#we put that thing back where it came from or so help me

[ishasturnz]

‘ Awkward Apologies ‘

dividers by:@ianrkives

authors note: i’m really hoping my smut writing is good because i genuinely don’t know how smut writers do it..

Summary: A few weeks ago when you and Chris thought you were gonna be home alone after matt left with nick, Unannounced Nick came back home early and walked in on you and Chris…

Contains: porn without plot, getting caught, ROUGHHH sex, nick being dramatic.

word count: 722

character count: 3271

4:57 PM

“Nick and I are heading out to grab some Cane's; we'll be back soon,” Matt announced, his voice full of annoyance as he jingled his keys and checked that his wallet was tucked securely in his pocket. Nick, a few steps behind, Just stood with a stupid smile on his face after bugging Matt about getting canes.

“Alrighty, it’s not like we’re even going anywhere so the door should be unlocked by the time you guys get here.” My was tone neutral since me and Chris were watching a movie on the TV.

5:25 PM

The bed creaked loudly under the weight of both our bodies

Chris pounds into you mercilessly as you moan louder. “couldn’t- fuck… FUCK y/n- couldn’t wait until they left..” Chris groaned and railed into you harder from behind.

He pushes your back down so it arches more somehow making him go deeper than before and making his cock hit magic spots you didn’t even know existed.

“Fuh- fuck!” You moaned, no screamed out in pure bliss. You swore sometimes you could feel his cock pick at your heart sometimes.

His Hand grips onto the headboard of his bed which was unbelievably hitting the wall hard. Most likely leaving a dent in it.

Almost hard enough to probably break the bed in general.

Our noises somehow grew louder and louder each and every second. The sheets practically were covered in sweat, drool, tears, and other substances.

The one thing we should’ve heard, we missed.

Nick opening the entrance door.

He most likely had already gotten an earful of unholy noises coming from Chris’s room starting from when he opened the door and passed his room.

6:01 PM

Nick started to approach Chris’s room, not even thinking about the unholy scene he was about to witness.

The doorknob twisted and opened to a very traumatized-looking Nick— “What the FUCK!”

Me and Chris quickly pulled our bodies apart from where they met and scrambled up the blankets to cover our nude bodies up.

“Nick why the fuck are you back so early?!” Chris yelled while covering himself up from being exposed to his brother.

“The real question is, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS FUCKING?!” Nick screaming out of pure disgust and disdain.

“I thought you guys weren’t coming back until later on?!” I screamed, holding up the blanket over my bare breasts and lower body.

“You guys are legitimately fucking SICKENING.” Nick sternly spoke before slamming Chris’s door for us to do whatever we had to do after.

A day after

My thoughts continued to spiral around the fact Nick caught me and Chris in the most intimate way possible.

Every time we saw each other we couldn’t even look into each other’s eyes.

After begging Chris to take me to ShopRite to buy cake mix and frosting he finally agreed to do so.

“You realize he probably forgot already right?” Chris drove keeping one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh gently squeezing.

“That doesn’t matter Chris, that’s like saying I’d forget when you thought it’d be a good idea to put paper towels in the oven.” My voice still a bit worn out from the acts that happened a day prior. “Those two things literally don’t correlate at all.”

“—Thats not the point..!” I didn’t yell loud enough to be considered screaming just loud enough to be considered as whiny.

Back at the house, 2:37 PM

Chris helped me bake the cake while Nick was still out at a meeting, Matt was asleep probably not going to wake up until 3:00.

We frosted it and put writing on it so the apology wasn’t as verbal since it’d be a bit awkward saying it out loud.

4:06 PM

Nick was finally back in the house, I waited till I heard him go upstairs and close his door before running to the kitchen and opening the fridge.

I left the casing on so nothing spilt and I went straight up to Nick’s room. I quietly knocked waiting for him to open the door.

The opened and I handed him the cake with a fork, “M’sorry nick..” my apology sounded sincere and heartfelt.

“Yeah yeah I forgive you—“ He hugged you to show that he actually forgave you before pausing and saying something else.

“But next time I even HEAR the smallest bit of you guys fucking i’m gonna kill myself.”

“Nicolas!”

taglist: @tezzzzzzzz @tenaciousearthquakeperson @angvl3tears @sturnshood @sturnberries @sturniologirlzz @muwapsturniolo @dykes4chris @chrepsi @chrisisadilf @chrissturniolossidebitch @baileysturnz @slut4christopherr @slxt4chriss @slvtf0rchr1s @slxtarchive @raesturns @hjvi @starkeyszn @audreyscave @lailasnight @sturns-mermaid @ikyoudreamofme @sturnsmadl @ohmanareyoucereal9 @sosasturns @blushsturns @rcklessheavn @55sturn @phone4pills @cupiidk1lls @bsturnzmtts @wh0remikasas @sfoiasturn @trevorsgodmother

MASTERLIST

[inlovewithquestionablecharacters]

Seong Gi Hun X Reader: Make believe

A/n: the love i have for this man isn't normal. I need him so bad 😚

Warnings: fluff, age gap, kissing, talks of death, Jung Bae being a cockblocker (slightly), gn reader, pet names (sweetheart), not proofread.

Word count: 1.9K

“I don’t want to die.”

The words slip from your lips before you can stop them. It’s a silly thing to say, a sort of obvious affirmation that didn’t need to be verbalized but ended up making its way out your mouth anyway. You're staring at the ground, knees pressed to your chest. You don’t look up but you can feel him gazing at you from where he sits beside you. 

Gi hun watches you for a moment, not knowing how to respond to your confession. You were the quieter one from the group, often keeping to yourself. Gi hun wanted to tell you it would be alright. He’d been here before, he knew what would happen. Or at least he thought he did. He wasn’t so sure anymore. But he would never tell you that. Not with the way you looked now, your body so tense from fear he was surprised you weren’t shaking next to him. 

“I wanted to go to college. I knew we couldn’t afford it but my mom said it would be ok.”

Gi hun listened as you talked, a small frown gracing his features.

“I could tell things were getting bad when the letters started coming. Mom said it was nothing but I knew better. I started working to help her pay but it wasn’t enough and then she…”

You took a deep breath in, eyes closing as you tried to blink back tears. Gi hun's hand twitched beside him, the need to place a comforting touch on your shoulder was threatening to consume him.

“She got sick and we couldn’t pay the bills. I watched her fade away and there wasn’t anything I could do to help.”

You finally raise your head, looking into the darkness for the first time.

“She did a good job at keeping me in the dark. I only found out how bad the debt was after she passed.”

Memories flooded Gi huns brain. Your words made him remember things he wished he could erase from his mind. 

“I joined so I could pay them back. So I could get my degree.”

You let out a bitter laugh, turning to face Gi hun for the first time since you’d started talking.

“Don’t think that's gonna happen huh?”

Gi hun's hand made its way to your shoulder, his big eyes looking at you with such determination that it almost frightened you. 

“We are going to end the games. And when we get out you’ll go back to college and get your degree. I promise.”

You wanted so badly to believe him. You trusted Gi hun with your life but you weren’t one to believe in miracles. And that's what it seemed like you were wishing for. A miracle. 

Your eyes moved to Gi huns lips before darting back to his eyes. Ever since you’d met him you’d felt a strange pull towards him. You shifted your body slowly, inching yourself closer to the older man. If he was aware of your small movements he didn't show it. It was only when your shoulder brushed against his that he displayed any reaction to the proximity. He gazed at you with a questioning look. You watched his lips open to ask you something but before the words could come out you covered his mouth with yours.

Gi hun was frozen for a moment, he didn’t know how to react. He could feel your lips on his, your warm breath fawning over his cheek but he couldn’t move. He had never expected you to do something like this. You were at least two decades younger than him. He would have never thought you would be attracted to a guy like him.

His lack of reaction made you self conscious. You knew it was a risky move. A stupid move even. But with death looming over your every breath you seemed to stop thinking clearly. You pulled away quickly, desperately trying to put distance between you and the older man.

“Sorry i don’t know where that came from i’ll-”

You moved to get up, your heart beating so loudly it seemed to drown out any other sound. You would go wake one of the others up to keep Gi hun company. You couldn’t trust yourself to not do something stupid again. But before you managed to lift yourself off the ground, Gi huns hand wrapped around your wrist.

“Don’t go.”

Your brows furrowed at his words. You’d expected him to tell you that this was inappropriate. That he was far too old for you. But instead his hand found its way to your cheek, caressing it softly. 

“It’s okay. You don’t have to go.”

Your shoulders relaxed at his words, your body slowly settling back into his previous position. 

“I shouldn’t have kissed you without asking. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. You were caught up in the moment. It’s all the fear this place causes. It makes you not think straight.”

Except that you weren’t not thinking straight. In fact this was the most sure you’d been of yourself for the last two days. 

“Gi hun.”

“Yes?”

“What if I wasn't caught up in the moment? What if i just really wanted to-”

“I’m too old.”

“I don’t care about that.”

“You would. If we weren’t in here, locked in with each other, you wouldn’t have spared me a second glance.”

“That’s not true. You’re very handsome.”

Gi hun couldn’t help but flush at the words.

“Plus, I happen to have a thing for older men.”

You gave him a shy smile and Gi hun couldn’t help but laugh. You watched him shake his head at you. You moved your hand to his face, cupping his cheek as he had done to you moments prior. Gi hun looked at you with those wide puppy eyes of his and you couldn’t help but feel your heart skip a beat. 

“What would you have done if we met at a bar or something?”

The question was made to distract you. Gi hun knew you needed to think about something other than the games for a moment and he was more than willing to help you out. You guided your thumb against his cheek causing him to close his eyes. You continued to caress him as you thought of how to answer his question. 

“I’d be on the dance floor, swaying to the music that was blaring. You’d be sitting in a corner near the bar, a beer in your hand.”

Gi hun would never go to a club that played loud music but he kept the thought to himself, not wanting to ruin the moment. 

“From the moment I caught a look at you I would be able to tell you needed some company but I wouldn't walk over to you right away. Well, not without taking a shot anyway.”

Gi hun’s hand made its way to your thigh, squeezing it slightly in an attempt to tell you he was listening despite his eyes still being closed. Little did he know you’d shut your eyes too, desperately trying to conjure up the images of what  you were describing to him in your mind. 

“After my bit of liquid courage I'd finally make my way to you. I’d take a seat right beside you, staying quiet until you noticed me.”

“I’d notice you the moment you sat down. Wouldn’t be able to resist such a pretty sight.”

You flushed at that. You hoped he was still with his eyes closed so he couldn't see what his words did to you. 

“What would you say to me?”

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing in a shitty place like this.”

You laughed, opening your eyes. Gi hun watched you as you laughed.

“What? Too cliche?”

You smiled at him, your hand moving to rest on his chest.

“A little. But it’s okay. I like cliches.”

Gi hun gave you a grin and you nearly fainted at the sight. He’d smiled in front of you before, of course,  but it was always a brief smile and it was never directed at you. He had such a lovely smile. You wished you could see it more. His hand moved to your face, tucking a stray hair behind your ears before moving to cup your cheek. You leaned into his touch, adoring the feeling of his warm skin on yours. Gi hun called out your name in a whisper.

“Yes Gi hun?”

“Can I kiss you?”

You couldn’t hold back the smile that spread over your face.

“Please do.”

Gi hun was gentle. He inched himself closer to your body in a slow pace, his lips settling against yours in what you could only describe as a loving manner. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer into you. You would have stayed all night like this if you could but a sudden cough made you break apart.

The two of you turned to look at where the sound had come from. Jung Bae stood behind you in the darkness, a barely contained grin plastered on his features. Your face flushed with embarrassment. Gi hun wasn’t better off, his hand moving to the back of his neck awkwardly. But his discomfort only lasted a second because soon he was turning to Jung Bae.

“What is it?”

His tone made it clear that he was a bit annoyed at his friend. 

“It’s time to switch shifts.”

“Oh.”

Gi hun looked at you with a bit of disappointment. You got up from your spot so that Jung Bae could sit down. Before you left you leaned down and placed a kiss on Gi hun's cheek. 

“When your turn’s over, come lay down with me, ok?”

“Okay.”

“Night.”

“Sleep well.”

You’d barely made it four steps from the two of them before Jung Bae started teasing Gi hun. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. 

Later that evening you lay in your bed, trying to rest but unable to sleep. You heard the sound of footsteps causing you to turn to your side. You could barely see him in the dark but you recognized his stance immediately. You shifted in your bed, making a space near your body before patting the spot. Gi hun inched himself onto the bed, a sigh escaping his lips when he finally managed to lay down. The two of you looked at each other for a moment. 

“You can come closer if you want.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Gi hun shifted until your head was pressed against his chest. your arm moved to rest against his waist. The older man gave a content hum at the action, adoring the way you nuzzled into him. 

“I have a proposition.”

“Is that so? Okay, then let’s hear it.”

“When we get out of here you can take me on a proper date.”

“To a fancy restaurant?”

“It doesn't have to be. I don’t care where we go as long as we go together.”

Gi huns chest tightened at your words. Here you were making plans for when you got out and he wasn’t even sure his plan would even work. He wanted to believe it would but he also knew the risks. He pushed down his fear, opting instead to look down at you. You gazed up at him as his hand moved to caress your face.

“When we get out of here we’ll go anywhere you want sweetheart.”

He placed a kiss to your lips as if he was sealing his promise to you with it. Content with his answer you nuzzled into his chest, your eyes closing as sleep took over your body for the first time in hours. 

[fortunekookie07]

Dance with Me - Caleb

Finally the day had arrived. You walked to the den and found Caleb sitting at the table working quietly. His back is bent over his current project. You never really understood his fascination with putting together these models when he flew the real thing. But it made him happy to assemble the tiny versions.

Sometimes, you loved to sit and watch him work. The concentrated look on his face was so cute. His eyes would be narrowed, and his brow would be furrowed as he carefully put the small pieces together.

You call his name softly and wait until he turns around before presenting him with the box you were holding.

Placing the small box in Caleb's hand with a grin, you sit next to him. "Didn't we agree, no gifts this year?" He asks, setting down the wrench. The pieces of his model are scattered across the table.

You kiss his cheek. "This is one gift you don't want to miss." He eyes you and then the box before grasping the ribbon and tugging. The simple bow knot comes undone. Pulling the lid up, he stares down at a black and white picture.

Confusion furrows his brows as he picks it up and stares at the image. Slowly, a smile stretches across his face. "You mean?" He asks, looking at you with pure joy. "Mhh hmmm." You nod vigorously.

He pulls you up with him and starts dancing around the kitchen and into the living room. You laugh as he spins you around in a crazy rhythm.

"Caleb, what are you doing?" He brings you in close, and you can hear the thumping of his heart. "Dance with me!" He can't contain his enthusiasm. Finally, you collapse on the couch, but it seems he still has energy to spend.

"I'm going to be a farher!" He shouts and then runs to the door and throws it open before shouting the same sentence from the open door.

You shake your head at your childish husband. Eventually, he comes back to where you're seated and sits down before laying his head in your lap. Turning to face your still flat stomach and wrapping his arms around your waist. "How far along are you?" He mumbles into your stomach. Whether he is asking you or the growing baby, you're not sure.

"Almost ten weeks." You brush your fingers through his hair. You can feel his smile against your stomach. Is this why you've been weird with food lately." You know it's a rhetorical question.

Having grown up together your whole life, Caleb is more than familiar with your eating habits. "Yeah, Tara went with me to the doctor for a checkup last week. She was almost as excited as you were. Don't worry, you are the first to find out."

Caleb gets up and then pulls you up and into his arms. "Ca-Caleb! Where are we going!" You laugh as he waltzes over to the bedroom and throws the door open with his evol.

"There's still time! We might be able to make them twins!" You laugh at this man, with his vast understanding of sciences, saying something so absurd. But he won't hear of it and so you end up spending the rest of the day in your bedroom. He hardly let you up to eat or use the bathroom.

You stroke his bare back, listening to him snore softly as you lay tucked into his arms.

The path to your current relationship had been incredibly difficult. With all the secrets he'd tried to keep from you on his desperate and somewhat deranged path to keeping you safe. Then there was the aftermath when those secrets had come to life.

His mental health had hit an all-time low, and he'd come close to calling these life quits. It was honestly a miracle that you'd made it to today.

"This life isn't easy, but I hope you'll help me take care of your daddy." You say softly stroking your stomach.

Being with Caleb wasn't easy. Despite having known him your whole life, he felt like a stranger when he came back. A strange pretending to be the protector you'd always known.

When everything came to light and all his secrets, pain, and suffering were laid bare, it had been brutal.

Caleb was willing to end it all. If he couldn't have you, he didn't want anything anymore.

You still remembered the desperate look on his face that day. The raw fear in his eyes as he thought you were going to walk away from him. You hadn't been sure of what you wanted until that point.

But when you sank to your knees in front of him and hugged him, all had seemed right, like you just knew it was all going to be ok. You knew you didn't want to lose your best friend, and you found the strength and courage in your heart to save him.

Caleb had stood trial, and people were ready to throw the book at him. It was only when evidence came to light that he hadn't been acting of his own free will that changed everything.

He'd gone from the monster seeking to destroy the city to a victim. Forced to act against his will and better nature. The looks of pity they gave him had been almost as bad as their anger.

He still suffered from that time. His nightmares were terrible. Sometimes, he would cry in his sleep. Only holding onto him and assuring him he was not alone helped.

So, to say it had been a difficult year was an understatement. It has taken months to get Caleb reinstated in the DAA. His friends and fellow pilots had welcomed him back with open arms. Ready to have him at their side once more. Some friends really would stand with you through hell and high water.

Picking up pieces of a broken life was worth it in the end. When you got the news, the first person you wanted to tell was Caleb. You'd even sworn Tara to secrecy until you could break the news

Unconsciously, Caleb holds you closer, and you drift off to sleep.

****************************************************

Here we go with story 2!

Caleb was difficult for me to write, in that I struggle with adding depth to this story for him. I knew I wanted to have a theme for all five guys and I started with a thought, making very sure no story is the same and I believe I have succeeded, a you'll find out in thevdays to come.

I know Caleb was introduced near the beginning of MCs story, but his character is still very unknown to me. Hence my great struggle with keeping to what I do know.

So please don't come for me! I did put my best effort into this.

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Good to Have a Home

Previous | Masterpost

For a moment when Danny woke up he wasn’t sure what woke him, he opened his eyes a crack and looked around trying to discover the possible threat without letting on he was awake. He noticed Bruce sitting quietly next to him and realized his father’s presence must have been what woken him. He considered pretending to still be asleep, perhaps father would carry him to bed like in the movies and they could avoid this talk, but it was to early for that and he should put Bruce’s mind at ease.

Danny unfolded slowly from his curled up position with a little groan and sat up, checking where the patch of sun was and realizing he’d been asleep for an hour or less. Hopefully that wasn’t enough to mess up his sleep schedule. He stretched and sighed, crossing his legs and leaning back against the wall as he waited for Bruce to speak.

“I know you’re trying to be strong for your brother Danny, but it’s okay if you’re struggling too. You know that right? You both came from the same place, you’re bound to have some of the same troubles,” Danny snorted and drew up his knees, crossing his arms over them. It was quiet for another minute before Bruce added. “If it makes you feel better, I still struggle with it too. I have a well established public persona, but it never feels natural to me. A gala or a formal interview is harder than fighting crime any day.” He said with a little smile, and Danny laughed though maybe not for the reason Bruce hoped.

“You and Damian, both so much more eloquent with violence then with words,” he said, not fully managing to keep the disdain out of his voice. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bruce wince a little. “It is hard, but it’s much easier for me then for him since I have the training for this. There’s no point wasting time complaining about it. It would help me more if you could talk to Damian and give him some media training, especially before we do any television appearances.”

“Sure, I can do that,” Bruce said, looking a uncertain. Danyal had to bite back a laugh to see an adult man of his stature looking so helpless, he clearly didn't know what to do with Danny. “You can talk to me wherever you want to you know, about anything. And I would like to talk to you more about this, whenever you’re ready.”

“Of course,” He said like a private joke and got up again. “It must be almost dinner time right? I’m hungry,” He offered Bruce his hand to help him up.

“You’re right, I think Alfred is making something special,” Bruce agreed. He took Danny’s hand but didn’t put any weight on him as he stood, which was fair, both Danny and Damian were a bit small even for their age though he was sure they’d grow soon.

“Sounds good, I’ll go see how it’s going,” Danny said and returned the cushion he took back on the chair before trotting down to the kitchen, Bruce following behind him despite Danny’s subtle attempt to flee.

“Ah, master Danny, it’s good to see you. Care to help me put the finishing touches on the meal?” Alfred asked with a kind smile that Danny couldn’t help but return, instantly feeling a little better. He helped prep toppings for the home made burgers Alfred had made and then carried things to the table.

When everything was finished the rest of the family started to filter into the dining room and Danny wandered over to the secret cupboard that held his bottle of Lazarus water. He pressed the door and slid it up, grabbing the bottle and twisted off the cap. He took a quick swig and grimaced at the taste, shuddering as it flowed like fire down his throat and turned into ice and mist in his chest. His eyes flashed green as he gaped and let his breath out as a freezing fog, quickly rushing over to the table to grab a piece of cheese to wash down the taste.

That was when Damian slunk into the room last looking sulky and maybe a little guilty, Danny glanced at him and then sat down next to Tim. Damian hesitated, looking at the table, to the place next to Danny where he would usually sit, that was not open tonight. He sighed and went to sit next to Casandra. The room was silent other then Alfred announcing there were also veggie burgers should anyone want them as they started to serve themselves. The tension was noticeable and annoying so Danny sighed and decided it would be up to him to break it.

“So when can we start doing tests on the Lazarus water? I really want to find out more about how it works,” He said catching Bruce and Tim’s attention.

“I want to wait until you get the first package with more from Talia. You’re reliant on it so you having what you need is more important then any tests, and until we’re sure there’s a reliable source we should save what we have,” Bruce said.

Both Danny and Tim gave twin disappointed sighs and then looked at each other startled before Danny cracked a smile and Tim smiled back. “The spirit of scientific inquiry huh?” Tim joked and Danny laughed, nodding.

“It should be soon, I sent a letter to mother telling her how being so far away from the pits was affecting me so hopefully we’ll have what we need before long and we can start running tests.” Danny assured Tim before they once again started bouncing ideas off each other again, this time veering into other subjects, both Bat and Wayne tech. Tim’s eyes lit up, gesturing wildly as he explained the newest patent he’d been working on for Wayne enterprises.

Danny demanded to see it after dinner and Tim managed to pretend to be reluctant for all of five seconds before agreeing. After that they both ate too quickly so they could rush off together, Tim eager and happy to have someone to talk at about his projects. Danny was happy too! Glad to be a fresh pair of eyes and give Tim some new ideas of how he could improve the product, or things he could try to help fix the last few issues. Some of Danny’s idea’s were unconventional, but Tim didn’t seem to mind.

They lost track of time and Danny only realized how long it had been when Alfred politely knocked on the door of Tim’s office/inventing room to tell them that it was time for bed. Danny didn’t doubt Tim would ignore that and keep working but Danny was used to having a schedule and now that his focus was broken he realized that he was tired… and very thirsty, and sort of had to go to the bathroom. Oops.

“Alright, thank you Alfred. Don’t stay up to late Tim,” He joked as he stood up and stretched.

“We should do this again sometime soon,” Tim said, pointedly ignoring the comment about his sleep schedule.

“We should, I’m looking forward to it,” Danny agreed before leaving Alfred to pester Tim further to see if he could get the teen to go to bed at a reasonable time.

Danny got ready for bed slowly and slipped under his covers Despite how tired he was he ended up laying on his beck and staring at the ceiling, tracing the constellations and trying not to think about the day. He didn’t want to think about how he hadn’t spoken to Damian since he made the comment about this being easy for Danny. He didn’t want to think that they might be fighting now, was Damian upset too? Was he laying on the other side of the wall awake thinking about how what he’d said upset Danny? Was he sorry? Was he angry?

Danny nearly jumped out of his skin when there was a knock on the wall, well that answered a couple of questions. He stared at the wall. Damian and Danny had slept in the same bed together every night for nearly the first two weeks but since then they’d been doing it less often, just when they’d had a bad day or nightmares, or Danny had heard the call in his dreams again. Tonight Danny wasn’t sure if he wanted to reciprocate, what if Damian was still seeking a fight? But they needed each other.

Danny sighed and sat up, leaning over to knock on the wall in return, inviting Damian to come over. He lay back down and waited, a few moments later his door opened a crack and Damian slipped inside, coming over to lay next to him. Danyal offered his hand the way he always did, without opening his eyes, Damian’s warm callused fingers wrapped around his wrist, seeking his pulse.

Danny didn’t say anything, and Damian didn’t either for a long time but the tension between them was palpable and he knew neither of them was asleep.

“I’m sorry,” Damian murmured finally. “I shouldn’t have said that, I know it isn’t actually easy for you either. I just hate how useless I’ve been recently, you… the family likes you, and you know how to handle the media and I feel like I'm falling behind. I hate feeling useless.”

“Welcome to my world,” Danny snorted bitterly. “How do you think I felt in Nanda Parbat.” Danny opened his eyes and was surprised to see guilt and shame on his brothers face. He too suddenly remembered dozens of timed Damian had lectured and put him down, enforcing the standards put on both of them and making Danny feel worse for his inability to do what was expected of him. “It’s okay,” He murmured. “Don’t apologize or feel bad for anything that was done there.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Damian scoffed, but Danny knew he didn’t mean it. “At least you won’t have to go back now right? You get along well with father, and his adopted children, and of course you have the media training. He’ll obviously choose you.”

“Don’t be silly Damian, you and father are very similar. Father has agreed to give you one on one media training, take the chance to bond with him. You should be the heir to the Bat,” Danny encouraged softly.

“But… You don’t want to go back to the League,” Damian said with a little furrow between his eyebrows.

“No, I don’t. The League doesn’t actually need an heir, grandfather is next to immortal anyway. If he does accept an heir I have a feeling he’ll eventually come to see them as a threat, after his position and end up sending them away or killing them. No, neither of us are going back,” he said firmly.

“But… if I’m going to be heir to the Bat, and you don’t want to be the Demon Head’s heir, what are you going to do?” Damian asked sounding lost and confused. He'd always cared so much about such thing.

“I’m not going to be the heir to anything, I never wanted to be anyway,” Danny said just as softly. He’d never said it so plainly before because Damian wouldn’t understand, he’d always wanted a legacy, a purpose to live up to. “If I end up with a legacy I want it to be my own, not handed down to me with all sorts of traditions and expectations. I want to be my own person, whoever that ends up being. If I couldn’t be that here either I was planning to run away once you were settled, but I think Father won’t mind.”

“Good,” Damian said, his fingers twitching and his grip tightening around Danny’s wrist. “We shouldn’t be separated.”

That made Danny smile, he didn’t think Damian would have said such a thing a few months ago he didn’t think Damian would have admitted he wanted to stay together. “You’re right, we shouldn’t be,” He agreed, reaching out to squeeze Damian’s hand with his free one. “And don’t worry about me Dami, yes it’s still hard on me but I know what I’m doing. I know the league training wasn’t actually easy on you either. We compliment each other well, one excelling where the other falls a bit behind, we can help each other.”

“Hopefully the media training will help,” Damian said with a soft sigh. “Smiling and talking like you do doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve been trying to practice but my smile always looks… off.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to have a public persona like Danny or Brucie, you can find one that suits you better, Bruce can probably help you with that,” Danny assured as he curled a little closer to his brother.

“Maybe, thank you,” Damian said softly.

“Of course, thank you for apologizing,” Danny murmured.

They fell silent again, but this time it was a comfortable silence, Danny felt like he could finally relax. And with that he fell asleep quickly.

---------

The talk show host sat behind his desk, the Wayne family scattered around on couches, the twins sat between Bruce and Tim on the bigger couch, on the other side Dick and Cass lounged on a love-seat. It had taken a little arranging to get all of the family in one place but Gotham was always happy to see it, especially to have Dick back from Bludhaven and back with the family. He’d been back more since the twins had arrived of course, wanting to get to know the new siblings, but that hadn’t included many public appearances.

“Thank you for making the time to join me and my studio audience tonight,” The host, Jim Thomas said with a winning smile, sweeping his gaze over all the Waynes present.

“Of course! We’re always happy to be here, especially with such good news as two new children,” Brucie said with a bright smile. Everyone knew Gotham’s billionaire adored kids. It seemed like he didn’t know what to do with himself without having a full house and dealt with empty nest by simply adopting more children.

“Right, two at once this time. One at a time no longer enough for you, Brucie?” Jim teased and Bruce chuckled rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as the audience laughed.

“To be fair to him, we sought him out. And no one really expects twins right?” Danny said with a chuckle gesturing back and forth between him and Damian.

“I guess not,” Jim agreed as the audience laughed along. “Now I doubt there’s anyone here who doesn’t know who you are but introduce yourself anyway please.”

“My name is Damian Al Ghul-Wayne,” Damian responded first after being gently nudged by Danny.

“And I’m Danyal Al Ghul-Wayne, but I go by Danny,” Danyal followed up.

“Al Ghul must be your mother’s last name?” Jim asked and the twins nodded. “Is that Middle Eastern?”

“Close but no, we were raised in Pakistan which is South Asia,” Danyal said with a shake of his head. There was a soft hiss at the name of their country, a lot of people knew about the violence there. “Thankfully we were very sheltered,” Danyal said before any follow up questions about that could be asked.

“Fair enough,” Jim said with a nod, clearly he’d like to ask more about that but they had gone over what questions would be asked in this interview ahead of time and that was not one of them. “So we heard in the print article how the twins feel about all their new siblings but how do the rest of the siblings feel about the twins?” Jim asked, his eyes sweeping over them. “Let’s go oldest to youngest?” He suggested looking at Dick.

“Oh I’m used to it by now! I was really mad when Bruce brought J-.. My first brother home,” Everyone winced, the family still had a hard time talking about Jason. “But by the time Timmers came around I was used to it and was thrilled to have a new sibling! I swear since then I’ve just gotten happier with each new sibling I get!” He said with a bright, if slightly vacuous smile.

Jim pointed at Tim next who smiled. “It’s been great to have some more geniuses around,” He joked. “Danny is mechanically minded like me, we’ve been working together on some new tech for Wayne corp, he has some creative ideas. Some of them even work!” He laughed and let out an oof when Danny elbowed him. “Neither of the twins know much modern media, so it’s been fun showing them all the movies I consider required viewing, Damian has the best reactions.”

“Well I know we're all looking forward to seeing what you come up with! Cassandra, what about you? These are your first new brothers aren’t they?” Jim asked, looking to Cass.

She smiled at him and started to sign, it was easier on her then talking in front of so many people. Dick translated easily; “She loves having brothers who are so similar to her. They both stretch and train with her every morning though they’re far from professional dancers. Besides it’s nice to not be the baby anymore.”

Jim laughed at the comment. “Fair enough! Some people like being the baby of the family but it’s not for everyone. What about you Brucie, we know you’re happy to have more kids but this brings it to five, How many children is too many?”

“Oof hard questions,” Brucie said leaning back and looking like he was thinking hard. “I’m going to say eight? Give myself some more room to grow! It also depends how many friends my current kids mak,e if I can keep my house full of happy people.” So unlike the quiet, grief stricken home he had grown up in after his parent’s deaths, as far away from that as possible.

“It’s not like all of them live at home anymore! I currently only have 4 under my roof, and whatever friend is staying over of course. There’s room for more, if the right kid comes along of course,” He said cheerfully and all his kids groaned in exasperation making the audience laugh.

“Try to wait for a bit, at least till Danny and Damian and properly adjusted hm?” Jim joked. “Well I’m sure we’re all glad to hear that the family is all settling in well and going strong.

“Us too, we would have hated it if showing up caused issues,” Danny said gesturing back and forth between himself and Damian. “But it’s been really nice to be somewhere we can be ourselves, and just be kids.”

“It hasn’t been coming entirely naturally,” Damian admitted, hands folded in his lap. “Neither has trusting adults, but we have time, and dad has experience with kids who’ve been through… hard times. In that way I know we’re very grateful for our older siblings.”

“There’s probably no one better you two could have ended up with,” The host agreed warmly.

------(Changing back to Danny’s perspective)

The rest of the interview wrapped up well and Danny felt like he was almost bursting with pride that he couldn’t express. Two weeks of intense media training for Damian, he hadn’t enjoyed it, it had been hard and frustrating, but he had stuck with it and it had really paid off tonight! He had done so well in the interview, he had kept a straight face while their adopted brothers were talking and Danny had only had to prompt him once! And it had helped, the interview had still been exhausting but without having to worry about Damian, and with their family there to rely on, less so.

He was still glad to get out from in front of the cameras and back stage to wash off the tv makeup and change out of the scratchy suit before they headed home. Alfred had promised that while they were playing socialite he would be doing some baking, preparing a treat for them when they got home. Danny couldn’t wait!

“Way to go little brothers!” Dick cheered, slinging an arm around both of their shoulders which had Damian snarling and start fighting against the grip. Which backfired as Dick released Danny to hold Damian with both arms and ruffle up his perfectly sicked back hair as Damian made sounds of complaint out outrage. Danny laughed and backed away to avoid getting grabbed again.

“I can’t believe your said you were grateful for us! I’m touched,” Tim teased as well as Damian managed to bite Dick hard, them kick his shin to escape.

“It’s hardly a compliment to call you an experiment,” Damian sniffed turning up his nose at them, though thankfully they just laughed again. Danny was just relieved Damian hadn’t pulled a knife of Dick, he knew his twin had a few stashed in various hiding places on his person. To be fair, so did Danny.

“Really, Chum,” Bruce said softly, resting a hand on Damian’s shoulder, smiling warmly down at him. “You did well, I’m proud of you. Both of you,” He added smiling at Danny as well, who smiled back softly and nodded in acknowledgement. Damian looked like the praise had overwhelmed and shut down his systems. Bruce chuckled and gently led the way out to the car, using his hand on Damian’s shoulder to guide him while he processed.

They all piled in the limo, chatting and laughing, mostly getting out residual nervous energy from the interview. Danny joined in a little, but mostly relaxed next to a silent Damian. When they got home everyone got out and scattered, Cass and Tim rushing to grab a couple cookies before practically running to the cave so they could get out on patrol. Dick broke off with Bruce to talk about something, and Damian and Danny took their time walking back inside together.

“It’s good to be home isn’t it?” Damian said with a soft sigh once the heavy doors closed behind them.

“Good to have a home,” Danny said. Good to have a place where he finally felt safe, where they didn’t have to fight for survival. Good to have a place they could finally be themselves. Whatever happened with school, and hero work, and everything else, it was good to have a home.

[midnightshindig]

ex! Rex Splode X Male! Reader

Someone just fucking shoot me already WHY ISNT THERE MORE REX STUFF ON HERe-etburhifeuo anyways crossposted to AO3 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/62872648)

Anyways! Second chance, forgiving your ex, ominous vague bullshit and nothing gets explained well but who cares this is fanfiction <3 /pos

Fic under the cut <3

It was simple, it was almost sweet in a way. Super hero summer camp, a cleanup gig in Chicago where young, small-time superheroes like yourself worked with the new Guardians of the Globe to help restore the city. Your team was among the first to volunteer, roping you in for the sake of not leaving you alone at your home base and primary living arrangement. You weren't sure how useful you were going to be, invisibility wasn't super helpful for stuff like this. All you had over the average person was the fair amount of muscle you put on in training, but even then you were more of a stealth killer than a hand-to-hand combatant. Both in fighting and in life.

Nothing was more apparent than the fact you didn't fit in with this impromptu summer camp. Twenty superheroes- including you and your four teammates- from various cities and slums across the Americas, all crammed into a makeshift shelter set up by the rogue Atom Eve. Somewhere nearby but secret, the entirety of the Guardians of the Globe, with their locations hidden for "safety purposes". You and the other sixteen strangers mingled well. Your teammates consisted of super strength, teleportation, electrokinesis, and novice-level super speed. It was difficult to imagine any team more well-suited for construction. You and the two or three other superheroes with moderately useless abilities found yourselves playing second fiddle to your teammates, fetching hammers and organizing volunteers and what have you.

It wasn't all bad; we had mealtime together and slept in communal cots. The cozy cabin-like interior of the shelter gave you the impression you were one friendship bracelet away from needing a camp counselor for supervision. It was nice, almost childlike in its facade. Being a superhero since fourteen robbed you of certain things, like the quintessential bonding experience that is summer camp. Maybe it was a desperate attempt to feel like a normal nineteen-year-old, but you projected your summer camp fantasies onto this project *hard*.

It had only been the second day of what was supposed to be a two-week project when you met him. A man in a robot suit, or perhaps just a robot (it wasn't clear), had directed you to demolition. There was a lot of debris and building remnants that needed to be taken out before the new ones could even begin to be put in. So you found yourself talking with some local demolition experts, figuring out where they could best use your hands to get the job done. "I was thinking I could just do whatever your lackeys usually do. I mean- unless you want me swinging the wrecking ball--" you smiled jokingly, pretending to maneuver the sticks on the wrecking ball machine.

An annoying, almost gruff cough came from behind "Uhm- we don't need a wrecking ball. We have *me*." behind you was your supervising superhero. You raised an eyebrow at him, studying him for a minute and recognizing him as

"Rex?" You broke into a small smile, tilting your head and raising that brow higher in disbelief "Rex Splode- I don't believe it." You'd known him at one point or another, an all-too-familiar ache rising in your chest.

He cocked his head back, almost mimicking- like a dog. You'd changed significantly since your early teens, you were taller, stronger, and harder in the eyes. Since the last time you'd seen him, you'd seen innocents die, you'd killed, you'd finally been taken on your first date, and you'd had your heart broken for only the second time. It'd been three years, and he was a Guardian. And you were the invisible man on cleanup duty. Well, you were on cleanup duty together. When he registered who you were, his eyes widened and jaw went slack. You'd changed your costume to the point he probably wouldn't have noticed your identity if you hadn't said anything.

But he did notice you, and once his head stopped spinning, he broke into a wide eyed, almost nervous, grin. The demolition company might as well have been chopped liver, he stepped past them and paused. His arms were open for a hug, his eyes bright, but he caught himself, awkwardly shoving himself into an open palm. You went to shake it. He dapped you up. He. he dapped you up. and then he snapped. To finish dapping you up- oh my god-

"You haven't changed a bit, man. A guardian? That's exciting, whose dick did you have to suck to make that happen?" You waved the demolition men away, a bit impatiently. Aside from your teammates, he was the first familiar face you'd seen all week. Even if the knot in your stomach tightened, this wasn't anything you'd give up for the butterflies.

He rolled his eyes, resting his hands on his hips. "Uh, you don't mess with perfect! You should take my advice, you're like totally unrecognizable! No wonder Eve didn't point you out, you're like totally undercover and shit!" He seemed almost offended? Why? "You uh-" he kicked a rock, waving his wrist circularly to articulate his point "You didn't say anything, to Eve, that is. She would've loved to say hi. She's gonna be sad she missed you." He folded his arms, looking up and askew "You know her, can't keep her feet on the ground. She's off in the woods again studying for an architecture test? Man I dunno, she's busy but we keep in touch." He looked back at you, upwards through his eyelashes and a stiff upper lip. Almost like he was pouting. The folded arms didn't help to make him *not* look like a wounded kid.

You rubbed your neck uncomfortably, shifting your weight onto either foot as you fumbled for an excuse. "Uhh- yeah- I meant to- but I got totally caught up in this thing and I mean- buildings aren't going to demolish and clean up themselves!" smiling, you motioned to the slew of half-wrecked apartment buildings and businesses, skyscrapers toppled and left to rot for months until help was available. It'd been roughly a year since Chicago, and this was the first time things had been calm enough for enough superheroes to be available.

Rex didn't care for the excuse, sighing and looking away. He seemed more.... calm, less of a dickhead than when you were younger. "Look, y/n, I know we didn't like- leave in the best circumstances. I've been through a lot since then- like-" he chopped the air with both hands, emphasizing his point "-a. LOT. I got shot in the head by King. Lizard." he scoffed, at King Lizard or himself, you weren't sure "If you can believe in. Bastard got me point blank, totally fucked up my hand" He held up a robotic hand, covered in his usual leather gloves. "And I realized, the way I've treated the people in my life-" he paused pensively, mulling something over quickly before continuing "Especially my past partners...." he swallowed, hard, looking for your reaction.

You winced at the word, folding your arms. "Rex this really isn't-"

"No- no." He calmly but firmly interrupted you, holding up a flat palm. "I need to say this. I was an asshole to you, and to Eve, and to Kate-- I care about people and I need to be better to the people I care about. Or else I hurt them. I'm trying to be less of an asshole, Y/n. You know, I made good with Eve, and Kate's gone but I want to believe I can be better." He sighed a heavy, burdened sigh, and kicked a piece of rubble away. "I'm not gonna make you deal with my emotional baggage while we work on this project together, but I want to tell you that I'm sorry I was such a bad person to you and that you never got to be a part of Teen Team, or stay with Eve, or any of the things I robbed you of by leaving you in that fight." He shrugged, a lighthearted gesture done in vain compared to the heavy conversation. "You've done really well for yourself, you clean up nice, I mean. I don't really..." Rex sighed, realizing the weight of his words "I guess I don't really know how you're doing."

It was a lot to take in, but ever quick to the punch, you simply nodded back "Uh, yeah. I've been good. Taking it easy in San Diego as one of the rarer Californian superhero teams or whatever, eating lots of kale." you deadpanned, earning a good laugh from Rex.

"Ha-! I bet it sucks out there, fucking weather's all jacked, and you said kale? Ew- my condolences. Get me a chili dog any day." He cracked a grin, easing the tension.

"Uh- excuse me." A gruff older man you recognized as the head of the demolition department interrupted, stepping over. "I'm real sorry to stop your talking, but we wanna get this row of buildings done before lunch." He was surprisingly gentle, and you and Rex nodded to get to work.

And so the day went, awkward tension eased slightly by wisecracks and the hard labor of destruction.

"so-" Rex threw exploding coins into the base of the dilapidated building, right where the men had marked for them to go, "how'd you get stuck on cleanup duty?"

You went over to the newly-exploded pile of rubble and began loading it into bags "I dunno, I guess they didn't have anywhere else to put me?" You slung the bags into a wheelbarrow and began hauling it to the much larger pile of rubble "This is where the reject superheroes with shitty powers go, I guess. Or maybe Robot thought I needed some quality time with my long-lost evil ex." Your smile was self-deprecating at best and mocking at worst, and Rex clocked it immediately.

Unable to dig up any more emotional vulnerability, Rex merely responded "Well Robot doesn't give a shit about me or my personal life, he's too busy trying to shack up with Monster Girl, plus--" He walked over and slung two bags over his shoulder, outshining you "I'm a badass, you're a badass, we're not the rejects of anything. You've got powers like Green Ghost, she was a whole-ass Guardian. That's gotta count for something."

"Uh, yeah, I'm a worse copy of her, and she's dead." You frowned, tossing a bag into a wheelbarrow once more, followed by Rex tossing his in.

"Woah woah woah, pump the hate brakes." He looked down at you, folded arms in disapproval. "You are NOT a second-rate hero, and you're a total badass who survived being dumped in the middle of a fight, I mean come on, that's brutal! And you still plowed through those aliens like it was NOTHING, at sixteen! That's amazing. You were amazing when we were kids, you're amazing now. I bet if you'd auditioned, you'd be a guardian right. now."

His words resonated, and the summer camp felt like daunting. You placed an open palm against his upper arm, smiling hesitantly "Thanks Rex, I... needed to hear that."

Your smile was met with an equally soft, cautious one from Rex. "Ahhhh-" he trailed off, snapping back to reality "Doon't mention it! But seriously, you're tough as hell." He took the bag of rubble you were carrying and foisted it onto his back "I got you."

You watched him struggle all for the sake of kindness, or maybe to impress you, you weren't sure, but the way he flopped over to the rubble pile left the ache in your heart worse than ever. A bitter, tight grip on your upper bicep from crossed arms put you in a closed posture. It wasn't fair to have to be this close with him again, after so long. It was just you and him in this section, doing this area of demolition. In a way, it was like summer camp, drama and exes close by, doing menial tasks to distract from the interpersonal turmoil and drama. Part of you felt like asking for a reassignment, but part of you missed Rex and Eve, especially Rex, and couldn't pass on the opportunity to know him again. If you'd changed as much as you had, maybe he could have too. Maybe he wasn't the guy who dumped and left you mid-alien invasion for your best friend. maybe you could be friends again. Maybe more? No- no. The thought brought a heat to your face but you quickly shut it down. Still, maybe you could be friends.

Maybe you'd like that.

It was simple, almost sweet in a way. A complicated reunion reduced to happenstance, an apology, and a reconnection. No third parties or misunderstandings, just reconnection and forgiveness. Maybe that was all you needed. To be friends, to make that summer camp connection that would last the next two weeks before you inevitably ghosted him. It troubled you. And the next two weeks threatened to trouble you all the more.

[jellybeanium124]

can't stop thinking about this version of them...

ed joining a local bunny owners facebook group and becoming online friends with stede, before eventually working up the nerve to tell stede that after all the funny and ridiculous stories he's shared about arthur, ed is dying to meet him. stede is very enthusiastic about the idea.

when ed shows up at stede's house the next day, everything seems more neat and tidy than it usually is in stede's pictures. stede himself seems far more pretty in person too. stede excitedly takes him to arthur's large x-pen where arthur is busy gnawing on the pen and pushing and pulling it with his teeth. he's so tiny it's really funny to see all this energy coming out of such a small creature.

when he looks up and sees ed, he runs to the back of his pen to a covered area with his bed, and watches them, on alert.

"sorry he's not very friendly..." stede says sadly.

"'s okay. I know the breed tend to be skittish," ed replies, sitting down next to the pen. stede sits down next to him and starts talking about the bunny shenanigans arthur's been up to today. ed responds in kind telling stede all about the cute and silly and naughty things daisy's been up to, and he shows stede a million pictures and videos on his phone.

arthur eventually comes out of his bed area and takes a drink at his water bowl. stede sticks his fingers into the pen and arthur goes over to him and lays his head down and stede pets his forehead. arthur melts a little at the pets.

"aww, he really likes you," ed says softly.

"it was quite a journey. poor little guy was rescued from a horrible breeder situation after there was a fire. he was incredibly distrustful of people, very nippy. the shelter I was at said they didn't know what they were going to do with him. so I took him home right then and there. I didn't know anything about rabbits. I'd gone there planning on getting a dog. I had to keep him in a crate for the first few nights before I got my hands on an x-pen and some proper bunny supplies. but, well, you learn fast when you introduce a 3-pound ball of fluff and rage into your home... but we got through it. getting him neutered once he was old enough did help a lot. and now... well, he's still standoffish and a bit of a criminal, but he's warmed up to life here. the first time I saw him binky, and then the first time I saw him flop over in front of me... I wouldn't trade those moments for anything."

"yeah... daisy wasn't a total hellbunny, luckily. and I had prep time. fang said she was surrendered by a family who realized they couldn't take care of a rabbit. apparently she was a birthday present for twin six-year-old girls--"

stede grimaced.

"yeah, I know, right? she freaked out a lot initially, but she's chilled out since. she prefers to laze around than cause chaos. I'll lay down on the floor and then she'll lay down on the floor by me and I'll pet her... that's really nice... she's so small and I'm so big... and other people have mistreated her in the past but she's always excited to see me, and she'll flop over and close her eyes and let me pet her and she knows I'll never hurt her--" ed got choked up all of a sudden and couldn't keep talking. he inhaled deeply and tried not to cry. stede put his hand on ed's shoulder.

"oh ed... of course she knows you'll never hurt her. you're so lovely and kind, and you take such good care of her. she knows she's safe with you."

this made ed let out a big sob. arthur froze initially and then leaned forward towards ed.

"oh, ed, no, I--" stede started, as ed started crying. "oh dear, I didn't mean to make you cry more! please stop, I, I'm sorry, I don't know what-- edward, please--"

ed tried to slow his breathing down, and came to realize that stede was holding him. he looked down, and saw arthur sticking his nose out of the x-pen at him.

ed slowly brought his fingers close to arthur's eyes, then his nose. he laid his head down, and ed pet him.

"wow..." stede whispered. "that's amazing... he's never warmed up to someone so fast. it took alma multiple visits of feeding him treats for him to let her pet him..."

ed gently stroked arthur from his nose to his forehead. "wow..."

"you're a bunny whisperer, ed."

"pfft. naw. he just wants to assert his dominance as the alpha bun around here. in case I ever come back."

"we'd love to have you back."

"me and daisy will have to have you over first."

"you think they'll get pissed when we come home smelling like different bunnies?"

ed snickered. "maybe. how dare we, really, come home smelling like another bunny. we're monsters."

"the worst kind," stede said, giggling with him.

"but hey... maybe one day they'll meet. and recognize that smell."

"and then they'll start fighting."

"maybe... or maybe they'll realize, 'hey this other bunny is really cool! maybe we could be friends!'"

"I wish! I feel so bad leaving arthur alone, but he seems like he likes being a solitary bun. I'd be worried about him rejecting all other rabbits."

"I feel bad leaving daisy alone too... I have a feeling she'd like a friend."

"maybe she would. maybe they could be friends."

"that'd be nice."

"real nice."

so modern au ed. his employee/buddy(?) fang volunteers at an animal rescue in his free time, and he's always talking about how they have too many animals, and not enough people who seriously want to foster or adopt. and after months of extremely subtly dropping hints to ed about animal companionship and the joys of pet ownership, ed agrees to visit the rescue and see if any of the animals speak to him.

he doesn't like dogs, well, it's not like that exactly. he's met fang's dogs before and they're lovely. he likes dogs when they belong to other people. but they tend to bark and shout at random intervals, and ed doesn't like the idea of a housemate whose favorite hobby is screaming. so he goes in there looking for a cat.

but none of the cats really speak to him. they're cute, sure, but... none of them catch his fancy. and then fang takes him to a room at the back of the rescue, filled with pens that have 1-3 rabbits in them.

in the smallest pen is a lone, tiny little white rabbit with black eyeliner, chewing on the metal bars. it stops and looks up at him.

"that's daisy," fang said. "we got a call about a white rabbit about a month ago and I went and got her. she's not been that friendly with the other rabbits, even though everyone here is spayed and neutered. hence her own little pen."

ed crouched down, and daisy stuck out her nose to sniff at him. "why's she got eyeliner?"

"she's a dwarf hotot. that's just how they look."

"wicked."

daisy hopped to her water bowl and had a drink.

"can I foster her?" ed asked, barely above a whisper.

"sure!"

fang gets ed some reading on bunnies and after about two weeks ed's built a space that he hopes will make daisy very, very happy.

daisy is nervous at first, in ed's home. fang's getting 10 calls a day asking if this or that behavior is normal. ed spends all the time he can with her. he stops working extra-long days because he feels bad leaving daisy alone. slowly, she starts to come out of her shell. she explores more around his house. he sees her binky for the first time, and then flop over for the first time and fully close her eyes. she nudges him for pets. she'll be lying in the corner of her pen and then immediately get up when ed comes home.

after about a month or two of fostering, ed asks if he can adopt her. fang, overjoyed, gives him a big hug, and says of course he can adopt her, fang couldn't think of a better person to adopt her.

maybe this even leads into him joining a bunny owners group, and meeting stede, a bitchy adorable man who owns a bitchy adorable netherland dwarf.

trying to get arthur and daisy to bond ends up being easier than expected...

[rewatching-sam-and-dean]

It’s Rant Time Again, Friends!

And today’s rant is brought to you by the silliness that came scross my Twitter feed this week in the form of an absolutely pointless question, but even more so by some of the asinine answers I saw. Some of you probably already saw this (and responded) if you’re on Twitter, so I’m not screenshotting it. Besides, people are allowed to ask (stupid) questions. But, I’m also allowed to comment on how dumb the questions are.

The Question:

“If it came down to saving Sam or Cas, who do you think Dean would save first?”

Question Issues:

If someone watched the show at all, the answer to this question is more than obvious. But the question isn’t even just “who would Dean save” but “who would Dean save first?” I mean the answer to both is the same, but surly even the “found family” crew of fans should be able to recognize that Dean will always try to save Sam first. The ones who claim otherwise have to be knowingly lying, because if not … I fear for society that people are that lack that much media literacy.

The responses:

So, here’s what gets me even more than the “innocent” question, the responses. Of course the vast majority of reposts and replies are saying some variation of “Sam, obviously.” Because it is obvious. The show has showed us again and sngsinghdt Dean would put Sam’s life above his own, his parents, his friends, anyone.

But what’s really amusing/annoying/sad is seeing people twisting themselves into pretzels just to avoid having to admit the truth. These are the ones saying things like:

“Dean would find a way to save both of them!” - Would he though? When “Zeke” gave Dean the ultimatum between sending a penniless, powerless, helpless and hunted Castiel out into the world on his own … or him leaving Sam, stopping the healing and potentially (only potentially) resulting in Sam dying, there is no hesitation. Dean clearly feels bad, but he tosses Cas out on his ass in a blink. What does he not do? He doesn’t try to arrange something so they are both safe. Hell, he doesn’t even give Cas anything to help feed, cloth or protect himself. He just sends him out into the world to try and figure shit out on his own.

“Dean would kill/sacrifice himself, if it meant he could save Cas, too.” - Umm, where have we ever seen him put Cas above himself? Would he risk his life to save Castiel? Of course he would, but he would also risk his life to try and save a complete stranger. That sort of comes with the territory of being a hunter. But the only person Dean has ever directly and intentionally sacrificed himself for is Sam. I saw some argue that he was willing to kill or himself to bring Cas back after Chuck snapped everyone away in Season 15, but that’s a misinterpretation (selective listening), common among hellers and Cas stans, of what Dean is actually saying. Dean and Sam say they will kill each other if Chuck will bring everyone back, including Cas. They are not offering to do this just for Cas, it’s for the world. Besides, in his scenario I get the feeling that the intention is for both Sam and Dean to die, so they’ll go out together to save everyone else.

“Dean would save Sam, but his life would be over, or he’d give up after without Cas.” - LMAO. No. Unless you want to argue that a smiling happy and content Dean is secretly trying to drown his sorrows in the finale when Sam is the one to bring up Jack and Cas, and Dean is basically like, “yeah sure, losing them was sad or whatever, but like we gotta live Sam. Now let’s destroy this pie.”

And my personal favourite…

“It totally depends on what season of the show we are talking about.” - Bitch please, it would make no difference. There isn’t a single episode, let alone whole Season, where Desn would try to save Cas before, or instead of, Sam. See my examples from Season 9 and 15 above. There are so many examples of Dean not doing much to save Cas, vs him begging, pleading, or trading humans to save Sam.

[omg-snakes]

I was so, so lucky to meet a very special trio of snakes for a class I'm taking on methods in field ecology. One of my two professors is a specialist in garter snakes and was kind enough to bring three different species in for us to compare in person and observe up close. The first was the gorgeous common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, pictures above. She was so calm and well-mannered!

Next was this tiny (by comparison) T. elegans dude, a western garter snake, who was wary of the camera but very patient about being passed around by a group of excited college students. He matched my classmate's sweater perfectly!

Finally, an endangered and incredibly precious T. gigas, the giant garter snake. She's about half of her maximum adult size, so a giant indeed! She musked and peed a bit but for the most part this gojira-faced beauty was pretty chill. We got to observe a full work-up for her including documenting records and microchipping.

She's one of the last of her species. Despite Herculean efforts by her protectors and conservation experts (mostly just one man and his dedicated team), this is a very difficult species to observe in the wild and their habitats are disappearing faster than their need for prioritization of protection in a given area can be assessed. These snakes rely on riparian habitat near rivers, which is also unfortunately a favorite for human development. At this time we don't know how exactly many giant garter snakes are left or whether their current populations are stable.

Today we got to visit their marshland habitat and watch these three go back to the place where they were caught. It was a huge honor and something I'll carry with me forever.

[andy-clutterbuck]

Andy behind the scenes of The Ones Who Live

[front-facing-pokemon]

[xaverie]

And you know what? I-

...what was that?

O-okay...

--James?!

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (ΔΣΘ) is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two women at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Membership is open to any woman, regardless of religion, race, or nationality. Women may apply to join through undergraduate chapters at a college or university or through an alumnae chapter after earning a college degree.

[thefearofcod]

Did you know?

Promoting cultural isolationism is bad, and you shouldn’t do it!

[blujayonthewing]

sure was Something to see a bunch of people on facebook yesterday like 'haha wow this weather is great! I'll sure take 70s over february weather any day!!' and then watch severe thunderstorms and tornados sweep through that night

[simiansmoke]

"What if King Boo licked you, would it be considered a bath... or like, smthin else. considering his tongue pretty big not gonna lie"

"...uhh-NO...?? Baths and grooming are from Kong to Kong only! And potentially other uh...species Kongs might...intermingle with-..."

"NOT THAT THEY DO OR ANYTHING-! Wait...whaddya mean 'SOMETHING ELSE'?!"

[justjwab]

Top 10 posts customer service workers hate reading

very controversial opinion here, but sometimes customer service workers are the problem 😶

[what-even-is-thiss]

The reason people don’t want to work is that it’s just normal for them to be in bad work environments.

My issue with working at Walmart wasn’t the work itself I was doing. It was the circumstances around it. The concrete floor, lack of places to sit, having to put up with asshole customers, not getting time off for injuries, and bad pay.

If I had been given shock pads to stand on or a few chairs to rest on sometimes, if they paid me a livable amount of money and I was allowed to yell back at asshole customers, if they had given me any amount of training, I would happily work part time folding clothes all day and telling people where the swimsuit section is.

I’m a creative type. I’m a writer. I’m pretty smart, even. But if I could make a living folding shirts and listening to podcasts in one ear and helping people find the scented candles for 30 hours a week? I would. Leaves some mental space free for me to brainstorm. Lets me catch up on my reading with audiobooks.

But instead I was treated so badly by upper management and customers that I’m like legitimately a little frightened whenever I step into a Walmart now. And I only worked there for three months a few years ago.

I’m a good lower level worker. When I’m treated well. I like finishing tasks. I like being helpful. I like having some time to talk to coworkers and some time alone with my thoughts. I’m a frickin team player. And that’s how I was at my first job. I was treated well by my supervisor. I was trained. They were patient with me. I was so good at being low on the totem pole at that job because I was valued and felt like I was being listened to. I was able to sit still when there was nothing left to do which made it feel less bad when we were on a time crunch. I didn’t mind working hard at that job because it was fun even though I was doing all the low level stuff that the supervisors didn’t want do.

But at Walmart I was like that for all of two days. Then I figured out that nobody appreciated my work and if I worked in my normal people pleasing manner I’d kill myself because their standards were high and the rewards for meeting them were low.

So I slowed down. I started avoiding customers. I started taking a lot longer to get to my breaks and to come back from them. I became worse at my job because no matter how good I was at it there would be no reward, no appreciation, and I’d just be pushed further beyond my limits.

My only level of happiness from that job came from the people who were working with me. The old ladies and my department manager who made sure I wasn’t overextending myself. The one other young man working in the clothing department who always got sent with me to unload the heavy stuff and commiserated with me about the shoulder injuries, the hurting feet we were too young to have.

But none of that was enough to make me stay. We were constantly understaffed. I was constantly abused by customers and not able to do a thing about it. I was not paid much at all. So as soon as I had enough saved up for what I was trying to do and my last semester of college was about to start I handed in my two weeks.

I would have found a way to stay if I liked that job. If I liked that job I would’ve pushed myself to my mental limits to finish college and keep that job at the same time. Heck that job could’ve been a rest from college. A place to get away from it. But I hate that job so I got out as soon as I could.

I want to work. I want enough money to live sort of comfortably. I want to have some tasks to do to give my creativity a rest. I want to be a part of something. But the way that modern corporate run work environments are set up does not give me any of the things I actually want out of a job. And I think that’s the same for millions of people right now. A lot of people would happily spend their lives as a waitress or an Uber driver or a warehouse worker or a farmhand or any other “low skill” job you can possibly think of. But with the way the world works right now those jobs are absolutely miserable. It doesn’t have to be that way. I know because I’ve had a fulfilling part time minimum wage job that I looked forward to going to every week. A job where I was listened to and allowed to sit when I needed to. I miss that job. Especially now since I’ve realized that’s not the standard. It should be. People should look forward to going to work or at the very least not get mild ptsd whenever they set foot into a Walmart.