#we about to either get our ass beat or kicked out of the team

[haitianempress]

We Cheered!

NOOO

[bbymunsonx]

The Last Time (Ted's Version)

Chapter Nine

chapter warnings: language, angst, slight emetophobia, talk of sexual content

word count: 4.6k

Lacy Watson: Jamie, I heard what happened. Please call me okay?

Lacy Watson: It isn't what you think. Please call me back.

Lacy Watson: Jamie!!!

***

It's been a week since Jamie got traded back to Man City and the team's been torn up about it. Especially because we have a special game this weekend. Rebecca claims that she didn't have a choice and that his contract with Richmond had expired, but Ted doesn't believe her. I've stayed out of their argument because I didn't know any better. Either way, Jamie's gone and the team is going to have to get used to that. 

We're getting ready to travel to Liverpool to play against Everton. The boys have been incredibly on edge because Richmond hasn't been able to beat Everton in the past sixty years. 

"You really want me to come?" I asked. Ted was practically begging me to come with them. 

"Of course, I do. This is our first away game and I really want you there, Lace," Ted smiled. 

"Alright, I'll come," I beamed. I was excited about going away with the team and being able to stay in a fancy hotel. 

Rebecca Welton: I heard you're coming this weekend! Keeley's coming too! Do you wanna come on the jet with us?

I've never ridden on a private jet before, that sounds amazing. I either ride on a private jet with Rebecca and Keeley or I take a four hour bus ride sitting next to Ted. Hmmmm.

Lacy Watson: As much as I love you, I think I'd rather sit on a bus next to Ted for the next four hours. Sorry!!

Rebecca Welton: Don't you dare apologize. Enjoy the bus xoxo ;)

We all piled into the bus. I went into the back and saw Coach Beard sitting in the seat next to Ted. I widen my eyes at him that mentally said, "Get the fuck out of the seat, please." 

Like he was almost reading my mind, Beard frantically said, "I forgot to call Jane and tell her goodbye, I'll be one second." and ran from his seat. 

"I'll just keep his seat warm until he gets back," I plopped down in the empty seat, right next to Ted. 

"I'm really glad you're joining us, Lacy Loo. I feel like you're like a good luck charm, kinda like my own little four leaf clover." He looked over at me, causing me to blush. As the blush started to spread over my cheeks, it made me realize that we were never able to talk about me trying to kiss him. He's probably forgotten all about it at this point. 

"I'm glad you wanted me here. I thought after what happened the night of the gala that you didn't-" I was cut off by Roy screaming at the front of the bus. 

"OY! Pay attention! I don't wanna hear ANYTHING about some stupid, fucking curse. We're gonna go and kick Everton's ass tomorrow, yeah?" Roy screamed, causing the boys to erupt in screaming and chants. 

"What were you saying?" Ted brought his attention back to me. 

"Oh, nothing. I'm just glad I'm here." I smiled. 

The bus ride was filled with small talk and Ted reading over his divorce papers over and over again. Kind of put a damper on the mood. 

As we arrived at the hotel, Rebecca and Keeley texted me to meet them up in their suite after I had gotten my room key. Thankfully, I was able to switch room cards with Beard so I'd get the room next to Ted. 

I had taken the elevator up to the top floor and found my way to Rebecca's room. After knocking a few times, Keeley flung the door open and hugged me. 

"Hi, babe!" She squealed. She always acts like she hasn't seen me in years, which I love. 

"Hi, Keels!" I squealed back. As I loosened my grip, I looked behind Keeley and saw Rebecca standing in the middle of the room, talking to another woman. 

"Lacy, this is Flo, my oldest friend." Rebecca introduced us both. 

"Flo? Really?" The woman seemed almost offended. "Friends call me Sassy." 

"It's really nice to meet you, Sassy." I shot her a big smile. I was so excited to be able to have a girls night. After all this drama with Ted and Jamie, this was exactly what I needed. 

"Sassy was kind enough to remind me that this weekend is my wedding anniversary with Rupert." Rebecca stated. "That's why I want to spend this weekend surrounded by all my favorite girls." 

That almost made me start sobbing. I remember just a few short weeks ago, Rebecca always seemed so cold so it was really nice to know she genuinely liked me. 

"Alright, are you guys ready for dinner? I need a drink!" Sassy exclaimed as she dragged Rebecca out of the room. 

"It's gonna be a long night," I nudged Keeley as we followed the two women out of the room. 

***

We were nearing the end of our dinner as we were laughing and joking around about our sex lives. It took me a few drinks to be able to talk and laugh about how I slept with Jamie. It wasn't even until I had gotten it out that I realized Keeley was with Jamie. All she did was laugh.

"You shagged Jamie?" She gasped and laughed. 

"I could've sworn you knew!" I covered my mouth. 

"Absolutely not. I mean, he's not a bad lay." Keeley admitted, to which I nodded. 

"On that note, I am going to visit the loo," Sassy got up from the table. As she walked away, Rebecca turned to the two of us. 

"How do you like Sassy?" She asked. 

"I think I might be in love with her," Keeley drunkly joked. 

"I think she's so great," I beamed. The more girl friends, the better. 

After about ten minutes of drinking and talking some more, Sassy came back to the table. 

"You get lost, Sass?" Rebecca joked.

"I found the most handsome man outside. I wanted to shag him right then and there on the floor," Sassy blushed.

"Girl, look at you! You could shag anyone you wanted. Go get him!" I shooed her off, jokingly. 

"If he wasn't in the middle of something, he would be in my hotel room right now." She laughed.

After Rebecca paid the check, the three of us went back into the suite for a little bit to keep gossiping and talking. About an hour passed before I realized it was getting late and we had the game tomorrow morning. 

"Some of us have to do work in the morning, so I'm gonna hit the hay, ladies." I waved goodnight. 

"Nighty night," Keeley waved back, with Rebecca and Sassy waving behind her. 

As I took the elevator, or I guess I should say lift, down to my floor, I kept thinking about Ted. I felt guilty having a good night while he was struggling to sign his divorce papers. I reached my door but before I could open it, I stalled. Ted's door was right next to mine, it wouldn't hurt to pop in there just to see how he's doing. 

I turned around and knocked on Ted's door. A few seconds passed and no answer. I waited a few extra seconds and knocked a couple more times before the door flung open. "What?" He asked harshly. I've never seen this version of Ted before. He was freshly showered with his hair flopped over his forehead, not freshly styled like usual. Though he was freshly showered, he reeked of strong alcohol. 

"I'm-I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how you're doing." My eyebrows pulled closer together as my jaw clenched. The look on his face was one I've only seen with one other man...

"It's way past curfew. Go to bed." Ted spit. I just stood there, frozen, not knowing how to respond. A part of me knew he was hurting and all I wanted to do was push past him and hold him. Another part of me wanted to run into my room and sob in my pillow. "Lacy. Go." He slammed the door in my face. 

It took me second to gather the strength to turn and walk towards my room. As I walked into my room and let the door shut behind me, a sob immediately escape my mouth. My hands fell in my face as I cried and cried into the night. 

***

The sun started shining into my room, signaling the start of a new day. I had two hours to get ready before the game started. I took my time getting ready. Twenty minutes past as I found myself still sitting in the shower, scrubbing my body, making sure to scrub off all the feelings I felt last night. 

Ted isn't Julian. 

Ted. isn't. Julian. 

I put on a nice outfit and did my makeup nicely, just in case paparazzi were around of course. I exited my room, lookin left and right and only seeing an empty hallway. The stadium where we were playing was about a ten minute walk from the hotel, and I really needed the fresh air. I picked up a coffee from a local coffee shop and made my way over to the stadium.

As I found my way to the locker room, I could hear Ted's voice talking to the players which cause a knot in my stomach. I slowly and quietly sneaked my way into the locker room, but Ted immediately caught a glimpse of me, causing his eyes to widen. 

"Lacy," he rushed over to me. "Can I talk to you real quick? Privately." He looked around to the players, wanting to separate himself from them. I nodded.

Ted took my arm and led me to a private room where we could talk. 

"Ted, I-" I started before he held up his hands, trying to get me to stop talking. 

"Lacy, please. I am so sorry about how I spoke to you last night. Excuse my language, but I am so fucking sorry. I was just, I was having a bad night. A really bad night. And I took it out on you when you were just trying to be a good friend. Is there anyway you can forgive me?" His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes softened. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was trying his best not to cry. 

"There's nothing to forgive, Ted. You're human and you have human emotions. It's okay." I smiled at Ted while reaching up to give him a hug. He opened his arms and welcomed me into them, tightly. The both of us closed our eyes, letting the hug last, until we heard someone clear their throat. 

Ted looked over and gasped immediately escaping from the hug, "Sassy Smurf?" 

"Marlboro Man, so we meet again," she smiled at him. Rebecca, who was standing next to Sassy, looked at me with wide eyes once she made the connection. 

The man Sassy wanted to fuck in the restaurant was Ted?

"Small world," Ted smiled at Sassy. "What are you doing here?"

"She's my oldest friend," Rebecca awkwardly smiled. 

"What about that." Ted said with a smile still on his face. 

"Alrighty, don't we have a game to play or something? Let's go," I left the room and made my way back into the locker room. Nate was telling the team all his notes that he had for them, some of them were insanely mean, but it made the team eager to play. 

***

Thanks to Nate's pre-game pep talk, the team won, breaking their sixty year loss streak. After we all individually went back to our rooms for a midday nap, we got dressed in our fanciest outfits and went out for some karaoke. Rebecca had brought Sassy with her, who hasn't kept her eyes off of Ted all night. I went from thinking she was the coolest girl in the world to wanting to punch her in the face. There were so many men on the team and she could have any of them. But of course, she wanted the one I wanted. 

We all laughed and recorded as Coach Beard ran onto the stage to sing his rendition of "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. Ted was recording to send the footage to Henry when he tuned the camera over to me to capture me wiping tears off of my face from laughing too hard. 

Everyone egged me on to go on the stage, so I chose to sing Style by Taylor Swift, obviously. It a song that resembled Ted the most. During the entirety of the song, I had to watch Sassy as she swooned over Ted, but Ted's gaze, nor his camera, didn't leave me the entire song. 

Rebecca went on after me, singing Let it Go from Frozen. She was magnificent. She could easily be on Broadway if she wanted to. Out of the corner of my eye, I could notice Ted's leg bouncing up and down vigorously as he was anxiously playing with his fingers. I looked over at him with my brows furrowed, trying to ask if he was okay without outright asking him. He jumped up and ran out of the karaoke room without a word. 

I gave it a second, not wanting to get the same reaction I did last night, but obviously something was wrong. Fuck it. I jumped up and ran after him. I followed him through the club, filled with sweaty people dancing without a care in the world. As I reached the door, I looked to my left and didn't see him there, I looked to my right to see him crouched on the ground. 

"Ted, honey, what's wrong?" I knelt down in front of him. 

"I- I don't know," He stuttered. He was shaking, his eyes wandering all over the place. He was having a panic attack. 

I cupped his face with both of my hands, and rubbed his cheeks with my thumbs. "Ted, you're having a panic attack. You need to breathe."

"I can't. I can't breathe." He panicked. 

"Yes, you can. Breathe with me." I started to breathe with him, but he wasn't looking at me. "Look at me, Ted." I tighten the grip I had on his face, giving him no choice but to look at me. He nodded. 

"I'm going crazy." He sighed. 

"No. You're not going crazy, Ted." I smiled at him. "Now breathe with me." I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth, and Ted did the same. We did this ten times until I could feel his heart rate start to settle. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Ted profusely apologized. 

"Don't apologize. Don't you ever apologize." I kept rubbing his cheeks with my thumb, trying to comfort him. 

"I think I'm okay," Ted tried to get up. I quickly rose up so I can help him get up. "I think I'm gonna head back to the hotel for the night." 

"Okay, I'll go with you," I went to walk after him before he stopped me.

"It's okay. I think I wanna be alone for a little bit," He smiled at me. "I... I'm glad you're here. My little four leaf clover." He started walking away.

"Panda!" I screamed at him. He stopped and slowly turned to look at me. 

"Alright, I'm really glad you're here." 

I smiled at him as he started to walk away. I went back into the karaoke room where Roy had started to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. He must've had a lot to drink. Sober Roy would never do that. 

"Is he okay?" Coach Beard looked over at me. 

"Yeah, he'll be alright. He's just headed back to the hotel for the night." I replied. Sassy had looked over at me and smirked to herself. 

After a couple more songs, we decided to head out for the evening. We've had a long day and we were all getting tired. Rebecca decided to go to the bar to get a drink, Sassy went back to the hotel for the evening, and I went with Roy and Keeley to go back to the hotel. We took a scenic route around Liverpool before we all ended back at the hotel. 

"You sure you don't wanna come and hang out for a bit?" Keeley asked, causing Roy to groan in frustration. 

"I think Roy would actually kill me if I said yes, but thanks, babe." I smiled at Keeley before taking the elevator up to my room. 

As I was about to enter my room, I thought I would double check to see if Ted was doing okay. Even though he said he would be alright, I just wanted to make sure.

My fist lifted up to knock on the door but before my hand made contact, I heard something come from the other side of the door. A woman's voice, talking and laughing. Sassy. After the sounds of talking and laughing came the moaning. Sassy and Ted. My hand immediately reached up to my mouth to cover the sounds of my sobs as I ran away from the door and into my room. 

I curled up into bed with tears running down my face. Since Ted and I share a wall, and his bed lined up with mine, I could hear everything. I could hear the bed banging against the wall and the both of them moaning and laughing. God, his laugh. It was unmistakable. I laid in my bed with my hands covering my ears as I sobbed.

No, I can't do this to myself. It isn't right. 

I took out my phone and sent one quick text. 

Lacy Watson: What room are you in?

Coach Beard: 431

Lacy Watson: I'll be right there. 

I gathered my essentials in my bag and ran right to Beard's room. I knocked on the door a few times before he opened it up and his face softened. 

"I-I- I can't be in there," I cried out. I laid my head in my hands as I started falling apart. Beard opens his arms and immediately pulls me in the room and shuts the door. 

"What happened?" He questioned. 

"I went back to my room and I thought I would see if he was doing okay. But when I went to his door, he was with- he was with Sassy." I was able to say through sobs. "And I know it's silly to feel this way since we aren't together, but I- I really like him, Coach."

"I know. I know." He held my head as I cried. "Listen, I think you need to talk to him. The two of you need to talk." 

"Can we just tell him that we slept together so that we're even," I tried to joke. 

"I think he would actually kill me. I'm not joking." There was no hint of joking in voice. "Here, just stay in here for the night. I'll sleep on the pull out couch, you take the bed. You're not gonna go back to your room and have to deal with that." 

"Thank you," I smiled sadly. He got the pull out couch all ready for him while I got under the covers, still in my clothes from the day. 

"Coach?" I mustered out, still not being able to stop crying. 

"Yeah, Lace?" He called from the couch. 

"I think I love him." I whispered.

"I know."

*** 

"Rise and shine!" Coach Beard flung the blinds open. "We have two hours until we have to leave and you still have to go to your room to get your stuff."

My eyes fluttered open a bit as they adjusted to the sunlight. First, I was confused as to why I was in Coach Beard's room, but then the memory of last night hit me like a ton of bricks. My heart sank. I thought it had been a nightmare. 

"Thank you for letting me stay here last night. I just couldn't... yeah I couldn't." I couldn't even get out what I needed to say. 

"Of course." Beard smiled. I think this was one of the only times I've seen him act serious. It was a little scary. 

"I'll meet you back at Richmond. I'm gonna grab a ride on Rebecca's jet." I said before I walked out of the room back to my own. As I reached my door, I saw Sassy leaving Ted's room. 

"Oy! Lacy!" She called over to me. "You'd get lucky last night too? Look at you doing the walk of shame!" 

"Yeah, last night was so crazy." I said sarcastically. "Between the drinking and the fucking, I'm just so out of it today."

"I totally get it. Let me tell you, your coach is fucking amazing."

"Oh, Ted? Yeah he's alright." I kept my sarcastic tone to see if she would catch the hint, she doesn't. 

"He's such a gentleman. And I knew you were wondering, and yes, he does talk like that during sex and he's just so eager to please. He let me ride that little mustache like a jet ski." Sassy bragged. I'm not sure if it was because of what she just told me or if it was actually from all the alcohol I had last night, but I had thrown up all over myself. All down my outfit. It was not a good look. 

"Jesus, babe. You alright? Here, let's get you cleaned up." Sassy tried to usher me into my room. 

"No! Just leave me alone." I nudged her away from me and slammed my door shut. I immediately ran into the shower and just let the hot water wash away last nights dinner and Sassy's words. So eager to please. Her words kept repeating in my head. 

After my shower, I took out my phone to text Rebecca. 

Lacy Watson: Let me know when the jet leaves. I'd like to take it if there's still a seat for me. 

Rebecca Welton: There's always a seat for you. Are you alright? Sassy told me what happened. 

Lacy Watson: I'll tell you on the jet. 

On the jet, I told Rebecca and Keeley what happened and both of them were in awe. 

"I am so sorry, Lacy. I had no idea she was gonna do that." Rebecca apologized. 

"It's okay. I mean, it's actually not okay. It actually fucking kills me, but he's not mine. He can do whatever, and whoever, he wants." 

"Babe, you need to tell him how you feel. It's actually killing you. And I hate to see you like this." Keeley rubbed my arm. 

As she finished speaking, my phone buzzed. 

Coach Beard: Ted was asking everyone where you were. He's very worried. 

Lacy Watson: Did you know he is very eager to please? And that he even talks like that when he has sex! Thanks to Sassy, I know that now (and so do you!)

Coach Beard: I'm not sure how you want me to respond to that. 

I rolled my eyes as I put my phone away. "Rebecca, I hope it's okay that I take today off. I just want to be home."

"Yes, Lace, of course. I needed to borrow Ted for the afternoon anyway so that's no problem at all." 

After we landed, I took a cab back to my flat and immediately crawled under my sheets and went back to sleep, trying to pretend that the world doesn't exist. 

***

I must've slept the entire day away because I woke up to someone banging at my door. When I looked outside, it was pitch dark out. 

"I'm coming up!" I could hear Ted's voice call out at the bottom of the steps. Oh great. I got up from my bed and walked out into the living room, where Ted was coming up the steps. 

"Where the hell have you been?" He asked. 

"Sleeping," I groaned, still half asleep. 

"Um, alright. Why did you sleep all day? Are you alright? Are you sick?" He asked with worry in his voice. 

"Actually, I'm not alright, Ted." My voice started to break. 

"Here, how about you sit down." Ted motioned to the couch. I shuffled over to the couch and sat down, he immediately took a seat next to me. "What's on that noggin of yours?"

I couldn't get the words out to actually tell him how I felt. Every time I went to say it, the words wouldn't come out. "I..I..I'm just upset Jamie left." I panicked and that was the first thing that came out. 

"You're really that upset that he's gone?" Ted's eyes softened. 

"Yes. Yes I am." I said coldly. "Things were getting better between us. He was finally starting to open up to me and now he's gone." Ted's jaw began to clench. 

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way." 

"Yeah, me too." I whispered. 

"Alrighty, then I guess I'm gonna get out of your hair, but please come to work tomorrow, okay?"

I didn't say anything as Ted walked down the step and left my flat. That's when I started to cry again. 

Ted's POV

After I left Lacy's room, I immediately went downstairs and banged on Coach Beard's door. He opened the door almost immediately. 

"Hey, Coach," Beard greeted. 

"I really messed up," I groaned as I let myself into his apartment. 

"What happened?" Beard asked, motioning for me to sit on the barstools in his kitchen.

"Well, you already know I slept with Sassy last night, but I didn't tell you all of it." I cringed. Beard didn't verbally respond, but nodded his head, telling me to continue, "The entire time I was with Sassy, I was picturing Lacy. I mean, the entire time. Sassy is such a lovely woman and I feel so awful but, Coach, I don't know if it's because of the divorce or what, but... I don't know. I think I might like Lacy."

"Ted, if you think it's just feelings because of your divorce, then you're stupid." Beard finally spoke. 

"What do you mean?" I questioned, oblivious to what he was insinuating. 

"I mean, you've been in love with this girl since the moment you saw her. Maybe even before that. Do you remember when we had the team party a year ago, and you saw her with Julian? You never treated Julian the same after that." 

"Yeah, but I didn't even know her back then. I just saw her with her boyfriend, no big deal."

"You already had those feelings for her since before you actually got to know her, and now that you know her... your feelings are running rampant."

"Well, it doesn't even matter if I like her or not, she likes Jamie." I lowered my head. 

"I think you need to talk to her. You don't know everything." Coach Beard raised his eyebrow at me. 

"How do you know?"

"I know all." Beard answered. He's right, he always knows everything about everyone. 

I smiled at Beard slightly. "Thanks for listening, Coach." I left his flat and headed back to my own. Now, I just had to get unstuck from my own head. 

Lacy's POV

I hadn't moved from the couch in a few hours as I got comfortable in the couch hole I was creating with my body. Suddenly, someone is banging on my door. 

I groaned and got up from the couch. "Ted, I need to be left alone." I moaned as I was walking down the steps. I flung the door open and my blood ran cold. My eyes widen so much they almost fell out of my head. 

"Hey, Ace. You miss me?" The man on the other side of the door smugly said. 

I was able to sputter out one word, "Julian?"

authors note: this chapter and the next chapter were probably the most fun to write !! just a lil fact about me but I'm actually a senior in college. im minoring in creative writing so anytime im writing this story it always feels like im doing homework (in the best way possible lol) see u besties in the next chapter. buckle up ;)

taglist: @nerdgirljen

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x20 - Perfect-Stage Evolution! MetalGreymon / The Earthquake of MetalGreymon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Taichi goofing around in the middle of a raid quest got the party wiped and caused Sora to be left behind in the raid dungeon to fend for herself. Sora furiously told Taichi to uninstall, while Koushiro offered some gentle correction for his behavior.

Now Sora's in the custody of one unbeatable Perfect-stage Digimon with another (Strongest in Konoyo!) hunting for her head in the same building. And we have to get in the middle of that. Go team!

The kids take another night to camp out and plan their next move. We join them eating dinner and discussing what to do about Sora and Nanomon.

Koushiro's over in the shortcut tunnel analyzing the layout of the pyramid. They've also sent Takeru to eat with the Digimon while Taichi, Yamato, Jou, and Mimi have grown-up discussions about Sora's fate.

Narrator: Everyone in the group wanted to save Sora and Piyomon. However.... Jou: We don't know where they are. There's nothing we can do but wait for Nanomon to make his move. Taichi: But what if he hurts Sora while we're sitting around waiting!? Yamato: Nanomon's goal is to defeat Etemon. Maybe if we beat Etemon first, he'll let her go. Mimi: But we lost to him before.... (Pan over to Takeru and the Digimon, who are all clearly listening in on the conversation) Takeru: Make sure you all eat well so you're ready to fight at any moment!

Sure. Sure. All we have to do is fucking defeat Etemon to save Sora. Piece of cake. She'll be back before we know it.

Tentomon handles our narration for the dub. This is fairly standard fare, as the dub usually has a character offer a brief recap snippet at the start of an episode. The narrator in the original usually doesn't, however, so this is rare on their side.

Tentomon: When Datamon was unable to get his revenge on Etemon, he kidnapped Sora and Biyomon and took off! Joe: We don't have a clue where to start looking for him. Besides, we could all end up dead! Or worse! Tai: What if Datamon does something to harm Sora while we sit here on our butts! Matt: Look, Tai, he's already beaten our brains out once! What makes you think he won't do it again!? We need to come up with a plan before we go anywhere! Mimi: This is more depressing than a soap opera.... (Pan over to Takeru and the Digimon, who are all clearly listening in on the conversation) T.K.: We'd better get some sleep. I'll stay next to you guys just in case any of you get scared.

Holy shit, the dub changed Joe's line to add a death mention. Speaking of rarities....

The whole topic of conversation, however, is changed significantly. The original is on-point about everyone's positions. Jou wants to wait for Nanomon to emerge, Taichi wants to do something even if he doesn't know what, Yamato diplomatically wants to give Nanomon what he wants and then he'll let Sora go, and Mimi accurately points out that fighting Etemon is a fool's endeavor. Takeru isn't allowed to contribute but urges the Digimon to be ready for whatever the plan ends up being.

In the dub, they aren't so much trying to make a plan as they are discussing whether or not to start discussing trying to make a plan. Matt gets it the worst; Not only is his idea swapped out for just butting heads with Tai, but he also suggests that it was Datamon that kicked everyone's asses last episode? Which is not how that went down.

Once Takeru and the Digimon are asleep, Taichi expresses his regrets for how everything went down.

Taichi: If I'd just gone to save Sora back there.... Jou: Quit blaming yourself! We couldn't help her either. Yamato: There must be something we can do. Koushiro: (emerging from the shortcut tunnel) EVERYONE!!! I've figured it out!

The others return inside the shortcut tunnel to review Koushiro's findings. Takeru also joins them so I guess Koushiro's shouting woke him up. We cut to the projection of the pyramid he showed us before.

Koushiro: Nanomon only pretended to escape somewhere. In truth, he hasn't gone far at all. Yamato: Then.... Taichi: Is he still inside the pyramid!? Koushiro: Yes. I've found a hidden room that exists underneath the pyramid, in its deepest depths. There's no doubt that Nanomon and Sora are there. Jou: He's hiding right under Etemon's nose.

This is all more or less the same in the dub, except that the Jou's last line is worked into Izzy's explanation so that Joe can lay down a quip instead.

Izzy: I've discovered that, way down below the pyramid, there's a secret room. And I just know that's where he's holding them. He's found the perfect hiding place right under Etemon's nose. Joe: Not a bad place, as long as he isn't sneezing.

Gross, Joe. But also metaphorically apt, so points for that.

Approaching the map, Taichi utters:

Taichi: Sora is here.... Everyone, I know this will be dangerous but I want to do whatever it takes to save Sora. So-- Yamato: We know, Taichi. We feel the same. Mimi: Sora-san's a close friend to everyone here! Takeru: Let's save her together! Taichi: (fondly) Everyone....

Now that we know where Sora is, the team agrees: We're going in.

This is a big hoorah moment in the dub, but it's tonally different.

Tai: There's gotta be a way in. I don't care what I've gotta do, I'm gonna find that room! And I'm gonna bring Sora back! Guys, I totally understand if you'd rather wait here. Matt: Enough with the guilt trip; I'm comin' with ya! Mimi: Remember the old saying, Tai: There's no 'I' in 'Team'. T.K.: Can I come too if I'm brave? Tai: Alright, then! Now LET'S! GO! GET! SORA!!!

Tonal shift. In the original, everyone takes turns expressing their feelings about Sora. The emphasis is on how much she means to the whole group. The dub makes it about the mission, and everyone's eagerness to be a part of it. None of that feelings stuff.

Sora wakes up, finding herself strapped to a table. It's unclear what she's waking up from since she was awake and screaming when Nanomon dragged her away, but she has regained consciousness. Up above her, Piyomon is strapped to the wall with similar restraints. She's still out.

All Sora says in this bit are reaction noises and one "Piyomon!". The dub fills it with dialogue.

Sora: Have I been dreaming? This isn't my bedroom; Where am I? BIYOMON!!! IT ISN'T A DREAM!!! NOOOOOOO!!!

Dub Sora was so disoriented she forgot she was even in the Digital World at all.

In front of her is a computer console, where Nanomon's busying himself.

Nanomon: It's best not to struggle. Piyomon is only unconscious. I need her to defeat Etemon for me. Sora: Defeat Etemon? Too bad for you; Piyomon can't evolve without me! Nanomon: Oh, I'm not planning to use you.

Ominous! In the dub:

Datamon: Don't be alarmed, my dear! She's simply exhausted from all the excitement. She'll be fine when I use her in my plan to destroy Etemon. Sora: Biyomon can't Digivolve without me and I'd rather be stuck in a sewer full of rats than help you! Datamon: Good, then! I'll remember you said that.

"Exhausted from all the excitement". Datamon's really good at selective word choice. That's such an innocuous way to say "I hit her really hard with a pane of glass."

I also really like "I'll remember you said that" as a segue into this next bit. He's fucking pre-emptively victim-blaming Sora for what he's about to do to her. What a dick!

Glancing over, Sora sees an identical table to the one she's on. Nanomon punches keys at the console, and Sora's table runs a scanner over her. Then, on the other table, data begins to form into shape.

Sora: HUH!?!? Nanomon: It's copying you. Sora: Eh!? Nanomon: None of you have drawn out the power of your Crests at all. That's why I'll use this copy of you to draw out that power.

You know, I don't think this plan of Nanomon's is very good. He thinks he can do a better job of activating the Crest than the kids have done, but... Like....

We don't know this yet but Sora's Crest is Love. I think Nanomon would have a hard time producing a great gesture of Love from his Copy Sora. This plan was doomed from the outset. He should have grabbed Koushiro.

As he speaks, he reveals a mechanical arm from the console with Sora's Crest in hand.

Sora: My Crest! So you had it! You coward! You can't win on your own, so you're going to take someone else's power!

He brings up another mechanical arm from the console, holding Sora's Tag, and slots the Crest into place.

Sora: My Tag too!? Nanomon: When I fought Etemon before, I lost most of my memories in the process. Those memories will never return. The only thing I can do now is exact revenge on Etemon! By any means necessary!

Here we see the rage in Nanomon's heart, and understand him a bit better. He repaired himself but not everything can fully come back. He's lost his entire identity, his whole sense of self. Etemon took them from him when he broke Nanomon and made his broken shell administrator of the Dark Network. All he has left is his rage.

The dub seems confused as to what Nanomon's plan here is.

Sora: Hey, what's happening over there? Datamon: Relax; I'm just making a copy of you. Sora: Wha--!? Datamon: You see, I believe Biyomon's power has nothing to do with you, my dear... (Datamon reveals a mechanical arm with Sora's Crest) Datamon: ...but rather whoever happens to be in possession of that fancy Digivice you so proudly wear. Sora: You will never be able to command Biyomon! Datamon: Perhaps not. But we'll see if an exact replica of you can! Sora: This just can't be happening! (Datamon brings up the second arm with the Tag and slots in the Crest) Sora: I could be wrong. Datamon: When I fought the beast before, Etemon destroyed all of my memory circuits except for those of the fight. From that moment on, I vowed I'd have my revenge and I will have it with the help of your Digi-Partner! But enough of this small talk already, my dear. The moment of truth has arrived!

Okay. This all sucks.

First off, let's talk about Datamon's plan. He theorizes that Biyomon's power doesn't come from Sora at all. Anyone who has Sora's Digivice in their possession can command Biyomon to fight Etemon. Anyone at all. Sora is an unnecessary piece of this equation.

That is why he... Needs... To make... A copy of Sora. ...okay, man.

Then, as he's boasting about "It's actually the DIGIVICE that her power comes from", he uses the console to bring up... a Crest. Which is. Not a Digivice.

In fact, he never even mentions the Crest. The entire concept of using Crests to achieve a Digivolution beyond Champion-stage never enters the conversation at all. The Crest that we keep focusing on (because it's what we're talking about in the original) is utterly unrelated to the topic being discussed.

The way he talks makes it sound like he just wants to use Sora's Digivice to fling Birdramon at Etemon, because. Like. That will work, sure.

Finally, he ends by shrieking, "THE MOMENT OF TRUTH HAS ARRIVED". But. Nothing. Is happening. The copy's still got a long way to go before it's complete. The kids are preparing to assault the pyramid, but he doesn't know that's happening nor does it help his plan in any way. What the fuck is he talking about?

This scene got butchered.

Outside, Tentomon scouts the pyramid while the kids stay in the shortcut tunnel and plan their re-infiltration. Upon his return, Koushiro projects a map with red dots for each of the Monochromon and Tyrannomon guarding the perimeter, based on what Tentomon saw.

Koushiro: As you can see here, this is how Digimon are currently positioned around the pyramid's vicinity. It will be impossible to sneak inside. Yamato: That's why we'll be acting as decoys. Tentomon: Correct. Jou: While we pull the enemy away with our diversionary tactics, Taichi and Agumon will use that opportunity to invade the pyramid. Understood? Taichi: (nod) Mm! Koushiro, you'll guide me on the way, right? Koushiro: Right, but.... Taichi: What's wrong? Something bad? Koushiro: We need to go through this hidden passageway to reach the room, but there's an electrified wall, just like the place Nanomon was in before. (Taichi flashes back on the wall he couldn't pass through before. However, he steels himself.) Taichi: This time, I'll save Sora.

You can feel how they've grown since their assault on Infinity Mountain, when the battle plan for Devimon was basically just "Get 'im".

In the dub, Joe's line is directed at Tai directly.

Joe: Now, Tai: When the enemy starts chasing after us, you and Agumon have got to get inside that pyramid quickly, without being seen by anyone. Got it? Tai: (nod) Mmhmm. You do have directions for me, don't you? Izzy: Yeah; Just one more thing. Tai: How come I want to throw up every time you say "One more thing"?

After Tai's flashback, they also again slightly alter his line so it's about the mission, not about Sora.

Tai: I don't care what the wall is; I'm going through!

You got this, buddy!

As the sun comes up, the kids cluster at the mouth of the sphinx and say their parting sentiments for each other.

Jou: Rescuing Sora is our top priority. Don't engage in any unnecessary fighting if you can help it. Taichi: Right. Koushiro: You guys avoid doing anything reckless too. If Etemon shows up, we'll understand if you retreat. Yamato: Understood. Did you hear that, Takeru? Takeru: Yeah! Mimi: Let's all come back here safely. Group: Right!

Jou and Taichi's exchange here parallels their first infiltration, where Taichi was a lot more flippant and dismissive towards Jou's instruction. It's the same instruction given even in the same context: Rescue mission, don't start fights. But this time, Taichi takes it with straight-faced seriousness.

In the dub, Joe's first line is reframed to be more resentful of Tai's behavior last episode.

Joe: Now try not to do anything stupid and stay out of unnecessary trouble, Tai. Remember: The important thing is saving Sora. Tai: Right. Izzy: And you guys try not to do anything stupid either, Matt. If you run into Etemon, just turn around and run the other way. Matt: You got that, T.K.? T.K.: Yeah! Mimi: Whoever doesn't come back alive is gonna be in a lot of trouble, got it?

Y'know, that's fair. Being pissy at Tai specifically is an entirely valid response.

Once the plan's made, the kids mobilize. Taking up multiple positions around the perimeter of the pyramid, Jou and Yamato move into position to attack.

(I have no idea where they found that, especially on such short notice.)

Since the dub still wants to present Tai as the leader, they add in extra dialogue to have him barking orders during setup.

Tai: If this plan works, everybody has to get their part exactly right! Gomamon: They're coming out of the pyramid.... Tai: TAKE COVER, EVERYONE!!! BATTLE POSITIONS!!!

What does Gomamon think is coming out of the pyramid? The Monochromon and Tyrannomon are forming a guard perimeter around the pyramid. They're too small to go in and out. Is he talking about the Gazimon? What the hell is he trying to scout right now?

Jou and Yamato move into separate positions to launch the attack. Meanwhile, Taichi, Takeru, Koushiro, and Mimi use a yellow sheet to camouflage themselves against the desert sand.

Mimi: (lays the sheet over everyone) Taichi: Thank you. ... Taichi: (whispers) Sora....

This is the sort of small exchange that wouldn't be notable if the dub didn't. Fucking. Weaponize it against Mimi.

Mimi: (lays the sheet over everyone) Tai: Thanks, Mimi. Mimi: You're welcome-- Tai: (hisses) Get down!

As rewriting scenes to be at Mimi's expense go, this is fairly minor. But. Y'know. The overarching trend of anti-Mimi gags makes it irk me.

Once everyone's in position, the assault begins. Ikkakumon opens fire with Harpoon Vulcan, pummeling the walls of the pyramid with his missiles.

The missiles pull attention from the Gazimon in the command center and wake Etemon. He is not pleased to have his sleep so rudely interrupted.

As expected, the Gazimon emerge from the pyramid and mobilize their forces to counterattack. Rallying the Monochromon and Tyrannomon, the Gazimon lead a charge against Ikkakumon.

But the kids were waiting for that. Ikkakumon lets off one last Harpoon Vulcan straight into the advancing crowd before retreating, at which point Yamato and Garurumon emerge for a flanking burst of Fox Fire.

They target the five Gazimon in the center, firing off one shot into them before scurrying away themselves. Furious, the Gazimon split their forces in half to pursue Garurumon and Ikkakumon both.

Note: In the original, when Etemon's forces launch their counterattack, Jou says:

Jou: Th-They're coming.

Then, once they get in close, he commands:

Jou: Retreat!

He orders that in a strong voice that indicates this is all part of the plan. And, indeed, it is; He's trying to pull forces away and open up Yamato to flank.

In the dub, these lines are presented as:

Joe: Alright, be brave.... Joe: Maybe tomorrow!

Which implies this was not the plan and Joe simply fled out of cowardice. Thanks, I hate it.

Inside the pyramid, Etemon's puzzled by the hit-and-runs.

Gazimon: The Chosen Children are running away! Etemon: Rrrrgh, what is going on!? What are they planning!? (to Gazimon) Have you determined where Nanomon fled to yet? Gazimon: I-I'm sorry, sir! Nanomon seems to have messed with the network, so its search functions have greatly destabilized. Etemon: Never mind. If you ever find him, contact me immediately. Gazimon: Etemon-sama? Etemon: I'm going to deal with these nuisances I see in front of me.

Etemon emerge from the pyramid, leaping onto the top of his trailer and setting the Monochrome in motion. He roars into the distance:

Etemon: I'll settle things with you today!

Riding off atop his trailer to join the fray, Etemon doesn't notice the Taichi, Koushiro, Mimi, and Takeru still hiding under their camo sheet. As he leaves, Taichi utters a silent hope for the decoy team before he and Koushiro begin their infiltration.

Taichi: Please get away safely. ... Let's go, Koushiro! Koushiro: Right. Mimi: Be careful! Taichi: Yeah! (runs off)

In the dub:

Tai: I hope Joe and Matt make it okay. Come on, Izzy, let's move out! Izzy: Roger. Mimi: He forgot his name! Tai: WE'LL BE BACK!!!

XD "He forgot his name" got me.

Taichi and Koushiro return to the secret passage, descending into the pyramid's depths.

Koushiro: Be careful. Some passageways may have been blocked by the fighting yesterday.

Sure enough, they round a corner and come upon a collapsed section of passageway.

Koushiro: We'll have to leave this hidden passage temporarily.

While Koushiro planned for this, Izzy's surprised to see parts of the pyramid damaged.

Izzy: So far, so good. This is the right way, I'm sure. Tai: (rounds the corner) The passage is blocked! Agumon: It's a dead end! Izzy: Not necessarily. Why don't we try that door over there?

Izzy makes it sounds like we're just winging it through the pyramid. Are you sure you know which way we're going?

Taichi peeks out through the false wall to make sure the coast is clear, then he and Koushiro emerge and scurry down the hall. However, a security camera nearly catches them, alerting one of the Gazimon in the command center to their presence.

Gazimon 1: (gets a glimpse of Taichi and Koushiro disappearing around a corner) Hmm? Did something just show up on the monitor? Gazimon 2: Could be your imagination. Gazimon 1: Maybe... (starts pressing keys)

The dub brings out more workplace resentment for the Gazimon.

Gazimon 1: (gets a glimpse of Taichi and Koushiro disappearing around a corner) Hey, did you notice anything on the middle monitor? Gazimon 2: Yeah! You're attracting flies again. Gazimon 1: Huh. (starts pressing keys)

I want a workplace sitcom about Etemon and his Gazimon.

Out in the desert, backup moves into position for both sides. Mimi and Palmon leave their cover to join the battle, instructing Takeru to stay hidden.

But Etemon arrives, catching up to Jou's position. He lets off a shot of his Dark Spirits into his own battle line, sending the Monochromon, Tyrannomon, and Gazimon flying.

Etemon: You're all in my way. Move! Jou: E-ETEMON!!! Etemon: I will personally defeat the Chosen Children.

Now would be a good time to fall back.

Note: This time the dub calls Dark Spirits by the name Summon the Dark Network. It's gotten longer.

In stark contrast to his previous dub-added cowardice, this time Joe is made flippant and bold.

Etemon: Aw, you're becomin' a nuisance, son. Joe: Of course! It's because I'm a teenager. Etemon: I have to admit, it's been a lot of fun toyin' with ya but now playtime's over. It's the end of the line for you and your goat, bay-beh!

Nobody tell Joe that he's actually one year shy of officially being a teenager.

Also, goat? He thinks Ikkakumon is a goat? I genuinely don't know if that's the dub being weird or a reference I'm not getting.

Down in his Nanomon's lab, progress on the counterfeit Sora is coming along well.

Nanomon: Those children are perceptive. It seems they've figured out where we are. Sora: Then those earthquakes.... Nanomon: There's a battle going on outside. Some children have entered the pyramid in the confusion. Hmph... I won't let them interfere! Sora: Taichi....

Up in the command center, the kids are made by the Gazimon too. The one that spotted them rolls back the footage, showing the other Gazimon what he saw: The two kids emerging from the hidden passage and rounding the corner, clear as day.

Gazimon 1: BAHHH!!! Look! I knew it! The Chosen Children! Gazimon 2: Shit, when did they get here!?

We are just about out of time.

In the dub:

Gazimon 1: See? Look! I caught them on tape! You said it was fliiiies! Gazimon 2: Fast-forward!

Something about the accusatory and hurt way he reads the line, "You said it was flies!" cracks me up. XD They clearly didn't know what to have the second Gazimon say, though.

Out in the desert, true to his word, Etemon engages the children himself.

He chases down Ikkakumon, lobbing a Dark Spirits ahead that just misses. This forces Ikkakumon to turn, but Etemon moves to intercept.

Garurumon jumps Etemon from behind with a Fox Fire, but Etemon quickly dodges away from it. Togemon comes in at a third angle, surrounding Etemon and unloading her Chiku-Chiku Bang Bang. Etemon parries each and every one of her rapid-fire needles.

Etemon: I see you're showing up one after another. Aren't there more of you? Where are they hiding. Yamato: We don't need to tell you!

The dub chooses now to experiment with using the opening theme as a roaring ass-kicking tune to amp up how badass we are, like what the original does with Show Me Your Brave Heart. Right now. In this fight we are losing badly.

Etemon: Was that the best you got? I've seen sharper needles in Granny's knittin' bag! Joe: (wailing) I think we need a new plan!

The kids press the attack. Etemon catches Garurumon by the tail and tossing him. Ikkakumon body slams Etemon; Etemon softens him up with belly punches, then hoists him into the air and throws him in the pile next to Garurumon.

Togemon unloads another Chiku-Chiku Bang Bang. This time, Etemon snatches her needles out of the air, catching them between his fingers and toes. He returns them to sender, impaling them into Togemon and laying her out.

Etemon: I was a little off-guard yesterday. You won't escape this time.

Whipping out a microphone, Etemon hits them with Love Serenade to reduce the Partner Digimon back to Child-stage. The dub, of usual, has a great little dity, part of which gets drowned out by the kids shouting the names of their Digimon in alarm.

Etemon: I'd like to close the show with a tune that's currently #1 on the charts; It goes something like this. (Etemon starts singing) Etemon: ~My little daaaarlin'! / You think you're swell, you think you're cool! / But if I'm not the one-- (unintelligible) YEAH!!! (Etemon finishes singing) Etemon: And don't forget to tip your waitress!

Aww, Etemon demands consideration towards the hard-working and underpaid staff of the service industry! Maybe he's not such a bad king after all.

With the Digimon down, Etemon finishes them all off with Dark--

Gazimon: (loudspeaker) ETEMON-SAMA!!! TROUBLE!!! THE OTHER CHOSEN CHILDREN ARE INVADING THE PYRAMID!!! Etemon: WHAT!?!? ...why would they do that? (considers) Does this mean that Nanomon is still in the pyramid? (turning to the defeated children) Is that it!?!?

Etemon: EHHH!?!? HANG ON!!! WHERE DID YOU GO!?!? ANSWER MY QUESTION!!!

Yeah, no. They peaced out while you were contemplating Nanomon. They are in the wind.

Etemon: Hmph. They won't be able to fight for a while in their current state anyway. I'LL ENJOY HURTING YOU LATER!!!

In the dub:

Gazimon: (loudspeaker) Etemon! I've discovered the whereabouts of the other children, sir! They are inside the pyramid. Etemon: Why would they be, unless Datamon were still inside the pyramid. Datamon's smarter than I thought, but not nearly as smart as me! (Etemon turns around and sees no one there) Etemon: Huh? Now where did all those others go!? What's a legend gotta do to keep an audience around here, bay-beh!? Well, it doesn't matter. I'll just destroy the ones in the pyramid first, and then I'll come back for the rest of them later, uh-huh-huh!

They dumbed this gag down. It's not the same without Etemon pathetically screaming "ANSWER MY QUESTION!!!" at the uncaring sands.

The Gazimon are played as clueless and trying to be helpful rather than reporting a crisis.

As Etemon and his trailer roll out, the kids reveal how their vanishing trick was performed.

Left to their own devices, Takeru and Tokomon sprinted all the way out here with the yellow sheet.

Yamato: You really helped out, Takeru. Takeru: Tokomon helped too. Jou: Thank you, Tokomon! Tokomon: Ehehehe! Yamato: But Taichi and the others.... Mimi: I'm sure they're in the middle of saving Sora-san right now.

Nothing more the decoy team can do now. Etemon's on his way back to base and he knows he's been had. It's in Taichi and Koushiro's hands now.

That T.K. saved everyone goes unexplained in the dub.

Matt: He's got a lot of anger. T.K.: And he sure gets mad easily! Group: (laughs) Joe: At least we can still laugh about it. Matt: But what about Tai? Mimi: Oh, that's right. Something tells me he's not laughing right about now!

Call it a hunch.

Inside the pyramid, a blaring alarm sends Gazimon scurrying down the corridors. Taichi and Koushiro lurk inside a hidden passage, trying to find an opening for the next stretch of their detour.

Tentomon: I guess they know we're here. Koushiro: Just when we've almost made it. When you turn right, the wall directly ahead of you is the passageway to Nanomon's room. Taichi: Damn....

He doesn't get much time to be upset, as something coming through the ceiling above indicates they need to move now.

Taichi and Koushiro flee into the main corridor with Etemon hot on their heels.

Etemon: Found you! Tell me where Nanomon is. Koushiro: Taichi-san! Tentomon and I will try to hold him back. Hurry and save Sora-san!

Tentomon evolves, but the roaring music of Show Me Your Brave Heart does not strike up. He evolves in silence, with no musical backing at all. This is not a moment of triumph. This is desperation.

In the dub, they play the normal Evolution theme as usual for all Evolutions in this episode.

Taichi enters the hidden passage and descends into the final tunnel. But the firewall is waiting for him, just like Koushiro said it would be.

Taichi: She's on the other side. (A long moment of hesitation, as Taichi gathers finds his determination) Agumon: (steps forward) I'll go first. Taichi: Wait, Agumon. Agumon: Taichi? Taichi: I'll go. There's something very precious to me on the other side of this wall. Agumon: Sora? Taichi: Right, but not just Sora. For me, there's something else that's very precious over there, that I lost yesterday. Agumon: Taichi... YOU CAN DO THIS, TAICHI!!! FIND YOUR COURAGE!!!

Agumon hits the nail on the head. The thing that's so precious to Taichi, the thing waiting beyond this wall, the thing that the firewall took from him yesterday... is his yuuki. His courage, his boldness, his nerve. His will to act.

In the dub:

Tai: Oh, great! Agumon: An electric wall! I can break through it, Tai-- Tai: Wait, I'll do it, Agumon. Agumon: Are you sure? Tai: Not exactly. But if I don't do this on my own, right here, right now? I may never be able to do it! A man must face himself before he can face his enemies. Agumon: I think I understand, Tai. GO FOR IT!!! I know you can do it!

May never be able to do what? Walk through the hidden passage of an electrified firewall? Because I don't think this is an experience you can expect to encounter again.

The dub's resistance to the sentimental and emotional sides of these characters has now resulted in Tai having to spout random platitudes in what's meant to be the culminating moment of his character journey in this arc. Again, this just sucks. It's bad.

Letting out a roaring kiai, Taichi reaches for the firewall and plunges his hand through it. Passing through the opening harmlessly. He doesn't see it but in this moment, something awakens.

At which point Etemon crashes through the wall, pinning Kabuterimon by his arms. Agumon evolves to fight and this time, the opening chords of Show Me Your Brave Heart do fire up. It doesn't go into the full song, but enough to show that this evolution is more hopeful than the last.

While Greymon hangs back as the last line of defense against Etemon, Taichi enters Nanomon's lab.

Taichi finds Nanomon waiting with the counterfeit Sora.

Taichi: Sora! (runs towards her) Piyomon: THAT ONE'S FAKE!!!

Piyomon calling out to Taichi pulls his attention to the side of the room, where he sees the real Sora and Piyomon shackled down.

Piyomon: He made a copy of Sora! Sora: Taichi! Taichi: S-Sora!? Nanomon: I've just completed the copy. Now, if I give it the holy device and Crest, it will become the real one. Taichi: That won't happen!

Taichi runs over and snatches Sora's stuff away from the console's mechanical arms. Somehow, Nanomon did not anticipate that and can only whine in shock.

Nanomon: WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!? Taichi: These belong to Sora! Nanomon: If you give those to her, you'll ruin my plan!

He's so utterly blindsided by this obvious move. I honestly think Nanomon expected Taichi to be like, "OHHHH okay now I get what you were doing here. Sweet. Great plan. Carry on!"

He's been sitting here at his console like, "It's fine. Once I explain my plan, the kids will be thrilled to have my new Sora with them. She's an upgrade, really." In his defense, he has no memories. He doesn't know what it's like to feel things that aren't vindictive rage.

Thinking quickly, Nanomon opens up a void beneath Sora, plunging her into a dark abyss. Fortunately, while he's erasing the floor, he also erases the table she's strapped to. This makes it possible for Taichi to fling himself at the edge and catch her by the wrist.

Taichi: What is this? Nanomon: It's the main source of the evil powers that make up Etemon's network. Anything that falls in there will be absorbed by the darkness. It won't leave a scrap of you behind.

Nanomon approaches the pit, reaching out and grabbing Taichi and Sora's arms to separate them.

Nanomon: I have no use for the original! Time to dispose of you! Sora: (heart-wrenching sobs of sheer terror) Piyomon: SORA!!! SORAAAAAA!!! Nanomon: If you don't want her to die, return the holy device and Crest to me! Taichi: Quit talking nonsense! I came here to save Sora!

In the dub:

Datamon: And since I have no more use for the original, I'll simply get rid of it. Sora: (heart-wrenching sobs of sheer terror) Biyomon: TAI!!! THE CREST!!! Datamon: Yes, the Crest is the means by which you can save the maiden's life! If you give it to me immediately. Tai: Yeah!? Why don't you go tell Etemon your sad story because WE'RE NOT INTERESTED!!!

Was Biyomon telling Tai to trade the Crest back to Datamon? If she'd shouted about the Digivice, that'd be one thing. But the Crest?

Datamon pounces on that like he's villainously reinterpreting something she said, but... What else could Tai or Sora do with the Crest? Datamon's interpretation is the only one that makes sense.

Rather than give them back, Taichi fucking drops them. Because boldness. Letting go of the Digivice and Crest, he lets them fall into the pit, where Sora catches them.

Nanomon: IMPOSSIBLE!!! Sora: (catch; determined) Taichi....

Dub Tai takes this opportunity to taunt.

Tai: Sora, catch! Datamon: NO, WAIT!!! Tai: Not scared, are you, Datamon!?

Piyomon evolves into Birdramon, breaking free from the wall and retrieving Taichi and Sora from the pit. This time Show Me Your Brave Heart kicks up a longer snippet, though the vocals still don't come in.

Out in the passage, Etemon has his back against the firewall. He proudly goads Greymon and Kabuterimon.

Etemon: Come on, try and attack me from any angle!

Birdramon attacks from the rear angle, coming through the wall and collapsing the entire firewall on top of Etemon. He shrieks as its current courses through him.

Dub Etemon delivers the taunt as:

Etemon: Don't you worry, kiddies; I'll play with ya!

Which doesn't segue as funnily into his subsequent electrocution than "Attack me from any angle, c'mon!"

Greymon: Taichi! Koushiro: Sora-san! Sora: Sorry for worrying everyone! Taichi: Let's get out of here, everyone!

In the dub, Tai's line is:

Tai: Hey, here come the others!

Tai, we are in the sub-subbasement. How can you see that?

Outside, the decoy team races for the pyramid. The infiltration team explodes through the wall, joining the others. Mission complete.

While the kids make their exit, Etemon gets up and goes deeper, cornering Nanomon in his lab. He walks in to find Nanomon deleting his now-useless Copy Sora.

Etemon: My, my. Playing with dolls in a place like this? The children escaped me again, but at least I'll deal with you here. Give yourself up, Nanomon. Nanomon: Hmph!

Nanomon erases the entire floor, attempting to plunge himself and Etemon into the Dark Network core together. Etemon leaps for the console and grabs on, but Nanomon grabs him by the ankle.

Nanomon: YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!!! Etemon: LET GO!!! I refuse to commit shinju with you!

The subtitle up there says "die" but there's more to it than that. Shinju is, specifically, the act of people bound by love committing suicide together so they can be with each other in Heaven. Even when his life is under unbelievable threat, Etemon remains a flippant bastard.

Nanomon fires his Plug Bomb, but he shoots it down at the network instead of up at Etemon.

Etemon: Where are you aiming? Still got some crossed wires? Nanomon: You're mistaken if you think that was an ordinary Plug Bomb. They contained a computer virus that amasses the evil powers into a concentrated, growing ball!

It probably goes without saying that the shinju bit doesn't translate well into English. And also the dub team absolutely would not have translated it even if it did. That is the darkest joke to appear in the show thus far.

So. Yeah. This is the least surprising line ever to be cut from the show.

Etemon: Now it's time for me to dismantle you in the same way you dismantled your little playmate, you miserable pile of bolts! Datamon: The door! (Datamon opens the floor, forcing Etemon to jump to the console and Datamon to grab his ankle) Etemon: WHOA!!! Whoa, let go! Let go! Datamon: If I'm going down, you're coming down with me into the black pit. Just try these! (Datamon shoots his Plug Bomb) Etemon: Now I'm not gonna tell you again: Let go of me or I'm gonna open you up like a can of beans! Datamon: Those were computer viruses I dropped into the Black Pit. It will keep growing and absorb all the dark energy of our cosmos - Including yours, fool! Etemon: You know how I hate bugs!

Plus side, "I'm gonna open you up like a can of beans" is a good line. XD

While Etemon uses all of his strength to cling to the console, various Monochromon and Tyrannomon are dragged in from outside. They fall into the Network core, disintegrating into pixels on contact. Before long, Etemon loses his grip. He and Nanomon plunge in together. Nanomon disintegrates, while Etemon is dragged down into the cables intact.

Outside, the kids continue their retreat unimpeded while Etemon's forces are dragged in all around them.

(I guess they have no evil powers to amass so they're fine.)

Jou: What's happening!? Koushiro: Whatever it is, it's our chance to escape! Takeru: LOOK AT THE PYRAMID!!! Taichi: What... What's happening...?

The kids stop and turn around, watching the pyramid and all of Etemon's forces implode into a singularity of darkness. Then a wicked laugh suddenly crosses the desert.

Now merged with the Dark Network itself, Etemon rises into the air from the space where the pyramid once stood.

Etemon: I won't be defeated from the likes of this! Nanomon chose to end himself; The rest of you are next!

Again, they may have to depict Datamon's choices onscreen but the dub really doesn't want to talk about them.

Etemon: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Alright, now, let me see a show of hands: How many of y'all actually missed me, huh? I told you I'd come back and take my revenge on you. You didn't believe me, did ya!?

Birdramon and Kabuterimon unload on him, but their Meteor Wing and Mega Blaster disintegrate on contact with the core.

Etemon: Ahh, that's enough to loosen up my stiff shoulders. Let me repay you.

In the dub:

Etemon: Hey, that was pretty good! I'd give it a 9.6. Now then, you ready for a fastball!? BYAGH!!!

Etemon fires back with Dark Spirits - or, in the dub, Byagh. His first shot grazes the pair and keeps going, slamming into a distant hillside. It bursts into a singularity that begins consuming the surrounding area. His second shot hits the Sphinx, erasing the kids' exit point.

Mimi: Ahh! The Sphinx! Koushiro: There's nowhere left to run. Sora: If he keeps this up, he'll mess up the whole world! Jou: But there's no way we can beat him!

The dub avoids mentioning that our retreat path is gone, but still retains the hopeless vibe.

Mimi: Ahh! The Sphinx melted! Izzy: Melting doesn't even begin to describe it! Sora: We've tried everything! Nothing can stop him! I guess this is the end! Joe: I was hoping to skip algebra class but not like this!

Algebra gets a bum rap; I had a lot of fun at it. You will too, Jou. You seem the type.

It's at this point that Taichi sees his shining Crest inside his shirt and realizes.

Taichi: No. We still have one option left. Let's go, Greymon! Greymon: Understood, Taichi!

Without waiting for the others to catch his meaning, Taichi runs forward to engage Etemon, holding his glowing Crest aloft.

Etemon: WAHAHAHA!!! You still have yuuki!? Taichi: I won't run away! Ever!

Etemon's first line can be (and gets) translated to "Still wanna fight?" but it's important to note that he mockingly questions Taichi's yuuki. It's the same word that the show uses for Taichi's Crest once they're established: Yuuki no Monshou, which gets translated to Crest of Courage.

He's setting up an ironic comeuppance, as Taichi not only has yuuki but is about to beat Etemon's ass with his yuuki.

Takeru: Look there! Taichi-san's Crest! Mimi: It's glowing! Taichi-san's Crest is glowing! Etemon: Heh! I'm telling you, it's hopeless!

Etemon slams a Dark Spirits into Greymon's face, laying him flat.

Taichi: DON'T GIVE UP, GREYMON!!! Greymon: Taichi, your yuuki... I can feel its power surging through my body! GREYMON CHOU-SHINKAAAAAA!!!

Taichi's yuuki surges through his Crest and sends Greymon through chou-shinka or Super Evolution into MetalGreymon.

In the dub:

Etemon: Well, lookit here, sports fans! A new batter steps to the plate Tai: I'm not afraid of you, you big blowhard! Come down here and fight like a 'mon! Mimi: Tai, what are you doing!? You don't stand a chance! Etemon: Hey, you are brave! I like that! (Etemon lobs a Dark Spirits into Greymon, without calling the attack anything) Tai: Don't worry, Greymon! I'm staying with you! Greymon: Tai! Your courage is giving me even greater strength! I can Digivolve!

Nobody else seems to notice that Tai's Crest is glowing like a beacon in this version. Etemon gets the "Hey, you are brave!" which is probably meant to ironically set up Greymon's evolution, similar to the yuuki line in the original.

While evolving to Perfect-stage is called Chou Shinka or Super Evolution in the original, the dub just calls it Digivolving.

While the kids gawk in awe, the narrator gives us a rundown. MetalGreymon is a Perfect-stage Vaccine-type Cyborg Digimon.

Jou: Th-This is.... Yamato: The Crest's power! Narrator: MetalGreymon. A Perfect-stage Digimon whose modified body is used as both a weapon and armor in battle. The destructive force of his special attack, Giga Destroyer, is incredible! Taichi: This is Greymon's true evolution!

The dub puts in a commercial break after MetalGreymon's evolution. To compensate, they splice in repeat footage of Etemon emerging from the pyramid to reintroduce what's happening.

Etemon: Ahahahahaha!!! Well, lookie here! A fully-evolved Digimon! Well, I can handle him too. Just watch me, kids! Joe: MetalGreymon? Matt: It was the power from the Crest! Tentomon: MetalGreymon uses his own body as a weapon during battle. His most lethal instrument is the Geeja(sic) Destroyer! Tai: ETEMON IS EVERYBODY'S ENEMY!!! USE THE POWER OF THE CREST!!!

He already did that, Tai. That's how he became MetalGreymon. Also, there's that "fully-evolved" again.

Etemon remains unimpressed with MetalGreymon.

Etemon: Just because you evolved further, that doesn't mean you can win against me! (hurls a Dark Spirits at MetalGreymon) MetalGreymon: (slashes the orb to pieces with his metal claw) Etemon: What!? Taichi: MetalGreymon!

MetalGreymon charges forward, headbutting the Network mass. The hit offends Etemon.

Etemon: The nerve of you! I'll crush you!

In the dub, both Etemon and Tai ramble a bit here.

Etemon: What's with ya? Is there no end to your stupidity? Well maybe I can put an end to it for ya. Ha! (Etemon lobs a Dark Spirits at MetalGreymon, who cuts it to pieces) Etemon: Well, it was just a joke! Tai: FINISH HIM NOW WHILE WE HAVE THE POWER!!! Etemon: Noooo! Back off, bay-beh! (MetalGreymon headbutts the Network mass) Etemon: Ow! What's the matter with you!? Don't you know the rules!? There's no headbutting allowed!

It's honestly cathartic to see how much more freaked out Etemon gets in this version. He's basically word-vomiting out of panic.

Then MetalGreymon begins to glow with a mass of accumulated light.

Mimi: MetalGreymon is glowing! Takeru: The light's energy.... Tokomon: It's holy power!

That, of course, isn't allowed in the dub. No holiness allowed. Fortunately, they have a readily available excuse to explain the sacred glow.

Mimi: He's glowing! I wish my hair could do that! T.K.: It's the Crest Power! Etemon: NOOO!!! Don't destroy me! I've got too much talent!

Sort of, but no. It's holy energy. It's the power Angemon pulled out of the seven Digivices and massed together to hurl at Devimon. The light of evolution itself, which plays directly into the show's overarching storyling.

Glowing with holy power, MetalGreymon opens his chestplate to fire his signature attack: Giga Destroyer.

Despite claiming 40 seconds ago that this move is called Geeja(sic) Destroyer, Dub MetalGreymon calls it as Giga Blaster.

Unlike previous attacks, which disintegrated on contact, Etemon's holy-powered Giga Destroyer breaks through the eradication field, slams into the network cables, and detonates. The blast destabilizes Etemon's network mass, turning it into a singularity like the ones his Dark Spirits attacks were creating and pulling him into it.

Etemon: I-It hit!?!? I'm a big star! WHY HERE!?!?

Etemon vanishes, consumed by the singularity.

(Nanomon's revenge is complete.)

Surprisingly, the dub says "die" again.

Etemon: Noooo! You must not defeat me! I'm just too important to diiiiiiie....

However, this victory is not without cost. As the singularity grows, it pulls in Taichi and MetalGreymon as well.

The kids left behind scream Taichi's name into the void, but as the singularity stabilizes and finally closes, there's no trace left of him.

He's in another place.

Taichi: This is....

Then we close on that startling cliffhanger. Etemon is dead (probably). The first Super Evolution has been unlocked. And somehow, against all reason, Taichi has gone home. And taken Koromon with him.

Assessment: I stand by what I said before, that this would all be more effective if we hadn't just watched Taichi fall only to rise again immediately before he fell only to rise again. I did not remember how repetitive the Etemon arc managed to be in only six episodes.

Nonetheless, the emergence of MetalGreymon is a thrilling payoff. The final boss fight of an arc is always hype, and this was no exception.

Sad we didn't get to see more done with Copy Sora. What a concept to suddenly pull back on and dumpster without ever letting it do anything. Honestly, Nanomon's ability to make Copy Children is interesting enough to sustain a whole arc by itself.

The dub... Yeah, no, this was another low-effort hack job. The dub's always been hit or miss but they really threw quality-control out the window with the Nanomon two-parter.

There are a few scenes that are basically perfect. Captures everything from the original that needed capturing, in their own voice. But for this episode, the dub's lows are incredibly low.

[zeephyre]

CR3: EPISODE 62 RANT

Spoilers Below, duh.

All in all this episode was really fun. I really enjoy episodes that include a journey towards a destination and I love when each player has to roll for an outcome.

I liked the quiet moments between all of the characters as we're getting further into our time together and are becoming somewhat friends.

prism I think is the most likely to stay with the group (if that will ever even work out, like marisha said idk how they're gonna pull that off but i really hope we get a huge ass table full of players). bor'dor, who i am still incredibly suspicious of, seems genuinely distressed by his brother not being there and i think they brushed off the possibility that he got yeeted too quickly because it's honestly more than likely that it did happen. or he doesn't exist and bor'dor is a dog (I don't even like that theory it's just funny). denise seems like she just wants to find dariax, kick his ass and then get married and run off where ludinus can't touch them. i don't think she thinks that's possible but i really don't want her near the fray. dariax and the crown keepers seem like they're in the shit though.

orym didn't react to ashton bringing up the ashari (and i don't know if taliesin meant to say hishari but whatever) and (idk if i just forgot) but im pretty sure they still haven't talked about that since laudna encouraged ashton to speak with orym about it. i kinda remember orym not knowing about it but i could be misremembering though. either way, i think this particular episode ashton is... really desperate to figure themself out.

between asking orym to help him meditate on rocks (which was a really cute scene) to his interest in the skeleton embedded in the stone (plus the cool new shiny ring they got out of it) and the crystals at that creepy ass cavern -- i really hope he gets some answers soon. i have a feeling this might be the place to get it though, idk.

bor'dor seems to have the impression that the hellians think they're strong enough to stop the god eater but they don't even think they're strong enough to stop ludinus. they couldn't even beat otohan thull. they're not fighting because they think they can win, they're fighting because not fighting is no longer an option. there's nothing to do BUT fight. they know too much, and they have too much at stake to leave the battle.

imogen and orym especially. and there's no way in hell any of the bells hells will try to pretend to be okay with anything ludinus has done or will do. they know what he and his cult are capable of. I'm glad they got to express a bit of that though.

laudna called Imogen her sister but i lived through a time where dean winchester called the angel who is in love with him his brother so i didn't even flinch.

ashton got a massage from orym. it was appropriately sweet and hilarious. i think... orym might be one of the only people who consistently has touched ashton. i can't remember anyone asking explicit permission to touch him. i am so jazzed that they ENCOURAGED orym to touch them.

i think ashton has some of the best moments in their ability to create moments where between PCs where rp is at its finest. we haven't gotten another round of "what the fuck is up with that?" yet but that pipe was inspired. i love the little moments between him and prism. whenever ashton does something incredibly thoughtful they act like it's uncommon or a fluke and it's such bullshit cause he's SO consistent with his empathy. he's not a fucking public speaker by any means, but he has an energy around him that is unironically great to be around.

on a lighter note, my favourite moment (aside from the ashrym massage) from this episode is either orym praying to the wild mother or orym fucking hang gliding a eagle sized raven down a ravene. he's such a cutie.

i can't wait for the next episode. team issylra seems to think abadina betrayed them but i think the dude they're supposed to meet has been murked by whatever is in entombed. maybe it was set free by the same sort of dispelling magic shit that hit uthodurn and unpetrified the bull. if that's the case, hopefully this ends with the power of friendship prevailing as well.

[vixenpen]

Our Year Eddie Munson x Black fem reader (pt. 5)

Eddie’s POV

Fucking perfect.

Was all he could think as he watched the jocks swagger into the gym like they were the fucking mage kings of the court or something.

Eddie grimaced, but tried to ignore the douchebags making eyes at whoever they were screwing on the squad currently. He was only concerned with you.

He turned back to see a few of your squad mates giving him dirty looks and the way they were eyeing you wasn’t much better.

Ever the pro, you kept a smile in place as you called out the cheers. He tried to focus on you and smiled. You looked great out there. Your brown skin had barely broken a sweat and your movements weren’t nearly as stiff as the other girls.

Man, just looking at you made everyone else fade away for Eddie. He leaned his elbows back on the bleachers behind him as a goofy grin lit up his face. Eddie Munson was whipped and he didn’t care who knew it.

Matter of fact, he was so caught up in you that he didn’t see the hoop heads looking his way.

“Alright, ladies, that’s it for today. Great job! We’re already looking strong! Let’s keep up the good work next practice. Get home safe everyone.”

With a clap of her hands, the girls and a sprinkle of guys on the team dispersed toward their waiting bags or their boyfriends. A few of them headed for the locker room. Y/n headed straight for Eddie who straightened up who wrapped her in a big hug.

“Great job out there, babe.”

“Thanks, Eddie bear,” you giggled as he kissed your forehead. “Where are the kids?” You asked referring to Mike and Dustin.

“I told them to wait in the car. C’mon we gotta get the kiddos home before their curfews or—“

“Hey, Munson, I knew you were a freak, but I didn’t take you for a creep too.” Andy Manning jeered, he was one of Jason’s loyal minions and was always the second most confrontational of their crew besides Jason.

The trio approached Eddie and y/n followed by the very smug looking core four.

“I could care less about anybody on this squad other than y/n.” Eddie shot back, squeezing his girlfriend tighter against his side. “Let’s get outta here babe.”

The pair tried to side step the gaggle of basketball players and cheerleaders only for Chance to block their path.

“Not so fast, freak, Liz told us you two trashed her car this weekend. Is that true?”

“Oh, did your car get trashed too, Liz?” Y/n asked innocently. “We got soda bombed at the movies this weekend. Seems some asshole is just going around ruining people’s nights. You better watch out.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Chance snapped.

“You heard my girl, ball for brains, somebody trashed our car too that night.” Eddie shot back. “You got the wrong suspects so move.”

He tugged y/n’s arm once more leading her away from the group of jocks and bitchy cheerleaders.

“Y/n when you’re ready to drop the zero, I’ll be here!” One of the guys jeered.

It was enough to stop Eddie in his tracks.

“Eddie, don’t.” His girlfriend tugged his arm. “Please. Fuck them.”

But it was too late and Eddie was already headed back in the laughing jocks direction.

“I know you’ve taken a few hits to the head since being on the team, dick cheese, but if you need a reminder of what happened to your leader,” Eddie nodded toward Jason, “I can jog your memory.”

Jason’s face burned bright red at the reminder of his three time ass kicking.

“Wha’d you say, rat hair?” Chance asked, his chest sticking out as he glared back at Eddie.

“You heard me.” Eddie shot back. “All of you did. I can use any of you dimwits as a reminder.”

Chance advanced on him and Eddie stepped closer while the rest of the squad and team looked on. Eddie’s heart was beating wildly to as the air became charged with adrenaline. Contrary to popular belief, Eddie didn’t go looking for trouble nor did he usually start it. He hated conflict ever since he was a child, and knew when to run vs when to fight. But he wasn’t a punching bag either. He’d gotten enough of that as a kid. It was no secret that he was the tough guy of Hellfire club, but douchebags still liked to try him on occasion.

“Eddie, don’t!” Y/n grabbed his arm.

“Yeah, listen to your girl, Munson.” Chance spat, green eyes narrowing.

“Dude, shut up!” Jason reprimanded.

“Might wanna listen to your leader, asshole.” Eddie smirked. “At least one of you still has your memory.”

Jason’s expression grew from wary to mortified. His face drained of color as if he thought Eddie might blow his tough guy image right then and there about kicking his ass years ago. Luckily Eddie just gave him his usual shit eating smirk.

“C’mon, Eddie,” Y/n whispered pulling her boyfriend away, “let’s go.”

“This isn’t over, Munson!” Chance called behind him.

Eddie held up his middle finger as his girlfriend led him out of the gym.

Could he have handled that better? Maybe, but he was tired of people making his social status y/n’s problem. Even more tired of guys outright disrespecting his relationship with her.

I just wanna date my girl in peace. Is that so much to ask!

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even realize y/n was talking.

“Eddie?”

He stopped in his tracks as he noticed you had stopped too.

“Are you ok? I know those lames pissed you off.”

“Yeah…” Eddie sighed, running a ringed hand through his messy curls. His cheeks puffed as he blew out a frustrated sigh. “I didn’t mean to make problems for you, y/n.”

“You didn’t.” She insisted. “We knew this was a possibility.”

“Still, I should probably stay away from your practices.”

“No you shouldn’t! Other girl’s boyfriends pick them up from practice it shouldn’t be any different for us.”

“Y/n, I am on my last leg for graduation. One wrong move could ruin that for me and if your Coach finds out that your boyfriend is fighting basketball team members I could get you kicked from the squad.” A sad smile tugged the corners of his lips. “Hate to break it to you beautiful, but I’m kind of a common denominator here.”

“I’d rather be off the squad, than hide you.”

Eddie’s heart skipped as he stared down at his girlfriend’s warm dark eyes and sincere expression. She was always in his corner 100%. He just wished he could make it mean something. Lately it always felt like being with him meant y/n had to sacrifice something and he hated that.

Before he could find the words to express that, his girlfriend was on her tip toes kissing him and turning his brain into mush.

With a surprised hum, Eddie wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.

With every undulation of her tongue in his mouth and every second in her arms his insecurities melted away.

Dammit. I love this chick. I love you, y/n. I can’t let this go…

For a long time there was nothing but white noise and y/n in his brain until:

“See, I told you he was probably hooking up.” A familiar smart alecy voice quipped.

“That still doesn’t mean I owe you five dollars.”

The couple turned to see Dustin and Mike standing at the end of the hall.

“Hey,” Eddie barked, his face heating up in embarrassment and his beat up leather jacket not helping the matter. “I thought I told you little munchkins to wait in the van!”

“Dude, you were taking five ever to come out!” Dustin shot back. He and Mike were wearing AV club shirts and matching windbreakers.

“Yeah, Eddie, not to rush you, but we do kinda have curfews.” Mike added.

“Ughh, fine Eddie rolled his eyes as y/n giggled. “C’mon ya little shits. Let’s get you two home before your mommies call the cops or whatever.”

“Thank you.” Dustin shot back.

The  older teens fell into step with the underclassmen as Dustin continued to talk.

“Hey, Eddie, tell Mike a deal’s a deal.”

“I didn’t make a deal with you, dude, you assumed we were betting and I just didn’t say anything.”

“Failure to deny a bet is an automatic loss, dude.” Eddie chuckled as he slung an arm around his girlfriend.

“What?! Since when? You guys are just dicking with me.”

“You either take the bet or deny it, Mike. That’s just how it is.” Y/n got in on the fun.

“I am not giving Dustin another five bucks!”

As they joked on their way to the car, Eddie finally felt himself relax for the first time since the run-in. He held the van door open grinning from ear to ear as y/n climbed in still joking with the kids and her brown skin glistening from the slight sheen of sweat. She was perfect, she was his, and no hoop head or cheerleader status was going to change that.

[guardian-rocket]

@byondtheveil

Rei knew Rocket had been in town. They had planned on meeting up tomorrow cause he was doing stuff with the avengers today... She didn't care which one it was, whoever abandoned Rocket was going to get a beating... even if it was Thor she'd just have to find a way to hit harder... or maybe she'd rebuild her flame thrower...

It didn't take long for Rei to pull up to the address Rocket sent her. Sure she had to borrow her neighbour's car since her truck was being worked on, but she didn't mind. Usually, she'd just walk but she wasn't sure how sloshed Rocket might be, "Hey there did someone order a tiny redhead ready to kick ass??"

Rocket had slugged his drink as he waited, mulling over his conversation that lead to the argument with Sam. He was always the first to admit he didn't care about the grand scheme of altruism, but Sam had pointed it out and somehow it hurt is pride, pride he didn't even know he had. He was frazzled on trying to figure out if he really DID or DIDN'T care. In trying to defend himself and the work he's done, the fact he had a hand in saving the universe a handful of times already and put his life on the line without a second thought.

What started as a toast to the mission they shared mutually turned into some weird interrogation. Either he had to admit he did care or admit he was a self centered prick who only cared about his own inner circle of friends.

Flashback:

"No, it's not your shooting skills I'm questioning. It's your motives. You fight, sure. But it seems like you're only in it if it benefits you or your little circle. You don't really care about the bigger picture, the masses out there who suffer while we're sitting here, sipping drinks."

"So, what? You're saying I'm no hero because I don't go around saving every flarkin' person in the galaxy? I look out for my team, Sam. They're my family. You gonna fault me for that?"

"It's not about faulting you for caring about your team Rocket. It's about what it means to be a hero. It's about doing the right thing, not just for your own, but for everyone. Even if it costs you. That's what being a hero is."

"I never said I was a hero."

"Then why are you upset?"

"Because you ain't got a right to say that. Listen to you, all high and mighty. You think I don't know about sacrifice? About loss? I've given more than you'll ever know, fought battles you wouldn't last a minute in. Just because I don't broadcast it, just because I'm not out there playing the hero for everyone to see, doesn't mean I don't care."

"Maybe you're right, Rocket. Maybe being a hero can mean different things. But at the end of the day, it's about making the universe a better place, not just for us, not just for our families, but for everyone. Can you honestly say you're doing that?"

There was a long pause, Rocket was fuming, "Oh, cut the sanctimonious crap, Sam. You think you're any better? Flying around, saving the day, but only when the cameras are rolling. You're a hero when it suits you, when it makes you look good. What about the dirty, gritty sacrifices no one wants to make, huh?" "No right? When you sit here, dismissing the value of lives because they're not part of your circle? That's where you're wrong. I thought there was more to you, Rocket. I thought underneath all that fur and attitude, there was an Avenger. Looks like I was wrong."

Rocket then growled, more animal-like than man, his hackles going up, and immediately he realized Sam looked uncomfortable, like seeing Rocket like that startled him, and Rocket noticed he didn't care. He was use to that sort of reaction but there was something in his eyes, in Sam's eyes that bothered him. It was like Sam didn't like him at all.

"That's it. I've had enough of this." Sam grumbled as he stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the wooden floor, echoing through the tension-filled bar. "I thought we could find some common ground, but I don't see what Cap sees in you."

"You're leaving? Just like that? After starting this whole mess? The frick is wrong with you?" Rocket's voice cracked a little, and if Sam felt bad at all, for anything there was no sign of it.

"Looks like it. You're resourceful, Rocket. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Rocket ordered his drink shortly after, letting himself calm down before he called Rei for a ride, letting her know he was free early and giving her a short and very vague explanation of what happened without divulging the topic or what was said. As far as Rei knew he just got in a dumb argument with his ride.

/end flashback.

Rocket went outside as soon as he estimated she'd be close by and sure enough, Rei arrived to his rescue. Wasn't that ironic?

Even with him, angry, sad, and dealing with his own emotions, Rei still seemed to be able to fish a smile out of him.

"Ah... lucky for him he already left," Rocket teased as he let himself into the vehicle. Rei could probably smell the taste of liquor on Rocket, who was by no means totally drunk, but drinking a human sized glass of hard liquor did make him a little tipsy.

[princessconsuela120]

Chapter six: A Lingering Love —✧

Series masterlist

Chapter Warnings: cursing, mentions of pregnancy , Eric Cartman (this man is his own warning)

Author’s Note: like I said these two chapters are posted in bulk, I wanted the chapter art before posting! Don’t forget to like comment and repost!

Chapter art by @clownfacepancakes120 and @silvell

—✧

I HADN'T SPOKEN TO KYLE SINCE I SAW HIM IN SCIENCE CLASS. It wasn’t that I was avoiding him, but I wasn’t actively trying to talk to him either. Which was weird, because usually I would be over at the Broflovski’s house at least two times a week. Whether it be babysitters Ike, or doing homework with Kyle, or even just to see him. Whenever my brother had band practice, he tended to hoard all of my best friends. Whenever there was band practice I was always extra excited to have an excuse to hang out with Kyle.

It was sort of sad too, seeing him in school but not openly going to talk to him. Standing at my locker that was only 7 lockers away from his. Stan’s locker next to mine that had a few sticky notes and small letters for him to ‘get well soon.’ He had been gone for the past few days after that night, we told our parents he got food poisoning, and he took an extra few days off just to decompress. I convinced mom it was a good idea, and she made sure he took his medicine at home.

“Hey, man.” Cartman said, a fake smug look on his face as he leant against the locker beside Kyle’s.

Oh Eric Cartman, it was strange to say he was still one of my best friends. We had bickered non-stop as children, you’d think we were enemies not friends. It all came crashing down when i decided to lead my own superhero group, Supers of Terrific Dare. Or in short, as we called ourselves, STD. Yes I know now the name wasn’t exactly practical, but I was 10 what did I know. I took just about half his team from him, and United all the girls in my group, giving me an insane amount of power of him. We were childhood rivals. The Coon vs The Gemini, the biggest rivalry in South Park elementary. Until high school.

In our freshman year he started being kicked out of the group more. I mean he was an ass, he deserved it. But I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. I’m the second semester he began failing his classes, and I was assigned to help tutor him. His mother, who was always the sweetest woman to us as kids, eventually became significantly close with me. I started to notice things, things that were abnormal even for Cartman. I told his mom about it, and they started Cartman on certain medications to help treat him. He was really good about it, and the week after her had started I found a thank you card and some chocolates hiding in my locker. There was no name with it, but I noticed the hand writing. And besides, three of the chocolates were eaten and that sort of gave it enough away in its own. Ever since he’s been welcomed back into the group. And yes he still is insufferable from time to time, but atleast he’s better now.

“What do you want fatass?” Kyle grumbled, opening his locker and grabbing his books. Cartman just leant against the locker, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Did you hear?” He said, Kyle turning to raise an eyebrow at him. “Juno’s pregnant.” He said, making Kyle’s heart skip a beat. He didn’t look over, trying to ignore Cartman.

“Yeah.” He let out quietly, still trying to ignore Cartman.

“Damn, what a whore am I right?” He said, chuckling slightly. Like I said, he can still be rather insufferable from time to time, but atleast he’s trying.

“She’s not a fucking whore Cartman!” Kyle shouted, slamming his fist angrily against his locker.

“Geez Khal you’re right, if she was a whore she’d get paid. She’s just a slut.” He corrected, making Kyle even angrier. He still had his anger issues he had when we were kids. I know he struggled a lot with it, especially when Cartman was around. It was like a light switched off in his mind and he didn’t know what he was doing anymore. I could tell this was a sensitive subject for him too, I guess that probably made it worse.

“Shut the fuck up fatass!” He shouted back, making Eric roll his eyes.

“Wow, who put sand in your vagina this morning Khal.”

“Juno isn’t a whore okay?” Kyle took a breath trying to calm himself, but feeling another light switch off when he heard Cartmans scoff. “You’re moms the one who’s the fucking whore!” He shouted back, feeling instantly guilty.

“Aye!” Cartman yelled, about to make another argument before Kyle walked away. He saw me, and realized I had heard the conversation, trying to follow after me before Butters stopped infront of him.

“Hey Kyle.” Butters greeted, his trade mark smile lighting up his face. Kyle looked behind him and sighed, I was gone.

“Hey Butters.” Kyle greeted back, smiling slightly.

“Did you hear, Juno’s pregnant. Poor girl.” Butters said with a sigh, making Kyle nod.

“Yeah.”

“She must be so scared, and lonely.”

Leopold Butters Stotch, truly the purest soul you’d ever met. Butters was the go to cheerer upper, and I had been a Butters protector since day one. I was the only one allowed to call him ‘Leo,’ and he was the only one allowed to call me Sunny. I wasn’t quite sure why he thought of the nickname, he said I reminded him of sunshine. It may have just been the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. I don’t agree with it, not one but, but Butters swore it was true. After he took Kenny and I to Hawaii in 4th grade we noticed a lot of new things about him. Like how he had autistic tendencies, how he tended to get easily angry, and when he was angry he was a menace worse than Cartman, and how his parents really didn’t care much for his well being. Kenny and I like to joke that we’re like Butters adoptive parents. Butters agrees.

“I think she’s okay, she’s got Stan and all..” Kyle began, trying to convince himself of the same thing.

“Did you hear it's yours?” Butters said nervously, rubbing his knuckles together as he looked up at Kyle.

“Yeah.” Did he hear? It’s just been the only thing on his mind since he found out.

“What a trip, man.” Butters said, patting Kyle on the back.

“Yeah. I don't really know too much about it.” Kyle said, trying to get away from Butters.

“You should grow a mustache. Become a man.” Butters said, puffing up his chest slightly. Kyle gave him a strange look.

“I can't.” He answered shortly, causing Butters to look at him softly.

“Me neither. But I'm gonna stop wearing underpants, raise my sperm count.” Kyle’s face contorted with confusion, until butters waved at him cheerfully. “See you!” He shouted happily, before walking away, leaving Kyle even more confused than he had been before.

—✧

“It just isn’t the same.” Kenny whined sadly, staring down at the small jar of weed he had taken from my dads old barn. Though we moved back home, my parents still owned tegridy farms. There were still a few plants left that hadn’t died, and still old containers left stashed away. They were planning to turn the space into something but never came up with anything. For now atleast, Stan keep all of his band things there. They usually drive down whenever they want to practice, to not disturb the young neighbors we have.

“What isn’t?” I asked, making him sigh, tucking the weed back into his pocket while taking a swig of his slushie.

“This. You can’t smoke, it’s like I’m being tortured.” Kenny sighed, holding his face in his hands.

“You can smoke Ken, I don’t care.” I said, but he just glared at me, his eyes wide.

“And risk damaging my baby? You must be nuts.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes as he grumpily slurped on his slushie.

“Oh so it’s your kid now?” I asked, and he held a hand on his heart.

“No Juno, it’s our kid.”

“Alright weirdo.” I teased, pushing him slightly as he laughed.

“So how’d it go with Mark and Vanessa?” He asked, making me smile.

“It was good, it was good. My dad handled most of the technical stuff, god knows I can’t. But they’re nice. They live in this huge house, and Vanessa has this perfume that cost more than my entire wardrobe and, and what, why are you staring at me.” I rambled, stopping when I noticed Kenny staring down at my stomach.

“Woah, check it out. Baby Broflovski’s coming out of the cave.” Kenny said, his jaw dropped with amazement as he placed a hand on my slight baby bump. I had noticed it this morning, the baby had poped out a significant amount. I couldn’t fit into my jeans, I had to take Stan’s. They say pregnancy is a beautiful thing but so far it’s biting me in the ass.

“Please don’t refer to my uterus as a cave. I’m a holy temple.” I said with a proud smile, as Kenny continued to feel around my stomach.

“That’s crazy, you’re like totally pregnant now.” He said, leaning back against the bench, taking a long swig of his slushie as I looked at him confused, moving the glasses that were on my face up to look at him. He mimicked my actions, mocking me as I glared at him.

“What was I before, partially pregnant?” I asked, and he just shrugged.

“Well you couldn't tell before, but now you’re glowing!” He said happily, a wide smile on his face. I groaned, letting my head fall back slightly.

“Please don’t remind me about the gross amount of sweat. I know I look awful.” I whined, hiding my face in embarrassment. Kenny pulled my hands down, smiling at me.

“No Juno, you’re beautiful.” He reassured, making me smile at his sweetness.

“Aww, thanks Ken.”

“So like, are your boobs gonna get bigger now too?” He asked, sipping his slushie with a smirk as I shoved him.

“I knew it was too good to be true, you freaking perv.” I teased, making him throw a hand up in defense.

“It was just a question!”

—✧

“Juno, hey.” Kyle said, catching up to me in the hallway. I turned around, smiling at him, he smiled back. His hair was messy and distorted on his forehead below his hat, his pupils were dialated, and he looked like he had just ran here to come find me.

“Hey, Kyle.” I said kindly, closing my locker door, leaning against the lockers as I smiled over at him.

“Me and some of the guys are gonna go to the movies...And doughnut that flick with the guy who has 18 kids. You wanna come?” He asked, taking a break to catch his breath between the words. I looked at him with a pout.

“Sounds awesome, but I got my ultrasound.” I said sadly, looking down at the box of donut holes in his hands. He sighed, scratching the back of his head nervously.

“Oh, really? Can I...? Should I come with you?” Kyle stuttered, making my expression drop slightly, and my heart faltered. I didn’t think he would want to.

“You can't waste those doughnut holes there. But maybe I could, you know, drop by later.” I smiled, he smiled back. It was strange, and outlandish for two people who knew more about each other than they did themselves. And I hated it, acting like I didn’t know Kyle. Because I did know him, I loved him.

“Yeah, yeah of course.” There was a hint of disappointment in his tone, I could tell he tried to hide it but failed.

“Later, Kyle.” I said, waving to him as I went to turn away. He waved back sadly.

“See you. I'll save you a seat.”

—✧

“There's your baby.” The ultrasound technician said, as all of us look up at the ultrasound computer. I was laying in the hospital bed, Kenny and Craig next to me and Stan on the other side, my mom standing behind me. Kenny would have thrown a fit if I didn’t let him come, Craig also begged me to be here the day before and Stan needed an excuse to get out of the house, so now we were having a nice little party in the hospital room.

“Oh, my God.” Kenny said, looking up at the screen in awe.

“Oh, Juno.” My mom whispered to me, kissing me head gently before the doctor began speaking.

“There's a hand. And an arm. And there's the feet.” She explained, making me smile slightly.

“Would you look at that?”

“Whoa, check out Baby Big Head. Dude, that thing is freaky-looking.” Stan said, making me roll my eyes.

“It looks like an alien.” Craig added, causing me to shove him lightly as he chuckled.

“Excuse me, I am a sacred vessel. All you've got in your stomach is Taco Bell.” I teased, making both boys giggle. “It's amazing that there's actually saps that cry at this.”

We all turn after hearing a sniffle, seeing Kenny shedding a few tears as I pout at him teasingly.

“What? I'm not made of stone.” He grumbled, grabbing a tissue from the bedside table.

“Well, there you have it. Would you like to know the sex?”

“Yes. Please, Juno, please?” Kenny cheered, practically jumping from his seat.

“No. No, definitely. No, there's... no sex.” I argued, shaking my head.

“Planning to be surprised?”

“I want Mark and Vanessa to be surprised. And if you tell me, I'll just ruin everything.”

“It’s true. She sucks at keeping secrets.” Stan remarked, making me scoff as I looked at him.

“Shut it Stanley. I still haven’t told Kenny about the time you took his strawberry pop tarts and replaced them with the cherry ones.”

“Hey!” Kenny yelled, shoving Stan as he held up his hands in defense.

“What?! The strawberry ones are my favorite! I think I have an addiction problem.” Stan said, earning a pat on the back from Craig as they shared a dramatic hug.

“Are Mark and Vanessa your friends at school?” The doctor asked, her voice very flat and unexcited, even a little rude.

“No, no, no, they're the adoptive parents.”

“Well, thank goodness for that.” The doctor said, earning a strange look from my mom.

“What's that supposed to mean?” She asked, entering defense momma bear mode. This was my favorite side from my mom.

“I see a lot of teenage mothers come through here. It's obviously a poisonous environment to raise a baby in.” The doctor explained, making me give her a strange look.

“How do you know that I'm so poisonous, you know?” I asked and Stan nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, what if these adoptive parents turn out to be, like, evil molesters?” Stan argued, as Craig nodded in agreement.

“Or, stage parents.” He argued back.

“Or poor. No offense Ken, you know I love ya.” I turned to grab Kenny’s hand and he grabbed mine in return, a dumb smile on his face.

“None taken.”

“They could be negligent. Maybe they'll do a far shittier job...Than my dumb-ass daughter. Have you considered that?” My mom said angrily, causing Stan and I to share a shocked look.

“No, I guess not.”

“Yeah. What is your job title exactly?”

“I'm an ultrasound technician, ma'am.”

“Well, I'm a nail technician, and I think we both ought to stick to what we know.” The doctor looked offended, serves her right though.

“Excuse me?”

“You think you're so special because you get to play Picture Pages?” My mom began, glaring at the doctor in a fit of anger. “My 12-year-old neighbor could do that, and he's not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed.” She explained, making the doctor look at her even angrier.

“He’s Canadian.” I added, but Stan just looked at me confused.

“But I thought Ike was a genn…”

“Shh, moms making a point.” I said, covering Stan’s mouth, making him glare at me.

“Why don't you go back to night school in Manteno and learn a real trade?” My mom finished her off as the woman walk out. All four of us turned to my mom as she dusted off her hands proudly.

“Mom, you're a dick. I love it.” I said, pulling down my shirt and pulling my mom into a hug as she laughed slightly.

—✧

[the-twst-cast-needs-therapy]

I'm binging the Diasomnia chapters. Holy fucking shit-

I am keeping you updated!!!

Spoilers ahead!!!

UPDATES:

-THE HUMMING WITH THE TITLE SRCREEN OMG!!! (18:33, 12.9)

-16YO ORTHO?! OH I'M SO PROUD OF HIM! EVEN IF HE ISN'T REAL (18:33, 12.9)

-Well I'm officially stuck with the "Sus goop" let's hope I can level up high enough. Idk how this will be possible tho. My chances look rather slim (12.9).

-HAHA, I DID IT!! (Barely). Waaaa Ortho is such a clever boy. Also mama and papa Shroud?! So cute!! I love mama Shrouds voice and I love how she immediately sprung into action. (14.9, 12:23)

-i'm sensing that I will see Ortho in his Cerberus gear soon (14.9. 12:30)

-WAAAAA IT'S SO COOL. Also wtf do you mean "password protected folders"

-"You're one of our beloved sons too, Or" WHAT IF I DIED. OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO SWEET. AND THE SHROUDS LOOKING OUT FOR ORTHOS WELLBEING AJDHRHDHHDHDJDJDJDJDJJDHDHDHS

-struggling a bit with sebek. I hope we'll be fine and I can get through this quickly (14.9 12:51)

-HAHA I DID IT. (14.9, 12:57) I also like how all battles with malleus so far have been unwinnable. Anyways I think the next chapter will be Lilia themed!! (55)

-GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT! WAAA THE THEME AS WE ENTERED THE FOREST IS SO PRETTY. (14.9, 13:02)

-Lilia is beating my ass due to my lack of floral characters :( I'm stuck, currently training his son (Mal) to Beat him (15.9. 8:23)

-gave in and payed the damm 10 diamond fee. It's all good because Baur and (general) Lilia face reveal!!! AND SILVER FINALLY SAID THE "F" WORD TO DREAM LILIA (father) (22:45, 15.9)

-A NEW BATTLE MECHANIC?! OH GOD (22:48, 15.9)

-Really loving the Macro aggression of Baur towards his grandson (23:21. 15.9 )

-"HIS EGG LIKE VISAGE" SEBEK, THE MAN THAT YOU ARE!!! SHDHDHDHHSJS (23:21; 15.9)

-I'm scared of the new battle mechanic....

-not Lilia usin his own child as BAIT

-why do the iron clads have tanks... (16.9. 21:50)

-LILIA PROTECTING SILVER, RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! THE FATHERLY INSTINCT IS KICKING IN!!!! Apparently I ate up all the ENG Version had to offer so far. That means some resting time for me until the next chapters come out. (17.9. 9:01)

-"Even in a dream you're still my-" OH WHAT IF I DIED ON THE SPOT????

-okay I just decided to look at some fan translations to continue, here are my thoughts:

-MELEANOR IS SO FUCKING HOT SHHDHDHDHDJ PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (her voice is so stunning)

-Her and Lilia bickering is so funny, my god she is ruthless

-"Dragons can only hatch with the magic and love of their parents and only with true love" OH FUCK OFF I KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING AND I DONT LIKE IT

-"I DONT UNDERSTAND THE LOVE KF PARENTS. I HAVE NEVER LOVED SOMEONE EITHER...." oh my god OH MY GODNDHDHDHDGDHHDHSBS

-PROPOSAL?!

WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAZEHEHHDHDBSVDHSHHS OH MY GDODJJDHDHDHDBDNDN

Okay but same tho she's very pretty

-wooow silver is related to the knight if dawn who belongs to the SILVER owls. What a shocker.

-I love that the knight of dawn is just silvers facial render with longer hair and some blonde pigment slapped on to it. A for Effort

-Bro (Silver) is about to create a new ocean with the tears he's shedding. MF found out who he was related to and just decided to die on the spot.

-A CRYING BABY IS BABDHHDHDHDHDGSGSGSH BABY SILVER TIME!!!!????

-Omg silver is technically hundreds of years old??? Slay

-LILIA TRIED TO KILL LITTLE SILVER?! Or at least thought about it for a brief second, you know..

-"is it possible for someone like me to love a human?" OH WHEN I GET YOU WRITING TEAM, WHEN I FUCKING GET YOU SZSGEHHDJSHSJSJDJSJ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHAT IS THIS GAME?!

-"please don't, father. I don't deserve to be loved by you"

i'm going to fucking explode what the fuck.

-Genuinely shut the fuck up Silver. I know you're going through an identity crisis but you are so worthy of love.

-The fucking acorn necklace. When I tell you I JUMPED FROM MY SEAT!

-"papa please stay healthy and we will stay together forever" SHUT UP AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

-"with this bracelet i fell like I could live another 1000 years" PLEASE STOP OH MY GOD

-NOT SILVER SEEING HIMSELF AS HIS BIO FATHER AND BEING FORCED TO FIGHT WITH LILIA WHO DOESN'T RECOGNIZE YOU. IM GOING TO HURL

-SILVER STOP TRYING TO DIE OH MY GOD

[immortal-elements]

Hey, if you haven't seen the new fractal yet, I recommend that you get 4 other people from your raid group (if you have one), and give it a blind run. Utterly incredible time.

Spoilers under the cut for those who don't intend to do a blind run

So, I grabbed 4 other people from my raid group to give this fractal a blind run. Mind you, we clear raid wings 1-4 on a weekly basis, and we frequently run SotO strikes.

Imagine our surprise when we walk into the first boss room and see both Cerus and Deimos. We immediately shift into tryhard raid mode, and assume that all raid/strike mechanics are active. They weren't, but all the animations and behaviors looked mostly identical. Just the immediate intense focus was incredible and everything I could have asked for in a boss fight, 10/10, no notes.

Then, Eparch. Ohhhh, Eparch kicked our ass. We weren't able to do it on tier 4. Mostly because this boss is a broken and busted piece of shit. It's attack hitboxes are all sorts of inaccurate, (the shockwave hits either before or after it actually should, very hard to jump over or dodge through. His arrow attacks hit a much wider area than indicated.) Oh, and the orb mechanic was really opaque. He has 6 types of orbs, and you have to keep him from picking up too many orbs by grabbing them yourself, but if you pick one up of a type that you aren't attuned to, then it will remove all stacks of your old orb type and damage you. Makes it especially hard when he shits out orbs of two types on top of eachother. Oh, and if he picks up orbs, it boosts his stats, and the only way to remove those stacks is to CC him. Mind you, his CC bar is bigger than some raid-bosses. On tier 1, he has more defiance bar than raid boss slothosaur does.

One of my guildies who has a penchant for solo-ing fractals later attempted to solo this new fractal. He managed to get past Cerus and Deimos, (turns out, you can rally off of killing one of them, and sometimes Deimos will just fuck off to the other side of the room for some reason). But in order to actually beat Eparch, he had to phone a friend and call me in. Virtuoso has a shit-ton of CC, and my weaver build has a shit-ton of CC. Even still, it was a struggle to break that bar, requiring us to drop every single CC skill in our kits in a short period of time, (which can be hard for a weaver to do ngl).

Overall, very fun fractal, I can't wait until we can attempt it on t4 again, I'm cautiously curious about what the CM for it is going to be, but the Cerus/Deimos tag team was fucking incredible.

[l0serloki]

Unlikely Subjects

Kaeya x Reader

Genre : Fluff

Summary : Your date gets ‘ruined’ by treasure hoarders but Kaeya is sure to make up for it.

CW : GN!Reader, cheesy shit, winter festivities :), overworked Kaeya

A/N : ENJOY,, I’m in such a Christmas mood rn sooooo.. YEAH. 

Your date had not even lasted ten minutes before it was ruined. Kaeya had taken you out to Starsnatch Cliff to enjoy the view and get away from town for a while. That would’ve been a wonderful idea if the treasure hoarders that had been on the Knights asses hadn’t joined in.

“Oh Kaeya, this is wonderf-”

“Cavalry Captain, just who we were lookin’ for!”

You could only sigh and roll your eyes as your boyfriend left the embrace.

“Now now boys, you can see I’m in the middle of something. Are you really that impatient to get your ass kicked?” Kaeya palmed at his gloves, pulling at the sword tied to his back.

The gaggle of men cackled at his response, pulling at their pathetic repertoire of weapons. 

“Ain’t that funny boss! He thinks he will beat all of us! I say we take his pretty partner after.” The younger guy sneered, egging the team on. You could feel the hairs on your neck stand at the comment, disgust filling your stomach.

Kaeya obviously didn't appreciate the comment either, sword slashing at the thieves. It wasn’t long before a swirl of cryo and some screams later that he had the fools in custody. 

You waited around in his office, fidgeting with the trinkets on his desk. You were a little disappointed but you knew that with your boyfriends job, things like this would happen. You were just glad that those men couldn’t hurt anyone else. You leaned back against the plush chair, resting your eyes.

“Y/N, darling. Wake up.” You felt a hand shake at your shoulder, nudging you out of your dreams. Rubbing at your eyes, Kaeya framed into your vision. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” You stretched your body, slowly getting out of the chair.

“No reason to apologize, dear. If anything, I’m sorry about our date. It wasn’t supposed to end up like this..” Kaeya’s hand trailed against your forearm, goosebumps following his icy fingertips. “I have an idea to make up for it though.. If you’d like.” His voice was a tiny whisper, breath fanning dangerously close to the shell of your ear. You couldn’t control the butterflies that erupted in your stomach, nodding at his comment. He only smirked, lips smothering your jawline in light kisses. 

A few minutes had passed and Kaeya stepped away, admiring the embarrassed mess he had made of you. 

“Well, don’t you look cute. We must be going though - I did promise you a nice date.” His hand caught on yours, feet already trampling to the door.

The two of you had walked for ages until he stopped in front of a tree. Your eyes widened at the festivities bustling around you, heart soaring. The town had finally put up winter decorations, even the giant tree glistening for all to see. There were stalls on either side of the street with warm food and drinks, waiting for a try. 

“I didn’t know they were putting this up today!” You exclaimed and your boyfriend only laughed.

“Yeah! That’s why I took you out today. It was supposed to be a surprise for when we got back.” He shrugged sheepishly, pushing you towards the stores. “I bet you’re more than starving. Let’s look around and get some stuff.” 

The stands were filled with delectable food, the aroma wafting through the air. Kaeya had bought his fair share of skewers and hot wine, a fat grin plastered on his face. You felt your heart jump at the sight, glad to see him relaxed. It had been quite a while since he got let out of the Favonius Headquarters, always late in coming home. The Dvalin incident didn’t help, and then the surge of Treasure Hoarders put him in constant battles. 

You had missed these moments. The moments where he whisked you around and showed you his passions, no matter how small. The caring gesture of keeping an arm wrapped around you as the two of you walked through crowds, even tightening his hold to make sure not to lose grip. The little things would always be near and dear to your heart, making you fall in love with the man even more. 

“You have a silly grin. What’s so funny?” Kaeya shook you out of your state, fingers rubbing at the back of your hand. Your lips met his cheek, head resting against his shoulder. You looked up from the bench towards the tree, murmuring a quiet, “Thank you. This was wonderful. I love you.”

Kaeya’s chest heaved, hand pulling you closer into him. You could tell your words had affected him, not expecting such a cheesy response.

“I love you too. I’m glad to spend today with you. Even if half of it was at HQ.”

You could only chuckle, humming in agreement.

“Me too, Kae. Me too.”

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Main Story S4CH4 ‘The One Without’ - Part 1

pain, suffering even

Chapter 1

-starless office-

unei: Moving on to our next topic of discussion, who will be handling the January performance?

kei: It was originally planned to be Team B...

haseyama: What? You're still thinking of putting them on stage? B can't handle it so change it to some other team.

mizuki: The fuck? Who says we can't handle it?

haseyama: Who was it again that used a guy who was already half dead and turned the stage into a bloody mess? I'm all ears.

mizuki: Tch…

saki: (I hope Heath-san is doing ok...)

unei: But boss, Heath-san received a medical certificate stating that he was ill with bronchitis and that it would clear up in two weeks. He's slowly been returning to work too, I think he should be fine now!

mizuki: Exactly. Our new work can't be beat, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to perform it.

kokuyou: Oi, Mizuki.

rindou: ......

kei: Mizuki, this is not an issue in which you can decide everything yourself. Let's return to our respective teams for now, then in the next meeting we can—

-heath rushes into the room with zakuro-

heath: I'll do it.

saki: Heath-san?

haseyama: Hey what the hell do you think you're doing? This is a meeting between the team leaders, not you.

zakuro: My my, I deeply apologise for the trouble. I may be causing interference, but won't this make things easier to discuss?

kei: Zakuro, damn you...

zakuro: Well then, now that all the main actors are here, whatever shall you do, Mizuki?

mizuki: We're gonna do it, ain't that obvious? Heath said he wants to, so we will.

heath: Yeah.

mokuren: Wait. If you're getting on stage, then let us continue our New Year’s show instead, that's the better option.

mizuki: Huh? What, you got a problem with us, Mokuren?

haseyama: Regardless of the show's content, it is true the rest of the teams are in better condition. If you go ahead and collapse on stage again then who knows if someone will report us to the police.

zakuro: I see I see, the Boss' worries are not unfounded. ...Hm? Oh my what's a new C work doing over here.

mokuren: ...Zakuro.

heath: If you want a new work then we've got one of our own prepared too.

unei: Um, uhh...

kei: ...Haseyama, provoking them any further will just prove to be a waste of time. We'll make this show a versus between Team B and Team C, understood?

haseyama: Huh? So in the end Heath's still gonna be performing? Are you sure that'll work out?

kei: As a versus the total number of shows per team will be fewer compared to a solo performance. Therefore the risk will be lessened slightly.

haseyama: Hang on there, Kei-sama. Wasn't it during a versus that he collapsed last time? You can't guarantee anything.

kei: That's true. However no matter what we say these two aren't going to back down.

unei: Umm, so we're going to go ahead with the January show being a versus between B and C then?

mizuki: Sure. We'll kick their asses. Let's go, Heath.

heath: Ok.

-mizuki and heath leave-

zakuro: We shall also take our leave to make preparations, excuse us.

saki: (A versus between Team B and Team C... I hope everything goes well and without incident...)

mokuren: ...... (frown)

—end

-

Chapter 1 extra

-starless restaurant area-

akira: Next show was supposed to be B right? What happened to that?

takami: It appears it's been turned into a versus between B and C.

akira: Ooh ...Hm? Wait, versus? Why?

takami: I don't know the details either. It seems Team C proposed the idea of the versus.

akira: Huh? Mokuren did? What's his problem this time?

takami: As I said, I don't know either. Why not try asking Kokuyou about it? The owner and Kei have approved the versus already at least.

taiga: Yet another versus huh. This store sure does love them.

akira: Hmm~ I don't really get it, but it means Heath is getting up on the stage then?

taiga: Oh yeah, wonder what'll happen with that. He's been resting since he coughed up blood. It's been about half a year since then, right?

takami: You mean what happened in September last year?

taiga: It's been a decent amount of time, surely it means he's better now.

akira: I'm not so sure. That didn't really look like something you could just sleep off.

taiga: Well yeah... That's true.

takami: Whatever happens, we should all proceed with caution. So that even if something does go wrong, we'll be ready.

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideA

-rehearsal room-

heath: ...Phew.

mizuki: Hey, Heath. Are you ok?

heath: Yeah, I'm fine. Same as always.

mizuki: Alright. Listen, don't you dare go overdoing it. It's not like this is something worth throwing your life away over.

heath: ......

mizuki: Like sure I wanna kick Mokuren's ass, but if you collapse then there's no point. We haven't lost to C so far, so it doesn't really matter if we lose this one.

heath: It's fine, you don't need to worry. We won't lose.

mizuki: Duh, of course.

heath: Don't tell me you've gone soft, Mizuki.

mizuki: What? Of course not. We'll blow 'em away and take out the win like always.

heath: Yeah, good. I don't plan on holding you guys back either.

mizuki: Bring it on then.

heath: Sure.

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideA extra

-behind starless, evening-

kei: Heath.

heath: Piss off, I have no business with you.

kei: Just hear me out. I take it you have not forgotten what I said to you during your break.

heath: ...Who knows. I couldn't care less what you think. You said to make this performance a versus. That's it, the conversation ends there.

kei: I have not forgotten the incident that transpired during your versus with Team K.

heath: What, are you planning to put your winners privileges into effect now?

kei: That's not what I mean. Back then, you managed to hold out despite the dangerous situation you were in. I'm telling you to not needlessly waste your life.

heath: That wasn't me 'holding out'. It was just proof that wasn’t enough to kill me.

kei: ....... (frustrated)

heath: You're not my guardian or anything. My life... However much more of it I have left, I'll use it however I like. Don't you dare interfere with how I live it.

kei: ....….

kei: Right. Understood. I won't involve myself any further. I shall now address you as 'Kei from Starless' then. Your life is your own, use it however you please.

heath: I plan to.

—end

(tl note: In the B onsen trip story Kei said this to Heath: “It’s your life, use it however you please. However, if you make Saki sad that is the one thing I shall not forgive.”)

-

Chapter 1 SideB

-rehearsal room-

hari: So, in short our next performance has become a versus performance against Team B?

mokuren: Yep.

hari: We just performed for New Year’s and we’re already back on the stage...

qu: It's reckless isn't it. Do we even have any reason to oppose them?

mokuren: It doesn't matter if we have a reason or not. If there's an opportunity for us to stand on the stage then I'm taking it, that's all.

qu: It was dumb of me to ask.

kasumi: Ah, but the performance being a versus may be safer.

qu: Do you mean we can be more prepared if something happens?

kasumi: Yeah. In the worst case scenario, if it was just a B solo performance then if trouble occurred the show would need to be suspended. If that were to happen there'd be no way Team B or Heath would get off the hook without any punishment.

hari: True. Not only they themselves, but our management's ability would also be doubted in that case.

kasumi: Instead of B dealing with a full schedule, in a versus we take half of the performances. Even if it's just to make sure Heath's ok to return, I don't think it's a bad idea.

qu: Well, I guess that is one way to look at it.

hari: We're only able to participate in this versus because we have a new work too. Despite it just being after the New Year's show, you've prepared well huh, Zakuro.

zakuro: Indeed indeed. It's too late to do anything once something has already occurred after all. It's often said that you have no need to worry if you're prepared.

mokuren: You just foresaw that things would turn out this way from the start didn't you?

hari: Is that true, Zakuro?

zakuro: Of course not, that would be truly awe inspiring. As if someone like me who does not even know their past would be able to predict the future.

mokuren: Whatever. We've decided we'll do it so we just have to win. That's all that matters.

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideB extra

-starless office-

yakou: Next is a Team B versus performance huh?

yoshino: Ah, yes. So it seems.

yakou: Even though they just went up against Team K in September, they're already challenging C...

sotetsu: Now that you mention it, Team B are kinda known for getting themselves into versus'.

yoshino: Well that's because they really do participate in a lot. I feel like B has featured on all the recent versus flyers.

yakou: That's true...

sotetsu: I mean, we're talking about the team who picked a fight with Team P the moment they were formed. That's just the kind of guy Mizuki is.

yoshino: I don't think that statement only applies to Mizuki.

sotetsu: That so? ...Hm, I see. When you think about it, all of B are fighting against something huh. They have Haseyama's intervention to worry about too.

yoshino: Yeah.

sotetsu: But it's fine isn't it? When it comes to hip hop you just have to keep dissing your opponent right? I think an element like our versus performances are needed for their rap game.

yakou: So you're saying that them participating in lots of versus is a result of their team's concept?

sotetsu: Exactly.

yoshino: Even if it was part of the team's concept, I wouldn't want to have to go about things like that...

sotetsu: Don't worry, you're the type that does things unconsciously.

yakou: Dang...

yoshino: Sotetsu... What do you mean by that?

sotetsu: Ah, nothing. C'mon let's get back to work, Yakou.

-sotetsu leaves-

yakou: Oh, yes.

-yakou leaves-

yoshino: Sigh...

—end

-

Chapter 2

-break room-

mokuren: Kongou.

kongou: Oh, Mokuren. Did you need me for something?

mokuren: Is your MC doing ok?

kongou: You mean Heath? Well, I'm not so sure... His condition doesn't look much different from usual at least.

mokuren: ...You're seriously saying that? To me it looks as though he’s already up to the shoulders in a coffin.

kongou: To the shoulders... A coffin isn't a bath... But, yeah, I do get what you're trying to say. Perhaps since we see him everyday we've grown indifferent to it. We've seen him looking paler and struggling to catch his breath even more than how he is currently, so we don’t notice it as much.

mokuren: I see.

kongou: Also, to put it bluntly, stopping Heath in general is difficult. We tell him to rest but he sneaks out and if we tell him to stop writing he doesn't. I guess we as Team B have a stance to keep going until we can't anymore.

mokuren: Hmph, so you'll only stop when an incident occurs then?

kongou: Mm... You may be right. It's possible things may end up that way at this rate.

mokuren: Well, whatever. If that's what you lot want to happen then go ahead.

kongou: Sorry for all this. I tried to push for C to perform instead of us.

mokuren: Don't worry about it. All I plan to do is move forward according to my own beliefs. I suppose Heath is doing the same. Sorry for bothering you.

kongou: No worries. Let's both do our best in the show, see you.

-kongou leaves-

mokuren: ......

mokuren: The two of us will never understand one another, ever.

—end

-

Chapter 2 extra

-outside the front of starless, night-

maica: Good work today.

sinju: Ah, you too, Maica. Let's walk to the station together.

maica: Sure, let's go.

-time pass, street, night-

sinju: Hey, recently hasn't everyone been really on edge backstage?

maica: What do you mean on edge?

sinju: Hm... like, everyone seems nervous? That's just the vibe I get.

maica: Ooh. True, the atmosphere has been a bit tense.

sinju: Right, you think so too?

maica: It feels as though Kei and Takami are making arrangements for something. If I had to guess... It's probably because of Heath.

sinju: Ah... You're right. It wouldn't be good if his condition deteriorated again like last time.

maica: Yeah. When I heard him sing from the floor though he seemed the same as always. But, I don't know how to explain it, but it feels as though it's lacking some punch.

sinju: Really? I haven't picked up on anything like that. Sometimes I think that Heath is really amazing though. I'm not entirely familiar with the direction of his shows, but when he gets on stage he's like an entirely different person. I don't think I could ever sing like that.

maica: ...I don't think Heath is putting as much power into his performance as he'd like, though. There's an urgency to it... As if he's backed into a corner.

sinju: Backed into a corner?

maica: I don't really understand it myself either. But when I watch Heath that's the sense I get.

sinju: Hmm, maybe it's because he had to be admitted to the hospital... I suppose all we can do to help is work our shifts and be there to support both teams.

maica: Yeah, I think that's fine.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideA

-rehearsal room-

ran: Hey, Mizuki. Are ya really gonna continue with this?

mizuki: Huh? Continue with what?

ran: This versus. Heath is clearly overdoin' it.

mizuki: .......

ran: It's fine if we step down now n' take the loss. There's no need for him to risk his life over this.

mizuki: ...Heath said he would do it. So, we won't stop until we've won.

ran: Sigh....

ran: Look, Mizuki. We're all friends here. I get that ya respect Heath. But placin’ ya faith in someone and losin’ control of the situation are completely different things.

mizuki: What? Don't say things that are hard to understand.

ran: It's hard to oppose someone that ya like, I know that. However there are things that people aren't able to see for themselves, and it's the job of the leader to point those things out. Have ya ever opposed Heath before?

mizuki: Shut up already, I know all that. I'm thinking about it in my own way, don't interfere.

ran: Are ya sure? Things are gonna get real bad at this rate. 

—end 

-

Chapter 2 SideA extra

-starless office-

kokuyou: Oi, Mizuki.

mizuki: What?

kokuyou: Are you still going to let him keep singing? He didn't get enough proper rest, just how long are you planning to let him just do whatever he wants?

mizuki: Shut up. Of course Heath is gonna keep singing. Don't butt into our business.

kokuyou: I won't say anything if it goes well. But listen, Mizuki. Consider pulling back if things get dangerous. Especially if it's putting your team's life in danger.

mizuki: Even though you wouldn't pull back you're telling me to?

kokuyou: Do I seem that way to you? I know when to retreat when it's necessary. If you always just go in punching without thinking about it, you'll come to regret it eventually.

mizuki: I'm not withdrawing. I ain't scared of regret or shit like that. Do you really think I'd do something as lame as running away in the middle of a fight?

kokuyou: Sure, whatever.

-mizuki leaves-

kokuyou: ...That damn brat, even if I hit him there'd be no convincing him. They’re not gonna stop until they fall apart.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideB

-behind starless, evening-

zakuro: Good evening, thank you for humouring me whilst you're so busy.

kei: No need for the formalities. Tell me your piece.

zakuro: I'll get right to the point then. As you've probably already noticed, Heath's body may have reached its limit... He's been in a worrying state many times already, but don't you agree it's especially grave right now?

kei: That may be so.

zakuro: My my, what a cold response. Are you ok with things continuing as they are?

kei: This is something that he has decided for himself. There is nothing I can do to convince him otherwise.

zakuro: I see, I see. In that case— If I were to tell you that I have a way to heal him... What would you do?

kei: What do you mean?

zakuro: I shall return Heath's body which he values so dearly back to its original state.

kei: Oh?

zakuro: Of course, I will not do so without compensation however.

kei: Hm. What is it that you desire?

zakuro: I simply ask that you step back from both Starless and the little bird. A cheap price to save a life, is it not? Since after all, in the end he is your—

kei: I refuse. Heath told me that he would use his life as he wants. I have no intentions to accept your offer here and tarnish his resolve.

zakuro: Hm... Meaning this is your answer then?

kei: Indeed.

zakuro: I see, I see...! What a poor pitiful little lamb, disregarded by you once again. Not once but twice, without your expression so much as wavering.

kei: I'm not in the mood to respond to your provocation. Is that all you wanted to say? Then I shall be going.

-kei leaves-

zakuro: ...He was a lot calmer about it than I'd expected. If this is going to become a war of attrition then I am the one at a disadvantage. I must carefully consider my next move.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideB extra

-starless hallway-

nekome: Oh? If it isn't Zakuro. Good day.

zakuro: Greetings, Nekome. I see you're with the little bird?

saki: We met by coincidence outside. 

nekome: I was on my way back from the shops~ I feel as though luck is on my side. And so, what are you doing here, Zakuro? Do you not have a performance today?

zakuro: Indeed, I just had some minor business to attend to.

nekome: Hm? By the way, you were the one that brought Heath along to turn things into a versus, weren't you?

zakuro: If you mean I brought him to the meeting, then yes. I figured it was best for him to be there and then the show turned into a team versus.

nekome: I see…

saki: I hope Heath is ok...

nekome: Ah, true. He looked pretty pale, it's worrying.

zakuro: He is someone with a naturally pale complexion however he has been looking quite ghostly as of late. Even I am beginning to worry.

saki: (I don't want him to overdo it... Heath-san...)

nekome: I hope nothing bad happens.

zakuro: Indeed, I hope the same. As I too would be partly to blame if anything were to occur. Although I did whatever I could, he was too tough of a nut to crack. To think I've even caused the little bird's expression to cloud over...

saki: Oh no, I'm ok.

nekome: Well, let's just pray that the shows end without incident. Try cheering them on with a smile, Saki-chan. Or, if you still can't stop worrying, we can go and check together that he isn't pushing himself too hard.

saki: Yes.

zakuro: ...To make arrangements like that right under my nose. This is exactly why one cannot let their guard down.

nekome: Ahaha, call it a privilege of being an understudy. I have a lot more free time compared to the rest of you~ Do your best in the show today~ I'll be cheering you on with Saki-chan here.

—end

To Part 2

[silver-rings-and-rabbits]

Open Heart 2 - Chapter 8

Fair Game

Two weeks later, and the situation hadn’t improved. Stephanie started treatment at Mass Kenmore, but Edenbrook was now sinking. They hadn’t been able to find anymore wealthy patients for the diagnostics teams either and Matthew’s head swam with exhausted thoughts as he watched his friends playing pool in one of the Donahue’s tables.

“That’s why they call me Dr Sink!” Sienna crowed as she potted several pool balls in a row. Her excitement was short-lived, however, as she fumbled her next shot.

She passed the cue on to Jackie as Matthew racked his brain for what seemed like the billionth time for any other hospital cases that could qualify for a research grant. He yelped when a pool ball suddenly bounced off the table and struck the floor, bringing him back to earth with a bump.

“Jeez, what did that ball do to you?” he said as he retrieved it.

“Sorry. It’s…been a day,” Jackie sighed as she realigned her shot. “I had to deal with a lady who had been struggling with stomach pain for a month at home. The only reason she came in was because her neighbour found her writhing on the ground in her apartment.”

“Oh, the poor thing,” Sienna said. “Will she be OK?”

“Oh, she’ll live,” Jackie said, grimly, as Bryce brought a tray of drinks over. “But she’ll have a few less feet of intestine than she would have if she’d gotten over her weird hang ups and come in when the stabbing pain started.” She potted a ball and swigged a beer. “How about you, Matthew? You look like you’ve had a day in paradise.”

“Honestly?” Matthew mussed his hair, wearily. “I can’t stop thinking about Mass Kenmore poaching our research grant.”

“…Still?”

“I can’t believe how petty that was,” Sienna agreed.

“Can’t blame them exactly, they need the money as much as we do,” Jackie said. “Have you talked to Aurora about it?”

“No,” Matthew said, firmly. “We’re in a great place and I’m not going to jeopardise that, especially when it was done by some other guy she works with.”

Sienna smiled at him in relief, but Bryce had his cocky grin.

“Sounds like you need a little revenge, Matthew.”

“Bryce…”

“Hear me out. The annual softball game between Edenbrook and Kenmore is this weekend…”

It was supposedly a long-standing tradition for the two hospitals to play a softball game against each other in the first weekend of October. Matthew had found out about it last year, when he and the rest of the interns had worked brutal double-shifts where a lot of older doctors had been unavailable. They had been playing baseball and drinking each other under the table. He’d been excited for his turn once, but now he felt a little jolt of shock that it was October already.

As Matthew pondered the passage of time, Kyra walked into the bar and settled into the booth. Bryce offered her a beer, which she declined.

“Hasn’t Kenmore kicked your asses for the last three years?” she smirked. Bryce tossed back his fringe.

“This year we’re gonna turn it around: Elijah and I are on the team.”

“Elijah’s strategic brain and innate love of baseball makes sense,” Jackie nodded. “But what the hell are you bringing to the table, Scalpel Jockey?”

“Charm, talent and looks.”

“All equally important in softball,” Matthew snorted.

Bad jokes and existential crisis aside, he was slightly cheered by the prospect of the game. Sienna preferred to watch, Kyra wasn’t up to participation and Jackie was more interested in watching Bryce dive for the ball and get a face full of dirt.

“I’ll do it,” Matthew said. “I could do with a win. Besides, a good game might cool things down a bit.”

“Yeah, let’s beat them into friendship!” Sienna was being completely genuine, and Matthew couldn’t help smiling at her sweetness.

“Was hoping for more fire, but I’ll take it!” Bryce grabbed a cue. “Now, who’s ready to lose to me at pool?”

“I’ll take that challenge!”

As Bryce, Jackie and Sienna lined up a new game, Matthew bought Kyra a glass of water and sat beside her.

“Are you OK?” he asked. “You’ve been quiet today.”

“Mm. I’ve just been having a lot of chest pain. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” She gave a wan smile. “Still, I’m keeping up the treatments. It’ll be over soon.”

“That’s a relief,” Matthew smiled. They didn’t keep up much conversation as they watched Sienna proudly beat Jackie and Bryce at pool, then started preparing to leave. The girls would see Kyra home. Matthew helped Bryce clear the glasses.

“Where’s Keiki if you’re here?”

“At the apartment. She’s fine there. I think she prefers it when I’m not there.”

Matthew delicately asked Bryce if he had called his parents, and anger flashed across Bryce’s face as he said they still didn’t speak to each other, and now Keiki was ignoring their calls.

“If they’re really worried, they can come over to Boston,” Bryce scowled.

“Have things got better between you and Keiki?”

“Not really. I don’t know how to talk to her.”

“But you know how to talk to everybody! You could charm an IV stand if you tried hard enough.”

“Keiki isn’t an IV stand. She’s a snarky fifteen year old who likes to get under my skin.” He bit his thumb, then looked almost guilty. “I’m sorry, Matthew, I don’t mean to be insensitive…”

“I know, don’t worry.”

Matthew had often wondered what Casey would have been like in her teenage years, whether they would have gotten under each other’s skin.

“But Bryce…say something did happen to Keiki. Would you regret anything?”

It was a good point that made Bryce think for a minute. He was still at a bit of a loss on what to do, but eventually decided to take Keiki shopping; she hadn’t brought a huge amount of belongings, and at least the shops could distract her if the conversation went south. Then, with a little light persuasion, Matthew agreed to come along on their next day off.

****

He met them at the entrance on Wednesday morning, where Keiki greeted him cheerfully. Bryce looked apprehensive, quietly admitting that Keiki hadn’t smiled until Matthew got there.

“Don’t lose hope,” Matthew insisted as they walked past shopfronts until Keiki paused outside an edgy store with loud music and dim lights.

“Can we go in?” she asked.

Bryce looked mildly horrified at the store, but gritted his teeth and nodded.

“Today’s about shopping for you, Keiki. So if this is where you wanna shop, I’m there.”

“…Really?”

“Don’t look so shocked.”

Matthew bit back a laugh as they entered the store. Bryce was glancing around at the racks of clothing dubiously, as Keiki happily browsed the racks. Matthew had a look around too, and then uncovered a black shirt and tan leather jacket. Keiki sidled up to him.

“That looks cool. Are you gonna buy it?”

Matthew held the combo in front of his body to check in one of the mirrors dotted around the store. He had to admit, he could picture himself sporting it.”

“You know what? I think I will.”

Matthew queued to pay for it, and when he rejoined the Lahelas, Keiki was looking at a denim skirt.

“I just wear whatever Mom buys for me,” she was saying. Bryce’s eyebrows went up in surprise.

“Mom shops for you?”

“I used to go with her, but she and Dad are so strict about what I wear that I gave up. No point having an opinion if you’re gonna be dressed like a pilgrim either way.”

“That…doesn’t sound like them at all.”

“What, you don’t believe me?”

Keiki rounded on Bryce, glaring up at him. Bryce spluttered.

“I didn’t say that, I just meant—”

Keiki stomped away and Bryce groaned in exasperation.

“This is just how it’s been since she came over,” he explained to Matthew. “I try, but this happens, and we end up arguing. I don’t know what else to do!”

His fists were clenched. Matthew put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re dealing with a kid who ran away from home. She might be acting like she’s fine but she’s clearly sensitive. Try not to say stuff that contradicts her experience.”

“This is harder than med school exams,” Bryce groaned.

“So, what would you do if she were a patient? She’s come for help but won’t say what the issue is, so we have to listen and diagnose the problem the hard way.”

“You’re the diagnostician. I’d just be putting her under anaesthesia and cutting away.” He wilted under Matthew’s look. “OK, you’re right. I’ll try again. But I think you might be a workaholic.”

Matthew rolled his eyes as he followed Bryce through the store to the jackets. She was staring at them hard, not really seeing.  Bryce hesitated before approaching slowly. Matthew kept about a foot behind, ready to back off if space was required.

“Keiki, listen,” Bryce said gently. “I didn’t mean to dismiss what you were saying or anything. It was more…I guess, I thought if Mom was picking out your clothes, she’d be dressing you more like her, not a pilgrim.”

Keiki didn’t say anything. Bryce bit his lip.

“You wanna tell me more about it?”

Keiki shrugged, twirling her hair around her finger.

“They, um, said they didn’t want me to dress too flashy. Said I would draw too much attention to myself and they didn’t want that.”

“With your clothes?”

“Everything. I have to work hard to get good grades and get into a good college but I can’t have my grades too high because I’ll make the other kids jealous. Same with my clothes. It will all make the other kids hate me more.”

“That’s insane…” Bryce’s eyes were wide.

“I guess they think they’re helping. Like, if I make myself super ordinary it will make the other kids forget who I am and they’ll just wanna be friends.”

“How’s that working out?” Matthew asked, gently.

“Awful.” Keiki pressed her lips together as she fought back tears. “All the other kids have hated me since Liliana King pushed me into the wall on the first day of fifth grade.”

“She did what?” Bryce growled.

“Why did she do that?” Matthew asked.

“Her parents had invested in our parents company just before everything blew up. They lost everything. And then she told the whole school.”

“Come on, that wasn’t your fault,” Bryce argued. “You’re not Mom and Dad, you’re a kid.”

“Do your parents know the kids are like this to you?” Matthew asked. Keiki sniffled.

“I told them but they said I just had to work harder to show the kids I’m just like them. That’s when the clothes thing started. Now I’m just the weirdly dressed kid with criminal parents that everyone hates.”

Bryce’s mouth was open and he struggled to speak. Matthew turned to him, exercising caution in case he needed to back off.

“Was it like that for you, Bryce?”

“Well…no. Actually, the opposite. I was hated in school the same way, but I never had to dress or be a certain way. Mom was so busy selling out Dad that she pretty much ignored me until he went to jail. To be honest, I mostly just felt invisible, like I was haunting the place.”

Keiki finally looked up at Bryce with a tiny smile.

“You weren’t invisible to me.”

“Did you miss Bryce when he left, Keiki?”

“Yeah. He promised he’d call every week…he lasted about three months.” She looked at Bryce, but it wasn’t accusatory. “You probably think I don’t remember you playing with me when Mom didn’t, but I do.”

Guilt flooded Bryce’s face.

“I’m so sorry. I got wrapped up in college…that’s no excuse. I should have known it would be hard for you growing up there. You just always seemed like their special little angel and I assumed you’d be OK.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not.”

Bryce opened his arms. Keiki hesitated…and then threw herself into them. Matthew turned, hiding his relieved smile.

“I’m sorry I was such a jerk when I turned up,” Keiki sniffled. “And, like, every day since.”

“No, the only jerk here is me,” Bryce said, rubbing her back. “You can stay with me as long as you need, OK? We’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks Bryce.”

When they broke apart, they had matching grins and looked more like brother and sister than ever. The relief was infectious and Matthew was grinning too when he rejoined them.

“OK, since you’re no longer staying with Mom and Dad, you no longer live by their rules, so I say I’m buying you that jacket,” Bryce said. “Did you want anything else?”

Keiki giggled as she passed Bryce a jacket – black with a faux fur-lined collar – and raced around the shop, picking out a skirt and some coloured vest tops, and a few belts.

The rest of the day passed quickly as they cruised the mall, the two boys at the mercy of Keiki’s wardrobe. She bought an array of jeans, tops and sweaters, she found new boots, a pair of trainers, and spotted some sparkly sandals at the last minute. Cosy, oversized pyjamas and light, summery pyjamas were added to the mix, then she said she needed new underwear. Matthew and Bryce waited outside the changing rooms as Keiki was fitted for a bra by a helpful assistant.

“Wanna buy some pyjamas for yourself while we’re here?” Bryce said. “You know, for the next time a prestigious doctor has to get you out of bed.”

“Hey, if you’re going to interrupt me on my day off, that’s your problem,” Matthew retorted, cringing at the memory. “Besides, I don’t think this shop’s really my style.”

“I don’t know, those light blue silk shorts might look good on you…”

“Do you want me to take my money back, Lahela?”

“No, no, you’re good!”

At that moment, Keiki came trotting over with her selected purchases and Bryce took them to the counter. The girls had been right; bras were expensive.

“Bryce, can I look in the bookstore? All you have in the apartment is medical books.”

“Wait, you read my textbooks?”

“I tried.”

Bryce laughed and handed Keiki thirty dollars.

“Pretty sure I’m morally obligated to let you buy books. We’ll be on the bench when you’re done, OK?”

Keiki walked into the bookstore and Bryce and Matthew collapsed onto the nearby bench, spreading the bags around their feet.

“I’m exhausted,” Bryce groaned.

“Does this count as softball endurance training?”

“It does now.”

They chuckled, and then Matthew sat upright.

“I’m pretty hungry though, if you want to hit the food court?”

“Oh, alright…”

Bryce texted Keiki the change of plan, then hauled himself up and re-gathered the bags.

Matthew bought large burgers and fries for the two of them and they sat in silence for a few minutes as they ate.

“You know…” Bryce said. “I’m glad she came to me. If things are that bad, then it’s good for her to get away.”

“Agreed,” Matthew nodded. He smiled. “I knew you’d be a good brother.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you.” Bryce grinned back as he dipped a fry into ketchup. “Thanks for coming along. I hope it’s not been too unbearable.”

“It’s been alright actually. Better than my original plans.”

“What was that?”

“Catching up on laundry.”

“Hey guys!”

Keiki appeared and sat at the table beside Bryce, showing off three sizeable books. “Check it out! There was a sale!”

Matthew read the titles: Perfect, Boyfriend Material, and It.

“Quite the selection there,” he nodded.

“When did you become such a nerd?”

“Keep talking and I won’t let you borrow them when I’m done.”

Keiki swiped some fries off Bryce’s tray as Bryce pulled a lock of her hair. It was as if they had never been apart.

Upon his arrival back home, Matthew ignored his stack of dishes by the sink, the piles of laundry he had accumulated, and the fact that his fridge shelf was almost empty, and went straight for the chinchilla.

“Hey Spooky, I missed you today!”

Spooky hopped over to greet him, whiskers atwitch, and Matthew scooped her up, nuzzling her fur. He loved chinchillas.

“Talking to the gerbil again, Dr Doolittle?”

Aurora had just come out of her room.

“Excuse you, Spooky is much fancier than a gerbil,” he said, primly, then noticed her rumpled clothes and how she was rubbing her eyes. “Are you OK? You look tired?”

“Oh, I just…er…”

Matthew suddenly realised: she was at Mass Kenmore working on Stephanie’s case.

“It’s OK,” he said. “It’s not your fault. It’s between Tobias and Ethan, remember?”

Aurora looked immensely relieved.

“I’m still allowed to cream you at the softball game, right?”

“You’re allowed to try.”

And they both burst into laughter.

****

Matthew thought that the next night he would go straight home and have an early night, but as he crossed the staff car park he heard several thwacks followed by what sounded like Elijah: “How do you hit it every time?!” He investigated and found Elijah, Bryce and Rafael practising softball. Rafael held a bat.

“Hey, Matthew!” he said, lighting up.

“Hey,” Matthew nodded. “You guys practising for the game?”

“That’s right,” Elijah said. “Get over here and replace Rafael. He’s too good.”

“Have you joined the team as well, Raf?”

“I can’t play for a team I don’t currently work for,” Rafael said, shaking his head.

“I bet Naveen would be willing to bend the rules. He pretends to be neutral but we know he wants Edenbrook to win as much as we do.”

“Thanks Bryce, but I don’t want to make my supervisor any more annoyed. I’m more than happy to just throw a ball around with my friends.”

“Such a waste,” Elijah sighed as he passed Matthew a catcher’s mitt. “Here, Matthew, you need to practice with us.”

“Says who?”

“Says the guy who lives with you and knows that you haven’t played softball in at least a year.”

The other two laughed and Bryce tossed the ball towards Matthew. It bounced in the mitt…and then bounced out again.

“I almost had it!”

“See? He’ll get there.” Rafael was only lightly teasing; he wasn’t wrong when he said he was happy tossing the ball with his friends. Matthew couldn’t let him down.

Elijah suggested a game of catch to warm up and the four of them spread out in a large diamond shape. The smell of leather and the sound of the ball in the mitt was satisfying, though you didn’t hear much of it between Elijah crowing about Rafael’s batting skills.

“Did you play on a team when you were younger?” Matthew asked, realising he hadn’t ever got round to asking about Rafael’s school life; he didn’t particularly care for his own.

“I was on the baseball and soccer teams in high school. We won a lot.” Rafael spoke casually, like it was no big deal. Bryce laughed.

“Raf Aveiro, jock with a heart of gold. I can see that.”

Rafael mumbled something as he tossed the ball to Matthew.

“Oh my god, you were a jock weren’t you?” he said, catching it easily.

“…Maybe.”

“Dude, why are you so embarrassed?”

“Because it’s embarrassing,” Rafael groaned. “Everyone tried to get in with me because I was big and tall and good at sports. Even my teachers kissed my butt. I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to earn my place, not just coast for it. I wanted more for myself and my community than anyone expected of me.”

“And on that day, Superman decided to use his powers for good,” Elijah said, deepening his voice like a movie narrator to make Rafael laugh.

“What an origin story,” Matthew said, softly. Of course Rafael would want to work hard for the greater good. His selflessness shouldn’t have come a surprise, but it did. Matthew wished he’d asked about it when they were together, he’d wanted so much more than what time had allowed him.

Elijah, oblivious to Matthew’s whimsy, was talking about his school days.

“I was catcher on my junior league team, but my high school coach wouldn’t even let me try out.”

“That’s not cool!”

“Tell me about it! The kid they let in wasn’t even half as good as I was. Some people just can’t see past the chair.” In his indignation, Elijah tossed the ball a little too hard to Bryce – who just about caught it – before turning back to Rafael with a grin. “Jokes on them. I was king of the chess club, president of the fantasy baseball club, and I’m about to lead Edenbrook to win against Mass Kenmore!”

Rafael laughed appreciatively. “What were you like in high school, Bryce?”

“Delightful.” But none of them missed the shadow that passed across his face.

“Were you having issues with your parents at the time?” Elijah asked. Bryce nodded.

“To be fair, I’ve always had issues with my parents, even before the news broke. But yeah. I was not the school favourite, even amongst teachers. Still, I had already decided I would be a surgeon and study on the mainland, so I didn’t care what the Hawaiians thought. Lucky for me, I aced classes without trying too hard so I spent most of my time surfing!”

The group laughed again, and the shadow had gone when they asked Matthew about his school life.

“I don’t actually remember much of high school,” Matthew admitted. “My sister died, my parents divorced, I had just moved with my mom, and studying was the only way I could stop thinking too deeply about the bad stuff, especially to get to med school. So I became a huge nerd.”

“It’s paying off now though,” Elijah pointed out. Rafael was looking a little sad for him, but Matthew shook that off. Elijah was right; the present was good enough.

Once warmed up, they re-started their practice. Elijah taught them a drop-pitch: a clever throw that, more often than not, would strike out the batter. Matthew took the ball, lining his fingers up with the stitching. He prepared the pitch as normal, until the very last second when he snapped his wrist back, which sent the ball arcing downward. Rafael swung…and missed.

“Woah!”

“Strike!” Elijah howled, punching the air.

“Don’t look so shocked,” Matthew teased Rafael, who laughed in delight and passed him the bat. Matthew took it, but his batting skills were even rustier, and he could only send Elijah’s fastball a few feet away.

“Let me give you some tips,” Rafael offered, walking over to Matthew, indicating the bat. “May I?” he added, quietly, and Matthew nodded. He hated the rush of his blood as Rafael’s warm hands adjusted his grip on the bat.

“Hold with your fingertips, not your palm, to give you better control…keep your elbows down…shoulders nice and relaxed. When the ball comes at you, swing hard.”

Matthew nodded, took a deep breath, and refocused on the ball in Elijah’s hand. Bryce counted down, Elijah pitched, Matthew swung…and sent the ball streaking across the empty car park.

“That’s how it’s done!” Bryce crowed, high-fiving Matthew exuberantly as Rafael retrieved the ball.

“OK!” Elijah announced. “Matthew and I will practice batting for a while longer, Raf and Bryce are on pitching, then we switch over. No one leaves until we can all bat like Raf.”

The evening training was fun, and when Saturday dawned, Matthew found he was really looking forward to the game, but they almost had a disaster when Bryce reported that one of their stronger teammates had accidentally wheeled a gurney over his foot and had to back out.

“Do you think Jackie will do it if I did her laundry for the month?”

“No.”

“Have you tried Dr Ramsey?”

Bryce and Elijah looked at Matthew, then at each other.

“Worth a shot, I think,” Elijah said. “But how will we get him to agree?”

“…Tell him Tobias is playing.”

****

An hour later, the three of them walked to the baseball pitch with Ethan trailing reluctantly. They were all kitted out in sky blue baseball shirts with the word ‘Edenbrook’ written across the front in white letters. The Mass Kenmore uniform was orange.

The park was buzzing with doctors from both hospitals – everyone except the interns – and a large barbeque tent stood in the corner. Ethan excused himself to speak to Naveen, and as soon as he was gone, Elijah turned to Matthew with a grin.

“Talking him into joining the team was the best idea you’ve ever had!”

“You look like such a dork,” Jackie snorted to Bryce, who had his baseball cap on backwards and also sported a pair of sunglasses.

“It’s such a shame Kyra wasn’t feeling up to coming out today.”

“I’m going to give her a call after the game. I’m getting worried about her.”

“Well, Ethan’s certainly the last person I expected to see here tonight,” said a loud voice, and they turned to see Tobias Carrick, kitted out in bright orange. Aurora stood behind him, rolling her eyes. “That will make the victory much sweeter.”

“Settle, it’s just a game,” Matthew warned. “And I’m of the wacky opinion that games should be fun.”

“Trust me, I’m having fun,” Tobias laughed. “See you on the field. C’mon Emery.”

“Sorry about that,” Aurora muttered to her friends as she followed Tobias the Mass Kenmore side of the stands. Jackie decided she was going to get some drinks, Bryce got a text that Keiki was in a cab and went to meet her in the parking lot, and Matthew and Elijah decided to check out the barbeque.

He enjoyed the excited buzz in the air, and the smell of smoke coming off the grill, when he noticed Elijah’s face falling.

“What’s up Elijah?”

“…Raf brought Sora.”

Matthew’s heart sank as he cautiously peeked over his shoulder to see Rafael standing several feet away, chatting with Sienna and Danny, a black-haired, stocky young man at his side. He cursed. During the last few months of slowly rebuilding a friendship with Rafael, he had somehow managed to forget the reality of seeing someone else holding the hand of his ex-boyfriend. Last night’s practice session had been fun, almost like the old days before Matthew even knew Sora existed. How could he have been so stupid?

Before he could react to anything else, there was a cough from behind them and a voice said “Hey Elijah…Matthew.”

They turned. Landry Olsen stood in front of them, twisting his fingers nervously. Still curly-haired. Still small and thin. And still automatically putting Matthew on the defensive as he remembered how Landry had stabbed him in the back for the chance to further his own career.

“Hey Judas,” Elijah said, sharply. Landry winced. Matthew looked at his orange uniform.

“You’re playing today, then?” he asked, curtly. Landry nodded.

“I got into it after the baseball game we went to last summer, and then Mass Kenmore had some casual teams. It was a good way to make friends.” He had a small smile on his face that made Matthew burn with irritation. He had almost lost his job and had to fight tooth and nail to keep it, and even now a few older doctors at Edenbrook didn’t fully trust him, but Landry got to start over as if none of it ever happened. Because to him, it hadn’t.

Maybe it was because he’d just seen Sora, but Matthew was not interested in playing nice.

“Do your new friends know to watch their backs around you?” he snarled. Landry flinched. Elijah gave him a sidelong glance.

“OK, I deserve that,” Landry sighed. Matthew wondered what else he’d expected.

“You deserve a hell of a lot more than that, Landry,” Elijah warned. Landry took the hint and left. Elijah watched him go, shaking his head.

“He still doesn’t think he did anything wrong, does he?”

“Landry and Sora at once,” Matthew groaned, scruffing his hair.

“You gonna be OK?”

Matthew frowned over the baseball pitch and narrowed his eyes.

“You know what? We’re here to beat Mass Kenmore and that’s what we’re gonna do. I’ll…worry about Sora later.”

“You got it,” Elijah grinned.

They joined up with their friends, Matthew stood at the edge of the group, away from Rafael and Sora. Jackie caught his eye; she didn’t seem too pleased at the development either. Their discomfort seemed to go unnoticed as Rafael and Sora were talking to Sienna and Danny, and then everyone was distracted when Bryce brought Keiki over to meet everyone. It was the first time meeting her: now that Keiki was going to stay for a while, Bryce had decided she may as well be integrated.

“You two look alike,” Elijah noted.

“Don’t be rude to Keiki.” Jackie couldn’t resist a jab at Bryce when the opportunity presented itself.

“I didn’t think we looked that similar…”

“Well, it’s not like you’re identical, just a family resemblance,” Sienna reasoned.

“You guys wish you all looked like me,” Bryce said, flicking his hair back and the group laughed.

“So is this your first time visiting Boston?” Sora asked Keiki. She nodded, a little cautiously.

“How are you liking the city? I left when I was eighteen until I moved back in April.”

“Oh, um…” Kieki relaxed, realising Sora wasn’t about to ask about her family. “Yeah, Bryce hasn’t had much of a chance to show me around, but it’s pretty cool. And I’m weirdly excited to experience the winter weather.”

Sora laughed. “Wait until it’s minus five outside and you’re in an unheated classroom!”

“Attention, ladies and gentlemen!” Naveen announced through a megaphone. “Please take your places as the thirteenth annual crosstown game is about to begin!”

He threw out the ceremonial first pitch and the crowd cheered.

“Good luck guys!” Danny said. He took Sienna’s hand and she blushed slightly.

“We’ll be cheering for you,” Rafael said.

“But only if you win!” Jackie added. “Keiki, wanna sit with me?”

“Sure,” Keiki grinned as she went with Jackie, following the couples up the steps into the bleachers. Matthew, Elijah and Bryce headed for the diamond. Beat Mass Kenmore, beat Mass Kenmore Matthew chanted in his head.

“Ready for this, Ethan?” Carrick taunted.

“Obviously,” was Ethan’s smooth reply.

Kenmore was batting first, and Tobias was stretching his fingers in determination. Elijah was at back-stop, Bryce was fielding – backward cap and sunglasses still on. Matthew took up the third base. The sky was clear, but it was starting to get chilly and he bounced around on the spot.

“We got this, Matthew!” Bryce said as he passed.

“Hell yeah, we do.”

The players were readying themselves in various positions, hopping around on the spot and stretching as the crowd buzzed. The only exception was Ethan, who stood in the outfield with crossed arms, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.

The Edenbrook pitcher – a curly haired resident – glared at Tobias as he wound up a fast ball and fired it to him. Tobias swung, sending the ball hurtling through the air. Mass Kenmore cheered, but then Edenbrook drowned them out when Bryce ran forward and jumped for the ball, catching it with ease.

“Go on, Bryce!” Keiki screamed.

“Nice work, Meathead!” That was from Jackie.

Aurora stood up to bat, frowning in concentration. Matthew didn’t actually know about Aurora’s sporting ability, until she hit the ball with a loud crack. She charged around the diamond, egged on by her teammates. Matthew watched the ball as Ethan caught it and flung it towards him. He lunged, one foot on the base, and snagged the ball just as Aurora slid in to the base. The umpire called her out.

“Crap!” she gasped, getting to her feet and dusting herself off. “You got me, Matthew.”

Matthew couldn’t help grinning.

“Hell of a catch,” Ethan added, wiping sweat off his brow.

“Nice!” That was Rafael’s voice rising over the crowd, which would have been great if Sora’s voice hadn’t followed. Still, the next batter was stepping up and Matthew was too exhilarated now.

Kenmore put up a good fight, but Edenbrook matched easily. Striking out Tobias with a drop pitch would always be one of Matthew’s proudest moments. Take Me Out to the Ball Game rose up from the Edenbrook stands, only to be answered with Kenmore’s louder version.

The teams were neck-and-neck when the umpire called a ten minute break. Bryce, Elijah and Aurora crossed over to the Edenbrook stands to chat with their friends, Matthew decided to grab a bottle of water. Tobias caught up with him.

“Keeping your head in the game, huh?” he said, indicating Matthew’s water bottle and the nearby ice bucket of beers.

“Can’t get too cocky,” Matthew said, coldly.

There was something wolfish in Tobias’s grin as he swigged his own water.

“By the way, I hope there are no hard feelings about Stephanie Hill transferring her treatment to Mass Kenmore.” His face was neither remorseful, nor looking for forgiveness.

“Of course there are hard feelings. You stole my patient.”

“Patients are fair game, Valentine. You should have tried harder to keep her,” Tobias said, with an infuriating smirk.

That was a low blow. Matthew had done everything he could to keep Stephanie, she wouldn’t have even gone ahead with the study if he hadn’t convinced her. Then Tobias had just swooped in without batting an eyelid.

“Patient care isn’t a game, Carrick.”

“Of course not, everything we do has life or death stakes. Now it’s the same for hospitals. That doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun doing it.”

Matthew hoped he would never become the kind of doctor who would consider messing around with patient cases as ‘fun’. He clenched his fist and took another swig of water.

“You’d better be treating Stephanie right,” he muttered.

“Oh, we are. Better than you would have, no doubt,” Tobias smirked.

Matthew turned away, scanning the crowd for his friends.

“The second Aurora told me about your little research study, I just had to meet her.”

Matthew froze.

“…Aurora told you about her?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, he stormed over to where his roommates were gathered. He’d been stressing over this for weeks, and it was apparently caused by a friend. The thought of it made him feel ill. Another friend going behind his back.

“Hey, Aurora!”

Jackie went on alert as soon as she saw his face.

“Matthew, cool your jets…”

“What?” Aurora asked in surprise. Meanwhile Bryce put a hand protectively on Keiki’s shoulder, and they kept back with Rafael and Sora.

“Why is Tobias saying that you’re the one who told him about Stephanie Hill?”

“What?! It’s not what you think!” Aurora said.

Matthew was aware people were watching, from both sides of the game. Landry lingered on the edge of Matthew’s vision, and for a second he was back in the Edenbrook locker room facing him down.

“What is it then?” He growled. Aurora took a step back.

“I just wanted to pitch him on going after research grants for Kenmore patients! I didn’t think he’d just steal yours!”

“Please don’t fight, you guys…” Sienna groaned.

“Don’t you think you should have known better?” Matthew ignored Sienna. “I’ve only met the man three times and I could have told you he’d react that way.”

“That’s not fair,” Aurora snapped back, stepping closer again.

“Matthew, she didn’t do anything wrong,” Elijah cautioned, but Jackie’s face had gone calculating.

“I don’t know, Matthew’s got a point. Telling a known competitive asshole about his rivals big win was either really calculating or really stupid.”

“You’re calling me stupid, are you?” Aurora turned to Jackie, but before it could escalate any further, a Mass Kenmore doctor came storming over.

“What’s going on here?” The doctor demanded. He had a small topknot that bounced around on top of his head and looked just slightly ridiculous.

Matthew only now noticed the large circle of doctors that had been drawn in by the argument, including all the players and most of the Edenbrook supporters, and he was sure a large number of Kenmore supporters would be pointing and watching.

“Nothing’s going on,” he said, fooling no one. “Everyone chill out.”

No one chilled out. The Mass Kenmore doctor continued scowling at him.

“Step away from my residents, Terrance,” Ethan said, approaching them. He had a sharp edge to his voice, the kind that instantly snapped the interns to attention.

“Or what, Ramsey?” Terrance taunted. “I’m not some pharma exec you can just slug in the face.”

“Just give me one excuse.”

People came closer, and now the players were looking at each other with distrust. Spectators started heckling and jeering. Rafael and Sora gently led Keiki away from the conflict and back to their seats as the whistle blew to restart the game.

The sun was going down, along with the mood. The cheeriness and friendly rivalry of the first several innings was dead. Both teams were now intensely focused on winning.

“Go, Newman!” Bryce roared at a fellow surgeon, who was panting as he ran between bases. “Dammit, run like you mean it!”

Tobias’s motivational speech consisted of ‘we can’t afford any screw-ups’ but it seemed to work, as they were up two runs by the bottom of the last inning. One more out from Edenbrook and they had the game. Ethan advanced to second base, then Matthew was up to bat.

A few months ago he probably would have hated this. All the pressure and focus on him, with the looming anxiety of the potential failure if he didn’t make it. But now he was so determined to get one up on Kenmore that he wasn’t even afraid.

“Stay focused, Valentine,” Ethan muttered.

“Keep us alive!” Bryce grinned.

“You can do it, Matthew!” Rafael called out to him.

Matthew tightened his grip on the bat.

Meanwhile, in the bleachers, Jackie’s hand had clamped on Sienna’s shoulder.

“If he misses now, he’s out of the apartment.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Annihilate them!” That sounded suspiciously like Ines, of all people.

Matthew scowled across at Tobias who smirked gleefully as he turned the ball in his fingers before flinging it at Matthew.

Matthew swung with all his might. The bat cracked against the ball, sending it sailing into the evening sky, arcing higher and further. Landry stumbled backwards as he tried to follow it, but he couldn’t jump high enough, and then the ball streaked over the fence in a home run. The umpire blew her whistle and delightfully declared Edenbrook the winners. The bleachers exploded.

Matthew casually tossed the bat, just to wind up Tobias a little more, and jogged around the bases, high-fiving his teammates and the Edenbrook doctors at the front of the stands.

“Walk-off three run homer, are you serious?” Bryce howled, tackling Matthew into a victory hug, ruffling his hair. “Matthew, you’re gonna be on local sports news tonight!”

“Matthew, you did it!” Rafael called from his seat, looking positively thrilled.

“Couldn’t have done it without you!” Matthew called back, just before he remembered Sora was right beside Rafael.

Edenbrook doctors were running over to congratulate him. His hand stung with what felt like millions of high-fives by the time his friends reached him and swamped him in a group hug. Even Keiki joined in, rewarding Bryce with a jump onto his back.

“You were incredible!” Rafael said to Matthew. Matthew just nodded and smiled; Sora was hanging around on the edge of the group.

“This calls for a celebration!” Bryce said. “Anyone hungry?”

“Donahue’s has food.”

“I can’t take Keiki to a bar.”

“But if the bartenders don’t know—”

“Keiki, please, give me some credit.”

“There’s a diner nearby that me and Raf used to hang out at,” Sora suggested. “Is Aurora coming too?”

Matthew pretended his shoe lace was untied, letting the group move on ahead. He had no interest in watching Rafael and Sora sitting across from each other in their old hang-out. And if Aurora was going to be there…he didn’t want to deal with any of it right now.

“I hope that was worth it.”

Matthew sighed, and stood up. Ethan was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He had already taken off his baseball uniform, revealing the white Henley underneath.

“Probably not. I thought a fair game would make me feel better, but it just seemed to make me angrier.”

“Mm-hmm. And this is why I am averse to the idea that sports are a substitute for therapy.”

Matthew glanced up at Ethan.

“I’ve wasted my only sports-related favour, haven’t I?”

“Correct.”

Matthew smiled weakly, but it didn’t stick as he looked over at his retreating friends. He was glad Edenbrook had won, but now the initial rush of victory was starting to wear off, he still felt angry at Tobias, slightly ashamed of himself for fighting with Aurora, and not in the mood for celebrating with anyone.

“Got any plans for tonight?” He asked Ethan.

“Actually, uh, my father’s on his way over from Providence.”

“Have you come to a solution about the situation with your mother?”

“I expect that’s why he’s coming over. He’s not giving me much choice in the matter, regardless.” Ethan narrowed his eyes. Matthew couldn’t help feeling slightly amused at the idea that Dr Ramsey – a thirty-seven-year-old doctor who terrorised young interns and residents – still had to obey his father’s rules from time to time. You never grew out of being someone’s child.

“It might be good for the both of you to talk it out.”

“Perhaps,” Ethan looked thoughtful as he walked away. “Have a good night, Matthew.”

Matthew arrived home to an empty apartment, after walking the long way home. He showered and changed into pyjamas, and his only company that evening was the chinchilla. He set up her dust bath and she rolled around happily for twenty minutes, then he set up a play pen filled with tunnels and chew toys. He watched her roam and wished he could be a chinchilla too. It would be nice to not have to worry about anything except food.

The key in the lock made him jump, and Aurora entered the apartment. A box of takeout was in her hands and she paused for a second, then shut the door and turned to face him, expectantly. She wasn’t going to be the one to start the conversation.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Matthew mumbled. It sounded pathetic and forced, even to him.

“Funny, I seem to remember you insisting that the problem was between Tobias and Ethan, not us. You took Tobias’s word over mine. I thought you trusted me.”

“I…” Matthew’s voice trailed off. He did trust Aurora, but that didn’t matter right now. It didn’t matter how stressed he had been, he had once again let other people twist his view on Aurora.

She looked at him unhappily. There wasn’t even anger in her face, just sadness and disappointment. Somehow, that felt worse.

“I thought you were better than that, Matthew. I’ve met so many mediocre doctors who seem to think they’re the shit and I’m only famous because of my family name. It doesn’t matter how hard I study, or how many hours I put in, they are completely convinced I haven’t earned it whilst they just get to coast along. And last year, I started to think that you might be better than that. Guess I was wrong, huh?”

An awkward silence fell. There was nothing he could say to that.

Aurora shoulders slumped. She was blinking a lot.

“I’ve been stressing over what to say to you since I left the game, but I can’t even look at you right now.”

She stormed into her room and slammed the door. Matthew hung his head and turned back to the chinchilla. Everything was going wrong, and it was his own fault.

He got up early again the next morning, and left before everyone else again. Edenbrook was still in a good mood and doctors still congratulated him as he walked through the corridors. That was, until he emerged from a patient’s room to be bowled over by Jackie.

“Matthew!”

“Wha—”

“No time, there’s an emergency. Come with me!”

She grabbed his wrist and ran with him down the corridor before he could say anything else. His brain whirred, picturing  major traffic accidents or a building collapse, but then Jackie yanked him away from the direction of the ER and into the admin department where a loud, wet cough could be heard.

Kyra was on her knees in her office, hacking into a blood-soaked handkerchief. Matthew went completely numb.

Jackie had hidden her fear behind a mask of calm professionalism as she asked Kyra about her symptoms and whether anything had gotten worse. Tears shone in Kyra’s eyes, but she was coughing too much to really answer.

“She was having chest pains in the bar the other night,” Matthew filled in. His voice sounded like it belonged to someone else.

“Have they become more frequent?”

Kyra nodded weakly, and Jackie went to call for a stretcher. Matthew knelt beside Kyra, rubbing her back.

“I don’t understand,” he said, hoarsely. “You told me your treatments were working.”

Kyra trembled. She took the bloodied handkerchief away from her mouth just long enough to whisper: “I just said…it would be over soon.”

Tags: @sazanes @rafasgirl23415 @ceruleansnake0

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

The Perfect Plot...

Ugh...Fuck...

What...the hell...is going on...?

*Even after bypassing the traps like the machine turret and the reinforced door, the factory team end up coming to clash with several more deadly traps, including drops, enemies, and multiple unfortunate circumstances.

Why the hell...does it feel like...hah...we're not getting ANY closer to ANY exit...?

Because we're not...We've suffered...hah...hoo...so many...setbacks...that we basically haven't...moved at all...!

That's not...what I wanted to hear...!

But it's what you NEED to hear!

I know but...still...Hey, is everybody alright? We've taken a couple beatings so far...

*Kanata practically crawls to her feet and goes around to investigate everybody one by one.

A few scratches and bruises, some of which are pretty deep, but not deadly. We should be fine...

You can tell this place is a Zetsubou lair...Traps everywhere that prevent you from making any progress and shutting down all Hope.

Guys I'm...I'm really sorry...

Don't apologize Mr Naegi. We may be at our wits end, but we're not about to take our misfortune out on you. You came here to help us after all.

This is ASS!

*Fuyuhiko still has the strength to get up and kick the wall. Kazuichi lies down on his back next to him. Hiro leans against the wall. Rantaro squats down panting, and Makoto and Kuripa sit back to back on the floor. The only one who remains standing upright is Whitecloak.

Guys...Something's wrong...

Oh, you THINK!?

Yeah, like Hiro said, it's Zetsubou's domain! These traps are to be expected.

But that's the thing...They're not.

Huh?

She's got a point...I mean, think about it for a second.

We've seen signs that Zetsubou's security system is only partially up and running. If it was fully up and running, we would have to deal with LOTS more oppression, like soldiers, Monokumas, and full assaults of machine fire.

But the only traps that are activating on the way to the exit are the one's that just so happen to near us. Like the door and the machine cannon. If they did anymore, it'd waste the limited power they have.

It's happened too many times now. There's no way it's happening by chance, or just a bug, or an accident. Someone is setting those traps on purpose.

Exactly. We know Zetsubou are onto us, but too much of this doesn't make sense...

...!

Kuripa? What's wrong?

...You guys DO realize what that means, right?

Huh? What are you talking about?

Like Rantaro and Whitecloak said, Zetsubou are setting traps for us. But to set traps, that must mean one of two things...

Either they know where we are, or they know which direction we're going, and setting the traps in advance. But with their security down, how could that be possible?

Are you saying they're watching us!?

But the cameras aren't working!? How could they know where we are!?

[kait16xo]

Dance Moms: A New Era: Thoughts (Episode 6)

Idk if this is needed but if the story about Baby Jessica bothers you then I’d say TW for that. Otherwise, spoilers under the cut! :)

* We’re barely into this ep and there’s already crying lol

* Why is Glo talking into a mirror lmao

* I agree Bellatrix’s pirouette was so good

* Seriously? Gina’s photo was UNDER Audrey’s? That’s nasty even for Dance Moms standards

* Smiley got her solo praise jesus

* Leilah’s solo is about to be so good

* “Is your mom coming?” “Yeah she’s parking the car :)!” “Cool! (Not cool)”

* Gina should’ve been in the team to begin with at this point tbh. Idk who she should’ve beat into the team but seriously the kid is leaps and bounds above them

* “Who’s your daughter? 🤨 “ ooh sick burn or smth

* If you were gonna have so many dances with turns why tf would Smiley even be on this team? Like no offense to her but cmon

* Ok corrine slay with rhythm nation

* “Leilah can beat smily”- min mina basically: nuh uh

* Letting your child breathe before you talk to her is very smart. Good momma

* Glo basically: “so for this concept I’m gonna be smiley’s biggest opp” 🤭

* Smiley’s shorts are cute

* Despite cutting girls out, Glo is very nice about it

* Ok so now Smiley’s mom’s gonna bitch about her daughter being IN the group because she has a solo…k

* PRIDE FLAGS? LMAO IM OBSESSED

* God these kids are lowkey asses to their moms. But like I get it

* “Stop being dainty and just throw the water on her domenica?” “Me?” “YES!” *practically beats poor smiley with water*

* The girls spraying the hell out of smiley 😭 lol poor kid

* Mina still has her teddy that’s my girl

* Aww one of the girls is recording Smiley’s solo how cute

* Her turns need work but Smiley is a good dancer :)

* ON LOCK WE’RE SO GODDAMN BACK

* Leilah is such a cutie patootie

* I never even realized she stumbled getting our of her Janet costume

* Girl I screamed when she hit that leg hold turn too

* Oh my god how many songs does this solo have lmao

* THE SINGLE LADIES CHOREO OMFGGGGG

* asia would’ve ate this up on the show

* “The dance was so bad” girl no that was fucking insanity. Poor comp kids

* I love the group eyeshadow

* Ashlan’s fake happy face is sending me

* The backs of these costumes are so pretty

* “She needs a brain break” she’s needed one since episode one but you’re not ready for that conversation

* God Glo is way nicer than Abby because this brain break would get her cut.

* Lifetime stop slowing down the dance challenge (impossible)

* My app crashed right as Ashlan got kicked I’m cackling way too hard rn

* The group was going so seamlessly too 😐 and of course the spacing get messed up right at the end

* I’m literally the cut to Leilah dancing in the wings lmao

* All the confetti and strings were so cool I love it

* “Oh no”- the camerawoman, 2024

* Jing….that wasn’t Ashlan’s fault. It wasn’t Gina’s either?? bellatrix (was she in green?) was moving the circle way too close to Gina

* 9th…that’s rough

* “7th is bad for studio bleu is bad but 7th place for smiley is a huge achievement” stfu with that backhanded ass comment

* 2nd with that big of a fumble wasn’t bad 😔

* “Sorry about the noise we are learning here” should

* Can Leslie and Domenica just stop…

* GIRL THAT WASN’T GINAS SPACIAL AWARENESS ISSUE

* I swear Bellatrix was the one who pulled her I’m 💀 idek anymore

* “I was dizzy and seeing stars” me everyday of my life queen

* My god Ashlan should not have been on this show she’s having a whole panic attack

[thatturtleleon]

I Would Share My Orange With You

Content + Warnings: Violence (krang mutts), Swearing, Set during the ROTTMNT apocalyptic future timeline, Sunita x April, Oneshot, 1,361 words.

Author's Note: This takes place after my other one-shot, but you don't have to read that one in order to understand this one. (It would be super cool if you did check it out though!) Advice and tips are welcome :) Got the whole idea from that one poem about sharing oranges lol

“You sure this is the right place?” Sunita squints at the map in April’s hands.

The two women were standing in front of a large bent sign with dully printed letters, “Repo Mantis Salvage.” Bits of metal, most likely from an old fence, jutted out from the grass around it. However, that didn’t even compare to the actual junkyard. Looming over them were towers and towers of cars stacked on top of each other. Chunks of old machines and bits of electronics were scattered across the ground for miles. The air reeked of rust and garbage. Loose metal parts creaked and groaned in the slight breeze. April assumed this is what an ant felt like crawling around in Donnie’s lab.  

She folded up the map, “Yup.”

“Well, we have about an hour and a half before nighttime.” Sunita declares.

April recalls Leo saying he once fought off a giant mutant cat here and adjusts the bat strapped to her back, “Let’s be careful ok?” 

Sunita nods. Careful not to step on the sharp metal laying around, they make their way towards the salvage. 

—---------------------------------------------------------------

After dusting off some old binoculars and adding them to the bag, April turns to Sunita, “Alright I think we’re good to go. It’s been about an hour and the team is gonna kick our asses if we don’t come back in time.”

Sunita nods and looks up, taking notice of the dimming sky. The blotchy blood red fading into a deep erubescent. April’s gaze wanders to a building several hundred feet away, most likely an old garage. How had she not noticed it before? There could’ve been some good spare parts in there. 

Oh well, she thought.

Both of them began hiking back to the base. Shadows from the large junk piles grew longer as the sun set lower. The wind became still. Clinking and clanking of rickety metal grew silent. All that could be heard was krang mutts howling in the distance. 

Krang mutts. 

“Shit.” April reaches behind her head and pulls out her bat. 

Sunita follows, immediately getting into a defensive stance. 

The howling grows louder. Facing the sound, they spot a distinct red glow. The darkened sky making the krang mutt’s luminescent markings more noticable. April takes note that there seems to be only three mutts. Still, they were rapidly approaching; mouths open and legs thumping the ground.

“Commander, is this a fight or flight situation!?” Sunita voices anxiously. 

April’s head whips around to find cover, an exit, something. She would fight if it came to it, but couldn’t afford to lose the parts they had collected. She promised Donnie they’d come back with the parts. She’d promised they’d come back alive. And she’d be damned if she couldn’t do either. 

Spotting the old garage in the distance, April aims her bat at it, “There!”

Both of them bolt towards the building. The snarls of the krang mutts echo through the junkyard. Metal clanging together as the mutated creatures scramble towards April and Sunita. Their backpacks beat against their backs as they sprint.

Sunita, still running, shoves her hand into a pocket of the backpack. She pulls out one of Donnie’s newest weapons; a mini bomb. It was about the size of her hand, but Donnie guaranteed it would cause some serious damage. However his idea of “serious damage” could scale from a tiny fire to full out nuclear explosion.

“Please PLEASE just blow the mutts up and not us!” Sunita shouted, turning and launching the bomb towards the mutts. 

Fireworks blast out of the device as it impacts the ground. Crackles of fire lit up the surrounding area. Red and orange sparks flew everywhere. Two of the three krang mutts were blasted sideways. Both giving a yelp and stomach-churning splat as they crashed into debris.

“NOW I remember why Donnie was banned from touching fireworks.” April remarks breathlessly, still booking it to the garage. 

The rundown building comes closer into view. April and Sunita’s footsteps thud against the ground. Quickly spotting a rusted car near the wall of the building, Sunita motions for April to follow her.

“C’mon I have an idea!” 

April eyes the car and instantly gets the message. The glow of the mutt’s eyes illuminates the area as it draws closer. They use that to their advantage and scramble onto the vehicle. April tosses her backpack onto the top of the building. Reaching up and jumping onto the edge of the roof, Sunita hauls herself up and extends her hand out. April grasps Sunita’s hand. The krang mutt barrels closer. Its eyes are locked on April. With a loud grunt, Sunita pulls her onto the roof and both of them stumble backwards. The mutt launches itself into the air, jaws snapping╴just missing April's leg. 

Before either of them have a chance to catch their breath, a clang echoes from below the wall. With a thud, large claws grip onto the roof’s edge. The creature snarls and growls as it heaves itself up. 

“Bad doggy!” April’s bat slams the krang mutt’s face. The impact sends it smashing into the car. Glass shatters and the mutt lays motionless.

April and Sunita hold their breaths, ready to fight if it so much as twitches. However, the mutated creature remains still. Both of them let out a sigh of relief and collapse backwards onto the roof.

After laying there for a bit, April turns her head towards Sunita. Her eyes are closed, and a faint smile can be seen on her face. Suddenly, her eyes crack open and peek at April. 

Wiggling her eyebrows, she says, “Watcha looking at commander?” 

April’s rolls her eyes as her face breaks out into a small smile, “Nothin’”

“Nothin’ huh?” Sunita grins, then sits up and grabs her backpack, “I just remembered something. I got a surprise for you.”

There’s a mischievous tone to her voice, and April sits up as well. Curiously, she watches Sunita shuffle through her bag. Although their bags are worn down and used for scavenging purposes, Sunita still chose to decorate hers. They weren’t allowed to use vivid or flashy colors, as it might lower their stealth. So she chose a light purple fabric from her old clothes to cover patches in her pack. April even had a small patch of the same fabric on hers. 

“Ah ha! Got it!” Sunita exclaims, pulling out a round orange object about the size of her palm. 

April’s eyes widen, “Where…” her gaze flicks from the object to Sunita, “Where did you find that?”

Sunita gently places it in April’s hands and shrugs, “Just from Todd, he’s been working on some stuff. Trying to bring back whatever plants and fruits he can, this was his first successful orange.” 

“Why are you giving it to me?” 

Bumping her shoulder against April, she replies, “It’s for you to eat silly.”

April’s expression softens, and she begins peeling the orange. The sweet, citrus-y aroma fills the air. Both of them took a deep breath, the smell was comforting. It smelled like home.

Once April had peeled all the skin off, she broke the fruit in half. 

“Here.” She handed Sunita one half. 

“Are…you sure?” Sunita hesitates, before taking it, “You can eat the whole thing, you don’t have to share it.”

April nods, “I’d be happy to share my orange with you.” 

Sunita’s face beams into a contagious smile. Quickly stuffing an orange slice into her mouth, April tries to hide hers. Having a genuine, peaceful moment with someone she loves feels wrong nowadays. She can’t help it though, being with Sunita is like being a kid again. April wished they could go back in time and be kids again. She wished Donnie had the materials to build a time machine. He most certainly had the brains to build one. She wished Cassandra were still here. April wished a lot of things at that moment. However, wishing wasn’t going to change the situation. So instead, they continued to sit in silence, savoring the sweet-tart taste of the orange; the sun now just barely peeking over the horizon. 

“The boys are gonna kill us aren’t they.”

“Yup.”

[littlelovelyspiderling]

Meeting The Real You (Chapter 6)

Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 6 -- Chapter 7 -- Chapter 8 -- Chapter 9 -- Chapter 10 -- Chapter 11 -- Chapter 12

AO3 story link

word count: 14,902

_______________________________

“You’re up early.” 

Peter stiffened in surprise at the voice that met him as he stepped into the elevator. Tony Stark leaned against the wall to his right, dressed to the nines as usual, eyeing him over a sip of coffee.

“It’s 9:30,” Peter said, slipping the mask off his face. “Not that early.”

“Early for you. I thought I’d have to drag you out of bed to get you here on time.”

Spider-Man yawned and shrugged. Tension returned to his muscles as he recalled their last encounter—Stark rebuking him in front of the entire team and ejecting him from the training arena for losing his temper. A knot of shame twisted in his gut as he stood beside him in the cramped space, facing the back of the elevator and gripping his upper arm timidly.

“I, um…I’m sorry about yesterday. It won’t happen again.”

Tony studied him for a moment, adjusting his gold-tinted glasses and narrowing his eyes. Then he inhaled sharply through his nose, raising the mug back to his lips. 

“It’s all right,” he said. “We all let our anger get the best of us sometimes. You’re normally just so plucky and composed, I often forget that includes you, too.”

Releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, Peter crossed his arms and reclined against the wall with a sigh. “You and me both,” he said dismally.

“Sorry I had to snap at yah. I didn’t want either of you getting hurt. You two looked ready to seriously wail on each other.” 

Spider-Man gave a reluctant chuckle. “We were,” he admitted. 

“To be fair, hothead was kind of asking for it,” Stark conceded. “I’ve had half a mind to clock that pompous little punk myself. Part of me enjoyed watching you kick his ass way more than I should’ve.”

Peter hunched his shoulders shyly. “Johnny’s actually…not so bad,” he half-said, half-coughed. “We, uh, talked some, yesterday and today, and he can be really nice, once you get to know him. He apologized for the past few days and told me about some of the things he’s dealing with right now, so…yeah. I’d cut him a little slack.”

Tony lifted his gaze to his in surprise. “No kidding? You mean my ‘trap you both in the locker room plan’ worked?”

Spider-Man scowled. “What? What do you mean?”

Stark chuckled. “Nothing. You just have a very annoying knack for garnering people’s affection. I figured there was a fifty-fifty chance you two came out of there either hating each other’s guts even more, or talking it out and making up.” He twirled his finger through the air. “You’re like pineapple on pizza: people either loathe you with a passion, or love you to death; rarely anyone has a neutral opinion.”

Peter scoffed, pushing off the wall. “Now that’s just rude. Not wrong, necessarily, but still rude.”

“Does this mean I don’t have to worry about you guys trying to beat the living shit out of each other during today’s power demo with the Fantastic Four?”

Spider-Man stared off to the side, running a nervous hand through his hair. “Probably not. But I can’t say the same for the rest of his team. They all still look at me like I assassinated John F. Kennedy. Which is apparently the latest conspiracy theory Jameson is running about me.”

Tony’s lip twitched in disapproval. “Sorry, kiddo. You won one over; maybe just give it a little more time.” He downed the rest of his coffee and wiped his mustache. “All that really matters is if a dangerous situation arises, the Fantastic Four know and trust us enough that we can overcome it together. I’d love for all of us to be buddy-buddy with each other, but that isn’t always realistic.” He spared him a small smile. “Not everyone can be swayed into liking pineapple on pizza.”

After a moment, Peter smiled back, tilting his head to one side. “Do you like pineapple on pizza, Mr. Stark?”

The elevator dinged as they reached their designated floor. Tony scratched his beard as he rose off the wall, squinting at the ceiling in thought.

“Depends on the day,” he answered wryly. He gave the kid’s hair an affectionate tousle before Peter pulled his mask back on. The doors opened before them, and he nudged Spider-Man forward. “Come on. You’re our guinea pig for today’s exercise. Try not to mess it up.”

“Great,” Peter grumbled, stepping out of the elevator onto the 81st floor. Being the youngest meant for almost all Avenger training routines, Spider-Man went first. They especially enjoyed making him test out the newest battle simulation courses—watching him get blasted, zapped, and ping-ponged around like a spider in a pinball machine, courtesy of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s latest training drones. For his dignity’s sake, he hoped today’s exercise would be less degrading than usual.

As he walked onto the wide field, his eyes found Johnny amidst the quartet of blue figures. Even while dressed in matching uniforms, the Human Torch still managed to stand out, glowing with his own special aura that held all of Peter’s faculties hostage. Peter’s anxiety waned, replaced instead by a resolve to show everyone just what Spider-Man was made of. As he watched Johnny from across the room, admiring the way his suit framed his athletic figure, warmth that tasted like honey-dipped sunshine fanned through his chest.

Damn, Peter thought, confused and fuzzy and mesmerized all at once. Johnny wears that costume well.

_______________________________

Damn. Spider-Man wears that costume well. 

The red and blue hero stepped out of the elevator with Tony Stark at his side, wincing a little as the billionaire gave him a few heavy pats on the back. Johnny had seen the young vigilante in costume almost every day this week, but hadn’t been in the right mindset to fully appreciate it until now. 

The suit clung to him like a second skin, accentuating every bend in his figure and shift in his muscles. His bones stuck out sharply where they came to points—somehow made even sharper by the snug fabric. He was long and lean and spindly, like a ballet dancer or trapeze artist. Among the burly bodies of his teammates, Spider-Man looked dainty and fragile, though Johnny knew that wasn’t true. The lingering aches in his skeleton—vestiges from yesterday’s five-minute spar—made that quite clear. Still, the visual contrast between the smaller hero and the others was entertaining. Endearing, even.

Johnny hadn’t known much about Spider-Man before this week. Only the rumors whispered about him on the street and the outrageous speculations toted online, plus or minus a few blurry videos of the masked vigilante swinging above the city and crashing through a building into someone’s cake. He had fought with the Avengers allegedly, saved the world from aliens allegedly, but all the stories about him were so scrambled and inconsistent, Johnny’s perception of him had remained dubious. 

Then his lab partner showed up to school last semester bruised and bandaged, claiming Spider-Man had rescued her from her overturned car after being T-boned by a drunk driver. She insisted again and again that everyone had pegged him wrong. Spider-Man was no menace. He was a hero who had saved her life. 

But, as usual, it was all hearsay. Fables of valor and duplicity spoken without any solid proof. In all honesty, Johnny had never paid much attention to the urban legends of the mysterious Spider-Man. If anything, Spider-Man was a cautionary tale. Johnny idolized superheroes who were upfront and honest about their intentions, who didn’t hide behind masks or secret identities. And when he and his friends suddenly gained powers of their own, he couldn’t wait to show the world the new and improved Johnny Storm. They would not make the same mistakes Spider-Man had and become the scorn of the city—Sue made sure of that.  

When he found himself standing before the elusive vigilante during their visit to Avengers Tower, Johnny was expecting something scarier, creepier: a figure shrouded in shadows that seemed to follow him as he moved, skittering across the walls and ceiling, voice guttural and slippery, the pupil-less eyes on his mask following his every move. 

What he hadn’t anticipated was a boy two inches shorter than him skipping across the room and breaking into a nervous but friendly rant about being a major fan of his, about liking his costume, about wanting to get to know him better, all wide eyes and bubbly enthusiasm. 

At first, Johnny was annoyed. This was the guy everyone was so afraid of? This was the famed masked marauder of New York City? After being forced against everything he stood for to attend the Avengers meet-and-greet, being ignored and berated by his teammates for not wanting to be there, being racked with guilt and anger for not honoring his promise to his mom, Johnny wasn’t looking to make friends. What he needed was a punching bag. And Spider-Man was easy prey.

It wasn’t hard when he assumed Spider-Man’s congeniality was an act: another slimy thread in his menagerie of deception. But after their talk in the locker room, after the alleged menace had sat by his side, listening to him as he sobbed, allowing him to speak without dismissal or interruption—something Johnny hadn’t experienced in a while—suddenly, his venomous disdain for Spider-Man tasted sour on his tongue. Suddenly, he started seeing him for what he truly was: not a deceitful con artist, or the dangerous monster Sue and the Bugle had made him out to be. He was just a kid with powers who cracked stupid jokes, talked at a million miles per hour, and wanted to help people however he could—including Johnny, even though he’d treated him like shit. Even though the whole world treated him like shit. 

Although his decision to remain anonymous still puzzled Johnny, and the few scattered details he had learned about his life left the Human Torch with more questions than answers, the true nature of Spider-Man was obvious: he was a noble teenage goofball with rock-solid morals and a recklessly optimistic compassion for others. 

That wasn’t where the discoveries ended. That was just the start. The masked vigilante was also surprisingly easy to fluster, yet armed with a quick wit he wasn’t afraid to brandish. He wielded humor like a shield, deflecting when needed, but mostly bashing you over the head with it until your skull throbbed. He was bold but shy, silly yet virtuous, smart but kind. And the more Johnny unveiled about the mystery boy behind the mask, the more Spider-Man fascinated him. 

Every scrap of new information was collected with care and tucked somewhere safe in Johnny’s mind. Now that he’d stolen a snapshot, Johnny wanted the whole picture. Not to catch him in a lie or expose him to the world. Not even to uncover his real identity, although one couldn’t help but be curious. Just to know him. To understand the masked superhero in ways no else did—just as he seemed to understand him. 

From across the room, Spider-Man’s gaze wandered the field before finding his. He stared back at Johnny for a solid three seconds, or maybe he was staring at the Fantastic Four as a whole; it was kind of hard to tell where his eyes were looking behind those lenses. Either way, the spell was broken by Tony Stark, who sidled up behind Spider-Man and gave his rib cage a quick pinch. The young hero jumped away from his touch with a squeal, making Stark laugh and Spider-Man whirl on him lividly. They started arguing back and forth, Iron Man snickering as the masked hero gave him a playful shove. Johnny recalled some tabloid magazine cover splashed with allegations that Spider-Man was actually Tony Stark’s secret lovechild from many a scandals past. Seeing how the two interacted in person, it was a fair conclusion to draw. 

Johnny smiled to himself as he added another note to his mental pin board. Sensitive ribs, he thought in delight. Gotta remember that one. 

“Johnny?”

The Human Torch turned towards his sister, who gave him a scowl when she saw his face.

“You’ve still got whipped cream on your cheek,” she said, licking her thumb and scrubbing it off. Johnny grimaced and slapped her hand away.

“Jesus, Sue, quit it! I’m not four.”

Susan rolled her eyes as she gathered her strawberry blonde hair in her hands. “You seem less volatile today. I saw you started posting stuff again.” She snagged a pin from he pocket and held it between her teeth. “Are you feeling any better?”

Johnny scoffed and crossed his arms. “No thanks to you. I had to celebrate Mom alone yesterday. I don’t understand how you’re so okay with breaking our promise like this. It’s like you don’t even care.”

Sue slipped the pin behind her ear, a cloud rolling across her expression. “I do care, Johnny,” she insisted. “Of course I care. I knew Mom eight years longer than you did. She was everything to me.” She tied off her ponytail, letting her hands fall at her sides. “I agreed to your ‘week of Mom’ tradition when you were nine years old. I agreed because you were a kid, and that was your way of processing your grief. And if it still is, great. I’m glad you’ve found something to help you deal with this shit.”

“What’s your point?” Johnny snapped. 

“The point is, I don’t grieve the same way you do. I hate going back to Glennville. If it was up to me, I’d never go back there again. When the anniversary of Mom’s death comes around, all I want to do is sit at home and rewatch Gilmore Girls and eat a tub of white chocolate raspberry ice cream by myself. Those are my fondest memories with Mom, and that’s how I prefer to honor her.” Sue gripped her arms at the elbows, gazing somberly at the ground. “What you want us to do—reliving the past over and over again, revisiting places I’d rather just forget—it’s too much for me. I have to let things go and move on in order to heal.” 

Johnny gazed at his sister in silence. Between the two of them, Sue had always been the calculated one: studying every graph and cross-referencing all available data before making a decision. Johnny, on the other hand, took life as it came: rolling with the punches and going with the flow, accepting the hand fate dealt him. Sue was steadfast and rational; Johnny was flexible and emotion-driven. The Invisible Woman held her cards close to her chest while the Human Torch wore his heart on his sleeve. 

But for once, Sue actually sounded like a human being with feelings, not an impenetrable barrier with a voice like steel. Johnny stepped closer to her, the heat of his rage evaporating into the air.

“Why didn’t you just…tell me that?”

Sue met his gaze, then shook her head. “I don’t…I don’t know. I’m not good at this kind of thing. I thought I might ruin it for you.” She sighed despondently. “But I guess I kinda already did.”

Johnny placed his hands on his hips and shrugged. “Yeah. You did. You ruin everything your long, bony, witch-fingers touch.”

One benefit of being a sibling is knowing how to kick your sister where it hurts. In Sue’s case, calling attention to one of her more prominent insecurities. She scrunched up her face in feigned irritation, a hint of amusement tugging at her lip.

“Don’t fuck with me right now, Johnny. You’re getting older, so I’m trying to be more honest with you.” Her teasing grin quickly crumbled to a solemn frown. Her hands moved to cradle her shoulders, as if she were physically trying to hold herself together. “I hoped if we didn’t return home this year, maybe you’d start to see our annual trip how I see it: like reopening an old wound. That’s why I asked the Avengers if we could introduce our team to them this week; maybe it would give us a chance to reflect and reevaluate how we decide to honor Mom.”

Stinging betrayal clung to Johnny’s throat. Sue had led him to believe the Avengers had just happened to invite them over the same week their mother had died. But no—she had chosen this week intentionally without even granting him a choice in the matter—once again, invoking her will over his. Johnny clenched his jaw, fighting the wild furnace of rage that seemed perpetually ablaze in his gut. It was like a time bomb planted in his cells, itching for him to lose control so it could erupt into a blinding inferno. 

But for now, he staved it off, taking three deep breaths and slowly releasing them, just like Mom had taught him. Remembering Spider-Man’s gentle voice and the reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry I’ve made you go back home with me every year,” he carefully grated out. No matter how often he forced himself to apologize, the gesture never came any easier to him—especially when it involved his sister. “If I knew you hated it that much, I would’ve been fine doing something else. It was never about revisiting old places for me. I just liked having time carved out where you and I could…I don’t know. Do things together. Like we used to. Back when it was just us. No matter how much we drive each other batshit crazy, we’ve always been able to put that aside for one week out of the year. You know, for Mom’s sake.”

Sue blinked at him, mist glazing over her eyes. She pursed her lips and shook her head. “God, I’m an idiot,” she finally breathed, wrapping her brother into an unexpected hug. “I’m so sorry, Johnny. We’ll figure something out, okay? Something you and I can do together—just the two of us.”

Johnny stiffened at first, but eventually caved and hugged her back. “You’re absolutely an idiot,” he mumbled through a smile. Him and Sue had never been particularly affectionate with each other, but that only made the moments they chose to be that much more meaningful. At the end of the day, all they had was each other. When everyone else had left him behind, Sue was the one who’d stayed. That had to count for something.

His sister was the first to pull away, but she kept one hand resting on his shoulder and offered him a smile. “Let’s try to communicate with each other better from now on. Less lying and arguing. Sound good?”

There was no force on earth powerful enough to keep the two of them from lying and arguing. It was practically baked into their DNA. But striving to do it less wouldn’t hurt, so Johnny nodded. 

“Okay. So long as we’re in agreement that you’re an idiot.”

Sue flicked him between the eyebrows, making him flinch back with a giggle. 

“Asshole,” she chuckled. “Are you okay going first for our team’s power demonstration today?”

Johnny lit his biceps on fire and flexed his arms above his head. “Wanting to start with the strongest member I see? Good call.”

“More like saving the best for last,” she shot back smugly, then faltered. “Just…please be careful. Don’t push yourself too far. I know how much you like to show off, but we all have limits. I don’t want to wind up mopping your charred remains off the floor because you supernovaed yourself into oblivion.”

“Relax, Sue,” Johnny huffed. “I’ll be fine.” His gaze crept back to the opposite side of the room, where Spider-Man was mingling with the other Avengers. The masked hero caught him staring and gave him a hesitant wave, drawing Johnny’s lips into a smile.

Besides. There’s only one person I’m interested in showing off in front of.

In response, Johnny flipped the young vigilante off. Spider-Man gasped melodramatically, clutching imaginary pearls around his throat, then rolled up his mask so his mouth was visible and stuck his tongue out at him. Johnny snickered, turning back to his sister, who was glancing between the two of them with a wary frown. 

“What?” Johnny asked, a touch of red flushing across his cheeks. Sue glared at Spider-Man over her brother’s shoulder until he covered his face again and looked away skittishly, then leveled her gaze on Johnny.

“What exactly is going on between you two?” Sue asked quietly, the cold edge returning to her voice.

Johnny swallowed. “Between who two?” he answered stupidly. He hated how perceptive his sister could be. 

Sue knotted her hands into fists. “Don’t play dumb. You and that masked menace! First I catch you in the kitchen making a giant mess together, and now—whatever that just was.” 

Johnny scoffed. “Seriously? You don’t actually believe all that shit the Bugle says about him, do you? I know we agreed you’re an idiot, but I didn’t think you were that dense.”

“It’s not just the Bugle saying it,” Sue countered. “It’s everyone. And even if only a fraction of it is true, that’s enough for me to know he cannot be trusted.” 

“You told me we were here to make connections!” Johnny snapped, flames roiling inside him. “Now I’m actually trying to do that, and you’re still mad at me! There’s no winning with you! You’re never happy!”

“I want you to make connections with actual heroes. Not dangerous vigilantes who hide their identities so they can get away with whatever the hell they want. I told you that after we met him the other day, yet you still chose to do the opposite.” The anger boiling across Sue’s face simmered to worry. “I’m just trying to protect you, Johnny. I don’t want you getting hurt or the public turning on you because of him. It’s not worth the risk.”

Johnny’s icy stare shifted back to the red and blue figure on the other side of the room. “The Avengers trust him,” he said pointedly, eyes tracing the hard curves in Spider-Man’s shoulders. “Why shouldn’t we?”

“Spider-Man isn’t even an official Avenger,” Sue retorted. “S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t risk associating with individuals who feel the need to hide behind masks. Neither should we.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. was run by undercover Nazis for over half a century, so…forgive me for doubting their sense of character.”

Sue scrunched up her nose in frustration. “The point is, for your safety and the sake of this team, I’m asking you to stay away from him.”

Heat roared in Johnny’s belly. He stepped towards her, flames flickering in his eyes. 

“And I’m asking you to pull your head out of Jameson’s echo chamber of an ass and to stop judging him before you’ve even tried getting to know him.”

“Why are you so eager to defend him?” Sue asked sharply. “You were ready to cook him inside out yesterday. Now you’re suddenly his biggest advocate? What changed between then and this morning?”

Plenty, Johnny thought, but Sue had a point. Their entire history of interactions probably didn’t amount to half a day’s worth of time. Although Spider-Man had shared a lot about himself—potentially more than he’d shared with anyone outside of his inner circle—Johnny still felt like he barely knew the guy. He had so many more questions. And, as much as it hurt to admit, there was always a chance the masked hero had lied to him: about his past, his motives—hell, even his age. All Johnny had to go off was Spider-Man’s personal testimony. If he had been lying to him, it was an Oscar-worthy performance. But that didn’t dismiss the possibility out of hand. 

“I just…talked to him,” Johnny eventually admitted, placing a hand on his hip. “You should try it sometime. It’s a really great way to actually get to know somebody.” The Human Torch narrowed his eyes and scratched his chin. “Oh, wait. I forgot. All you care about is what others think. God forbid you make an effort to know someone yourself and form your own opinion for a change.” 

“You’re impossible,” Sue snarled, turning her back to him. “This is why we always end up fighting. You’re incapable of seeing things from my perspective.”

“Gee, wow, can’t imagine what that’s like,” Johnny groused. Him and his sister couldn’t even last one conversation without shouting and bickering. No matter what kind of oaths they swore to stop arguing, Johnny didn’t see anything changing anytime soon. 

At that moment, Tony Stark began waving everyone over to meet him at the back of the field. Muttering curses under his breath, Johnny erupted into flames, making Sue jump sideways in alarm. 

“Johnny! I’ve told you a thousand times! Don’t light yourself on fire so close to me!” 

“How about you stop standing so close to me when I feel like lighting myself on fire?” Johnny deadpanned, lifting off the ground and blasting away from her.

“That doesn’t even make any sense!” Sue shouted. But Johnny was already across the room, dropping towards the floor to join the Avengers without looking back. Sputtering in frustration, Sue formed a forcefield under her feet to carry her over to the others. Ben and Reed shared a glance before following behind her, knowing it best not to get involved in the Storm siblings’ squabbles.

“Morning, everyone,” Tony Stark greeted them as the two teams filed in. He and James Rhodes stood beside a short platform speckled with strange machines that looked like fancy gym equipment crossed with high-tech torture devices. “Since all of us will hopefully be working together a lot in the future—protecting the world and fighting off invaders and all that—Rhodey suggested that we take the time to familiarize each other with the extent of our abilities.”

“Knowing what your teammates are and aren’t capable of is critical to protecting one another and ensuring the success of our missions,” Rhodes continued. “Regardless of how often the Avengers and the Fantastic Four come together to mitigate disasters, it’s imperative that we all have some understanding of everyone’s skills and powers.”

The Storm siblings seethed in silence. An awkward beat passed before Ben cleared his throat.

“Yeah, sure, sounds good. Our team is pretty familiar with each other’s powers, but it’d be great to see you guys strut your stuff, and we can do the same for ya’ll.” 

Light chuckles rippled through the Avengers. “Wonderful,” Tony said, beckoning Spider-Man forward. “Our team will start first, then we’ll take turns from there. Spidey will kick things off for us.”

Johnny perked up at the sound of the masked vigilante’s name, the anger surging like lava through his veins cooling to a halt.  Spider-Man stepped away from the group and hopped onto the platform, turning to face the collection of superheroes with a nervous wave.

“Hey everyone,” he said, then leaned towards Tony, whispering behind his hand. “We’re not being, like—graded on this, are we?”

“Not officially,” Stark replied with a smirk. “Don’t worry about it. Just show the class what you can do.”

Spider-Man didn’t look very reassured, but nodded anyway, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Right. Got it. Okay.” He glanced between the different contraptions scattered across the platform, scratching the back of his head. “So, uh, where should I start?”

“How about an introduction?” Rhodes offered, suppressing a chuckle. The masked hero spun back towards the crowd with a timid laugh. 

“Oh. Right. Good idea.” He cleared his throat and stood up tall, his hands moving as fast as his mouth as he spoke. “Hi again. I’m—I’m Spider-Man. New York’s second favorite arachnid-themed hero, just behind Black Widow. I’m coming for you, Ms. Romanoff.”

Natasha snorted. Other than that, the room was silent. So silent, Johnny couldn’t help but giggle. Sue’s death glare whirled on him for a moment before returning to a very fidgety Spider-Man. 

“Maybe skip the lame jokes for now and just talk about your skill set,” Tony suggested, rolling his eyes amusedly as he pulled a digital clipboard out of his coat pocket.

“But lame jokes are a part of my skill set,” Spider-Man countered, earning a dull scowl from Stark. Johnny snickered behind his palm as the masked hero quickly sobered up, clapping his hands together in front of his chest and hunching his shoulders. “But anyways—superpowers,” he continued. “Let’s focus on those.” He looked down at himself, rocking on his heels in thought. “So…yeah. Let’s see. I go by Spider-Man because I have, y’know, spider-themed abilities. I have heightened senses, can stick to pretty much any surface, can hang upside-down without getting dizzy, and use webbing to immobilize my opponents and swing around on.”

Spidey turned to Stark expectantly, who gave him a nod of approval. The young vigilante knelt low to the ground then sprung into the air, jumping unnaturally high and twisting mid-leap so he landed feet-first against the ceiling. 

Johnny gaped up at him in awe. He just cleared thirty feet straight up, no problem, Johnny thought. I mean, I can fly, so I’m much better. But still impressive. 

Even without venomous fangs, Johnny had to admit: Spider-Man still had a lot going for him power-wise. The masked hero crawled across the ceiling until he was positioned directly above them, then stood upright with his hands on his hips, peering down at the two teams below. 

“See? Sticky,” he said, strolling effortlessly across the upside-down surface. It was almost uncanny how easy and natural it looked for him. Spider-Man stopped between two fluorescent lights and extended his arm in front of his body with his palm facing the ground. “Since I’m all for doing things for the aesthetic, I manufactured these web-shooting devices and the fluid inside so I can spin webs and swing around like a real spider.”

Dropping from the ceiling, Spider-Man fired a line of webbing from his wrist into the overhead rafters. The thread stretched taut and buoyed him through the air, his feet whisking just above Johnny’s head. At the peak of his swing, Spider-Man detached the webbing from the shooting device, twirled through a graceful backflip, then fired another thread across the room, whooping with glee as he careened above the field. He landed against the left wall without losing momentum, sprinting full speed across the sideways surface, then kicked off into a mid-air cartwheel. As he dropped towards the ground, the masked hero tucked his knees to his chest, rotating two, three, four times—then, at the last possible second, fired a line of webbing from either wrist. With a violent tug, Spider-Man catapulted himself back towards the group, spinning and flipping like a gold medal gymnast before brachiating on web-lines the rest of the way to the platform.

Johnny whistled in amazement. He could probably watch Spidey’s angular physique glide between jaw-dropping stunts and elegant acrobatics for hours. And this wasn’t even his best work. Right now, Spider-Man was trapped within the confines of the tower; imagine how much more he could do out in the city, swinging between buildings, flipping above the skyline, untethered and free. The next time Spidey decided to thwip around NYC, Johnny had to make sure he was there to witness it in person. 

Spider-Man finished off the dazzling demonstration by snagging a thread to an unsuspecting Captain America’s chest, whipping him off the ground, and plastering him to a boxing dummy upside-down in a cocoon of webbing. 

“Hey!” Sam cried, squirming beneath the sticky netting. “I did not agree to be a part of this! Get me outta here!”

Spider-Man spun a quick web-hammock between two gymnastic rings and dropped into it with his fingers interlaced behind his head, swinging leisurely beside Cap while he cursed and wriggled. “As you can see, my webbing is super versatile, and helps me do all kinds of cool things—both heroic and hilarious.”

“If I’m not out of this in the next ten seconds, you’re gonna have to change your name from Spider-Man to Blunt Force Trauma-Man.”

The group snickered as the masked hero sat up sharply in his web-hammock, fumbling with the settings of the devices on his wrists. “Yep, got it, s-sorry, let me just—there we go.” He rolled out of the hammock and stuck to the side of the boxing dummy, misting Sam with a white spray from his web-shooters. “Good time to show off my new and improved web dissolvent formula. On its own, my webbing disintegrates after about two hours, but this unbinds it at the molecular level almost instantly.”

“God, you’re a nerd,” Sam grumbled teasingly, then yelped as the webbing unraveled and he dropped to the floor. He fell hard on his shoulder and flopped onto his back with a moan.

“I also have a ton of different types of webbing I use to fight bad guys and rescue people,” Spidey continued as Cap dragged himself to his feet and limped back towards the group, rubbing his shoulder sorely. “There’s way too many for me to show them all to you right now, but my three favorites are ricochet webs, taser webs, and web grenades.” Spider-Man hopped back down to the stage and placed his hands on his hips. “So…yeah. That’s the extent of my first three-ish powers. Does anyone have any questions?”

Johnny’s hand immediately shot into the air. “I do!” he called eagerly, ignoring the scowl Sue sent his way. “Were you an athlete before you got your powers?”

Spider-Man chuckled sheepishly. “Uh, heh, no. Can’t say I was.”

“Really? So then all of your athletic abilities come from your powers?”

Spidey rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s an awfully...humbling way to phrase it, but yeah. The only power pre-superhero me had was my big science brain. All of my physical powers came from the spider bite.”

“Other than the sticky part, how did your physicality change? What athletic abilities did you acquire?” 

Spider-Man stared down at himself thoughtfully, holding his palms upright and flexing them into fists. “I mean, a lot of things. I got stronger, faster, much more nimble and light on my feet. I can do all kinds of jumps and flips I was never able to before. I have way better balance, and I’m also a lot more flexible.”

“How flexible?” Johnny pressed.

“Would you stop interrupting already?” Sue snapped. 

Spider-Man shrugged timidly. “It’s okay. The whole point of this is to learn as much about each others’ powers as we can, right? I’m happy to answer your questions.”

Sue muttered something Johnny didn’t quite catch, but must’ve been bad based on the way Spidey winced. But she begrudgingly backed off, leaning against Reed with an angry line between her brows. 

“Anyways,” the masked hero continued. “Flexibility. I’m not sure how you quantify something like that, but I can basically bend and twist however I want. So…pretty darn flexible.”

“Can you demonstrate?” Johnny asked.

Spider-Man hunched his shoulders, his eye lenses narrowing into small slits. “Well,” he said hesitantly, tapping his knuckles together. “I mean, I can. But I don’t want to like…you know. Gross anyone out?”

“I do!” Johnny beamed.

“We’ve watched Reed bend himself into all kinds of crazy shapes loads of times,” Ben grunted, unimpressed. “I doubt anything you’re capable of can gross us out more than that.”

“Hey,” Reed pouted, but didn’t try to defend himself further. Johnny rolled his eyes. He had no idea what his sister saw in that boring, spineless doormat. He turned back to Spider-Man excitedly.

“Show us!” he insisted, causing Spidey to fidget in place. Making the masked hero squirm was turning into Johnny’s new favorite pastime. 

“Now I’m kind of interested in seeing this,” Tony chimed in, shoving his fists into his pockets. “Go ahead, kid. Do your worst.”

Spider-Man sighed. “Fine,” he murmured. He fiddled with his web-shooters, shifting his feet to match his shoulder-width. “It’s really not that impressive compared to my other powers. And also just…icky.”

“More icky than sticky palms?” Sue grumbled. If Spider-Man heard her, he didn’t show it. He faced away from them, gave his shoulders a quick roll, then arched into a standing backbend, folding in half with the upper and lower parts of his spine flush with each other. It was a contortionist-level move that most people could only accomplish by snapping themselves in two. His ribs jutted out from his skin and yawned towards this ceiling. His head hung between his legs while his hands gripped the backs of his ankles.

“Ta-da,” Spidey deadpanned. A groan of disgust passed through the Avengers.

“Jesus Christ,” Natasha scoffed. Sam and Bruce looked away in horror, shielding their eyes with their hands.

“Holy shit. That’s nasty.”

“Pretty neat, though.”

“But mostly nasty.”

Stark stuck out his tongue. “Good god, kid. Do you even have any bones?”

“I tried to warn you!” Spider-Man insisted. He placed his palms on the floor again and kicked into a handstand, hanging that way for a few more moments before dropping back onto his feet. He crossed his arms against his chest and stared sideways sheepishly. “Great. Now I’m even more self-conscious about it.”

“Don’t be!” Johnny assured him. “That’s wicked cool. Can you do the splits, too? Go on—try it!”

As Spidey turned to look at him, even with his mask on, Johnny could tell he was smiling. He giggled lightly, and warmth spread through Johnny’s limbs.

“I think I can,” he answered, but Bucky waved dismissively.

“We get it, you’re freakishly bendy.” He patted Sam’s back as the star spangled soldier stifled a gag. “Show us something else instead.”

“Like your magical dodging power,” Rhodes suggested.

Spider-Man brightened. “Oh. You mean my sixth sense thing? Sure!” He glanced around the platform, scratching the back of his head. “Um, how should I show it? Is there something up here that can shoot things at me that aren’t, y’know, lethal?”

“Let’s try this,” Tony said, pulling the pocket square out of his jacket. Johnny recognized it from the Hermès collection: a lavishly simple accessory valued at $175 at least. Stark gave it a flick then tossed it to Spider-Man, who tripped over himself to catch it before it could touch the ground. “Use that as a blindfold, and then we’ll give each of the Fantastic Four a chance to test your abilities themselves.”

Spidey lifted his gaze to Johnny and the others, then stared back down at the silky fabric in his hands. “Oh. Okay,” he said. Johnny wasn’t sure where this was going as he watched the masked hero tie the pocket square around his head, covering his eyes. 

“Come down here where there’s more space,” Stark instructed. Spider-Man hopped off the platform and stepped into the open field without issue—a surprising feat, since it didn’t appear he could see anything. “Explain to them how it works, because you’ve tried telling me about it a hundred times, and I still don’t get it.”

“Right,” Spider-Man said, cinching the blindfold a little tighter. “So, whenever something bad is about to happen, like someone or some thing about to hit me, I get this weird tingling sensation at the base of my skull that warns me about it beforehand. That way, I can dodge out of the way, or stop whatever’s about to happen before it happens.”

Johnny frowned, stepping closer. “You can detect when bad things are about to happen before they happen?”

Spider-Man nodded. “Basically. If a bullet is flying at my head, or two cars are about to crash into each other, or a bunch of aliens are invading the city miles away, my head starts buzzing like crazy.”

Johnny’s jaw fell open. “Or if an insanely gorgeous superhero is about to throw fireballs at you?” he finished for him.

Spider-Man laughed. “Yes. Or that.”

“You’re shitting me,” Johnny gawked, gripping the sides of his head. “No wonder I could barely land a single hit on you! You could predict every attack I was about to make? That’s so unfair!”

Spidey giggled again. No matter how annoying this new discovery was, nothing was more annoying than how goddamn cute the masked hero’s laugh was. He would kill to see the face behind that laugh, the beaming smile hidden so criminally beneath the bright red fabric. 

“It’s not always helpful,” Spider-Man insisted. “Sometimes it buzzes for hours on end, and I never figure out why. Other times, it goes off for things like bees flying by or thunderstorms. The benefits of it don’t always outweigh how finicky and annoying it can be.”

“But it helps you dodge attacks even when you can’t see ‘em coming?” the Thing inquired. A smirk spread across his face as he stomped towards Spider-Man, pounding his giant fist into his giant palm. “Now that’s something I gotta see.”

A twinge of uncertainty tugged at Johnny’s chest as he watched the gargantuan wall of rock and muscle approach the tiny, blindfolded Spider-Man. The juxtaposition between the two was both entertaining and unsettling. A sentient boulder versus a blind spider: if Johnny was placing bets, he knew exactly where his money was going. 

“You ready, Itsy-Bitsy?” Ben snickered, cracking his knuckles and raising his fists. 

“Sure am, Rocky-Talky,” Spider-Man quipped back, clearly nervous but no less snarky. Johnny bit his lip as his eyes darted between them. He was all for poking fun at Ben (being an avid curator of the vocation himself), but he knew firsthand how easy it was to piss him off, and it was a pretty reckless thing for Spidey to do in his current position. Johnny didn’t want to see him get hurt. 

Funny what a good night’s sleep and a couple hours of conversation could change. 

The Thing snorted and sneered. “All right then, Puny. Let’s see what you got.”

With a roar, Ben swung his fist at Spider-Man’s head full-force. Reflexively, Johnny’s hands shot up to cover his eyes. He peered through his fingers in terror, dread welling inside him as the harrowing scene unfolded in slow motion. He waited for the sickening sound of solid rock smashing through bone to meet his ears.

Instead, Johnny watched in disbelief as Spider-Man ducked at the last possible second, the Thing’s arm swinging harmlessly above his head. Ben staggered a bit, grunting in surprise. He gazed down at the tiny, unscathed figure, raising one rocky eyebrow bemusedly. Slowly, Johnny's hands fell away from his eyes. Spider-Man stood back upright, dusting imaginary dirt off his shoulder.

“Phew! That was a close one. Really strong punch you got there! Slow, but definitely strong.”

Johnny scoffed incredulously. Reed clapped his hands together in delight. Sue and Ben’s faces twisted into the same disgruntled scowl simultaneously. 

With a new air of determination, the Thing slung another punch his way, and Spider-Man sidestepped the attack in one seamless motion. He balled both fists together and slammed them towards the ground, but Spidey hopped backwards right as they crashed against the floor, sending a tremor across the field. Cursing, Ben made a grab for his neck. The webhead leapt over his hand, kicked off his forehead, then landed behind him in a low crouch. The Thing whirled around with a huff.

“Slippery little bastard,” he grumbled, the corner of his mouth ticking upwards. 

“Slippery Little Bastard-Man was actually one of the superhero names I workshopped before settling on Spider-Man,” Spidey stated matter-of-factly.

Ben managed a chuckle. “That’s some neat trick, Puny. Probably the only reason you haven’t been squashed like a bug yet.” The Thing waved Johnny forward as he lumbered back towards the group. “Your turn, hotshot. Maybe you can redeem yourself from yesterday.”

Narrowing his eyes, Johnny strode onto the field. He stopped about thirty feet away from the spider-themed hero, looked him up and down, then placed his hands on his hips. 

“So let me get this straight,” Johnny mused. “The spider bite didn’t give you eight eyeballs or venomous fangs, but instead gave you foresight? Make it make sense, Webs, ‘cuz in my head, that math ain’t mathing.”

Spider-Man shrugged. “I never claimed it made sense. Venomous fangs do sound more spidery than prediction powers.” His hands started moving as he spoke, a chipper spark entering his tone—the kind Johnny was beginning to recognize as an indicator for when he was about to say something nerdy. “It does have some scientific merit, though. Spiders are covered in these tiny hairs called trichobothria that can detect micro-shifts and vibrations in their environment. Some spiders amplify this ability by feeling for changes and tremors in their webs while they wait for their next meal. This helps them avoid predators and capture prey before it escapes their web—similarly to how I dodge attacks and catch bad guys.”

A couple seconds of silence passed before Johnny wrinkled his nose. “Does that mean you’re covered in a bunch of weird spidery detecting hairs as well?”

“No,” Spider-Man said, only to run his hands along his arms suspiciously. “I mean, I don’t think so. The tingling feeling comes from inside my head, not on my skin. But it also sometimes makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. So…maybe?”

“Just throw fireballs at him already!” Clint Barton hollered, sending a wave of chuckles through the group. Johnny shot a look at the others, then turned back to the blindfolded hero, swallowing anxiously.

“But you’re sure you’ll be able to move out of the way in time?” Johnny asked in a small voice. Spidey tilted his head to the side.

“You just watched me dodge all of the Thing’s attacks,” he pointed out. “Plus, nearly everything you threw at me yesterday. Honestly, I’d like to see you try to hit me.”

Johnny feigned a daring grin, trying his best to take the bait, but the knot in his chest wouldn’t budge. Reluctantly, he lit his hand on fire, letting the flames grow and roil in the center of his palm. Johnny wound his arm behind his head. He hesitated an instant longer before finally letting the fireball loose.

The flaming mass whizzed past Spider-Man, missing him by a mile. He didn’t even have to move to avoid it; Spidey’s head tracked the fireball as it flew by, but other than that, he stayed rooted in place. His blindfolded face turned back towards him, clearly puzzled. 

“Um. You kind of missed.”

“What the hell was that, Johnny?” the Thing laughed.

The Human Torch groaned and palmed his forehead. “Ugh. I’m sorry! It just—y’know—feels fucked up, chucking fire at someone who can’t see.”

“Johnny! Language, please!”

“Sorry—messed up. Whatever. You know what I mean.” He puffed out his cheeks and conjured another fireball in his hand. “Let me try again.”

Spider-Man assumed a defensive stance. Grimacing, the Human Torch launched the flaming projectile directly at Spidey’s chest. Much to Johnny’s relief (and astonishment), the blindfolded hero spun out of the way, keeping close to the floor. A smile found Johnny’s lips.

“Whoa,” he said. “Okay. That’s badass.” Armed with new confidence, Johnny slung the next fistful of fire with all his might, aiming for Spidey’s head this time. The teenage superhero bent over backwards like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, the fireball sailing right above his nose. Another barreled towards his feet, then his stomach, then his ribs. Spider-Man backflipped and cartwheeled and somersaulted out of the fire’s path, drawing closer and closer to Johnny until he was within melee range. Johnny swung a flaming punch at his throat, and Spidey blocked his arm with the back of his wrist. Johnny lit his foot on fire and whipped it towards his ankles, but Spider-Man sprung over his head, landing behind him and rolling from his hands onto his haunches. He moved an instant before Johnny’s next strike had even solidified in his brain, making it nearly impossible to catch him off guard. His evasive maneuvers mirrored Johnny’s attacks in the most perfect and frustrating way. Spider-Man’s shoulder brushed against his as he spun to stay close to him, the two heroes standing back to back. When Johnny jabbed his elbow behind his ear to try to catch Spidey in the forehead, the blindfolded vigilante ducked and rolled right between his legs, pulling Johnny’s ankles out from underneath him. Johnny fell on his ass with a grunt as Spider-Man hopped to his feet in front of him, crossing his arms against his chest triumphantly.

“Still unsure if I can move out of the way in time?” he mocked him. Even while being a smug little bitch, Johnny found the masked hero disarming—in fact, maybe even more so. He danced between being shy and sweet but also ballsy and teasing. It certainly succeeded in keeping Johnny on his toes.

Or, in this instance, on his ass. 

But Spider-Man, ever the gentleman, stepped towards him a moment later and offered him his hand. Johnny gazed up at his blindfolded face, blushing softly, blowing a tuft of hair out of his eyes.

“Slippery Little Bastard-Man indeed,” he chuckled. He clasped his palm in his and let him pull him to his feet, heating his hand just hot enough so that once he was standing, Spidey jerked out of his grip with a yelp. 

“Ow! Hey!” He shook the pain from his fingers, giggling mischievously.

“You deserved that,” Johnny insisted as he walked back towards the crowd.

Spider-Man flexed his hand and nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair.”

“Who’s next?” Stark called, tapping away at his clipboard. Dr. Reed Richards immediately volunteered, rising tall on his stretchy limbs to face the webhead on the field. Just like the others, despite his powerful abilities and best efforts, Mr. Fantastic couldn’t land a single blow on the agile teen. It made Johnny feel a little less embarrassed for losing to Spidey yesterday and now again today.

“Damn,” Reed panted. He shrunk his body back down to regular-size, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Those are some seriously quick reflexives you’ve got going on there. I’d love to test just how fast your reaction time is compared to a regular human’s.”

“Oh, we’ve tried,” Tony assured him. “But it’s basically incalculable. He moves at the exact same time if not before an incoming attack, so it really doesn’t even qualify as a reaction. It’s more like a…pre-action?”

“Fascinating,” Reed exclaimed, extending his hand to Spider-Man. The masked hero pulled down his blindfold and gave his palm a sheepish shake. “You are truly gifted!” 

“Thanks,” Spidey giggled. “That’s a very generous way of putting it.” Of his gifts, accepting compliments was evidently not one of them. 

Dr. Richards returned to his girlfriend’s side and patted her back with a hesitant smile. “Your turn, darling. Last but not least.”

Susan Storm leveled her gaze on Spider-Man coldly. Without a word, she marched forward. They stood opposite of each other on the turf, Sue standing tall with her fists at her sides, Spidey looking stiff with his shoulders hunched and his knees slightly bent—as if he made himself small enough, he’d be the one to turn invisible. 

“Fix your blindfold,” Sue demanded. The ice in her voice made Johnny shiver. When Johnny was angry, he erupted like a nuclear fallout. His sister, on the other hand—when honestly, irrevocably fuming—spoke calmly, levelly, but with words as sharp as razor blades. Though it reared its head less often, a truly angry Susan was far more terrifying than an angry Johnny.

“R-right,” the masked hero stammered. The pocket square, which was hanging loosely across his shoulders, was quickly tied over his eyes once again. Spidey knelt low with one hand sprawled across the floor, a sprinkle of uncertainty creeping into his voice. “Uh, so, whenever you’re ready.”

For a few long beats, the Invisible Woman didn’t move, as if she were scanning him like the Terminator. Then she jabbed her arm forward, a force field the size of a minivan flying from her fingers. Spider-Man barely managed to jerk out of the way, the translucent projectile fizzling out of existence once it had passed him. Sue didn’t give the masked hero a second to recover. She shot forcefield after forcefield at him, blasting one after another, sending them flying head-on, crashing down from above, zooming in from either side to squash him in the middle. Spider-Man danced feverishly around her attacks, his maneuvers growing clumsier and more frantic with each volley. Even with his detecting powers, no one could evade the relentless onslaught Susan was dishing out for long. And Johnny doubted she planned to stop until she hit him. 

“This is—r-really—testing my limits!” Spidey squeaked out between attacks, ducking and jumping and sprawling flat across the ground, then rolling and scrambling out of the next round’s path. About twenty seconds in, clearly frustrated, Sue decided to fight dirty. Gritting her teeth, Johnny watched his sister form a massive force field that stretched from floor to ceiling and spanned at least twenty yards wide. With a shout, Sue launched the enormous barrier at him. Spider-Man clambered to his feet then froze in place, his brain running rapid calculations that Johnny assumed all came to the same conclusion: there was no dodging this one. The only thing he could do was brace himself as the forcefield came crashing into his body, sending him flying across the room. A ragged gasp tore from his throat as he slammed into the back wall with a sickening thud, then crumpled to the ground.

“Spidey!”

The cry that sprung from Johnny’s lips was involuntary, as was the fire that ignited in his feet, rocketing him to the masked hero’s side. Spider-Man was groaning on his hands and knees when Johnny arrived. 

“Jesus. Are you okay?” He knelt down and wrapped an arm under Spidey’s shoulders as the young hero struggled to stand. The blindfold slipped off his eyes and plopped into a sad, silky puddle on the floor. 

“I'm fine, It's fine, really,” Spider-Man wheezed. He attempted to laugh, but it came out more like a cough. “It was—ow—w-well warranted. I was being a bit of a show-off. Someone needed to put me in my place, keep me humble.”

“No. That was totally uncalled for. She could’ve seriously hurt you.” Johnny cut his eyes towards his sister, who glared back at him with spite that matched his own. Then his gaze wandered to the rest of the group. They were also watching him, except with quiet interest instead of rage. Heat rose into his ears as he realized how this looked, how they might interpret his actions, but he tried not to let it faze him. He turned his back to the others, helping Spider-Man the rest of the way to his feet.

“Don’t worry,” Spidey grated out lightly. “I’m tougher than I look. Just—phew. Got the wind knocked outta me. And popped a few places in my back I didn’t know could pop. I’m really okay. Promise.”

“You all right, kid?” Stark called from across the room. Spider-Man offered him a weak wave. 

“All good! Yep. Totally fine.” He turned to Sue sheepishly, gripping his rib cage with a nervous chuckle. “Guess I can’t dodge them all, heh.”

Susan shrugged. “Guess not,” she shot back, then rejoined the others with her shoulders held tight, fists clenched at her sides. Johnny had half a mind to burn her favorite lab coat to a crisp if she kept this stupid self-righteous act going any longer. 

Spidey looked back at Johnny, whose arm was still wrapped supportively around his torso. “Um, thanks,” he said, voice sounding shriller than usual. “For, y’know. Checking on me and stuff.”

Registering how they were positioned, Johnny pulled away a bit too hastily. “Sure thing,” he replied, a similar squeakiness seizing his words as well. He cleared his throat and gave the masked hero a couple pats on the back—the fastest and most platonic he could conjure. “Happy to help.”

“Are you still good to show everyone how the super strength assessor works?” Tony asked, gesturing to one of the machines on the platform. “You know, if you two are done gazing into each other’s eyes?”

Scattered snickers bounced between their fellow superheroes. Johnny fought back the blush that threatened to consume his entire face. A weird, high-pitched noise croaked from somewhere inside Spider-Man’s throat before he managed to answer. 

“Y-yeah! Of course!” he blurted out. He dashed away from Johnny without looking back, springing onto the stage like the floor was lava. “That’s, uh, actually the final power I have to showcase today. Spiders can lift up to 170 times their body weight, so I can practically do the same.”

Avoiding eye contact with his team, Johnny joined the others in front of the platform. Thank god Spidey was just as eager to change the subject as he was. He tried to ignore his sister’s stare, which was drilling needles into the back of neck. 

“What do you mean by ‘practically’?” the Thing inquired. “Can you or can you not lift 170 times your body weight?”

Spider-Man rubbed his shoulders and wilted a little. “Well…not exactly. I’ve only ever been able to lift about 8.6 tons, which is around 150 times my body weight. Maybe the spider that bit me wasn’t one of the strongest species.”

Immediately, three people shouted at him at once, making the webhead wince in surprise. 

“Holy shit,” Johnny exclaimed. “You’re really that strong?”

“You can lift over seventeen thousand pounds?” Dr. Richard beamed. 

“You only weigh 115?” Sue scoffed. 

Spider-Man blinked. “Um,” he eventually answered. “Yes?”

“Let’s see if you can beat your previous PR,” Mr. Stark said. He climbed the platform’s stairs to stand at Spidey’s side and began clicking holographic buttons on his high-tech clipboard. The super strength assessor machine churned to life and moved at his command, calibrating to meet whatever settings he’d selected. It looked like a giant version of one of those hydraulic presses Johnny enjoyed watching videos of on TikTok, except this one was much wider. The thick metal plate that lowered from above had the girth of a twin bed. Johnny hoped it wouldn’t succeed in squashing Spider-Man into splintered bits like he’d watched the TikTok machine do a hundred times over. 

“I’ll start you off at 6 tons, then let you build from there.” Tony turned to address the crowd. “This device was designed with safety in mind. It scans you constantly as more weight is added and immediately shuts off the moment any sharp downward motion is detected, so there’s no risk of anyone being smooshed. That way you're free to test the full extent of your strength without fear of injuring yourselves.”

“Nobody likes being smooshed,” Spider-Man agreed.

“Let’s give ‘em a demo,” Tony continued, waving the masked vigilante forward. “Go on, kid.”

Spider-Man stepped inside the belly of the machine and braced his palms against the dense metal plate, bending his knees in a low, wide stance. He huffed out a breath, then gave Stark a nod. 

Tony tapped at his clipboard, and the machine whirred into motion. Slowly, the metal plate lowered down, and a large digital scale appeared near the top of the device, displaying how much weight Spider-Man’s narrow frame was bearing. Johnny watched it tick up from zero to three to nine hundred pounds, and it didn’t stop there. Two thousand pounds went by, then five, then ten. Spidey didn’t show any sign of discomfort until the bright red numbers neared thirteen thousand, where he bore down a bit lower and squinted his eye lenses into thin lines. 

“Doing all right so far?” Stark asked him.

“Mm-hmm,” Spidey answered tautly. Another exhale, this one a bit shakier. “Now I remember why I hate this thing so much. It reminds me of that awful Greek myth about the guy forced to hold up the sky. The first time I read it, I had nightmares for months. Like, you know, of me being cursed to carry all that weight. Granted, I was eight at the time, and easily frightened by dumb things like that, but still—”

The scale jumped to fifteen thousand, replacing whatever Spider-Man was about to say next with a groan. Small shivers began dancing up his legs and down his arms. His eyes squeezed shut as every muscle in his body coiled beneath the fabric of his suit.

“Hey, that’s one way to shut him up,” Sam chuckled. Even in a world of aliens and magic and superpowers, Johnny still couldn’t comprehend how such a scrawny guy could lift so much weight. Or how good he looked while doing it. 

“You’ve got this, kid,” Tony encouraged him. “Come on. Almost there.”

The scale climbed to seventeen thousand. The shaking in his limbs increased tenfold. Johnny was decent enough at math to know that was nearly 8.6 tons—Spider-Man’s previous personal record. He stepped forward and pumped his fist in the air. 

“Let’s go, Webhead! You’re so close! Just hang on for a little while longer! Don’t give up!”

The masked hero managed to raise his head and open one eye. He found Johnny’s gaze among the group and let out a strangled laugh.

“T-trying,” he hissed through his teeth, muscles quaking. His body was sinking lower and lower towards the ground. “But—don’t think—I’m s-strong enough…”

“Yes you are!” Natasha Romanoff broke in, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Come on, Spidey! You can do it! Don’t be a little bitch!”

“Hang in there!” Antman hollered. 

“Push through!” Rhodey added.

“You got this!”

“Keep going!”

“Come on, kid!”

“Go, Spidey, go!”

Whether their shouts of encouragement were imbuing him with newfound strength or distracting him from the pain, they seemed to be working. Spider-Man bowed his head and dug down deep and found it in himself to hold on as the scale ticked up and up and up, flashing from red to green as he surpassed 8.6 tons. The room of superheroes broke into cheers, which grew even louder as the weight continued to rise and Spidey continued to bear it. seventeen thousand, seventeen point three, point five, point six, point eight.

“Okay!” Spider-Man yelped, buckling beneath the unbelievably heavy load. “Th-that’s enough! I’m done! Turn it off now, please!”

“Just let go,” Tony instructed him. “Drop the weight. It’ll shut off on its own.”

But Spidey didn’t drop the weight, even though he very clearly needed to. His chest heaved while his limbs trembled violently. He pinched his eyes closed.

“I—can’t!” he cried out. “It’ll c-crush me! Just turn it off!”

Something sharp and painful entered Stark’s expression. He stepped in front of Spider-Man and knelt down on one knee, his voice softening. 

“You gotta let go, kid. Just like last time, remember? It won’t crush you. I promise. It’s physically incapable of crushing you. Yes, I can shut it off manually, but you need to show yourself and everyone else that even when you drop the weight, you’ll be okay. Understand?”

A panicky breath sputtered from Spider-Man’s throat. Then, with no other option in sight, or perhaps from sheer exhaustion, the masked hero finally let go. The metal plate hardly dropped half an inch before freezing in place, whereas Spidey collapsed to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the digital scale snapped from 18,392 back to 0. As the machine rose to its original height, Tony and Rhodes hurried to Spider-Man’s aid.

“You okay, bud?” 

“That was amazing. You pulverized your old PR.”

Moaning, the young vigilante rolled onto his back, breathless and weak, letting his arms flop against the floor. “That…was…torture,” he whimpered. His head lolled limply to one side. “Oh, god. My muscles are noodles. I thought my wrists were gonna snap. Are my legs still there? I can’t really feel them. They might’ve disintegrated along with all of my bones.”

Stark smiled softly, patting his shoulder. “I know that was scary, but you did really good. Incredible, actually.”

Spider-Man downed a few ragged gulps of air. “Thanks,” he croaked, draping a hand over his eyes. “Still didn’t hit 170, though. Ugh.” A heavy sigh passed his lips. “I think…I think I’m done after that. Yep. I think I’m calling it for the day. I’m feeling a three hour nap and some fruit snacks. Is that good with you?” 

“I’d say you’ve earned it,” Tony chuckled. “Stick around for the Fantastic Four’s power demos, then you can have all the naps and fruit snacks you want.”

“Yay,” Spidey cheered, offering him a halfhearted thumbs-up. Then he dropped his arm over his face again. 

Stark lugged the weary teen to his feet, who was met with a round of applause from the Avengers and a few proud pats on the back. Johnny could practically see the shy smile Spidey bore beaming from behind his mask, and couldn’t help but mirror it. 

“I think our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is due for a well-deserved break,” Tony announced, giving the teen’s shoulders an affectionate shake. “Did anyone want to ask him anything else before we move on to the next demo? I think we pretty much covered it all.”

Silence. More silence. No one expected anyone to have anything left to say on the matter. Then…

“I have a question.”

Lead encased Johnny’s heart at the sound of his sister’s voice. He turned to face her, whispering no, no, no too quiet for anyone but himself to hear. 

Iron Man and Spider-Man exchanged a subtle glance before the masked hero stepped forward. “Yes? What is it?” 

Sue narrowed her eyes, flicking a strand of hair out of her face that had escaped her ponytail. She spoke with the air of an attorney drilling a seedy witness. 

“Why do you choose to conceal your identity from everyone, even your own teammates? What exactly are you trying to hide?”

“Sue!” Johnny snapped in disbelief. Susan ignored him, crossing her arms against her chest as she waited for his response. 

All eyes turned to Spider-Man, who stiffened beneath everyone’s inquisitive stares. It seemed his sister wasn’t the only one curious about the masked vigilante’s obsession with anonymity. When Johnny said he enjoyed making the young hero squirm, this was not what he meant. Johnny watched Stark give Spidey’s arm a small squeeze, as if to say you don’t have to answer that without actually saying it. 

Spider-Man either missed the signal or ignored it. He moved away from Tony and walked to stand at the very front of the stage, flexing his hands at his sides.

“Uh…right. That’s, um—that’s a biggie, heh. I guess I do it for a lot of reasons. Mostly to protect the people I care about and keep them far away from all of the dangers that come with this line of work.”

“That doesn’t explain why you hide your true identity from your teammates,” Sue shot back. “Don’t you trust them? Isn’t that the point of having a team?”

Spider-Man lowered his gaze to his feet, rubbing at the back of his neck. “It’s—it’s not that I don’t trust them. It’s not that I don’t trust any of you. I just—well, I prefer keeping my superhero life and my civilian life separate. Nobody needs to know who I am to know I’m a good superhero. You’ve seen what I can do, understand what I’m capable of; isn’t that enough to trust me as a teammate?”

“No, it’s not,” Sue retorted. “Not for me, not for this team, and certainly not for the innocent people you claim to serve. Have you watched the news lately? The world is terrified of you, and they have every right to be. You could be anyone under that mask—a criminal, a killer, a spy, a monster. How can you expect the public to trust you when you hide your true self from them like a coward? And how can you expect us to trust you when you refuse to trust us?”

A murmur of surprise rumbled through the room. Spider-Man stayed rooted in place, stunned silent. The Thing gently tugged Susan away from the stage. 

“Easy, Sue,” he said.

“I’m just—I’m trying my best to do what’s right,” Spidey continued helplessly over the hum of criss-crossing voices. “But it’s hard, and I know not everyone is going to agree with me, and maybe and I’m going about this all wrong, and I’m sorry about that, b-but I just—it’s complicated, and I can’t—”

“I know Spider-Man's real identity.”

Johnny looked up at the stage with wide eyes. The group fell quiet as their attention swerved to Tony Stark, who stepped forward and laid his hand against the young hero’s back.

“I’ve known his identity since the first day I met him,” he continued, voice level but stern. “And I can tell you with absolute certainty that he can be trusted, both as a hero and a colleague, and that his reasons for keeping his identity a secret are completely valid. If you trust me as a sort of quasi-team lead slash host slash superhero sugar daddy, then trust me when I say Spidey is one of the good ones. We’re all here to learn about each other’s powers, not drill one another with personal questions. If you have a problem with that or the kid, either take it up with me, or see yourselves out. Understood?”

Ben and Reed nodded slowly. Sue leered between the two of them with her lips pursed tight. A new thread of respect wove into Johnny’s heart regarding Tony Stark. Out of everyone in this room, Tony was definitely Spider-Man’s biggest champion. He stood up for him when no one else would without being overbearing. He encouraged him when he needed the push and comforted him when he pushed himself too far. He knew about the plane crash, about Spider-Man’s age, and probably much more beyond that that Johnny would never know. It made him wonder how they’d met, and what circumstances had led to Stark discovering Spider-Man’s alter ego. 

The tension in the air gradually dissipated as Tony clapped Spider-Man on the shoulder, who stood with his head slightly hung. 

“Great. Glad that’s settled. Mr. Storm, I believe you’re up next.”

_______________________________

There wasn’t much else to show beyond what everyone had already seen during yesterday’s spar between him and Spidey. Still, the Human Torch did his best to dazzle the spectators, shooting a Fourth of July’s worth of fire and sparks from his fists as he zoomed above their heads. For many, the spotlight was something to avoid at all costs: a scrutinizing glare steeped in poison and judgment. For Johnny, it was irresistible. He loved being the center of attention. He loved drawing every eye in the room. He loved being observed and envied and adored. Whether online or in the news or in magazines or in person, Johnny felt most alive when he was captivating an audience. But for once, Johnny would be happy captivating just one person in the crowd. 

The flames he painted across the ceiling reflected in the whites of Spider-Man’s eye lenses as he gazed up at him from below. Even though Sue’s belligerent questioning had clearly shaken him, the masked hero did his best to cheer him on, whooping and clapping whenever Johnny maxed out one of his abilities. It made his face hurt from smiling and his cheeks tint pink—which was odd, since people cheered and clapped for him everywhere he went, and it never made him react this way. Why did it mean so much more when it was him doing it? Johnny masked his bashfulness behind a layer of fire as best he could. No wonder Spidey was so keen on hiding his face.

Stark’s devices recorded all of the highest metrics Johnny hit for each power—from how fast he could fly to how far he could shoot fireballs to how hot he could get when he went full supernova. Sue had to trap him inside a giant forcefield for them to measure that one without him accidentally frying everyone to death, which rendered both of them weak and sweaty. 

“5,098 degrees Kelvin,” Stark announced, swatting away the smoke Johnny’s fireworks display had created. “That’s a helluva lotta firepower, kid.”

Johnny also discovered a few limits to his powers—such as his inability to light himself ablaze while submerged in or sprayed with water. Similarly, he couldn’t stay ignited in a low-oxygen environment, but Johnny figured he’d have bigger things to worry about if he ever found himself in that situation. 

Next was Bucky, then Ben, then Antman, then Reed. Johnny made a gagging motion when Sue’s boyfriend was on just to piss her off and make Spider-Man smother a laugh. After Susan demonstrated her powers, Spider-Man tried to sneak away for his promised midday siesta, but Johnny snagged him by the arm and held him hostage, threatening to die of boredom if left all alone without anyone to make fun of the others with. So the masked hero stayed, the two of them whispering and giggling back and forth throughout the next four demos, then through lunch, then through the remaining Avengers’ power displays, withering beneath Susan’s occasional death glares, then picking right back up where they’d left off once she had looked away. 

By the time the demonstrations were over, it was nearly evening. As the huddle of murmuring superheroes began to fan towards the exits, Johnny jumped in front of Spider-Man before he had a chance to escape. 

“Nuh-uh! You can’t take a nap now! It’ll be nighttime in just a couple hours! If you go to bed before dark, you’ll completely ruin your sleep schedule. It’d be irresponsible of me not to force you to stay up.”

“I’m not going to bed,” Spider-Man giggled, not-so-subtly suppressing a yawn. “I’m just gonna grab a snack before heading out on patrol.”

“Patrol?” Johnny repeated back. “Patrol for what?”

“For the city,” he explained. “You know, swinging around town, stopping any crime I happen upon, helping anyone who looks like they need it. It’s how I spend most of my evenings.”

Johnny frowned. “Really? I didn’t know the Avengers did that kind of thing. That’s actually really cool. Very down-to-earth of them.”

“They don’t do that kind of thing,” Spider-Man clarified, then backtracked. “I mean, they might—you know, every now and then, when there aren’t any major threats to deal with. But for most of my evening street-crime patrols, I go alone.”

Johnny’s jaw fell just slightly. “Alone?”

“Uh…” Spidey said, suddenly self-conscious. “Yes?” 

“You mean…you do superhero stuff without your team?”

Spider-Man shrugged. “Yeah. Of course.” A second later, he narrowed his eyes. “Wait—you don’t?”

The Human Torch shook his head. “No. We always do everything together—interviews, talk show appearances, and any crime fighting missions we go on. We all got our powers together, so I guess it felt natural for us to use them together. I never even considered going at it by myself.”

“That makes sense,” Spider-Man conceded with a nod. “I guess I’m the opposite. I was doing all of it on my own until Mr. Stark reached out. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to fight alongside big time superheroes like the Avengers. Now that I am, working with a team has actually been a big adjustment for me. Fighting crime by myself is kinda my default setting.”

“And your team is okay with it? You patrolling the city alone?”

The masked hero scratched his neck timidly. “I assume so? We all kind of do our own thing on our own terms for the most part. I’m just continuing to do what I’ve always done. I’ve never felt the need to ask anyone’s permission for it.”

Johnny cracked into a wide smile. “Wait. That’s actually so cool. So you just go out by yourself whenever you want? Fighting crime on your own without any teammates bossing you around or yelling in your ear?”

“I didn’t realize this was such a groundbreaking concept,” Spider-Man admitted. 

“It is for me! Sue would have my head if I ever tried something like that. All of them are so goddamn controlling.” An idea suddenly came to him that made his heart glow with excitement. Johnny grabbed Spidey by the shoulders, making the teen hero tense in surprise. “Oh my god. Can I come with you tonight?”

Spider-Man blinked. “Where? On patrol?”

“Yes! Let’s have a superhero team-up night! Spider-Man and the Human Torch, the unstoppable dynamic duo! We can work together to fight criminals and save lives!”

Spidey’s voice brightened with enthusiasm. “Really? You’d wanna do that?”

“Of course! Would you?”

“Are you kidding me? Yes! Absolutely, yes! I’ve wanted a Spider-Man-Johnny Storm team-up for as long as you’ve been a superhero!”

Johnny snickered. “Oh right, I forgot. You’re one of my most adoring fans. This must be like a dream come true for you. Guess it’s your lucky day, bug boy.”

Spider-Man punched his shoulder with a laugh. “You’re the one asking me for a team-up, remember? If anyone’s the fanboy around here, it’s you.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. “In your dreams, Webhead. So we’re down for tonight?” 

“So down,” Spidey beamed, only to deflate a couple seconds later. “But wait. Didn’t you just say your sister would kill you if you did something like this?”

Johnny frowned. “I believe the phrase I used was ‘have my head.’”

The masked hero sighed. “Then why are we even entertaining the idea? We can’t do it.”

“What? Why?”

“Why? Because she’ll dismember us both if we’re caught! First you with a giant knife-shaped force field, then me with a thousand tiny ones! That’s why!”

“I was exaggerating,” Johnny assured him, waving dismissively. “Sue’s all talk. If she does find out, the worst I’ll get is a lecture about safety and maintaining our image to the public. Nothing I haven’t had to endure a million times already.”

“And me?” Spider-Man ventured to ask.

“You? Oh, you’ll be fine. I’ll take the fall for it if it comes to that. I’ll say it was all my idea. That you tried to talk me out of it, but I forced you to let me tag along. Which is pretty much what’s happening anyway.” Johnny’s expression hardened. “I’m sick of living in fear of my sister’s disapproval. I’m sick of trying to be the superhero she wants me to be. I think it’s about time I started being the superhero I want to be—the kind who teams up with awesome people like you whenever I feel like it, taking names and kicking ass.”

Spidey still didn’t look convinced. “It’s not just your sister’s disapproval you’ll have to worry about,” he reminded him. “If you’re seen working with me in public, all the people who hate and distrust Spider-Man could come after you, too. News organizations like the Bugle can turn the whole world against someone overnight. We can’t risk your reputation like that—hell, your whole team’s reputation. It’s not worth it.”

“You underestimate how much people love me,” Johnny countered smugly. 

“You underestimate how much people hate me,” Spider-Man retorted feebly. 

Johnny winced at the resignation in his voice, then offered him a hesitant smile. “Well, guess what? I’m all about charity work. So I’m willing to put my spotless reputation on the line to lift poor, third-rate superheroes such as yourself up out of the dredges. It’s the least I can do.”

“I don’t want you sacrificing your relationship with the public just to hang out with me,” Spidey insisted, unfazed by his joke. “Trust me: you do not want my unpopularity rubbing off on you.” 

Johnny wrinkled his brow. “And trust me when I say that’s not going to happen. If anyone’s rubbing off on anyone here, it’s gonna be me gifting you with the rep-cleansing magnificence that is my presence.”

Spider-Man started to say something else, but Johnny silenced him by clapping a hand over his mouth. “Look, we can keep going back and forth on this ‘til we’re both blue in the face, or we can head downstairs and stuff our faces with Oreos before taking to the streets to bust some criminal ass as the most iconic superhero duo this world will ever see. I want to do this. You want to do this. So how’s about you shut that chatty little trap of yours, and we just go.”

Spidey stared at him in bewildered silence for a few moments. It was only then that Johnny realized how close they were standing, how tiny and perfect Spider-Man’s lips felt against his palm though the thin fabric of his mask. An intrusive desire to run his thumb around the outline of Spider-Man’s mouth made Johnny’s ears redden. The young vigilante broke the spell by offering him a slow, relenting nod. Grinning triumphantly, Johnny pulled his hand away from his face.

“Good. Glad we’re all in agreement.”

“Can I ask you something?” the masked hero blurted out. The urgency in his tone made it seem like he was about to say something profound, which caught Johnny off guard. The Human Torch met his gaze, heartbeat thumping a little faster.

“Uh, yeah. Sure. What’s up?”

Spider-Man rubbed at his forearms, shooting a glance over his shoulder to make sure a passing Tony Stark wouldn’t overhear. When he opened his mouth again, he spoke in a hushed tone, as if he were asking for classified intel on Russia’s nuclear codes.

“Do you, um…like pineapple on pizza?”

Johnny just stared at him, a line gradually forming between his eyes. “Do I like pineapple on pizza?” he parroted, puzzled. 

“Yeah! You know, like, in general.”

Johnny wasn’t sure where this was going, but found himself breaking into a tentative smile. 

“Uh…yeah. I do. That’s my favorite kind of pizza, actually.”

Spider-Man sat up a little straighter and leaned in a bit closer. “Really?” he said, voice charged with delight. 

“Yeah. Pineapple with olives and ham. Some people find it gross, but hey—more for me.”

To Johnny’s surprise, Spidey burst into giggles like he’d just told him an insanely hilarious joke. The confused frown on the Human Torch’s face buckled into an enamored smile, followed quickly by laughter of his own. He’d never met anyone who possessed such a sunny, contagious laugh. He didn’t even know what the hell they were laughing for—but until Spidey stopped giggling, he doubted he’d be able to, either. 

“What’s so funny?” he managed to ask between chuckles. 

Spider-Man shook his head helplessly. “Nothing, nothing,” he snickered, clutching his ribs with his eyes squeezed shut. “Too convoluted to explain, heh.”

Johnny snorted, placing a hand on his hip. “All right then, weirdo. Why do you care what kind of pizza I like? Were you wanting to go grab some?”

“No, that’s okay,” Spider-Man insisted. He breathed in deep to try to compose himself, pressing a hand to his chest. “Well, maybe later, if you want. I only asked ‘cuz I was curious.”

“What about you? Do you like pineapple on pizza?”

Spidey looked befuddled by the inquiry, as if he’d never expected his own question to be redirected back on him. After a few seconds in thought, a small chuckle escaped him. 

“No. I hate it. I’m team pepperoni all the way.” 

Johnny stuck out his tongue. “Ugh. Of course you are. Just when I thought you couldn’t get any more lame.”

“Johnny?”

The two teens flinched at the foreboding call. They turned to see Susan standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, face scrunched, eyes locked in their direction.

“I’ll come find you in a bit,” Johnny whispered, shoving Spider-Man towards the door. “Go on. I’ll catch up.”

It took a bit more pushing and coaxing, but eventually, Spidey obliged, glancing gingerly over his shoulder as he jogged out of the practice field and out of sight. Johnny watched him go, admiring the pretty shapes that made up his figure. Before he’d even turned back around, Sue was behind him, voice low and frigid.

“I get it now. What’s going on.”

Johnny glared at her, sparks spitting off his tongue. 

“Yeah? And what might that be?”

“I’ve warned you—I’ve fucking pleaded with you,” Sue sighed, kneading her temples with her forefingers. By now she seemed more exasperated than upset. “But it’s obvious you’re not going to listen to me. I guess we’re all just gonna have to sit back and watch you make the same mistake over and over again. This time, tanking all of our credibility along with you.”

Johnny scoffed, jerking away from her. “Oh, thank god. Does this mean no more abrasive lectures every five minutes? That you’re finally gonna stop riding my ass over every little thing? Have my prayers to Apollo finally been answered?”

Sue held his gaze mournfully. “I only hope I can salvage whatever’s left after all this for the sake of the team—you know, the closest thing we have to a real family.”

Johnny barked out a bitter laugh. “You’re beyond dramatic,” he said. “After today, Ben and Reed seem willing to work with Spider-Man. You’re the only one left holding weird grudges against him based on false allegations from biased assholes. You’re the person sabotaging our partnership with the Avengers by insulting him for no reason in front of his entire team. I’m not the one making mistakes around here—you are.” 

Johnny moved to leave, but his sister grabbed him by the arm, which wasn’t like her at all.

“It’s not going to happen, Johnny,” she said, ice splintering between each word. “I’m sorry, but it’s not. You’ve got to stop this. You’ll only end up breaking your own heart again.”

Red-hot plasma flooded Johnny’s veins. He wrenched free of her grip and stomped out the door, burning footprints into the turf with every step. 

“Whoa! Hey! Are you okay?”

The Human Torch startled when Spider-Man greeted him in the room adjacent to the practice field, his body language dripping with concern. Johnny’s shoulders sank.

“Did…did you hear all of that?” he asked hollowly.

“I didn’t hear anything,” the masked hero assured him. He pointed reluctantly at his head. “It’s just, er, your hair. And shoulders. They’re on fire.”

The heat of his anger was quickly replaced with a warm rush of embarrassment. Johnny doused the flames immediately, running his fingers through his scalp. “Oh. Right. Sorry. Sue just—pissed me off, as usual, but it’s fine. I’m fine now.”

“Are you sure? You looked like you were about to fry a hole clean through the floor.”

Johnny nodded, forcing an unconvincing laugh from his throat. “I think I’m just hangry. That’s all. Where’d you say those snacks were again?”

After a small hesitation, Spider-Man let him get away with the pathetic deflection, voice brightening cautiously. “The kitchen we were in this morning has some. But the best snacks in the whole tower are on the 8th floor. They’re in this secret tub-looking thing inside one of the side tables by the TV, so it’s possible they’re not meant for us. But if that’s the case, whoever owns them should’ve hidden them better, so I say they’re fair game. Come on—I’ll show you!”

Johnny watched the masked hero skip across the room towards the elevator. Fluttering butterflies crashed into icicles of dread in the pit of his stomach. Sue was right. She was always right. As much as he hated to admit it, she knew him better than anyone. Why was he putting himself through this again? How much self-inflicted torment would it take for him to finally learn his lesson?

He pulled at his hair and gave his head a firm shake, warding off the mist stinging in the corners of his eyes. It didn’t have to be this way. They were friends. It could stay like that. Nothing had to change. If he could only get his mind and his heart to cooperate, everything would be okay. 

When Johnny joined Spider-Man in the elevator, the webhead bumped his shoulder against his. “You sure you’re all right? You can still back out of this if you want to. I won’t hold it against you.”

Grimacing, Johnny turned to look at him. At his wiry shoulders. His goofy, wide-eyed mask. The jagged angles that made up his arms, legs, and waist. At the hand hanging so close to his, the edges of their knuckles brushed when he reached forward to press the button for the 8th floor. 

“I’m good,” he managed to say. Those were all the words he felt capable of conjuring at the moment. His pulse was racing too fast. Their bodies were standing too close. A new kind of flame was kindling inside him—something far more dangerous than anger or malice. Johnny locked his gaze in front of him, pursing his lips, clenching his fists, internally pummeling himself with a hundred fiery punches, Sue’s poisonous plea searing into his blood. He let Spidey talk for the rest of the way down, a sensation all too familiar piercing through his heart, tingling at his fingertips, and pressing into his peripherals.

Fuck me, he thought miserably, turning away from the masked vigilante as he yammered on and on, pinching his eyes so tight they ached. Why am I like this?

Why did he always have to fall for the straight ones?