sweat nervously. “Which are… riddles?” his voice rises. Danny crosses his fingers behind his back. Unbeknownst to Danny, Tim could see that. There were mirrors in the elevator. Also, Danny’s arm movement had been very unsubtle.

The intercom crackles to life again with the familiar voice from before who Danny now knows as “The Riddler”, a name that Danny privately thought was very stupid. “Well Batman, I hope you are ready for your first riddle.” He chuckles evilly “Riddle me this: Take me out of a window, and I leave a grieving wife. But stick me in a door, and I can save somebody's life. What am I? You have 3 minutes to give me your answer.” The Riddler chuckles as the intercom fizzles out.

“What can be taken out of windows and put into doors?” Tim furiously mutters as he thinks out loud. “Well the most common glass to use for windows is silicate glass, that is a mixture of sodium carbonate, limestone and silica aka sand whilst doors are typically made from wooden materials, like pine or oak, even mahogany so are they talking about Carbon or organic matter since all living beings need it. But what does that have to do with grieving wives? Unless they're talking about steel doors, but again, what does that have to do with grieving wives and life saving?” he trails off into thought.

Danny meanwhile looks down in concentration. “Take me out of windows… grieving wife; Stick me in doors… save lives. Windows… doors, windows, doors…” Danny frowns as the cogs in his mind turn. Then like a bright flash, he gets the answer. “It's the letter n!” Danny blurts out triumphant. Red Robin’s head whips round to face Danny. A disgruntled look of confusion was on his face.

“What?” he sharply asks, slightly irritated at his broken train of thought.

“It’s the letter n,” Danny repeats in excitement, “the answer is the letter n!”

Red Robin folds his arms. “How?”

“Like this: If you take the letter n out of window you get,”

“Widow,” Red Robin interrupts, now catching on, “and a widow is a grieving wife. Which means if you put the letter n in door you get,”

“Donor” Danny finished cheerily, “as in blood donor or heart donor. Something that can save lives!”

“That’s,” Red Robin is staring at Danny with an intent look in his eyes, “impressive. You figured out the answer to that riddle very quickly.” Danny responds with a sheepish grin. He was just about to say something when his phone went off. It’s an incoming text from Tucker. Danny fishes it out from his pocket. Danny taps out his reply on his phone’s keypad.

“How are you getting a signal in here?” Red Robin asks inquisitively. Danny’s finger freezes over the keypad. His brain stalls.

“Errrrr.” Fortunately for Danny, he’s saved from answering when the intercom turns on again.

"Impressive, Batman. You've correctly guessed that the answer was the letter 'n'. Now, for my second riddle, a little favour from that foolish Kite Man," the Riddler muttered with annoyance. “I love to dance and twist. I shake my tail as I sail away. When I fly wingless into the sky. What am I? You have three minutes to give me an answer.”

Once more, the intercom is silent. Red Robin sighs deeply and looks at Danny.

“Well that is an easy one, a kite probably. He gave it away even before he said the riddle.”

Danny looks at him questioningly. “How was it obvious?”

“Because he said Kite man made him say it. You know, like the super villain?”

"Of course I know who he is.” Danny chuckles nervously. “I was just confused because you said SUPER villain. I mean, he is a villain alright! Just not, you know, a super one.” Red Robin looks at him like he grew a second head.

“What do you mean not a super one? What’s the difference?”

“Well…. presentation.” Danny thought he nailed that one. But one look at Red Robins face makes him question himself again. “You know what, probably not important right now though.”

Tim can’t believe what his day just turned into. First, he finds out Jason changed out his regular coffee for decaf, and then he has to deal with Ra's al Ghul’s ninjas only to get stuck in an elevator with a citizen who deals with stress by lying poorly. What’s even worse is that he still doesn’t know his name after all this time. Tim turned to the other occupant of the elevator.

“Sorry, I just realised we have been stuck in this elevator for a while and I never asked for your name.” The stranger looks relieved by the change in topic.

“Oh yeah, it’s uh... it’s Danny.”

"So, Danny, you're not from around here. Are you?"

“Whaaat?” Danny starts laughing nervously. “Is it that obvious?”

Silence falls awkwardly between the pair trapped in the elevator. Tim notices that Danny is fidgeting and his eyes are darting around the elevator as if he is looking for a quick way out. Tim supposes that it would be pretty scary for a non-Gothamite to deal with the dangers of a rogue. So he decides to put his extensive Robin training to the test.

“Everything is going to be fine, you know.” he says while trying to exude confidence. But it comes out a bit stilted. The awkward silence remains a bit before Danny speaks again.

“Saying who gave you the riddle, knowing that the guy's whole aesthetic is kites may just be the dumbest move he made yet. How long do you think Batman would take to solve it?”

They are interrupted by an angry voice coming over the intercom again.

“Well, it seems Batman solved the riddle. Not that it was hard. I’m never going to do a favour for Kite Man ever again. That loon doesn’t know a good riddle even if it hits him in the face.” They hear the Riddler sigh and quietly count to 10 before continuing. “I guess it is time for the last Riddle. When you stop to look, you can always see me. But if you try to touch me, you can never feel me. Although you walk towards me, I remain the same distance from you. What am I? As always, you have 3 minutes.”

“Well the answer obviously has something to do with space, or at least the sky,” Danny immediately declares with full confidence. Tim raises an eyebrow.

“How so?”

“When you stop to look, you can always see me. But if you try to touch me, you can never feel me,” Danny quotes, “That is clearly a reference to something you find in the sky, like the MOON OR THE STARS!” He says that last bit very excitedly. “But what kind of phenomena is it where you can walk towards it, but remain the same distance? Most of the difficulty with space travel is surviving the conditions of travel. Unless we’re talking about objects in space that are so far away that the usual units of distance are rendered useless,” Danny mutters off, “but that’s what the unit ‘lightyears’ was literally made for. So are we back to…”

Tim watches Danny struggle to answer the riddle. He believes that Danny was on the right track when he said that the answer was something that could be observed in the sky but he wasn’t so certain about the space aspect. After all, if the answer was an approachable object then it wouldn’t remain the same distance away if you walked towards it. That meant the answer had to be something illusory, a visual phenomenon. Tim thought hard and then grinned when the answer came to him.

“Danny I know what the answer is,” Tim called out.

“Huh?” Danny blinks in wide-eyed surprise.

“The answer to the riddle, I know what it is,” Tim repeats, smiling wide. “It’s the horizon.”

Danny stares at Tim before face-palming. “Oh my god, that’s so obvious in hindsight,” he groans in self-deprecation.

As the time keeps ticking on, Tim notices that Danny is getting more agitated. And the more agitated he gets, the more strange he begins to appear. If you asked him what was strange about him, he couldn’t tell you. Call it Robin's intuition.

Danny takes a deep breath and releases it in a frustrated sigh. “Why is it taking Batman so long to solve the Darn riddle? It’s been well over 7 minutes now.” He starts to sound more distorted the more frustrated he gets. “I didn’t come here to be stuck in an elevator for god knows how long, I just wanted to see that blasted exhibit on the Cassiopeia Galaxy, Why is that so gosh darn hard?!”

Tim finds it amusing how Danny swears like he’s a 70-year-old granny at church. “That’s one way to say it.” Even as he is smiling at Danny’s misery, he can’t help but think how odd his voice sounded. It sounded like he was talking from an old radio. The more Tim pays attention to Danny, the more things start to add up. He decides to not comment on it because Danny doesn’t come across as dangerous. Just a little weird. He is 90% sure that he is a meta, The other 10% might be that he maybe needs to sleep a little more than 3 hours over a period of 5 days.But it was then that he saw it, Danny’s eyes had slowly turned more and more green. To the point they were glowing. He doesn’t want to put him on the spot by saying he is a meta, but if it meant getting them out of the elevator sooner then he would.

“So what are your abilities?” he “subtly” asks. He does his best to look as not threatening as he can while Danny looks at him with a startled expression.

“Whaaaat? Abilities?! Why would, why would you think that?” Danny’s voice is pitching higher as he tries to stammer out another lie.

“Dude you don’t have to be scared, I won’t tell anyone. But if it gets us out of the elevator then it would be nice to know.”

He sees how Danny is gearing up to tell another lie before deflating. “Yeah okay, you got me. I’m a meta.” Somehow, Tim still gets the feeling that he isn’t being told the whole truth. He decides not to call him out on it. “I can phase us out of the elevator so we can help Batman take out the baddies.” Danny says excitedly with a cheeky wink.

Tim looks at Danny with a flabbergasted look. Then shakes his head and says, “OK besides the fact that you just said baddies unironically… You could have phased us out of here this whole time?!”

Danny at least has the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry dude, I just didn’t know how you would react.” Tim releases a big breath and takes a few seconds to collect himself.

“Alright, we can talk more about this later. For now, let’s just get out of here and kick some riddler butt.” He can hear Danny giggling when he said butt, but he decided to ignore it like the adult he is. Especially since Danny has started to stand very close to him. He hoped Danny didn’t see his blush.

“Sorry, I just need to hold you so I can phase us out. Is that ok?” Danny asks gently. Tim agrees and then he can feel Danny’s arms around him. “Hold on tight.” Tim does as he says and puts his arms around Danny’s neck. He then feels a wave of cold wash over him as he is slowly lifted off the ground. They then go up and through the walls until they land on the floor in front of the elevator doors. The cold feeling goes away when Danny lets go of him and steps away. He takes a moment to orient himself before turning on his comms.

“Batman, this is Red Robin, are you there?”

“Red Robin,” Oracle’s voice comes through the line, “Where have you been?” Her voice is partially concerned but mostly curious. “I lost track of you after you were attacked by ninjas?”

Tim sighed, already regretting the words that were about to fall out from his mouth. “I got stuck in an elevator,” he defeatedly admits. Oracle breaks out in laughter.

“What?! Are you serious? What do you mean you got stuck in the elevator?”

Tim runs his hand through his hair. “The building I ended up fighting Ra’s assassins happened to also be where the same building that The Riddler was attacking at that moment. So when I decided to take the elevator instead of the stairs after my fight, that was when the elevator stopped working,”

“Because of the Riddler,” Barbara finished. “So you’re at the observatory? That’s where Batman is right now.”

“Yeah, so if you could point me in the direction of the fight that would be great.”

“Replacement, you’ve missed the fight!” Jason yells, cackling loudly. Tim could feel his face fall.

“What?” Tim asked despondently.

Barbara was kind enough to be apologetic, “Sorry Red Robin, the fight is already over, Batman has already handed Riddler over to be arrested and everything.”

“Oh that’s…” Tim just manages to not curse, “fantastic.” He ignores Jason’s howls of laughter. “See you later Oracle, Red Robin out.” Tim decisively cuts the line. Bottling up his irritation he then turns to Danny. “Your phone number,” he demands. Danny quietly recites it. Tim nods, memorising the 10 digits. “You will be hearing from me,” Tim declares before releasing his grappling hook and swinging away, so very done for the day. He’ll tackle Danny and the mystery of his meta status a later day.

And if he decides to ask Danny about it over coffee or at Bat Burger then that is strictly between him and the handsome stranger he met in the elevator.

The End

@patrol-partners-batphandom

Masterpost

[ravenadottir]

i’ve seen asks about this before but I wanted your take on it because I love your opinions and how much depth and flavor you give the islanders especially the bland as hell ones (*cough* Jo *cough*) (*cough* i hate her *cough*) anywayssss how do you think a relationship would go if MC never found love with any of the Islanders, but ended up falling for one of the producers or someone who works on set ?

yesss! thank you! jo is the worst! i’ve seen people saying “oh, but all she did was kiss ibrahim and lie about it.”

riiiight, but that bullshit lasted two weeks, then she twerked on my guy’s lap, smirking and thinking she was doing some damage! “vena, that’s the girl you have the lowest relationship with.” THEN SHE BROUGHT ON HERSELF, SON! if she wasn’t unbearable, i wouldn’t have a low relationship with her, and that’s on that.

*takes a deep breath* NOW

that galaxy brain of yours, bringing this prompt, it’s detrimental for me, ‘cause like, i already have over 23 WIPS... LOL but because you’re a fellow common sense stan, i’ll do a quick list of bullet points for this scenario... i honestly love it so much, and i apologize if someone has done it, but i haven’t seen it.

((this got a little long, so i’m putting it under the cut, for space saving purposes))

in the game they don’t quite show just how much the islanders actually interact with the camera/mic crew. they’re present in every date and recouplings, besides those “following” shots when they walk to the different locations. there are some takes that show the islanders having friendly conversations with them, and that’s why i included mic guy in gary’s beach hut confessions. it’s also something i mention in noah’s chapter, on “hold the line”, after operation nope.

for this scenario, i’m using a f!mc - robin x m!cameraman - seb

robin meeting the boys could’ve been exciting, but after a few days she quickly realizes the o.g boys are nothing but friends to her, her couple being the closest. let’s pair her up with bobby, initially.

the bombshells arrive, and still, she doesn’t feel much, but she’s invited to a date, and in hopes to find that little spark everyone keeps talking about, she decided to go.

while walking towards the table, she notices the camera man focusing on the image of the side screen, possibly telling her to flip her hair, and she does it, playfully charmingly, because why not? she’s excited to go, and that makes him smile. “that’s perfect.” he says, following the path to the table, where the henrik waits for her.

as she finishes the conversation with mountain boy, robin and seb move on to go back to the villa, the guy quietly follows her, but he can’t help asking. “how was it?”

she shrugs, maybe looking directly at him. “i think it went fine.”

“you don’t sound excited.”

she looks down, biting her inner lip. “i guess i don’t, huh...”

he leaves her by the gate, waiting to get further instructions. after bobby finds her, and she gets another text, she’s again heading to the date, the cameraman just smiling awkwardly. “another one, huh?”

“yeah, i guess...” they exchange a look, and she puts a strand of hair behind her ear.

“are you... excited?” immediately his pocket vibrates, and he interrupts the shot, reading the text. “focus on the shot.” so he does, staying quiet as he continues it. robin gets a bit confused, but it’s probably something to do with his job, so she doesn’t say anything.

as the date ends with lucas, and she walks back, the camera man is quiet, which makes her intrigued. “did you get in trouble?”

he nods, perching his lips. “nah, it’s fine.”

“i hope so. i don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

“honestly... it wouldn’t be the worst thing if it was because of you.”

they exchange a look and he brushes it off as they get to the entrance, and before she steps in, robin quickly turns to face him, speaking in a very discreet voice. “hopefully i’ll see you on the next one.”

on the afternoon of day 9, robin needs to choose someone to go on a date with. as she and her pick leave the villa, seb is following them, slightly uncomfortable, and possibly focusing the camera way more on her, not even noticing. the boy she’s taking definitely realizes it, but doesn’t say anything.

every challenge they need to go to a platform has her following behind, just to steal a glance or two from him.

and every time the challenge ends, she does the same, going back to the villa while having a short conversation with him.

each recoupling has her a little more on edge because of that initial attraction she felt towards him, and none of the boys really have her head over heels. from time to time it’s possible he casts a look or two, mouthing “are you alright” during the drama that she gets pulled in.

casa amor, which is a pivotal moment for all of them, because they all get in the cars, and the cameraman gets a little anxious, is now a reason to make him ask for the assignment in the second villa, not the main. he has to himself this is just a crush, and it will be fine after a few days, but it’s becoming really hard to look away whenever she’s around. same for her, even when the girls are doing the challenges.

receiving the suitcases from the boys, robin realizes she misses them, but it’s all about the mate vibe she has with each of the boys back in the villa.

seb has to watch her trying to have fun, and that might include the raunchy challenges that earned a party for casa amor. the guy is maybe now realizing is more than a crush, and he’s possibly upset that she doesn’t get to know him like he knows her. robin has screen time, she is solving drama back and forth, being a good friend, while he’s just watching, helplessly. what can he do except for trying to be professional and stay quiet?

the editors are having a hard time to cut those glances seb and robin exchange, since that would’ve been the hardest plot line to explain, and she signed a contract that states her attraction should be limited to the islanders, or she’s gone. and for whatever reason she has to stay, whether the money, or the clout, is enough to make her restrict the things she says to him. same for seb, he can’t exactly risk his job.

i think the moment seb is possibly more bothered is when the girls are back, and she finds out her partner switched. given they’re not romantic, she’s not disappointed or upset, but she’s frustrated for not only not finding someone, but also seeing everyone else getting the summer romance she wished for herself.

“are you ok?” he mouths, at the firepit, in the most discreet way he can. she nods, responding to her partner and saying how happy she is for him, proceeding to talk to the boys, by the bean bags.

seb is on edge, holding himself back and letting things flow naturally. but what he really wants is to offer a hug. that night, robin can’t sleep, worried about whatever is gonna happen the next day, and heads to the kitchen for water.

he can’t help himself but going there, knowing fully well he’s risking his job.

“hi.”

“oh, hi!” she’s surprised, but can’t help smiling.

he promptly fixes her a glass of water. “so... how are you feeling?”

“not great, i’ll tell you that!” she sees the look on his face, and immediately corrects herself. “not because of him! i’m not... i-” she stammers a bit but gets through it. ‘i’m not interested in him...”

“right! of course! not that i care!” seb notices her eyes going wider. “i mean, i do! i do care! i just meant...” he scratches the back of his head, possibly mortified. “i’m sorry... you make me nervous.”

“what?”

before he can respond, he’s called back to the back house, where the crew stays during the show. “sorry, i gotta go... i... hope you feel better.” he rushes to head out, not even hearing she said a very stunned “bye”.

with each bump, each bombshell that comes later, robin is definitely disheartened because the only person she felt a spark is not even part of the cast.

at some point, i think robin truly felt like the right decision should’ve been made ages ago. which she’s now determined to make it happen, calling everyone to the firepit, because she has an announcement. the boys and girls are anxious, because not once, in the history of the show, an islander has called the rest of the group to the firepit. something serious must’ve happened.

“i’m walking.” to the shock of everyone around her, and possibly to the guy who switched, she tranquilizes everyone, by saying what truly has been happening this entire time. “i found my spark... it just wasn’t with an islander.”

the boy she took on a date interjects. “i knew it! it’s the camera guy, isn’t it?”

possibly leading to a very “the office” moment, where all of them just stare at the guy, the camera captures their shocked and amused faces, all of them either smirking or nodding knowingly at him, to his very flushed face.

“i’m thinking to myself if i should just stay and wait around, but i’ve been trying it this entire time, and i just can’t... not anymore. everyone is making a bet on someone from the villa. i’m just... betting on someone out of the cast.”

between being showered in hugs from the islanders, possibly tears from everyone that loves her, because let’s face it, she’s an awesome girl, she heads to the entrance with her suitcase. and because seb has to follow her, he’s just as shocked as everyone else, maybe smiling so much his face hurts.

one thing i know for sure, in this scenario, he would probably make a joke about the date they’ll have later, with no cameras around, and not being in a vineyard with plastic cups, to which she responds “i was hoping you would say that.”

social media would be so confused, because whatever the producers decided to put out there won’t feature the real reason that led to her walking, that being the start of ridiculous speculations, only to be cleared up a few months later, when she reveals they’ve been dating since the moment she left.

and i can see the show trying to profit on that, making memes on twitter and instagram.

overall? i would love to see that take in the game. you can’t exactly control who you fall in love with, who you feel attracted to, and definitely not the timing. it just happens.

[themilky-way]

under my skin {bucky barnes}

gif credit: friendzoned-by-avengers

pairing: bucky barnes x female! reader

summary: it was the little things about you that enamored him. no matter where he went, or what he did, his mind always wandered to the thought of you. how long until he acts on it? based on only human by robin loxley.

warnings: implied nsfw themes but nothing’s actually descriptive. uh the fucking delicious scent of vanilla because i’m obsessed with it lmao. ALSO if you squint, you’ll find a scene from my previous bucky fic ;)

author’s note: what da fawk 😃 i’m reposting this bc tumblr was  stupid and this wasn’t showing up in the tags??? uhh okay 🤡😃

-------

there were nights when the world around you was still. the streets below the compound were silent, no horns sounding or engines running. footsteps didn’t resonate against the cold concrete of the sidewalk, and no random chatter from pedestrians or local restaurants was heard. for a city like manhattan, you had learned to appreciate nights like these and to never take them for granted. when midnight would strike and send a cool breeze through the open crack of your window, you’d drape a blanket over your shoulders and walk to the large balcony in the living room. the doors remained open behind you, as you knew everyone else was peacefully sleeping, and watched the city in front of you fade into nothing more than the whistle of the wind.

sometimes, a guest would join you. the sound of slippers padding across the marbled tiles would reach your ears, and you allowed yourself to smile. the moments that came with this particular noise were something you treasured, engraving them deeply into your mind so you could be blessed with the opportunity to look upon them again. you’d make out the silhouette that was now next to you, and even though you already knew who it belonged to, you never missed out on the chance to look at him. every now and then you’d come to find out that he was already staring, not creepily, but more of a mesmerized glare. what followed became a routine: you’d smile, coil away as heat rose to your cheeks, and then he’d place a hand on them so you’d look at him. he’d profile every feature on your skin, remembering them so as to be able to touch you again when he closed his eyes later that night. he prepared himself for one of the sweetest moments his life could ever offer him, and in turn showed you just how powerful the movement of his lips on yours could be.

bucky eventually lost count of how many times he’d fall asleep to the sweet, addicting scent of your perfume that lingered on his nightwear. the luscious smell of vanilla would work its way up to his nose, and when he’d catch it, he permitted himself to reminisce the feeling of you. when he did, it almost drove him to the brink of insanity. the sudden recollection of your fragrance when he’d connect his mouth to your neck, or even the purest parts of your body, was enough for him to worship you better than the previous encounter.

but then his mind would change the film and a different image of you appeared. now, you were sitting in front of him, trying your hardest to cure his wounds. the tiny water droplets that ran down your cheek would be wiped by the softness of his thumb, and words of comfort would spill from your lips. as he recounted this scene, his fingers would trace his scars and imagined you were the one doing it. his emotions would depict themselves in the beating of his heart, and he was almost sure that all of new york could hear it. but most importantly, he wished you could hear it. he wanted nothing more than for you to realize the things you did to him; how easily you had bucky wrapped around your finger. if you were to ask him to bring you a star, the one that glowed almost as bright as you, he’d give you the entire galaxy if he could. and he needed you to know that.

so the next evening you stood together in the balcony, and his lips carved into your own, he reluctantly pulled away to reach your ear. warm breath fanned the skin of it before you felt bucky’s teeth graze your earlobe gently, the fingers you had tangled in his hair tugging at the sensation.

“do you know the things you do to me?”

“i think i have an idea,” you breathed out. it wasn’t meant to come out as needy as it did, but you had him so close to where you needed him that you were left with no other option. caught in the spur of the moment, your mouth attached to bucky’s neck, pressing light kisses to the area. it was an act of affection, a demonstration that proved you did reciprocate his feelings.

the minute you dipped your tongue to drag it along the marks you left behind, you knew you were done for. firm, strong hands gripped your sides, pulling you closer to him than humanly possible, and that’s when you caught the impression of him. it released a gasp from your lips, consequently earning a low growl from his. it awoke something in him: a hunger-a desire-whenever he’d swallow the whimpers you made. “sweetheart, if you keep doing that-”

“i know.” that night was the first of many.

it took bucky some time to come to terms with his emotions. it was by no means an easy process; a super soldier trained to assassinate without mercy isn’t exactly deserving of affection. the countless nights spent without rest involved bucky questioning every phrase and touch of admiration you gave him. the nights that you slept in his bed, soft breaths escaping the lips he caressed only moments before, meant the world to him. over the course of this journey, a warmth began to ignite in his chest. something suddenly tugged at the pit of his stomach when you turned the corner of a room he resided in. his heart nearly jumped out of his chest whenever you’d touch him, and one of the things he loved the most was how cool your skin was compared to his.

was this love? what bucky felt? he didn’t believe so at first, pushing the thought to the very back of his brain. but one night, as your bodies’ collided and the soft sounds escaping from you mingled with the air in the room, he let the words slip out. if he were any other person, you would’ve thought it was the pleasure talking, but he wasn’t. and so you muttered the phrase back, and you let him know how much you meant it.

in truth, bucky had unknowingly let you under his skin. he was a smart man-without a doubt. yet here he was, granting this ethereal individual permission to do everything they desired. oftentimes, the possibility of this ending badly kept him preoccupied during most of the day, but when night came around again, his fears ceased to exist.

the soldier noticed that time passed rather quickly when he was in love. days turned to weeks, which then looped into months. he longed for more; whenever tony organized a gala in his ballroom, he’d much rather have his hand pulling you tight against him than converse with sam. he yearned for the public to see you were his, and belonged to only him. thus, when sam and steve dared him to ask the girl he believed was the prettiest to dance, his eyes fell upon you instantly. he got up from his seat, the glass of whiskey he was holding hitting the table a little too harshly, and went over to you. he pardoned himself for interrupting your conversation, politely requested your hand, and excused himself again.

you didn’t hesitate to question his actions, nor to even be nervous of what the others might think, just enjoyed the fact you got to be near him. the interaction was gentle, loving in every reasonable sense as it always was. you swayed nice and slow against his rhythm, the melodies of the live symphony providing the perfect elements for you to catch on quickly.

“be mine,” bucky murmured. he was serious, perhaps more than he’s ever been in his life. the tender way in which he voiced it morphed a cheeky grin on your face.

“i’m already yours.”

“no, i mean actually mine. i don’t want to keep hiding you.” you had never seen him like this. yes, bucky had spoken sincerely with you before, but it was never to the point he might spontaneously combust if he didn’t spill his thoughts. regardless of anything, the man staring at you with great concern was waiting for a response, and you had to answer.

“bucky,” you replied, mocked innocence poking at his name. “kiss me. hard.”

and by god did he kiss you.

[catsafarithewriter]

Day 7: Heist

A/N: Another ficlet for Day 7: Heist of the TCR Birthday Bash 2020, cause this idea came suddenly from a Discord discussion, and also from this post. A ficlet, in which the non-human members of the Bureau perform a heist into Haru’s flat for entirely chaotic reasons. 

x

On the fridge in Haru’s flat was a list. It read:

Pirates of the Caribbean The Princess Bride Nightmare Before Christmas Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) Robin Hood (Douglas Fairbanks) Robin Hood (Disney)

And other such movies that Haru had deemed Bad Influences due to the dramatic tendencies the characters displayed. 

(Haru had learnt that lesson after showing Galaxy Quest to the Bureau, and then having to yoink Baron back from his newfound desire to wait until the last second before pressing big impressive countdown buttons.)

And the latest addition, scribbled on in orange marker, was Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time.

Now, Baron could somewhat understand the rest. Haru had given a quick rundown of the plots - and, yes, he could see why pirates and kidnapped princesses and dashing do-gooders might have dramatic leanings that would be irresistible to a Creation such as him. 

However, the Cinderella one had stumped him. 

“After all,” he reasoned as he pushed through the cat flap, “it’s not as if I haven’t seen the original movie, and she didn’t ban the second.”

“Chicky’s really just making yer more curious,” Muta said as he followed Baron through. “Yer think she’d have spent enough time around cats to know that curiosity... that curiosity is what... Call this a cat flap? This ain’t big enough for a gerbil, let alone a cat.”

Baron tried to heave his friend through the undersized opening, dislodging the welcome mat in the process.

“Maybe she had a reason for adding it to the list,” Toto offered, who was thinking about how he was the one who had to cover for Baron’s dramatics, which was already quite the chore without throwing more fuel to the fire. “Anyway, I don’t think,” he said, hopping up onto the table beside the door, “that sneaking into Haru’s flat to watch it is the answer.”

“Then why did you come along, birdbrain?”

“Damage control.” 

“Damage control? Why would we need damage control, ya overgrown--”

Baron and Muta’s combined efforts finally bore fruit, and Muta shot out of the cat flap like a champagne cork and rammed straight into the table. 

Toto caught the bowl of keys before it could clatter off and wake Haru. He carefully repositioned it with a talon. “Oh, I don’t know, Call it a hunch,” he replied sarcastically. 

Baron was picking himself back up, dusting the imaginary dust mites off his coat. “I don’t know why you’re fretting, Toto,” he said. “After all, we’re just visiting a friend to do some... necessary research.”

“At 2am,” Toto supplied.

“The Bureau runs on all time zones,” Baron said. “I’m sure that somewhere, someplace, it’s a reasonable hour.”

“And is that the excuse you plan to use when Haru catches us?”

“Do you think it will work?”

Toto cocked his head. “On the basis that she has more than a single brain cell... I don’t think so.”

“In that case, we better not get caught. Now, who knows how to work the television?”

There was an awkward pause. 

“Well, Chicky’s usually the one to sort it all out...” Muta muttered. 

Baron nodded, as if this wasn’t a major flaw in the plan. “Good point, good point.” 

“Maybe,” Toto said reluctantly, as if already regretting enabling this endeavour, but unable to resist helping, “there’s a manual for it.” 

“Excellent point, Toto. Now... where is it?”

“Yeah, leave this to me,” Muta called, scurrying off into the joint kitchen and, after several ungainly jumps, reached a small drawer. He battled at the handle until it slid open, rooted around, and dropped a couple of thick manuals onto the floor.

The two Creations neared the findings with bemusement. 

“How did you know those were there?” Baron asked.

“Eh, you know... I may have got familiar with the kitchen in search of food. Though there’d be marshmallows somewhere for a cake, and found this weird drawer instead. He pawed at the contents. “If yer wanting dead batteries, outdated cables, and tech manuals from the Stone Age, this is yer drawer.”

“Yes, well.. thank you, Muta.” Baron spread the manuals across the floor. “Well, how difficult can this be?”

x

The answer, naturally, was very. 

“Muta, I do believe this manual has the same instructions copied six times over.”

“That’ll be the other languages,” Muta replied. 

“It’ll be the Sanctuary magic translating it for us,” Toto supplied. He peered over Baron’s shoulder. “Do the other languages say anything helpful?”

“Some questionable grammar, but nothing noteworthy.” 

“I’ve found the remote!”

Both Creations furiously shushed Muta. 

“Sorry. I’ve found the remote,” he whispered in exaggerated tones.

“Where was it?”

“Behind the sofa.”

“Remind me to give Haru a few tips on good tidiness habits.”

“And how are yer gonna do that? ‘Hey, could yer make sure yer tidy the place up so next time we break into your home, we can find the remote?’“

“It’s not breaking and entering if we don’t break anything,” Baron replied back. 

“How does Haru’s trust sound?” Toto asked dryly. 

 “Haru has made it quite clear we are welcome whenever. Now how do we turn this infernal machine on...?”

x

Several false starts, one rapid muting, and ten minutes on the wrong input channel later, they found their way to the menu screen for Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time. 

For the first half, Baron failed to see what Haru had made all the fuss about. For, except for a momentary dramatic flair from the prince as he parried with both words and sword, there was little to add to Baron’s already impressive repertoire. 

Then the film rolled towards its climax, and as the prince ran down the stairs to find his true love, he found his way blocked by his father.

“This is ridiculous! Now, you agreed to marry the girl in the glass slipper,” the king ranted. “I was completely with you on that one--”

“And I will,” the prince retorted, attempting to step past his father. “Just as soon as I find her.”

The king made a variety of disgruntled noises. “I’ve - I - I forbid you to take another step down these stairs!”

There was a pause as the prince considered this statement. Then a smile spread slowly across his face. “Okay,” he said, and jumped out of the nearest window.

Muta and Toto simultaneously looked at Baron. 

“What?” he demanded.  

“Do not,” Toto said, “even think about it.”

“I wasn’t!”

Which was true. There was very little thought involved.

x

“THIEVES! VANDALS! RUFFIANS! YOU COME BACK HERE WITH THAT VASE!”

Haru raced down the steps, taking them three at a time and hoping gravity wasn’t about to get the better of her. “Is... anyone else... worried,” she gasped, “how often this... happens?”

 “The running or the name-calling, Chicky?”

“Both?! We’re the good guys! We shouldn’t get called ruffians!”

An arrow whizzed over their heads. 

“Or shot at!” She pivoted on one foot to glare at their pursuers. “We’re trying to help you, you idiots!” 

 Another arrow buried itself into the stone wall above her.

“Sure, sure, Chicky, go insult their intelligence. That always goes down real well.” 

“I certainly feel better for it.” Her foot missed a step and she went sprawling. Baron caught her before she could go the rest of the stairway head-over-heels.

“Enjoying our little trip, were we?”

Haru snorted. “And how long have you been waiting on that one? Anyway, you can put me down now--”   

“HALT! IN THE NAME OF HIS EMINENCE, THE ROYAL HIGH KING, RULER OF THE SUNSET ISLANDS, CONQUEROR OF THE CRIMSON WASTES, RIGHTFUL HEIR OF THE AURORA THRONE--”

“Are they waiting for us to die of old age?” Muta muttered.

“--YOU ARE ORDERED TO STOP!”

“On second thoughts, Baron, let’s not make any sudden moves,” Haru said. She leant back in his arms and laid a glare on the garrison of highly-decorated soldiers blocking their path. “The vase we took is cursed. That’s why you’ve been plagued by bad luck for the past year.”

“LIES! DECEIT!”

“Geez, does this guy have an indoor voice?” Muta grunted. 

“YOU SHALL BE BROUGHT TO THE ROYAL COURT TO FACE JUSTICE FOR YOUR CRIMES!”

“Baron, this would be a great time for you to pull out one of your last-minute plans,” Haru whispered. 

“I’m working on it.”

“Work faster.”

“YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM TAKING ANOTHER STEP DOWN THESE STAIRS!”

Baron grinned the kind of slow grin that wouldn’t have been out-of-place on the Cheshire Cat. “Haru, do you trust me?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I always do until you ask questions like that.”

“Then hold on tight.” 

Haru hastily linked her fingers together behind Baron’s neck, securing herself with the kind of grip that spoke of many, many experiences. 

“Not another step down these stairs, you say?” Baron called. “Then, naturally, we shall respect your request. Haru, are you ready?”

“Sure, but for whaaaaa--”

She devolved into a scream as Baron leapt through the open window and rappelled his way down by means of the creeping ivy clinging to the castle walls. 

Baron landed at the base of the castle with not a single hair out of place. 

Haru looked... less immaculate. 

She elbowed her way back to her feet and leant heavily against the nearest non-floor thing, waiting for the world to stop see-sawing. “Oh boy...”

Muta and Toto followed after, although Muta’s descent was slowed by his claws. “Real smooth, Baron,” he grunted. 

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“Tell me, Baron,” Toto said, alighting on his shoulder, “did you know about the ivy before or after you jumped?” 

“It is entirely possible I took note of the castle’s foliage on our entrance here.”

“That’d be a no,” Muta said. 

Haru groaned and straightened, pushing her hair out of its birdnest and into something approaching any kind of style. “You know, I’m getting the weirdest sense of deja-vu...”

“That’d be from when he jumped off your school roof,” Muta offered.

“Or the time he interrupted the clockwork wedding via the cathedral window,” Toto said.

“Or when he escaped from the sky castle.”

“Or the lightning pirates incident.”

“Or the--”

“Yes, yes,” Baron said, a trite curtly. “I think we get the picture.”

“No, that’s... that’s not it.” Haru frowned, mouthing something to herself. “It was... I think it was something you said... or something the guard said. The whole ‘not another step’ thing sounded awfully...” her eyes suddenly widened, “...familiar...”

Muta cackled. “Now yer in for it, Baron.”

Haru spun round accusingly to Baron. “Did you watch my copy of Cinderella 3?”

“Watch is such a strong word...”

“Baron...”

“If you’re asking if I occupied the same room that the movie happened to be playing in, then I suppose--”

“Oh my god.”

“--in the loosest sense of the word--”

“You’re in so much trouble.”

“--one could say that, yes, I did watch Cinderella 3. Are you quite all right, Haru? You seem to be breathing rather heavily into your hands.”

“I’m counting to ten.”

“Why-- oh.”  

Several arrows embedded themselves into the creeping ivy just above them. 

“As much as I fully endorse this admonishment,” Toto chipped in, “may I remind you that we are currently running for our lives?” Several more arrows pinged past them, notably closer to their marks this time. “Preferably before the archers find their aim.”

“Wait,” Haru said. “Did you know? About the movie?” She watched Muta and Toto’s guilty shuffling, and the penny dropped. “Did you help?”

“Help is such a strong word,” Muta said.

“If you’re asking if we happened to occupy the same room as Baron did during the movie...” Toto muttered.

“..and maybe jiggled your cat flap open...” Muta continued.

“...and worked the TV...”

“...then I suppose, in the loosest sense of the word...”

“...one could say that, yes, we did help him. How high are you counting this time, Haru?”

“As many as it takes before the murderous tendencies wear off,” Haru growled. “Baron, your tea privileges are banned for a month; same goes for you and cake, Muta; and Toto...” She paused. “Is there anything I can ban for you?”

“Bickering with Muta?” Toto supplied wearily.

“Fine. No bickering with Muta.” She groaned again and rubbed at her temples. “Alright, let’s get this cursed vase outta here and get home.” She glanced around. “Who’s got the vase?”

“Oh,” Baron said. 

“Oh?”

“I think I may have left it in the staircase,” he said. “Just before we jumped.”  

[fandomoblivion]

Ella Enchanted (part two)

Fandom: Stranger Things season 3

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary: (Y/N), also known as Nine, was a girl being experimented on all her life by the Hawkins Lab, conditioned into following every command her brain heard. She managed to escape the lab, with the help of her little sister Eleven, and was taken in by Hopper. Now, it’s a year later, and the three of them are a happy family. She just got her first job, where she works alongside Steve “The Hair” Harrington… who her father doesn’t much like.

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 1,318

Notes: sorry this is kinda short, i’m really sick but i needed to get some creativity out tonight, ya dig?

prologue / one 

The next day, you, Steve, and Robin took turns manning the counter. While Robin was in the front, you and Steve didn’t speak to each other. In fact, he altogether ignored your existence. After you told him your story, you told him that you had to get home to Hopper, and Steve didn’t say another word. 

You were confused. A little hurt, too. You were finally making friends with someone who could begin to understand you, and it was all for naught. 

“Is, uh, is he here?” You were brought out of your thoughts from a voice out front, which made Steve perk up. 

“Is… who here?” Robin’s voice answered. 

Steve jumped up and and slammed the door open to the front. “Henderson!” He exclaimed. You opened the window just in time to see Steve do a little jump and yell, “Henderson! He’s back, he’s back!” as the middle schooler in front of him laughed gleefully. 

“I’m back! You got the job!”

“I got the job!” Steve whooped, followed by his (hopefully not) best imitation of a trumpet. He and the kid then did a sort of handshake with each other, complete with lightsabers and Steve getting stabbed by one.

“How many children are you friends with?” Robin asked dryly. 

Steve just sighed and put his hat on the counter. “I’m going on my break. Come on dude!” 

Right as they were going to turn away, the kid turned back around. “Banana boat please! Oh, hey! It’s El’s sister! Hi El’s sister!” He said, waving to you. You awkwardly smiled and waved back, still leaning through the window. 

Robin made the ice cream as quickly as she could, handed it to Steve, and ushered the two of them away. She then turned to face you, leaning back onto the counter. “God, can they be any dorkier?”

You shrugged. “They seem to have fun.” Robin rolled her eyes and turned back to the counter, where an eager Erica Sinclair was waiting with her friends. So, you went into the bathroom in the back for a breather. You sat on the cold linoleum floor of the bathroom, ignoring all the germs that you knew were down there with you. You weren’t used to being in the real world yet. You were still getting used to talking to people without them barking orders at you. In the lab, your mind was fuzzy 24/7. 

You exited after a few minutes and saw Steve and the kid, whose name you quickly learned was Dustin--that’s right, he was there when Hopper rescued you--in the back room. Dustin was playing and replaying a tape, and Steve was pacing nervously.

“What are you guys doing?” You asked.

“It sounded familiar. The music right there, at the end.” Steve ignored you. Of course.

“Why are you listening to the music, Steve?! Listen to the Russian! We’re translating Russian!” Dustin turned to you. “We’re translating Russian.”

Steve nudged Dustin’s shoulder, his back to you, and very clearly whispered, “Why did you tell her? She can’t help.”

You stood up a little straighter. “I want to help.” 

Dustin grinned and picked up the tape. “Do you know Russian, El’s Sister?”

“Jesus, her name is (Y/N).”

“Okay, (Y/N). Do you know Russian?”

“I… I can.” 

“Alright, babysitting time is over. You need to get in there,” Robin huffed, swinging the door open. She stopped when she saw her whiteboard, which was now covered in a Russian-to-English alphabet key. “Hey, my board! That was important data, shitbirds!”

“I guarantee you, what we’re doing is way more important than your data.” Dustin replied. 

“Yeah, and how do you know these Russians are up to no good anyway?”

Dustin looked baffled. “Great, does everyone know about the Russians?!” 

“You are both extremely loud. You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you’re trying to translate, but haven’t figured out a word because you didn’t realize the Russians use an entirely different alphabet. Sound about right?” There was a pause.

“I want to help.” You repeated. “Play it again.”

“Also, it’s your turn to sling ice cream, dingus.” Robin said, handing Steve the scoop. He sighed and headed out the front door.

“Okay, you know Russian, (Y/N)?” Dustin asked. 

“I can. Tell me to translate it.”

“Huh?” 

“Tell me to translate it.”

“Okay… can you translate this?” 

“No, like… like tell me to.”

“Dude, what are you into?!” Robin chuckled.

“Okay! Translate this, (Y/N).” Dustin hit play on the tape. 

Your mind went fuzzy. When the tape was over, you automatically said, “Nedelya dlinnaya. Serebryanyy kot pitayetsya, kogda siniy tsvet vstrechayetsya s zheltym na zapade.”

“Oh, shit.” Robin said, leaning forward in her chair towards you. “Where did you learn that?”

You didn’t respond. You didn’t even hear her. “The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west.” There. Your mind was clear. 

---

That night, when you were closing up the shop, Robin told Steve of your findings.

“I mean, it just… it just can’t be right,” Steve said, pulling down the gate in front of Scoops Ahoy. 

“It’s right.” You grumbled.

“Honestly, I think this is great news.” Dustin said.

“How is this great news? I mean, so much for being American heroes. It’s total nonsense.” Steve said, catching up with you guys all headed for the parking lot. Robin had, thankfully, agreed to give you another ride home. 

“It’s not nonsense.” Dustin protested. “It’s too specific. It’s obviously a code.”

“What do you mean, a code?” Steve asked.

“Like a super secret spy code.” You laughed at your own answer, making Steve scowl.

“And how do we know her translation is right? I mean, did we even check it with a dictionary or anything?”

“Steve, she’s right. She broke it down for us and everything.” Robin pointed out. “Listen, just for kicks, let’s entertain the possibility that it is a secret Russian transmission. What’d you think they were gonna say, ‘Fire the warhead at noon’?”

“‘The silver cat feeds.’ Why would anyone talk like that unless they’re trying to mask the true meaning of their message?” You said.

“Exactly. And why would anyone want to mask the true meaning of their message unless the message was somehow sensitive?” You and Robin were bouncing off each other at this point, and Steve was just scowling every time you opened your mouth.

“Exactly. Evil Russians. So… how do we crack it?” Dustin asked.

Robin knew the answer to this one. “Translate the rest, and hopefully we find a pattern.”

“Maybe ‘silver cat’ is a meeting place. Or a person. Or a weapon!” You added. You turned, seeing that Steve wasn’t with you guys anymore. “Where’s Steve?”

You three looked around to see Steve rapidly fumbling for spare change in his wallet in front of a single-ride mechanical pony. “Steve, what are you doing?” Robin asked. 

“Uh, it’s a quarter. I need- do you have a quarter?” 

Robin chuckled and said, “You sure you’re tall enough for that ride?” as the three of you jogged over. 

“Give me a quarter!” Steve demanded. Fuzzy brain. You reached into your pocket and pulled out a quarter, holding it out for Steve before the other two even had time to register his words. Steve grabbed the quarter and put it into the machine. The horse started going, and a song played. Immediately you recognized it. 

“Holy shit.” Dustin whispered. “The music.” He went into his bag and pulled out the recorder. “The music!” He hit play, and you all listened to the track in the background of the Russian words match up to the horse in front of you. 

“Maybe they have horses like this in Russia?” Robin asked. 

Steve pointed to the name of the horse. “Indiana Flyer? I don’t… I don’t think so. This code, it… didn’t come from Russia. It came from here.”

TAGLIST

@alina-margaret . @almostsecretmusic . @american-duchess . @anamcg317 . @annaewww . @blackandwhiteimagines . @bubblegumcat229 . @bucky-newtlock . @canny1902 .  @christinawxxx . @cosmickha0s . @creativedogs . @darkcrystal-wolf . @decaffeinatedtachycardia . @djisprobablydead . @eliza-kat . @eyeballtoes . @fandomsstolemylife00 . @fredweasleysupportgroup . @ggclarissa . @ginger-swag-rapunzel . @gracelynns . @grippleback-galaxy . @gruffle1 . @hananabee . @hannarudick . @harrys-kiwi . @heavenlyholland . @hellhoundschewtoy . @in-my-dreams-2000 . @izabellah816 . @likemeonlyme . @lilyhw1 . @mackycat11 . @megsell99 . @metuel18 . @morganmindflayer . @phluffyphantom . @potterhead-witch . @pppsssyyyccchhhiiiccc . @princessrow12 . @queen1054 . @rainbowmarta . @sheridans-dynamos . @thecaptainsgingersnap . @thegloryofliterature . @thoughstofaredhead . @ucantknowmeyet . @whataloadofmalarkey

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

A/N: Decided to test out my writing skills. Lemme know what you think and definitely let me know if you catch any mistakes!

Summary: Nightwing and Superboy find themselves stranded and alone in the future. Can they trust the mysterious stranger who rescues them?

Nightwing tried not to glare at the florescent lights that lined the hallway. Every sci-fi movie he'd ever watched dictated that they should be red and flashing. Maybe while an alarm blared in the background and the sound of marching feet approached.

They were doing no such thing. The lights stayed a steady white and the only sound in the air was the clanging of metal under their feet.

Nightwing would've preferred the theatrics.

The hallway seemed to stretch out in front of them, mocking their slow progress. Their destination was a black door labeled with some kind of alien language. The three men trudged down the corridor. The man in the middle had one arm looped under Conner's armpits, hoisting him up with difficulty and the Kryptonian's feet dragged underneath him.

The other arm had Nightwing's upper arm in a vice grip. It wasn't providing support, Nightwing didn't think the other man could hold up both Conner and him. Instead the hand on his arm was pulling him along, like he was a petulant child being dragged home from the park. Conner slumped over in the man's arms and Dick just barely stopped himself from doing the same.

The steadying hand slipped away to hold up Conner and 'Wing felt the floor spin. The door seemed to get further and further away from them, stretching even further.

Or maybe, Nightwing thought as the world swayed, he was more out of it then he thought.

Giving in Dick fell against the wall, using the cold hard metal to keep himself upright. The masked man's head snapped back and forth as he looked between Nightwing, Superboy and the door. The mystery man glanced back down the hallway they had come down and Dick could see the gears turning in his head.

Nightwing knew what he was thinking. They didn't have much time before they found them and Conner wasn't in fighting shape. Truthfully, Dick wasn't in fighting shape either but at least he was conscious. He tried to pull himself straighter from where he was slumped against the wall. If he had to fight, he would.

The man in black switched his hold on Conner, moving to a bridal hold. His arms were shaking from the effort but, to his credit, he didn't drop him.

"I have a taser in my back pocket," an achingly familiar voice said, as the man turned so that his back pocket was accessible to the former boy wonder.

'Oh great,' Dick thought as he grabbed the thin black square from the other man's pocket. 'I'm hallucinating Wally again.'

He tried to ignore Wally's voice as it came out of the masked guard and barely caught him saying that he'd be right back.

Dick flashed a smile and held up the taser in a fake show of confidence. He's getting Conner out of here, but he'll have to leave Nightwing. Dick doubted he'd actually be back for him. He wasn't going to take some stranger at his word. At least he was getting Superboy out.

'He did arm me. That's good enough,' Nightwing thought as the expressionless black glass of the helmet stared back at him.

"Alright, just-" The man faltered as he adjusted his grip on the heavy alien in his arms. He grunted slightly from the weight and it sounded so much like Wally that Dick wanted to cry. "Just stay whelmed, okay?"

There was a blast of wind in his face before he could even begin to process that.

Conner was gone and so was-

Had this whole thing been a hallucination? Had he been dreaming up Conner too? Was the real Conner still back in that lab, while Dick had been stumbling blindly following figments of his imagination?

He brought his hands up to his head in an attempt to stop the world from tilting.

Smack!

Hard plastic met his forehead as the taser he'd forgotten about made contact with his face. The weapon felt heavy in his hand as he moved it into his line of sight. He studied its surface like it held the secrets of the meaning of life. In some ways it did.

It felt real.

'This- How is-'

Whatever concussed thought he was about to have was interrupted as wind, wind that he'd never thought he'd feel before, surrounded him on all sides.

The speedster slid to a stop in a way that Barry and Bart never had to. Legs extended, body low to the ground, fighting momentum and struggling to find traction. It wasn't graceful and it wasn't fast but it was the most beautiful thing Nightwing had seen in years.

He hadn't even stood up yet before the former Robin had launched himself at the disguised man. His arms flung around him desperately like if he let go the shoulders beneath him would disappear.

"Dude!" The black helmet squawked as he flailed around, trying to keep them both upright. Dick had never hated a helmet more in his entire life. He wanted it off. He wanted that helmet off more than he wanted to escape. Sure, he was concussed but 'Wing was pretty sure that he'd feel the same way, even if he wasn't.

Batman's protege pushed back with his feet, knocking the shorter man to the ground. Nightwing went down with him, pining him to the ground as he tried to unlatch the helmet.

"How do you get this stupid thing off," He muttered and, no, he wasn't slurring his words, thank you very much. His fingers felt numb as he attempted to find a latch on the sleek motorcycle-helmet-looking mask.

"The button?" Came the way too cocky and casual reply from beneath him.

There was a click and suddenly Dick was staring into the face of his dead best friend.

"Look, we-" The ginger attempted to say.

"I want a blood sample."

The man on the floor sighed. The former boy wonder watched as his freckles contorted and moved as he rolled his eyes. He studied the placement of the little spots. Freckle placement was dependent on UV exposure and had nothing to do with DNA. A clone wouldn't have that little freckle just under his left eye that disappeared whenever he scrunched his nose. Or the three freckles scattered across the ridge of his ear.

His nose and cheeks were a galaxy of dots, seemingly undecipherable, but Dick had always sworn that he could find the big dipper on his skin. Green eyes were staring at him. He was saying something but Grayson wasn't listening.

He repeated himself like a stubborn toddler.

"Blood. Sample."

"Wow, you are out of it. So you didn't hear a single thing I just said, did you?" He didn't give Nightwing time to answer. Not that he would. He was mapping out freckles. He scowled when he found a new one.

"Okay, Bud, hold on. We gotta get back to SB,"

'Wing blinked and he was in a seat.

What?

He looked around. He was in a futuristic cockpit of some kind. A control panel filled with buttons sat below the window. Space took up the entire field of vision and Dick had to struggle to look away from the view. The straps that bit into his shoulder snapped him out of it.

Conner was in a seat beside him, also strapped down, staring at something like he was trying to activate his heat vision.

Oh.

Right.

The speedster flew back and forth, hitting buttons and flipping switches. Dick must've made a noise because he swiveled around and beamed at him.

And wow.

That- that was a better view than space.

"Hey man! Good to see you up! Had me worried there for a second when you passed out." Wally turned and pointed at Conner with finger guns. "Uh, so Superboy needs immediate medical attention. I think they injected him with synthetic kryptonite."

He was beside Superboy in a flash. He started fiddling with some kind of material cuff that was wrapped around the Kryptonian's arm.

"This will dampen his powers and lessen the affect of the kryponite. It'll keep him alive but it's not a fix, just a bandaid. He needs this flushed out of his system immediately. Tell Dox about this as soon as you see him, okay?"

Conner jerked, trying to get out of the straps. The clone tried to say something but it just came out a muddled mess.

Speaking of muddled messes, Dick's brain throbbed and spun. His eyes unfocused and when they refocused, green eyes were directly in front of him.

"Buddy, I need you to stay awake to tell Dox. He needs to know about the kryponite asap. Dick." He waited, concern splayed across his face. Wow, he loved any emotion on that face.

"Okay." The redhead said, seemingly to himself. "I'll write it down."

He left his line of sight and Dick, no longer distracted, thought about what he'd just said.

"Wait." He croaked out as the speedster tucked a note under Conner's seatbelt. Conner clumsily swung an arm out in an attempt to grab the speed demon but the attempt was laughable at best.

"You're coming with us." It wasn't a question. He's not leaving them. Dick started struggling against the straps.

"You're coming with us." He repeated louder and Conner grunted in agreement. Superboy's eyes were closed now but he didn't seem to notice. He continued to glare in their general direction.

"We don't exactly have a lot of options here." He was back at the control panel. He purposefully avoided looking at them. "The second this escape pod goes out, we'd be swarmed. This thing wouldn't get us ten feet. Not without a distraction."

He had the audacity to turn and smirk.

"And hey, distractions are my specialty." The ginger winked.

"I will kill you."

It wasn't what he meant to say. He meant to say 'you are not sacrificing yourself again' or 'I can't do this without you', even a 'think about this, we can figure out another way' would've worked.

"I swear to god, I will kill you." He didn't appear threatened in the slightest. He actually snorted. He just kept pushing buttons, inputting directions Dick realized belatedly, and that was when he started to panic.

"Leave me. I'll do it. I'll fight 'em off." He kept talking before he could be interrupted. "I'm fine, I can handle it, I'll be fine, I-"

"Even if you were fine- which you are not- I would still do this. Look, it has to be me. They kill Kryptonians on sight, Darkseid has some kind of personal vendetta against them. That's what they were trying to do with the synthetic kryptonite. They'd kill you too, the only reason they didn't last time was because they didn't know if you had the meta gene or not. They know now."

He looked back at him, faking a smile.

"They keep metas alive. They'll keep me alive."

He didn't look so sure.

"I'll be fine." It sounded just as fake as when Dick had used that same line ten seconds ago.

His freckles scrunched up with his face.

"Well, not fine. I'll be mind controlled but... I'll be alive."

He walked, at a human pace, from the control panel to just behind Nightwing's chair. He knew what that meant. Speedsters didn't just walk places. This was meaningful, this was his way of slowing down time and dragging it out. After all his zipping around, his saunter to the back of the cockpit could be seen for what it really was, an attempt to make the moment last. It was a goodbye.

Blue eyes strained to look behind him. His neck contorted to see the red head at the back of the room. He had flipped up a protective cover and was about to push the button underneath.

If he let him push that button, he'd never see him again. Nightwing had never felt so sure of anything before in his life.

The hand seemed to move in slow motion, another indication that the speedster didn't want to do this, and Dick played his last card.

"Blood sample!"

The hand paused.

"Please." Dick let every emotion he'd felt for the last few years seep into his words. "Please, I just- I need a blood sample. I just- I need to know."

His voice cracked.

"Yeah." The redhead hesitated before turning to face him. "Yeah, okay."

He stepped towards their seats, away from the button, and Dick felt his stomach leap into his chest. He needed to keep him away from it. Maybe he could-

Conner's arm swung out, clotheslining the smaller man and slamming him into the ground.

That worked.

"Owww."

Groaning came from the ground. Even without his super strength Conner packed a punch. Dick fought the urge to wince and instead fiddled with the taser in his hands.

He tested the weight, eyeing the button behind him. There were three buttons now, swirling around each other in an invisible dance.

Huh.

Not wasting time he chucked the taser at the center button, praying to every deity he knew.

Click.

The button lit up and a mop of redhair popped up just in time to see the airlock woosh close.

A countdown sounded out, barely audible over the boy wonder's cackling.

A robotic voice got to five and Dick gloated, feeling happier than he had in years.

"You're stuck with us!"

The freckled faced man groaned and looked at the two of them like a disapproving parent.

"Jeez, that hurt Supey."

He stood up and zipped over to the control panel. He pulled out a small vial of what looked like sand. He shook it and emptied it out. Vibrating in place, he collected the blood that poured out his nose in the now empty vial.

"Ugh, this is gross." He wrinkled his nose as he screwed the cap on. He zipped back and put it into Dick's gloved hands, careful not to let Dick grab him. "I'm sure Dox will let you use his lab to analyze this if you ask nicely."

"Wait-"

"Bad timing, I guess, but I've picked up some new tricks."

He was at the airlock doors as he said that and he started to vibrate. More blood rushed out of his nose as he looked at him sadly.

"Two." The computer warned, the number echoing around the small room.

"Hold on-" He had to stall him. He just had to stall him for one second. Just one second.

Green eyes met blue and regret flickered on his freckled face.

"Just promise me, okay? Next time you see me-"

He paused as he held his hand up to the door, vibrating through it.

"Take me down, okay?"

The engine roared to life, so loud that Dick couldn't hear his own scream as it ripped out of his throat. He watched, vial of blood clenched in his hand, as Wally disappeared for the second time.

[gothamincarnate]

mandalorian joint verse w/ @nighttknight

– he’d been a scrapper before– or, a scrapper-in-training under ma-gunn’s heavy hand. a life of brutality where abuse was mitigated by how much scrap metal he’d managed to pull off a tourist.

then he’d picked the wrong target. a manda-fuckin-lorian’s ship. after a chase, a burned arm and an angry negotiation pidgened together out of tusken raider sign language and GB sign language, robin finally agreed to repair the ship in return for the mandalorian teaching him GB sign.

a foundling, the bat had called him. according to tradition, the mandalorian with the bat signet offered him a place crewing the very ship he’d gutted. he was a member of the bat clan now, like it or not. he was a child in need, and now he’s got a– a dad? this was the way. and, well, robin had no reason to turn down free food and shelter. learning to fight was pretty fun too. he’s damn good with a pulse rifle.

robin took the creed and passed the trials at 16, donning a yellow cloak and a green-and-red helmet with bat ears. the helmet has an external mic and an internal relay to bat’s helmet. the relay helps him hear what bat’s saying, while the mic lets him hear others. he has trouble hearing what others are saying, as the external speakers are often muffled by wind or damaged by sand or snow. he knows northwestern and southern mandalorian sign, GBS & TRS. he uses a pad and written galactic basic to communicate when bat’s not around to translate back and forth.

he was a mandalorian now, and he was a member of the bat clan. they lived by their own code, still following the way while helping as they wandered through the war torn galaxy. helping where they could, in whatever way they could.

 it was supposed to be easy, just a distress call from another mandalorian. then the dynamic duo realized it was a setup. that was nothing new. robin knew how to handle setups, how to take on uneven numbers. they’d been doing this for years.

but this was a trap set by death watch, led by a strange fellow with a red gash painted across his helmet in blood. he talked with his hands near enough to be it’s own sign language.

things went south fast. the cantana was under siege. bat was down, they were about to finish him off, then robin offered himself as a hostage, saving the lives of a dozen others with his own. to save his father. it was a noble death. it would be a noble death.

there’s a blade to his neck as napier and three others drag him across the sand. bat’s right behind, but it’s no good. robin’s already given himself as a hostage. he’s made peace with it.

then there’s a tug at his jaw, the helmet’s ripped off before he can stop it. it feels like his brain’s being pulled out through his ears as the wires yank out of his ear canal. sunlight singes his eyelids. wind in his hair feels cold like death’s hand soothing him.

he blinks, stumbling in the sudden light. there’s a ravine right next to them and he nearly stumbles in, catching himself on the side of the cliff. he’s exposed, had his helmet taken off by an enemy.

napier laughs, tosses the helmet over the side of the ravine. it falls into the darkness and robin pulls himself out of the pit, rolling away from the maw.

then napier’s foot meets his face. robin grabs his ankle in his right hand, scrambling for a hold on the rocky ground with his left. he rolls himself out of death’s door, kicking napier to the ground and passing the guard like he’s been taught.

it’s bloody and terrible, rolling in the dust in a struggle for the death. robin’s instincts take over, it’s not an honorable fight at all. but robin managed to pull napier’s helmet off too, laughing as he flings it into the maw alongside his own. napier’s nose is broken, blood dripping down a wide and wild grin to match the one painted on his helmet. he’s got a blade and robins’ got– well, robin’s got both hands and a fire in his chest and that’s got to count for something.

napier pauses the attack and robin struggles to his feet. they’re both blinking blood away as bat appears on the sand dune. he’s saying something, it’s too bright to see in the desert sun. but he knows what it is– his dad wants him to stop, but he can’t. it’s to the death.

robin takes a second’s pause to smile at his dad, busted teeth and all. taps a fist to his forehead and holds it up in the air. i love you.

napier takes the hesitation to end the fight. he grabs robin’s cape and leaps over the edge. they’re falling, falling, falling. robin screams, grabs for rocks, clawing at ledges as his shoulders pop. napier fights him the whole way down, kicking and punching even as they’re both about to die.

seconds before they land, robin managed to switch their positions, using the madman as a cushion. it’s how he survives, if only barely. the bones crunching beneath his feet are incredibly satisfying after the beating he’s just been dealt at the man’s hands.

robin looks up at the sliver of lavender sky. it’s already dark. there’s a light beam, his dad’s looking for him. but he’s looking in the wrong end, didn’t realize that napier had changed their trajectory. he calls– isn’t sure if his father responds or not. he calls and calls until his voice is hoarse.

he stays put for as long as he can, letting himself heal and giving bat time to find him. the moons go through a full cycle before he’s well enough to climb out, surviving on what he could catch and what supplies napier had loaded himself up with.

speaking of, his own armor’s been stripped, and napier’s got some very nice quality beskar.

then he has to move, has to find food and shelter that’s not this damned canyon. he pulls his own helmet back on, pops his left shoulder back in place. he ties napier’s helmet and extra rations around his waist as he begins to climb.

it takes him a full day to get out of the maw, and by then bat’s gone. of course he’s gone, robin had been defeated in battle, left faceless, left for dead. he’d died an honorable death, hopefully. bat had seen it, right? had seen that he’d died a warrior’s death? or did he see the fear in robin’s eyes, the panic, the– weakness.

the boy sits and stares at the maw for a while, watching sunrise and eventually sunset. bat still isn’t here. napier’s painted on grin seems to move as the shadows shorten and lengthen. robin’s own helmet is cracked, a giant hole knocked into the left side. no use wearing a broken helmet. so, he slips napier’s face over his skull.

he heads for the ship. heads for home. as soon as he’s in range, the defense systems kick on. he’s in such a panic, he doesn’t even think about the fact that he’s wearing other’s armor.

of course the defense systems try to kill him. robin’s been abandoned again. he doesn’t bother waiting for bat to see what’s setting off the alarms and the turrets.

he’ll just play napier for a while, take his pucks and make his own way. he’ll be a clan of one, wearing a dead man’s clothes. he’ll grow into the armor after a few years.

after two years as napier, jason runs back into death watch. they take him in as a leader. if he’s wearing napier’s helmet, he must have beaten him in battle, which is reason enough to accept him as a new leader.

the new napier tries to balance the tensions of death watch’s want for violence with his  father’s raisings. he can’t do much to sway them, he hasn’t been in charge that long. the second in command, quinn, is the true leader. she questions him constantly, and it’s all napier can do to keep one of the team from stabbing him in his sleep. he has to keep the team happy, he has to be a leader.

he’s leading death watch now, or at least this splinter cell of it. and, within limits, he tries to redirect the group’s rage and limit the civillian casualties. he lets quinn come up with most of the attacks, slowly navigating this give and take between terror and heroics.

he’s good at it, that’s the thing. he’s good at coming up with brutal, violent ideas. he’s been taught by bat and now he’s using it to hurt others. he hates it but what choice does he have?

he has to survive. he’s napier, leader of death watch at 20 years old. this is his life now.

[datenightfright]

Omg I just had this brilliantly horrible thought: imagine a human somehow ending up with Engineers, falling for one, and has been trying to find a way to tell him - only to learn that the Engineer they've come to love has been given the honor of seeding life on the young, desolate planet they're heading to.

I…where the HELL has this ask been hiding? I love it! 

Your heart is breaking. You’d been given the opportunity of a lifetime. Working aboard an Engineer’s ship. You had made many wonderful friends. The rough security officer, Gel, who’s been in more fights with xenomorphs than one cared to think about. The chef, Robin, who had a fondness for earth birds. And the one you’ve fallen in love with, Adder, a botanist so named because the first time they visited earth they were bitten by an adder snake. 

You had come to their quarters to tell them about your feelings. You couldn’t hold them back any longer. It seemed as though that they had something important to tell you as well, you hoped they were going to confess to you as well. 

You arrive at their quarters, heart beating out of your chest. They open and drag you in immediately. “I can’t take it!” they say, hands on your shoulders, excitement clearly written all over their face. This is it! This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. “I’ve been asked to help seed Prime Seven!” Your mouth immediately drops, not having expected that. 

“You, what?” You say not wanting to believe it. “I’m going to seed Prime Seven,” They repeat. “That’s great!” you tell them. “I’m actually heading the science team.” 

“Addie, this is wonderful news,” they let go of your shoulders and begin to pace around the room. “I have to put together a team, of course I wan Gel to come with me, he’s the toughest sonofabitch I know. A few others. Did you know, there’s a yautja scientist that wants to come? I believe they go by the name of Click. I may bring them along as well.” You listen to them, heart sinking into your chest. “This is a great opportunity for you.” You tell him. “For humans too,” He turns to you. “Which is why I’m telling you this. Your species doesn’t have much information on the galaxy at large, and what it does have is woefully inaccurate.” You’re nodding, getting wrapped up in his mumblings. 

“I can have a list for you of the greatest minds on earth. Experts in their field. I’m sure the Weyland corporation will supply you with the best humans at their disposal.” As you’re thinking of the list, Adder stops, looking at you in disbelief. “I want you.” This revelation is so shocking, your brain stalls for a few moments. “What?”

“I want you,” They repeat. “This is why I’m telling you all this. It isn’t public knowledge yet, the seeding of Prime Seven, but I’m telling you because I personally chose you to be on my team. I…” They gulp, looking away from you. “I don’t want to do this without you.” The silence is heavy in the air, prompting Adder to explain further. “I’ve grown attached. I’m not sure if you reciprocate, but I also acknowledge your brilliance. You were a logical, if a very personal, choice.” 

Your face breaks in half into a smile. “Yeah,” You say, “I’ll go. I like you too Adder. More than you realize.” 

[pandachamp]

AVENGERS 4 TRAILER ANALYSIS

Whoop Whoop! The new Avengers trailer just dropped this morning at 7am (USC) and I couldn’t be more excited!

To prove how much of a fanatic I am about the MCU, I made a scene by scene analysis of the one minute trailer. Be aware of the long post ahead, we’re diving in deep.

So I split up the analysis by three things. I put a voice over as stand-alone quotes right above the shot it correlates to. Every time there is a shot change, I put a new dash. Whenever the scene itself changes (ex. from Space to Earth) I write down the new area we are watching. Keep in mind that sometimes the shots and scenes of trailers do not occur in order. (But I’m sure ya’ll know that)

Trailer Watch:

Scene: Tony and his recording to Pepper in the cockpit of a ship

-Tony’s iron man head is ruined. It is the right side of his helmet. This isn’t accurate to what we see in Infinity war. You can find the youtube video I watched to find this out here. Tony had his helmet smashed off. The left side of his face was open and the right side was still intact before Thanos hit him across the head the whole thing came off. Soooooo, either Tony has another suit with him (wouldn’t surprise me) and then got into a separate fight, or I got it wrong and that was not the last time we see the Iron Man suit in Infinity War. EDIT: I rewatched it since I posted, the helmet is not ruined, it is meticulously taken apart. What if Tony was trying to give power to the ship through the Iron Man suit? That power is going to run out ‘tomorrow’ and the ship will then have no power to give them oxygen. 

Tony VO “This thing on?”

-The interior of the ship he is on is similar to ones from the guardians of the galaxy. Making me think he is on their ship.

“Hey miss Potts, If you find this recording…”

- He is wearing a black tank top and his triangle arc reactor is showing through the shirt. He looks physically exhausted and tired. The last outfit we see him in on Titan was a zip-up sweatshirt, but I don’t expect that to be the only thing he had on him.

“Don’t feel bad about this. Part of the journey is the end. Just for the record, being adrift in space with zero promise of rescue is more fun than it sounds.”

- Honestly, I thought the ship in space was Falcon. I got excited for a hot second there. It is not. Then my brain started working again ‘you really think Falcon would be in space? Did you forget that Sam was dusted too?’ Thanks, brain, I really needed to remember that Sam got dusted. Thanks.

“Food and water ran out four days ago. Oxygen will run out tomorrow morning. That’’ be it.”

- Tony’s outfit is different. He now has a red long-sleeve shirt on. He is standing and looking out the front of the ship. There is something blue and bright on the right bottom corner of the screen, but it doesn’t seem artificial, maybe there is a bunch of bright nebula’s. Speaking of Nebula, we haven't seen her on this ship yet.

“When I drift off I will think about you. It’s always you.”

-my heart 

-the ship’s screens in the background seem to be disrupted. There is something else that is wrong with the ship.

Scene: wherever Thanos is

- his armor is off and hung like a scarecrow. His hut we see at the end of infinity war is in the background. The landscape is hilly and looks like it could even be earth. (Dear Lord I hope not)

Natasha VO “Thanos did exactly what he said he was going to do…”

- We see the gauntlet. It is wrecked. It looks just as burned as it did after the snap in infinity war.

- The plants Thanos is walking in are not from earth. He is on a different planet. I can’t tell where he is walking to, but he is going toward the sun. It’s all quiet and peaceful, just like he wanted. 

Scene: Avenger’s compound

- A sky view of the compound. It is completely empty, there’s hardly as much movement in comparison to other scenes. Thanos really did do it.

“He wiped out…

-Cap is crying. I am crying. We all are crying. I miss him too, Cap. I miss him too.

“Fifty percent of all living creatures.”

-50% of living creatures! Not just humans! This means that there are fewer animals too. Do plants count?

- Next, we see Bruce standing in front of a screen showing missing avengers. We see Scott Lang as the main face he is looking at, but a smaller screen also shows both Shuri and Peter Parker as MISSING. Shuri got dusted as well! He looks at Scott and puts his hand in his face.

- We then get another shot at the compound. This time it looks like a hanger for maybe the quinjets? Nonetheless, it is empty.

Steve VO “We lost. All of us”

- Thor is 1. In human clothing (and man does he look good) 2. Sitting solemnly against a background that is pretty indistinguishable. At first I thought it was the Asgardian cells, but then I remembered that he was last on earth. He is most likely at the base with Cap and Nat. He looks defeated. He had him. He had the power to kill Thanos! He didn’t truly avenge Heimdall’s and Loki’s death. He truly has nothing more that he could lose.

Scene: Tony and Nebula’s spaceship

- We see Nebula for the first time in this trailer. This is most definitely the ship the Guardians we’re using in the last film. She steps around the corner and is either going toward the cockpit or away from the cockpit, I can't distinguish. She is very slow in her movements, pausing and looking down. (Could this be that she just saw Tony die??) She looks defeated. Does she need the same amount of food and water and oxygen that humans need? This makes me wonder about how much of her is a robot.

“We lost friends. We lost family.”

- Nebula’s hand is sliding off Tony’s shoulder. I didn’t see any movement from Tony. With the wording that goes along with this scene, we are led to assume that this is when Tony dies. ... NOT ON MY WATCH MARVEL!

Scene: In Chinatown or in an actual Asian city.

- We see a hooded figure wiping blood off of this weird looking sword thing. Honestly, at first, I thought they brought daredevil into Avengers. I knew they wouldn’t, but I had no clue who this was.

-Nat stands behind this hooded figure who is standing over the body of a man in business apparel and two other men in the background in white clothing. The guy at the hooded man’s feet is most likely the boss and still looks alive at this shot. The hooded man begins to remove his hood and then a mask. It shows unruly hair and I was freaking out thinking it was Klaw. Who else has hair like this?

“We lost a part of ourselves”

-IT'S FREAKING CLINT. But is it? Or is this is new alter ego Robin? Robin is the alter ego of Hawkeye but Robin only came after a bad event. I'm betting he lost someone in his family if not all. Think about it. In infinity war, Nat said that Clint chose to be with his family instead of fighting Thanos. What would push Clint to leave his family again and become this vigilante-esque man? IF HIS FAMILY GOT DUSTED. Clint ‘loses a part of himself’ and becomes Robin, the bad-boy alter ego of Hawkeye.

“This is the fight of our lives”

Scene: Nat and Cap are dressed and ready to go into action and standing in the quinjet.

-Cap brings out his compass with the picture of Peggy. My goodness the love that this man has for her is crazy. I know that there are people who low-key ship Cap and Nat (I was even on board for a bit), but I don’t think anyone should be with Cap unless it’s Peggy. Those two were meant to be together, but sadly, time kept them apart. RIP Peggy Carter.

- Nat to Cap “This is going to work, Steve.” Cap, “I know it is.” looks over to Nat “Because I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t” Okay, guys! There’s a plan! There is no indication of what they’re doing or where they’re going but at least there’s a plan!

At this point, we get some Bomb™ music and the wonderful intro to the title of this movie AVENGERS: END GAME

“Hi, uh, is anyone home?”

-okay wait hold up. WHAT? Isn’t that Scott’s voice?

Scene: The Avengers compound. Looking at a screen (the same screen that showed Scott as MISSING)

“This is Scott Lang. We met a few years ago at the airport in Germany? I got really big.”

- Steve and Natasha were surprised with this video on the screen. Steve stands up, confusion on his face. Wait, he’s alive? He asks “Is this an old message?” Nat then stands up.

“Ant man? Ant ma — I know you know who — I know you know that.”

Nat says “That’s the front door” 

- In the background of the security footage, we see that Scott came up in this great looking van. So now we have both Scott and Clint coming back to help out the team. Did Scott also lose his daughter?

“That’s me. Can you buzz me in?”

End of Trailer!

AND IT COMES OUT IN APRIL GUYS I’M SO EXCITED!

[aion-rsa]

Marvel’s What If…? Episode 2 Review: T’Challa Becomes a Phenomenal Star-Lord

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains spoilers for What If…? episode 2.

The second episode of Marvel’s latest Disney+ series, ‘What If…T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?’, explores the possibility of T’Challa becoming the iconic galactic outlaw in a twist that also involves him being portrayed as very different from the Peter Quill version of the character. It’s safe to say Star-Lord never needed to perform a dance-off to save the universe in this timeline!

As you may know if you visited the site last week, our What If…? reviews are adopting a different format. More of a “breakdown” that we hope will still satisfy regular readers but also help younger viewers and those less familiar with the MCU keep up.

With that in mind, let’s dig deeper into ‘What If…T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?’…

Required viewing

For episode 2’s branch timeline, it helps to have seen Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 and Vol 2, and Avengers: Infinity War.

What’s different?

Not only do we get to see an alternate life for T’Challa, we also get to find out what Peter Quill’s fate might have been if he hadn’t been picked up by Yondu as a child, and what Thanos would have done if he’d just chilled tf out.

The ‘What If?’ moment in this episode addresses what would have happened if Yondu had outsourced the assignment of retrieving Peter from Earth (see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1) to the Ravagers, and they ended up lifting T’Challa instead, nixing the events of Black Panther. In their defense, they say, the cosmic readings in Wakanda were off the charts. Since it was built on an ancient vibranium meteorite, T’Challa concurs.

It is T’Challa we see lifting the Power Stone from Morag and not Peter at the beginning of the episode, changing the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1. Korath has heard of Star-Lord in this alternate timeline and is a huge fan because T’Challa is basically a galactic Robin Hood here.

Korath is so enamoured with T’Challa, in fact, that he begs to join the Ravagers. The gang, along with Yondu, have reformed. They are no longer simply grimy thieves smugglers, criminals, bandits, mercenaries, bounty hunters and pirates, and they plan to use the recently-acquired Infinity Stone to jump-start a dying star and save a planet in peril.

We see that T’Challa has managed to change a lot of the cosmic MCU’s major fates as Star-Lord. He’s even broken through Thanos’ mindset in this branch timeline, convincing him that there’s more than one way to achieve his goals, and he’s changed Drax’s life by saving his home world from a Kree invasion, too.

As Star-Lord, T’Challa runs into a friendly and now-minimally cybernetic Nebula, who initially comes across as a kind of blue Jessica Rabbit. She manages to pique his interest by describing a MacGuffin called the Embers of Genesis – cosmic dust that can terraform ecosystems. T’Challa understands he could use them to eradicate hunger across the galaxy, but they’ll have to steal them from The Collector, who has filled Thanos’ power vacuum.

T’Challa and Nebula plan a heist on Knowhere, which involves evading the Black Order. They’re working for The Collector in this timeline, in an alteration from Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

Who are the voices?

Jeffrey Wright returns as What If…?’s narrator, Uatu The Watcher. Chadwick Boseman is T’Challa/Star-Lord, Michael Rooker is Yondu, Djimon Hounsou is Korath the Pursuer, Chris Sullivan is Taserface, Karen Gillen is Nebula, Josh Brolin is Thanos, Seth Green is Howard the Duck, Danai Gurira as Okoye, John Kani is T’Chaka, Angela Bassett is Ramonda, Benicio Del Toro is The Collector, Carrie Coon is Proxima Midnight, Kurt Russell is Ego, Sean Gunn is Kraglin, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is Ebony Maw,

Drax is the real omission here, as Dave Bautista did not return to reprise his role in the series. He claims he was never asked, but executive producer Brad Winderbaum chalked it up to a “miscommunication.”

Standout moments

This was a wonderful episode, and it was great to see how much of a positive influence T’Challa had been on the universe after getting the opportunity to leave Earth and satisfy his natural curiosity. It was also consistently funny to note how much better T’Challa was at being Star-Lord than Peter.

Of course, it was all bittersweet knowing that What If…? marks the late Chadwick Boseman’s last performance, and it was hard not to get choked up during the episode’s final scene in Wakanda. I can’t wait to see the other versions of T’Challa that pepper this season of the show.

The reformed Thanos in ‘What If…T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?’ was also a treat, and I loved how he always seemed to be just on the cusp of falling back on his old plan, but his Ravager family, their banter and their friendship had drawn him in too deep to take it too seriously. Murdering half the universe has become a running joke in this timeline, which was some dark comedy I couldn’t help but warm to.

It wouldn’t be a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1-adjacent episode without a brilliant Howard the Duck appearance, and this one was glorious, but hearing Seth Green’s voice coming out of Howard’s beak made me yearn for the recent Howard the Duck animated series that never was.

T’Challa’s fight with The Collector was a schmorgasboard of Easter eggs for Marvel fans, too. We saw that in this timeline he’s managed to get hold of Hela’s Thor: Ragnarok headpiece, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and Captain America’s shield! I’d love to hear the stories behind those objects of desire falling into his hands. Maybe we’ll get to revisit it in a later episode of What If…?, but if we don’t, that’s fine. I’ll let my brain fill in those gaps with some wild stuff instead.

How does it work out?

T’Challa finds a Wakandan ship in The Collector’s stash and realizes that Yondu has lied to him about the country’s destruction, but the two objectively have more of a father-son relationship than Yondu ever did with Peter, and they have a nice heart-to-heart that ends with T’Challa returning to Wakanda to reunite with his father, T’Chaka, and the rest of his Wakandan family.

Meanwhile, Ego eventually finds an older Peter mopping the floor at a Dairy Queen, but this altered meeting might mean the end of the world, we’re told, as in this timeline there’s no one to guide Peter away from Ego’s nefarious Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 plans!

More to come

This won’t be the last time we see T’Challa pop up on What If…?. Winterbaum told IGN that Boseman appears in four episodes of the series playing different versions of the character. “Each time, he was just so enthusiastic about finding a new spin on the character.”

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from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3ASUl4M

[recentanimenews]

Star Trek: Lower Decks – 06 – Not-So-Hollow Pursuits

For its latest not-so-glamorous mission, the Cerritos is in a standoff with alien junk traders attempting to salvage 100-year-old Starfleet debris (you know it’s old when the registries are only three digits long). The cold open features Commander Ransom attacking the Lower Decks when he walks past as they all attempt to imitate the hum of the ship’s engine sounds (I myself used to do this as a kid). 

Then the Cat doctor tears into Mariner after she accidentally makes her spill her nachos. Both Doc and Ransom both hold the Lower Deckers in generally low regard in the opening minutes. We also meet Fletcher, Boimler’s academy classmate who feels like a third wheel throughout the episode.

This is also the second straight episode where the Lower Deck Four are split down the middle, with Mariner and Boimler in one plot and Rutherford and Tendi in another. While it makes a certain sense that non-command crew would hang out more, I’d still like to see more of the four interact, or end up in different combinations, something TNG, DS9 and Voyager did so well.

That said, it’s good to see the Rutherford/Tendi friendship continuing to grow. Tendi confesses she never completed a successful spacewalk at the academy, leading Rutherford to show her his holodeck spacewalk simulator. Tendi is so green in magboots hers end up sticking to his, leading to an inadvertent romantic embrace with a shimmering galaxy as a backdrop.

We also meet the Starfleet equivalent of the Microsoft Office Assistant Clippy, a cheerful and worryingly buggy anthropomorphic comm badge named Badgey.

When Mariner and Boimler leave Fletcher to complete their busywork so they can attend the “Choo Choo Dance”, something for which Boimler made special shirts for, we see that these two have clearly become more than bunkmates and colleagues, but genuine friends who make a point to hang out together when off duty.

Unfortunately Fletcher is not like them. When they return from the dance they find him passed out and one of the doohickeys they were working on missing. After initially blaming Delta Shift, Fletcher claims alien intruders could be involved, but as conditions on the Cerritos suddenly go south due to the junk dealers using their tractor beam to sling wreckage at the Cerritos, the doohickey turns up…in his bunk.

Fletch assures his crewmates he meant well, trying to hook the component to his brain in order to become smarter (shades Barclay in TNG’s “The Nth Degree”), but now they have a new problem: the component is now gobbling up all pieces of technology in its reach and becoming a huge menace.

Up on the bridge, Shaxs implores Captain Freeman to let him target the junk traders’ warp core (Worf almost always advised using the phasers and/or photon torpedoes). But here is where the true Starfleet spirit shines through better in Lower Decks than in either of the extant live-action series: Starfleet doesn’t just not shoot first; they prefer not to shoot at all. Freeman orders Shaxs hold on weapons while she tries to figure out a peaceful solution.

Due to the damage from the tossed junk, main power is compromised and the holodecks are locked and safeties disengaged. Also, the buggy Badgie turns evil and homicidal. When his suit is ripped Rutherford changes their environment to a Bajoran marketplace where Badgie proceeds to literally tear bystanders apart.

As they climb the seemingly endless steps up to the main Bajoran temple (also seen in so many a matte painting establishing shot on DS9) Rutherford apologizes for putting them in such a mess. He knew the program wasn’t ready yet but wanted to impress Tendi, whom it’s clear by now he likes.

The good vibes continue as Mariner and Boimler acknowledge they make a great team, restraining the mechanical monster Fletch made so they can transport it into space. When it grows even larger and harder to drag, they toss it out the nearest airlock instead.

The Cerritos shields eventually fall, but it takes forever, underscoring how unnecessary force is in this situation. The junk traders are ultimately a super-low threat, even to a not-state-of-the-air Starfleet vessel. But Freeman waits so long to finally order Shaxs to return fire, the weapons are offline too.

Luckily, the now space-bound tech-devouring monster soon attaches to the junk traders’ ship and disables it before it can lob any more junk at the Cerritos. In the aftermath of their accidental victory, Fletch begs Mariner and Boimler to cover for him—again—and they grudgingly do, following the adage Lower Deckers Stick Together.

When he notices Badgie laboring up the steps, Rutherford realizes his creation is not invincible, and changes the environment to a frozen waste. A brutal fight between Rutherford and Badgie ensues as Tendi escapes, but Badgie eventually freezes to death before he can kill his creator.

Shortly afterwards main power is restored, and with it holodeck safeties and control. Rutherford (harmed) and Tendi (unharmed) return to the holodeck grid to find a rebooted Badgie who is friendly again. But once they leave, Badgie admits he’s “always there”, which is creepy but also demonstrates that he’s attained a level of sentience not unlike Voyager’s doctor.

Due to Mariner and Boimler’s story about Fletcher intentionally creating the doohickey monster to disable the junkers’ ship, Fletcher is promoted to lieutenant and given a transfer to the Titan (the brand-new ship Riker commands after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis).

A Titan transfer is something Boimler has always been working towards, but he’s oddly okay with it. Not only is this a factor of how hanging out with Mariner has softened his hard edges a bit, and that he doesn’t altogether dislike that, but he also hopes it’s a learning experiment for Fletch.

Alas, it isn’t; he’s fired and demoted after just six days on the Titan (they clearly have a higher standard” and Mariner and Boimler are forced to fake interference to hang up on him. Like them, I won’t miss Fletch. He may have worn the uniform, but he wasn’t Starfleet.

Stray Observations:

There are some pretty relaxing YouTube videos of Star Trek engine sounds.

Something Boimler has in common with Picard? Both were once hassled by Nausicaans. They stabbed Picard in the heart, but just spat in Boimler’s face.

Frozen/in-stasis princess-like characters are a surprisingly common occurrence on the various Treks.

Probably everybody knows this, but flip phones (back when they were a thing) were inspired by the clamshell design of The Original Series communicators.

Rutherford runs down a litany of holodeck personalities with whom one can interact in the holodeck: Holmes, Freud, Einstein, Da Vinci, and Hawking all showed up at somepoint in Trekdom, while Picard and crew were sent to the world of Robin Hood by Q in “Qpid”, while Barclay played Cyrano de Bergerac in “The Nth Degree”.

I honestly don’t know what “Choo Choo Dance” is a referance to, if anything.

Jacket flaps were a bit thing in Star Treks II through VI. You undo that, and you’re either ready to rumble…or ready for a pot of black coffee.

“FUCK YOU!”: Best Viewscreen Sign-off line, or Bestest?

The captain’s yacht keychain sports a tiny, hopefully fake tribble.

By: sesameacrylic

[seekingxanadu]

The writer was already writing for a Bat character - this is Lobdell who has written RHaTO for nearly 10 years. Ric was Lobdell's idea. Tom King wanted to shoot Dick (which, why?), and the plan with then Nightwing writer Ben Percy was to tackle Dick's sudden vertigo for 3 or so issues before going on with Nightwing's arc. Scott Lobdell came in with the pitch - if Oracle can last 20 years, Ric can be Dick's new name (which, why?) and supposedly this was a galaxy brain idea for DC editorial and they approved it and gave the book to Lobdell to write (why, why?). Lobdell took Ric and turned him into an edgy fool - something Dick Grayson has never been. He can be edgy and he can be a dork but Lobdell's Ric idea had NOTHING Dick Grayson in it. It was a completely different guy. Lobdell didn't explore the angst of Scarecrow being Dick's therapist or the Batfam and Bruce letting him live a homeless existence (seriously, why did NONE of them tell Ric he has his own apartment?!) or the angst of finding out his parents are dead. 8 yr old Dick went out into the Gotham night to hunt for mob boss Zucco and Lobdell is saying a 20 something dude whose last memory is of his parents death won't go hunting for their killer?!!! I call BS.

Ric Grayson, even the one written so horribly by Lobdell, has rights. Lobdell and DC did him dirty. The guy who STILL went out and saved people? With no money, no weapons, no resources, no suit?? Heck yeah, Ric Grayson is a hero.

Ric Grayson's first writer - Scott Lobdell - has a reputation for turning Jason into some toxic masculinity shite and he did the same to Ric, except it didn't hold beyond the first couple of issues. Thank God, we got Jurgens trying his best with the mess Lobdell and Nicieza left for him and the Joker War mess waiting ahead for him.

In Nightwing #74 Bruce saying "he is ours again" just emphasises the Batfam as a mafia family that abandons anyone who leaves the nest - Dick has a history of doing it, sometimes he is pushed out, sometimes he distances himself for his own sanity and mental health. This time, it wasn't even his choice. And Bruce and the fam still punished him by abandoning him. His ex GF stalked him and pestered him about "Dick" someone he had no memories of and it only reminded Ric that the family only wants him for what he can do for them. Alfred couldn't even drop his training for a few minutes to call Ric son or grandson. Ric being met with a man who introduces himself as butler to Bruce Wayne who is supposedly Ric's adoptive dad but who never shows up. Neither did ANY of the kids who wore Dick's Robin mantle after him, kids who are his legacy. No Jason. No Tim. No Steph. No Damian. No Duke. No one had his back.

And now that Dick has his memories, he is "claimed" back by Bruce and the family - as if Dick is a bonded labourer to them ~ttch~

So many bad writing choices, it is physically painful thinking of them.

I've slept and i am here to complain.

One of the major issues i had with ric grayson (and thank god that its finally over) is the fact that the writer seemed to have wanted to write for a batfamily character but when they discovered it was dick grayson they made the decision for something different, out of disappointment mind you, and dc liked it so they ran with it.

For two (two and a half) fucking year.

They stripped dick grayson character of everything: his headquarters, his costumes, his ID as nightwing, and if I'm not mistaken a good chunk of his family. Like sure, damian is going to be happy to see dick back again but whats going to happen when he finds damian traumatized and robin-less? Whats gonna happen when he find the manor with a distinct lack of alfred pennyworth?

So what's next? Is dick still gonna parade around in that costume and go to every person who "is nightwing" to give it back??? Whats he gonna think about the state of the titans??

It's disappointing and if dc wanted their comics to be more like they were during the 80s to 2011 run(s) then why create rebirth in the first place? To give modern readers a speedrun of these characters who they are, and how they do not at all deserve the relationships and friendships they have today.

In rebirth they put the gun on the table and instead of waiting to fire it in the 3rd act, they do it in the first and everyone has to deal with the aftermath of the quick shot.

Which could work, if the writing is right. But dc - of course - dropped the ball on that one.

[camsthisky]

Holding the Universe Together

Summary: After months of the cape and cowl wearing him down, Bruce is finally back, relieving Dick of Batman. He finally feels like himself again. Maybe even enough to visit the Watchtower and catch up with an old friend. Part 3 of Tact

ao3 | ff.net

“Can we talk?”

Dick looked up from his laptop, blinking at Bruce, who was standing in the doorway to his room looking more than a little uncomfortable. Dick didn’t remember much from the other night, but he did remember Bruce cuddling. Maybe the Big Bad Bat was still embarrassed over showing his emotions.

Dick didn’t see why he would be, though. It was nice to see Bruce caring, even if it wasn’t all the time. Bruce shouldn’t be embarrassed for being nice to his family. That was ridiculous, but so very Bruce.

“Sure,” Dick said, eyes flicking back to his laptop. He saved a few things and closed his browser window, shutting the laptop and placing it on the bed in front of him. When he looked up, Bruce hadn’t come any closer. “Do you want to go downstairs or….?”

“No,” Bruce said, his lips thin. He finally strode into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “No, here’s fine. It’s just. It’s not an easy topic to talk about.”

“For you or for me?”

“Either one of us, I think,” Bruce said. “Just, bear with me to the end, alright?”

“Okay,” Dick said slowly, his brain going a mile a minute.

Whatever Bruce wanted to talk about didn’t sound too fun, and Dick had a couple of guesses as to what the topic was. He didn’t like any of them. The most likely one was about how Bruce had found Dick crying his eyes out in the Cave. Bruce, however impatient he was, knew how to hold himself back when it counted, and since they had yet to talk about that incriminating scene, it was bound to come up eventually.

But honestly? Dick had been hoping they could just avoid the subject and never talk about it again. He didn’t have to be Batman anymore, he was taking his much needed break from vigilante work, and the weight of the world wasn’t on his shoulders anymore. He was starting to feel like he was finally himself again. He definitely didn’t want to ruin that.

“You were…distraught,” Bruce started, “the other day. In the Cave.”

Well, distraught was one way to put it.

“Yeah, I guess,” Dick said, wondering where they were going with this. “I was kind of stressed.”

Bruce sighed. “I know, and I feel like I’m partially to blame for that. I didn’t mean to…to make you feel like that. I didn’t mean to put so much pressure on your shoulders.”

Dick blinked. “Are you apologizing?”

“Yes,” Bruce said, nodding. His fists clenched, and he still wasn’t looking Dick in the eye. Guilt, Dick realized. Bruce felt guilty, and probably nervous about showing his emotions. It was an odd combination of emotions to see on Bruce’s face, to say the least. “I didn’t mean to be an ass.”

That startled a laugh out of Dick. Bruce’s lips twitched upwards, too. And he’d finally met Dick’s eyes. Good. Bruce probably needed a nice laugh, but Dick would take what he could get.

“It’s okay,” Dick said, still smiling. “I know that you’re still trying to figure out this parenting stuff. If you want I can probably get you Jim’s handbook.”

“Already read it,” was Bruce’s reply, and Dick chuckled again. He wasn’t even the least bit surprised that Bruce didn’t seem to be joking. “Besides, I don’t think it would be much help in this situation.”

Dick hummed. “Maybe not,” he agreed. “But in all seriousness, I know you weren’t trying to put that much pressure on me, it just sort of happened. I think I’m just as much to blame for all this as you are.”

“You’re not,” Bruce said vehemently as he leaned forward, causing Dick to flinch back. Bruce seemed to realize what he was doing and drew back, looking guilty again. And that wasn’t—that hadn’t been what Dick had meant to do. He’d just been laughing with Bruce, and now he was flinching away from him? Great way to curb his father figure’s guilt.

“Sorry,” Dick murmured, turning away from Bruce, his eyes meeting the floor. “I don’t know why I did that.”

“No, no,” Bruce sighed. “That was my fault. I just meant that you aren’t to blame for any of this. Do you remember what I told you the other day in the Cave?”

Dick bit his lip. The other day really was fuzzy. The fury of Dick’s emotions had caused his brain to go haywire or something, and he didn’t remember much of anything after Tim had gone for the movies. He remembered crying in Bruce’s arms, and he remembered feeling guilty, but the only thing he remembered after that was waking up in Bruce’s bed with Tim curled up against one side and Bruce sitting up talking to Alfred in low tones on the other. To say he’d been really surprised to see Bruce would be an understatement.

“Not really,” Dick told him. “Just what happened after.”

“Dick, please look at me.” Dick did. Bruce’s eyes were filled with rarely seen emotion. “While we were down there you told me everything was your fault. Wally’s death, Jason’s death, your parents’ deaths, and everything that happened with the Team.”

“I did?”

He remembered feeling like that, and he kind of still did, but he didn’t know that he had voiced all those insecurities to Bruce.

“Yes,” Bruce said, and he looked so sad. “You did. I want you to know that no one blames you for the hard choices you had to make while I was gone. You were under so much pressure, and I shouldn’t have added Gotham to the list.”

“Wally blamed me,” Dick admitted, grimacing. He wrapped his arms around himself. “Or I guess, blames me. I don’t think he’s forgiven me for putting Artemis in a position like that. Or letting Kaldur blow up the mountain. He was…He was so angry, Bruce. At me.”

Bruce looked sympathetic, but that wasn’t what Dick really wanted. It made him feel like all of Wally’s accusations were true. He’d never really resolved anything with Wally that day he’d come to the manor. They’d made some sort of temporary truce, but it was hard to lose a best friend because of the mission.

“I’m so sorry, Dick,” Bruce told him. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that, but next time something like that happens, I want you to talk to me. Tell me if I put too much on you and I’ll try to help, okay?”

Dick snorted. “You were on Rimbor, Bruce. What were you going to do?”

“Anything,” Bruce said, his expression solemn. “I would have come up with something even if I was on the other side of the galaxy.”

Dick hated how he much he had to rely on Batman. He was nineteen, almost twenty, and still he needed Batman to come rushing in to save everything from blowing up in his face or sinking down with him. Somehow, he’d managed to get through without Bruce those five months, but so much had gone up in flames, irreparable. Like his friendship with Wally. And maybe Conner. Definitely his place on the Team.

And then three months went by without Bruce and he ended up cracking under everything? It shouldn’t have happened. After ten years of being a vigilante, first Robin and then Nightwing, Dick shouldn’t have had to asked Bruce for help. He should have been able to handle it all himself.

Rationally, Dick knew that it was stupid to think like that. To think that he didn’t need help from others. After all, that was what the Justice League was for. And yet, he just couldn’t shake the thought that he should have done better somehow.

Dick dropped his face into his hands.

“I hate this,” he whispered. “I hate how useless I feel.”

“You’re not useless, Dick.”

“I am.”

“You’re not,” Bruce told him, gently prying his hands from his face so Bruce could meet his eyes. “You’re one of the bravest people I know, and I’m on a first name basis with Superman.”

“Clark is pretty brave.” Dick’s lips twitched. “But Superman’s invulnerable. I’m not.”

“Which makes you that much braver,” Bruce said. “You’ve had to make hard decisions, Dick. Decisions that, gone right or wrong, brought a lot scrutiny upon you. But in the end, you did what you could without much support, and I’m so damn proud of you.”

“Really?”

Bruce nodded. “Really.”

“You yelled at me, though,” Dick said, recalling the day after they had defeated the Reach. “You told me—”

“What I said to you,” Bruce interrupted, quiet, “was said while I wasn’t informed of the full situation. I’d left you all on Earth, and I was—I was scared, Dick. I left you back where I couldn’t reach, and I thought it was going to be Jason all over again.”

“Oh.”

Dick tried to wrap his head around that. Bruce had a lot of trouble showing his emotions, he knew, and it did make sense for Bruce to get angry about the wrong thing, but it had hurt. Dick had been making so many hard choices, and Bruce chewing him out had only cemented that it really had been his fault.

“Again, I’m sorry,” Bruce said. “For not telling you how I really felt. I’m not—not good at things like this, but it’s really no excuse. Next time you’re feeling pressured like that, like the weight’s too much, I want you to talk to me, alright?”

Dick nodded numbly. “Okay. Thanks, Bruce.”

Bruce squeezed Dick’s hands gently, a small smile on his face. “And please tell me when I’m being an ass. You used to tell me all the time, but I haven’t heard it from you in over a year.”

Dick huffed a laugh. “Oh, well I’m waiting for Tim to tell you.”

Bruce’s face crumpled in confusion. “Tim? Tim Drake? The same Tim that has trouble telling Alfred that he doesn’t like cantaloupe? That Tim?”

“Well, yeah,” Dick said, starting to grin. “I mean, it’s Robin’s job to keep Batman in line, right?”

Bruce rolled his eyes, exasperated. “Dick.”

Dick just laughed again, this time it was fuller, and Dick hadn’t felt so much like himself since he’d looked over the S-cycle at Tim in the water, grinned, and said, dude, way to get your feet wet, and it felt amazing to not feel so much weight on his shoulders.

Bruce waited for him to stop laughing, an indulgent smile playing at his lips. “It wasn’t that funny.”

“No,” Dick said, “but it felt nice to laugh.”

“Hm. I take it you haven’t done it in a while.”

Dick shrugged, the smile on his face falling away. “Life’s been hell for a while, and it’s been hard to find a reason to laugh,” he admitted. “I just—it’s been hard, you know?”

Bruce nodded. “I get it, Dick, but…can I make a suggestion?”

“Go for it.”

“I think you should talk to the Team,” Bruce said quietly. Dick froze, and Bruce noticed, keeping his grip on Dick’s hands. “I know you probably don’t want to, but I think you and I both know that you want this to be resolved beyond shedding Batman.”

“I—” What could he possibly say to that? Finally he managed, “I’ll think about it.”

Bruce smiled again, and it was nothing like those stupid fake smiles he put on for banquets and photographers. It was a genuine smile, aimed at someone he loved with all his heart, even if he had trouble admitting it to his sons. It was nice to see it again after almost a year without it.

“That’s all I ask,” Bruce said. “You want me to send Tim in? I think he’s been at the door pretty much the entire time we’ve been talking.” A small eep from the hallway confirmed Bruce’s words and both Bruce and Dick chuckled again.

“Come here, Timmy,” Dick called, watching as Tim peered around the doorway, looking mildly embarrassed.

“I wasn’t there the entire time,” Tim defended as he padded towards the two on the bed. “My room’s just on the other side, and I didn’t want you guys to stop talking because I needed to pass by or anything. I swear I wasn’t really listening, Dick. I was just—”

“Sheesh,” Dick said, extracting a hand free from Bruce’s light grip to make grabby hands at Tim, latching onto his arm and pulling him in for a hug. Tim wasn’t really one for hugs, but he never complained when Dick snuggled with him, even if he did go a bit red after a while. Dick hoped that Tim just secretly enjoyed them.

Bruce was still smiling at the them. “I missed you both,” Bruce said, and Dick was glad that they were still in emotion sharing time. “Next time I’ll have someone else make the three-month trip, okay?”

“Okay,” Dick said, Tim pulled up against him. “Welcome back, Bruce. We missed you, too.”

He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He couldn’t believe he was here.

Actually, the only reason he was probably still there, suited up as Nightwing, standing by the Zeta tubes in the Watchtower, was because Batman’s hand hadn’t left his shoulder the entire way. A silent show of support.

If he turned around and went home now, he knew that Bruce wouldn’t be disappointed in him, but Dick would more than likely be disappointed in himself, and he was tired of feeling angry at himself, so he didn’t turn around. He waited for the others—Superman, Black Canary, Beast Boy, Robin, and Aqualad—to notice him.

It was Superman that noticed them first, and Dick had known Clark so long that he could never do anything but relax under those disarming smiles. Superman flew over to them, keeping his voice quiet so as not to disturb the debriefing happening in the center of the room.

“Batman,” Superman greeted, before his eyes swung to meet Dick’s. “And Nightwing. It’s good to see you again.”

Dick’s lips quirked. Not a smile, but close. “Good to see you again, too,” he said as honestly as he could.

“We won’t be here long,” Batman told him. “I just came to check on things, pick up Robin, and then hit Gotham for a patrol.”

Clark’s smile grew, catching onto what Batman wasn’t saying. “I see. I’ll fill you in, Batman, and Nightwing can talk to the others once Aqualad and Canary finish up training arrangements.” He turned to Dick. “Aqualad’s been eager to talk to you, and you missed her today, but I know Miss Martian’s been wondering about you, too.”

Dick winced. “Yeah, I’ve just…had a lot on my plate lately.”

Superman held his hands up, a clear sign of surrender. “Hey, I’m not blaming you, Dick. I know it’s been a tough year. I’m just glad you’re here now, and I know Aqualad will be, too. Just give them—all of them—a chance, yeah?”

Dick nodded, his voice quiet. “Yeah.”

Aqualad and Black Canary seemed to come to an agreement, Beast Boy cheered, and the four turned towards the Zeta tubes, only to stop at the sign of Superman talking to Batman and Nightwing. Dick didn’t wince again, but it was a close thing with the many pairs of wide eyes staring at him like he’d died and come back to life.

Batman’s gloved hand tightened on Nightwing’s shoulder reassuringly. “Superman and I will be around the corner if you need us.”

Dick nodded and watched them walk away. Then, he steeled his nerves and turned back to the frozen group. None of them were moving, not even Kaldur—though, Kaldur didn’t look half as surprised as the rest of them did.

“Nightwing!” Tim finally said, jogging up the steps to where Nightwing stood in front of the Zeta tubes. “I thought you weren’t going to—”

“I wasn’t,” Dick said lowly, “but I changed my mind. Batman brought me here.”

Tim didn’t move for a minute, but then he smiled nervously—geez, the kid seemed more nervous about Dick being here than Dick was—and fell back a step, letting Kaldur come forward instead. Kaldur extended a hand. Black Canary had a sad smile for him, but she didn’t stay, instead making her way towards the hall that Batman and Superman had disappeared down, leaving Nightwing left to face only Aqualad and Beast Boy.

Could have been much worse. Could have been Superboy. Could have been Wally.

“Nightwing,” Kaldur said, a small smile on his face when Dick took his hand. “It is good to see you, my friend.”

Dick nodded. “Sorry I’ve been such an ass,” he said, taking Bruce’s words from the other day.

Kaldur’s smile widened. “I will forgive you if you forgive me for not noticing your deteriorating condition.”

Dick frowned. “I’m not going to say I was fine, Aqualad, but I will say that there was nothing you could have done. You were undercover.”

“I didn’t mean during the Reach invasion,” Kaldur said, ducking his head slightly, “but I do apologize for putting you in a position where you had to lie to your own teammates. I meant these past few months, while Wally was missing.”

Missing. Not dead. Just missing. The mention of Wally’s time away from them all still sent a pang through Dick’s heart, it still made him feel like he couldn’t breathe, just like Jason’s death did, just like his mom and dad’s deaths did.

“It was both of our faults,” Dick decided after a long moment. “We both agreed that you going undercover was the best way to play this out, and we both suffered for it.”

Kaldur’s smile turned sad at the edges. “Indeed we did,” he agreed, “but I believe that you are still suffering for it.”

“Maybe,” Dick breathed, aware of both Tim’s and Garfield’s eyes on him still, listening to every word that was coming out of his mouth. “Maybe just a little.”

Kaldur’s expression told Dick that he knew it was more than just a little, but Dick was glad when the Atlantean let it go. He wasn’t quite ready for anyone to push him on this, and Kaldur seemed to get that much, at least.

“Are you coming back to the Team?” Beast Boy cut in, sliding in front of Aqualad. The kid looked about ready to burst with excitement, and Dick didn’t really want to pop his bubble. He hesitated to answer, struggling to find the words to explain that he couldn’t come back. Not yet. Not until he had settled whatever problems he was having with himself.

Kaldur noticed his hesitation, though. “As much as we would love to see you return, Nightwing, I believe that it is imperative that you take whatever time you need to heal. After all,” Kaldur said, looking Dick straight in the eye, “if a soldier is injured, you do not send him into battle until he is fit enough to fight, correct?”

Dick swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. “Kaldur, I’m not—”

“Mental, emotional, or physical, Dick,” Kaldur said softly, “they are still wounds.”

Closing his eyes, Dick took a few seconds to just breathe. He was Nightwing right now, surrounded by his former teammates, the people he used to lead, and he could not break down right now. Even if he was wounded, it wasn’t the best time to prove Kaldur right.

“Right,” Dick said at last, opening his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll come back when I’m ready.”

“Of course,” Kaldur said. “We’ll all be eagerly awaiting your return, Nightwing.”

“All?” Dick couldn’t help but ask after a second. “Even….”

“Superboy is…apologetic, to say the least,” Kaldur told him. “I explained my side of the situation, and he said he would wait it out, and Miss Martian has only been worried about how you have been feeling. She does not blame either of us.”

“And Wally?”

It was Kaldur’s turn to sigh. “I have not seen much of him, to be quite honest, and I am not sure how he is dealing with the entire situation.”

“So I need to talk to him myself.”

“I think it would do you some good to talk to Superboy and Miss Martian, as well,” Kaldur suggested. He clapped a supportive hand on Dick’s shoulder. “Just know that no matter what Wally says to you, you always have a place here as our leader. We will welcome you back the instant you decide you are up for it.”

Dick nodded, shooting him another hesitant smile. “Thanks, Kaldur.” Then he turned to Garfield. “And I’ll come back soon. Until then, keep the Team in line for me, okay?”

Beast Boy grinned easily, saluting. “Yessir!”

Batman and Superman came from around the corner just as Garfield let his hand fall. Either it was really good timing or they had both waited until Dick seemed to be finished speaking. Tim went over to Batman and held his hand out in front of him.

Dick could only watch in confusion as Batman merely handed over a few bills. They were probably hundreds, too, and it looked way too shady.

“Um.” Dick blinked behind his mask as best he could as both Batman’s and Robin’s heads turned towards him. “Did you two bet on whether I would come?”

Tim looked sheepish, even though Dick couldn’t see his eyes, but Batman looked as stoic as ever. Man, even Superman was looking sort of bewildered at the exchange. Dick had learned really early on that Batman seemed to be the exception to just about everything when it came to emotions.

“No,” Batman said, his voice flat. “We bet on whether you would say the word ‘ass.’”

Dick grinned, his previous tension falling away. “You bet against it?”

“I figured you would use something stronger.”

“Not with a little Robin in the room,” Dick said, trying not laugh as he pulled Tim towards him. Hugging him, the kid that had been there for Dick the past year Bruce had been gone, was such a comfort that sometimes Dick didn’t want to let him go.

“What the hell, ‘Wing,” Tim muttered. “I’ve said worse.”

“You want me to tell you know who that?”

Tim went red. “No.”

“Then to me you’re just as innocent as a newborn baby.”

Tim was almost scarlet now, hiding his face in his hands in embarrassment. “Please don’t,” he moaned. “I’m fifteen.”

Beast Boy was gaping now, and Aqualad looked resigned, leaving only Dick and Clark to fall into laughing fits. It was nice to see that Bruce had found a way to let the tension in Dick’s shoulders at coming up to the Watchtower out. It felt good to laugh in costume again. The weight was gone, and with even Batman’s teeny tiny smile under the cowl, Dick thought for once that things could actually turn out alright.

[fandomoblivion]

Ella Enchanted (part one)

Fandom: Stranger Things season 3

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary: (Y/N), also known as Nine, was a girl being experimented on all her life by the Hawkins Lab, conditioned into following every command her brain heard. She managed to escape the lab, with the help of her little sister Eleven, and was taken in by Hopper. Now, it’s a year later, and the three of them are a happy family. She just got her first job, where she works alongside Steve “The Hair” Harrington… who her father doesn’t much like.

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 1,570

Notes: Part one! Here we gooo!

prologue

“Bye Hopper!” You called, giving the old grump sitting in his Lazy Boy a kiss on the top of his head. 

“Bye, Kid. Be safe.”

“You know I always am. And please, don’t spy on them all day.” You said, referring to El and Mike, alone in the bedroom the two of you shared.

“Eh. No guarantees. Have a good first day.”

“Thanks.” And, with that, you were out of the house. You didn’t know how to drive yet, so you had to leave extra early to be able to walk all the way to the Starcourt Mall, where you’d be on your feet for a couple more hours, before walking home again.

This was your first day at the ice cream place, and you were psyched to say the least. Your uniform was in your bag so you could change there--no way in hell you were walking over wearing it, listening to your Walkman and excited beyond words to start being a normal teenager.

When you got to Scoops Ahoy, you walked up to the girl who had previously met when your boss interviewed you. Her name was Robin, and she greeted you with a kind smile. 

“Hey (Y/N)! First day, right?” You just nodded, still not super comfortable with human interactions yet… even though you were about to work in customer service. “Well, I should introduce you to our shift partner, Lord Himbo himself, Mr. Steve Harrington.”

The shudders behind her opened, revealing a guy with very… tall hair. He had on a wide smile, which dropped when he saw your face. He replaced it quickly, though, and Robin didn’t even seem to notice. You for sure did, though. 

“Hi there. Steve Harrington.” 

“I’m (Y/N).” You said quietly. You held up your bag with the uniform in it and asked, “Is there a…” 

“Yeah, there are bathrooms in the back,” Robin replied. You thanked her, went, and got changed. 

And your shift had begun. Honestly, it was pretty easy. Robin and Steve worked like a well-oiled machine, you could pretty much sit back, watch, and take notes in your mind. 

When your shift was almost over, you and Robin were at the counter together, making awkward small talk, when a boy with dark hair came up and rang the bell repeatedly, continuing after you had acknowledged his presence. He looked familiar, you just couldn’t place the face.

Robin sighed. “Hey, Dingus! Your children are here!”

Steve opened the back window. “Again? Seriously?” The boy said nothing, and just hit the bell again. “Alright, come on. Don’t let people see you.” Steve said, ushering them into the back. 

“Hey! Mike!” You said cheerfully, smiling at him. He just looked at you and gave an awkward smile.

“Steve sometimes likes to use his privileges here to help his friends that are like eighth graders for some reason.” 

“Yeah… that’s my little sister’s boyfriend.”

And things were back to normal, until the lights flickered and went out a few minutes later. You jumped slightly, remembering all the times lights flickering were associated with otherworldly things. You had to remind yourself now, that these lights were just lights. 

“That’s weird.” Steve mumbled. He went and flicked the light switch, but nothing happened. 

Robin crossed her arms. “That isn’t gonna work, Dingus.” 

“Oh really?” Steve asked, before flicking the light as fast as he could. 

“I don’t think they’re turning back on.” You whispered, hugging your arms to yourself.

Steve groaned and put his hands on his hips, assessing the situation. “Alright. You guys can go home, if you want. Shifts are almost over, I can cover until we close.” 

“Hey, thanks, doof.” Robin said. You nodded in agreement and went into the bathroom to change with Robin. “So, how was your first day?” 

“Good.”

“You’re not much of a talker, are you?”

You shrugged. “I talk when I want.” 

“Do you want a ride home? If all the lights are out, it’s gonna be a difficult walk.”

You shook your head. “That’s alright.” 

Robin laughed. “Nah, come on. Let me give you a ride home.” 

Your brain went fuzzy, as it did whenever you heard a command. You couldn’t think or do anything, and you heard the words “Okay, thank you,” come out of your mouth. 

When you two finished changing, you bid Steve farewell, and Robin drove you home. It was a nice drive. She mostly talked about the mall: what to expect from the job, how to read different customers, the works. When she dropped you off, she made a joke about you living in the middle of nowhere. You did your best to laugh.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Don’t mention it.” Okay, you wouldn’t. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

---

The next day was the same. You walked to work, changed, and tried your best to help out. Steve tried flirting with different customers, but the uniform, along with the cocky personality, set him back far too much.

Just as another pretty girl walked away, giggling to her friend, Robin opened the back window and slid a whiteboard into view. You walked over from the corner to see what it said. It was a T-chart, with “YOU RULE” with an empty column under it, and “YOU SUCK” with five tally marks.

“And another one bites the dust,” Robin said, drawing another tally mark. Steve just scoffed. “You are oh-for-six, Popeye.”

“Yeah, yeah, I can count.” Steve retaliated.

“You know that means you suck.” You said, laughing.

Steve glared at you. Robin laughed. “Exactly!”

“Yeah, I can read too!” He huffed.

Robin put the whiteboard away. “Since when?” 

“It’s this stupid hat. I’m telling you, it’s totally blowing my best feature.” 

You paused. “Which is…?”

“My hair!”

“Yeah, company policy is a real drag.” Robin said, leaning through the window. You moved to stand next to Steve, so you were all around the window. How cute. “You know, it’s a crazy idea, but have you considered telling the truth?”

“Oh, you mean that I couldn’t even get into Tech and my douchebag dad’s trying to teach me a lesson, I make three bucks an hour, and I have no future? Hm? That truth?

“People don’t always like the truth.” You said, knowing from your stupid curse.

“Ah, shut up.” Steve groaned. Damn it. You hated it when people said that, because you couldn’t talk until they left, or until you were told another command. El used this tactic whenever the two of you would fight, since she couldn’t really leave, you couldn’t talk. 

“Hey, twelve o’clock.” Robin said, pointing behind the two of you. You looked behind you, at the cash register, and a group of pretty girls were walking up. 

“Oh shit. Oh shit. Okay, uh… I’m going in. And you know what?” Steve took off his hat and threw it at Robin. “Screw company policy.”

“My god, you’re a whole new man.” Robin said sarcastically. You quickly went and joined Robin in the back, watching Steve with her. 

“Ahoy ladies!” Steve yelled, making the girl in front yelp. “Didn’t see you there! Would you guys like to set sail on this ocean of flavor with me? I’ll be your captain. I’m Steve Harrington.” The girls laughed nervously. You and Robin just watched in awe. “Can I get you guys a little taste of the Cherries Jubilee? No? Anybody? Banana Boat? Four people, four spoons? Share it in the booth? Anybody? It’s hot out there!”

Robin rolled her eyes and added a seventh tally to the board. 

The girls just laughed and walked away. Steve groaned, running his hands over his face. “Damn it!” He said, joining the two of you in the back. “What’s wrong with me?” He asked, looking at you.

Robin laughed. “Yeah, (Y/N), tell him what’s wrong with him.” 

Your brain went fuzzy and you heard yourself say, “You hold yourself to a standard you can’t meet.” 

Steve looked surprised and Robin snickered. “Shit, too real.” Her head perked up when she heard the bell being rung by a customer. “Be right back, guys.” She left the two of you back there, alone for the first time.

“Sorry.” You said.

“Nah, nah. I did ask. I’m just… Where do I know you from? Did you go to Hawkins High?” You shook your head. “Do you have a sibling at the middle school? I might have seen you.”

“No. Do you?”

“Well, no, but I have a friend who goes there. I don’t know, maybe I might have seen you while dropping him off.”

“My little sister’s dating Mike Wheeler.” You said, remembering that Steve took Mike into the back room the previous day.

“Mike’s girlfriend… El. Wait, El?! Your sister is Eleven?!” You nodded. “That’d make you one of the-”

Robin opened the window. “Hey, dingus, there’s a girl here who you might have a shot with.” You looked up and saw a girl walking in. Oh, you understood the joke. She’s in middle school.

“Ha ha. Very funny.” Steve said, rolling his eyes. Robin shrugged and closed the window. There was a long pause. “Are you?” He asked quietly. You held out your wrist reluctantly. “009.” Steve read to himself. “Fuck. You got out?” You nodded. He let out a breathy laugh. “Shit. Well then,” he said, drawing up two chairs to the little table back there. “Tell me your story.”

Fuzzy mind.

---

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