#we get not 1 not 2 but 3 smiles from edwin

[sweetlullabyebye]

Second hug scene dearly beloved

[demonic0angel]

Inmate Dan part 2 where he meets the other orange jumpsuit "friends" in Arkham Asylum?

Part 1, part 3

"Ooh, Wraith!" Harley called, pointing to Jonathan. "That's Scarecrow! We call 'em Johnny!"

"No, you don't," he spat. "What're you doing here, Harley?"

"That's Dr. Quinzel to you, Dr. Crane!" Harley said faux-pompously, sticking out her tongue.

Wraith paused and his eyes lit up. "Wait, Dr. Quinzel? Youngest psychiatrist in the tri-state area? And Dr. Crane? Professor at Gotham University?"

Ivy leaned closer to Wraith and hissed a warning, "Stay away from him. He once drove two inmates to suicide only by speaking. He's dangerous."

Wraith grinned and his teeth flashed with fangs as he stared at Jonathan with interest. "Hello, Doctor," Wraith said, his deep voice almost a purr, "Could I get an autograph, please?”

Jonathan stared at him cooly and then he nodded once, although he looked slightly confused.

Wraith slipped a hand inside of himself, making everyone around him pause in shock as he then pulled out a textbook and a pen. He handed it to Jonathan, who stared at the textbook with a strange look before signing it. As Wraith placed it back inside of himself, he pulled out another book and let Harley sign it.

Delightedly, she realized that it was a book that she published.

“You’re a meta,” Jonathan said. “You seem powerful, so why didn’t you escape? How come you were captured?”

Wraith shrugged with a light smile. “My sister told me to relax and enjoy myself here. She also told me to explore what I want. I heard that there was a particularly hated criminal in here, so I wanted to see what the fuss was all about, so I let myself be captured.” He sighed a little. “My little birdie also personally handcuffed me, so I couldn’t get out.”

Harley tilted her head, catching onto a piece of information. “Who was it that you were interested in?”

“Someone named Clown? Jester? No, it was….”

“Joker,” everyone besides Wraith muttered disdainfully. They were all criminals who did violent things, but no one was as vile as the Joker.

Wraith hummed and nodded. “Yes, him. I wanted to see what he looked like. Thank you for signing the book, Dr. Quinzel, Dr. Crane. My sister is a huge fan and she’s studying psychiatry right now.”

Both Jonathan and Harley smiled. “That’s good!” Harley squealed. “Tell her that I’m rooting for her!”

Wraith nodded with a small, genuine smile, and Harley then dragged him around to introduce him to the other inmates, Ivy following behind as a silent guard.

He was surprisingly civil. Wraith treated Waylon with no fear or disgust despite his appearance, chatted calmly about law with Harvey (since his sister also studied law. She seemed to be a sort of genius), exchanged riddles and puzzles with Edwin, and was generally pleasant and even friendly to the other inmates.

However, he couldn’t hide his true nature to Harley. Wraith didn't allow anyone to touch him unless he initiated it. Although he seemed calm and collected, he was unable to hide his disgust and hatred of the general population. It seemed as though in general, he hated everyone around him. He had no fear of the guards and even seemed amused by the more frightening prisoners of Arkham Asylum. Although he was polite, it was clear that he hated them all, even Harley and Ivy.

Harley was utterly fascinated.

Eventually, after exploring the yard where the many inmates were lingering around, Wraith asked, “Where’s the Joker?”

Ivy answered, “He’s in solitude. He’s too dangerous to be around.”

Wraith frowned. “Where’s that?”

Harley giggled and said, “You wanna see him that badly? Maybe I’ll show you!” She wanted to see more of Wraith’s reactions, to study him like a bug. She also wanted to see what it would take to make Wraith enjoy her and Ivy’s presences.

“Harley!” Ivy scolded. “I don’t want you around him anymore! He’s a hazard to your safety and health!”

“It’s fineeee,” Harley said, dancing around her playfully, “I can take it! I just wanna show Wraith what he looks like! I promise not to fall for Mr. J anymore! Pleaseee, Ivy?”

In the end, Ivy relented and they snuck to the area of the asylum where the Joker stayed.

They dodged past the lazy guards and eventually, they were in front of the Joker’s cell. Harley stepped in front of his cage, suppressing a shiver as she looked inside.

There he was, her worst nightmare, wrapped up in a straitjacket and already watching her with a cold, cold gaze and a wide smile.

Why had she done this again?

The Joker laughed when she saw her. “Harley!” He crooned. “Here to release me? I knew you’d come around.”

This time, Harley couldn’t suppress the full shudder. “No thanks!” She snapped. “I’m not your lil doll anymore! You can’t order me around!”

The Joker’s friendly expression immediately twisted into a glare as he snarled. “I made you! And I can break you. You’re nothing but a harlequin, a toy for me to do what I want with! You’re nothing without me!”

Ivy bristled and she moved to pull back Harley, who was almost in tears, when Wraith moved first. He phased through the metal doors and with one casual click of bones breaking, the Joker laid slumped into his cell, quieted forever.

Wraith stepped back out and both Ivy and Harley scrambled to look back inside, recognizing the sound of a neck snapping, but unable to comprehend how easily it took.

Harley sputtered, “W-W-What?!”

Wraith shrugged.

“He was annoying. And I hate clowns.”

[larluce]

Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

Tagging @aceauthorcatqueen , @fallenxjas , @smileytrinity ,@lucifertookmyshoe , @an-entity-i-think , @thecornerofbelu , @griffonskies , @odinjm , @cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu , @thelady-mary , @bennedict , @nightninjaboy , @st8-of-grace , @star-rie , @error-username-not-available , @dogberryrowan , @jamieweasley13 , @tansyuduri , @tercais , @robynnemrys , @evadne01 , @serasvictoria02 The tag list is increasing! I'm crying 🤧. Again thank you so much for all the love. I've been sick in bed, all depressed cause I couldn't speak or sing (I'm a musical theater student) and reading your comments cheer me up ^^.

LINKS TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS AU HERE: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 , PART 12 , PART 13 , PART 14 (You're here) , PART 15

In "Remedy to Cure All Ills"

Arthur pacing around in his chambers after Morgana fell sick and he encountered Edwin.

Arthur: (thinking, trying to convince himself) She's evil, she's going to become evil, it's okay if she dies. She's evil, she's going to become evil, she must die. She's evil, she's going to- (Shouts and throws a lamp againts a wall, furious with himself)¡AAARRGH!(sinks in a couch an covers his face, thinking miserably) Why can't I let her die? I watched her take her last breath before my eyes before, damn it! This shouldn't hurt this much.

Merlin: (enters) Arthur?

Arthur: (sighs and takes his hands out of his face, exhausted) Don't you know how to knock?

Merlin: (with a comforting smile) You know I never do that. (gets close and puts himself infront of Arthur, bending down to be at his height) She's going to be alright, Arthur. She's strong. You'll see.

Arthur: (smiles back, but it doesn't reach his eyes) A man came to the castle this morning. He claims he can cure her. (thinking) Of course he can, he was the one who did this to her.

Merlin: (thinking, wary) Edwin... (says) How could he? Not even Gaius knows what's wrong with her.

Arthur: He says he has a remedy to cure all ills.

Merlin: That doesn't exist. It's impossible.

Arthur: I know that! But what other option do we have? Morgana is dying and we are farther from close to find a cure! We don't lose anything by trying (thinking) And we gain everything by doing it. Once he cures her I can kill him.

Merlin: (puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, hesitantly, but relaxes when Arthur doesn't reject the touch) You really love her a lot, don't you?

Arthur: (with unshed tears) We grow up together. She's like a sister to me. I can't let her die. (Thinking) Even when she doesn't share the same sentiment. I just can't.

Merlin: Wait till tomorrow. If she doesn't get better, you can fetch the man.

Arthur: I'm the prince, Merlin. You can't tell me what to do.

Merlin: But?

Arthur: It's too late the fetch the man now. I'll wait till tomorrow.

Merlin: (smiles) Wise as always, my lord.

Arthur: (caresses the hand on his shoulder, lovinly) Thank you, Merlin.

Merlin: (blushes, nervous) 😳 I... I didn't do anything.

Arthur: You did. (Looks at Merlin's eyes intendly) Thank you. (They stare a each other, faces inches from the other).

Merlin: (snaps out of it and moves away) I-I need to go 😅 (smiles nervously and walks backwards) Eh... Physician apprentice things to do- (collides whit the table and some things fall and he picks them up quickly) Sorry!

Arthur: (laughs softly) Don't stay awake late. Rest.

Merlin: Right... you too. I'll be back to dress you in a minute, so don't sleep until I get back! 😅 (Leaves, thinking) 'Don't sleep until I get back'? Really? 😳😖🤦‍♂️

Arthur: (Sighs, thinking) Sleep. If only I could.

It's rare the times Arthur has a good night of sleep. Nightmares or rather memories of the time Merlin was a tree always assault his mind. Specially the time Merlin was turned before his eyes and he couldn't do anything about it, too weak from his wound, too useless. It's better now that Merlin sleeps in the antechambers. He just has to open the door and watch him sleep there peacefully, human and alive, and his heart is at easy again. Now with Morgana at death's door there's no way he's going to catch any sleep at all.

Arthur: (whispers to himself) I still have time. Tomorrow. Just wait until tomorrow.

Time skip. For everyone's surprise, Morgana wakes in the morning all cured, like she has never been ill in the first place.

Uther: (happy and relieved) Morgana! (Goes to her) This is truly a miracle. I thought... I really thought...

Morgana: (smiles) Oh, you won't get rid of me that easily.

Arthur: We certainly won't. (Just as realived and happy, puts hand on her shoulder, unconsciously) I'm glad you're alright, Gana.

Morgana: (surprised he's showing affection to her again, but touched) Gana... You haven't called me like that since we were kids.

Arthur: (realising he put a hand on her shoulder and puts it away) Right. Sorry, I know you don't like it.

Morgana: (messing with him) Oh, you can call me like that if you want. If you let me call you... Art? Arthie?

Arthur: Don't you dare! (He threatens but then they both laugh and look at each other fondly)

Gaius: I still need to make a few tests to see if she is really out of danger, but for what I can see, she'll be fully recovered in no time, sire.

Uther: Of course. Thank you, Gaius.

Gaius: I don't consider this was exactly my doing (looks at Merlin significantly and Merlin makes himself small in his place). But I'm glad to be of service as always, your majesty. I'll prepare some concoctions to prevent any outbrake just in case. (Makes a bow and it's about to leave, but then turns to Merlin sternly) Merlin?

Merlin: (sighs) Coming (bows quickly and leaves with him)

Uther: (frowns, thinking) Is it my idea or did he vow in the direction of Arthur alone?

Arthur: (who saw all the exchange between mentor and ward) I'll go to inform everyone the good news. Morgana, father (smiles politely makes a bow to both of them and leaves too)

Morgana: (sighs, a little sad, thinking) And cold Arthur is back.

Time skip. In Gaius Tower. Gaius scolding Merlin.

Gaius: You used magic on the king's ward?! What were you thinking?!

Merlin: I was thinking that I didn't want her to die! She's my friend and she's very dear to Arthur-

Gaius: Arthur, Arthur. Is what all this is about isn't it? I know he's the prince and you care for him. But let me remind you, he's still the prince of a kingdom that bans magic. Do you have any idea of what would have happened to you if someone discovered you? if someone have seen you?

Merlin: (explodes) Yes I know! Of course I know! Every time a wake up, every time I breathe, I know I could be killed at any moment. I watch every pyre that is made fearing maybe I could be next. I watch every friendly face, knowing that if they knew, if they only knew, they'll see me like a monster. I have to look at Uther, the man that would have me executed, the murderer of all my kind, and I have to serve him and smile at him trying to no throw up every day. So yes I perfectly fucking know, Gaius!

Gaius: ...

Merlin: (with teary eyes and his voice breaks) But I can't stop doing it, I can't separate myself from it. And I tried, believe me I tried, but I can't. Magic is part of me, is who I am. So I'll use it however I see fit, whenever I can, because no one knows the risks of using magic in a kingdom that forbids my very existence better than I do!

Silence...

Gaius: You're right. I don't understand it. I will never understand it. Magic was never to me what it is to you. I'm sorry I didn't see it before.

Merlin: It's alright. I know you only worry about me.

Gaius: It's more than that. (puts both of his hands on Merlin's shoulders) Merlin, in this short time I've known you, you've become like a son to me. I can't bare to lose you.

Merlin: (smiles) You won't lose me. I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you.

Gaius: Then for the sake of this old man, stop doing these things behind my back.

Merlin: Only of you promise to help me rather than forbid me of doing things. I still need guidance, I still need you.

Gaius: Alright (he hugs him close and then pulls away). Lets start with how you cured Lady Morgana. I don't recall giving you any healing magic classes.

Merlin: I didn't have to, I just had to call this little one out of her ear. (pulls out a beetle from his pocket) I think it was what was making her sick. Do you know what it is?

Gaius: (alarmed) Don't touch it! (picks a jar and opens it) Put it here. Now! (Merlin does it and Gaius closes the jar) It's an Elanthia Beetle. They can be enchanted to enter the brain, feed on it until they devour the person's very soul. Thank the gods you managed to pull it out.

Merlin: (who already knew all this, but still has to play ignorant) So Morgana was echanted? By who?

Gaius: There are many sorcerers who wish to cause harm to the crown, my boy. But, whoever it is, once they find out their plan failed, they are going to try again.

Time skip. Merlin leaves Gaius tower with Morgana's concoctions and almost jumps out of his skin, when he sees Arthur is there at the door.

Merlin: (scared, but trying to disimulate, closing the door behind him) Arthur! How long have you been there?

Arthur: (who heard the whole conversation, very affected) I... I just arrived.

Merlin: (relieved, but concerned for Arthur's state) Arthur, are you alright? What is it? (with growing panic) Are you ill? Did something happen to Lady Morgana? Arthur, answer me!

Arthur: (hugs Merlin suddenly)

Merlin: (too stuned to say anything) ...

Arthur: (Pulls Merlin closer to him, thinking) 10 years. You suffered my father's reign and then I made you still live in fear for 10 years.

Merlin: (red and still very concerned) Not that I'm not enjoying this gesture, sire. But, please, say something. I'm going to freak out.

Arthur: (pulls away gently) Nothing's wrong, Merlin. It just... seemed like you needed it.

Merlin: (confused) ... right. (Thinking) He must still be sensitive about Morgana. (coughs, trying to hide his red face) I have to... ehm... give Morgana her concoctions so...

Arthur: (playfully) Are you blushing?

Merlin: No.

Arthur: Your ears are red.

Merlin: They are not!😡

Arthur: Yes, they are. It's hard not to notice. They're as big as your face.

Merlin: Not as big as your fat ass!

Arthur: Have you been staring? 😏

Merlin: (even more red) I...😳 stop wasting my time, get out of my way!😡

Arthur: That's no way to talk to your prince, Merlin.

Merlin: Fine (with exaggerated courtesy). Your highness, my lord, sire, would you make me the enormous honor to remove your royal, pompous, supercilious presence out of my way?

Arthur: (laughs, but steps aside)

Merlin: Thank you, my lord. I'll be forever in debt with you. (Bows in mockery and leaves)

Arthur: (thinking, as he watches him leave) You chose to save Morgana with your magic this time. You shouldn't have risk it. But thank you. You won't have to suffer for so long this time. I'll create I world where you feel safe, you won't have to hide and be scared anymore. I promise.

[lesbicosmos]

day 1 of @palasakiweek !!!

day 1 prompt: hurt/comfort / sickfic

summary: crystal's on her period and suffering with it. niko helps with movies, noodles and cuddles.

notes: wrote this for my girlfriend :3 ( @giolovesyousm ilysm <33 )

also on ao3!!

found the place to rest my head (never let me go)

Niko awoke to the loud repetitive beeping of her alarm. She reached over to turn it off, but stayed lying down for a few minutes, just looking around her room. It was strange seeing all her things organised so differently – she may not have been living in Port Townsend for very long in the grand scheme of things, but she’d gotten used to where everything was there; everything had its place in the one huge room that was her apartment. Now, it was all different. The bedroom itself was smaller, so her bookshelves had all been pushed together and there was less wall space for her many posters. It was a welcome change, but a month after moving in, she was still getting used to it. Although, anything was worth it when there were other things mixed in with hers. She wasn’t alone anymore - she had Crystal. Crystal’s clothes were hung amongst hers in the surprisingly large wardrobe in their room, Crystal’s music posters joined her anime ones on the wall, Crystal’s long purple jacket hung right next to her thick green one on the back of the bedroom door. Having a roommate was brilliant, but even better that she was her girlfriend.

Niko rolled over, intending to gently wake the girl in question up – she always managed to sleep through the alarm somehow – only to find the other side of the bed completely bare, the space where Crystal should have been lying so cold, as though not having been slept on in hours.

Worried, she got out of bed, slid on her bright pink dressing gown and left the room. It really wasn’t like Crystal to go anywhere without telling Niko first, especially this early in the morning on a day they were supposed to be meeting Charles and Edwin at the office.

“Crystal?” she asked into the quiet of the apartment.

“’M’in the kitchen,” came a quiet response.

Niko entered the kitchen to find Crystal sitting at their small two-seater table with a cup of coffee in her hands. Her hair was strewn everywhere and she had bags under her eyes as she smiled weakly.

“You’re up early,” Niko said, walking over and dropping a kiss to the top of her girlfriend’s head on her way to the fridge.

“Does it count as being up early if you didn’t sleep in the first place?” Crystal replied as Niko poured herself a glass of orange juice.

“Oh. You okay?”

“Y’know how I started my period yesterday?”

Niko nodded.

“Yeah well, cramps decided to hit just as I was trying to get to sleep last night,” Crystal groaned, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Oh no. They’re bad?” Niko put her glass down on the table across from Crystal, instead running her hand through her girlfriend’s hair. Crystal relaxed slightly. “Day 2 always hits you hard, doesn’t it?”

“Yep. Took painkillers at like 6, they’re barely doing anything. What time is it now?”

“Just after 8."

Crystal’s eye’s widened in panic.

“Shit. We said we’d be at the office for 9.”

She made to move but Niko gently pushed her back into her chair, shaking her head.

“Nuh uh. You need to rest,” she insisted.

“But we’ve got new clients coming in, Charles and Edwin-”

“Charles and Edwin have been doing this a long time, I think they can manage this one without us.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, apparently unhappy with the idea; but Niko knew Crystal too well by now, could tell she was secretly relieved at not having to leave the flat. “Wait, without us? You don’t have to stay, you know. I’ll be fine.”

“But I want to.” Niko leaned down again, this time pressing a kiss to her forehead. Crystal’s eyes closed and she smiled. “I’ll go tell the boys.”

Niko headed into the living room and picked something up from the coffee table. At first glance, the object looked like a simple rock, like something a child would bring home from a day at the beach. However, it was actually one of two communication devices they had received as payment for a recent case. They were similar to the Spirit Finder stones the boys already had, only these ones were connected to each other, and worked like an audio texting device between any two locations. There was a phone in the office, but Edwin had insisted they use these stones – the phone was for clients only.

She tapped the rock three times, waiting for it to glow white to indicate the connection. She thought it was wild how easily her mind had adapted to the existence of such magical objects. But, she supposed, a lot of things become much more believable after you have two troublesome sprites try to rip you open from the inside, and then get killed by an evil witch’s spell but survive because of a magical bear stone and live in an alternate dimension for a few months until you find a way out. Yeah, that makes a lot of things easier to take in.

“Hey guys!” she spoke into the rock. She didn’t feel the need to check they were there; they always were, especially when the girls were due to go over. “Really sorry but me and Crystal aren’t gonna be there today! Crystal barely slept last night, she’s on her period and she’s not feeling too great so we’re gonna stay home and chill. Hope everything goes well with the new clients!”

She tapped the rock once again to end the message, and waited for a few seconds. Sure enough, the white glow returned and Charles’s voice sounded from the device. None of them had any idea how the sound came from the stone – there were no speakers – but who were they to question magic?

“Hey Niko! That’s fine, we’ll manage without you guys. Hope Crystal’s feeling better soon and we’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

Three taps.

“Yeah, hopefully!”

Niko went to return to the kitchen, but suddenly remembered something, and turned back into the living room, making a beeline for the bookshelf. She pulled a handmade square of quilted fabric off a large mason jar, and was met with groans of disapproval from its residents.

“Too fucking bright!”

“Seriously, are you trying to blind us?”

Kingham and Litty had also returned to the plane of the living when Niko did, and the others continued trying to convince her to get rid of them. Niko had refused. They had, after all, helped her come back, so it was the least she could do to not, you know, drown them or anything. She’d mentioned wanting to free them but changed her mind when she was met with looks of horror from Edwin and Charles.

“We really don’t need a dandelion epidemic in the middle of London, Niko.”

“Yeah I think keeping them in the jar is for the best.”

They’d complained, but didn’t seem too upset with the outcome when they’d been bought a bigger jar. And in the end, Crystal agreed to living in the same apartment as them, as long as they weren’t in their bedroom. So, the bookshelf it was.

“Look, I’m sorry for waking you but I need to talk to you.”

“What is it?”

“Seriously what’s so important you need to wake us up at the fucking ass-crack of dawn.”

“First, it’s like 8am! That’s a normal time to wake up. Second, you guys really need to be less you today.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Crystal’s on her period,” Niko explained. “She’s not feeling great and I really don’t want her having to deal with your…you-ness.”

“Oh boo-hoo!”

“Hey! She’s in pain! Wait- do sprites get periods?”

“Why do you care?” Litty asked, seemingly offended.

“She does,” Kingham nodded, and Litty groaned.

Niko really wanted to ask what exactly a sprite period consisted of given they were trapped in a jar, but she couldn’t get a word in because within thirty seconds, they were yelling at one another.

“Guys! This is exactly what we don’t want. Can you just like…be quiet for one day please?”

“Ugh, fine!”

“Can you at least put the cover back on? If we can’t talk I at least wanna get some fucking sleep.”

“Gladly,” Niko replied. “Now be good.”

With that, Niko placed the quilt back over the jar, blocking out most of the light. She took a deep breath before returning to the kitchen. She’d grown attached to the sprites, especially since they spent so long together in that weird inter-dimensional igloo, but god they could be assholes sometimes.

“Were you just talking to the sprites?” Crystal asked as she walked in.

Niko didn’t know if she’d heard them or if she could tell based on her tense expression. Probably both.

“Yep. They’ve promised they’ll be quiet today,” Niko picked up her glass of orange juice and took a sip, stepping over to stand right next to Crystal.

“Really? You sure they didn’t have their bitchy little fingers crossed behind their backs?” Crystal looked up at her, raising her eyebrows knowingly.

“Okay they probably did. But don’t worry, they won’t disturb us.”

“Thanks.” Crystal leaned into Niko. “What did the boys say by the way?”

“Charles says he hopes you’re feeling better soon.”

“That’s sweet. They’re sure they’ll be fine without us? I feel bad.”

“Crystal, they’ll be fine. They were fine for thirty years before us, right?”

“Debatable,” Crystal snorted.

She had a point.

“Still. You need to rest.”

“Fine.”

“Come on, wanna cuddle on the couch?” Niko stepped back, offering her hand to Crystal.

“God, yes,” Crystal replied, taking it.

“You go get comfy, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Niko pressed a quick kiss to Crystal’s lips before Crystal headed into the living room.

Nothing felt comfortable. Crystal tried to find a position on the sofa that didn’t feel like something was trying to claw its way out of her abdomen chestburster-style, but to no avail. She groaned, having given up trying after five minutes, when Niko walked in. She had two blankets over one arm and was holding a hot water bottle in the other.

“I didn’t know which blanket you’d want so I got the fluffy one and the thin one. I don’t want you getting too hot.”

“Thanks Niko,” Crystal smiled at how sweet her girlfriend was. “I think I’ll be alright with the thin one, especially with the hot water bottle as well.”

“Okay.”

Niko handed her the hot water bottle and the thinner blanket, folding the fluffy one up and placing it on the floor in front of the sofa just in case.

“And…” Niko started, reaching into the pocket of her dressing gown and pulling out a chocolate bar.

“It’s like 8am,” Crystal laughed, taking it from her and putting it on the side table next to the sofa.

“So? You’re allowed chocolate at 8am when you’re on your period. It’s like…the law or something.”

“Thank you.”

“Sorry that it’s just what we had in the cupboard, I can get dressed and go out and get you your favourite if you want-”

“Niko,” Crystal stopped her. “It’s great. You’re already doing more than enough for me, now come and sit down I need you.”

“Oh? What do you need?”

Niko sat down beside her on the sofa. Crystal immediately snuggled up next to her, her head on Niko’s chest and the hand not holding the hot water bottle resting on Niko’s knee.

“Just this,” she sighed.

“Ah. I can do this,” Niko replied, wrapping one arm around her and placing the other hand on top of Crystal’s, intertwining their fingers. “You comfy?”

“Yeah.”

It was nice, just sitting there in silence wrapped up in one another. It was quite the change to their usual day-to-day activities of running around London chasing after spirits and demons. Niko loved moments like these with Crystal, where she was calm and relaxed rather than her usual fiery, snarky, occasionally short-tempered self. Of course, Niko loved that Crystal too. She loved all of her, even the parts she was still trying to accept. Because no matter how mean she’d been in the past, no matter how often she lost her temper or started an argument with Edwin, she was still the person who offered her life for Niko’s after barely knowing her for two days, the person who became her friend when it felt like she was entirely alone, the person who tried her best to help her deal with her grief from her dad and convince her to get back into contact with her mom, the person who held her and cried for her as she died and was the first to pull her into a hug when she returned. She was gorgeous and messy and imperfect, and Niko loved her. She held her closer on the sofa, her hand running through her dark curls.

“I’m kinda glad we’re not working,” Crystal said after a few minutes. “I don’t know if I could handle Edwin’s…Edwin-ness today.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“I know, I know. He’s my friend and I love him like a brother at this point but…God, he can be frustrating at times. I feel like I’d just end up yelling at him when I’m this tired and like…hormonal.”

“It’s not your fault,” Niko comforted.

“I know that too, it’s just, since I got my memories back…like, I was so mean before. I really don’t wanna be that person anymore.”

“Hey.” Niko squeezed the hand she was still holding and kissed Crystal’s head. “You’re not. Who you were in the past…I know she’s technically still part of you but you’re not that girl anymore. You’re kind, and compassionate, and beautiful and sure, sometimes you and Edwin end up at each other’s throats a little but that doesn’t make you a bad person. Like you said, you’re like siblings. Most people are like that with their siblings, I think.”

Crystal looked up at her. In their position, it was difficult but neither really wanted to move.

“Thanks Niko, that really…it means a lot.”

“Well, it’s true.”

Niko leaned down the few centimetres necessary to press a kiss to the tip of Crystal’s nose, making her giggle softly.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Niko asked.

“Sure."

“What do you wanna watch?”

“I dunno,” Crystal shrugged. “You pick.”

“You sure?”

Crystal nodded as Niko reached for the remote.

♡ ⚢ ♡

Four hours went by in a comfortable domestic quiet, the two of them cuddled up together on the sofa watching the movies Niko picked, until the credits began rolling at the end of Princess Mononoke and Niko heard Crystal’s stomach rumble.

“You hungry?” she asked.

“Yeah, I didn’t exactly eat breakfast this morning. The only thing I’ve eaten is that chocolate we shared halfway through the first movie.”

“I’ll go and make lunch, what do you want?”

“I dunno,” Crystal shrugged again.

“You’re really not up for making decisions today, huh?” Niko giggled.

“No,” she laughed.

“Wanna try some of my noodles? They’re always good when I’ve got cramps.”

“Sure, what kind are they?”

“Well, my favourite ones are the chilli ones but you might not want those. Spicy and cramps don’t tend to mix. I think we’ve got some chicken ones in the cabinet too, they’re the ones I usually find helps with the pain.”

“Sure.”

“I mean they’re nowhere near as good as the chicken udon my mom used to make, but they’re still good.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Crystal chuckled.

“I’ll go make them, you choose the next movie while I’m gone,” Niko said, untangling her limbs from where they had become indistinguishable from Crystal’s and standing up. “This is supposed to be your day and so far, we’ve watched two Studio Ghibli movies.”

“Hey, I like Ghibli too!” Crystal argued.

“I know but I was the one who chose them so it’s your turn.”

Niko leaned down to press yet another kiss to the top of Crystal’s head before heading into the kitchen. Crystal smiled to herself – that was the fourth head kiss today and it was barely the afternoon. It had become their thing over the last couple months, and had begun when they’d only just got together, back when they were living out of the rarely used spare room of Charles and Edwin’s office. (After the girls finally got a place of their own, with funds from both Crystal’s parents and the Agency’s steady stream of clients helping to pay their rent, the boys redecorated the bedroom for themselves. Crystal didn’t ask why two people who physically couldn’t sleep needed a bedroom. She didn’t want to know.) Whenever Niko left a room, or entered it, or whenever she liked, really, she would kiss the top of Crystal’s head. At first, it was Niko playing on their height difference, the fact her lips were at Crystal’s head-height unless Crystal was wearing her platform boots, but it had become such a routine for them there were no signs of it stopping. Even Edwin found it sweet, though he seemed to feel that way about almost everything Niko did. That was one of the many things the two of them had in common: their overwhelming love for one Niko Sasaki.

♡ ⚢ ♡

Niko returned several minutes later, a pot of noodles in each hand. She handed one to Crystal.

��Hope you like them. Oh, and don’t forget to take some more meds, you could’ve had some like two hours ago.”

“Shit, yeah,” Crystal swore, moving to get up.

Before she could, Niko pulled the box of tablets out of her pocket.

“Thank you,” Crystal sighed.

Soon, the two of them were resettled on the sofa to start the next movie, both with a pot of noodles in their hands, still leaning as far into each other’s space as they could without causing a food-related accident.

“Jeez, I can smell the spice from here,” Crystal laughed.

“Yup,” Niko replied.

“Can I try some?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Niko twisted some of the noodles around the fork, as Crystal leaned forwards to eat them off it. She swallowed, then immediately started coughing.

“Holy shit!”

“You okay?” Niko asked, worried and reaching for the glasses of juice she’d poured them while the noodles were cooking.

“Yep. Just…wasn’t expecting them to be that spicy.”

“Too hot?”

“No, they were good. I like them, I just… yeah I don’t think they’d pair well with the current state of feeling as though my uterus is trying to claw its way out of my body.”

“Oh no…”

“The noodles are helping, though. Thank you.” Crystal smiled, returning her attention to her own non-spicy pot.

“You like them then?”

“Yeah, they’re so good.”

“Good. Did you pick a movie?”

“Yep.”

Crystal picked up the remote, and pressed play. Niko recognised the film immediately.

“Scooby Doo: The Movie? I said pick something you like.”

“Hey I do like this! I was obsessed with this movie when I was like 9. It kickstarted my obsession with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Then I made my dad buy all the Buffy DVDs when I was 12, then that was my favourite show for like two years,” Crystal said proudly.

“Woah."

“Yeah, imagine the shock on my face when I found out demons and supernatural beings and shit were real, and I was kind of one of them.”

“You’re my favourite supernatural being,” Niko said proudly and leaned across to kiss Crystal’s cheek.

“Shut up.”

“Nope,” Niko grinned.

♡ ⚢ ♡

“Hey,” Niko said quietly, around 20 minutes into the movie. “Do you wanna pause the movie a sec? I’ll go put the pots in the trash.”

“Sure.”

Niko stood up and went back into the kitchen, and when she returned less than a minute later, Crystal looked at her and laughed.

“What?” Niko asked.

“I just noticed, your lips are like, bright red.”

“That’ll be the noodles,” Niko giggled.

“You look somehow even more kissable than normal.” Crystal’s head was tilted to the side slightly in the way it always was when she flirted.

“Oh. Really?”

“Mhm.”

Niko barely had chance to sit back down on the sofa before Crystal pulled her in, quickly connecting their lips. Niko kissed back gently at first, not wanting to cause Crystal any more pain than she was already in, but Crystal’s eagerness spurred her on and soon she was pulling her as close as physically possible, both of them seemingly attempting to devour each other’s mouths. Niko tried her hardest to bite back the sounds threatening to escape her throat as Crystal took her bottom lip into her mouth and sucked.

Eventually, they broke apart, for no reason other than the need to breathe.

“Feeling better then?” Niko whispered.

“A little. Still feels like there’s some kind of rave happening in my uterus, but it’s not as bad as it was earlier.”

“Yay, the meds are helping.”

“I think it’s mostly you to be honest. And the noodles. But mostly you. Thank you for this.”

“Of course.”

As much as she wanted to pull Crystal’s lips back to hers, she knew they had all the time in the world for that. So, with one more kiss to the forehead, Niko gently pulled Crystal back into their cuddling on the sofa and pressed play on the movie once again.

♡ ⚢ ♡

“You up for another?” Niko asked after the end credits of Scooby Doo 2 finished rolling a few hours later. “We could watch the 2009 movie, too. You might have had a thing for Sarah Michelle Gellar but I was obsessed with Hayley Kiyoko. Her as Velma was an awakening.”

“Hmm…” Crystal hummed into Niko’s shoulder.

“Are you falling asleep?” Niko giggled.

“No.”

Liar.

“Yes, you are.”

“S’not my fault you’re comfy.”

“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Niko shifted to move but Crystal held her still.

“It’s like 5pm. You’re not tired.”

“I don’t care. You need to sleep in a proper bed.”

Crystal gave in, allowing Niko to lead her into the bedroom and under the covers. Niko left the room, only to come back a few minutes later.

“I refilled your hot water bottle and brought you more meds,” she said, placing them down on the bed.

“Thanks babe,” Crystal muttered, yawning.

After Crystal had taken more painkillers, Niko climbed into bed next to her. Crystal immediately resumed their cuddling from the sofa. Niko never would have expected Crystal to be the clingy type, but she is not complaining.

“You know, I’m genuinely shocked the sprites were actually quiet.”

“Well…when I made them their little quilt I may have asked Edwin to put a silencing charm on it. They were probably yelling at one another all day.”

“Genius,” Crystal laughed, burying her head into Niko’s chest.

She seemed to have made a home on Niko’s chest over the last few months. Even before they got together, they would cuddle up together on the sofa in the office while the boys were out, or in the spare room while they were there, and Crystal would lay her head on her chest, listening intently to her heartbeat as though making sure she was still there. Every time Niko would hum softly, ensuring Crystal felt the vibrations of the sound. It was her wordless way of replying, of reassuring her she was really there, she was back, and she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

“Thank you for today,” she said, her voice more of a mumble against Niko’s pyjamas.

“You don’t need to thank me, it’s what I’m here for.”

“It’s not though, you’re my girlfriend.”

“Well as your girlfriend, it’s my job to be here for you when your period’s kicking your ass.”

“I really don’t deserve you.”

“Hey,” Niko gently took Crystal’s jaw and tipped her head up to look at her. “Yes you do. We both deserve this. Well, you don’t deserve to be in pain, but us lying here together, just…in each other’s space…we deserve this.”

Crystal still didn’t fully believe her. Niko absolutely deserved it, but she still had doubts about herself. She still carried so much guilt for the horrible person she was before she met David, the even worse person she was once he’d really gotten to her. But, she supposed, if someone as intrinsically good yet painfully damaged as Charles could want to be her best friend; if someone as hurt and austere as Edwin could value her friendship and want her around despite their bickering; if someone as sweet and kind and loving as Niko could want her like this, could feel comfortable and safe with her in her arms and want to do everything to help her when she was feeling down, well…maybe she could believe it a little. Maybe she could accept that after everything, despite what she had done in her past, she did deserve something as good as the life she had now, wrapped in the arms of the girl she loved, who loved her so much in return.

“I love you,” she said, squeezing her arms around Niko’s waist even tighter.

“I love you too.”

With one final kiss dropped into her curls, Crystal finally drifted into sleep.

-----

It was around 8pm when Charles picked up the communication stone that sat on one of the many shelves in the office and tapped it three times.

“Hey guys,” he said into the rock. “Just letting you know today went great! It was just a run-of-the-mill haunting in the end, so it’s all sorted now, hope you two are doing okay!”

A minute passes with no reply.

“Guys?” he says again.

Still no reply. Charles put the rock back in its place and walked over to the mirror.

“Charles, you know they said we could only use their bedroom mirror in absolute emergencies,” Edwin said from the desk.

“They’re not replying! This could be an emergency, mate, what if some poltergeist or something got into their flat?”

Without thinking for a second, Charles reached out and tapped the mirror. Ripples appeared centred on the point he touched, and the image changed from a reflection of the office to the view of Crystal and Niko’s bedroom from their dresser. Charles couldn’t help but smile at the sight before him.

“They’re probably just asleep, Niko did mention Crystal barely slept last night.”

Edwin was right. The girls were both lying there, only their heads and shoulders visible poking out of the duvet, Crystal’s head on Niko’s shoulder as they slept soundly.

“Yeah, they are. They’re fine.”

“Good. Now, are you going to help me finish up this case file?”

“’Course love.”

Charles took one last glance through the mirror at the two of them – curled up in each other’s space, holding one another close, the very image of domestic bliss – before tapping the mirror once again, leaving the two of them to their peace.

[fabuladorah]

My top 5 fave DBDA charachters

1. Crystal Palace

2. Charles Rowland

3. Night Nurse

4. Niko Sasaki

5. Jenny The Butcher

Honorable mention: Tragick Mick and Edwin Payne.

WARNING LONG RAMBLING!!

1 - Lemme be superficial first, her looks are simply iconic, i worship her hair and witch-core clothes and the way her powers are potrayed (those white globes, the three eyes, quick flashed) just make me go brwwww. And then there is hee character arc... which is *chef kiss* so, so good: she doesnt know who she is, she thinks people didnt really like her, she is sure her parents are looking for her, her first instict is to be mean, but then for what is she being mean for anyway, so she stops. She drags the boys from Big ol' London all the way to an small town in America just to save a little girl, because she is alone and scared. Her abusive demon ex, even after exorcised, is still haunting her. She offers her life to save an stranger she had just met (an stranger who had been kind, an stranger who had understood her, an stranger who had a place while she didn't). Her abusive demon ex shows that maybe she wasnt a good person after all. She misses her mom. She give away her powers (her strenght, her core) to be free from her abuser. She gets her power back, she buries her abusive demon ex alive in her mind (the place where he had her prisoner) with the help of her FAMILY (she didn't know who she was, she didn't know were she was from now she knows) she wrestles a thousand-year olds witch seconds after gaining her mind power back because she CAN AND SHE WINS. She has her memory back, she was an horrible person, her parents weren't looking for her (she missed her mother) and now she needs to go back home and she needs to make things right. Seriously what's there not love about her? Crystal Palace, please understand, you'll always be famous.

2 - Wait one second *close the door* *inhumans sounds* *open the door* okay now lets start. He is not the brain, he is the brawn, he is the protector. He couldn't protect himself. He died defending a boy he didn't even know, he died because he hated senseless violence, he died by the senseless violence. He fears being a bad person — he think he is a bad person, his father's son. He is terrified, so he'll lie, he'll smile. He was just a boy, he died young, he wanted to grow old, he hates to be dead, but he loves Edwin. He chose Edwin over Heaven — this boy, alone, died young and had been his light during the darkest, final, moment of Charles' life. It was an easy choice. I just really, really love Charles, because of all that, but also because he is charismatic af (all Jayden's hard work) and funny and he foes around with a fucking cricket bar, I should've started with that... he has a cricket bar, your Honour, I rest my case. And and I just love charachters with this """savior complex""", this responsibility of being alright to take care of others, of smile and lighting the mood because no one else will do that.

3 - she's an overworked work and that's my kinda shit. The whole point of her job is to protect and care for the lost children, and being honest to god I know she would shoot a kid right in the head if it meant finish her job and thats so fucked up and hyprocte of her and i just absolutely worship her. Also, her whole life views being changed because of a funny man she met inside of a whale is just--- I think she is underrated, and people are missing her angst potential, but I will not be the one to tell you how to write her because dude my english is going to shit as we speak.

4 - I know this is kinda dissapointing, but my whole reason is that she is Niko. That's it.

5 - She is a dyke running a butch shop, thats actually so cool I could die. On her first appearence I thought she would kill Crystal and the boys (again) and thats how I like my women. Also its really refreshing to seen that there is an adult who cares about these kids... the talks she had with Crystal and Niko, yk, she is so mature and smart and wants to help and she is like so cleary trying not to get attached and failinh tremendously, cmon she saw Crystal going to meet her abusive ex and was like "Nuh uh u aint going alone and I AM TAKING THIS MF CLEVER WITH ME" based af. Local lesbian accidentaly addopts four kids (two of which are dead)

Bonus: okay I feel like I gotta justify myself: I DO NOT HATE EDWIN, okay? I love him, he just didnt make the cut. And about Tragick Mick, cmon he is a goddammned (LITERALLY) seal and runs a funny little shop and saved Niko's life. We love him. We adore him. Tragick Mick may not have the sea, but he has the people!!

[seiya-starsniper]

Six Degrees of Separation - Ch 3 (Sandman x Dead Boy Detectives)

Relationships: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Hob Gadling, Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne/Charles Rowland, Crystal Palace/Charles Rowland (DCU), Johanna Constantine/Jenny Green Rating: Teen & Up | Status: Incomplete | Chapters 3/5 | Words: 3.5K

Tags: POV Multiple, Hob Gadling gives live advice to a bunch of teenagers, while helping them solve cases, that's it that's the fic, also he maybe plays matchmaker for his hot mess bestie

Summary:

The Dead Boy Detectives run into a familiar pub while out on a case, and Crystal has to contend with an unfortunate event from her past. Hob Gadling wasn't planning on adopting three teenagers and a full grown woman, but stranger things have happened in his long centuries of life.

Tumblr Posts: Chapter 1 || Chapter 2

Read Chapter 3 below, or at the above link on AO3

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

Crystal thinks she's being clever by hiding in a corner of the pub away from where most of the staff can see, but somehow, Hob finds her anyway and places a steaming hot mug of tea down on the table in front of her. 

“On the house,” he tells her, and Crystal frowns.

“I can pay,” Crystal tries to insist, reaching for her bag to pull out her wallet. Hob shakes his head and shoos away the attempt, and Crystal doesn’t have it in her to fight too hard. Not today anyways. 

“Next time then,” he tells her with an easy smile. “If I’m being honest, you look like you could use a pick-me-up right now anyways.”

She really could. Crystal imagines she looks like shit. Her eyes are bloodshot from crying, and her nose feels stuffy from all the times she’s blown it in the past hour. She hasn’t even bothered trying to hide the pile of used napkins on the table.

“You did say Tuesdays were slow,” Crystal manages to croak out, trying to keep her voice even as she takes the tea in front of her into shaking hands. 

“I did,” Hob agrees, and then he sits down in the chair opposite her and starts taking out what looks like a pile of homework from his canvas bag. “I actually have some papers to grade, if you want some company. I’m happy to listen if you want to talk about it. Or we can just sit here in silence, if you’d like.”

She does want to talk about it, but the problem is, Crystal doesn’t know where to start. Doesn’t know how to tell Hob, who is both a complete stranger and not a stranger at the same time, that her life is both the best and worst it’s ever been in a very long time. She doesn’t know how to tell him that it’s Niko’s birthday today, and that the giant shopping bag next to her on top of the table is full of dozens of manga volumes she’ll never read, but felt the need to buy because, well because .

But, true to his word, Hob doesn't press her for more conversation, instead focusing immediately on the pile of paperwork he'd stacked. Crystal watches him smile when a student gets the answer right, and frown when they get an answer wrong. Every once in a while, his face takes on a bewildered expression, and Crystal wonders just how terribly bad the answer he’s looking at is.

Crystal wonders if Niko would have been in school now if she hadn't died. She seemed happy to simply solve cases with Crystal and the boys once they’d gotten the parasite out of her, but how long would that have lasted? Did Niko want to go to university? Would she have come to London if Crystal asked her to?

“I walked by a bookshop the other day,” Crystal finally offers, unable to keep the raging storm of emotion to herself any longer. Hob looks up from his paper and puts his pen down. She has his full attention now.

“They had a new volume of a manga out on display,” Crystal continues, glancing over at the shopping bag from that exact same store. “I thought, ‘Oh I should tell Niko, she'll be so excited there’s a new volume out!’ But then I remembered Niko’s not here. Niko's not here because she died trying to save me.”

“Ah,” Hob sighs sympathetically. “You're feeling guilty you're alive and she's not.”

It shouldn’t hurt so much to hear it spoken out loud, but Crystal's tears begin anew. She drops her gaze down to the steaming mug of hot tea and blinks them away as best she can, knowing that the hitch in her breathing gives her away anyways. 

“Survivor's guilt is a bitch,” Crystal says, and just like that, the dam of emotions she’d been holding back finally breaks. “I didn't even get to say goodbye ,” she practically wails into her mug. “We get to say goodbye to all these other strangers, to watch them go into their afterlife and I didn't even get to say goodbye to Niko. I hate it.”

It feels good, to finally get it out there in the open. To put words to her heartache, to the giant, endless maw of raw emotion and guilt. Crystal had tried to vocalize how she’d felt to Charles and Edwin, but they were too used to death, to people moving on. It wasn’t that they didn’t care, but they didn’t know what felt like to be left behind, not really. Not when it was all but guaranteed that they’d always have each other. 

“Life's unfair like that, sometimes,” Hob tells her, and the tone of his voice tells Crystal that the immortal is full of unsaid goodbyes himself. “I’m sorry you didn’t get the chance, truly.”

“You would've liked her,” Crystal replies, wanting to move away from the subject before she has another breakdown. The staff at the bookshop had definitely thought she’d gone through a bad breakup when she was paying for everything. Crystal looks back up at Hob and gives him a wry smile. “Probably way more than you liked me. She wouldn't have tried to burn the place down.”

Hob snorts. “I like you just fine as you are now, kid,” he says, returning her smile with one of his own. “Just no more arson attempts and we're good, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Crystal agrees. “Can’t guarantee a different ghost won’t try though.”

“They’re welcome to try,” Hob says, then gestures around the room. “But you’ve seen my wards. Been building them up here for almost twenty years now, not much is getting in or out of here without my permission.”

“How did you end up owning this place anyways?” Crystal asks, curiosity now burning a hole in her. “Charles and Edwin said the other night that when they first met you and were a traveling merchant or something.”

“Ah,” Hob replies, and his expression turns soft and fond. “I have this…friend, and we used to meet once a century at the old White Horse tavern down the road. For drinks. When they shut the place down, I bought this place, so we could still have someone where to go.”

Crystal narrows her eyes at the way Hob says friend and drinks .

“Is that a euphemism?” Crystal asks, and Hob chokes on his tea. “You know it’s 2024 right?” she continues. “Being gay isn’t ille—oh god, ” she cuts herself off, realization dawning upon her. “Are you in a centuries-long situationship? ” 

Hob goes into a full-on coughing fit now, but still manages to vigorously shake his head at the accusation.

“No I—cough—we’re just—cough—friends!” he insists, but Crystal isn’t convinced. 

“What do you even talk about?” she presses. “And who the hell only meets once a century for just drinks? ” she adds, putting the words in air quotes. 

“It’s complicated,” Hob replies, seeming to finally get his breathing under control. “Mostly just this and that,” the man adds, waving his hands around to emphasize the vagueness of their meetings. “You know, current events.”

“Current. Events.” Crystal repeats incredulously. Right. Yeah. Definitely a situationship. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

“You know what, next time he comes in, I’ll introduce you,” Hob huffs indignantly. His face is bright red too, and Crystal just knows that isn’t all from the loss of air to his windpipe just moments ago. “And then you can see we are just friends .”

He looks so serious, so intent on proving Crystal wrong, while still so desperately pining , that she can’t help but burst into laughter. It feels like a cord unwinds in her chest when she does, loosening a pressure she’d forgotten was there. 

“Yeah okay, sure, I’d love to meet you ‘friend’,” she replies, putting the word friend in air quotes. “But for like, actual drinks, and not ‘drinks’”, she adds with an exaggerated wink. Hob grumbles something about ‘kids these days’ which makes her laugh even more. 

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

When Crystal leaves The New Inn hours later, her heart and belly both full, she curls up with her gigantic pile of manga and reads while waiting for Edwin and Charles to get back from their latest case. Since their investigation took them to a condemned building that was quite literally falling apart and structurally unsound, Crystal had been ordered to stay home, and wait for Charles and Edwin to bring the evidence back to her. 

When they do eventually make their way back, it’s with Jenny in tow, and she’s holding a giant cake box in her arms. Crystal smiles through the mist in her eyes, when she opens the box and sees ‘Happy Birthday Niko’ in bright red letters. 

“You remembered too, huh?” Crystal hiccups.

“Stop it, I don’t want to cry too,” Jenny replies, her voice also wavering. Her hands are shaking when she places the cake box down on the table. It’s way too much cake for two people to eat, since Edwin and Charles don’t partake, and Crystal thinks she’s going to be eating leftover cake for the next week at least. Jenny handles the cutting of the cake, and when the two of them each have a slice in hand, Edwin clears his throat, directing their attention to him.

“Right then. A celebration of Niko is not complete without Scooby-Doo,” he declares, and though his tone is light and teasing, Crystal can hear the emotional weight behind it too. 

“Right,” Crystal agrees, and when Charles wraps his arm around her, she gives up all pretense of not wanting to cry, and sobs openly into his shoulder. “I’ll get the TV set up. Just—give me a minute.”

Crystal falls asleep to the sound of cartoon feet running away from the latest villain of the week, and in the moments just before her mind is claimed by the Dreaming, she swears she catches the scent of poppies and dandelions.

[simonappreciation]

Appreciation Week Prompts:

Day 1 - St. Hilarion’s / 1916

Day 2 - Intentions / “The Same”

Day 3 - Lead-up / “I was nervous”

Day 4 - His Brother’s Book / Inner Demons

Day 5 - Hell / Heaven

Day 6 - Blue Cap / S + E

Day 7 - Redemption / “Come with me?”

Day 1 St. Hilarion's / 1916

Along with Edwin, Simon was a student at St. Hilarion's School for Boys. What was school life like for Simon? What was life in general like for Simon in 1916?

Day 2 Intentions / "The same"

In Hell, Simon told Edwin:

“I got so embarrassed thinking that we- we were the same.”

What did Simon mean by this?

What were Simon’s intentions with his interactions with Edwin?

Day 3 Lead-up / "I was nervous"

“Simon. I… I was nervous around you. I— I didn’t realize.”

In Episode 1, we see Simon standing in front of Edwin’s desk, smiling. We are led to believe initially that this is showing Simon’s cruelty, as Edwin doesn’t look at him and flees the classroom. Later, though, understanding that Simon had feelings for Edwin, the smile could be interpreted differently. What was Simon thinking then?

Day 4 His Brother’s Book / Inner Demons

Simon mentions during the sacrificial ceremony that he’d gotten the ritual book from his brother. Where did his brother get it? What was Simon’s family life like?

What was Simon thinking when he decided to lead the ceremony?

Day 5 Hell / Heaven

Simon was in Hell for a century before seeing Heaven’s blue light.

In Hell, he was being watched by Despair. Why was he worth watching?

What was Hell like for Simon? Was he already in it, even before death? What would his heaven be like?

Day 6 Blue Cap / S + E

Simon stole Edwin’s blue cap straight from atop his head. Simon wrote S+E in the pages of his book.

Simon liked Edwin.

So what did Simon like about him? What did he see in Edwin? What could have happened between them?

Day 7 Redemption / “Come with me?”

In the end, something shifted in the dynamic between the two of them, enough that Edwin asks, not once but twice, for Simon to escape Hell with him.

“I’m going to get out of here again. You should come with me.”

For our final day, the focus is on Simon’s redemption and subsquent (after) life.

[desire-turns-to-ashes]

Hi, look at me here again!😁 Oh my gosh, I was so nervous waiting for your reply. I thought I might have annoyed you or that you didn’t want to answer because I’m being persistent. I’m so sorry for my anxiety; I didn’t mean to be insistent. I just wanted to know more about your fic and, if you didn’t mind, to talk to you. Oh gosh, how embarrassing!!!😖 Sorry again! Being antisocial is so hard, and shyness doesn’t help either, but here I am! Talking to the author of the best fic about my favorite couple!☺️

So, do you mind if I ask? Can I ask more questions? If so, I’m going to!

Was Desire a good father? Or was he the typical rich dad who leaves the kids with lots of nannies and lets them do whatever they want? Because your answer made it seem like he didn’t give much affection or attention to Thomas as a father. Sorry if I misunderstood!

Will we get to meet Thomas’s sister? Is she as beautiful as her brother?

Would Niko become friends with Thomas? Like one of those gossip-loving friends?

What does Thomas think about Edwin’s friends?

Is Thomas the duke of that region, or is he from another region?

Does Thomas live in a modern mansion or one with Gothic architecture vibes?

And the last question: Since Thomas is completely in love with Edwin, would he hate Edwin’s father for everything he did?

These are my questions, and please don’t get mad at me! I’d LOVE to talk about your fic with you—it’s what I want most! If you really don’t mind. Have an amazing weekend, and I’ll be eagerly waiting for the next chapter! Hugs to you!❤️❤️

Honestly it’s fine! Like I said, I love talking about my fic 😂😂

To answer your questions 😂😂 I know I’m going to write a lot again so am putting this under read more 😂😂

1. Desire 100% does not care for their kids at ALL (and there’s probably way more than Thomas and his sister)!! I think anything taking attention away from Desire, like children would for example, really irritates them!! For the sake of image they will look like a happy family on the surface, or smile for a family photo but as soon as the moments over their smile drops and they just do not care what their kids do. But if someone like Thomas starts acting out or getting a bad reputation that brings down the family name then Desire will get involved!! Our boy’s never been able to make their father happy but he’s always been able to disappoint them

2. Again, no plans to bring his other family into the story sorry :/ if they do appear it’ll probably be a backstory sequence or something. I’m mostly just building family lore, also had to research this in the beginning but Miranda is Unity Kinkaid’s daughter so you bet your ass Unity was Desire’s FIRST wife in this! Obviously was a terrible marriage! And then Thomas’ mum came along… another bad marriage…. Desire’s probably on their fifth marriage by now in the fic, or about to have it 😂😂 (the exes aren’t just wives as well! 100% had some husbands as well!!) also Miranda probably is gorgeous, since the whole family are, not thought all that much into what she would look like tbh

3. Niko would try her best to be friends with Thomas, she wants all the details on what life is like as a member of the royal family!! Also she wants ALL the romance details between him and Edwin! Thomas would probably humour her after a while, but I do like to think their relationship would be having spa days, like wearing face masks in the flat or something 🥰🥰

4. I don’t think he’s had all that much chance to think about Edwin’s friends yet, although I do mention his feelings towards them in the latest chapter 🥰🥰 he’ll get used to them…… it’ll take him longer to get used to Charles though 😂😂 since Charles obviously does NOT like him

5. Omg I have literally not even thought about where he would be the Duke of 😂😂 he’s probably another region tbh, he just hangs around London, shirking his duties a lot, especially now that he’s found Edwin!! 💛💛

6. Thomas absolutely has a couple of properties!! He probably has a stately home somewhere in the country that he NEVER visits!! He mostly stays in his London penthouse suite though, VERY modern, not homey or cosy at all, it looks like one of those showrooms that are absolutely not lived in!! Oh and… can’t forget his cats!! 😸

7. Oh you KNOW he’s going to hate Edwin’s dad!! When he eventually does find out about everything that has happened to his boy he’s going to FLIP!!! Thomas will want to do something about it but Edwin will want to forget about it and have nothing to do with his past ever again!! Thomas wants justice for Edwin but he also doesn’t want to make him do anything he doesn’t want, or do anything that could put him in danger 🥺

I hope I’ve managed to answer your questions 🥰🥰 and I hope you like the new chapter 💛💛 thank you for your sweet words again!! It means a lot knowing other people love my story as much as I do 🥰🥰

[livuvur]

Favorite Edwin moment? Either 03 or BH?

Oh god that's a hard one... Considering I love every moment the two of them are on screen together but I will try, (also note I'm not including the most well-known, iconic moments aka gun scene/proposal, etc.) Just to keep the variety a little, I'm gonna focus more on moments that I believe have very high significance to their relationship but simply don't get talked about nearly enough. (Not in particular order)

1. This moment, especially in the manga makes me very very soft, in the page before this one we see ed being all miserable by himself, he goes to call winry (who is also being all miserable by herself) and I really do love the approach of this moment as it is not Ed trying to comfort Winry after Hughes' death nor bringing up the topic at all, since he himself doesn't know what else he could say about it, on top of the fact that he feels responsible for what happened to him, instead, he just tries to make sure winry doesn't go without eating because it would do her no good, and attempts to leave, but then she just takes his hand and leads him into her room and his face as she does so is just so utterly adorable... I love how soft that panel is, and how despite Ed not being one to comfort her she is still non-verbally asking him to stay, because she needs him by her side in those moments, and his presence alone is enough, and then, despite how he had just eaten he still accepts the apple pie Winry made because she put so much of her heart and her effort into it. And once he sees the tears gathering in her eyes he is simply physically incapable of saying no to her.

2. I think I've talked about these panels before on here, something very interesting to me is how the first panel shows ed admitting he always saw Winry as someone so upbeat and cheerful, to the point it is easy for him to forget how much pain she's actually been internalizing the whole time, and then scolding himself for not understanding her feelings at all. And then you have Winry seeing right through Ed, saying she knows he is just trying hard to be tough (and that he is an idiot, *cough*). The thing is, Winry has seen Ed at his worst, she was there taking care of both him and Al when they had lost everything and Ed was struggling under the weight of his guilt and pain, she saw him crying and sobbing everyday, she even mentions that at nights he just couldn't stop moaning from the pain and fever automail caused him. And on the other hand, Ed had been thinking quite the opposite about Winry, because she was always there being a rock for both him and Al even after having lost her family herself, she was there, always smiling for them and supporting his every step with such strenght he couldn't even imagine she was simultaneously grieving as well. Ed always saw Winry's strenght, but she always knew his weakness all too well.

3. Self-explanatory, I'm a sucker for edwin parallels: she thinks of him while she's dying, he thinks of her while he is fighting to stay alive. They are obsessed with each other, next one.

4. THIS MOMENT, GOD. “seeing it made me realize I couldn't go home”, “I want to be able to help you, so your road's not so hard” this whole scene is just so overlooked it hurts, cause it just goes to show Winry's love and dedication to Ed, and how his determination and resolve inspire her own, she is always looking to improve in any ways she can to help him, Ed literally is able to walk and to continue his journey because of her, (and he reminds it to her in one of her darkest moments) and I just think it's amazing how they're both always challenging each other under different circumstances, this is just one of them, with Winry declaring she is gonna push herself to be the fucking best she can so she can be there for him. (Also his sudden self-awareness and blush when he realizes he is staring at her smile... *blows them up with dynamite*)

5. Again, self-explanatory. Absolutely fucking love some good male rage when his boo is threatened, Bradley didn't even have to lay a finger on her and this guy was ready to strangle him right there. (Also Olivier's entire speech in BH saying Ed's eyes were “desperate” and of “a boy who would do anything to protect the things he loves” when he refused to tell her anything about the homunculi because Winry was a hostage, even tho he knew Olivier could have chopped him in little pieces just because of that. <3

6.

Damn apparently I can't add more images lmao but basically this whole thing they unspokenly have going on where they give each other an item that belongs to the other so they keep it as a reassurance/promise they will see each other again: Ed giving winry his red coat after the gun scene, Winry giving Ed her earrings and asking him to keep them safe for her, and even in their very last scene, Winry keeping Ed's white hoodie, the one he wore when he came back home to her. Just. They are so. Yeah.

Believe me I have many more I could go on for hours, I wanted to include some 03 moments too, but it's 1 am and I need sleep so yeah (also forgive any grammar/spelling mistakes on this I really do need to 💤)

thank you for the ask !

[melefim]

So this is very incomplete, but these are all the spots I identified where each song was played so far:

As for reoccurring tunes/ themes there are a couple more that I identified. I’m sure there are more and I probably missed some instances- I was mostly listening for cursing for my swearing analysis posts on this watchthrough, and just jotted down a few notes on music as a secondary thing. So this is definitely incomplete! That said:

Little Girl Collector: Esther’s theme— bits of it played throughout: Esther meets Crystal (1), Yelling at Monty (1), Esther browsing Tragic Mick’s (2), Esther in the butcher shop (3), Esther sees Monty with Edwin (3), Esther & Monty in the kitchen (5&6), Esther walking down the street (8)

Want and Pleasure: Cat King theme- all or partially played during Edwin’s punishment discussion (2), Meeting by the lighthouse (4), Cat King in forest (6), Esther in the cannery (7)

Sadness Came Too/ Looking for Boys: 1:38 and on is the Night Nurse/ Lost & Found department theme. Sections are heard at end of episode 1, reviewing the boy’s files (2), the notary (3), interviewing the Devlin girls (3), Night nurse arrives in Port Townsend (4), upstairs with Jenny (4), that night on the cliff (4), appears to take the boys (6), opening the door to hell (7), and when she leaves at the end of 7.

Stuck in a jar: Dandelion Sprite theme- when they’re first in the jar & when Niko first sees them (2), the three scenes with them taunting Niko in Devlin house (3), Jenny sees them (8), very end of igloo & end credits (8)

Never Been Kissed/ Hell: from 4:26 to the end of the song is the episode recap music used in episodes 2-8

There’s also a bit I’ve been calling the ‘danger theme’- you hear it first during Death Becomes Him. The bit from 1:15-1:36- that tune plays a few other times when things get dicey. We hear it in episode 1 when we see the WW1 ghost for the first time, when Death arrives in the office, when Crystal realizes she’s lost her memories in the subway and during Edwin’s ‘witches are dangerous’ talk outside Esther’s house. It also plays when Crystal leaves the butcher shop to go find David in episode 7. (I’m sure there are more in other episodes, but like I said I haven’t done a full rewatch for the background music yet)

The section at 1:46-2:20 in So Many Questions for So Many Fools that plays when the cats escort Charles, Edwin, and Crystal to the Cat King in episode 2 also plays in episode 8 when Crystal and Niko approach the cannery.

The bit that plays during Charles’ “ you never know, my smile is pretty convincing” line at the end of 8 is verrry similar to what plays when he’s deciding to stay with Edwin in his death flashback in 7 same tune at the very least.

The Ghost Postman also has a tune that plays every time he shows up, I don’t think it’s on the soundtrack, though.

There are a few other ones that are case specific and only repeat in that one episode, but these are the big multi- episode ones I noticed!

(And also if anyone has identified any bits that I missed in my linked post or other instances of the above themes, please let me know! I’m working on a score post with episode timestamps, but it’s gonna take a minute, so every little bit helps!)

okay so since the dbda soundtrack is out now, i can finally be insufferable about the things i've noticed by putting names and timestamps to them rather than just shouting nonsensically about them. this is excellent :D

as i already saw someone else point out, there is a section of running from hell / i'm in love with you beginning at roughly the 3:40 mark that has also played two other times in the show...

first, very quietly, at the end of episode 6 when edwin tried to confess the first time, and...

again in episode 8, when charles and edwin hugged (it's included in esther's origin / a new deal on the soundtrack)

i am Looking At This with very big eyes rn. blake neely and murat selçuk i am in your walls what does this mean

BUT ALSO. there is another section. that drives me just about insane. the only place i can find it in the SOUNDTRACK is in accepting being dead at the 3:10 mark... and it plays over the scene of charles dying/becoming a ghost in charles' flashback to edwin saving him at the start of episode 7. but it actually plays one other time in the show...

over edwin comforting charles and them hugging for the first time at the end of episode 5.

what does it MEANNNNNNNNN

[just-call-me-angel]

Little Miss Loser

Chapter 2 - The Adventure Begins

Warnings: Grandpa Edwin being a general menace to society, brief mention of drugs, Dwayne has no bitches???

Author's Note: I fucking love writing Grandpa Edwin, hes so fucking hysterical. The entire time I was writing this scene i had the image of the grandpa saying "No Bitches?"

Summary: Grandpa Edwin offers some important advice

Ao3

Chapters: ||1||2||3||4||5||6||7

Your morning begins early and with a groan you pull yourself out of bed to get ready to head next door for the Hoover road trip. You change quickly, tugging on a pair of shorts and an old white shirt with Fredrick Neitchze printed on the front (You had borrowed it from Dwayne a few months back and he had yet to ask for it back). You shuffled around the room making sure you had everything you needed for the weekend, tossing a few things you had forgotten into the little brown duffel bag you had packed until finally you decided you were ready to leave. With a huff you picked the duffel bag up and left your room, closing the door behind you with a soft click before making your way through the rest of your house. It was the weekend so your parents were home though neither of them were awake yet. You left your bag at the front door sighing when you noticed your dad asleep on the couch. It wasn’t the first time you had found him asleep in the living room nor would it be the last, at least until the divorce was finalized and he moved out of course. Quietly you shuffled around the furniture, kneeling in front of the couch to poke your dads sleeping face, laughing a little when he jolted awake.

“Wha–” he looked around confused, eyes unfocused and still heavy with sleep.

“Dad it's me.” you laughed softly, placing a hand over his until he stilled and looked back at you, a small tired smile slowly spreading over his face. You smiled back as he reached out to ruffle your hair.

“What are you doing up so early kiddo?” he asked, words slurring together in a sleepy drawl.

“I’m going on a road trip with the Hoovers, remember.” you replied as you moved to grab his glasses off of the coffee table. He thanked you quietly and pushed the glasses onto his face, squinting for a moment until his eyes adjusted.

“Oh thas right. Forgot your mom told me about that when I got home last night.” he ran a hand through his dark hair, now speckled with gray. You nodded and tilted your head up at him with a frown.

“You and mom argue again?” you asked softly and watched the way his shoulders slumped and his brow furrowed.

“Nothing escapes your notice huh kiddo.” he said, attempting a laugh, “I hope we didn’t keep you up last night.”

“I was asleep before you got home. You just look like mom gave you shit last night.” You replied with a shake of your head.

He snorted and attempted to give you a stern look, “Your mother will give me more hell if she finds out I let you curse like that.”

You shrugged and laughed with him, glad to see the tension leave his shoulders even just for a moment, “I won’t tell her if you don’t.” you joked and he beamed at you, leaning over slowly to press a kiss to your forehead.

“Atta girl. I knew I taught you well.” he praised, “I suppose you gotta head out soon then?”

You nodded silently and he mirrored your actions, turning to glance over his shoulder at the closed door of the master bedroom where your mom was likely sleeping. “You should say goodbye to her before you leave.” he told you quietly.

“I know.” you huff, crossing your arms and biting at the inside of your cheek. He sighs and ruffles your hair again with a smile.

“Ya know what, you just head over to the Hoover’s I’ll deal with your mom alright, I’ll tell her you had to rush out the door,” he promises with a wink, smiling widely when you look up at him again.

“You don’t have to do that dad.” you whisper and he shakes his head stubbornly.

“Don’t worry about it kiddo, she’d only give you a hard time before you leave and I want you to have fun with the Hoovers.” he pauses then a sad smile playing on his lips, “Lord knows you need some normality in your life with the divorce going on right now.” You move to give his hand a gentle squeeze and give him a cheeky grin.

“The Hoovers are the least normal family out there dad.” you tease and he chuckles, squeezing your hand back.

“I suppose that’s true but that only means you’ll have tons of crazy stories to tell me when you get back.” he replies, pinching your cheeks softly before you can swat his hands away. He pulls you up off the floor with a grunt and brings you into his arms for a hug,

“I love you kiddo, I want you to have a good weekend alright, try not to worry about this shit at home alright.” he whispered, holding you tighter. You nodded against his shoulder and squeezed him back.

“I love you too dad…. I’ll try.” you mumbled into his old t-shirt, “I’ll uh bring you back a cool rock from the beach or something.” you promised softly, grinning when you felt his laugh rumble through his chest. Slowly he let you stand up, pressing another kiss to your forehead before he brushed your hair out of your face.

As you were preparing to grab your bag and leave he stood up and shuffled around. “Wait one minute.” you turned and watched as he searched for something until finally he spotted his wallet and picked it up tugging a couple dollars from it. He handed them to you with a smile, “Don’t spend it all in one place.” he teased and you shook your head, poking your tongue out at him.

“I’m gonna get so many drugs with this dad just you wait.” you joked, shoving the wad of cash into your pocket not worrying about how much or how little he had given you.

“Just don’t tell your mother.” he replied with a chuckle and you made a motion to zip your lips, lock them and throw away the key. He shook his head at your action and opened the door for you, watching as you quietly picked up your duffle bag.

“See you later kiddo.” he said finally as you stood on the front steps and smiled back at him with a nod.

“See ya Dad.” you mocked a salute and spun on your heel, dramatically marching across the front lawn over to the Hoover’s home next door, grinning to yourself when you heard your dads bark of laughter behind you.

You set your bag on the front steps in front of the Hoover home and knocked loudly on the front door until you heard shuffling around inside and finally the door opened to show Olive staring up at you with a big grin. She barely gave you a chance to enter the house before she was jumping to give you a hug, chanting excitedly about the Little MIss Sunshine Pageant. You laughed and hugged her tightly until Mrs Hoover entered the hall and beckoned Olive away.

“Olive, go tell your brother that Y/N is here and make sure you have all your stuff, your dad wants to get on the road soon.” Sheryl spoke softly, smiling at her daughter's excitement. Olive gave you one final hug before finally releasing you and barreling down the hall.

“DWAYNE YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS HERE!” she shouted as she ran past Dwayne’s room before diving into her own room with a giggle. Sheryl laughed and shook her head before giving you a quick hug.

“I'm glad you could come with us on this trip.” she said before letting you go. “You have your bag packed and everything I assume.”

You nodded and motioned towards your duffle bag that you had left at the front door and she nodded back, “Perfect, I made eggs if you wanted to have some before we left.” she tells you, motioning towards the kitchen table. She gives your shoulder a pat and moves back through the house, presumably to finish her own packing. You take a small plate of eggs and sit down quietly at the table to eat until Dwayne finally shuffles out of his room, a little smile forming when he sees you.

You smile and wave at him,” You ready for the adventure of a lifetime?” you tease and he rolls his eyes, tossing his own duffle bag next to yours before he sits next to you and swipes your fork out of your hand. You laugh as he steals a few bites of your breakfast, playfully shoving his arm when you realize he had finished what was left on the plate.

“Dick head” you tell him with a pout as he shrugs at you with a smirk tugging at his lips. You shove him again, laughing when he grunts at the feeling of your elbow pressing into his side. Frank enters the room quietly again wearing all white and sits across from you and Dwayne, smiling politely when you look up at him.

“What about you?” you repeat, turning to Frank with your question “Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”

Frank snorts, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

You laugh with Frank as he plates up his own small breakfast while Dwayne stares at you for a moment. Finally he pulls out his notepad and quickly writes something down before tapping you on the shoulder.

“Isn’t that my shirt?”

You grin almost instantly as you look down at your shirt and then back up at him, “what this old thing?” You ask feigning innocence. He gives you a pointed look and shakes his head at your antics.

“Oh come on, I’ve had it for months, I can basically claim legal ownership at this point.” Your reasoning only serves to make him roll his eyes and make Frank laugh across the table. You take a minute to look at the shirt Dwayne is wearing, grinning when you read the words Jesus Was Wrong and you quickly decide that its the next shirt you’re going to swipe from under his nose.

“You really are best friends huh?” he asks, earning a nod from both of you, “How does that work with him not talking?”

You grin cheekily and shug, “Oh its actually pretty easy, I like the sound of my own voice so it works pretty well that I do most of the talking.” Frank snorts, clearly amused by your response. It doesn’t take much longer for the rest of the family to enter the room, rushing to eat breakfast under Richard’s instruction so they could finally get out on the road. You caught Dwayne sneaking glances at you every few moments, his cheeks flushing red when his eyes would meet yours.

If daily life around the Hoover family was hectic then preparing for a roadtrip with them was in a whole other league. It was pure chaos as everyone scrambled to the car, shoving suitcases into the trunk and climbing over one another to get into the bus. After much arguing about seating arrangements you wound up sitting in the back with Dwayne next to you and his grandfather Edwin on the other side of him while Olive and Frank took the middle row of seats and Sheryl sat in the passenger seat and Richard drove. It wasn’t as cramped as you had expected but that didn’t seem to stop Dwayne from sitting as close as he could to you which you didn’t really mind if you were completely honest. In fact it gave you the opportunity to rest your head on his shoulder for most of the ride and he seemed content to rest his head on yours, watching as you doodled in his notebook, occasionally smiling a little when you proudly pointed at something particularly amusing that you had drawn.

Blessedly despite the chaos that had ensued while trying to board the bus, everyone seemed far too tired to fill the trip with idle chatter. Occasionally Olive would lean over her seat to tell you how excited she was and you would smile back acting as if it wasn’t the third time in the last hour that she had said those words to you. Edwin Hoover however did not seem as content as the rest of the family to maintain the silence in the car.

“Jesus Im tired” he huffs, “I am so fucking tired” You stifle a laugh watching as he taps Dwayne’s shoulder to get his attention. Dwayne doesn’t move away from you or really make any attempt to show he’s paying much attention to his grandfather.

“You know how tired I am?” he asks, barely waiting a second for Dwayne to reply before he continues, “ If some girl, came up to me… begged me to fuck her… I wouldn’t be able to do it. That's how tired I am.” this time you don’t bother to hide the quiet laughter that bubbles from your chest, especially when Richard coughed nervously in the front seat.

“Dad! Language… Please” he asked, staring back at his father in the rearview mirror. Edwin Hoover huffed and waved his hand in exasperation before gesturing to Olive, who sat in front of him listening to her music and blissfully unaware of her grandfather's cursing.

“She’s listening to music!” he shouts back to his son, “Hey Olive, I’ll give you a million bucks if you turn around!” Olive made no move to look back at her grandfather and continued listening to her music, dancing a little in her seat.

“Alright but… the rest of us.” Richard exhales.

Edwin rolls his eyes, “oh yea the rest of you.” he turns his attention back to Dwayne, tapping his shoulder again, this time a little harder, “ Can I give you some advice?” Dwayne turns to look at him, still leaning heavily against your side and shakes his head with a bored expression.

Edwin seems unphased by the lackluster response of his eldest grandchild and proceeds to talk “I’ll do it anyway. I don’t want you making the same mistakes I did when I was young.” Dwayne glances at you and you offer him an amused smile as Edwin gives his best impression of a wise old man imparting great wisdom upon a young traveler, “ Dwayne, this is the voice of experience talking. Are you listening?” Dwayne doesn’t even pretend to care and shrugs while you giggle next to him, clearly amused by the entire situation.

“Kid, fuck alot of women.” he pauses for dramatic effect and you already feel a bit dizzy as you hold your breath to keep from laughing, “ Fuck alot of women. Not just one woman. A lot of women–” Richard coughs again a little louder, clearly trying to get his father to stop talking. Dwayne maintains his bored expression and you can barely contain your laughter as you rest against his side. You can hear Frank in front of you stifling his own laughter as he glances back a few times. Edwin doesn’t even seem to notice or care about his sons attempt to silence him as he continues talking.

“Be honest with me kid? Are you getting any? You can tell.” Edwins words have you nearly bursting into tears with laughter while Dwayne looks a bit annoyed next to you. Frank turns fully now to watch the conversation continue.

“Yea Dwayne….” you say between giggles, “You gettin any?” Dwayne glares at you immediately sending you into another fit of giggles before he finally turns to his grandfather and shakes his head, cheeks slightly pink with embarassment. You feel a bit bad teasing him like this but you can’t help it when he makes it so easy.

“Really? I thought for sure you two were screwing with how often she’s over.” Edwin says finally, clearly not bothered by the immediate awkward silence that fills the back seat as your face heats up. You can’t even bring yourself to look up at Dwayne but you can tell he isn’t enjoying the turn that this already awkward conversation has taken. He crosses his arms and moves slightly so he isn’t pressed so closely to you and you don’t move to stop him at first, far too embarrassed to try. Edwin and Richard argue back and forth for a moment while you shuffle nervously next to Dwayne.

Of course Edwin would make a joke like that, he had done it in the past and it had never really bothered you before. But things were different now and they had been for nearly a year. Dwayne was your best friend but more often than not these days you found yourself wondering if there was something more between the two of you. Above all else you found yourself wanting there to be something more between you. You were already so close so really all that would change would be the name you used to describe your relationship. You had no idea if Dwayne even liked you that way or if he even liked girls at all, neither of you talked about things like that. You know you should tell him but the idea of losing your best friend absolutely terrified you. What if it made him hate you? What if the idea of being with you in that way disgusted him? There was so much you could lose if you told him how much you cared for him and that was a thought that filled you with dread. Frank sent you a sideways glance and offered you a small smile as if he knew exactly what you were feeling.

After a minute or two of silently running yourself in circles in your head you tug on Dwayne's arm to pull him against your side again and he doesn’t try to fight it though you can see the slight flush to his cheeks as you rest your head back on his shoulder. He sighs as he rests his head against yours, gently tugging your arm to rest on his lap so he can trace little shapes on your forearm. This is fine , you tell yourself, more than fine. This is perfect. You don’t need anything more. Don't be selfish , you remind yourself, if this is all you can have with him then that should be more than enough. It is enough. It is.

“Dad, I swear I’ll pull over.” Richard threatens, bringing you back into focus.

“So pull over! You’re not gonna shut me up! Fuck you!” Edwin shouts back, “Jesus your as bad as those fuckers at Sunset Manor”

Frank perks up and you see the familiar glint of mischief in his eyes, you had seen it a hundred times in your own eyes, especially when you were around the Hoover family, “ What happened at Sunset Manor?” he asked innocently.

Sheryl sighed, “Frank don’t encourage him”

Frank gives her a smile and shrugs as Edwin replies, “I’ll tell you what happened. I paid my money. They took my money. I should be able to do what the fuck I want.” Edwin leans heavily into his seat with an exasperated huff. You grinned, you had heard this story a hundred times and somehow it never failed to be amusing.

“He started snorting Heroin.” Sheryl explains rolling her eyes while Richard looks absolutely horrified to be having this conversation while trapped in a car.

“You started snorting Heroin?” Frank asks, eyes widening as he looks at Edwin.

“I’m old!” Edwin says with a wave of his arms.

“That stuff will kill you.” Frank says, trying to hide the amused look on his face.

“What am i an idiot?” Edwin huffs, once again turning to tap Dwayne on the arm. Dwayne sighs and lazily looks at his grandfather, clearly ready for the conversation to just be over. “And don’t you two get any ideas about that stuff. When you’re young you’re crazy to do that shit.” he motions to you both this time, voice a little less amused and more stern. Dwayne nods and you offer a quick mock salute and a playful smile which Edwin returns.

“What about you?” Frank asks, giving you a sideways glance and a cheeky grin.

“When you get to my age you’re crazy not to do it.” Edwin replies, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back into his seat. After a bit longer, Olive turns to face her grandfather, lifting her headphones over her ears and tilting her head curiously.

“What are you guys talking about?” she asks.

Edwin looks at her for a minute and then casts a glance to Frank and then to you and Dwayne before looking back at Olive, “Politics” Olive’s nose scrunches up as she quickly turns back around, no longer interested in what the adults are talking about as she pulls her headphones back over her ears.

Edwin leans back in his seat with a long sigh, “Fuck alot of women kid. I’ve got no reason to lie to you. Not just one woman. A Lot of women.” he points then at you, “you be careful though, there are some real creeps out there.” you snort at his advice but still give him a nod of agreement. The car goes quiet again, except the low hum of the engine and the sound of cars rushing past. Everyone seems to have had their fill of small talk for the time being and for now you are content enough not to try and fill the silence like you normally would. Dwayne pulls his notebook off of your lap and carefully flips through it until he lands on a page he had already written on. He places the notebook back on your lap, tapping the paper to make sure you know he wants you to read it.

“Welcome to Hell” You smile at the note, laughing as you lean a bit more heavily against him. You can feel him laugh quietly as he goes back to tracing shapes on your arm. It doesn’t take long for your eyes to start to feel heavy as you start to fall asleep to the sound of the car engine and Dwayne’s steady heart beat. He wrapped an arm around you carefully shifting you to make sure you were comfortable before he too began to drift off with you curled up against his side.

[xoxopandapanda]

Edwin Week 2022: Day 1: Reunion

@503week

Characters: Edward Elric, Winry Rockbell, Baby boy, Granny

(Hi, I’m participating lololololololol)

Day 2   Day 3    Day 4   Day 5    Day 6

Fanfiction

AO3

It was a rainy day and the sloshing of feet in puddles was the only sound that Edward heard as he stepped out of the train station. It was drizzling, but it appeared to have been doing so for a while, so the mud on the pavement was a good indicator of what kind of walk he had coming for him. Letting out a sigh, he reached down and tucked his pants into his sock, in hopes of avoiding too much debris from getting into his automail leg.

Lord knows his wife wouldn’t be impressed with him mucking it up on the way home.

Lifting his jacked over his head, he began the trek out of town and into the country side. It had only been two weeks since he had left for Central, but to him it felt like a lifetime. Sure, he had off and on gone away to research since their wedding, but this was the first time he had left since Thomas was born.

Winry had assured him that with Thomas being so young, he wouldn’t even remember that Ed had left when he grew up, but a deep part of him still worried.

Would his son remember the sight of his back walking down the road?

His mind was thrashing with insecurities and concerns about his ability to be a good father. Before he knew it, he was standing at the steps of the old wooden house, faded yellow from the sun, and shutters open, letting the curtains dance in the breeze of the rainy day. He stepped up and set his suitcase down gingerly.

It was quiet and he didn’t want to disturb what could be a midday nap for his family. He shook off as much water from his coat before taking it off and draping it on the porch railing. Sitting on the porch swing, he took off his shoes and was pleased to see that there wasn’t any mud in his leg. It was wet to the touch, but not dirty.

So the sock trick had worked. Winry had told him to do it for a long time, but he had to become an old man to take it seriously (or maybe it was to remember it).

Lifting his shoes to carry them into the house and tuck them in the mud closet to dry, Edward slowly opened up the front door and stepped quickly inside, turning to shut the door behind him.

He had just softly latched the handle into place when he heard a soft, “Ah!”.

Whirling around on his heels, he shot his gaze down to see the source of the noise sitting on the floor and holding his arms up.

“Thomas! What are you doing here?” Edward crouched down and scooped up the baby. He winced feeling the weight gain of his boy. “Doing some growing up while I was gone?”

Thomas lurched forward and grabbed his bangs with his chubby hand. He giggled with glee as Ed bounced him up and down.

Ed’s heart ached seeing his boy again after two weeks. It was such a short time and yet so much development happened while he was gone. He racked his brain to remember if Thomas was sitting up on his own before he left.

He was thinking so, but he could be wrong. It was two weeks ago.

“Where’s Mama?” Ed asked Thomas as if he could answer. “Did she leave you out here all on your own?”

Winry’s voice fluttered in from the kitchen. “Yes, I thought he was a big boy now and could wait by himself.”

“Oh, is he now?” Ed watched as Winry came into view, holding a cup of water in her hand.

She nodded, her smile mimicking his. Walking towards him, she pulled her hair over her right shoulder before giving him a quick peck on the lips. Ed chuckled into the kiss as he saw Thomas in his peripheral lurch to grab his mother’s hair. Winry was always one step ahead of her boys.

Stepping back from them, Winry made her way to the couch and sat down, patting the spot next to her. “He has learned how to stand on his own. We were watching the rain in the kitchen when he saw you coming down the road and absolutely needed to be waiting for you by the door.”

Ed dropped down beside her, holding Thomas up to stand on his legs, balanced by his father’s hands under his arm. Wiggling and kicking his legs, Thomas gleefully squealed and continued to work and develop his leg muscles.

“Is that so?” Ed’s face softened as he watched his baby. “I’m sorry to hear I missed such a big milestone.”

Winry’s head dropped onto his shoulder, and he felt her shift to sit with her legs on the couch, leaning more fully on him. “It’s not like it was his first step, Ed. Don’t beat yourself for not seeing it. I didn’t. Granny did.”

That made Ed snort. Of course, Granny was seeing more of the baby’s firsts than his parents. She was taking on the role of retired grandma with much enthusiasm. Winry taking over the shop after she finished her apprenticeship was at first a tough transition for the elderly lady, but with the addition of a new baby to keep her busy, it was going rather well.

“Did she get a picture of it at least?”

“Not one in focus.” Winry sipped her water. “Or I’m going to need glasses soon. Either is a valid option.”

Ed leaned forward to blow kissed on to Thomas’ face while listening to Winry continue to tell him all about the last two weeks. He would regale her with tales of Central tonight, once Thomas was settled, and she would feign interest as she probably tinkered with something.

But right now, all he wanted was to learn everything he had missed in his family’s life, having been called to Central unexpectedly. He wanted to know the stories of the photos Granny would later drop off in his study, since she would not stay around long enough to tell him. Just give him lip about how ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, before huffing off to be with Thomas again.

Edward had experienced hundreds of reunions in his life time – with fellow soldiers, commanders, his teacher, even with his arm.

But coming home to his wife and child was his favorite one of all.

[boldlyvoid]

Spy Kids

400 Follower Celebration Fic #3 for @meganskane

fic #1 | fic #2

Summary: Spencer and Y/N's kids think that they are secretly spies and request a mission story before bed.

warnings: bomb threat, mentions of euthanasia, Cat Adams, general fluffiness

word count: 900

From the time they were 5, the kids had told everyone that their parents were spies… and no matter how much Spencer and Y/N told them they weren’t, and even if they were it would blow their cover… the kids still firmly believed that they were secret government spies.

Why else did they leave in the middle of the night with guns and bags to sit in a special airplane and run around the country catching bad guys? It was a nicer way of thinking about the terrible things that go on in their actual job, so they indulged them.

Twins weren’t easy but it was the best thing that happened to them. Juniper and Edwin are the best little kids they could ever ask for, one boy and one girl and two incredible personalities. They were a team, sometimes in the worst ways possible, always getting in trouble and never turning on one another.

They enjoyed sharing a room still, they had beds side by side and enough room for mom and dad to crawl in beside them for storytime. Junie was cuddled with her father while Eddie was laying on his mom’s chest as she ran her fingers through his hair. He’s always been a momma’s boy, much like Spencer.

“Can you tell us a spy story tonight?” Junie asked.

Y/N sighed with a small laugh, “why don’t we tell you about the evil Cat that almost crashed our wedding?”

“We can’t tell them that one,” Spencer interjects, “it’s not that funny or happy.”

“Well, you get married at the end right?” Junie asks, “so then it is a happy ending.”

“So there,” Edwin teases with a tongue out, “now you have to tell us.”

“Fine, does Mom want to do the honours?” Spencer asks, seeing where on earth she could take this story.

“You know how weddings work right? Your dad was waiting for me at the end of the aisle and grandpa was just about to walk me down, and this human-cat hybrid woman shows up out of nowhere,” Y/N is over-enthusiastic and the kids get riled up as a result.

“She’s parachuting out of the sky and your dad looks at me like oh no it’s the assassin from my missions before I met you!” She gasps.

“She was evil, she put me in jail and she hurt me, and I was so scared of her hurting your mom too,” Spencer adds with a sad tone, he hated how much Cat tried to ruin his life.

“But your mom is really cool, and I was able to kick her butt even with my dress on! And then we cuffed her up and sent her away, but she knew we’d get her so she had a fake cop come and get her and then just bring her back and she tried to blow up the party!”

Spencer hated remembering it, but it was a wild story, one worth sharing. “Your dad and I had to solve a bunch of clues to get the count down to stop and we did just in time!”

“What happened to the cat?” Junie asked.

“She, unfortunately, went to sleep and didn’t wake up one day,” Spencer glares at Y/N, this was the reason he didn’t want to say anything to the kids about it.

“She’s in hell,” Edwin whispered.

“What?” Y/N laughed, holding him closer, “where did you learn that?”

“Henry told us that Jack's mom is in heaven and the guy who killed her is in hell, that’s where all the bad guys go,” Junie explained on her brother’s behalf, pushing the blame off onto someone else, like always.

“But, at the end of the day your mom and I got to celebrate being in love with each other through everything… even if that means assassin cat’s and parachutes on what is supposed to be the best day of our lives,” Spencer smiled as he pulled Juniper in closer.

“Wrong,” she whispered, “the best day was when I was born.”

“And me.” Edwin added, “just cause you came out first doesn’t make it just your day.”

“I’m pretty sure it does,” she teases right back, sticking their tongues out at each other.

“You two are too much,” Spencer laughed.

“Not too much though, you should have more,” Junie was soft in her request, “I think it would be cool to have another sibling.”

“Yeah!” Edwin agreed, “another boy!”

“We can name him…” Junie took a moment to think, “Patrick… yeah.”

“Why?” Y/N and Spencer laughed and asked at the same time, making eye contact from across the room as they did so. Their kids were the weirdest…

“Junie, Eddie and Patty,” Juniper said it like it all made sense the first time and they should have gotten it then… she was too sassy for being 7.

“It’s settled,” Y/N agreed. “Go to bed so we can discuss how we can have 3 kids and still be spies.”

“So you admit it then?” Junie smirked as she won.

“We’re spies,” Spencer agreed, kissing the top of her head before crawling out of her bed. “Now go to sleep.”

They traded kids and exchanged good night hugs, sending them off to bed with an I love you and a blown kiss from the door, they were the best spy kids in the whole world.

taglist:

@g0lden-cth @doctorspenceryeet @samuel-de-champagne-problems @reiding-recs @ssavanessa22 @spookyspence @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria@reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @jswessie187 @k-k0129 @calm-and-doctor @blanchardsbk

[imjustthemechanic]

The Price of a Soul

Part 1/? - Agent Russel Part 2/? - The Letter Part 3/? - Miss Lake Part 4/? - The Stewardess Part 5/? - An Assassination Part 6/? - Fallout Part 7/? - Face to Face Part 8/? - Deals, Details, and Other Devils Part 9/? - Baggage Part 10/? - Private Funding Part 11/? - Just Passing Through Part 12/? - Party of Four Part 13/? - Resolute Part 14/? - The Wreck Part 15/? - Body Snatchers Part 16/? - Out of the Frying Pan Part 17/? - A Miracle Part 18/? - A Matter of Circumstance Part 19/? - Nome Part 20/? - The Future Part 21/? - A Hero’s Welcome Part 22/? - Up to Speed Part 23/? - Expect Further Delays Part 24/? - The Welcome Wagon Part 25/? - Fugitives Part 26/? - A Reluctant Accomplice

Agent Russel probably doesn’t deserve this.  Probably.

-

The next day, when Agent Russel showed up for his tuna melt, it was served to him by a woman in the same uniform any of the other waitresses wore. As she set the plate in front of him, another came to refill his coffee cup.

“Thanks, ladies,” he murmured, raising the cup to his lips.

“Don’t mention it,” said Peggy.

Agent Russel looked up with a start.  His brown eyes darted from Peggy to Kay and then back again, and his expression suggested he was seriously considering screaming.  Peggy sat down across from him at his booth, and Kay took the seat next to him, blocking his escape.

“Not a sound,” said Peggy.

Something under the table went click, sounding suspiciously like a gun being cocked. Kay, her hands invisible, gave Agent Russel a dazzling smile.

“So you two are working together,” Russel said.

“Don’t look so nervous, Ned,” said Kay.  “You’re flirting with two waitresses at once.  You should be a happy man.”

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Your help,” Peggy replied.

“Why would I want to help you?”

“Because we’re the ones who found Captain America,” said Peggy.  “Doesn’t that suggest we’re the good guys?”

“I don’t know who are the good guys in this,” Russel admitted. “Last time I saw you,” he pointed at Peggy, “you were going home in protest because Thompson was working with her,” his finger moved to Kay, “and she drugged and robbed me.”

“I apologized,” said Kay.

“Now suddenly you’re on the same side?”

“Kay persuaded me that we always have been,” Peggy said, though that still wasn’t totally true.  “Remember those numbers I mentioned she gave me?  Those were the key to the Captain’s location.  Kay is not a spy, she’s a defector.  She has information for us, and she thinks she knows how to get more out of Olga Barynova.”

Russel nodded slowly, although his expression remained skeptical.  “And where does she come into this? Because she says you let her out of prison and flew her to Los Angeles yourself.”

“Did she say why?” asked Peggy.

 “We haven’t been able to get that out of her,” Russel said.

Peggy laced her fingers together in front of her.  “I’m afraid it’s true that I let Miss Underwood out of her cell,” she said, “but I did so with every intention of returning her to it, and because I needed a service I felt only she could provide.  I’m sure you’ve heard of Whitney Frost?”

“Yes…” said Russel slowly.  “She’s that actress who went nuts and murdered her husband, right?”

“There’s a bit more to the story than that.”  Peggy leaned in a bit closer.  “Let me explain.  You can check what I say with Daniel Sousa and Edwin Jarvis, and they will tell you the same.”

Russel looked around, and then opened his briefcase to get a notebook. “All right.  Let’s hear it.”

Peggy tried to be as quick as she could in describing the situation, but it was not a simple one and it took a while.  They probably went on significantly beyond the break two waitresses would have gotten, but it was essential that Russel get details he could confirm if he liked.  In particular she described how they’d dressed Dottie for the mission, how Mr. Jarvis had observed that she was an excellent dancer, and what they’d been able to learn as a result.

“Unfortunately, Miss Underwood is better than you are from escaping the trunks of cars,” Peggy finished, “and we haven’t seen her since.”

“Uh-huh,” said Russel.  “If any of that is true… well, freeing her was still a stupid thing to do.”

“Yes, it was,” Peggy said, “and I regret it every time I hear she’s committed another robbery or ended another life.  However,” she gestured to her companion.  “Kay thinks she knows what Dottie’s trying to accomplish, and if she’s correct we can get good information from her.  We obviously can’t get in to talk to her because, as you already noted, we’re supposed to be in jail with her.  But you can.”

Russel frowned, thinking.  “What are you two up to?” he asked.  “What are you trying to do?”

“Make the future a little better than it’s stacking up to be,” said Kay.

“If we can find out where Dottie and her ilk came from, we can shut them down and make sure we don’t see any more like her,” Peggy said.  “And possibly free American prisoners of war, as well.”

“What would you need me to do?” Russel asked.

“For now just deliver a message and bring back her reply,” said Peggy.  “Kay has a page written up.  She’ll give you a translation if you want it.”

Kay took the paper out.  “If you do this for us, not only will you be potentially saving lives, but I will personally go see your wife and tell her you were supposed to be investigating me and that’s the only reason you had a drink with me, and try to convince her to take you back.  I can’t promise miracles,” she added, “but I’ll do my best and my best is pretty damned good.”  She offered him the page.

He made no move to take it.  Instead he just sat there, apparently lost in thought.

“Agent Russel,” Peggy said, “what was your first impression of me?”

“Of you?”  He looked her over.  “That you were very, very… devoted… to getting your job done.  But my first impression of her,” Russel looked at Kay, “was that she was harmless and flighty, so I’m not sure I trust those anymore. Can I have twenty-four hours to think it over?”

Peggy didn’t want to give it to him.  Twenty-four hours was time to think, but it was also time to tell Thompson and Masters they’d been here.  Could they afford that?  Twenty-four hours from now, Steve would have left New York on the beginning of the publicity tour Masters had put together.  If he still wanted to rescue his friend from captivity in Russia, were they going to have to chase him across the country in order to give him their information?

“Can I have your word you won’t go straight to the police?” she asked.

“I am the police,” Russel reminded her, “but yes.  I think there’s more going on here than you can see on the surface, but I don’t know which side of it you two are on… especially when you’re pointing a gun at me under the table.”

Kay smiled at him and brought her other hand up to show him a bolt mechanism from a disassembled doorknob, which she’d used to make the metallic click.

“Well,” Peggy said in an American accent.  “We’d better get back to our shift.  See you tomorrow, Mr. Russel.  Same time, same place.”

- 

They spent a second restless night in the Pine Barrens.  Kay busied herself with some knitting needles and yarn she’d bought in the town, producing some intricate-looking lacy thing Peggy couldn’t begin to identify.  Her thoughts were a mystery.

Peggy herself spent the time thinking about what they were going to do if this didn’t work.  It seemed to her that they’d have to find Steve, but she really didn’t want him to get involved in this mess.  Daniel was in it with her whether she liked it or not, as was Mr. Jarvis, but she would have liked to keep Steve safe.

That was a strange thought, wasn’t it?  Steve had always been able to take care of himself, even when he’d been only five foot four, yet Peggy’s urge was to protect him.  Was that one of those ‘motherly instincts’ men insisted all women had, or was it just that Peggy wanted to keep everybody she loved safe? She’d failed with Michael.  There was a part of her that still thought, no matter how irrational she knew it was, that if she’d only joined the spy corps earlier he would still be alive.  Was she trying to make up for that?

What would happen if she just disappeared?

She’d wondered that from time to time, like when Anna Jarvis had been shot… wouldn’t the people she loved be safer if Peggy weren’t around?  Without her, Daniel and Mr. Jarvis wouldn’t be in trouble right now.  She was the one who’d involved them in the situation with Dottie.  The problem with that thought was that the trouble had already come to them.  If she were to vanish, they would still end up in prison or worse on the strength of Dottie’s testimony, or perhaps have their fates dangled like carrots to encourage Peggy to return.  She couldn’t stand for that.  She’d gotten them in trouble, she had to get them out of it.

Which meant she’d better come up with a backup plan in case Russel wouldn’t help.

- 

They scoped out the Automat very carefully before returning the next day, making sure there were no suspicious fellows hanging around watching who came and went.  Peggy saw none, and Kay agreed with her.  They went inside and changed into Angie’s spare uniforms, Kay putting a few safety pins in hers so it would look like it fit.  When Agent Russel arrived, they took him his usual and sat down across from him.  This time, they did not bother with sound effects.

“I didn’t talk to the police,” he said.  “But I felt like I had to talk to somebody… so I talked to Captain America.”

Peggy’s heart started beating a little faster.  “How on Earth did you manage that?” she asked.  Steve and Masters had left New York early that morning. They’d heard it on their car radio.

“I told Jack I wanted to meet him in person because he’s always been a hero of mine, Jack talked to Masters, and Masters let me in,” Russel explained.

“Wow.  I’m momentarily glad I didn’t kill him yet,” said Kay.

“Please stop that,” Peggy told her.

“If you want something fun to do on your weekends,” Kay said to Russel, “take a look at what Vernon Masters was up to around… oh, 1943-ish.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Peggy asked her.  A foolish question, really… Kay always knew something nobody else did, or at least, she acted that way.

“In this case, no,” Kay replied, “but I have strong suspicions.”

Peggy shook her head and brought things back to Russel.  “What did he say?  Steve, I mean.”

“Well, he told me to call him Steve,” Russel said, “which was a little like meeting one of your schoolteachers as an adult and having him tell you to call him by his name.  I told him what you were asking me to do, and… he said he doesn’t know about Miss Lake, himself, but he trusts Peggy Carter with his life and I should do what she asks.  He seemed pretty sure you know what you’re doing.”

Peggy had to chuckle at that.  “He has such faith in me,” she said.  Of course, she had faith in Steve, too… he’d always done the most recklessly foolish things imaginable, but he’d always managed to make them work in spite of everything.  “Thank you, Agent Russel.”

“I still don’t know what’s going on here,” Russel admitted, “but I don’t think Captain America would involve himself with traitors.  I read the file the FBI gave me about you, and I remember thinking there must have been some kind of mistake.  That was my instinct from the beginning.”  He glanced at Kay… the woman who’d given him cause to doubt his instincts.  “What’s this message?”

Kay unfolded it and handed it over – a page of pseudo-Cyrillic accomplished with an ordinary English typewriter and going over some of the letters two or three times.  “I think I know what she wants.  She’s amassing money and blackmail material.  She’s going after the mob now because she wants to force a diplomat with criminal connections to smuggle her back into the USSR.  If she tries to go there legitimately, or even secretly but without protection, she’ll be shot.  She needs to enter the country unnoticed, and then she’s going after the people who made her.”

“For what?  Revenge?” asked Russel.

“Exactly.”

“And you’re going to let her do it?” he guessed.

“On her own she can’t,” said Kay.  “She’ll never get that far, or she’ll be caught, and she’ll just disappear from history. But if I’m right, it gives us a bargaining chip.”

“I see.”  Russel tucked the message inside his jacket.  “I’ll deliver it this afternoon, and if she gives me a reply, I’ll pass it on tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Agent Russel,” Peggy repeated.

They left him to his lunch then, and returned to their stolen car to go back into hiding.  Kay still hadn’t broken her habit of checking for seat belts when she got in.

Halfway through New Jersey, she suddenly asked Peggy, “have you see Frankenstein?  That was made in the thirties, wasn’t it?  Or read the book?”

“I haven’t,” Peggy replied.  “I’m not one for the cinema, and the very idea of the book put me off.”  As a child she simply hadn’t liked horror stories, and as an adult she’d seen far too many of them in real life to enjoy them in fiction.

“I have,” said Kay.  “Several more versions, too, and most of them miss the point.  The creature couldn’t help being what he was.  The monster was the man who created him.”  She sighed.  “Everyone treated the creature as a monster, until he decided that was the only thing he could be.”

“Do you believe that of yourself?” Peggy asked.

“I think Barynova might,” Kay replied.

[lilmissbeanie]

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Haikyuu Masterlist

Toru Oikawa x F!Reader

Song ~ Wedding Dress by Levi Hummon

Warning - Swearing maybe? I can’t remember ＼(≧▽≦)／

Fluff SFW

Word Count ~ 2.6k

Part 1 <you are here>| Part 2 | Part 3

Posted 09/07/20

July 16th, 2018. That was the day that Toru Oikawa stood proudly next to his best friend Hajime Iwaizumi as his best man. 

"What if she's changed her mind and ran away? That she thinks marrying me is a huge mistake." Oikawa rolled his eyes at his best friend, in all the years he had known him he has never seen his best friend this anxious, not even in a volleyball game against a powerhouse school back in high school if anything, it was Iwa trying to calm Oikawa. The poor lad was all jittery. 

"I wouldn't worry so much, you know Y/n is there with Emiko, and we both know how much she loves you. Y/n will get her here on time, and the second you see her in that stunning white dress, you will cry." Oikawa stepped forward, smoothing out the white shirt before straightening out his mint blue tie and peach coloured rose corsage. 

"Remember if it weren't for you and Emiko, I would not have met Y/n and fallen for her. Y/n will not let anything happen to Emiko; no a hair will be out of a place or an eyelash on her cheek, we owe the pair of you too much for matching us up so your wedding today will be flawless." Oikawa gave his confident smile and patted his best friend on his shoulder, Iwaizumi slipped his hand in his mint blue slacks as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

Fishing his phone out of his pocket, Oikawa spotted that it was only a couple of minutes to one, the ceremony would begin shortly. He spotted the text on his screen from Y/n - on our way see you soon (♡ω♡)

He smiled at the message before; sending back his own kaomoji o(>ω<)o, the pair were obsessed with sending kaomojis back and forth.

Locking his screen again before smiling at the photo, it was one of his favourites taking by Emiko herself. It was taken back last year when the four of them went to the beach to celebrate their engagement. Oikawa was giving Y/n a piggyback, his hands under her thighs, they were both in their swimwear, soak from swimming in the sea. Y/n had one arm wrapped around his shoulder with the other outstretched in from of them as she threw up the peace sign. Her h/c thrown up in a messy beach swept ponytail, her chin resting on his shoulder with a broad playful closed-eyed smile spread across her lips, Oikawa could see his matching grin spread across his face as his head was leant against hers. 

He loved that photo. She was showing off her natural beauty. No makeup or hair done up just right, with the tiny scar above her right eyebrow, he couldn't see it in the photo, but he knew it was there, he knew it was from a childhood accident of that one time she fell out of a tree when she was playing with her brothers. He knew all the scars, and where they were, his fingers had traced them all, knowing all the different childhood stories behind, ranging from messing around with her brothers to the one of her breaking her arm and the bone sticking out when she fell rock climbing. 

"Oi Shittykawa." Iwaizumi hissed bring the love-struck boy out of his memories and back into the church. "She's seriously got you wrapped that tightly around her fingers, huh." He stated as he hit the old Seijoh captain around the back of the head. 

"Ow! Iwa-chan that hurts!" Oikawa grumbled as he slipped his phone back into the pocket of his mint blue slacks, before rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head, but he was glad that Iwaizumi wasn't quite as nervous as before, "You're being vulgar again." 

From behind him, he could hear Matsukawa and Hanamaki stifling there laughs at the pair, he sent a glare over his shoulder to the two groomsmen, who were wearing white shirts with peach coloured slacks with matching ties and corsages. 

Before either of them could comment, the music began to play, the guest stood. All turned towards the door, Oikawa could not help but smile as he watched Takeru walk down the aisle as the ring bearer in his outfit matching the two groomsmen. Next to him was (niece's name) dressed in a tea-length peach coloured ball gown dress. It was so cute to watch them walk along together, (niece's name) throwing little flower petals as she walked, Takeru proudly carrying the wooden box with the glass window in the lid showing the rings sat on the velvet mint coloured pillow. Next, to walk along was Emiko other two bridesmaids, wearing peach coloured a-line asymmetrical chiffon dresses with a sweetheart's neck. Their hair was curled, and a half was styled back, each holding a small bouquet of peach roses in their hands. Oikawa knew who was next, it was his beloved, he knew she would be wearing mint blue to match him, but he had no clue what dress she would be wearing. 

Emiko and Iwaizumi, well mostly Emiko, had decided they wanted a peach and mint summer wedding, the groomsmen and bridesmaids would be in peach while the maid of honour and the best man along with the bride and groom would be in mint. Well, Emiko would be in white, but she would have accents of mint to her hair and in her bouquet.

When Y/n stepped through the door, Oikawa could do nothing but stare. She looked stunning in her floor-length a-line dress. He loved the sweetheart neckline and the way the sleeves were off the shoulder. He loved the way the chiffon fell and made it look like she was gliding along the floor, the peach coloured roses of her bouquet stood out against the mint blue of her dress. Her hair was tied back into an intricate bun, and she donned a light layer of makeup that brought out her sparkling crystal-like e/c eyes.

Their eyes locked with one another's and she gave him a gentle smile, she took her place on the bride's side of the aisle, giving him a wink before Y/n looked down the aisle with a proud look. Oikawa's eye's flickered to the doorway where Emiko was stood in her pure white lace ballgown dress, with a v-neck neckline. Her hair was in an even more intricate way with braids and curls going into a bun, with mint blue gems weaved into her hair before they flickered to Iwaizumi. Oikawa could see the tears welling Iwaizumi's eyes as he saw the love of his life stood there with her father ready to walk down and to give her to him for the rest of lives together. 

The ceremony was beautiful. Oikawa's eyes would continuously flicker to where Y/n was stood and back to the bride wonder what she would look like in a wedding dress. He wanted to see that; he knew he was going to marry her one day. Still, the pair had agreed to take it slow, they didn't want to rush a thing, and with Oikawa being a professional Volleyball player for Argentina it was hard enough for him to have this time off for the wedding. 

The wedding breakfast was great, filled with great food, booze and of course the speeches, Oikawa teasing the newlyweds but also congratulating and thanking them both for setting him up with Y/n. 

He would quite often see Y/n tear up at the speeches and when Iwaizumi and Emiko did there thank you speech and handed out the presents to their parents and the wedding party. Emiko was especially thankful for Y/n, "Honestly Y/n if it wasn't for you I think this wedding would have been a disaster, you kept me grounded through all of this, if I were having a meltdown you would be on a flight from Argentina to me that night, I don't know how many times you did that-"

"She did it thirteen times we had a travel case sat by the front door of our flat ready~" Oikawa interjected with a smirk winking at Niko.

"Don't worry I spent his money on the flights~" Y/n smiled as she leaned into Oikawa's side planting a kiss on his cheek as he fake gasped at the fact she stated. The room laughed at the couple. 

"Toru you a professional volleyball player, get over it! Anyway, if it weren't for you Y/n I would have probably thrown in the towel and cancelled everything on many of occasion, so I must also thank you Toru for letting your girlfriend come and help me at the drop of a hat and fly back here to Japan. Honestly, if it weren't for you two, this wedding wouldn't have been a disaster." Emiko grinned, raising her champagne glass "To Y/n and Toru!" 

"To Y/n and Toru!" The room chorused after her, the toasted pair stood there with there arms wrapped around each other, and there own champagne glasses in hand, Y/n rested her head against his chest as Oikawa planted a kiss on the top of her head as he whispered: "I love you, baby girl."

The first dance was beautiful, just Iwaizumi and Emiko slow dancing across the dance floor to I'll Be by Edwin McCain now and again Iwaizumi would twirl her around. They were whispering to each other. Both grinning, ever now and again kissing, either on the cheek or lips or in Iwaizumi's case her forehead too. Once again, Y/n was cuddled into Oikawa's side, holding her newly filled champagne glass to her chest as she smiled the tears welling up again.

Oikawa was happily chatting away to his old Seijoh teammates. He wasn't sure where Y/n was she said something about catching up with her old high school friends. His ears pricked up at the sound of the music, Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison was playing. Knowing how much Y/n loved this song from the movie Pretty Women, his eye's drifted to the dance floor, where he instantly found the bridal party and their high school friends dancing together singing along. Y/n and Emiko were doing some kind of ballroom dancing, their hands linked together spinning around and laughing, he loved this side of her, she was just having fun and letting loose not caring what people thought of her and her dancing. The next song to come one was Love is Strange by Mickley and Sylvia. Oikawa sighed he knew the DJ was playing the song from Dirty Dancing and he knew them all seeing as Y/n loved that movie as well. Their eyes lock at a certain point, and they both smirked.

'Sylvia~' Oikawa lip-synced to the song. 

'Yes, Mickey?' Y/n hip swayed to the song as she slowly, swaying her hips as she moved closer to him.

'How ya call your loverboy?' He was leaning against the pillar, knowing that his old teammates and her friends were watching

'Come here, loverboy!' using her head to signal from him to come to her. 

'And if he doesn't answer?' He smirked grew 

'Oh, lover boy?' giving him big doe eyes, her hands linked behind her back trying to look innocent, still quite a bit away from him

'And if he still doesn't answer?' He pushed himself off the pillar

'I smiply say, baaaaby' She couldn't help but giggle at him when he did the air guitar to the song.

'Ooooohhhh, baaaaabbyyy' Now stood toe to toe both laughing at Oikawa as he continued to do the air guitar. 

'My sweet baabbyy, you're the one' Planting a kiss on his lips before returning to the girls on the dance floor. 

"Damn you are whipped, aren't ya!" Yahaba laughed patting his shoulder, he just shrugged, he knew he was and he did not care, he loved her wholeheartedly. He continued to watch her on the dance floor once again thinking back to how he wanted to see her in a wedding dress, maybe it was the champagne going to his head, but he wonders if he just went up to her right now and went down on one knee, would she say yes? 

Y/n continued to dance with Emiko before they disappeared out the door so Emiko could change into her evening dress, something a little lighter and more comfortable to wear. 

Later into the evening, Oikawa's eyes locked onto Iwaizumi walking up to the DJ, he didn't miss the smirk that Iwaizumi sent his way. Not long after Iwaizuki walked away, a song began to play that Oikawa instantly recognised. It was his and Y/n song, I Was Made For Loving you by Tori Kelly began to play, he's eyes darted around the room looking for his beloved, he felt a hand on his arm. He grinned, taking her hand in his placing a kiss on her knuckles. 

"Come dance with me," She asked, placing his drink down on the table next to them. He smiled as and followed after her to the dance floor, her left arm wrapped around his right shoulder, and his left arm was gently wrapped around her waist and their free hands conjoined, Oikawa held them to his chest, her head placed gently against his chest as well. They both had gentle smiles on their face as they slow danced on the floor. They didn't see the looks on Emiko, and Iwaizumi faces as they watched the pair, it was just them on the dance floor. 

"We did a good match with those two." Emiko smiled her head resting on Iwaizumi's shoulder. 

"That we did, I think when you throw the bouquet, aim it at Y/n." Iwaizumi commented.

"I already had that planned." The newly wedded couple smirked at each other. 

It was nearly midnight when the after-party started to wrap up, the couple were heading off on their honeymoon, but first, it was time to throw the bouquet. As Emiko said she was going to aim for her best friend, she wanted to see her married to Oikawa; she wanted their children to grow up together and be best friends, even if they would be in different countries. 

Turning her back to the group of girls, Emiko looked over her shoulder, winking at Y/n before she threw the bouquet over her head.

Oikawa was praying that she would catch it, he wanted to propose to her all night, he already planned to buy a ring when they get back to Argentina.

The peach coloured rose flew through the air and landed perfectly into Y/n outstretched hands. Y/n eyes met Oikawa's as he gave her a look that said well we're going to have to now, the blush flushed Y/n cheeks, as she made her way back towards him, cradling the bouquet in her arms.

Iwaizumi and Emiko smirked to one another, knowing they had worked there magic once again, they knew it wouldn't be long till Oikawa would propose now, knowing he wanted to all day anyway, they could tell by the way he looked at her. 

"I'll gladly be your matron of honour," Emiko said nudging Y/n arm as they joined the blushing couple. 

"Give me a shout when you need a best man." Iwaizumi lightly punched Oikawa shoulder as he smirked. "I've already got bits of the speech planned." Catching the scared look that crossed Oikawa's cause the other three to laugh.

"So, if I asked you, would you say yes?" Oikawa asked as his arms snaked around her waist once again. 

After that, there were lots of goodbyes, and even more congratulations as Emiko and Iwaizumi left on their Italian road trip honeymoon. 

"Blue topaz~" Was all Y/n said as he placed a butterfly kiss against his cheek, waving after the car as it drove away.

Part 1 <you are here>| Part 2 | Part 3

©️ All content  belongs to lilmissbeanie, do not copy, edit, repost or translate. 

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[dorevenge]

where ignorance is bliss - chapter 1

SUMMARY:  Maria Collins Carbonell is a young woman in a man's world, fresh out of college and ready to take on the '60s with Obadiah Stane on her arm, until she meets an older and mysterious Howard Stark - who's on his way to change the world, and he wants to take her with him. [AO3 LINK] Rated Teen

CHAPTERS: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ☆

PAIRINGS: Maria/Howard, Maria/Obadiah, Peggy/Daniel, Edwin/Ana, Carol/Maria

… Where ignorance is bliss,

 Tis folly to be wise

 – Thomas Gray, 1742

If you ever met Howard Stark, you only knew half of the man.

He was lauded as a genius, a gamechanger in every field, a philanthropist for tomorrow, the best of humankind – yet he managed to be the worst of it at the same time.

I met him at a casino in ‘60, charmed and overpowered after losing millions for the thrill of it, and we married shortly after. It was the beginning of the last twenty years of my life.

 September 17, 1959 – Queens, New York City

“Obie, dear, we’re going to be late.”

“Darling, it’s check in four. Entertain me for just a few more minutes.”

“Chess minutes are longer than normal minutes, and being late in normal minutes makes Giulietta mad.” My eyes flash across the board, and the moves come to me. Hovering my fingers above the pieces, “I move my rook here, you’ll be forced to move this pawn, then my bishop here… Check in two, love, let’s go.”

I check in the mirror that every blonde hair is where it’s meant to be and adjust the pearls around my neck. Obadiah always wanted me to look good – not too good that other men would chase me, but enough that they would look at him because he was standing next to me. “They’ll look at the beautiful dame, then the businessman who’s arm she’s on, then ask to invest in his company just for a chance to be near her longer.” I wasn’t convinced that his plan worked.

Obadiah and I have been together for seven months at this point, long enough to grow tired of his perpetual tardiness, but not long enough for us to be seen leaving the same hotel room together. We slept in separate beds last night, of course; Obie is a man of high morals but tight checkbooks.

Purse hanging from the crook of my elbow, I call out over my shoulder, “I’ll meet you downstairs.” He hums in response, still curled over the chessboard trying to figure out where he went wrong. I close the door behind me.

-

“Fancy seeing you here,” Obie says, coming in from the elevator, fiddling with the cufflinks he bought just for the occasion – more than he could afford, he’ll probably return them at the end of the trip – the light from the chandelier above reflecting on his scalp. We leave the lobby to wait outside.

“Stop fretting. Your presentation will be flawless.” I straighten his tie as the taxi slides to a stop outside the hotel doors.

“I don’t want to let Howard down. Everything is riding on this.”

“I know, Obie, I know.”

-

I talk with the wives of the other businessmen in a corner, while they over-sip on over-sweet drinks. Obie didn’t send me to spy, but it’s hard not to notice when their loose lips spill secrets not meant to leave the boardroom, and surprises meant to wait for the expo. The first day of the event was reserved for socialization, for inventors and investors to shake hands, tease each other about what they might be presenting and prod for any information they can get. The women are undermined, seen and not heard, but always listening. Always listening.

This was my second Stark Expo; last year I attended as an intern at the Future Foundation, frequently dismissed as a secretary or spouse before I got the chance to share that I was about to graduate from Columbia Business School with Honors. I was put into a box before I opened my mouth. The fifties are a terrible time to be a smart woman.

Tired of the gossiping, tipsy wives, I leave to find Obie. He was almost always easy to find, taller and broader than most of the scholars who have never known a hard day of work in their life, and his bald head shines like a lighthouse. Unsuccessful, I wander off alone.

A waiter hands me a martini, and I find myself in front of the exhibit dedicated to Captain Steve Rogers. It was the same every year; there’s no new information about the man since he crash-landed in the Atlantic, but the fanfare and mythos around him has only increased. The shield and empty suit sat behind a wall of thick glass, carefully preserved by the curator, who was a close friend of the Captain. Several pictures of him decorate the exhibit. Tall, blonde, steel blue eyes. He was handsome, with wide shoulders and an even wider jaw. The perfect American specimen.

I stand in front of the suit, the reflection of my head barely coming up to its sternum, imagining how differently the war might have ended had he survived. A silhouette joins from my right and makes me jump, my senses a little dulled from the drink. I turn around.

“Peggy!”

The brunette Englishwoman takes me in her arms, and I breathe in her perfume. I had met her at last year’s expo when she tried to convince me to learn some self-defense, promising it wouldn’t make me too muscular and unfeminine.

We let each other go, and I notice her cast a sad glance at the exhibit before looking back to me. “Maria, how are you? Are you still working for the Future Foundation?” She looks perfect, as always, with her signature red lipstick.

“I’m well. I graduated from the internship and am working elsewhere. I’m here with a man.” Her eyes widen curiously as I continued. “He’s presenting an invention on Saturday.”

“Is it serious?”

“It’s… Comfortable.”

“If you need some excitement, my offer from last year still stands,” she offers. I smile at her politely, looking down at my shoes. I don’t think I was meant to be a secret agent.

“Maria, there you are! I have someone I want you to meet.” Obadiah blunders into the exhibit, a drink in his hand, and it is clearly not his first. He places a large hand on my shoulder and turns around to point back into the party. “Oh, I don’t know where he went. Howard was just here.”

“He’s probably off in a corner with some blonde,” Peggy smiles. “I need to speak with him, I’ll send him your way once I find him.”

She leaves, and once she’s out of eyesight, Obie’s hand slips from my shoulder to my waist. The forwardness brings me out of the martini-induced hazed, and I stand straight up. I move his hand for him.

“Sorry, Mar,” his breath reeking of alcohol, releasing me. “I’ll find something to eat, get something to soak it all up. I’ll need to stay sharp tonight.” He kisses me on the cheek, and I’m alone again, the swell of music and murmur of guests in the background.

-

Obadiah’s presentation went smoothly, but not as fantastical as he had hoped. The inventor before him showed something very similar, and the crowd was unenthusiastic and less receptive. Some investors bit at the bait, handshakes and promises were exchanged – but no money, which is what Obie desperately needs to continue this charade of a rich man. He came from very little, but he is very good at multiplying anything that crosses his path, a paradigm of the American legend. I do not know much of Obie’s past, but I do know it is grim enough to make him cry in his sleep some nights. Maybe I should invest in gasoline, he would ponder, or some new kind of energy. I need to create a legacy.

His legacy. We talked more of his legacy than anything else, more than chess moves or what to have for dinner or even the weather. His legacy. And he was positive his legacy would start with the two of us, flowing from our descendants, a watershed to admire for decades to come. While he hasn’t asked my father for my hand, he has dropped more than enough hints about his intentions, and I dodge every one of them best I can. He was 29 – six years older than me – and it was time he started a family by society’s expectations. I just wasn’t sure I that wanted to participate.

He lives in a tiny apartment in the Bronx – an apartment, not a house – and invests every penny he earns back into his machines. My father, a realtor, tried to convince him into investing into some real estate in the Upper East Side, but Obadiah gently refused his help, believing the only way to make in this world is to make it on your own.

I am asleep by the time he returns from the second day of the expo, and his entrance wakes me in a start. I had retired early, not wishing to entertain the drunken wives any longer.

“That bastard,” Obie trails off, locking the hotel door behind him and setting the key on the dresser. He sits on the second bed in the room and collapses into a sunken posture, his head falling heavily into his hands.

I slip out from under my covers and sit next to him. I run my hand up and down his back, trying to bring comfort to the defeated man. He would never tell me what had occurred that day, no matter how many times or ways I tried to ask, only the aftermath and resentment that followed, and it is my duty to pick up the pieces.

“God strike me down if I ever willingly enter business with a Stark,” he finally sighs into his hands. “That man is the worst of them all, a piranha and a coward. I told him my next great idea, and not five minutes later I hear him pitching it to an adoring crowd like it was his own. The rich get richer, and I’m still at the bottom. Hold me to it, Mar, if I ever shake his hand, it better be when I’m buying his company out from under him.”

“Yes, dear.”