#well i should draw the canaries separately one day i love them all

[pyxchta]

[alecthedevil]

Handcuffs (Bat family x reader)

Pairing: Bat family x reader (Platonic obviously)

Word Count:1688

No specific pronouns used. All inclusive reader!

Warnings: Like one swear word.

...

99% of the time, at least one resident of Wayne Manor was causing trouble. Even Dick and Jason, who hadn’t lived with Bruce for a long while, were known to be problematic in their visits to the Manor.

Last month, Tim not only managed to trip down the stairs, he did so whilst sleepwalking with a plate of pancakes in his hand. The incident arose many questions. How did he fall down the stairs? Why isn’t his neck broken? Tim sleepwalks? Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on him? Where did he get the pancakes from? Wait did Alfred make Pancakes?

Two weeks ago, Jason and Dick put aside their differences decided to hum the mission impossible theme on their top-secret mission to infiltrate the villains lair and save the damsel in distress. The villain being Bruce, the lair aka the Batcave, and the damsel being their confiscated phones due to their previous night’s hijacking of the bat mobile. Jason tripped Dick, Dick fell down and bumped into the table, the coffee was spilt onto the floor, Bruce, otherwise unaware of their antics rushed in at the sound and slipped on the coffee, Jason laughed so hard he backed into one of the display cabinets, knocking it over, it fell down and narrowly missed Titus, Titus sprang up and barked so much that Tim wandered down stairs to find his brother’s and father in a heap on the floor, their mission thoroughly failed.

On Monday Damian thought not to tell the household that his latest pet was a python certainly not native to Gotham, let alone America, and did not think he should perhaps tell anyone that it was not in the glass tank he’d acquired to care for it. Alfred received a shock when he opened a cabinet in the kitchen to retrieve a dish, only to find a sleeping snake curled up.

Yes, it was safe to say that the Wayne residence was full of drama and mischief.

Today, the problem was you.

It wasn’t your fault. Not really. I mean, it’s not like anyone told you not to touch the stuff on the table in the cave. Nobody warned you that it wasn’t a good idea to mess around with some of the new gadgets Bruce was working on.

Ok so maybe Bruce had said something along the lines of;

“blah blah blah, don’t go into the bat cave without permission, more words, more talking, don’t touch anything, he’s still talking, the things down there are NOT for fun, they’re for work, something something, do you understand me?”

And yeah, you understood him. But like, he said not to go down there and touch stuff. So that’s why you did the opposite and did everything he said not to do. But c’mon. Isn’t it really obvious that you were going to do It anyway? It’s not like it resulted in too big of a problem.

“Uh, Bruce?” “No.” “But I-” “No.” “I really think you should-” “I’m working.” “Okay… but it’s just that,” “Y/n, I’m busy.” “... Bruceeeeeeeeeeeeee” “You can see I’m working.” “I know, but…” “… but what.” “No, it’s fine. You’re working, I don’t want to bother you.” “What did you want?” “Tell me that you’ll always love me no matter what.” “What did you do?” “Tell me.”

“I’ll always love you no matter what. Now what did you do?”

“I can’t get them off...”

You messed around with the prototype batcuffs Alfred and Bruce had been experimenting with. Bruce wanted to make them unescapable after the last time the Riddler managed to unlock them. The idea was for them to be Unescapable for the wearer, but not for the captor. Unfortunately they were in fact, unescapable for even Gotham’s Dark Knight.

Luckily for you, you had the smartest people in Gotham at your side, ready to tackle the issue.

Alfred and Bruce poured over the plans for the cuffs, certain that they could kill two birds with one stone by simply fixing the cuffs so that they were the real thing instead of broken prototypes, and therefore it could really be a valuable use of time.

Dick tried dish soap. It worked, he proclaimed, for rings stuck on peoples fingers, and it’s kind of the same thing really, when you think about it.

Tim pulled together an elaborate plan composed of several complex elements including but not limited to; the batmobile, rope and chain, an antique radio, several straws, the dish soap from earlier, a turkey sandwich, parts he’d need to unscrew from the garage door, a thorn from a rose between the colours of bashful blush and Scarlett Dream, two spoons, a canary and most importantly; something to burn metal with. He wanted a flame thrower, but on such short notice, promised that he could work with a blow torch if need be.

Safe to say Tim was put on bed rest until further notice.

Damian, grandson of the demon, son of Batman and Tahlia Al Ghul, Robin and well-trained fighter and weapons expert all round proposed an idea so practical, it was unclear why no one had thought of it before.

“Tch. I Don’t see why we don’t leave them to rot in them. It would serve them right. I wouldn’t be as stupid to lock myself in handcuffs.”

You’d responded with a glare and a “I won’t hesitate Bitch”, much to Dick’s delight.

Sometime later it became apparent that nobody had an idea and it was basically a good opportunity for an argument to occur between the members of your family, bar Alfred of course. (Alfred would never partake in such an opportunity.)

Bruce was hunched over his work bench, looking tired and frustrated. Alfred had prepared several cups of tea and strong coffee, most of which had remained untouched as Bruce tried to understand where the hand cuffs had gone wrong.

Dick had become very flustered, flitting around nervously, and wringing his hands like a worried mother. “Oh, my poor baby!” he cried, when you complained that your wrists were sore, throwing his arms around you. The hug was suffocating, but you were pretty sure he needed the comfort more than you did.

Tim escaped his bedroom and was sitting on the floor with one of the cups of coffee not meant for him, looking at the wall blankly. There was no further update for him, as he had not made any movement since sitting down.

Damian had left some time ago with Titus. As he was not allowed to pester Tim or you anymore, he’d declared that he was not going to waste his time on such a silly issue anymore and disappeared into the training room for practice.

And as for you. Well, you’re wrists were aching, your head hurt, and you were beginning to worry about how you were ever going to eat dinner if you couldn’t separate your hands enough to grab utensils. It was a very distressing thought, so you escaped upstairs just as Bruce yelled at Dick to sit down and for Tim to go to bed.

It was only when you went upstairs that you heard the loud music blasting from somewhere in the house. And judging by the fact that your brothers, Bruce and Alfred were downstairs, it could only mean one thing;

Jason was home.

You wandered into the workshop, an attachment for the garage that nobody seemed to ever go into except Jason. It housed all the power tools and handy man equipment that anyone could ever desire, despite the fact no one in the house ever used it. You weren’t allowed in there, usually due to your habit of touching things that were potentially dangerous. But Jason was a rebel, and he liked woodwork, and fixing things, so it became his designated zone in the house.

The music was louder in here, and Jason was banging his head along to a rock song currently playing.

“Hey Kid!” he called over the music when he saw you, adding a drum roll on the table for good measure.

“Why’s the music so loud?” You ask.

He walked to the stereo and turned it down slightly. “You losers were shouting in the cave when I got here and it was doing my head in. Anyway, what’s up?”

You hold your hands up so he can see the problem, and he observes with a frown.

“Didn’t know you were into that.” He comments casually, dodging a kick from you. “How’d you do that anyway?”

“I went and messed around with the stuff in the cave after I was told not to. Bruce can’t get them off.” You supply, and he scoffs

“Of course, B can’t.” He mutters. With a single movement; he grabs you by the waist and lifts you onto his work bench. He picks up your hands and examines the cuffs closely, turning them this way and that to get a good look. Humming along to the song, he searches through a few drill bits in the draw and finds one that looks like it’d fit into the lock on the cuffs. Without a word he sets to work, occasionally moving, or covering your hand his own as to not hurt them whilst he drills. Five minutes and one set of unescapable cuffs later, you’re free, and Jason’s packing away his drill and tools.

You’re rubbing your wrists gratefully when a thought occurs to you. “How’d you know it’d work?”

Jason grins. “He locked one of my hands to a radiator with the old ones a little while back. I drilled into that one and it worked, figured it’d work for this one since he still doesn’t know how I did it.”

You both wander down the hall, and your family is still fighting by the sounds coming from downstairs.

You both pause at the exposed stairwell that usually is hidden from sight.

“What do you say that we leave them there to fight for a bit and go get ice-cream?” Jason proposes quietly from behind you.

“I’d say that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

[sympathyfortheblinderdevil]

Pride: Chapter 4

Polly has a plan. (Oh, fuck.)

Chapter 3 

Just as she had promised Tommy, Lila did indeed take care of her enemies. As did Polly. Before Lila left the Garrison, she and Tommy’s aunt had a tete-a-tete in the ladies room where the plans to expose Grace were revealed.

Polly closed the door to the dimly lit ladies loo and unlatched her purse to retrieve her lipstick. “I have heard from a reliable source that Grace has been seen in the gallery downtown with Inspector Campbell,” She said it almost casually, as she leaned closer to the mirror and dabbed at her lips with the blood red bullet.

Lila’s eyes grew wide with barely suppressed rage, “We have to tell Tommy!” She felt an adrenaline-fueled numbness at the thought of that lying bitch turning over information that could get Tommy jailed or worse.

Polly turned to face her, “No. She will only lie and say that the fact that they were seen there together was a coincidence. Worse yet, she’ll turn it to her advantage by saying Campbell tried to convince her to spy, but she refused. We need irrefutable evidence that she is working for Campbell. Tommy’s still half thinking with his cock, even if he doesn’t realize it.”

Her words felt like a sucker punch. Tommy swore that he wasn’t stringing Grace along anymore, and he promised that she was only around for business, but Lila had been led down the garden path before. Still, Aunt Pol knew Tommy better than he knew himself. If she thought that he harbored subconscious feelings for Grace…

“What’s wrong with you? You look like someone just walked over your grave.”

Lila tried to straighten up her face, but it was no use. “It’s just that…,” she stammered, “he…he promised.”

“For heaven’s sake. I didn’t say he’s going to do anything.” Polly grabbed her by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “She is a snitch working for the police, and he is a man. Men can be led astray. Even the good ones.”

Outside in the hallway, a man whistled a meandering tune and bumped into the wall as he staggered into the men’s room, and they paused as they listened to his piss splashing in the toilet.

“These walls are paper thin,” Lila whispered as she turned the water on and motioned for Polly to follow her to the other side of the small room.

Polly lit a long brown cigarette and smoke swirled under the light bulb “I spoke to Arthur when he went to the loo earlier. He is going to help us. Tomorrow I will go to his office and have a little conversation with him regarding the blinders schedule for race day. He will make sure that Grace is doing inventory in a place where she will be sure to overhear.” She leaned closer to Lila and continued, “I plan to draw Campbell’s attention to the BSA warehouses along the canal.”

“What is happening at the warehouses?”

“Nothing, but we will lead Grace to think that Arthur and John are staying behind to pull off a heist, and she will sing like a canary. When Campbell and his coppers show up to take our boys down for boosting the government’s guns, they will all be at the track taking control from Kimber.”

“Won’t Grace know that something is off when Arthur and John appear at the race?” She knew that when it came to plans like these the devil was in the details.

“No.” A satisfied smile played around Polly’s lips from behind a haze of smoke. “They always ride separately. She won’t see them until it is too late to alert Campbell that there’s been a mistake.”

“And since Grace is the only way that Campbell could have heard about the bogus heist …”

“We will have her dead to rights. If she doesn’t have the good sense to disappear, I will take her out.” Pol crushed her cigarette under the toe of her boot and turned off the water taps. “Either way her cover will be blown, and Tommy will know the truth about her.”

 Lila felt awful about keeping secrets from Tommy, but Pol was right. He probably was still half thinking with his cock when it came to Grace. Otherwise, he would have dismissed her out of hand instead of keeping her on at the Garrison. Lila wanted to believe that he wouldn’t act on any residual feelings he might have for Grace, still, she would feel a lot better when her scheming ways were exposed, and she was no longer in daily proximity to him. Besides, Polly was the architect of the plan and Arthur was involved as well. There would be plenty of blame to go around if Tommy ended up feeling betrayed.

When they returned to the snug, Arthur gave her a knowing look and sank his whiskey. “I’ve got an early morning ahead of me. Inventory and all.” He said his goodbyes, and Polly left with him.

When Lila and Tommy were left alone, he filled her glass and nuzzled her neck. “Have another drink, love. You deserve it.

His nose traced circles just under her ear, and Lila sighed. She wanted so badly to believe that things were different this time, but her mind kept returning to Pol’s words. She thought about the last time that they had fallen out. It didn’t take long before rumors of his whoring reached her ears. It seemed like the things that drew her to Tommy, were the very things that should make her run in the other direction. He was a bad man who did bad things, and the truth was, she always felt like she needed him more than he needed her.

But when Tommy started humming her favorite tune and slowly trailing his fingers along the tops of her stockings, her reservations vanished into thin air. “How much whiskey have you had tonight, Mr. Shelby?”

“Almost enough to forget that there are streets out there full of coppers, and Irish trouble, and Kimber, and all that shit that takes up room in my head.”

“Almost enough, you say,” she leaned into him as she topped up his glass, draining the last drop out of the bottle. “Let’s fix that.”

 ***

 Grace’s toes smarted with each step she took. She still wasn’t used to working on her feet all night, and her shifts at the Garrison were taking a toll on her tender feet. She stumbled on a loose cobblestone, half twisting her ankle, and wincing with pain as she approached her boarding house. It was just a few blocks from the Garrison but tucked away on a side street away from prying eyes and wagging tongues. She had her identity to protect and walked a thin line between embedding herself in Small Heath while not drawing undue attention to herself. Of course, she had Tommy Shelby’s attention, but that was the point.

It had been surprisingly easy to gain access to him. You would think that the most feared gangster in Birmingham would be a bit more guarded, but all it took to turn his head was a little flirting and a song. He was easier to manipulate when he was drinking (most men are), but the night that he came into the Garrison soaking wet and stinking of opium he was an open book.

She almost had him in the palm of her hand until a week ago. When Lila waltzed back into his life, she had no choice but to gracefully step aside. Just a temporary setback, she thought to herself. The volatile nature of Tommy and Lila’s relationship was well known, so all she had to do was wait. When things fell apart, she would be there to pick up the pieces. In the meantime, she was keeping her hand in at the Garrison, and she planned to make herself irresistible and indispensable on race day.

Slumping against the door jamb, she unlocked her door and felt her way through the darkness of her room. Something seemed off. There was the smell of a man about the place—tobacco and a hint of spicy cologne. Grace felt around in her handbag for the grip of her pistol and held it as she struck a match to quickly light her lamp.

“Whoa! Mrs. Burgess!” Inspector Campbell held his hands up in mock surrender as he chuckled. “It’s only me.”

“Why are you in my room?” she bristled, annoyed at the invasion of privacy. She lowered her weapon and scowled at Campbell, “What if Thomas Shelby had been with me?”

“Oh, I watched your approach to make sure that the tinker bastard wasn’t with you, Grace. I’m not entirely stupid, you know. As a matter of fact, I know quite a lot. From what I hear he has reunited with that little secretary from the BSA, Lila. I heard that she’s keeping his bed warm at night.”

Grace balked at his statement, “A minor setback.”

“It had better be just a minor setback. You are only in that godforsaken place around those godforsaken heathens because it is important that I get information to bring the Shelby organization down. The home office has taken a keen interest in squashing the likes of them, bookmaker scum who try to get above their station. Are you still accompanying Mr. Shelby to the races this Saturday?”

Grace folded her arms and stared down her nose at him, “Yes. She may be keeping his house, but I am the one with whom he chooses to spend his leisure time.”

Chester Campbell rose and brushed past Grace as he walked to the door. “Good. See that it stays that way, Miss Burgess.”

 ***

Steam rose from the tin bathtub that sat in front of the fire. Esme had really outdone herself. She had sent John ‘round to heat water in the massive iron kettle on the hearth and draw a bath just before the Garrison closed. She had even had him leave lavender and a cheeky note about keeping Tommy relaxed. From the looks of it, John had also helped himself to a bottle of Tommy’s whiskey, but it was worth it to come home to such a lovely surprise.

Lila grinned as she read the note in disbelief, and Tommy sidled up to her back to read over her shoulder. He groaned and rolled his eyes at her crude jokes, but had to agree that her heart was in the right place. “I guess she appreciated you sending John home to her, eh?”

“Like I said, I take care of my friends.”

“Then I should count myself lucky to be among that number,” he mused.

He was lucky to have her, and he knew it. It wasn’t every woman who would take him back into her heart after all the times he had broken it. He thought of the business with Grace and immediately regretted it, but it was too late to back out now. He needed her to distract Kimber. After the race this weekend he would let her go, he thought. He wouldn’t risk Lila’s heart again. He buried his face in her hair and sighed, “I need you, Lila.”

He had a way of saying exactly what she needed to hear. She turned around in his arms and ran her hands over his chest, hooking her thumbs in his braces and sliding them down his arms. Tommy rolled his head back and exhaled, the weight of all his worries evaporating as she pressed kisses to his throat and unbuttoned his shirt. He wordlessly pulled his undershirt over his head and slipped out of his trousers while she unbuttoned her dress letting it fall and pool at her feet.

She stood in her slip with the flames glowing behind her. Tommy gazed at her with longing. He brought his hands up to her hair and gently pulled out her combs, sending her dark locks cascading down in waves. It was strange, yet undeniable to him how quickly his feelings for her came rushing back. Whenever he returned to her they just picked up where they last left off. Since the week before when he held her in the street outside of the pub she had opened his heart and his emotions for her had only deepened. He loved her for the way she glowed when he touched her, for the way she took care of him, for the way his mind felt calm when he looked into her eyes; he loved her for herself.

He pulled her head to his chest and traced circles on her back with his fingertips. They stood there, swaying and breathing each other in until Lila shimmied out of her slip and gave him a boozy, crooked smile. “C’mon, Tom.” He watched her back as she padded across the floor and dipped her toe into the water then flicked some in his direction. “Get in this tub with me before it goes cold.”

Chapter 5

[jumpboy-rembrandt]

hey do yall wanna hear an au idea i’ve had abt the seven birds as a superhero team? the plot is constantly changing, but here’s what i’ve got (warning it’s a lot and bullet points are used gratuitously):

an alien object falls to the earth, breaking apart as it falls. it scatters around a small city, and the pieces seem to hone in on the nearest living human once they near the ground.

(psst – this is the light of creation)

these seven (mostly) unrelated people slowly realize that they now have…unusual abilities

another alien entity follows, and its agents begin wreaking havoc around this city searching for the missing pieces of the light

(psst – this is the hunger)

individually, each person touched by the light ventures out to fight off these beings, especially since they themselves tend to be targeted.

these agents can get a vague sense of where the shards are, but not who exactly has them. thus, there is some degree of investigation done to find the individuals.

said agents can either be sentient or monster-like

the light-holders are all disguised as they fight – some for anonymity, some so that these agents have more trouble seeking them out, and some just because it seems like the right thing to do.

none of them knew each other before now, but they cross paths often enough that they realize they should probably group up.

most of them want to keep their identities secret, so they agree to do that while also making a few other decisions:

they should all have each others’ numbers. they won’t seek each other out, but it is important to keep in contact.

they should get better costumes (a plea from taako, who subsequently makes them)

they should have a theme

so they decide upon uniform colors and the title of “seven birds” because…idk, maybe they all like how poetic it sounds?

anyway, here’s a breakdown of each member:

magnus was struck by the light while sparring with carey behind their apartment complex. he was knocked over and carey kinda panicked?? but then he got up and said “did you do that?” and she responded “how would i hurl something at you from the sky, you’re fucking huge” and they moved past it

carey and magnus are roommates, so she’s the first one to notice when he starts accidentally breaking things and can knock her down more easily.

the weirdest part was when he was carving a little figurine and she jumped up behind him – to be fair, she thought he was drawing plans for something at the carpentry shop. they both saw the knife go directly towards his fingers and…bounce off. being magnus, he immediately tried to stab his hand and nothing happened. carey, being carey, poked the edge to see if it was dull and, ow, no, it wasn’t.

so, magnus has super strength and armor-like skin. a downside to this is that the changes weren’t entirely magic (think commitment), so he has to eat a lot more than usual and that’s. not insignificant.

the superhero name he chooses is eagle, which he called out immediately bc he wanted the best bird. his color theme is orange. his uniform doesn’t have sleeves, and it was a struggle for taako to even make him wear a shirt.

merle was hiking through the woods, and when he got hit he actually blacked out for a little bit. he woke up in a bed of flowers and, huh, that’s really convenient how it broke my fall

he works part time as an EMT and spends the rest working in a plant nursery. i. think you can guess how he notices what’s going on.

merle’s power is accelerating and manipulating organic growth, which means that he can both control plants and heal wounds. this does take a physical toll, as it is his energy being transferred. he also needs to eat a lot.

his superhero name is dove bc ~peace~ and stuff. his color theme is, naturally, green.

taako and lup were. uh. not getting in trouble. they were just having a misunderstanding. fortunately, said misunderstanding was not as fast as they were bc the misunderstanding was missing their shoes. they stumbled and fell as the light split at the last second and hit them both, but they quickly jumped back to their feet, turned a corner, and were home free.

both of them are studying masters level chemistry, so their discoveries are in public and require a bit of covering up. taako was trying to work out the chemical structure of a fairly simple crystal when it moved. he jumped, then tried it again, and found out that he could even separate out certain parts without needing a reactant.

lup gets bored waiting for a solution to boil and suddenly it explodes

taako’s power is manipulating chemical structures and lup’s is causing combustion or explosions. both require a knowledge of chemistry; taako has to understand the structure of what he’s moving or separating, and lup needs to know about boiling/ignition points and pressure changes etc. again; the energy comes from them. you get the point by now, i think.

taako is starling and purple, and lup is phoenix and red.

they both have pockets containing little beads of easy-to-change materials if they can’t find anything else to use

barry is a phd student, and was in the basement bio lab of the local university when the light phased through the ceiling and hit him. he stumbled backwards and fortunately didn’t hurt himself, bc he basically lives in there and no one would check on him for a while.

the next time he’s forced into a university function, he’s shrinking against a wall wishing he wasn’t there, and then he…isn’t. he falls over into the next room bc he just went through the wall.

i’ll be honest – barry basically has danny phantom powers. the tricky bit is that if he’s exhausted, instead of losing his powers, he can’t keep a physical form very well. finally, a reason for this man to get some sleep already.

his codename is nightingale and his color is blue. thank goodness he can make his clothes and glasses ghost with him, or else he’d be recognizable and useless.

davenport was relaxing with a short flight just outside of town. he notices some strange lights, then realizes one is coming towards him, then barely manages to keep the plane from crashing when it hits him in the head. he quickly lands and checks the plane for damage, but there’s no trace of it.

his mind is wandering during a pretty boring meeting one day when everyone suddenly stops. davenport tunes in and notices that, um, there’s a small boat appearing to float across the table. this completely snaps him out of his thoughts, and it disappears. it’s a good thing the old people on the board like to brush over unexplainable things, bc after a few moments, the meeting picks back up.

he works at a nerd museum. he mostly enjoys it, but also wants to save up enough to move to the coast.

his power is creating illusions and, depending on his energy, materializing them. the illusions barely cost anything, but the materialization is really draining.

his hero name is canary and his color theme is gold.

i wanted it to be albatross at first, but that sounded a little…eh? i liked canary better, esp since it’s yellow

+ instead of having half the symbolism of a curse, it symbolizes freedom!! i think that’s an important dav trait.

finally, lucretia was riding home on her bike and, unlike dav, did crash. strangely, she and her bike were totally unharmed.

lucretia works part-time as a secretary to save up for college, while also working at a bookstore bc she is a Nerd. she got lost in the Deep Shelves and, when a pile of books fell and set off a domino effect, she stretched out her hands to stop them – and they actually did stop.

lucretia can create force fields of any shape, and move them around. that may seem simple, but she can ride them like a hover board, trap people, and, if she’s strong enough, slice things.

her superhero name is bluejay and her color is teal.

other characters include:

julia, magnus’s coworker/boss’s daughter, and they’ve been in love since forever. when the light stuff started though, magnus figured he should slow down.

…yeah, she figures it out pretty soon. magnus is bad at keeping secrets.

carey, magnus’s roommate and constant alibi/excuse-maker/back-up

killian, who works security at the business lucretia secretaries at, and keeps bringing her out to social stuff bc the girl needs it. they also talk abt girls a lot bc they’re both Gay™ – lucretia especially enjoys teasing killian about carey with the “really great calves” from the gym.

killian accidentally said weird shit when first gushing about her and, of course, lucretia will never forget it

noelle was saved by the team from whatever the hell lucas ends up doing in this au. carey offers to share her room, esp since magnus is uh. working a little more irregularly these days and they could use the split rent.

noelle and carey also talk about girls, including killian who could “probably throw me across a room” from the gym.

angus was looking into all this nonsense and figured it was easiest to track down twins who seem to know a lot about chemistry. it wasn’t too hard. taako and lup were appalled that his parents Just Let Him Do That and so there’s a 50/50 chance that angus is in their spare room at any given time.

listen they got a two-bedroom apartment, but apparently they’re still too clingy to sleep alone. nerds.

ren is taako’s coworker and best friend. she knows Something is up, but isn’t entirely sure What. she also knows better than to try and find out. taako will tell her when he tells her.

honestly i low low lowkey dig the idea of noelle/ren but you didn’t hear that from me. if it happens to show up though. oh well.

avi makes frequent deliveries for the hammer and tongs, and is pretty tight with magnus. he’s even tighter with magnus’s dogs, which stay at the h&t bc his apartment is run by ruthless monsters.

johann is the town’s dramatic and overtalented musician, who is almost always in the background. i’m not sure what his deal is, but he sure is good at music.

hurley is a cop who keeps trying to figure out what is going on, but isn’t having much luck

artemis sterling is the very frustrated mayor

certain people are given powers by the hunger, a la hawk moth. these include gundren, magic brian, jenkins, sloane, the hammerheads, cpt cpt bane, lucas, etc.

the major manifestation of the hunger is john, but only merle manages to see him.

unlike miraculous, the hunger is dangerous to its hosts if they become disagreeable. the birds can save the people possessed, but it’s not easy.

there are Mysterious Third Parties that can grant additional powers

one is known as the raven queen. she grants kravitz the power to possess non-organic materials, as well as a scythe that can temporarily dislocate souls and do mild portal shit.

kravitz was a coroner trying to get a gig in the orchestra, but then he almost died and the raven queen resurrected him and he’s got a really strong sense of duty so he’s doing this now, he guesses. at least he still gets to have a normal life when he isn’t busy.

i like to think that after sloane rejects the hunger, the raven queen scoops her up and also grants the ability to possess non-organic objects. she was a good mechanic before, and is super good now. she gets hurley to give up on the whole investigation thing and join her and they live happily ever after, and also kick the occasional ass.

at first, RQ’s orders are to retrieve the light so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, but taako persuades kravitz that the birds are able to use it to defeat the hunger once and for all.

after that, the mission is just to keep as many people out of danger as possible.

istus and pan can also grant powers, but i’m not sure how they’d fit in yet

more random facts:

taako, lup, and barry are actually at the same university even though they never see each other. the mascot is a mongoose.

at some point the bio and chem departments are doing a joint conference thing. taako and lup are wandering around while spamming the birds’ group chat with really awful memes with magnus. meanwhile, barry is trying his best to ignore his constantly-vibrating phone as he talks to a professor about something actually important.

do they find each other in this truly ridiculous way? You Decide.

lucas is in the same department as barry, and even though he’s kind of a genius, he is also. how you say. a dick.

ren and taako work as chefs at the davy lamp. ren is almost definitely going to own it one day, and taako is proud of her.

lucretia and magnus meet via carey and killian, and quickly become close friends. because magnus is incapable of keeping a secret from anyone he knows, she finds out that he’s eagle and so they now know each other’s secret identities.

anyway that’s all i’ve got for now, thanks for coming to my ted talk

[dragongoddess13]

31 Days of Halloween Prompt Challenge Day 20

Day 20

Captain Canary

Witch/Witch Hunter AU

Ao3

xXx

She had been hunting him for three years now. Sara Lance, the sheriff's daughter. The girl who didn’t fit any mold, so she broke them all out of spite. She was hellfire in a petite body, a force to be reckoned with. A woman on a mission. Scorned and dangerous and worst of all out for blood.

His blood.

Leonard had first laid eyes on Sara in a tiny town out west, aptly names Starling. It was small for a boom town, but a boom town it was and like any boom town it was ripe for the picking.

His team wasn’t human, his out casts, his rogues. They fell from the pages of myth and legends, striking fear into those who would oppose them.

All except her.

Leonard had gotten close to her because she was the sheriff’s youngest daughter. Courting her would ensure he had inside information on Starling's law enforcement. What he hadn’t counted on was getting attached, regretting his actions in deceiving her. When they left town with their catch, he had an ache in his heart and a weight on his shoulders.

He didn’t realize she’d followed them until a few months later. They were planning a new heist, inserting themselves around town when everything went to hell. They were ambushed by the deputies and taken into custody. Sara had been on the balcony across the street, overlooking the tin jail house, when they were taken in.  

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, big brother.” Lisa told him later through the bars of their adjacent cells. The weight of Sara’s withering stare still haunted him. He was ashamed to admit the pain he felt when he saw just how much hatred she harbored for him.

“Told ya that girl would be trouble, boss.” Mick added. “She’s too wild.”

xXx

Leonard had worked out their meeting down to the last second. Her family's home was small, not much for her to take care of. So, by noon she was usually out of the house, making her way through the woods that bordered one side of the territory.

Leonard followed at a distance, observing her as she descended a shaded path into the hidden valley below. He’d staked out the area after the first time he’d watched her disappear down there. It was mostly sparse grass, with towering pine trees, thick enough to explain the lack of grass. Large boulders dotted the landscape and encircled a midsized lake.

He’d seen her carrying a pack with her that day, concluding that she planned to spend the afternoon by the lake eating lunch. What he hadn’t expected was to turn the corner on the path toward the lake and find her discarded pack and clothes on the surrounding shore.

Leonard quickly recalculated, approaching the shore where she’d dropped her pack. He expected a memorable meeting, something he could apologize about later when they ran into each other in town, leading to a witty back and forth over the incident, thus securing his place in her mind. Instead, when she noticed him, she smirked, wading a little closer, the water just barely covering her chest.

He should have walked away then, called off the job, packed up his crew and moved on to the next town, but she intrigued him and Leonard’s curiosity had always been a fault he couldn’t shake.

xXx

After the break out they’d all separated. Leonard could see Sara was only out for him and he wasn’t going to take his crew down with him. The other’s were hesitant to leave him and Mick and Lisa put up a fight, but in the end they all trusted him to do right by them, no matter what form it took.

In a group, Leonard was much safer, but now he was forced to work a bit of magic to protect himself and with a blood line like his it was guaranteed that someone even more unsavory than himself would notice him. So now, not only was he dodging the woman he’d scorned, but also his father’s enemies. Dozens of men looking for revenge or leverage on Lewis Snart for one of any number of reasons. He was almost tempted to let Sara catch up with him. Nothing she could do to him would ever compare to what Warlocks and Witches and all manner of Mythical Creatures would do to him in some fruitless attempt to get the upper hand on his father. A man who could careless about what happened to his children if it didn’t benefit him in someway.

Leonard was reduced to pickpocketing to survive whenever he ventured into a town. He avoided the big ones just in case and mainly kept to himself. If the politics in one town seemed unstable, he didn’t bother to stay, keeping on the move and out of sight.

Leonard didn’t know how Sara managed to keep up with him. Whether her fury was driving her to move faster or subconsciously he wanted her to catch up. He knew, deep down, that he wanted to see her again, that he wanted to go back and change everything; change his fate to that when he rolled into Starling it wasn’t as a thief looking for a score, but a man with a chance as love. Something he could not afford to have, no matter how many banks he robbed.

xXx

“What do you want in life?” Sara asked him one afternoon by the lake. A few weeks had passed since their first meeting and Leonard would soon have to admit he was stalling his crew.

“That’s certainly a loaded question, isn’t it?” he replied.

“No, it’s not.” she said it so assuredly, he believed it instantly. “It’s simple. What do you want out of life?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.” he told her. “What do you want?”

“Room service.” Sara replied, stretching lazily and laying back on the picnic blanket.

Sara hummed. “I want to leave this town and travel the world and never settle down and live on room service and the excitement of not knowing what’s next.” she told him and damn him if he didn’t understand exactly what she meant.

Damn him if he didn’t want to give that to her.

xXx

It all came to a head six months later. Leonard was exhausted, he’d been riding all night trying to escape a gang his father had double crossed and ended up hiding out in an abandoned mining town. He needed a place to sleep for a few hours, to rest his horse. He knew better than to sleep deeply, but after days on the move he can’t help it.

Leonard woke up a few hours later, and realized he couldn’t move. His hands were bound to an iron bar stuck in the wall beside him and all of his packs are across the room. The small shack he held up in earlier is lit only by a small fire in the wood burning stove at the center of the room.

He assumed his father’s enemies had caught up with him, but then he realized that all of this was too well planned for the impulsive men chasing him.

“Why have you waited so long?” he called out into the darkness.

“I was watching you. The way you watched me.” Sara answered. He followed her voice across the room.

“Sara,” he began, not sure which of the numerous speeches he’d rehearsed he was going to use.

“Don’t,” she cut him off, stepping into the light. “Nothing you say will change my mind about what I have to do.”

“And what do you have to do?” he asked.

“Kill you.”

xXx

“He’s a crook, babygirl.” Quentin said, pulling his rifle off the rack. “He’s just using you to keep tabs on me and my deputies.” he continued oblivious to Sara’s struggle to keep the tears at bay. “My deputies are dealing with something at the Queen ranch. I’m going out to find their camp. I want you to stay here.”

“No way, I’m going with you.” Sara insisted. “You can’t go out there by yourself.”

“Sara,” her father sighed. “Can you honestly tell me that you can go out there and be objective about him?”

Sara hesitated and it was all the answer he needed.

“Stay put sweetheart. I’ll take care of this.”   

xXx

“That was the last time I saw him alive.” she explained. “He didn’t come home that night, so the next morning I went out looking for him.” she paused. “I found him by the lake, our lake.” she looked at him with such hatred it burned right through him. “When I got back to town to get help they said the post office had been robbed, nobody knew who did it, but I did.”

“And yet I haven’t found any wanted posters.” Leonard replied.

“Well, I couldn’t let the Marshalls get in my way.” she told him.

“So you weren’t the one who tipped off the Sheriff a few months back?”

She shook her head. “No, that surprised me too.” she stepped closer, crouching down beside him. “I need you free to get what I want, because no court can give you what you deserve.”

“Sara, we did rob the post office, I won’t deny that, but I didn’t kill your father, nor did anyone in my crew.” he defended himself. “Murder is messy and draws attention to us. If we had been confronted by your father we would have run, especially if he had come after us alone.”

“Is that so?” Sara sounded skeptical, her anger growing. He watched as she reached for something at her back. “So this isn’t you family crest burned into the hilt of the knife I pulled out of my father’s back?”

xXx

There was an outcropping of rock hidden on the far side of the lake. They’d found themselves there that afternoon. It had been three weeks to the day that they’d first met and Leonard knew things were going to fall apart soon if he didn’t make his move.

Be he didn’t make his move that day, instead, he made a mistake. Lying there together, her head on his shoulder, the sweat on their skin cooling in the gentle autumn breeze, he knew it.

“What is this?” Sara’s voice was soft, satisfied, her fingers lightly tracing the pattern tattooed over his heart.

“My family crest.” he replied, sadly.

“Is that a bad thing?” she asked.

Leonard chuckled. “Depends on who you ask.” he told her, rolling on top of her.

She wanted to ask him about the other marks, the scars, but he was doing all sorts of distracting things with his tongue and the thought left her.

xXx

“Sara,’ Leonard began, his tone grave. “You need to put that down.”

“And why is that?”

“Because it’s cursed. Have you been carrying it this whole time?”

“So you killed my father with a cursed blade?” she exclaimed outraged.

“No, Sara, damn it, put it down it’s clouding your mind!” he screamed and it startled her just enough for her to drop it. “I didn’t kill your father Sara, but I might as well have.”

“What does that mean? What is going on?”

Leonard sighed. “I don't’ supposed I could convince you to untie me before I explain?” a look was the only answer he needed. “Worth a shot.” he shifted around a bit, trying to get comfortable. “That knife belongs to my father, the head of our clan.”

“Clan?”

Leonard nodded. “I’m descended from a long line of witches, directly descended for the bloodlines of Salem. Our blood is royal in magical terms, though there isn’t much left of our family. My father turned to theft, further driving our family under. He took my sister and I with him and when I was old enough, I took Lisa and escaped. He didn’t like that, claimed we abandoned him, cut him off, so now, whenever we’re in the same area, he tries to mess with us, mess with me and my plans.”

Sara shook her head. “But why would he kill my father. It did nothing to stop you, to hurt you.”

“Believe me,” he replied bitterly. “It did plenty. He succeeded quite well this time.”

“How so?”

She watched him shift to get comfortable and sighed. “Hold still.” she instructed pulling a small knife from her boot and cutting him free.

Leonard rubbed at his wrists to relieve that ache.

“What do you mean, he succeeded?”

Leonard hesitated, stalling as long as he could. And when he couldn’t stall any longer; “First rule of any con, don’t get attached to the mark. You were the mark.”

“I don’t understand.” But Leonard could see that she did.

“I had what we needed for the heist within a week and a half.” he continued.

“But you were there for a month.”

“I actually considered abandoning my crew, giving it all up. Taking you away from there. We’d live on room service, see the world, just the two of us.”

“But you didn’t.” Sara replied.

“I’m just a thief, Sara.” he told her bitterly. “You deserve better.”

“So, your father saw us, saw how you felt and killed my father to frame you, to make me hate you?”

Leonard nodded and neither of them said anymore for awhile. Leonard eventually got up, kicking the knife across the room as he walked to his pack. He dug out some food and his water skin and they ate a meager meal.

“I’ve been carrying this anger for months. How could I let it go so easily?” Sara asked sometime later.

“The knife. My father used it to kill my grandfather and while he lay dying he uttered a dark spell. It draw the worst of you to the surface, makes it hard to think clearly. For you, it drove your revenge. My father actually has a special sheath for it, to keep it from affecting him.”

“I still feel angry.” she added.

“And i doubt that will go away anytime soon.”

“I’m alone now.” she sounded so small, so scared. “My parents are dead, I don’t know where Laurel is, not since she ran away with the Merlyn's’ son. I’m alone.”

Leonard moved closer, his side pressing against hers. “You’re never alone, Sara.” he reached over and took her hand, entwining their fingers. Sara buried her face in his shoulder, letting the tears fall uninhibited.

xXx

When Leonard woke the next morning, the space beside him was empty, cold. Sara had clearly been gone awhile. Her pack was gone and so was his father’s knife. He didn’t need to read the note she’d left to know where she’d gone.

He packed quickly, riding off after her and praying to whatever deity would listen that he would get to her first.

xXx

“I can’t let him get away with this.” Sara told him. They’d been in this position many times before, side by side, limb tangled up, heart beats just returning to normal.

“And what would you do?” he asked. “Go after him the way you came after me?” he sighed. “You can’t stop him Sara, he’s too strong, too depraved.”

“So what would you suggest I do, let him go, let him get away with what he did?”

“I’ll never let him get away with this Sara.” he told her. “But wouldn’t your revenge be sweeter if he saw you happy despite everything he did to destroy that?”

“You said it yourself, Len, he’d never going to leave you alone; leave us alone.”

“No, he won’t and think it’s time I finally did something about that. The first step, however, is showing him he has no power over us.”

Sara didn’t respond right away, her fingers absently tracing the tattoo on his chest before jumping to the scars.

“You may be right.” she finally agreed.

Satisfied , Leonard settled down, eventually lulled to sleep by the light touch of her fingers.

[lets-get-sirius-about-stars]

Little Talks (A Makayla Fray story)

Anon: “an imagine with one of your DC oc plz X'D with a humen friend with no power just a Cinnamon rolls begin cute and stuff just make me happy . ♦=♦”

Schninner: AHHHH!!!! PEOPLE LIKE MY OC AND IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!!!! I’m gonna do some Makayla Fray back in the day before the whole Prale kidnapping and she was still a little one, I’ll also be introducing a new character! So I hope you like it anon! :D

(OO! PS, there is going to be quite a few time lapses in this story, just to help keep it moving along, so whenever you see those wonderful long lines that separate paragraphs, keep in mid that some time has passed)

(P.S.S. HOLY CRAP! THIS TOOK FOREVER TO MAKE! The inspiration fairy has been avoiding me lately, and for that I apologize, but I’m gonna kick it into overdrive tomorrow and ATTEMPT to finish the remaining requests, wish me luck!0

OC(s):

Makayla Fray/Little Leaguer/Red Comet

Lucile Tylers

Warning: None…..????

Word Count: 2426

Tagging @maruthor @preppygothica @the-singing-canary @cuddles-for-cassie @royslittleharper

Master List (DC blog)                     Master list (OC Blog)

Like this story? Then you should check out my OC blog @lets-get-sirius-about-stars

Day 1

Lucile Tylers didn’t belong to a rich family, or a poor one either for that matter. Her parents made a decent amount of money, enough to pay the bills, feed four hungry children, and pay the bills with a small treat here and there for their lovely children. Lucile had a good life with a wonderful family, but of course, being the youngest of four, she didn’t often think that was so. Being at the young age of 4, she often didn’t get much say in what family events they went to. An event that he simply detested, was their daily walk to the park.

Her parents had insisted on these walks, informing the children that it was “a healthy habit and helped strengthen relationship with fellow family members.” Which left Lucile grudgingly walk to to overly crowded park in the spring, fall, and summer seasons. Most children would love to visit the park, but of course, Lucile wasn’t most children. While her other siblings ran around the play set, squealing like mad men, she had always tottered over to her favorite tree, plopped down, and began drawing with the Crayola crayons and notebook she continuously brought with her.

The daily visits to the parks went by identical to the last, the arrival, the tree, the drawing, then departure. Every day the same, that is, until, she met the her.

The day started off like all the rest, with the arrival, tree, and art. Lucile had opened her box of crayons, contemplating what color cat she would draw today, and that’s when she heard foot steps near her, stopping directly in front. Lucile reluctantly looked up from her sketch book, expecting to see one of her tanned siblings, instead finding a pale peach skinned girl. She had slightly curly dirty blonde hair pulled up in pigtails with a sturdy build and pale green eyes.

“What’cha doin?” The girl asked, cocking her head to the side in curiosity.

“I’m coloring a picture.” Lucile stated matter of factly before returning her attention back to the pretty purple she had chosen for her cat.

The girl remained where she was standing, silence fell upon the children, save for the frequent squeals from the children playing on the equipment nearby.

“Can I watch?” The girl inquired.

Lucile glanced up from her picture briefly, “Sure, I guess, if you want.”

The girl smiled happily, bounding up next to her and sitting down, her green eyes intensely studying the picture. Lucile continued drawing, trying not to let the blonde’s gaze mess up her artistic flow.

All was silent between the children, that is, until the green-eyed girl let out a happy gasp, “Oh! I get it! You making a purple kitty cat!”

Lucile smiled proudly, nodding.

“That’s so cool! I love purple, ‘cause blue and wed make it, and those two are my favoritest colors.” The girl paused, thinking before continuing, “What’s your favorite color?”

Lucile paused, pondering this question, “I like the rainbow.” She stated as if it were obvious.

The blonde scrunched up her nose, “You can’t choose all the colors, that’s cheating!”

Lucile shook her head, “No it’s not, it just means I love all the colors equally!”

The girl contemplated this for a bit, but then shrugged, “Okay, I guess that makes sense.”

“Vincent, Cody, Lila, Lucile! Time to go!” Mrs. Tylers called.

Lucile’s head perked up, the corners of her mouth turning downward into a frown, “I have to go.” She said sadly to her new friend.

The girl frowned as well, “Aww man! That stinks!” She says, getting to her feet and helping Lucile up.

“I’m Makayla by the way!” She told Lucile, once she was standing.

“Lucile!” She happily replied.

“Well, maybe we can play again soon…?” Makayla questioned, while walking with her new friend toward the rest of the Tylers.

Lucile nodded, “We come here every day! So maybe I will see you again!”

Makayla beamed, bobbing her head up and down enthusiastically, “Yeah!”

Off in the distance, Lucile heard a male’s voice call out Makayla’s name. “Oops! Gotts go too! See ya later Lucile!” She quickly said before darting off in the other direction.

Lucile smiled, watching as the blonde pigtails bobbed up and down until she could see them no more.

Day 7

Lucile sat there, her head resting on her knees and letting her silky black hair fall over her caramel colored shoulders, salty tears covered her face and nose running uncontrollably. She couldn’t believe them; how could they do this to her! Did they hate her?

“Hey Lucile! What color cat are you drawing…” Makayla trailed off upon seeing the tears on her friend’s face. She ran up to her, not asking any questions, and hugged her.

“Th-th-they broke a-all m-m-m-my crayons!” She bawled, hugging her right back, her head buried into the blonde’s shoulder.

“Who did? Your brothers?” Makayla inquired, patting her friend comfortingly.

Lucile let out a strangled “uh huh” and continued sobbing.

Makayla’s small face screwed up into a scowl, “well, they are butt heads.” She stated angrily.

The dark-haired girl simply nodded, not being able to voice her anger towards Cody and Vincent, but Makayla didn’t seem to mind, she stayed with her, letting her cry onto her shoulder until it was time for her to leave.

Day 8

Lucile leaned up against her tree, her arms folded bitterly across her chest as she watched her siblings play. She was so engrossed in imagining her brother Vincent getting chased by an angry pack of her purple cats, that she didn’t notice Makayla excitedly bounding over to her with her hands behind her back.

“Hey Lucile!  I got something for you!” She chirped, a broad smile ingrained on her face.

“What is it?” She asked, her attention now fully on the girl in front of her.

“Tada!” Makayla sang, thrusting her hands out in front of her, revealing a box of 62 Crayola crayons and a notebook.

Lucile’s brown eyes widened and her draw dropped, “No way!” She gleefully shouted, taking the box from her friend and opening to find 62 fresh crayons. A giggle bubbled up in Lucile’s throat and resounded throughout the park, she through her arms around Makayla, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she squealed.

Makayla’s smile widened as she returned the embrace. “Your welcome!”

And from that point, Lucile knew that they would be best friends to the end.

Year 1

“I have a secret that I need to tell you,” Makayla stated, her face dead serious, “and I need you to promise not to tell anyone, got it?”

Lucile nodded, sitting up a bit straighter on her bed, and holding her pillow close to her chest. It was their very first sleep over at Lucile’s house, they had been giggling about cartoons and talking about Wonder Woman, when out of nowhere, Makayla had grown quiet and serious.

“And I mean no one! That means you can’t tell your mom or dad, or else Danny and I could be in big trouble!” Her voice growing slightly nervous as she continued talking.

“I promise!” Lucile responded

“Do you pinky swear?” Makayla held her pinky out to her, where Lucile swiftly locked her pinky with created an unbreakable promise.

Makayla sighed in relief, relieving Lucile’s pinky and immediately went to her left pigtail. Her fingers nervously playing with the blonde strands.

“Well, you see, it’s about my mommy…”

Year 2

A week had gone by, one whole school week in which Makayla had been gone, and Lucile had started getting worried. Not only had Makayla not been at school, but she also hadn’t been answering her home phone. She had mentioned it to her parents, but they gave the simple explanation that maybe she was sick and would be back soon, and sure enough, the following Monday Makayla had returned.

Lucile was overjoyed to see her friend, she rushed over to her, her arms opened wide for a hug, but she faltered. Makayla’s green eyes, usually filled with so much life and joy, seemed so empty and lifeless.

“What’s wrong Kay?” Lucile’s voice filled with concern.

“Danny, he-he got hurt really bad last night.” She nearly whispered, trying desperately not to let her voice break.

Lucile gasped “Oh no! Kay! Is he going to be okay?”

Makayla shook her head, ears falling silently down her face, “No, Lui, Danny, he went away. He went to heaven.” Her voice quivered, her bottom lip trembling.

Lucile looked at her friend in shock, processing what she was told,

“What should I do? What do I do!?”

Lucile did the first thing her brain told her, and instinctively reached out, and hugged her friend tight.

Makayla wept into her friend’s shirt for the remainder of recess, and continued doing so even when their class mates were lining up to go inside. Their teachers eventually had to pull her off, and brought both to the principal’s office for “disrupting the class.”

Normally, Lucile would have been screaming and hollering the injustice of this, begging the teachers for forgiveness, but she wasn’t sorry for what she did. In fact, she never would be through pout the rest of her life.

Year 7

“You’re definitely coming to my birthday party though, right Lui?” Makayla asked her friend, as she swiftly fastened her shin guards.

Lucile nodded enthusiastically, watching as her friend scrambled to get the rest of her accessories on. “Of course I’m coming Kay! What kind of person would I be if I didn’t go to my best friend’s eleventh birthday party!”

“Late birthday party,” Makayla reminded her, sliding her arm guards on, “I’ve been eleven for a week now.”

“False!” Lucile playfully shouted. “You do not turn eleven until the birthday festivities have begun! So says the party master”

Makayla rolled her eyes and laughed, “okay ‘party master,’ whatever you say.”

Makayla’s pale green eyes darted around the room, “now, where’s my… There it is!” she shouted triumphantly, snatching her mask from her nightstand. She places the black domino mask over her eyes and began tying up her hair.

“Hey, and I’m sorry again for having to bail on you like this, the League sent me a message telling me that… whatever it is… is urgent.”

Lucile pushed her glasses up and gave her an understanding smile, “It’s fine Kay, I get it! Just go off and do your hero thing and we’ll talk about your party later.”

Makayla smiled and hugged her friend, “You’re the best human being ever, you know that Lui?”

“I know,” She said, hugging her back then pushing her away, “but you gotta go! You’re already running late!”

“Right! Little leaguer, Makayla, replied, opening her window wide, she flew through it yelling, “talk to you soon!” over her shoulder and disappearing into the sky.

But that was a lie.

Later on, that night, when Lucile had finally arrived home, she found the unusual sight of her family crowded in front of the TV. Curious, Lucile made her way over to the TV then let out a horrified gasp. In front of her she saw Little Leaguer, Makayla Fray, her best friend getting pummeled to a pulp by the intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo with the Justice league nowhere in sight.

She didn’t remember much, just the blue, yellow, and red blur of her friend as Lobo picked her up with one hand, throwing her into the nearest building. The camera zoomed into the fallen hero, badly bruised, and covered head to toe with cuts. There were screams from inside the building as the pillars began to crumble, the building beginning to capsize on itself. Little Leaguer got to her feet, and stared at the crumbling building in terror for a brief second before flying into the fray.

Lucile heard the camera man talking, “Where’d she go?”

“OH LEAGUER!” boomed Lobo’s voice, the camera man swore, swiveling the camera to the bounty hunter, zooming in on his face. He stuck his nose in the air and gave a few sniffs before his mouth twisted into a horrifying smile. “Found you.”

In the blink of an eye, Lobo had crashed through the building.

Two minutes later, swarms of civilians ran from the building, screaming in terror.

Three minutes of silence.

Then a blinding light and deafening “BOOM” resounded throughout the house as the live feed was abruptly cut.

“Tony? Tony are you there?!” The newscaster’s voice frantic, the view had returned to the studio, where Iris West was wide eyed with shock.

“It seems, it seems that our feed has been lost.” She choked on her words, “we don’t know for sure how many survivors, but as soon as we know, you’ll know…”

But Lucile was hardly listening, she numbly walked away from the rest of her family, letting the tears that she had building up pore down her cheeks.

She was gone.

Seven years later

It had been years since the incident, seven to be exact, but no matter how much time had passed, Lucile always broke down on this day, the day when her best friend, one that was practically her sister, had died. Died trying to save the lives of so many people.

After Makayla had died, Lucile had made it her job to take care of her friend’s headstone, bringing a fresh bouquet of sunflowers every month.

Lucile bent down to one knee, removing the withered flowers from the previous month, and laying fresh ones down. A sad smile played at her lips, she suppressed tears as she began to speak.

“Hey Kay, I got you some new flowers, red ones this month, one of your favorite colors, remember?”

“I do.” Came a strangely familiar voice from behind.

Lucile jumped, whipping around to find a girl, no, a woman, who looked about eighteen years old, same as her. Her eyes a crimson red, hair a dirty blonde with red tips and a faint, but clearly visible scar on the left side of her mouth and color bone.

Lucile cautiously stepped forward, “Kay…?”

“Hey Lui, it’s been awh-“

Lucile didn’t give her time to finish, as soon as she had confirmation, she had rushed to her friend, pulling her into a bone crushing hug, sobbing tears of joy.

“It’s you! You’re here!” She sniffled, her tears soaking into the brown leather jacket.

“Yes, It’s me, I’m here” Makayla replied, crying as well, “I’m here, and I’m never going anywhere again.”

[thewayfaringheroarchived-blog]

¦  06 · 25 · 3221         Freedom Fighter HQ , Green Island  ¦

     It was quiet and it had only taken a few seconds alone with the soft buzz of the lab’s lights for Sonic to realize he didn't much care for the noise – or lack thereof. One red-clad foot tapped the grey floor beneath it, a bored habit, as bright and expectant emerald eyes remained fixed on the small metal hatch just a few feet in front of him on the ground. For the moment it simply sat there, impassively.

     Today was the day. The first day that The Freedom Fighters in their entirety were to meet to discuss their plans, ideas and everything in between. Yet, despite his bond with each individual member, the hedgehog was nervous. It was rare for him to be such, the hero was known for his optimistic and cool personality after all. His outlook on life was very much positive, he took it one day at a time and lived in each moment as it came to him but this was…different. This was several months in the making, and not truly something he had wanted in the first place, and the hedgehog couldn’t help the dense apprehension that had formed at the bottom of his stomach over the last few weeks. He still had doubts, many doubts, about the whole situation. The dangers were inevitable, and none of the fighters really knew what they were getting themselves into. They had stories to go by, yes, some even had a little firsthand experience but he didn't think it was enough.

     And yet...

     This was their planet too; this was their home. Who was he to stop them from fighting for it?

     It was too late to turn back now, anyway. The hedgehog knew that he had lit a special spark in those he had talked to these last few months and while he was skeptical about what the near future would bring he couldn't stop now. This was bigger than him, bigger than the Fighters themselves even.

     This was about Mobius and its future.

     The hero knew that but it didn't stop him from letting out a soft sigh, one that was answered by equally gentle sounds from the red hawk perched on one of the computers nearby. Emerald eyes met onyx for a moment before Sonic gave his uncommon companion a half-smile, moving over to pat the avian on the head.

     “Don’t worry, I'm fine,” he assured and was, for the most part, telling the truth. For all the apprehension he felt there was also an unmistakable excitement bubbling under the surface. The excitement of a new adventure, and of a sound future.

     Bolt didn’t look convinced – and the look she did give the hero made him laugh – but the hawk made no further sound of protest. Though Sonic imagined that was mainly because a chorus of voices suddenly filled the air and the hatch gave its signature screech as its handle was turned from the other side. When it opened, its hinge finally silenced, a pair of long, grey and white ears popped up from the hole in the ground before the rest of Johnny crawled into the room, soon followed by Porker.

     The rabbit took one look at the hero before turning to his best friend with a cocky smile, extending a hand to help the pig up the last few feet. “See? Told you he’d be here already.”

     Porker just gave an entertained laugh.

     Feeling like he was missing something but choosing not to dwell on it, the hedgehog thumbed his chest in a semi-proud fashion as he glanced between the two of them. “Fastest thing alive, remember?” His gaze shifted back to the hole, brow raising. “Is it just you two?”

     “Not for long,” Johnny informed, tilting his head to the hatch. “There were some footsteps behind us on the way over. Can't imagine the others are far behind.”

     Just then, as if on cue, a new voice broke through the air, echoing slightly from the hollow sewer below and distinctly female.

     “This has to be it! I told you I’d find the way!”

     There was a series of grumbles from what the hedgehog assumed were other people that quickly discredited that statement and he couldn't help but shake his head, amused. Perhaps he should have given Amy a better description of the layout or a map that wasn't so hastily draw.

     Oh well. Tips for next time he supposed.

     Naturally, the pink hedgehog was the first to ascend the ladder and enter the room ( with a helping hand from Johnny ). She was soon accompanied by her roommate Tekno, a green canary. Both girls had come as a packaged deal after the hero’s discussion with his self-proclaimed girlfriend, who was the last person Sonic had decided to recruit. Initially he wasn't going to – not that anyone knew that – but a comment by his own roommate had changed that almost instantly. Amy was strong and kind ( very much like the hero himself though he'd never admit as much out loud ) and had a level head on her shoulders with a passion for the planet and its people. It only made sense to ask her to join, which she happily agreed to but only if her roommate could also join.

     Sonic hadn't known it at that time, truthfully he had only agreed to Amy’s terms because one, she was starting to get love-struck again, and two, he vaguely remembered the name of her roommate being important in some way or another. After looking into it he had discovered that Tekno was the lead engineer for the biggest innovation companies on Mobius. Definitely helpful in his eyes.

     Mina was the next to appear and she was followed by The Chaotix and Knuckles, the latter of whom gave the hedgehog a small nod while the former pulled the hero into a tight hug which effectively drew all eyes to her – and a huff from Amy. Sonic could see recognition flash in people’s eyes as they first looked to the mongoose then to the other faces around them. He had little doubt that they recognized Mina, and had more than a few questions about how and why she had joined, but no one said anything right away.  

     Then the conversation began.

     Most voices rose up in excited chatter mostly made of questions and plenty of ‘hey, aren’t yous?’ as introductions were exchanged and the lesser acquainted members began to familiarize themselves with one another. The only ones who remained quiet, or completely silent in one case, were Sonic, Knuckles and, unsurprisingly, Espio – who had all but separated himself from the crowd to stand in one corner, though not without a quick, unreadable glance to the blue hedgehog who ignored him. Knuckles was quiet by nature. Sonic, on the other hand, was stuck in his own thoughts once again.

     The longer he looked over the assembly, over The Freedom Fighters, the more a new sensation washed over him: guilt. It was culpability overpowering his earlier worry, reminding him that these people were about to walk into something that he himself had started all those years ago. How his mistake had caused so much strife for the otherwise peaceful planet. How they were going to help him fix that mistake and how they didn't know that.

      But they should?

     …Right?

     Emerald eyes dulled with the thought, looking over the group of heroes as they chatted with each other but not really seeing them. The conversations ran together, filling the lab with noise, but he could make out small bits and pieces of them though he paid them no mind. One thought was all that ran through his head, that his team needed to know the truth. It was only fair.

     He trusted the people in the room – minus a certain chameleon – but he was still uneasy about revealing certain things to them. And yet he also knew that it was the right thing to do. They couldn't have secrets. Secrets would tear them apart, comprise them and the goal they were trying to reach.

     He had to tell them.

      The hero was so lost in his own mind, debating back and forth in his own mental fight that he didn't notice the chatter die down after a few more minutes or someone – Mighty, maybe – ask, “should we start now?”

     Nor did he notice that, again, all eyes had turned to him. In fact, several moments passed before someone, this time he didn't know who, broke the silence.

“Sonic…?”

     Blinking rapidly the hero looked in the general direction of the voice and smiled, albeit awkwardly as he refocused and tried to act like he had been paying attention. “If we want t’ get out of here before tomorrow morning starting’s a good idea,” he concurred but, a second later, his smile faltered as the previous thought went through his mind again, like a broken record.

     He had to tell them.

     The others noticed his odd behavior, looks of concern passing over most of their faces as they waited for the blue hedgehog to continue. At first, they were only met with a long silence but eventually the hero took a deep breath and pressed on with sturdy tones that betrayed how he was truly feeling.

     “There's…something you all need t’ know first.”

     Everyone was speechless and not even for a second did Sonic blame them. All eyes were on him showing either surprise or grief, or even a mixture of both.

     He had told them everything. Everything about him and Robotnik. About the lab, the emeralds, his first and most recent encounters with the evil doctor, the events at Rail Canyon and Oil Ocean. Everything.

     In truth, he hadn’t meant to go quite that far but once he had started he found he couldn't stop. One thing had bled into another so seamlessly that he had spilled every significant moment in his life regarding his ongoing fight with his former friend over the last fifteen years in just a little more than an hour. And no one had stopped him. Everyone had fallen silent, eyes fixed on him and attention trained on every word coming out of his mouth. Though they didn't say anything the hero could easily read the emotions flicking through their eyes. Confusion, distress…doubt.

     Sonic thought it would be a weight lifted off him when he finished but now he almost felt worse because no one was saying anything. They were just…staring - even Knuckles to a certain extent, even though he had already known most of the hedgehog’s story. The only person who remained unreadable was Espio, his gaze only flicked to the remainder of his own unit for the smallest of moments before settling back on the hero.

     Unsure of what to do the hedgehog started to speak up again, but stopped to clear his throat when nothing came out but a hoarse noise and then started over. “I know it’s...a lot t’ take in…and that I've basically lied t’ everyone but –“

     “I'm going to stop you right there, Hedgehog,” Johnny cut in abruptly though apparently more impulsively than he intended because he soon fell silent, thinking his next words over carefully. After a second or two he looked to Porker and received the smallest of nods, returning it with one of his own before looking Sonic right in the eye with a distinct, almost uncharacteristic tenderness. “Since we’re being honest here I think it's only fair to say that we,“ he gestured between himself and the pig, “…already knew.”

     The rabbit could have predicted the hedgehog’s reaction from miles away and he didn’t blame the hero for being stunned, hell he had every right to be, but the hero wasn't the only one with secrets. Yes, the hero had the big secrets but even the small ones could be something in their own right.

     “He’s right,” Porker chimed in softly once it was clear no one else was going to - for the most part it seemed that everyone else was still to shocked or respecting to speak. Looking down at his feet, though still addressing the hedgehog the pig continued gently. “After Robotnik...attacked the village and you tried to stop him we…managed to piece most of what happened together ourselves…” he glanced to Johnny before finally meeting the hero’s troubled gaze again. “The whole village did.”

     Sonic, not for the first time that day, didn't know what to say.

     After taking a breath, Johnny chose to elaborate with a small smile. He knew this was a hard thing for the hedgehog to wrap his head around so he spoke slow and clearly, but his trademark confidence was back in his voice. “You grew up there, those people either raised you or grew up with you like us. Did you really think we didn't notice you disappearing like you were or how much you changed in those years? We’re not blind, or deaf,” he added, his head inclining towards the hero as if to emphasize something. “And even if we had convinced ourselves you were just…well, being you, Lewis is right. After that explosion you started acting weird and when Robotnik came and you chased after him we knew what had happened. You were always impulsive but it was obvious what had happened was more personal…

     “So, after you left and we…healed everyone got together and decided that it would our secret,” he continued, noticing with no small amount of satisfaction the realization that came to the hero’s emerald hues at his next statement. “Rosie was especially careful not to have anyone let the cat out of the bag and made us promise not to act any differently around you when you came back. If you came back.”

     Porker nudged the rabbit with his elbow, a little too roughly to be just playing, before giving a small grin to Sonic. “She knew that when you did win things wouldn't be the same thanks to all the news coverage and rumors. No one would see you the same way they did before the fight but she wanted you to always feel at home when you came to Green Hill. She wanted you to feel normal.”

     It took a decent amount of self-control for the hero not to laugh at the word. Normal. What a concept.

     Still, he wasn't sure how he felt. The first word he could associate with the feeling was ‘thankful’ oddly enough. Rosie had always been the closest thing the hedgehog had to a mother and he adored her to no end. Ever since he had been adopted by the village it was she who had taught him the things that mattered most and she always, always, tried to protect him no matter what. She always had his best interest in mind and treated him like the son she never had. The fact that she, and the rest of the villagers, still treated him the same now as they did before the Robotnik incident brought a warm feeling to the hedgehog’s chest.

     They had known all along and yet to them, despite the trouble and heartache he had caused them, they still accepted him.

     The possibility that they wouldn't had been his biggest fear for years.

     “So…everyone knew…” Somehow saying it aloud made it more believable for the hero and the hedgehog’s lips quirked with silent emotions as the room fell quiet again.

     This time it was Vector, of all people, who spoke, his deep voice naturally commanding attention as his sharp teeth showed in a smile. “I think, deep down, we all already knew.” Coming from a detective, Sonic was hard pressed to believe that. Still, it was difficult to ruin the crocodile’s respect of a person once he gave it – a trait he and the hero shared – and as his vermilion eyes met those brilliant green ones there was nothing but the utmost respect between them. “That didn't stop us from sayin’ yes to this and we’re not goin’ to back down now.”

     Tekno followed his statement with a nod, an honest smile gracing her face. She was, perhaps, the only one in the group who hadn’t known the hedgehog personally prior to today but that by no means meant she didn’t already have an opinion of him, one that remained unchanged despite this new information. “That’s right,” she agreed. “Past be damned, it doesn't change the fact you're a good person, Sonic.”

     “We’re with you a hundred percent!” That was Charmy, his tone as energetic as always.

     “Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with us now,” Mina added, playfully nudging the hero and immensely proud of the smile she got from him.  “No matter what happens we’ll always have your back. We’re all going to free this place from Robotnik. We’re going to win.”

     There was a unified sound from the group as they nodded, fully supporting what the mongoose had said and the blue hedgehog’s smile only grew bolder. What apprehension he had felt before was nulled as he looked at each of the supportive faces around him, looked at the handful of people who were willing to stand alongside him despite everything and fight for their planet.

     It was a good feeling, an encouraging one. After so many years fighting largely by himself the hedgehog had been convinced that was the way it was supposed to be until either he or Robotnik could no longer fight, by any means. It had been foolish, he knew, but it had been the only thing he had thought he had known for certain. He had never wanted to drag anyone into his fight and yet he had entangled Tails and Knuckles in it before long and, though he continued to fight even when they did not, the hero had always known somewhere in the back of his mind that he couldn’t do it alone forever. He had, however, managed to convince himself time and time again that this was his mistake to fix, no one else’s.

     He was pleasantly surprised to find out he was wrong. His past wasn’t ideal, nor was he by any means perfect, but he had always done what he thought was right for the majority of people and that was the only thing that mattered. The others – his team -  didn’t care about his mistakes, they didn’t care about his moments of weakness, they only saw him for what he was. A hero. They trusted him and he trusted them, they all had a common goal and they wanted nothing but the best for their planet. That was why this would work, why they would thrive and lead Mobius into its next, peaceful chapter.

     It was why they were going to win.

     After allowing his gaze to pass over each individual in the room the hedgehog gave a confident smile as he shifted his weight, brow raised expectantly. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get started.”

     With that, the Freedom Fighters gave a spirited cheer not just for themselves, but for the future of everything.

[ranger-of-estel]

Done playing it safe

Captain Canary piece for @ficcingcaptaincanary‘s prompt:  Sara and Len see a non-canon Legends of Flarrowverse pairing that makes them realize they’re in love.

Several months after Leonard is brought back they encounter his sister and Cisco on a trip back to 2017. While spending the day together they realize that maybe they have a shot together after all, but is it worth the risks?

CaptainCanary & GoldenVibe, Mixen implied.

Read it on AO3

              “So where exactly are we going in a such a hurry Lance?” Leonard drawls, long strides easily keeping up with her brisk pace.

               “Felicity and laurel both told me about a little coffee shop,” she spun in a tight circle, “It should be around here,”

               “Jitters?” he offers casually

               “Yeah,” she looks at him, “You know it.”

               “Well,” he draws out the word, pretending not to notice her inhale as he lays his hands on her shoulders, turning her to the left and motioning toward the sign. “This is my city after all.” She just beams at him, grabbing his elbow as they begin walking toward the building. They walk in silence, giving him nothing to focus on besides the pressure of her hand over his leather jacket. Or the way her eyes sparkle as she looks around the city. She’ll ask an occasional question and he’ll offer a basic answer. He motions to banks he’s robbed, or stores he’s hit.

               Jitters is busy but not packed when they enter; Sara goes to get drinks while he moves toward a table. Making a detour as he noticed the familiar young man. “Cisco,” he smirks. “Fancy meeting you here.”

               “Cold,” The scientist straightens. “What are you doing here?”

               “Where are the rest of your little team?” his head tilts as he notices the rose lying on the table, “Are you on a date?”

               Before he can answer a female voice draws his attention. “Lenny!” He turns just in time for Lisa to wrap her arms around his neck; he stiffens fractionally at the contact but quickly relaxes and returns her embrace.

               “Hey Sis,” he offers an almost smile as they separate.

               “I didn’t know you were in town,” she gives an exaggerated pout.

               “We just got in,” Sara replies, walking up with a smile and two to-go cups in hands.

               “Sara!” Lisa grins, and once the cups are on the table the girls share a brief embrace. “it’s good to see you.”

               “Wait,” Cisco, looks between the women. “Sara, as in Sara Lance?”

               She turns to look at the young man, “That’s me,” her brow quirks, “Who’s asking?”

               “This is Cisco,” Lisa begins, “He’s-”

               “He’s part of Team Flash.” Leonard finishes, reaching out to pick up the cup nearest him.

               “Oh,” Sara brightens, “You’re the one who designed my suit then?” he just nods; before Leonard can comment she adds. “It’s perfect, thank you.” She takes a sip of her coffee before offering him a smile.

               “I’m glad…I mean, don’t mention it…I” he stumbles, face reddening slightly.

               “Breathe,” Lisa chuckles, reaching over to lay her hand across his on the table.

               His attention shifts to the woman now standing at his side and offers a gentle smile. A whispered “thanks,” as he shifts his hand so their fingers lace.

               Len bristles, quickly looking between the pair; noting his sister’s genuine smile and the adoration in the young man’s eyes. He clears his throat, “Something we should know?” Though he can already see Sara grinning in his peripherals.

               For a moment Lisa just looks at him, brow furrowing, then with a glance at their hands she rolls her eyes. “I’m a big girl Lenny, I’m allowed to date.”

               He turns to the young man, “Ramone, a word.” His voice is cold as he motions to an empty table a few over and begins walking.

               Cisco glances at Lisa, who offers an encouraging smile. “You’ll be fine.” Before motioning him over.

               “He’s not armed,” Sara quips as he slides off his stool and moves toward the older man.

Leonard watches him approach, false confidence as he took a seat across the table. He’d found the young man intelligent over the course of their encounters; he was loyal and would do anything to protect his family. Though what his sister saw in him was more than he could guess. “Look,” the young man cannot hide the almost tremble, “If you are here to threaten me, to scare me off it won’t work.”

He refrains from smirking, settling for a level stare instead. “Who my sister dates is her decision;” crossing his arms over his chest he adds, “I’m just making sure you understand what happens if you hurt her.”

~

               The girls watch the boys take seats, Lisa glancing over at the blonde. “There’s no way my brother isn’t armed.”

               “Obviously,” Sara lifts onto the barstool next to her. “But he doesn’t have the cold gun, and I thought it might help his nerves.” She picks up the rose, twirling it between her fingers. “So, dating huh?”

               Lisa nods, smiling again. “Yes,”

               “You seemed to take that well,” she motions to the other table, “Your brother stepping in and all.”

               Lisa chuckles, “Lenny has always vetted my dates; but he never tries to force my decision.” She gives a sad smile, “He’s always looked after me; the scary big brother thing is just a piece of that.” She shrugs, “Besides, I’m allowed the same for him should he ever take a partner.”

               Sara nods, “Taking what I’ve heard, the two of you do make an unsual pair.”

               “Yeah, not everyday you hear a love story that starts with kidnapping.” She shakes her head, smiling softly as she fingers a fallen petal. “But he makes me smile, and that counts for something.” She pauses, eyes coming up to meet Sara’s, “Especially after-” she trails off and Sara just nods her understanding. “So,” She glances over to where Cisco is beginning to squirm under her brother’s gaze, “How long has it been for the two of you?”

               Sara takes a moment to think, trying to average out the timing. “A couple months since last time we were here.” She shrugs, “Thought we could use a day off, in our own time for a bit.”

               “Well,” Sara smiles at the the way she draws out the word, almost like her brother. “Cisco and I were going to walk at the park, why don’t you two join us?”

               “Sounds peachy,” both girls look up at Leonard’s voice, Cisco coming to stand beside Lisa.

               “Great!” They grab their drinks and head to the door. Lisa and Cisco lead, entwined hands swinging between them as they walk. By the time they reach the park Leonard and Sara have long finished their drinks, tossing them in the nearest trash can and walking the narrow path side by side. “So,” she paused, waiting till he turned to look at her then motioned to the couple “She seems happy.”

               “It would appear so.” He shrugs, watching as Lisa bumped shoulders with the shorter boy playfully. “She was taken by him the first time we met,”

               “He seems like a good kid,” she gives him a teasing smile, “Hopefully you didn’t scare him to badly.”

               “I merely made it clear who he will deal with if she’s hurt,” He shakes his head, “She could definitely do worse.”

               She nods, and after a pause comments, “Lisa would probably like to talk with you, catch up on what’s happened since we last saw her.”

               “This is fine,” he frowns, “We don’t really do feelings anyway.”

               She things of Laurel, of all the times they didn’t talk and all the visits she would never get to have. How much she would give for one more talk. And with a huff she speeds up, stopping just behind the pair and tapping Cisco on the shoulder. He jumps and she gives a rushed “Sorry,” to keep from laughing. “I was just wondering if I could ask you a couple things about my suit?”

               “Oh, um sure.” He looks at Lisa who waves it off before turning and making her way back to her brother. “So, what do you want to know?” he asks as Sara settles into a comfortable pace at his side.

               She makes up a couple questions, and asks if there’s something particular she should be applying to the leather for maintenance. From there the conversation moves to his team and the city itself. When it falls quiet she notices him fidget, “How did you and Lisa meet?”

               He glances over at her, “Well the first time was when she, Leonard and Mick Rory kidnapped me to make them weapons.” He waved his hand dismissively. “But I think what you want to know is a little different.” He seemed thoughtful before finally speaking. “It was after you all left to save the world;” he chuckled, “I came home one night to find she’d broken in through my window and was on my couch eating popcorn.” He shrugged, “She would drop in every couple weeks after that. We would spend the evening playing games or watching a movie.”

               “And your team was cool with that?” She interjected.

               He shook his head, “I never told them.” He sighed, “I knew Lisa wouldn’t hurt me, and the company was a nice change.” She thought of the hours she and Len had spent on the Waverider playing cards under similar circumstances. His continued story drawing her back to the present. “But one night she was different. She came to my door with red eyes and looking so….” He paused, frowning as he thought back. “She just looked so lost.” He sighed, “After learning her brother was gone she came around more, stayed longer. And I don’t know, somewhere along the line I realized things felt off when she wasn’t around.”

               “Yeah,” She thought of the long months after the Oculous, of realizing exactly how much she’d grown accustomed to Leonard’s presence in her life. How much she’d come to trust and confide in him.

               “So,” he shrugged, “I figured what the heck, and after a couple more visits got up the courage to ask her on a proper date.” He smiled fondly, “And now we’re here.”

~

               Leonard had watched Sara run up to the pair, shaking his head as she struck up conversation with the lab technician. Lisa had moved to walk at his side, and for a long while they walked in comfortable silence. He’ll admit it’s nice to have her close, to know she’s safe and happy. But his eyes are often drawn back to Sara, the cat like grace of her gait or how she keeps running her hand through her hair when the wind blows it.

               “I was surprised to see you without Mick, is everything okay?” He hears the touch of concern in her voice and shakes his head.

               “Mick is fine; he had other company today.”

               Her eyes light up, “Sara didn’t tell me he found someone too! What’s she like?”

               “Stubborn, but she’s good with him.” He casts her a side glance, “And you?” he motions to the other young man, “This didn’t sound like one of your playful distractions.”

               She shook her head, “It’s not. Cisco is different, makes me think maybe we could be something real.” she pauses, glancing toward him. “He makes me want to be better, be more than what I’ve always been.”

               His response is somewhere between a huff and a laugh. “That I can understand.”

               “Who would have thought huh?” her smile is teasing, “Professional thieves, and we go falling for heroes of all things.” Before he can respond she adds, “And don’t even try to deny it;” she motions toward Sara, “I see the way you look at her, how you gravitate toward her in a room.”

               Sara laughs ahead of them and Leonard’s eyes shift to watch her. He sighs, “After everything that’s happened, I’m not sure she would even want more.” He shakes his head. “She could do better.”

               “So?” He turns at the question, lifting a brow to which his sister merely rolls her eyes. “Cisco could have done better, but that hasn’t stopped him. Besides,” there’s a rare tenderness in her voice, “We aren’t our parents Lenny, we aren’t bound to choosing their mistakes.”

               He isn’t sure how to reply, and is relieved by the obnoxious ringing in front of them. Cisco pulls a phone from his pocket and the pair stop walking. He hangs up as they approach, Sara frowning. “Is everything okay?”

               Cisco nods, “Yeah, but they need my help with something at the lab.” He turns to Lisa, “Sorry Gold, looks like I won’t make it tonight.”

               She smiles, “It’s fine Cisco,” she leans down for a chaste kiss, “Go be a hero.”

               He beams at her, “I’ll call as soon as I’m free.” Turning to Leonard he offers a curt nod. “Captain,” He offers Sara a smile “Canary, it was a pleasure.” And with one last wave he made his way along a small side path that would lead back to the main roads.

               “Should we go help?” Sara inquires as they lose sight of him

               “No,” Len’s drawl is coupled with deep frown. “this is not our mission Birdie.”

               “Len’s right, they can handle it.” She pats her pocket, “Besides, if they need backup they will call.” As they begin walking he can still see some tension in her shoulders, as if any minute they’ll be called to the battlefield. But as she and Lisa talk about some new movie or book she begins to settle. He would make an occasional comment, but for the most part remained silent. By the time they reached the main roads it was dusk. “I should be getting back,” Lisa smiled, “I was nice to see you both.”

               “You too,” Sara embraced her, smiling as they pulled away. “And I’m happy for you and Cisco.”

               “We still have a lot to figure out, and it’s not going to be easy.” Lisa meets her brother’s eyes. “But it’s ours,” She walks over to hug him. “Take care Lenny.”

               He returns the embrace, pressing a soft kiss to her crown before stepping back. “See you around Sis.” And flashing one last smile she turns and makes her way back toward the glowing city.

~

               After Lisa leaves they begin their own walk back toward the Waverider, stopping to pick up food along the way. Sara is grateful for the quiet walk, allowing her time to sort through her thoughts. Though Leonard’s knuckles keep brushing against hers as they walk, and she has to continually resist the urge to slip her palm into his larger hand. And she can feel his eyes on her, her face flushing which she blames on the wind.

               They settle into his room, as they have most nights since his return. They’re sitting on opposite ends of the bed, bag of fries between them as they each eat their sandwiches. “I don’t care what Rip says,” Sara pulls the foil on her burger back a little further, “Replicated food will never be as good as the real stuff.” He nods, offering her that almost smile that only appears when they are alone. It’s quiet a little longer before she turns to face him, “Do you think they’ll be okay, your sister and Cisco?”

               “I’d say they stand as good a chance as anyone.” His brow furrows, “Why do you ask?”

               She shrugs, “Just wondering…living like we all do is easier when you have someone with you.”

               “What about you Assassin?” he drawls, “Do you miss having someone else?”

               She shakes her head, thinking of Nyssa and Olie. Of the other’s she’d chased while Leonard was gone. “I did,” she looks at him, biting her lip slightly. “But I’ve got you now.”

               He watches her intently, and she feels the heat climbing her neck and across her cheeks before he finally replies. “Is that so?” She nods, something in the way he watches her causing butterflies. “Sara,” he shifts, moving closer to her and suddenly she can’t breathe. Her eyes drawn to his lips as his tongue darts across them. His piercing blue eyes are watching her carefully, as if he’s afraid she may break.

               “Len, what are you doing?” she breathes.

               “Being one hell of a thief,” he smirks, then sliding his hand behind her head he dips in for a kiss. It takes only moments for her to melt against him, hands coming up to fist in his shirt as she pulls him closer. By the time, they pull away they are both breathless, and Sara’s head is swimming. His eyes meet hers “I’ve wanted to do that since I woke up.”

               “Why didn’t you?” she asks,

               “Wasn’t sure you still wanted it,” he pressed his forehead to hers, “I didn’t want to press you about it.” She laughs quietly, and he pulls back with a frown. “What’s so funny?”

               “I was waiting on you,” she shakes her head. “I remember what it was like when I first came back; so many jumbled thoughts and memories. I wanted to give you time…”

               Now he was the one smiling, hand shifting to cover hers where it sat on the bed. “Then we’re really going to try this?” He met her eyes, “It could be ugly…I’m not always easy to be around.”

               “Neither am I,” she shrugged, “But every relationship is full of risks.” Her free hand reached up to rest against his cheek, something inside warming as he leaned into her touch. “But I’m tired of playing it safe, especially when I could lose you again.”

               “I don’t plan on going anywhere Birdie,” she just leans forward to slant her mouth over his once more, pressing him back into the bed as his hands settle near her waist.

               When they break for air she curls into his side, reveling in the feel of his arm around her waist. They stay like that, just talking. When Leonard gets up to get them drinks Sara grabs her phone, quickly pulling up Lisa’s number in her messenger.

Hey, are you free to get coffee tomorrow? Looks like we need to have that scary talk between little sister and Len’s partner.

A couple minutes pass and she’s changed into shorts one of Leonard’s top to sleep in when her phone buzzes.

It’s about time! Now we can go on double dates ;)

She laughs, but as Leonard walks in holding two steaming mugs of cocoa. Phone promptly forgotten as he settles next to her once more.