#when aliens invaded and I was running with my family but I lost my room number and ended uo having sex with a guy

[davidtennan-t]

May Noble Guide You. Always.

Donna is always looking out for ways to help her best friend.

Major angst but a happy ending! Inspired by this post, because I still think about Fourteen morning, noon and night.

And yes, Skyrim is involved.

1592 words - also available on AO3

-

“Hey, Spaceman?”

“Yeah, Donna?”

A pause.

“Have you ever dabbled in video games?”

The Doctor glanced up from the toaster he was tinkering with, eyes peeking over the top of his glasses. Even after so many years of travelling, living, experiencing, he was sure he’d never been asked such a question before.

“Hm, not really,” he answered after a second of musing, “never really been my thing, with this face or any of my other faces. Not even the younger version of this face.”

Donna nodded and returned her attention back to her laptop.

An article was open on her screen, which she was attentively scrolling through.

‘Gaming as therapy? Research shows video games can provide distraction and escapism.’

“Oh, wait!”

Donna nearly jumped out of her seat – she still wasn’t used to his sudden outbursts, even if he had been living with them for nearly half a year now, and she had of course travelled with him all those years ago.

Some things never changed.

“Could you announce your brainwaves any louder?” she uttered but turned to listen.

“I once saved Rose from certain death by playing pinball,” the Doctor explained, “true story. And I did have a run-in with Iwatani Tohru when an alien invaded his base model for Pac Man… lovely bloke, he was. There was also that time I tried to stay with the Ponds, played on something called a ‘Wii’. Oh! Yaz once challenged me to a game of Tetris – I wasn’t very good at it.”

Somehow Donna knew that last part was a lie by the way his nose scrunched up. She shook her head in amusement.

“I won’t even ask,” she smirked. The Doctor smirked back and returned to his tinkering.

As she continued to read the article, listening to the sounds of the toaster slowly being dissected, Donna wondered if the idea forming in her mind would be worth it.

She would do anything to help her best friend. Even if they’d found ways and means to help him in this ‘semi-retirement’ period, it didn’t hurt to try new methods.

“Why’d you ask?”

Donna glanced up to the form of the tinkering Time Lord again and smiled.

“No reason, just curious… Rose dabbled with gaming for a while, but I don’t think it’s really her thing.”

The Doctor’s expression formed acknowledgement, just as a couple of screws fell onto the dining table.

“By the way, you know what happened last time you tinkered with that toaster. You can apologise to the fire crew this time, not me,” Donna smirked, “anyway, it’s time for dinner – your turn to make the toasties. And how you’re gonna make them without the toaster, I’ll never know.”

“I’ll use the grill!”

“You nearly blew the house up last time.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

Guess it was time to put the toaster back together.

-

A couple of weeks later, the Doctor was riding a storm. It was an invisible one, but Donna could see how hard it was affecting him this time.

Odd little things would begin to happen. His smile wouldn’t be as bright, his movements became slower, and his voice lost its erratic spark – the family were reminded they were living with an old, wounded man who’d been through unimaginable horrors.

It started with a nightmare, this time. Or, maybe it didn’t… Donna told herself the Time Lord didn’t always need a reason to feel the way he did. He didn't need a trigger point.

He’d told her himself – he’d lived a lot and suffered in the fifteen years since they’d travelled together.

He’d lost a lot.

And sometimes, that hit him like a brick wall.

“Doctor?” Donna announced quietly as she walked into the living room. It was just the two of them in the house for the afternoon, but she’d barely saw or spoke to the Doctor since breakfast. He’d hidden in the TARDIS for a while, but then she’d spotted that skinny frame trudging back into the house as she’d pottered in the garden.

And here he was. Sat on the sofa, hunched over, elbows on his skinny legs with his hands hiding his face. His hair seemed messier than normal, and he wasn’t even wearing that waistcoat of his.

“You okay?”

No response.

Donna didn’t hesitate to sit down right beside him, silently letting him know she was close.

Almost immediately, the Doctor uncurled himself with a heavy inhale, realising he wasn’t alone anymore.

Donna didn’t need to see the tear stains on his cheeks to know he’d been crying.

And then, the Doctor shuffled towards her like a wounded animal and wrapped both arms around her, while burying his face into her shoulder.

Donna’s arms wrapped around him in turn without hesitation. She gently held the back of his head, her fingers gently massaging through his hair – he seemed to like that. It calmed him, even if he’d never admit to it.

Silence prolonged for a few minutes.

Donna glanced over at the TV. Or rather, she glanced at the brand-new box sat beside it. A black box with a remote control perched on top. It was funnily shaped, almost like a Sontaran ship.

Obviously, she hadn’t mentioned that part to the checkout man when she’d purchased it.

Perhaps it was time to put that box to use. The box that held these forms of escapism and adventure... maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn’t – but she was willing to give it a try.

“You’re okay, Spaceman,” Donna whispered to break the silence, returning her attention back to the Time Lord, “I’m right here.”

“I know you are,” came the muffled reply from her shoulder – not in his ‘I’m not that dumb’ tone, but rather a proclamation of ‘I’m so glad you’re with me.’

His voice was still shaky and rough, so Donna gently leaned back to rest against the soft cushions of the sofa, while the Doctor followed and tucked himself against her, those long legs curling up like a cheetah after a run. She knew he was feeling rough when he didn’t want to leave her side, not for a while at least.

“M’sorry,” the Doctor said in a muffle. Donna heard the guilt in his voice, and she wouldn’t have it.

“Don’t be so daft,” she said softly, “I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again. You’re home… and home is where you’re looked after.”

She kept a hand on the back of his head, stroking through his wiry brown but greying hair. 

And they sat like that for ten minutes. A sad but comfortable silence.

And then, Donna decided it was time – time to see if that box beside the TV could bring her best friend a new form of comfort.

“I have something for you to try,” she announced.

The Doctor knew what those words meant. It meant Donna was trying for him. His old, arrogant and younger-self wouldn’t have entertained any such ideas she laid out for him, but now, he did… he wanted to.

“What’s that?” the Doctor asked, sniffing lightly.

“Wait here,” Donna told him, gently easing herself away from the Doctor so she could get up and walk to the TV.

The Doctor watched, intrigued, as the TV lit up and beeps emitted from the large black box, now glowing green.

He didn’t question anything. Not even when Donna returned to him with some sort of controller in hand. He sat up and took it from her when she offered it out to him.

“It’s all set up for you. Rose helped me do it… pick any game you like. I’ll be making supper if you need me.”

-

An hour or so later, Donna hadn’t heard a peep from the Doctor.

All she could hear over the boiling potatoes and the rather noisy air fryer, where odd sounds coming from the TV. With everything prepped and ready, Rose and Shaun due home shortly, she took off her oven mitts and returned to the living room.

There, she found the Doctor, in a very different state to how she’d found him earlier.

He was perched on the edge of the sofa, but his head wasn’t in his hands this time.

Instead, his long fingers were gripping the controller, his tired but intrigued eyes watching the screen while his thumbs moved the joysticks.

Donna’s heart suddenly felt very, very full.

“Enjoying yourself?” she asked.

The Doctor didn’t stop what he was doing – on the screen, there was a cat-like creature wearing rags running around a medieval looking city.

“I used to be an adventurer like you… then I took an arrow in the knee.”  Came a voice from the TV, between the calming melody of music.

Donna didn’t have a clue about any of it, but she smiled.

“It’s interesting, I’ll give you that,” finally came the reply. “I’m supposed to be alerting some Jarl about a dragon. But I thought the flowers were more interesting, so I’m collecting them.”

Donna still didn’t have a clue, but she nodded.

“Okay, well, not too much longer, mister… Shaun and Rose will be back shortly, and supper is nearly ready.”

“Whatever you say, Mum,” the Doctor acknowledged.

Donna shook her head with a smile and decided to return to the kitchen.

“Donna-”

She stopped, looking back towards the sofa. The Doctor was looking at her, a small smile on his face. A smile which she could see was ladened with an appreciation, perhaps some relief, even.

“This is helping,” he said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Spaceman.”

[in1-nutshell]

Hey, not sure if you're down for writing a continuation of the “Megatron 'accidentally' adopting human Buddy who fears nothing” post. But there was a line “Rung has a line of bots that express the same worry for Buddy one day doing something dumb and not being able to come back from it.” that I think should be expanded upon. Dangerous things are constantly happening to the lost light crew and Buddy must have the devil's luck to come out of everything that happens unscathed. I'd like to see that luck run out. I'd like to see the crew panicking because Buddy got hurt badly and there's been no news if they'll recover or not. I want to see Megatron deal with the impending mortality of his newly adopted kid poorly. And I want to see everyone on the lost light panic even more because if Megatron doesn't start a war if this kid dies, Whirl absolutely will. P.s please let buddy live, I may crave angst, but not that much.

Have a good day, love your writing

Ooooh! Have you been peaking at some of my drafts? haha! I have been thinking about what would happen if Buddy ever got hurt on Megatron's watch. But now more bots are going to watch.

Hope you enjoy!

Megatron and Fearless Buddy who gets seriously hurt

SFW, familial, platonic, angst but happy ending, mention of injuries but nothing graphic or detailed, Human reader

MTMTE/LL

As we all know Buddy fears nothing

And this put some stress on their friends and new dad, Megatron.

“Hey Megs!”--Rodimus

“Rodimus, don’t call me that.”--Megatron

“Yeah, not gonna happen. Anyways I was wondering if you’ve seen Buddy anywhere. They were supposed to show me something?”--Rodimus

“Show you what?”--Megatron

“Something about being a present for being Brainstorm’s ‘Guinea pig’?”--Rodimus

Buddy flying by on a jet pack.

“Hi Roddy! Hi Megs! Bye Roddy! Bye Megs!”--Buddy

“…”—Rodimus and Megatron

CRASH!

Both mechs start running

But as time continues to go on, their little antics are just normalized. Sure, there are still some bots that know the true fragility of the human life span. Such bots included but not limited to Ratchet, First Aid, Velocity, Swerve, Rung, Megatron, and Whirl

“Where are you going with those pilars?”—First Aid

“It’s nothing illegal, yet.”--Buddy

“What type of answer is that!?”—First Aid

But for the most part the crew thinks Buddy is almost as durable as they are. Yes, even Megatron has been guilty of this type of behavior. He isn’t too proud of that.

“C’mon Fleshy jump and do a flip!”—Random Bot

“Bet—”--Buddy

“I think not.”--Whirl

“Whirl?!”--Buddy

“If you break your dumb fragile bones who else is going to come with me on planet expeditions? Cyclonus? I think not. He sucks out all the fun.”—Whirl

“I am literally right here.”--Cyclonus

So, let the angst begin.

The place was being invaded by space pirates.

The pirates where taking the bridge and had successfully barricaded themselves in.

“Why can’t we just break the door down?”--Buddy

“The main room has delicate equipment. One wrong move…”--Megatron

“Okay that’s a bad idea then.”--Buddy

“We just need an opening from the main door and we can figure out the rest.”--Rodimus

“Hey, I’m tiny enough to fit through the crack under the door. I can open the door!”--Buddy

“Absolutely not.”--Megatron

“For once I’m agreeing with him.”--Whirl

“Hey, its not like we have many options here. Unless someone else has a better idea then I am quite literally the only thing stopping these guys.”--Buddy

“…go then…”--Megatron

He was going to regret saying it like that. The computers dashboard in order to unlock the door or at least give it an opening. So, when they were sure that the aliens weren’t looking, they sprinted over to the console by swinging up with a grappling hook to the chair and began running towards the buttons.

They had indirectly activated the plasma screens.

These were holoscreens all over the ship that would show what was happening on the bridge. Everyone had a front row seat to Buddy sprinting across the console. There where cheers as Buddy was coming closer and closer to the button

“They made it!”--Rodimus

“Way to go Buddy!”--Tailgate

“Just press the button.”—Ultra Magnus

“That’s my Amica—”--Whirl

It was right there…

The alien came out of nowhere…

“EW! A Rat!”--Alien

“A ra—"--Buddy

They swatted Buddy across the room in one swift movement. They’re tiny body hurdling across the room and off screen. A small sickening crack was heard.

It was barely noticeable.

But it caused a deafening sound across the entire Lost Light.

 Good news for the crew, Buddy’s shoe came off from the force of the hit and successfully pressed the button opening the door.

Everyone is lined up to take these aliens down.

Megatron and Whirl are at the forefront of it.

Megatron is trying to find Buddy while Whirl is absolutely destroying everything.

Megatron spots Buddy slumped over in the far corner of the room.

No motion, nothing

He is just frozen in place.

“Buddy…”--Megatron

“…”--Buddy

“Megatron! Move!”--Ratchet

Ratchet snaps him out of it as he is trying to help Buddy.

Megatron snaps out of it a cover him.

Buddy is rushed out an into the medbay.

Everyone is waiting.

The sudden gravity of Buddy’s mortality weighs heavily on the minds of everyone involved.

Megatron sulks in his room thinking about how he failed them. He can’t bear to sit by Buddy in the med bay. Ratchet understands and tells him that he when Buddy wakes up.

Whirl on the other hand, stays by Buddy’s bed side the entire time.

“Hey Tiny. It’s been a hot minute since you’ve open those little eyes… You mind opening them up?”--whirl

“…”--Buddy

“Fine be like that…”--Whirl

“…”--Buddy

“Well, you’ve missed a lot since you took that hit. One you have a ton of inner most energon by your room and a growing number of get-well gifts. I personally made sure none of you’re a secret bomb. Megs is still in his room and its giving everyone the creeps.”--Whirl

“…”--Buddy

“… Don’t tell this to anyone… but we miss you, you scared the ever living Pits out of us.”--Whirl

“…”--Buddy

Whirl has lost every good thing in his life. He is going to make sure that this one thing does go so soon.

Buddy does wake up

“Hye Whirly Bird?”--Buddy

“Buddy?!”--Whirl

“Why you looking at me like that? Someone died?”--Buddy

“You nearly did Tiny!”--Whirl

“But I didn’t, huh? It takes more than a hand to stop me.”--Buddy

“…I guess huh.”--Whirl

Megatron is zooming over when he hears. Buddy is trying to play off their injuries to try and keep the peace.

“Hey Megs.”--Buddy

“Buddy…”--Megatron

“You okay? You look like you’re dying.”--Buddy

“… that was a poor choice of words.”--Megatron

“Yeah I guess— woah, Megs?"—Buddy

Megatron gently holding Buddy’s hand the best he can

“Just let me hold you please, just a little bit.”--Megatron

“Sure Megs.”--Buddy

As they are recovering Buddy is treated with a bit more respect than they had before. Good thing too, they did after all manage to save the ship after all.

[gothicgrove]

How does one change enough to face the fear and confusion that shattered and stained memories bring? Complex PTSD is a never ending battle. My perpetual tug into the underworld that coerces mr to maintain complacency in even the darkest of situations. Struggling to feel real in a world that only brought blow after blow, more pain each day with no chance of acknowledgement from those who hurt you. That somehow it always ended up being your fault that they were hurting you. I would wait for someone to come take me away each night, sure in my heart that I must be something different from everyone around me. An alien that had been left here by accident, belonging to some faraway world where everything made perfect sense compared to the one I was leaving behind.

Or maybe I was something worse, some kind of demon that made my family suffer. That every bit of suffering I went through was deserved because of the misfortune I brought onto my family.

When I looked in the mirror I felt afraid. There was something wrong inside of me. I could see it so clearly. There was a monster in the mirror, on the glass window panes, in my shadow, inside of me. I couldn’t sleep either, too petrified that if I moved at all or breathed too deeply something in the darkness would kill me. My dreams were strange, nightmare after nightmare. Sleep paralysis that left me petrified of what was to come. I felt sick. I still feel sick. My mother called me a hypochondriac.

Nevermind that I wasn't allowed to eat at the dining room with her new family. Instead I had to eat off of the floor of my bedroom that I shared with my two brothers while my stepfather got three rooms to himself. That I spent more time away with the Boys & Girls Club than with them. That she would leave me to go on vacation while saying it was for work any time I got sick. Which I would only find out through her Facebook posts. Gee thanks mom, it’s great to see you’re in Hawaii while I’m battling the plague. Anything she could do to push us far away from her placate my stepfather and keep us from invading their bliss.

Then I would go stay with my father for the summers. Along with some amazing times together, I would face a new circle of Hell. As much as I adored him he became a different person when he drank. Alcoholism can turn even the kindest of people into warped versions of themselves. Accusing me of loving my new stepfather more than him as he wrapped his hands around my neck. That was his preferred method of punishment when it came to my perceived wrongdoings on his part.

Still I chose to live with him instead of my mother. The verbal and emotional abuse seemed negligible compared to the loneliness and neglect that swamped my time with my mother. I’d rather be locked in the house all day with someone yelling at me than sit there alone to fend for myself and my older brother. Those years with him were both the most wonderful and painful times that I have experienced in my life but it would all come to an end on April 6th, 2016. The day he committed suicide.

He blamed me before his attempt. My birth had brought ruin and destruction to his hopes and dreams. I was in fact the burden I had tried so desperately with every bit of my love not to be on him. I wanted to save him. I could’ve saved him. Tragically, I was held back by the fear of what he would do to me after I called 911. Knowing he would likely try to kill me when he came back home. I have spent every day since that day regretting the choice I made not to save him. For listening to my brother and stepmother when they told me not to run earlier when the ambulance sat at the top of the hill, lost and confused about where the house that showed on no maps could be. For not running faster even if the gravel stung and cut deep into my bare feet as it dug in. For being the 12 year old I really was and not the adult he carved me into. He was my entire world. What do you do when the world ends because of you?

Scream.

Except I couldn’t scream,

I still can’t scream.

So a part of him can live inside of me forever,

To replace all that died inside of me when I lost my dad.

To my dad,

I hope that you can find forgiveness in me in the same way that I have found forgiveness in you. You were hurting in a way that I could never comprehend as much as I tried to. That the VA never provided the proper support for and let our entire family down by failing to do so. May there be the peace, love, and gentleness in your afterlife that you were not given in your time on Earth. Please take care of the piece of me that you took with you, as that was always yours to have.

We all still miss you every single day that you’ve been gone and know that we all loved you with every fiber of our being. Thank you for the time we had together and know that we will never forget you.

-KMC

[queenshelby]

A NEW WORLD – PART NINE

A QUIET PLACE 2 FANFIC

Pairing: Emmett x Fem!Reader

Warning: Angst, Gore, Death, Murder, Attempted Rape, Aliens, Violence, Movie Spoilers, SMUT, etc…

DAY 764

‘Say Good Morning Mumma’ Emmett said holding up Charlotte as you came walking out of the bedroom.

‘I didn’t hear your get up. Why didn’t you wake me?’ you asked as you were still not used to Charlotte sleeping in a different room to you ever since Emmett cleared out the study room and put up a toddler bed for Charlotte.

‘I thought that you could use some extra sleep’ Emmett said as he took one of the wooden blocks away from Charlotte. You were up with Charlotte for two nights as she was teething and last night you finally managed to sleep five hours straight.

‘Not in your mouth, remember?’ Emmett said and Charlotte pouted at him, trying to get the wooden block back with her tiny little hand.

‘I asked Jeremy to pick up some children’s paracetamol and a teething toy on his run to the mainland today. Also, one of the women on the island found a baby monitor packed away in her garage. I will try and get it to work today. You might feel a bit less anxious about Charlotte being in another room if you can hear her through the monitor’ Emmett suggested as he handed you a cup of instant coffee.

‘Thank you’ you said with a warm smile and some guilt. You still haven’t told Emmett that he is Charlotte’s father. Yet, you could see an instant connection between them.

Emmett has never asked about Charlotte’s father and you never told him much about her and her birth. It was more that you could handle at the time especially since you thought that he was in a relationship with Nancy.

��How come you and Nancy don’t share house?’ you eventually asked as you were making breakfast.

‘It’s complicated Y/N’ Emmett said, causing you to raise an eyebrow at him.

‘So, you aren’t in love with each other? Is that it?’ you asked curiously.

‘I don’t have feelings for her if this is what you mean. In fact, I believe that love in a world like this is a dangerous thing. It’s not worth it’ he said before putting his empty bowl into the sink and excusing himself.

It was obvious to you that he didn’t really want to discuss his relationship with Nancy.  

***

Later that day you were invited to Nancy’s house to play cards and have some wine.

Reagan had kindly offered to babysit Charlotte that evening as Lucas and Marcus were out in the woods for the night, hunting animals for the community to eat alongside Emmett’s friend Morgan.

You had the feeling that there was something between Morgan and Evelyn, but didn’t dare to question it.

***

‘This is so strange’ you said as you took five cards from the deck and a glass of wine from the ones Nancy had poured and placed in the middle of the table.

‘Being here, on the island, you mean?’ Nancy asked and you nodded. You still struggled with the idea of being safe, of not being hungry and of having access to clean water simply to have a shower. The strangest of it all was that Charlotte’s father was with you now after you had expected to never see him again.

‘I think you just need to accept the fact that God chose you to be here. To keep you safe. It’s that simple’ Nancy said and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘I am sorry Nancy but I find it hard to believe after all the shit that has happened to me and my family and friends. I had to kill people to get here. I put a knife in the head of a close friend so that she would no longer suffer when she fell ill while we were at the bunker. I was almost raped by two men when Emmett saved me. Was all of this God’s plan for me?’ you sighed as you had lost faith many years ago.

‘Let’s not talk about faith, shall we’ Evelyn said and you all nodded in agreement quite quickly. After all, faith and believe had become a difficult topic and some people struggled more with it than others since the invasion.

‘Where is Emmett tonight?’ Adrian, one of the others, asked and Nancy rolled her eyes in response.

‘Who knows. He said that he needed space. He’s been acting strange ever since he got back from the mainland and my best guess is that he’s down by the old beach shag. That’s where he usually goes when he wants to be alone’ Nancy sighed somewhat disappointed. Clearly, Emmett has not let her into who he was and to who had become.

‘Hmm I wonder why that is?’ Evelyn said as she sipped on her glass of white wine while looking over at you with a smile.

You were surprised by the look Evelyn gave you. Did she know about you and Emmett you wondered?

***

After two games of cards, you helped Evelyn to take the empty wine bottles back to the kitchen in order to get some refills for everyone.

‘You need to tell him Y/N’ Evelyn said calmly as she started opening two more bottles of wine.

‘What do you mean?’ you whispered, looking at Evelyn with wide open eyes.

‘That Charlotte is his daughter’ she then went on to say.

‘How do you know?’ you whispered in a panic. You never had this conversation with her.

‘Lucas told me Charlotte’s birthday and he also told me that she came four weeks early and he had to help deliver her. Apparently, he is still a little freaked out about seeing his sister’s vagina’ she laughed before continuing on. ‘Emmett told me about you six months ago, about the night you spent together and how he could never tell Nora who the woman was he had been with that night. He still feels guilty about it all’ Evelyn whispered.

‘I remember when he called me the day after, telling me that what happened between us was nothing more than a mistake. But of course, he feels guilty towards Nora after all the crap she put him through that year’ you sighed, remembering how bad their relationship had become before the night in question.

‘No Y/N’ Evelyn said as she put one of her hands onto your shoulder. ‘The guilt he feels is towards you, for pushing you away the way he did after the night he had spent with you. He loved you. He probably still does’ Evelyn whispered with a smile.

‘He’s got a funny way of showing it. He had more than a month to say something to me before these things invaded our planet’ you huffed.

‘The morning after you had spent the night with Emmett, Nora called him from the hospital near her sister’s house. She was diagnosed with cancer that day. Her prognosis was good at the time but she never got the treatment she needed following the invasion. He chose his family Y/N. He had to’ Evelyn said with both of her hands on your shoulders.

‘I had no idea’ you said as your chin dropped and small tears began to form in the inside of your eyes. Emmett had never given an explanation to you as to why he acted the way he did and you immediately felt awful about what him and Nora must have been through.

‘I know. That’s why I am telling you now. You need to forgive him for what happened between you and let him be a father to Charlotte’ Evelyn said and you nodded in agreement.

There was nothing to say and, as soon as you returned to Nancy’s living room, you excused yourself.

You explained to the group that Charlotte was teething and that you were tired and wanted to get some rest. But the truth was that you had to see Emmett and clear things up once and for all.

***

As you arrived at the top of the hill which led down to the beach and the old beach shag, you could see Emmett sit on a large towel in front of a small fire place, starring at the sea.

Quietly and slowly, you made your way down the hill in between the bushes and approached Emmett from behind.

‘You scared the shit out of me Y/N’ Emmett said just after he startled as you tapped him on the shoulder.

‘I am sorry’ you smiled before kneeling down next to him.

‘What are you doing here?’ Emmett asked and, without words, you caressed his face with one of your hands and drew his lips closer towards yours.

‘This’ you whispered before your lips met in a passionate kiss.

‘Y/N, I am so sorry for…’ Emmett tried to say as your lips finally drifted apart.

‘Sshh. I know’ you said before pressing your lips back onto his one more time, even more desperate and passionate than before.

‘I love you’ you whispered after you had silenced him with your lips and, just as they parted again, he told you that he loves you too.

‘Didn’t you say that love in a world like this is a dangerous thing?’ you asked in between kisses and while your hands began to roam over each other’s bodies.

‘It is and I am afraid of it, but sometimes you can’t help it. I have loved you for years Y/N’ Emmett said, his deep blue eyes gazing into yours.

‘Oh Emmett’ you sighed, before you climbed onto his lap and pressed your lips against his again.

Your lips parted slightly, allowing his tongue to enter your mouth and start dancing with yours all while he began to unbutton your blouse.

‘We are on a public beach Emmett’ you giggled as his eyes wandered over your breasts which clearly had gotten larger.

‘No one ever comes down here’ Emmett assured you before guiding you off him and pushing you onto the towel beneath him, covering the sand.

After taking off his own t-shirt, Emmett rubbed both his hands along your thighs up towards the hem of your skirt. Then he moved his hands underneath your skirt and then back down towards your knees. As his hands made another pass over your legs and under your skirt, he reached all the way to the top of your thighs and his fingers felt around for your panties. Not finding any, he looked up at you and raised his eyebrows in a playful manner.

‘Shortage of underwear on the island’ you answered his unasked question with a little smirk and a flirtatious look in your eyes.

Emmett then started exploring you with his fingers. Finding you wet and aroused, he pressed one of his fingers easily into your opening and then slid it back out and rubbed it along your pussy lips and towards your clit. He repeated this process over and over again and you let out a soft moan every time his fingers made this journey along your body. Your eyes met and you bit your lip as he continued fingering you.

‘Oh my god, that feels so good’ you whispered to him and he smiled back at you.

You certainly didn't want him to stop, but you also wanted more.

After a few more minutes of this pleasure, you pulled him on top of you and your bodies were pressed up together. You could feel Emmett's hardness straining through his jeans against your thighs and you could help but moan at the sensation.

He then pulled your mouth to his in a passionate embrace. Your breaths were shallow as your kiss deepened, his mouth practically enveloping yours.

It wasn’t long until Emmett reached between you and unzipped his jeans before pulling them down along with his briefs.

‘Fuck I want you so badly’ you whispered as you pushed up your skirt and spread your legs widely, allowing Emmett to line himself up with your soaking entrance.

‘Fuck Y/N’ Emmett moaned as he thrusted his rock-hard cock into your very wet, swollen, and ready, opening.

You let out a long, low moan as he entered you. His cock felt so good inside you; like two puzzle pieces fitting together. You squeezed your muscles on him in response, sending a shiver of intensity through your body. With your left legs wrapped around him, he was pushing deep into you. With every hard and fast thrust, you would yell out, not afraid of making your noises heard on this darkened and empty beach. As he pounded into you, your hands slid, scratched and grabbed all over his body, along his back, onto his shoulders, and then down to his ass. You gripped his tight ass cheeks and pushed him in tighter on each thrust.

‘Don’t come inside me’ you barely managed to say and Emmett simply nodded as he kept thrusting into you deeply.

With all the thrusting, you eventually arched your back, changing the angle of his entry, and now his cock was hitting your very sensitive g-spot.

Your moans now turned to loud "fucks" and "oh gods" and you were soon pretty close to an explosive orgasm. Knowing that you were close to climax, Emmett sped up his thrusts which sent your over the edge.

‘Oh god, oh god, oh god...Emmett…fuck’ you moaned as a powerful orgasm rippled through your body and Emmett’s palm quickly came down on your mouth.

‘Shh’ he smirked as your pelvic muscles contracted and pulsed, tightening around his cock and then released. Spasm like shivers moved up to your shoulders and through your body and you let out a very long, satisfied exhalation.

‘Holy Fuck’ you said to Emmett, with an exasperated laugh in your voice once he finally removed his hand from your mouth.

He smiled back at you, then scooped his arms up under your back and lifted you to sit facing him. Still catching your breath, your mouths came together for a kiss, but you simply exchanged warm breaths into each other's mouths before your lips met.

As your body calmed from the orgasm, you brought your hand down to his cock. He was wet and sticky from your fluids, so you leaned down, bringing your lips to his cock, tasting yourself on him and began sliding your tongue all along his shaft, adding the lubrication of your saliva to him.

Your tongue made broad strokes along the underside of his cock and then tickled the tip and then back down again, adding more and more moisture to his cock with every lick. Now slippery with your moisture, you brought your hand to his cock and began moving it up and down, giving your mouth a break. As you squeezed your fingers and twisted your wrist on his cock, he brought his fingers back to play with your pussy. Still highly sensitive from the orgasm you had just experienced, you gasped at his initial touch and your muscles involuntarily squeezed and clenched.

He inserted his pointer and middle fingers into your wet opening, then dragged them out and up along your lips to your sensitive clit. You let out a loud groan as he did this, while your hand continued its work on his cock. Slowly, he continued moving his fingers along your wetness, along your lips and then he started finger fucking you, slowly at first and then faster and with more intensity. You matched his intensity with your hand on his cock. Faster and deeper he plunged into your warm tunnel, and faster and tighter you moved on his manhood. He took in a deep inhalation and let out a gasp and you knew he was close to release. His fingers were now rapidly pounding into you and you were moving your hand faster than ever on his cock.

‘I am close’ Emmett moaned, barely managing to speak and you quickly dropped your head down onto his swollen cock and he let out a loud, guttural exhalation as his warm and sweet cum released into your mouth.

‘Hmm’ you moaned out, squeezing his cock with your lips and sliding them up and down as he pulsed out more semen into your mouth. Once he was complete, she licked your tongue on his cock, before removing your mouth and swallowing.

You had never really enjoyed sucking off a cock and swallowing cum before, but with Emmett it was different and you were somewhat truly delighted in satisfying Emmett this way.

You sat up and looked at Emmett. His head was leaned back, his eyes closed, and a look of complete pleasure on his face.

‘Fuck…this was something else’ he whispered to you, followed by a deep sigh and a little contented laugh.

You smiled in return as he fluttered his eyes open.

It wasn’t long until your lips met again and, just as you heard some noises in the bushes besides you, Emmett quickly pulled up his pants while you buttoned up the blouse which never left your body.

Then, Emmett quickly put his t-shirt back on and, to your relief, two rabbits jumped out of the bushes making you both laugh and fall back against the towel which was barely covering the sand from the beach.

‘Emmett?’ you said as you rested your head on his chest while your eyes were gazing into the fire.

‘Hmm’ he said as he was holding you tight.

‘There is something I need to tell you’ you murmured.

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[bigskydreaming]

And one more bit from the “Kings of the Sky” AU albeit several installments in, because I just......don’t know when or why I stumbled into an obsession with the dynamics between Dick and Jason and Cass as the eldest three Wayne siblings, but its there, its real, and its happening. I’ve stopped fighting it. I just....enjoy writing those three being dumb siblings who are dumb like so, so much.

Anyway, in this AU series, Jason doesn’t go to Ethiopia and die, but rather eventually joins Dick at Titans Tower more regularly and is Flamebird. Both are closer with Bruce here than in canon because Dick helped Bruce and Jason get through the Garzonas stuff and Jason helped kick Bruce in the direction of Dick and adoption papers right after the Brother Blood storyline. Then Cass is actually the third to join the family, by way of Babs, and she’s Batgirl and then Black Bat, but there’s a period of time when its just Dick, Jason and Cass as the Wayne kids. 

(PS - this is the same series as where Jason ends up with his own age group of Titans, and accidentally falls into a love quadrangle of doom that is absolutely NOT a polycule dammit, with Tom Bronson (Tomcat), Ray Terrill (The Ray) and Todd Rice (Obsidian). Which amuses his brother and sister to no end).

Tim and Duke are both next, but sorta at the same time? Like Tim’s story takes a sharp turn when Robin II never dies and obviously is Flamebird now like Robin I is Nightwing, and Tim winds up in foster care after his parents die differently than in canon. Duke is also in foster care at this time, though a different placement, and while no Robin has died here, its been awhile since there’s been one in Gotham, and to kids who grew up with the idea of there always being a Robin, that feels weird and wrong ultimately. 

So Tim and Duke both hit on the idea of being Robin like, at around the same time and totally disconnected from one another, and that leads to them both joining the Batfam around the same time, and co-sharing Robin until Damian arrives much later and they both move on to new identities. But there’s no real confusion between Robins because Duke is the daytime Robin with more yellow coloring in his costume and Tim is the nighttime Robin with more red, and people say Red or Yellow if they ever need to differentiate which Robin they’re talking about. Anyway.

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

So [Tim and Duke] run into trouble eventually and then when running from trouble they run into each other and they’re like….huh. Awkward. And then they decide well, might as well both run from trouble in the same direction, I guess. So they do.

“Did you have a plan for dealing with these guys?” Tim yelled at Duke. The other boy looked back over his shoulder briefly and gave what would probably have been a half-shrug if he didn’t awkwardly try to barrel-roll over a car two seconds later.

“Umm, sorta?”

“How sorta are we talking about? Maybe the two of us together could fill in the gaps in the plan and come up with one full plan?”

“Uh yeah, no, its not that kinda sorta. I meant sorta in the sense that I thought I had a plan but it didn’t work and that’s why these guys are after me. Sooooo…”

“Not helpful, basically.”

“Yeah. Pretty much. And hey, I don’t hear you offering up a plan! Did you even have one at all?”

“Uh….I mean I kinda didn’t think I was going to need one because I figured some kid running around in a mask making a nuisance of himself was the sorta thing that was bound to attract Batman. And so I was just pretty much running around until that happened, and then I’d make a case for how I obviously need training and Gotham needs Robin and if its not me its likely to be someone else trying eventually anyway so why not be me?”

Duke paused just long enough to squint at him. “That’s a terrible plan.”

Tim rolled his eyes. The effort didn’t pair well with his huffing and over-all exertions from running for his life and all that, but necessity demanded. “Yeah I know, that’s why I never said it was a plan! It was mostly….more…idea-ish.”

“I’m just saying, I thought I was doing this wrong, but at least I had a plan! I mean yeah, it might have ended up with me accidentally busting in on what I thought was a bunch of Riddler’s henchmen setting up some kind of clue thing, only it was actually a bunch of Intergang type guys with alien space guns or some shit all dressed up as Riddler henchmen for some reason? I dunno what they were trying to do honestly, but so yeah I might have ended up running away on foot from like twenty of them and some kind of hovercycle -”

“I’m going to cut you off there and say wherever this is going its probably not the superior vantage point I think you think you have.”

Meanwhile, Batman was not going to be coming because he’s off on a JLA mission. However, in his absence Dick and Jason are in town filling in, and they finished taking out the bad guys several blocks back and caught up to whomever was running from them, figured out the situation and are currently sitting on the edge of a rooftop watching them realize they’re totally lost and trying to figure out where to go from here. Mostly because Dick and Jason are incredibly amused listening to their back and forth and also just…this whole situation.

Dick justifies not piping up to let them know they’re safe now by saying this is good intel gathering so we can offer Bruce our assessment as to whether they’re gonna try and keep doing this whether we train them or not, and also how they handle this whole being lost situation. Not knowing they don’t have to run anymore isn’t going to hurt them and really, this is a good field exercise almost.

Jason justifies not piping up by saying this is fucking hilarious and I will hurt you if you end this any sooner than we have to, I deserve this, I had a rough week.

Which is right around the time that Cass pipes up from where she’s been lurking unnoticed behind them this whole time: “Oh no. Was it Tom? Or Ray? Or was it Todd?”

And she does it right in Jason’s ear so he kinda aborted-shrieks and almost falls off the roof except Cass is ready for that and grabs his arm to steady him.

“I hate when you do that!” Jason growls in an attempt to cover up how badly she got him and also because he hates when she does it which is why she does it a lot. Again, they don’t hate each other at all, but they do seem to act like it a lot, and neither of them is entirely sure why. They kinda just started doing it and have each been trying to get the other back ever since and ended up locked in an unending spiral of gotcha-gotchaback, except, y’know, Batfam style.

Dick occasionally picks sides just to muddy the waters. And then he randomly switches sides without warning, so neither of them ever wants to risk getting too peeved at him even when he’s helping the other, because that might push him fully over to the other side and leave them permanently outnumbered, so they’re kinda stuck, which is exactly as he likes it, lol.

“Why are you Satan,” Jason hisses dramatically as he gets up and stomps over to the other side of the roof to sulk, lest she almost knock him off again. Its not the almost falling part that bothers him, its that she’s the one that snatches him to safety each time. She’s like a freaking cat toying with a - yeah not going there, just blaming Selina. Knew them hanging out was going to be bad news for me somehow, he gripes.

Cass just shrugs and smoothly sits down cross-legged right where she is, grinning Cheshire-cat style at him from there. “Childhood trauma,” is her answer.

“Great, and now you’re stealing my comeback on top of it?! Is nothing sacred to you?”

She offers another shrug. He would like to return those for store credit please. Maybe get something useful instead. “Haven’t decided yet. Babs is still helping me explore my options. We’re going alphabetically and we’re only on  the E-religions.”

“God, you’re the worst. I can’t believe you ruined sisters for me.”

“You already used that same line last week when you came out of your room still half-asleep and she was just sitting directly across from your door waiting and staring unblinking and you yelped and dropped your laptop on your toe, and then cursed so loud that B came running around the hall thinking we were being invaded,” Dick reported idly, still perched in the same position he’d been in all along and watching the boys below them. “Just in case you thought no one noticed when you recycle.”

“I noticed too,” Cass added solemnly.

“I have no siblings,” Jason intoned. He threw up his hands dramatically and then loudly jumped down to the street below with a little help from the fire escape. It drew both Duke and Tim’s attention and they startled before realizing it was Flamebird. And that he’d landed on the street and was stalking past them while barely acknowledging them. And that that was Nightwing standing on the roof now with his hands on his hips yelling after him.

“Oh, reeeeeeal subtle. You’re not having fun anymore so you gotta make sure nobody else does either. Wow, the Brat-like behavior, just jumped out of the shadows with that one!”

And that was Flamebird not even turning around and just yelling back. “I HAVE NO SIBLINGS!”

And also they were both pretty sure that was Batgirl crouched on the roof next to Nightwing now, and she was…..sticking her tongue out at Flamebird’s back? No, Batgirl very much definitely was sticking out her tongue, that wasn’t in doubt, it was more just….very unexpected to see.

What was happening right now?

********

Eventually Tim and Duke have inevitably worn down [Bruce’s] resistance to training them by insisting they’re gonna keep doing this and if its not them its gonna be someone sooner or later anyway. Because, as they put it, you guys may not know this but Gotham’s gotten used to Robins by now and it freaks people out not to see one and Robin’s as important as Batman really and there needs to be a Robin and its not just us that will think that, like look at the fact that already two of us had the exact same idea, huh? And also, we’re gonna keep doing it anyway, sooooo….there’s that.

And then Cass vouches that they’re both 100% serious about that.

And then Dick vouches that as a former determined daredevil kid that was absolutely going to keep doing the same thing no matter whether you’d helped me or not, B, I also am of the assessment that these two mean it all the way.

And not to be left out and just to have something to contribute but also grumpy because his brother and sister are picking on him and he’s eighteen going on ten, Jason throws in: “And my assessment is that they both definitely seem dumb enough to keep doing this without help anyway and they definitely need help or they definitely will die, I’d give it a month, month and a half tops.”

And then Bruce dryly thanks his children for their contributions, their keen insights in this matter have been absolutely invaluable, he has no idea how he would make a decision here without it.

“Oooh, a rare sighting of Bat-snark in the wild. Someone call Nat-Geo quick, maybe he’ll do it again,” Dick says.

Bruce sighs. Duke and Tim look like they’re trying to decide if they’re allowed to be amused or if that’s also part of some weird Bat-test that they’re probably taking without even knowing it.

So Tim and Duke move in, start training together, and then also get sent to school together and it takes a month or so of settling in before they decide whether or not they actually are happy about this. There’s a period of deciding they’re supposed to be bitter rivals who snipe at each other back and forth across the dining table at every available opportunity, but that changes the first night Dick and Jason come back from the Tower since Tim and Duke have moved in and where Cass is also home instead of at the Clocktower with Babs.

Since all three of the older Batkids, upon seeing Tim and Duke squabble at dinner, decide to obnoxiously coo about how adorable it is watching the kids play. Which pretty instantly cements Duke and Tim as realizing their best chance of surviving the sudden acquisition of three older superhero ninja foster siblings who all can be as obnoxious as they are dangerous but also as much as they are - Duke and Tim are convinced - all quite insane.

A belief further cemented the next morning, with all three of them having spent the night at the Manor as well. Treating Duke and Tim to their first Saturday morning episode of the Cass and Jason show.

In this episode, Jason emerged from his bedroom in his pajamas still but warily peeking his head out first to look both ways down the hall before deciding it was clear…..and then makes it just almost to the end of the hallway leading to the stairs, when Cass drops down from where she’d been waiting perched above the other side of the door, in such a way as to suddenly fill the doorway just in front of him, hanging upside down suspending herself just with her feet wedged above the doorway, all while keeping her hands crossed her chest, a dead-eyed expression on her face, and with her tongue hanging out like she’s some kind of vampire hanging upside down in mid-slumber.

Jason shrieked and stumbled back a foot before catching himself and shoving two fingers in a cross shape in her direction.

“Demon! DEMON! Goddammit, I abjure thee, that’s supposed to fucking do something about having a demon sister, now what the fuck does it take to banish you!?”

“Can’t be banished,” Cass informed him, still upside down. “Can be bought though.”

Jason halted. “What?”

“I’m really surprised you never figured it out,” Dick said from his room further down the hallway. He was leaning against the doorjamb, arms casually crossed.

“Why did you think she never goes after me?”

Jason swiveled back and forth between his siblings suspiciously, trying to scry both their inscrutable (and in Cass’ case, still upside down) faces for signs they were telling the truth. “You’re telling me that Little Miss Monstrous has been a pain in my ass from day one and the reason she’s never so much as eked a single boo in your direction is you’ve been bribing her all this time?”

Dick shrugged. “Its all about getting in on the ground floor.”

Jason squinted, still unconvinced. “Nuh-uh. No way. You’re just fucking with me. Like if this is for real, what have you been buying her off with?”

Dick smiled beatifically. “Cuddles and hugs.”

“NO! NO! Bullshit! I am NOT falling for this crap again, you are not gonna get me this way this time. I call BS, fuck you, nuh uh, you’re lying out your ass and your ass-face both.”

“Wait, what is this ‘this’ that I did before? What ever are you talking about?”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“Is this about the Care Bear you had when you were fifteen?”

“Shut upppppppppppppppp, I didn’t have a Care Bear then, you’re such a - “

“Oh, I dunno, I’m preeeeetty sure there’s some holiday photos from that year that would say otherwise, pretty definitively in the form of you and your Care Bear….”

“That I only had because you literally just gave it to me as a present solely so that you could claim that I had a Care Bear when I was fifteen, you douchebag!”

“Just because I gave you the Care Bear didn’t mean you had to keep the Care Bear and hold the Care Bear and love the Care Bear, Jay. You chose to do all that.”

“I only kept the damn thing because you’re an asshole who lied about it being a family heirloom so I felt like I had to or I’d be a total jerk. Is nothing sacred to you?”

“I didn’t lie! It is a treasured family heirloom! Its the first Care Bear I gave to my little brother to teach him the important and valuable lesson that Care Bears - say it with me now - “

“Finish that sentence and they will never find your body.”

“CARE!” Cass shrieked from behind him before jumping on Jason’s back and bearing him down to the floor in an undignified tangle as she splayed atop him like a starfish and he stared up at the ceiling in a kind of strangled frozen fury, like there was so much emotion he wanted to process he’d overheated and now was stuck like that until he cooled down.

That was when Dick leaned over him and solemnly added one final thought, as though it was a crucial addition of the gravest importance:: “A lot.”

Jason’s eye twitched.

Dick’s eyes went wide in response. “Uh oh. He went to the Danger Zone. Run Cass. We’ve unleashed the dogs of war!”

Cass was off and on her feet in a second, taking off down the hall like a rocket. “Not the dogs of war!” She yelled.

Dick was only seconds behind her when behind him, Jason rose like an eruption, growling wordlessly and sparks practically flashing from his suddenly flinty eyes. He charged after them like an enraged bull.

“Kenny Loggins wouldn’t want this!” Dick yelled over his shoulder as he rounded the doorway and vanished. Jason rounded it in hot pursuit.

“Poison Ivy won’t even be able to make compost from what’s left of you when I’m through!”

The yelling and running vanished into the distance. Duke and Tim finally looked at each other blankly.

“What?” Tim asked. Duke shrugged helplessly.

A door opened at the end of the hallway. Bruce stuck his head out. “Is it safe?”

Tim just stared at him.

“What?” Duke asked.

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

LOL mostly I just want to get to the tail end of the series, when Dick and Jason go undercover as supervillains in the Society of well, Supervillains....Dick as War Shrike and Jason as Gray Jay. (A kind of bird usually known for or referenced as being thieving and unpredictable and unexpectedly dangerous despite its size. Jason never went into the Lazarus Pit here and so isn’t as huge as he is in canon, he’s on the smaller side due to his early life’s malnutrition. Living with Bruce helped him catch up enough that he’s not TINY tiny, but he’s still smaller enough that this particular mantle fits him a little better than it would his massive canon depiction).

Cass also partakes in the undercover storyline, just showing up uninvited in a persona she’s crafted for the mission and calls Black Swan. And War Shrike and Gray Jay are both so startled and obviously a little freaked by her unexpected arrival, that combined with her being ticked at her brothers for leaving her behind, RUDE, and them sufficiently cowed and guilted by her wrath, that it all adds up to the other villains as being clear evidence that she is the boss and they are her advance minions. 

Which mollifies and satisfies Cass immensely, and leaves Jason grumpy that their mission was hijacked and also his sister is The Worst, and leaves Dick temporarily disgruntled because This Whole Thing Was His Idea DAMMIT but then five seconds later finding it hilarious because Dick is a chaos connoisseur and he has an appreciation for whimsy and the unexpected.

“I can’t believe you not only gate-crashed our extremely sensitive and delicate undercover operation, but you completely hijacked it as well! This is so typical,” Jason grouched.

Cass simply swept ahead of him and strode down the hallway with lethal grace. “Silence minion.”

Jason spluttered behind her and she grinned to herself. He really made it too easy sometimes.

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “Milkshake.”

You guys seem to be enjoying it, so here is some more fluff with Eris .

Hope you enjoy!

Eris sat on the couch in the living room; the TV was on, but she wasn’t really paying attention as her eyes kept drifting towards the front window which looked out on the front lawn and the street beyond that. Jim was sitting across the room for her and Martha was working on another clothing pattern for Eris. She had really latched onto the idea of making clothing that was comfortable for her, which Eris appreciated immensely though she wasn’t sure if she'd be confident in wearing them.

People would think she was weird.

She glanced out the window again, hoping to see a car pull up.

He said he would be here today sometime in the afternoon. She knew it was only 11, but she desperately wanted to see him again despite her nerves and her continual feeling of isolation. Why did she care about this man so much? Yes he had saved her life, yes he had provided half of her DNA, but no, he hadn’t chosen to have her, no she hadn’t grow up the normal way with him as a father figure, and no he still wasn’t really in her life.

He was a busy man.

He was important.

And what was she to get in the way of that? 

Nothing, that was the answer. He was big, important and successful, and she was a violation of his privacy.

These thoughts rolled around in her head as she sat on that couch. She knew the vast majority of them were irrational, made by her own mind to make herself feel inadequate, but she just couldn’t push the thoughts away. She wondered when she had turned into this person, someone who wondered about their adequacy and worried about their appearance. Once upon a time she remembered being powerful and terrifying to the people who had wronged her and her little family.

She remembered being confident in what she was doing.

Perhaps it was the loss of her goals and purpose that had driven her to this.

Once the others started getting adopted and brought into new families her work had grown less and less, and she became obsolete and lost in a universe that was vast and unknowable. The others were being taken care of, but no one had returned for her.

No one had seemed to consider that she was just like the others.

She had been created against her will and had never been given time to grow up.

With all the responsibility of other people’s thoughts in her head.

What was she doing?

It was only then that a sudden thought from Jim jogged her from her spiraling self doubt. With his human hearing, he could make out a car pulling into the driveway. She quickly got to her feet and turned to look at the window as the car stopped and the door opened.

Her heart jumped in her chest as Adam stepped out into the early morning sun. He was a little different than she remembered. He stood straighter and held his head higher. He still wore the eye patch she remembered and still had the same messy hair, but there was something about him that changed in the months since she had last seen him.

Behind him, a large blue shape exited the vehicle as well and stepped onto the pavement.

It was him, Sunny, the little doctor named krill, and Adam’s dog.

The dog’s mind was very very strange, driven by impulses and instincts as she snuffled around in the grass, but when she turned back to look at Adam, there was such an intense feeling of love and admiration, Eris had to pull away.

Adam rubbed the dog’s ears and walked up towards the house as the other two followed behind.

Martha got up to grab the door and Jim turned in his seat.

The door opened, and the group of them stepped inside, waffles, the dog, running in to greet Jim, who she had an unusual affinity for.

Martha hugged Adam tight, “So good to see you.” She pulled back hands to his arms, patting them with a frown on her face, “You’ve been working out.”

He smiled slightly, “Thank the Neo-Spartans for that.”

He reached over and shook his father’s hand, as his arms were busy with the pile of dog that had scooted her way halfway onto his lap, “Looking good.”

He nodded to Sunny who stood behind Adam, “I heard about your Sainthood. Congratulations. That’s a big accomplishment.”

Eris felt the pride radiating from Sunny as she lifted her head into the air, “Thank you Jim.”

Martha nodded, “You’ve come along way since we first met.” She gave sunny a hug too 

Martha’s thoughts, once cold towards Sunny had warmed up over the past year. A small part of her even began to see Sunny as another daughter, thought that was the fact about Martha Eris had come to notice. She tended to adopt any little lonely thing she happened to meet; even the little doctor who walked in last.

She smiled, “Dr. Krill I see you haven’t died of complications relating to stress yet.”

The Vrul’s antenna twitched a little and he hummed his amusement, “Not for all of your son’s trying.” Despite how calm the little creature seemed, Eris could see in his head as a myriad of emotions flew through him. He thought that this place was a complete death trap, and had to constantly remind himself that humans were more durable than they looked.

In a way she thought it was kind of cute that he would worry about his companions so much.

Then Adam’s eyes turned to her.

She tried not to listen in on his thoughts, really tried. She didn’t like to pry into people’s minds. A lot of people didn’t like that when they knew what she could do, but she couldn’t help as the flood of strange emotions came pouring from the man’s head. He was a little different than other humans, he had a lot going on in there, and his thoughts and Emotions hit him hard and fast.

What did she expect.

Anger

Bitterness 

Betrayal 

annoyance 

She was invading his privacy, injecting herself into a family she had never been invited into. WOuld he resent her for that? 

But instead she felt.

Excitement.

and...

Nervousness?

What did he have to be nervous about.

The man walked over, and to her surprise picked her up into a crushing hug lifting her feet completely off the floor. She marveled for a moment at how strong he was, forgetting that humans tended to be on the strong side, second only to drev. He set her down smiling, and she felt a jenuine well of happiness wash over her tinted slightly with guilt, though he did a good job at keeping that to the back of his mind.

“You know what, I think you’ve gotten taller.”

She smiled, “Or you’ve gotten shorter.”

He laughed, “That is a complete possibility.” She continued to smile as he patted his chest, “I am getting old after all.” He looked over towards Jim, “Aging like my old man.”

“Shut up.” Jim harumphed, “I can still kick your ass.”

Martha frowned, “Are you implying that I am old Adam.”

He turned to smile at her, “Not a day past 21 mother.”

Martha crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, “Someone is looking for brownie points.”

“That depends, did you make brownies?”

She rolled her eyes, “No, I did not make brownies.”

He frowned.

“But I did muffins.”

“Score.” He said flopping down on the couch next to Eris as Krill floated to sit in the chair next to Jim.

The two of them watched the game, Jim seeming to enjoy Krill grimacing at every play and screaming at the TV for letting the humans knock each other out. He especially seemed to enjoy the medical descriptions of all the horrible issues they were probably having from all of that running into each other.

“So, how are you liking earth.” Adam asked, draping one of his large arms over her shoulders. Eris was struck with how nice the gesture felt and looked up at him, his head tilted to the side.

She smiled slightly, “I like it, it’s so warm and bright, and you have good food.”

“You can eat human food huh?”

She smiled and nodded, “We haven’t tried everything yet, but I really like strawberry ice cream.”

He snorted, “Lord she developed David’s poor taste in cold flavored delectables.” 

For a moment she worried she had really upset him but was soon proven wrong when she could tell he was just teasing her, “So how are you a herbivore or a carnivore.”

Eris felt herself blanch a little bit. If her blood had been more visible through her marble Starborn skin, she might have gone pale.

“I uh…. I haven’t tried eating….. An animal yet.” She shivered at the thought. How could she? How could she eat something that used to be alive?

He smiled seeing the look on her face3, “Don’t worry, no one is going to force you too, though I dare say meat is good, your probably won’t regret trying it at least once.”

From across the room she could hear dr. Krill’s thoughts. He was more similar to a plant than he was to an animal, and the thought of consuming something that was living also baffled him, Though a part of him admired how “metal” It sounded. Eris frowned as she looked at the little doctor.

She had red the mind of Vrul before.

They had been strange to her, very alien in their processes, but Krill.

Well she might have thought he was just a very strange human had she not been able to see him.

The humanizing phenomenon perhaps>?

She couldn't be sure.

“So Eris, how about my offer from earlier, how would you like to go see where I grew up.”

She turned to look at Adam, who was staring at her expectantly. 

She shuffled her feet awkwardly, “I would like that.”

“I will show you all the great and wonderful places I got beaten up. It will be a grand time.” She looked inside to see that he was just joking again. He did have some bad memories associated with the town, though the vast majority of them were good. She could see and feel the vibrant joy of fireworks and colorful parades as they passed through his memory. She could see cold calm lakes and feel wind blowing through the forest.

She nodded.

Martha turned to look at Sunny, “I’d like to keep you and Krill behind tomorrow if you don’t mind.”

Sunny looked up from here she was staring intently at the TV yelling over Jim’s shoulder at the reff who, to her, had made a very poor call.

“Of course, what do you need us for?”

“Alternative clothing designs for aliens. I think there is a large untapped market, and I want to see what I can do with it.”’

Adam grinned across the room at sunny, “Ah, she has finally roped you into being one of her guinea pigs. Enjoy.”

“Adam was such a good little guinea pig, and looked so good in a dress.”

Adam snorted and waved a hand, “I rocked the regency period as I have said before and so I shall say again.”

Eris leaned her head against Adam’s side as she listened to the ongoing banter between the group of people.

She tried not to pry but couldn’t help soak up the memories that popped to the surface of his head. Warm sunlight through an open window, the sound of a sprinkler, and the yell of children’s voices in the distance.

For a moment she became jealous of it before hiding that away in the back of her head.

THere was no use resenting others for something that wouldn’t change.

She would make the best of what she had.

That night, Eris slept in the same room as Sunny, whose memories were remarkably less pleasant than Adam’s, while Adam got his old room back. He would have shared with Krill, though Krill didn’t sleep, and spent most of the night watching late night television, which he found both strange and haunting in ways he wasn’t so sure was good.

She drifted in and out.

She wasn’[t entirely sure if her sleeping patterns were normal. She needed to recharge like the humans did, but seemed to go into a trance rather than into real sleeping. She dreamed, but hose dreams were more hallucinations which appeared about the room around her. Occasionally, she learned that she was able to share the dreams of others, and so took a ride along with Adam as he was joyfully able to fly without the need for a jet or a jetpack.

The feeling was so vivid she jolted awake when it was all over, sure she was going to find herself hurtling through the air.

That morning they had muffins, which melted in her mouth and made her insides growl. They weren’t as vocal as human innards, but apparently the smell of the muffins woke something deep within her.

Sunny was presented with a bowl of dandelions Jim had picked from the backyard that morning.

He was a little nervous that it might seem rude or degrading, but Sunny definitely seemed to appreciate the gesture. Krill didn’t need anything other than a glass of water, though Martha opened the curtain on the back sliding door to let in the early morning sun.

It fell across both her and krill, and her body hummed with its energy.

Adam stood and turned to look at his father when breakfast was over, “Can I borrow the car keys.”

Jim looked over at him skeptically, “You… drive… I don’t know about that.”

Adam frowned, “Oh come on, I fly spaceships for a living.”

Jim snorted, “yet, somehow every time you get in a vehicle that has wheels on it, you turn into my granny with a led foot.”

“Promise I will be safe.”

Eris smiled,  his memories reminding him of all the jokes about being a bad driver .

Jim just rested his hand on his forehead and looked at Eris, “Lord knows I have never known a man with such poor command of motor vehicles. Ans you see if have seen this boy fly a jet in formation with seven other jets four feet apart and his hands are rock steady, but put him in a car, and he overcorrects into the ditch.”

Adam frowned, “That was my FIRST time driving.”

Jim finally relinquished the keys to him, “take the car, it’s an automatic. Everyone knows you shake her brains out if you tried to take the truck.”

Adam grumbled and took the keys, “Its the 41st century dad why do you even still need a stick shift.”

He crossed his arms, “If we are ever attacked by an EMP burst, that car is the only thing that is still going to be running, now get out of here.”

Eris followed Adam out the door, her little black cloak swishing behind her.. She hadn’t wanted to wear anything to obvious yet, so martha had grudgingly decided to at least make her something that looked better than her old ratty sweatshirt. It was a short cloak thing with a hood, and she thought it looked kind of nice,   though she kept the hood low over her face. Adam slid into the driver’s seat of the car and Eris got into the other seat clipping on her seatbelt as he turned and began backing out of the driveway.

They jolted a bit as he moved into first and he glanced over at her, “Don’t tell my dad.”

She smiled somewhat as he inched forward and then began to pick up speed. The look of concentration on his face, and the white knuckles of his hands almost made her laugh. She could see him flying in his memories.

But for a man who loved to fly, he sure hated to drive.

“I’ll show you around the two first, than we can get lunch and after that we will find places to get out of the car and take a look around. Does that sound good?”

She nodded, though she wouldn’t have argued with him if he wanted to ride in circles all day. It was nice being here with him. Since they had last met his thoughts had calmed down significantly.

In the back of the car, his dog waffles sneezed and then rested her chin on the console.

Eris looked sideways at her sensing that the animal was looking for attention. She reached out a nervous hand and stroked the dog’s ears. In the back seat her tail thumped against the upholstery, and she grumbled happily.

“And out your right side of the window is the local high school  or what I like to call the department of corrections against happiness. Eris winced, there was a lot of thought coming out of that building, and none of it very pleasant.

“Thank goodness I only went there for like a year.” he grinned, “I was flying planes after that.” He tapped his chin, “I can never decide if it counts as me dropping out of high school or graduating early, or transferring schools.” he shrugged and kept going, “That’s the middle school on the left, arguably just as bad as the high school but with younger people, and right next to that is the elementary school.”

“So many?”

He shrugged, “Yeah I have no idea why they do it this way, but that’s the way it has been done for a very long time.”

Eris had obviously never gone to school. She didn’t really need to.

She could know anything she wanted to know as long as someone else around her knew it. She could read and write and do math well enough. It was a little harder with muscle memory as that wasn’t something she could read. So, while she knew how to make most of the clothes that Martha could make, she might not be so good with a sewing machine.

“That’s the park. I used to like climbing up to the top of that tree in the middle, and down over there is the drive in movie theater. It’s one of the only ones left in this country, kind of more for nostalgia than anything..” he was able to lift his hand rom the steering wheel and point over at something else, “You have the grocery store over there and then that parking lot is where all the redneck kids used to go to get drunk.”

Eris leaned forward feeding off the memories those strange places gave him. He showed her little hidden spots down by the rivers where his brothers and him used to go swim. He showed her places of significance for the town, and even those locations where he had been sure he had seen an alien. The thought made her smile considering he had one in his car now.

Eventually he turned away and pulled into a small diner on the edge of the town.

He looked over at her, “Best place to eat in town, I know it doesn’t look like much, but trust me get yourself a milkshake at the very least.”

She nodded and nervously got out of the car with him, walking by his side as he made his way across the parking lot and to the little building. A bell dinged as they walked in,  and she found only a few people sitting inside this time of day. The two of them seated themselves at a booth and Eris looked around,

It wasn’t like the many other buildings Eris had seen. It was old with a checkered floor pattern, and red upholstered bar stools. All of it looked new enough and clean enough, though something about it just felt old.

There was a jukebox playing music in the corner, something that had been obsolete for almost two thousand years. No wonder Adam and Martha liked this place. Martha with her doctorate degree in the information age, and Adam with his obsession over turn of the century rock music.

They were greeted just then by a pleasant faced portly little woman with grey hair.

Hermemory was a vibrant one.

She had worked here for a very long time, a sweet southern bell moved up from the south and married to a man in town. She had worked at this diner for over three decades and seen everything that passed through. Adam remembered her as someone who had been a fixture of the town, and his memories were pleasant.

When he had been alone and hurting, he had come here just to be in a safe environment, and this woman had had pity on him and made him a milkshake for free before sitting and talking with him when her shift would allow.

He smiled up at her and she lit up in surprise.

“Why if it isn’t sweet little Adam!” She looked him up and down, “Not so little anymore, lord it was only yesterday you and your brothers were in here causing trouble.”

He smiled, “And you angela, looking as beautiful as the day I met you.:

She snorted and waved a hand, “Oh stop, I’m old and wrinkly.”

“Old, you don’t look a day over twenty five.”

She laughed again, “Your flattery won’t work here dear. I know you have a penthouse on the moon.”

He snapped his fingers, “Pity.”

She turned her head to look at Eris, “And who is your friend.”

He looked across the table, “I uh, this is Eris.” Eris hunkered down in her hood a bit, “She’s my…. Daughter?”

Angela looked skeptical, “Boy i’ve never seen you look at a woman sideways, so forgive me if I don’t believe you.”

Adam smiled a bit ruefully, “Well it’s complicated.

Eris slowly raised her eyes towards the woman’s curiosity and as soon as Angela saw her face she put a hand over her heart and held up a hand, “Lord have mercy!” Eris braced herself for the disparaging thoughts, but instead the woman sat down next to her, “Why dear, why don’t you take off that hood and show us your pretty face.” There we go, and look at that long gorgeous black hair. You know them fancy modeling places in the city might just eat you up.”

She turned to look at Adam, “Aliens? Really?”

“She was grown from my DNA, but…..” He paused mulling something over before deciding to speak.

“But I WAS dating a different alien for a while.”

Angela did not seem surprised.

“For a while? Something went wrong?”

“I screwed it up.” he sighed, “Still trying to see if I can get back in her good graces, but who knows.”

Angela just smiled and shook her head, “You were never going to be normal, Adam, but not that that’s a bad thin.: She stood and looked down at Eris, “What can I get for you.”

Eris cleared her throat and in a small voice, “A milkshake””

Adam nodded up at her, “Strawberry, that’s her favorite.”

She nodded, “And your usual?” 

“Yes please.”

She smiled at them and walked off with a pleasant wave. When she came back Eris learned he was right about their milkshakes. It was so good and filled her mouth with just enough flavor. He polished off a milkshake and a Hamburger, and Eris really had no idea where iit all went. He was a black hole when it came to food.

Angela gave him a hug on his way out, and even spared one for Eris before commenting on her hair again, which Eris would have blushed at if she could blush.

Afterwards he took her just a little out of town to the top of a tall hill. On this hill there was a tree and a tire swing with a picnic table. Clouds rolled lazily over the sun as he sat down in the grass and she sat next to him. She could hear dogs barking in the distance, and somewhere the elementary school was out for recess.

Adam closed his eyes and leaned back in the grass.

“Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my love for space that I forget just how much I love Earth.” He sighed and the two of them could smell freshly mowed grass and pine trees.

She lay back with him.

“I was thinking about maybe staying here with your parents for a while.”

“Your grandparents.” he corrected eyes still closed.

She felt her heart beat faster, “Yeah, if they’re ok with that.”

“I don’t see why not. Mom always liked having someone around to help her with her projects. She uses dad when she can and he suffers silently for her, but I think she'd enjoy your company.”

“You do?” Eris wondered 

“Well I don’t see how she couldn't. I enjoy your company.”

She felt a thrill through her insides.

He turned to look at her, “I AM sorry I can’t be…. more. “ his words didn’t say as much as his thoughts could, and it were those  that helped her understand what he really meant. He would offer to take her in any day of the week, but that would mean her being alone more often than not while he was away, and he didn’ want to do that to her. 

He thought she deserved better.

She wouldn’t argue with him about that, for she understood his reasoning and sentiment and tended to agree.

Both of them knew that his parents were a pretty great idea.

She could be happy here

[themollyjay]

I’m Not An Imposter (But I Sure Feel Like One).

CW: Homophobia, Transphobia, Trans-misogyny

Two days ago, I started work on a new novel called ‘The Defective Paragons’.  It took me a little over a day to write the first chapter, because I wanted to get it right.  Actually, I wanted to get it perfect.  I wanted to capture a specific feeling, but I struggled with it a lot and I want to talk about why.

‘The Defective Paragons’ is not the novel I had planned to write after I finished Transistor.  I thought I would finish Transistor, do revisions on The Master of Puppets, circle back around and do revisions on Transistor, and then move on to my first Fantasy novel, The Long Way Home.

Instead, I finished Transistor, did revisions on The Master of Puppets, did revisions on Transistor, then I pulled out an old manuscript I had started back in 2015 called ‘The Caster of Shadows’.  I retitled it ‘The Inevitable Singularity’ because it was a better thematic fit for the story, then I went through, made a bunch of revisions, adjusted some character dynamics, cut a subplot that just didn’t need to be in the book, and banged out the last five chapters or so of the novel.

It’s a good novel, and I’m happy with the way it turned out.  In fact, I’m really proud of it.  I think there are a lot of deep, interesting things said about free will verses determinism, about the primacy of the individual verse the primacy of the state, about the ethics of child soldiers, religious indoctrination, the ways love can become a toxic force in your life and how hanging on to an unhealthy relationship can be a form of self-harm, as well as how religious doctrine can poison family relationships.  I also think the series that the novel will eventually be part of has a lot more to say on some very deep topics, and I am really looking forward to writing the rest of the books.

But there was something missing when I was writing it.  It was a work that was conceived, and mostly created at a very different time in my life, when the things I wanted to examine in my writing were different.  In the books I’ve been writing lately, Mail Order Bride, Scatter, The Master of Puppets, and Transistor, gender has been a theme.  Scatter is more subtle about it than the others, though it is there if you look closely enough.  Coming off of The Inevitable Singularity, I found myself very much wanting to step back into a universe where I could talk about gender and The Long Way Round just wasn’t that book.

Instead, I decided to jump into The Defective Paragons.  I’m not go through the full elevator pitch, but the basic idea is that aliens came in and recruited a bunch of teams of teenagers to be superheroes.  They ran around in costume, drove giant robots, and fought off invading alien pirates and bandits.  Then, when the time came, the aliens who recruited the teenagers used them as an army to annex Earth.  Except one team fought back.  They lost, but the novel picks up ten years later when they get a second chance to fight back.

Now, you’re probably asking how this relates to gender, and that’s a fair question.  The thing is, the team that fought back has been separated for a decade, and during that decade, the team leader transitioned from male to female, so when someone comes looking for the Team Leader, they spend the first chapter of the novel talking to said team leader without realizing who she is until the very end of the chapter.  Through the course of the novel, this woman is going to have to meet up with four other people she used to be incredibly close with before.

I’m not going to lie. I was nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs the whole way through the first chapter, and those nerves haven’t gone away.  But why am I nervous about writing this?  This is literally a part of my life.  This is something I’ve lived through, something I’ve experienced firsthand, more than once.  That experience of meeting someone you knew before, or having to introduce yourself after… That’s my reality, but I still hesitate to write it, because of something that affects a lot of queer people, and trans people I think most of all.

Imposter syndrome. Queer people have our identities invalidated all the time.  “Are you really gay?”, “Why don’t you pick a side already?”, “It’s just a phase.”, “The homosexual lifestyle.”, “Transgender Ideology.”, “Sex not gender”, “Adult human female.”, “Trans trender,”.  It’s hard to keep track of all the ways people question our identity, and when you can’t go a single day without having your identity questioned, you start to doubt yourself.

I doubt myself every day. I was fourteen years old when I figured out I was transgender.  All the signs were there before that, but I didn’t really have that ‘I want to be a girl’ moment until I was fourteen years old. ��Why did it take me so long?  You hear about trans kids who seem to know from birth.  Trans girls who want to wear dresses and play with dolls and scream and make a fuss about it from the time they are old enough to talk.  If I’m really trans, why wasn’t I like that?  Is my body dysmorphia really part of my gender dysphoria, or is my gender dysphoria a result of body dysmorphia caused by my weight issues and my eating disorder?

It is so, so easy to get lost inside your head, to doubt who you are, when the whole world is telling you that you’re wrong, that you don’t know yourself, that you can’t be who you claim to be.  Some nights, I lay awake, lost in that place.  Some nights, I lay awake feeling like a fake, a fraud, an imposter.

I know the truth.  I do.  I know that cis gendered men don’t dream about waking up as a woman.  They don’t sit around daydreaming about how if they ever got three wishes, the first wish would be to be a woman.  They don’t have elaborate fantasies about the life they would live if they were a woman.  They don’t cry with joy and relief the first time they see themselves in a dress and makeup. I know I’m a trans woman.  But doubt is a hell of a thing, and so is cis-heteronormativity.

I wrote a chapter, and I felt afraid.  I felt like I was stealing someone else’s story, even though this was my own lived experience.

If you run into the same thing while you’re writing, I wish I could tell you that there’s a magic fix. That the imposter syndrome will eventually go away, and that you’ll get to the point where the voices don’t whisper fear and doubt into your ears, but I can’t.  If there’s a magic fix, I haven’t found it yet.  When I’m writing stuff that deals with being trans, I show it to other trans people, and I sit there, waiting for them to read it, afraid the whole time they’ll tell me I got it wrong.

Someday, I hope we live in a world where no one feels this way, but until then, all I can do is fight through the fear and the doubt, to tell myself that what I feel is real and valid, and to tell the stories I want to tell and hope that people will read them and know that they aren’t alone.

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Tony Stark’s Daughter (The Aftermath)

Tony Stark x daughter!reader

warnings:

a/n: y/n is about 17 or 18; i cried while writing this. sorry this is really long!!! pls forgive me 🥺

prompt: takes place from a3 to smffh

The Early Years (1) The Teenage Years (2) The Intense Years (3) Continued (5)

let’s start on a happy note! ahahah

so for a while, earth was calm

you, pepper, and tony got to be a family for a while

wedding planning!

of course you got to try the ben&jerry’s ice cream named after your dad: Stark Raving Hazelnuts

“it’s not fair that you got ice cream named after you and i didn’t”

“well, when you grow up to be as awesome as me, maybe you’ll get your own ice cream flavor”

developing nanotech suits together for a Bonding Experience(tm)

speechless after the first test

“dad, this is...”

“the coolest thing to ever exist?”

“yes!!”

yall ready for some shit?

the day that ebony maw invaded was pretty—what’s the word? interesting? no. well, yes, but...HORRIBLE.

it all started when you got the call from your dad

“y/n, incoming call from ‘big fat meanie’”

“god, i really have to change that. okay, JOSHIE, answer it. hey, dad? what’s up?”

“hey, kid! you know that weird ass building on bleecker street? how fast can you get here?”

“JOSH can you track FRIDAY really quick? lets see how far dad is...uh, okay, be there in five, see ya”

taking your suit for a spin and realizing how GREAT it was to be able to basically fold up your suit and put it in your back pocket

knocking on the door and it opened on its own, it was kinda cool

“is this a museum? cool.”

bruce turning around to see you after about three years and giving you an awkward smile and a wave while you stood frozen around the wizard-guys

“y/n, god, you’ve grown up!”

charging into him for a long overdue hug

“you don’t know how much i missed you. it’s been chaotic without you”

“i can...i can only imagine”

a debriefing on the situation you were about to face, and bonus! having to play the catch-up game with bruce

“just call him, dad. we need as much help as we can. steve will understand”

rushing outside to face off with some ugly-ass aliens

“oh nooo, it’s roger smith from american dad”

bruce: 👀, stephen: 👀, wong: 👀, tony: 👏👏🥰 that’s my girl

simultaneous nanosuit unveiling

“you ready for this one, pops?”

“of course! ive waited years to kick some more alien ass”

montage of you and tony getting your asses beat together (as a family <3)

peter showing up

“give me one good reason why i shouldn’t send you back to that school bus”

“because i’m good company?”

“whatever, just listen to whatever dad has to say, i forfeit my responsibilities over you”

pew pew, repulsors, pew, tiny rockets! fun! action! destroying new york again and again. good times...

until JOSHUA gave you notice that your dad was flying high

“call him. now.”

“hey! how’s it going down there?”

“dad, you know how i feel about you and space”

“i know, i know. i just...i gotta take care of this. keep pepper safe for your old man, okay?”

“i lo—l—ve y—”

“y/n? y/n?! i love you! shit!”

“we lost connection with her, sir”

trying to call peter

“call failed, y/n. should i try again?”

“i’m gonna kill them...”

walking through the rubble to find bruce, the only sensible man you know

taking him to the avengers compound asap to get to rhodey and figure out what comes next

meanwhile, tony was dealing with space and another teenager

and worrying a lot about leaving you on earth

“i mean, mr. stark, y/n’s one of the most capable people i know. she’s probably trying to fix this whole mess as we speak”

“i didn’t get to tell her i love her”

“oh...”

having a lovely meeting with thaddeus ross with rhodey, having a lovely time watching them passive-aggresively argue until your former teammates arrived

having to patiently (and professionally) wait for ross to hang up before running into them for a hug

“holy shit, you guys have no idea how bad i’ve wanted to see you. it sucks not being all together anymore”

“i know, y/n. we’ve all missed you.” -cap

“a lot” -nat added

bruce’s little entrance that was sure to bring some awkwardness

you, secretly freaking out about your dad

sam was the one that found you crying after you “stepped out” for a few minutes too long

“oh, y/n,” he was contemplating grabbing someone else to step in, but decided to sit next to you in the hallway, “i’m sorry, kiddo. i can’t promise you anything, but your dad is a fighter. a big pain in the ass. i think your odds are good”

laughing through your tears

“yeah, you’re right. thanks, sammy”

he gave you a little hug while you calmed down

getting to business, the ass-kicking kind

as the wise natasha romanoff once said to your father, you were being “uncharacteristically non-hyper verbal”

your mind did this funny thing...wandered into places it really should not go

the talk about sacrificing vision led to wakanda, where you had a swell time patrolling

“guys! we’ve got incoming. a lot of incoming”

well-deserved uncle/niece team up. who wouldve thought?

you would have nightmares about these aliens for years to come

“you get to die, and you get to die! everybody gets to die!”

“y/n, what did we talk about?” -rhodey

“using humor as a defense mechanism makes the team uncomfortable...”

covering the girls 😌 because we gotta have those all-girl teamups, uh-huh?

some more blasting

thor made his comeback and you just could not miss it

“hi, thor!”

you landed next to him and your helmet receded

“well, hello, miss y/n! good to see you again! my, you got taller...oh! meet my friends: rabbit and tree”

having a “what the actual fuck” moment upon seeing thanos for the first time

and flying at him from behind with a massive nanotech blade ready to kill this purple bastard

but he grabbed your arm and flung you into the dirt, that was gonna leave a mark

“i just had to make a suit when i was ten...no one stopped me, huh? i couldn’t be elon’s kid, he was a nice guy”

watching thanos snap his fingers and looking around to see dust floating through the air and thanos retreat

“rhodey? uncle rhodey?!”

“i’m right here, kid, don’t worry”

he grabbed your hand while you were dusting

“tell my dad i love him, promise?”

fading away and leaving rhodey with your last words

he was mad before anything else

all he could think about was a promise your dad made him take years back

“rhodey, you keep my daughter safe no matter what, promise?”

the avengers recooperating at the compound, waiting to figure out whether any of the space-crew survived

they had to let pepper know that you didn’t make it, she was a mess upon hearing that news

tony finally making his way back to earth

and stumbling out of that ship

“where’s y/n? where is she?!”

“tony, tony, calm down”

“dont tell me to calm down! where is my daughter?!”

“she made me promise to tell you thay she loves you”

tony knew the answer by now, he lost his mind over your death

it didn’t feel right not having you by his side, for the past 18 years you’ve been with him

after a long period of recovery, tony and pepper moved on, got married, built a home, had a new daughter...

tony made sure there was a spare room for you

he put all the things you left behind in it

there were so many photos of you in the house

and he’d show your sister, morgan, all of them. he wanted morgan to know her sister

“that’s y/n when she built her first robot. it snuck up on me a few times. it went ‘boo!’”

morgan loved the stories about you, but she didn’t understand why she couldn’t see you

“when do i get to meet her?”

“uh...maybe someday, sweetie”

after being unbothered for almost 5 years, the remaining avengers came back with a plan that was so tempting, he just wanted his little girl back

cracking under pressure and telling pepper that he couldn’t ignore this mission because it was his chance to get you back

“get her back, tony”

“you think so?”

“i miss her, too.”

and so it began, he made it his mission to get you back

peeking at the wallet picture of you on his shoulders when you were so little

tony travelling to 2012; loki’s invasion

and there you were, the sassy genius 12 year old that he missed so much

“we’ve got this, tony, we’ll bring her home” -scott

and then things went badly and also 2012 tony went into cardiac arrest and 2012 y/n dove onto the floor to tend to him

“dad? give us some room, would you?!”

2023 tony smiling at how much he missed you worrying about him and how reckless he was

but also...the mission kinda went bad so that sucked

push it a bit farther back and now tony was with grandpa stark! asking how to be a dad and all that!

he could barely stand still waiting for you to come back to him, god he missed you more than he thought

and after a bit of hard work, it was time to snap

just like that, you were back in wakanda, puzzled by the gap in time before one of dr. strange’s portals opened in front of you

and then you were in the ruins of the avengers compound

“JOSHUA, can you locate my dad?”

“i think you’ll be able to see him”

“wow, i cant believe i programmed your cocky artificial ass”

“i think you can”

seeing your dad flying high and patching into the comms

“miss me, old man?”

and then he hit the gas to get to you and when this man hugged you, you almost couldn’t let go

“i’m so sorry, y/n. god, i’m sorry. these last five years...i was so lost without you”

“it’s okay, dad, i’m here now”

getting shot at during your reunion

“son of a bitch...we’re having a family moment here, asshole!”

yes, im gonna say it again. of course i am! and.........father/daugher team-up

the last one

“peter, is that you? you asshole! i cant believe you went to space without me!”

“missed you too!”

rhodey!! cant forget about uncle rhodey!!

“you gave my dad the message, right?”

“it was your dying wish, of course i did!”

“great. don’t forget i love you, too, rhodey!”

“couldn’t let me forget it”

lest we forget that pepper joined the fight?

plot twist: (step)mother/daughter team-up

mother/father/daugher team up!!!! ultimate stark machine!!!!!!!

and then you left him alone for 5 minutes and he’s got the infinity stones and you know it’s the last time you’re going to see him and you cant decide what your next move is and you’re just frozen and you cant catch your breath and he snaps and your heart plummets

you have to rush to his side, the last time you can sit beside his tired body and let him know that its going to be okay

“hey dad, it’s okay, we’re gonna be fine. thank you for everything”

peter grabbing your hand as you both sobbed next to your dad, feeling robbed of your time with him

pepper brought you home where she told you all about the five years you missed

both of you just cried harder than you’ve ever cried before

“so i have a sister?”

morgan was so happy to meet you, she couldn’t contain herself, practically latched onto you

and she didn’t fully understand what happened to tony

you saw your new room for the first time and didn’t leave it for a while, occasionally pepper or morgan would pop in

morgan actually crawled into bed with you a few times

the funeral was one of the worst days of your life

the remnants of your young life pulled back together for one day

then you hid back in your room before you heard a knock

“who is it?”

“it’s happy”

“come in”

“hey, kiddo. me and morgan are gonna get some cheeseburgers, you wanna come?”

she really was a stark

after a long hibernation, you started to get back into the groove of your old life

but the press was brutal and harsh, you were bombarded with questions regarding your dad

it took everything not to explode on camera

you stayed in contact with the rest of the avengers, mourning your dead, keeping the support system, staying a family

it was all you could get...for now

[buckybarnesbabydoll]

Lost and Found: Chapter 4

Pairing: The Mandalorian x Force Sensitive! Reader

Warning(s): use of blasters/shooting? but nothing big

Word count: 4.1k

Summary: Mando gives the Client what he wants, but afterwards it doesn't sit right with either of you

Chapters: Chapter 3, Chapter 5 (Not up yet!)

Note(s): Up on my Ao3!

The sound of stern modulated voices makes you open your eyes. Blinking away the blurriness, you look around to unfamiliar surroundings. You’d expect to feel panicked as if you’ve been deceived by the Mandalorian and were sold off to some slave traders.

But you didn’t. In fact, you weren’t able to move at all. You weren’t restrained or had any weapon held to your head. You were just standing in the middle of a poorly lit room, the only source of light seeping through thin windows all around. It was enough light to notice the movement of walking...blobs? You could tell the moving shapes were humanoid, pacing around the room as if slowly stalking you like prey. Everything you were trying to process was still blurry, you blinked more to get a clearer image, but an elder man's voice turned your head forward.

“Extreme...importance...I had...to ensure it’s delivery,” perhaps because he was closer, his face was clearer than the other forms around you, whose eyes you can feel burning into your skull. However, the man's sentences were jumbled and unclear. The few words you can make out only made this entire scene more confusing. What was happening?

You look down to see a spherical blob floating in front of you vertically split open, that’s when you recognize the child’s pram. You can see his wide, thin ears poking out from each side, while his round head sits on the bundle of beige clothing he wears.

“What are you doing here…?” That’s what you wanted to say, but your lips didn’t move. Despite trying to make some noise, nothing was coming out. So, you resigned to quietly listening, getting as much information as you could out of this strange fever dream. Was this even a dream? It couldn’t be, it felt too real. Shortly after, the experience seems to break up into fragments. Every time you blink, time jumps forward a little bit, the man standing in different spots every time you open your eyes. Once he’s standing in front of you, then, another man with round glasses is at his side, holding a thermometer up to the child's head. You had no clue what was going on, or why everything was going so fast. Perhaps this experience wasn’t going too fast, and you just couldn’t keep up. While musing over why you were having a weird dream like this, you see the man with glasses start to walk away with the pram trailing after him. You want to call out, to tell him to stop and stomp up to him. Demanding an answer to why he’s suddenly taking off with the child. But all you do is stand there, following the floating pram with your head until he passes the threshold to another room, and the elevator doors shut.

You don't realize you’ve fallen into a deep sleep until you feel the gentle nudging on your shoulder, luring you from your dream. You look around blearily, fortunately, your surroundings come into focus pretty soon. You look up to your right at the Mandalorian standing over you. His armor seemed to have (finally) been cleaned of the dry mud from the mudhorn a few days prior, and his helmet was shiny again, given the near mirror level quality when you looked at it. That reminded you, you should probably shower too.

“We’re on Nevarro. I’ll be back in a little bit, so please watch the ship while I’m gone,” you nodded as an answer, rubbing your eyes. Satisfied with your response, the Mandalorian turns and leaves the cockpit, sliding down the ladder. Since you worked on basically putting the entire Razor Crest back together, he had a feeling you didn’t need to be told where the facilities were. Fortunately, he was right. You sit in your seat for a moment, pulling yourself together, before hauling yourself up and following suit down the ladder. Instead of sliding down the ladder as Mando does, you opt to climb down like normal. You didn’t need to find out if you were going to smack your chin on the rungs today.

You glance around, making sure he’s completely gone before picking up your bag and heading into the refresher. Not that you were worried he would invade your privacy, you just didn’t want a funny situation to make things awkward right off the bat. Slipping into the refresher, you lock the door as the sensor lights come on. Just the thought of taking a shower was enticing. You turn on the water, quickly peel your clothes off, and step in.

The warm water is nearly orgastic on your skin, after cleaning the hours of sweat off you rest your hands on the wall, letting the sensation run over you. You swear you could probably fall asleep again in this shower. That is until the water starts running cold. The cold water on your back is like raining thumbtacks, and you arch to get away from it, nearly yowling from the freezing terror.

You quickly switch off the water, looking at the handle in horror. Okay, maybe you were being a bit over dramatic. But you silently pray you didn’t end up using all the hot water for the day, or else you might be the next bounty the Mandalorian hunts down.

Patting yourself off with the towel, the shower has definitely woken you up now. You chuckle, shaking your head at your reaction. Then it slowly mounts into full laughter, all at how you screamed like a cat from some cold water. You throw on another clean set of clothes, one that Kuiil neatly packed for you. You shifted around in the back to find he also included everything else you might need.

“Boy, guess he really had a good feeling about this…” still smiling, you close up the bag, stepping out of the refresher. Despite the abrupt wash of cold water. You look around the ship and realize, you don’t really have a place to sleep.

You press a finger to your lips, looking around the interior in thought. You had a few ideas of what would make a decent spot, but you weren’t sure if they would be practical. In the cockpit? No, that would be uncomfortable. Near the back? No, you’d probably wake up rolling out of the ship. You spend a few more minutes pondering on a good spot when you finally see one.

While you’re working on a decent cot, you can’t help but wonder what became of the child. You wanted to believe the child was being taken back to his family, and they would be relieved to finally pay off the bounty and be reunited with their wrinkly baby. But after that dream… all it gave you was a sinking sensation in your gut. You had a strong feeling there wasn’t anything good in store for him, especially because he was a force user. That was why so many bounty hunters were sent after him. But you didn’t want to question Mando, he had a job to do, he got it done, and that was the end of it. You didn’t want to rock the boat as soon as you got on board.

You finish putting together the cot and stand up, admiring your work with your hands on your hips. Before you can think any further on the issue concerning the child, the hangar of the Razor Crest opens up. You turn at the waist to look over, and you whistle when the Mandalorian walks up. He comes into the ship in a shiny new cuirass that matches his helmet, so that was the payment for the bounty.

“Look at youuu, fancy man,” you looked him up and down, walking around him in a circle to get a good look while his helmet nodded.

“Thought it was time for a new look,” he glances down at himself, before heading off into the cockpit. However, his tone didn’t match what he said. He sounded...guilty. After he left, you glance at the closing hangar, the same feeling in your gut hitting you again. You walk closer to the ladder of the cockpit and lookup.

“Hey, Mando?” You called, climbing up to join him. He hums in acknowledgment, slowly flipping switches that make the ship start to life. You pause, standing between the two passenger seats. You set your hand on the headrest of the right seat, looking down at it. Where the child used to be. “...What did you do with the child?” A moment of silence passes and feeling some regret for bringing it up, you sit down in the other seat, prepared to never get an answer.

The Mandalorian seems to also be prepared to never give one, despite his reluctant movement, he holds onto the lever, pushing forward on it. You watch him as he just… looks at it. He doesn’t move, neither do you. Just looking at him while you stiffly waited, you wanted to go up next to him, turn off the ship and tell him to hear you out. Tell him how hesitant you felt about leaving the child behind, but you weren’t even sure if your dream was accurate. Or just a summary of intrusive fears you had for the child. But it seems like he shares the same feelings because he pulls the lever back. Reversing all his actions to the ship, he shuts it down and quickly rises from his seat.

"Something I shouldn't have done."

The Mandalorian quickly leaves the ship and you hightail it after him.

“Mando?” You pick up the pace to keep in stride with him as he walks back into the town. The main city on Nevarro was similar to the town on your little desert planet, clamoring and full of different aliens and people. However, it felt...colder. More serious, like people didn’t come there for fun.

He leads you down alleyways and paths that descend until you’re sure you’d be lost without him. But it was worth it, you knew whoever had placed the bounty on the child's head was surely someone ill-intentioned. Knowing that you were going to get the child back, you couldn’t help but think of that sweet child's eyes, with big pointy ears that contrasted his spherical features. It motivated you to push through the strange atmosphere this hidden area gave you, as creepy as it was. Mando instructs you to follow close behind him, and he checks around every corner as he starts walking around a certain structure. You don’t question it, not until you see him pass a dumpster and pause, then you both look inside.

The chilling sight of a discarded pram sits before your eyes, everything was tossed out, even the child's small brown blanket. Your brows furrow in guilt, how could you have done this? What was even happening to him now? Was the child still even alive?

Your racing thoughts are stopped when Mando’s modulated voice cuts in, “Come on,” he tilts his head to follow him, and you go.

You trail after him behind a building adjacent to the one with the child, following Mando up to the rooftop. He lies down closer to the edge, gesturing at you to sit further behind him. He takes out his rifle, pointing it towards the building, and fidgets with the side of his helmet. You lay down on your stomach next to him, patiently waiting to see what he's going to do next. You stay like that for a minute or two, until he lowers the rifle.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do," the Mandalorian fills you in on the conversation he overheard between the Client and a presumably scientist. It sounded like the child was still alive, so there's hope. Although he doesn't want to put anyone else in harms way, Mando knows you'll refuse just sitting on the ship for this. So what he does is points you towards a staircase jutting out on the side of the ex-imperial headquarters and orders for you to hide above the entrance. When you’re ready, you watch Mando walk over to the door, which activates the sensors for the security eye to pop out. He grabs the base of the eye and rips the end off while the droid shrieks, stalking off into the shadows.

You watched him leave, Wow, you thought, I wish I could be as calm as that. Your silent awe at the Mandalorian’s steel composure is interrupted by the blue door sliding open two stormtroopers stepping out. You wait until they are far enough that the door closes, and then you shoot at them twice, taking them out. A small explosion promptly follows, which you knew was Mando’s doing. As much as you wanted to contribute more to the retrieval, you listened to Mando and chose to stay put, figuring that getting yourself involved would cause more harm than hurt. While you wait for him, you take out any more stormtroopers that exit out the front. Fortunately, only two or three came out while you waited.

Just as you begin to start worrying if the plan went wrong, you see the Mandalorian leave the headquarters, a bundle of fabric tucked in his left elbow. He nods for you to come down, the coast was clear, and it was time for you three to get the hell out of there. Together, you walk back to the Nevarran town, not exchanging a single word as the tension rises. Paranoia continues to seep into the back of your mind as you walk on the cobblestone path, unaware of the men casually following behind you. Just as the Razor Crest is finally in sight, your worst fears come true once you see other people moving out from the shadows, raising their blasters at you two.

While the Mandalorian seemed calm as ever, only glancing around to read the situation, you were beginning to internally freak out. So this is how I die, you thought. You’ve never been in a situation like this, not ever on your cozy little desert planet, where trouble used to be miles away. But it seems like you finally made the trek to the dangerous part of the universe. Oh, the irony. You wanted to leave so bad, but now you wanted to kick your younger self in the ass. Although you were certain imminent death was near, this seemed to be another evening for Mando. You hadn’t even processed another man speaking until you saw him come into view.

“Step aside, I’m going to my ship,” Mando says

You put the bounty down, and perhaps I’ll let you pass,” Karga says, looking between you two. It was easy for him to see your inexperience, the insecurity of your ability to make it out of this situation alive. Despite your attempts to steel yourself like your Mandalorian boss, it was an attempt easier said than done.

“The kid’s coming with us,” you glance up at Mando, for some reason, you’re surprised at his wording. You look back at the Razor Crest, the relieving sight now becoming a mockery of your attempt to do the right thing. The metal was lit up underneath by landing lights to guide other crafts, but at the moment you wanted to perceive it as a beacon of hope.

“If you truly care about the kid, then you’ll put it on the speeder,” Greef nods his head to the speeder piloted by the R-Unit, who looks back, definitely the most confused one out of this whole situation, “then we’ll discuss terms.”

The Mandalorian is silent, gauging the situation, “How do I know I can trust you?”

“Because I’m your only hope.”

A moment of silence passes before Mando tentatively walks over to the speeder. You slowly walk beside the Mandalorian, feeling your hands begin to tremble. Is he really going to do this? You look down at the child in his arms, the child's eyes can be seen between the folds in the fabric. He looked so small, so helpless. At that moment you knew, you would go to the ends of the universe for this small child.

“Go under!” is all the Mandalorian says, before he snatches out his blaster from his side and shoots at one of the bounty hunters. You don’t waste any time clamoring underneath the speeder while Mando jumps into the top. Using the speeder as cover, you crawl through to get into the alleyway, stumbling off into the city maze. You’re not quite sure where you’re going, not fully confident that you could make it back to the ship like this either, all you can hear is the firefight going on behind you, and praying that those two make it out alright. Although your mind is running miles a minute, you notice someone who looks...familiar.

“Hey!” The person doesn’t hear you, moving aside some curtains before descending into the shadows. You hesitate at the curtain, fear gripping your heart. But you shake the nerves away, you have to try. So you swing the curtain aside and follow them down. But you’re a little lost once the curtain blocks out the moonlight, carefully trying to maneuver your way down a flight of curving stairs. Once you reach the bottom, you’re met with lit torches lining a long...hallway? From the looks of it, it appeared to be the city sewers. But that was not the only thing you were greeted with, along the hallway, there were many people dressed in armor. Mandalorian armor. They all look back at you, the black T-shaped visors burning holes right in your skull. It makes your hair stand up.

“An intruder!” One of them in blue, tattered armor says, standing up quickly. The panic surging in your chest forces you to find your voice again.

You raise your hands quickly in defense once they start drawing their weapons on you, “No, wait! I need your help-” you’re cut off by a tall Mandalorian, one whose large stature matched his voice. He strides over to you, making you look puny in front of him.

“How did you find this place?” You’re not sure where to look on the helmet, you’re panicking because you might already be too late and you’re about to get your ass handed to you by Mandalorians. Speak. Speak!!

“Please, my-my friend is a Mandalorian--like you! He has shiny armor, he’s really good at shooting, and he looks just like you! Except, smaller,” you shake your head, getting back to the point. “He needs your help, he’s about to get killed!” You see another Mandalorian approach you, this one wore a golden helmet and a furry coat. When she spoke, her voice was calming, yet firm.

“He needs help, you say?” You nod hard at her question, noticing the visor on hers is shaped differently compared to the others.

“Yes, please. I-all I saw was someone that looked like him walk down here and I thought maybe--maybe you could help,” you stressed to get your intentions out to her. Her golden helmet shares a look with the large man in front of you, they give a firm nod to each other before the woman turns back to you.

“You are brave for coming in here, alone at that,” she says looking at you, “not many can do that and come out alive.” You see the big Mandalorian turn to the others who have since stood, watching the ordeal go down, and wave at them to follow him.

“Does that… mean yes?” The female Mandalorian nods at your question.

“This is the Way.”

Mando was starting to run out of options. He didn’t know where you went, for all he knew, you could have gotten taken out by another bounty hunter lurking around in the city. He tried using his blaster, his rifle, and his flamethrower in his arm brace. But none of them were enough to stop the hunters from closing in on him. He moved over the child, who was beginning to stir from the commotion. The child looked up at Mando with those bulbous brown eyes, and the wholesome sight made the sound drown out around him. As Mando was sure this would be the farthest he’d get, he’s brought back by the sound of a missile careening overhead. The missile hits dead on, taking out a bounty hunter on the rooftop. Mando can’t help but look on incredulously, the only people who could aim that good with a missile were…

Figures rose into the sky, fire-spewing from the bottom of their jetpacks lit up their silhouette as some descended to the ground. Mando briefly looked up in awe, it was nearly a perfect parallel to the biblical image of the first time the Mandalorians came to save him. He’s brought back to reality when he feels an arm clamp down on his arm, which he quickly raises a blaster in the direction of.

“Whoa whoa whoa, don’t shoot!” You pull back, then Mando drops the weapon, “Shoot them, not me!” You shoot at some of the hunters before Mando hops off the now broken speeder.

“Come on!” He shoots behind you a few times as you sprint off together into the Razor Crest.

“One day, one day I’m off the planet and this happens!” Before Mando can ask what you did to make that miracle happen, you hear the same voice.

“Hold it, Mando,” you both stop and turn. Just when you thought the worst was over, it seems you needed to get ready for a lot of curveballs to be thrown at you. Greef Karga is standing in the middle of the ship, holding a blaster at Mando. “I didn’t want it to come to this, but then you broke the code.”

“Look, I don’t know who you are, but it would be really nice if you’d just-” you yelp as Mando shoots his grapple at the carbonite freezer, making the spray cloud everyone’s view. He grabs your tunic to pull you behind him as Karga lets loose some blaster shots, before returning one of his own. The shot knocks Karga off of the ship, you see him lie still in the dirt when Mando hands the child to you, quickly climbing up to the cockpit before anyone else climbs aboard. You slowly followed up after him, sitting in the left passenger seat as the ship took off.

You look out of the window towards the ongoing fight, the scene becoming smaller until it's enshrouded by the clouds. The ship is silent as cool sunlight trickles in the large windows, the light reflecting off of the Mandalorians’ armor. Worn out from the fight, you feel your eyelids begin to drift close. But you’re awoken by a whoosh that comes up from the side of the ship, putting you on edge again, until you see who it is.

It was the same Mandalorian that intimidated you when you asked for help, but this time he came in peace, simply giving a salute. You waved with a small smile on your face, to your surprise, the man gave a small wave back to you. The gesture made you grin widely, watching him turn away back to Nevarro.

“I gotta get one of those,” Mando says to himself, glancing over at you. The cogs roll around in his mind for a moment, before it clicks. “Did you ask the Mandalorians for help?”

You look at the back of his helmet, “Oh! Yeah, after I escaped, I saw one of them when I was trying to navigate the alleyways. So, I followed them.“ The Mandalorian shook his head, chuckling to himself. He couldn’t believe you unknowingly sauntered into the Mandalorian Covert to ask for help. But it seemed to work out in the end, unfortunately, the Covert will have to be relocated. “Did I… do something wrong?”

Mando shakes his head, “No, you did the best thing possible. Thank you,” it was only one day, but you’ve already managed to save his life. He realized he might have to pay you more than he thought, especially if you kept up with this quick thinking.

Once the ship was flown off the planet and jumped into hyperspace, Mando got up from his seat. “I’m gonna use the refresher. If we run into more trouble… I’m sure you can handle it.” You chuckle, getting up after Mando leaves to take a shower. You place the sleepy child in his seat, carefully strapping him in before slumping back in your own seat. The sliding strips of blue and white around the ship made you feel calm. Your second try at relaxation is interrupted again by the Mandalorian calling your name from the lower level. “Did you use all the hot water?”

Taglist: @startrekkingaroundasgard

[catxsnow]

THROUGH EVERYTHING W.W.

Request: If you still write for Wally (TV show) could I please request some angst-to-fluff involving his powers and how they affect his relationship with the reader?

Warning: angst, fluff, swearing

A/N: Heading to my friend’s house for a week so I probably won’t be quite as active. Hella excited though!!

Also, like, if you like Barry Allen, I kinda just finished Book two of a series about him on Wattpad. If anyone is interested let me know I’ll send ya over in the right direction lol! 

Word Count: 1.6k

Wally West was sometimes a handful and a half.

He was stubborn, wanted things his way, and he was always willing to risk more than what he had. You had seen it in him while racing, through university, and even more so when he had gotten his speed. Wally liked to live his life on the edge. You? Well, it was more of a hidden corner where no one could see you.

It was pure coincidence that you had found each other. You ended up together for a project at your university and an instant connection happened. The two of you were different, very different and yet you only got excited at the thrill of his life. The racing, the danger he put himself in, you couldn't get enough of it.

So, when Wally asked you on a date how could you say no? He brought you into his world wind of a life, and even more so when he discovered his father and sister.

You were with him through the death of his mother, his move in with his father, and the life of having The Flash in his life. Wally lived a crazy life, and you were happy to be part of it. He was thankful for being with you through everything. There was no one he would have rather had by his side than you.

You supported him with everything, particularly when he had been ever so disappointed that Jesse had gotten speed and he hadn't. Wally was devastated by the news. He wanted powers so bad and when his best friend got them and he didn't, it ruined him. Wally had lulled around your home for weeks.

You spent day in and day out with him, trying to make sure that at the end of the day that he still had hope for his future. Wally appreciated everything you did for him, promising that one day he would have the strength to return the favour. It didn't matter whether he did or not, Wally was your everything.

He was the person that encouraged you to be better, to find a better path than he did. He wanted you to succeed in every single one of your dreams and was always there to help you when you felt yourself waver. Together, there was nothing that the two of you couldn't accomplish.

When Alchemy came around, promising powers to all those who had them in Flashpoint, Wally had gotten excited. This was his chance to finally get his speed - and he had gotten it. Wally became Kid Flash, the hero he dreamed of being for so long. You were happy for him, at first.

He spent all of his time in the lab. Controlling his speed, learning everything that the Flash knew about it. He was incredible and you were so proud of him for being able to achieve his dreams. How could you be mad at someone that was wanting to learn how to save lives? Truth was, you couldn't.

Wally used his speed at every chance he got, but with Barry busy and unable to train him, he took more risks than you liked to see. At first, they were nothing - using his speed to save someone from a car, keeping the people safe and never putting himself in harms way. But when Aliens invaded and he took it upon himself to go out and fight his brainwashed friends? That was your last straw.

The second that Wally had gotten back on his feet, you had finally lost it at him.

Iris, Joe, they saw the rage on your face. These past few weeks you had been holding you tongue, but you couldn't anymore. Wally getting his speed had put a major strain on your relationship. He spent all of his free time at STAR Labs and even missed classes to be there.

The only time that you ever got to see him anymore was when he crawled into your shared bed while you were half asleep. It was as if Wally had completely forgotten about you. He was consumed by his speed and all he ever wanted to do was become as good as Barry. As much as you supported him, you couldn't handle missing him anymore.

What was going to happen when he did get his training? Missions? Fighting meta's? You already missed him so much you weren't sure if you could do this any longer. As much as you hated the though of putting this on him, it was getting to the point that it was either you or being Kid Flash.

You already knew what he was going to pick if you told him.

"That is it, Wally!" You yelled. Wally sat on the edge of the medical bed that he had just previously woken up from. The room was cleared of all your friends, but you were sure at least one of them was lurking around to listen in. Wally watched your shoes pace back and forth, his head hung low.

He never noticed that you had become more tense, or that every time he left racing off you were holding your breath, petrified that he wasn’t going to make it back. He didn’t know just how worried you had become for him. 

"I have been with you through everything! Your family, your racing, the crazy meta encounters! Not once did I ever question myself being with you, or your love for me. I never doubted that you would be able to keep yourself safe because I know that you can, but this?! What the hell were you thinking?"

Wally opened his mouth to speak, but closed it the second he met your eyes. There was a fire behind them. Anger coursed through your entire body and only worsened as you remember Oliver carrying in your unconscious boyfriend. The heart break you had when you thought that he was down for good nearly tore you apart.

"You're obsessed with this speed! You think that the second that you got it that you're the exact same as Barry. You're not! You don't have the practice that he has, you can't just run into fights thinking you're invincible! You could have been killed, Wally," your voice cracked during your last sentence.

Wally pushed himself off the bed and brought you into his arms. He held you as you sobbed at the thought of losing him, tears welling up in his own eyes. He didn't think that you would be so upset, he had never seen you like this before. You were right, he was so consumed by his speed that he didn't realize how distant you had been.

Getting his speed put a split in your relationship. He wished that it hadn't taken him this long to realize what had been going on. Guilt consumed him - he was the reason that you were upset. There was no one else to blame here, he had done it all on his own.

"I'm sorry," Wally whispered. He kissed the top of your head and pulled away just enough that he could look into your eyes. Eyes that held so much sadness and fear, all because of him. He never wanted this. You were right, he was obsessed and it took him far too long to realize. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been this caught up with my powers. You're right, I took it too far."

"I worry about you, Wally," you confessed. "Barry goes against a lot of things, hell he's going against aliens right now. I don't want to see you get hurt, not after we know what can happen to those who try to fight. But... I understand that you need to. I know that you can't just sit around anymore."

"I know you don't like it," Wally trailed off. As much as you loved the thrill of his life in the beginning, the more you cared for him, the more you worried. Wally lived for the thrill, you hated it about him after growing to love him. You wanted him safe with you. "I'm meant to be doing this, I'm meant to be Kid Flash."

"I know you are, babe," You assured him. "I'm never going to be the one to stop you from it. I just... seeing you in danger or, or hurt like you were today... it's hard. It's not something that I ever want to get used to. I like it when you're safe - cozy in our bed and worrying about our ridiculous classes."

"They are pretty ridiculous aren't they?" Wally joked. You lightly smacked his chest - however you knew that he hadn't only focused on that small bit of your spiel. Wally half smiled before leaning down to kiss you. "I'm sorry for making you worry, but thank you for understanding. I need you now more than ever."

He was going to do better, be better. Wally needed to learn the balance between his hero life and his civilian life. Nothing was more important than his love for you. When it came down to it, he could live a life without being Kid Flash, he had for a long time. But a life without you? He wasn't sure if he could ever manage that.

You were the one to keep him grounded so many times. Barry had Iris, and Wally had you. He couldn't do this without you, he knew he couldn't. Losing you would break him more than anything else in this world could.

Wally leaned down to kiss you once more. His palm was against your cheek to keep you close to him. Yours over his heart, knowing that it was fully yours. Thought times were tough - more often than not - he would always be the one to catch you when you fell. 

"I told you before, Wally West, I'm with you through everything."

[dearlazerbunny]

Let it Go (Ch. 2 of ?)

Pairings: platonic avengers team x reader, potential background loki x reader

Words: 3000

Genre/Ratings: -WARNINGS- there will be an (unsuccessful) suicide attempt by reader- chapter will be explicitly marked in advance. Drug (pills) and alcohol abuse, lots of negativity and self loathing. There will be an arc, but said arc is going to start in the eleventh circle of hell and inch up from there.

Summary: *not far enough into this one to give an accurate summary, so this’ll have to be updated eventually. enjoy for now!*

He had just gotten used to the noise.

When he first woke up, it felt like he was suffocating him- always there, always cars honking and lights flashing and music playing and people going about their lives- the city that never sleeps. Someone told him that, he forgets who. He figured out what they meant the second he stepped outside for longer than a minute.

 Now there’s just the wind stirring up dust, and occasionally toppling over a loose pile of debris. City workers push brooms along the street, trying to clear a path. Machines groan and creak as they haul away pieces of the city- days ago, that window was hundreds of feet in the sky- like its nothing. Another day. Just a little quieter than usual.

 t’s hard to believe, even though he has the scars on his shield and healing bruises on his ribs to prove the aliens did, in fact, try to invade New York and take over the planet. Led by a god. And then he’d teamed up with another god- he still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He’d never been particularly religious, but Bucky was- the insufferable bastard Stark, two assassins and a green giant and became an Avenger of planet Earth.

 This wasn’t what he signed up for in 1941. Nazis or aliens, punching them in the face still uses the same muscles. Metal torsos don’t have quite as much give against the knuckles though.  

 He wanders the streets with no real purpose in mind, other than helping out with lifting here and there where needed. The war roars to life in the back of his mind, overlayed with the eerily calm day. His eyes mark the battle: here, where he launched Nat into the air, her dry words echoing in his ears; here, where Thor had very efficiently covered his back. Here, where for the second time in his life he watched a man who didn’t deserve to fall hurdle towards the ground.

 And here- something happened here. His feet remember even if his mind doesn’t- they’ve stopped in the middle of the road. He squints, resisting the urge to cough on a cloud of dust that gets kicked up in his face. Something… his shield, doing far greater damage than his fist ever could, and then someone… screamed?

Her. A girl, in the middle of the road, eyes sunken and skin so taught and paperwhite he’d wondered if the ghosts of this battle were already coming to haunt him before it was even done. She’s screamed at him to duck, and her voice was so raw it triggered something in the back of his brain from basic training and caused him to hit the ground before he fully knew what he was doing. Something had flown over his head- he could hear it cutting through the air- a thunk, a screech that would likely be added to his rotating litany of nightmares- then nothing, save the battle raging behind him. A Chitauri he assumed he’d missed lay twitching on the ground just inches from his neck, and sticking from its chest- ice. Solid ice. So cold that his gloved hand still recoiled when he reached out to touch it.

The irony wasn’t lost on him.

The girl’s face had been a roulette of emotions- a hint of pride, a darkly sarcastic flicker of her lips, and then her eyes widened and- fear. He watched her watch him, clenching and unclenching her fists. By the time he had opened his mouth to call out to her, she was gone, leaving only a trail of what looked to be frost on the ground before she disappeared around a corner- and something that slipped out of her pocket, jostled from her sweatshirt as she made her getaway.

He didn’t have time to think about her after that. A second later, his comm had crackled to life in his ear, and Stark started barking instructions, and Captain America had straightened his spine and grabbed his shield, and got back to where he was needed.

Steve Rogers, though, still has her tucked in the back of his mind.

The frost is still on the ground. Not as white as it had been, but a few grains of ice still cling to the cracks in the pavement. Strange. Magic? After everything he’s seen the past few days he wouldn’t be surprised. He follows the trail, irrationally hoping she’ll still be tucked behind an overturned car or crumbling building corner.

She isn’t. But there is a neon orange bottle tucked amongst the wreckage, and as he reaches for it he has a flash of memory of it falling from your pocket as you run. The contents rattle. A prescription bottle- like the ones medical gives him never get touched and sit collecting dust in a corner of his closet. Neat rows of print declare it Klonopin, 0.5 mg. Take once a day at bedtime, take an additional half as needed. Ingest with food. In the upper left corner is a name and address and phone number- Christian Heysworth.

The girl in the sweatshirt doesn’t strike him as a Christian. He should probably drop the bottle- it’d never be noticed among the rest of the chaos- and walk away. Worry about his own life and his own mess.

He tucks the bottle into his pocket. It might be a place to start.

…

The knock on her door is crisp and succinct, with no room for error. A soldier’s knock. She knows who it is before she turns the lock, because Clint doesn’t bother knocking anymore. When the door opens, she tries not to look as tired as she feels. “Captain.” It’s an easy acknowledgment, and it gives him time to categorize the healing gash on her cheekbone, covered with a butterfly bandage; the bruise blossoming on her collarbone that peeks just far enough above the neckline of her shirt to be seen. She doesn’t need the attention, but he needs a reminder that not everything is different since the forties. Same soldiers, different decade. Despite herself, the corner of her lip flicks up in the tiniest hint of appreciation. It has been a while since someone’s cared. “What can I do for you?”

“I need a favor.”

Interesting. “With?”

“Something stupid, most likely,” His voice is just sheepish enough to believe him. From his pocket, he pulls an orange bottle identical to the ones SHIELD’s psych department keeps prescribing her and the ones she keeps using for target practice.

Oh. Something deep in her chest softens and clenches all at once. She knows these questions all too well. “Cap. If you need help with- well. I can try my best, but I doubt I’m the best person to-”

Steve’s eyes widen. “Oh, no, these- they aren’t mine.” He hands the medicine over and she appraises it with a practiced eye. Klonopin, schedule IV drug in the United States, dose as low as one milligram to sedate an average adult male within forty-five minutes, effects greatly compounded by alcohol- “I, um. I’d like to track down the owner.”

Her brain is humming. “Any particular reason?”

“It’s a long story.”

Wordlessly, she steps aside, letting him in. “I didn’t have much to do tonight.”

Eventually, there are cups of tea in front of both of them, though she’s only taken a sip and Steve hasn’t touched his at all. He tells her about the girl who leaves frost on the ground in the middle of Manhattan and saves him with a spear made of ice. From the way he speaks, its almost like he isn’t quite sure if she was real or not- just a ghost or a very strange guardian angel. It’s bizarre, but not even on her top ten list of bizarre things in this week alone.

“So. I want to… thank her, I suppose?” He laughs without mirth. “I’m not really sure.”

“Think she’s enhanced?”

“Hopefully not by force.”

It doesn’t even bother her, anymore, the implication. Her breathing becomes more controlled on instinct. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Don’t think about it. “Let’s hope. Is she on anyone’s radar? SHIELD?”

“I wouldn’t even know how to check. And if I did, I don’t have anything to go on.”

Natasha glances down at the bottle of pills. But there is Christian Heysworth. She reaches under the couch cushion she sits on to produce a laptop from the gap. It’s wafer-thin and high tech enough that pulling up something as inane as Facebook looks categorically ridiculous. There’s a few Christian Heysworths, but they’re quickly narrowed down by what little information she has. “Christian Heysworth: junior at NYU, frat boy, wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got a couple of DUIs under his belt paid off by someone in his family-” she glances up, sharp cheekbones illuminated in blue light. “What?”

“I just… what are the odds he’d be in SHIELD’s databases…?”

“Hardly, Cap. Behold the wonders of the internet. So, are we wringing his neck, or were you thinking something more subtle?”

She says it to get a rise out of him and is rewarded by an aghast expression. “I just need to ask him some questions, Natasha, not-” he stops when her quiet smirk lifts a little of the weight from her eyes and laughs with her. “Fine. But I’m doing the talking.”

...

Natasha Romanov has infiltrated thirty-seven countries in as many or more disguises and has never been caught. She is failing miserably at attempting to camouflage Captain America into a generic civilian. There aren’t enough sunglasses and baseball caps in the world to make him a more manageable height and physique, and his t-shirt- at least two sizes too small for him- attracts the eyes of every wannabe pro sports player and every girl and guy hanging off of their arm. Honestly, they expect her to work in these kinds of conditions? Thankfully pulling her top a little lower and batting her eyelashes nets her enough information to direct her to her “absolutely earth-shattering one-night stand.” They climb stairs in a dorm hall that could be nicer than some of the floors in Stark Tower. She has the urge to crack the tile with something sharp.

Heysworth opens his door in boxers and smoke still on his breath. Heavy-lidded eyes barely focus on her face. “Uh, hey. Can I help you?”

Steve comes up behind her. “Christian Heysworth? I’d like to have a word with you, son.”

“I didn’t do nothin’.”

“I didn’t say you did.” Steve’s blue eyes are cool when he takes off his aviators; primly folds them and hangs them on the collar of his shirt. “Recognize this?” He holds out the prescription.

“Uh, I didn’t really-” Heysworth stops. Belches. Squints up at Steve. “I- wait. Wait, holy shit, you’re fucking Captain America! Holy shit man, I can’t even-”

As he rambles, Steve looks over to Natasha, who shrugs. “You must have one of those faces.”

Captain America holds up a hand to the kid’s face. “Just answer the question, son.”

“I, yeah, okay, um-” he turns the bottle over in his hands. “Shit, is this what that bitch stole from me?”

“Language. Who stole from you?”

“I met up with some chick downtown who wanted to buy them, but then those freaking aliens started coming and I- you didn’t hear it from me though, ‘kay?”

Steve sighs. “Do you know her name?”

“Nah, chat rooms and shi- stuff. Sorry. I have her screen name?”

He agrees to trade for a selfie with the Captain, which Natasha promptly deletes as soon as he hands over his phone, transferring data to her own. “She’s communicating from this address,” she murmurs, showing Steve the area it triangulated before wiping that information too. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Uh-huh. Hey, are you-”

Steve neatly closes the door in his face. “I don’t think he looked at your face once.

Oh, Steve. What a pure soul. “To be fair, I don’t think anyone has been looking at yours either.”

Their trail leads them to the backstreets, to an alley so covered in grime it looks like the whole place should be condemned. And many of the buildings are- covered in caution tape, stairwells crumbling, and fire escapes rusted over. Wind whistles through shattered windows. Foundations are rotting. And yet there are a few minuscule signs of life- a door that’s scraped the ground so many times there’s wear on the concrete, a few piles of garbage here and there. “She’s off the grid.”

“Can’t be right. She was a kid, couldn’t have been more than twenty-”

“You do what you have to.” She gives him a look. “You know that.”

His face goes stony. “Let’s just find her.”

Natasha sets off in one direction, Steve in the other. They both know how this works. It’s a practiced dance. Search the bottom floors first, find faults in the buildings and stairwells so you can avoid them the next floor up. She picks a lock that has managed to stay fast despite rusting over, he leverages himself through a windowsill strong enough to hold his weight. Eerily silent save for scraps of trash and the skittering of mice. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the construction in midtown, slowly shoveling away.

Steve’s mark is almost laughably easy to find. There’s a door tucked in a second-level corner whose seams are iced over three inches thick.

Her boots crunch in frost spilling out from under a crack in the door. She punctures the air with a bird call, and seconds later Steve rounds the corner. He reaches down to run a finger through the snow. “it looks the same.”

“Do you want to do the honors then?” He tests the knob once, twice- the metal doesn’t even rattle, it’s too frozen solid. He opts to kick it in with a well-placed boot, wincing at the sound of ice cracking and then shattering into shards.

The apartment is empty. There’s a table along the far wall stacked with a few cardboard boxes to use as makeshift shelves. Packets of potato chips are shoved in one alcove, a few granola bars in the other. Empty soda bottles litter the floor. The table itself is mostly covered with alcohol: a whole skyline of glass bottles glinting in the light from the newly busted door. Some are empty, some are half full, a few have broken necks. An inspection of the crooked drawers attached underneath reveals nothing but a junkyard of pills, none of which are prescribed to the same person more than twice.

Natasha opens a few of the safety caps, rattling them like a scientist with an interest. “There’s enough in here to put even you to sleep.”

“Is she here? She would’ve heard the door.”

“Maybe.” A door leads off to a molding bathroom and a small hall closet. The next, a makeshift bedroom. A grimy mattress sits in the corner, covered in blankets so dirty there’s no telling what the print of them might’ve once been. There’s also a girl. She’s curled up in the center, drowning in layers of hoodies and sweatshirts. The second Natasha steps in the room she can see her breath. Another step in and the air feels like home. Whatever water was in the air has crystallized and fallen to the ground in a tiny hailstorm, surrounding her like a halo.

She also doesn’t move.

The spy moves with ruthless efficiency, ignoring the cold as she kneels by the mattress. Too many layers. Can’t even see if she’s breathing. She tugs her sleeve up over her fingertips before beginning to shove aside tangled hoods and t-shirts, digging for the collarbone.

“Natasha?”

“Here. She’s almost-” she cuts off with a hiss of pain, wrenching her fingers back like she was bit.

“What-?” the girl is still sleeping. Steve only spares her a glance before taking Natasha’s hand in his, checking for damage. There’s no blood, no broken skin. But the tips of her fingers are white and hard, paler than normal and cold to the touch. He recoils on instinct. “Frostbite.”

Natasha is muttering low in Russian, tapping her fingers together to move the blood, and Steve is momentarily taken back to a plane going down in the middle of an endless ocean surrounded by walls of blue. No going back, only going under, and nothing waiting for him but frost and ice and cold-

“Steve!” He blinks. Natasha’s face swims back into focus. “Get out. Contact the tower. We can’t move her like this and she needed medical yesterday.”

“I’m fi-”

“No, you’re not. I can handle this. Russian, remember?” She tries to give him a small smile. He doesn’t return it. “Get out and coordinate removal. That’s an order.”

Orders, some primeval part of Steve’s brain can understand. He turns and hopes he doesn’t run from the apartment, not even bothering to navigate the stairs- just jumps over the balcony to land in the courtyard below, chest heaving. Unconsciously, he glances in a nearby piece of glass, ensuring his breath isn’t fog. He isn’t cold. He isn’t. He’s fine.

He isn’t thinking when he puts a beacon out for JARVIS to trace. He isn’t flexing his fingers to make sure they can move. He isn’t drowning. He isn’t on ice. He isn’t, he isn’t, he isn’t-

In the apartment, Natasha swears and wrings her hand as pins and needles race down her arm. She’s handled plenty of frostbite, but it never gets easier. The girl is still unconscious, heartbeat dangerously slow. Whatever she put in her system, she meant to knock herself out for a long time. Or worse.

And Steve is on the verge of a panic attack and if your heart stops she can’t perform CPR, so she sits on the edge of your mattress blowing on her fingers as you keep causing the air around you to quietly freeze and fall, a tiny secret twinkle of ice in the middle of New York.

[kassies-take]

It’s A Luthor’s Life

Summary: Lex Luthor knows everything. Everything besides what is in Lena Luthor’s penthouse.

A/n: I should really get to the requests before I start something new... Too late, I have to right it down before I forget it.

Warning: Isolation, Assurance

Lena Luthor x Reader

Word Count: 2270

After the whole Crisis thing, Lena Luthor hasn’t gotten a break. She went from powerful CEO of L-Corp to second in command to her deranged brother of LuthorCorp. She went from ‘oh I wouldn’t know I never stood behind a man’ to standing behind the worst man possible. She has lost everything she has built towards a good name for the Luthors, ever since the New World kickstarted. It doesn’t help that her own office is invaded and even her lab infested with her brother’s personal belongings and tech. Who the hell does Lex Luthor think he is? 

There is at least still one place the former CEO could go to for sanctuary. Her own penthouse. Her home, which is actually ironic due to the fact that after she ran from letting her mother drown she hasn’t stopped running since. She had tried to make it work in Metropolis, in National City yet that all came back to bite her in the ass. 

The penthouse that was once empty, dull, and colorless. A place she was rarely in before, is now the place she wants to be in the most. Granted it was still empty, dull and colorless but it was at least free from the hands of the cold and dangerous would outside. She made sure it stayed that way. 

Right now the safest place for Lena was in her penthouse. At the moment she was using that to her advantage, she did not want to be found. She was taking a well deserved bath with scented candles and aged wine. The fluttering lights, the warm bath and the beautiful wine was doing wonders on her mind. She could feel the weight on her shoulders disappear, that was until a deafening crash erupted in the silence of her own penthouse. 

The brunette immediately dried herself off, wrapped herself tightly with a long white robe and put on some underwear. She did not need anyone to see her naked glory right now.  

Every scenario the Luthor ran in her mind, did not prepare her to find a young adult. Not to mention a young adult, battered, bruised and bleeding from the obvious glass beneath them. How the “child” managed to get through the window wouldn’t have surprised her if she lived on the first floor, but she was living on the goddamn twenty-third floor. 

The “odd” Luthor immediately looked to the sky as if expecting some alien creature to attack, or even kill, the groaning figure in front of her. Fifteen seconds, thirty, a minute goes by before the woman closes the broken window with a force shield. 

Only then did the lively and noisy city below become muted, but the huffs and puffs amplified from the damaged stranger. 

“No one can know I am here,” the stranger coughed out.

“You need a doctor.”

“I do n-” she was interrupted.

“You are bleeding out on my floor.”

“I’ve been through worse. Luthor assassinations and kidnaps from Cadmus.”

“Who are you?” ‘

“(Y/n) Luthor. CEO of L-Corp and probably paralyzed now.” 

That was all the older, got. Another Earth or possibly another odd one out. That was impossible, even if this dying stranger was the product of another Lionel affair there was no L-Corp. The business woman’s thoughts were interrupted when she spotted a light blue glow in a bottle like cylinder. 

Curious a Luthor will ever be, she took it from the unconscious person in front of her. Her curiosity would’ve been better if she did not press the button on the bottom or the top whichever it was. Lena screamed at the expansion of the clear glass. The curiosity did not kill the cat yet, the Luthor’s eyes shined at the hologram controls of what now seemed to be a healing chamber. 

A small glance was given to the other supposed Luthor, and she was compelled to help. She first deactivated the healing chamber and opened her closet door. Like her office, she had a safe room in her home and activated the chamber in a lead-lined room. She placed the (h/c) haired in the chamber. As it sealed shut the same hologram appeared with settings, though the technology seemed to complete the setting on it’s own. 

The tank slowly filled with a light blue liquid, a breathing apparatus placed on their nose and mouth When the tank was completely full, a holographic gauge appeared on the glass. The level of healing measured, and by the looks of it, it seemed as if they would be in the chamber for a while as different machines were being indicated to be needed for a faster recovery. But because the technology was not existent at the moment the recovery would take longer than it usually would but a lot faster than in medical innovations set in this time. 

Lena had been checking on the mysterious stranger daily for six weeks. There was some familiarity to you. Someone she couldn’t bare to face at the moment.

What she didn’t know was that that familiarity was the truth.

In 2043, a year before the heroic sacrifice you had convinced Stephanie Olsen-Danvers to use an image inducer to change spots with her. Lena didn’t allow you to be a field agent but that’s all you wanted to be with your two older brothers, Liam and Lucas, (twins) flying around. Your powers had not yet manifested and you wanted to see if they would activate during the field, Stephanie was better at all the businesswoman stuff anyways. You got your wish, but the cost was Stephanie’s life, an assassination attempt was successful. You watched as your brothers and your parents grieved, and so long you were wearing the image inducer, Stephanie would still be wearing your face. You stayed with Dansen that night, they were sad they lost their favorite niece and they knew “you” would’ve been worse because you and Stephanie were close. There was family therapy before the funeral with Kara, Lena, Liam, Lucas, Alex, Kelly and “Stephanie”. You bursted into tears the moment the session started and refused to accept comfort. You reached up to deactivate the image inducer while mumbling the word sorry repetitively.  

Gasps and sighs of relief mixed in the room. 

“I’m so sorry, I co-convinced her to sw-switch places with m-me. I wanted a b-break from L-Corp and she h-helped me. I didn’t know. I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I am so sorry.” 

Dansen were both furious. Alex more than Kelly. Kelly knew you didn’t know, she knows you would take it all back if you could, and that Stephanie would have felt the same guilt if you had truly died and she couldn’t have made the choice to save you. Alex argued with Kara, Lena and Kelly any chance she got, she refused to even speak to you unless they were on missions.Your brothers were torn, they were relieved you were alive but devastated Steph was gone. 

Then the inevitable happened. While Superfriends went ballistic on each other another attack was made. A threat far worse than murder but genocide. A massive nuclear bomb was set to blow all of National City and neighboring counties. Alex, Brainy, J’onn and Nia set to the MedBay, Kara and Lucas under sun lamps due to Kryptonite radiation and Liam left to tell everyone of the tragic news. Liam had gotten everyone to safety when the aftershock shook, Kryptonian DNA had mutated, during this generation of Supers to absorb explosions. You and Liam were supposed to absorb it together after Kara and Lucas were infected by a Kryptonite gas in another room. But you took the blow yourself. 

In the last seconds you remembered Sara’s time portal watch and used it to diffuse the bomb. Most of the explosion happened in the upper atmosphere of a different time while small chain reaction bombs reached National City. You were supposed to die, and yet here you were in your mother’s old penthouse. 

Your healing was nearly complete when Lena moved to the kitchen to make herself some tea. Kara landed right outside.

“Let me guess you’re here once again to tell me not to forgive you. Or maybe that I shouldn’t work with my brother?” She had to keep up her act, it was hard but she had to.

“Not this time. I realized I made a mistake in hiding my identity from you for so long but the past is the past, and I can’t change it. Forgive me or not that’s your choice. Just like it’s your choice to work with Lex. I’m done blaming myself for your bad decisions.” The last line hit Lena like a bus.

“Then why are you here?” Lena asked emotionless.

“To tell you that from now on, you’re accountable for your own actions. If you decide to forgive me, I will be there for you. But if you continue to work with Lex... If you go through with whatever it is the two of you are planning, I will do everything in my power to stop you... just like I would any other villain.” Lena didn’t want to be the villain, she was never the villain but this is the only way.

Lena left the tea untouched and marched towards her closet. The healing liquid fully drained as your eyes shot open. You pressed on the glass to open it as Lena stood watching.

“What she is not telling you is that she saw possible outcomes in which she told you she was supergirl earlier than Lex.” You began to change settings on the chamber.

“How do you know?”

“You can say that where I’m from, we’re close. But every situation in which she tells you there was always a worse outcome. So when would it have been a good time for her to tell you?” You turned to face Lena once you clasped the chamber into pocket size.

“Before Reign became all World Killer like.”

“Ehh....” you sighed before walking towards Lena’s kitchen.

“It was the right time in our friendship for her to have told me.” She followed after.

“You end up defeating Reign without Kryptonite, but it costed your life and Kara was not willing to live a life without you.”

“Well then maybe right from the start.”

You froze and looked up from the teapot.

“What, we would be able to have worked together. A super and a Luthor. We would be unstoppable.”

“Unstoppable until you get kidnapped, and Kara reveals her identity to the world to save you. But that information would be used to target all of your friends and they will all end up dead.”

“She wouldn’t reveal her identity for me.”

“You underestimate how much you actually mean to her. And before you say you’d be better off without Kara in your life, you are so wrong. Kara, time and time again, despite keeping a big secret from you has always been your number one supporter. The sole reason you haven’t turned evil was due to the fact that Kara Danvers always had your back.”

“How can you possibly know that! You don’t know that I’ve been betrayed by everyone in my life, by the ones I love the most!”

“Well it certainly won’t be betrayal if it’s by an enemy.”

Lena glared at the true statement.

“I let her in! While she was shutting me out!” Lena’s eyes began to tear.

“There are even certain things you have to keep to yourself. But you can’t do it alone. Humans, Kryptonians even Martians, we all need someone there with us, otherwise we will be nothing. Luthors especially.”

“You’re. You’re my daughter aren’t you.” The older walked towards you.

Your eyes watered behind the red and Lena cupped your face. “I know what it’s like to lose everyone. I know what it’s like to buy into my demons. But if it’s anything you taught me, is that you can still be who you are despite what everyone thinks.”

“So I can’t tell you what to do, I mean that would just mess with the timeline.” You and Lena chuckled. “But just know that everything will be okay for you. Obviously I was born.” You flipped your hair before you sniffed again.

“Why do I get a sense that it won’t be okay for you.”

“Because I killed my own cousin, I was selfish and I convinced her to be me. Luthors just can’t seem to get a break.”

“I agree with you on that. But you are my little secret so maybe you can help me with this Lex situation.”

“Huh,” you smiled.

“What?”

“My mom always told me that she didn’t stop Lex on her own. I always thought it was with Supergirl.” 

“The past and the future can be surprising.” Lena smiled. “What was your name again?”

“Uh for the sake of the timeline, you can call me Miss Luthor. I hope you also know that that means I won’t tell you anything about the future.” 

“Well Miss Luthor, I hope you know that you did not do a good job of hiding who you are.” Lena smiled at the House of El logo on your shoulder. “ A Luthor’s life is always going to have trouble, unless you have the House of El with you.”

“It’s a Luthor’s life. Well our part of the Luthors.”

“So I marry Kara? Do you have any siblings? Does Lex get what he deserves?”

“I said I can’t reveal anything more about the future.”

“How could you not want to ask questions? I am a Luthor afterall.” 

[forgadgetsandgizmos]

Malex Drabble

* *

No one had seen Alex in three days. 

Which, okay, he left town frequently enough for the Air Force that it could be no big deal. But ever since Alex spent a week in a basement because everyone, including Michael, thought he was at a recruitment job out of town, Alex checked in when he left. Usually with Michael. And Alex hadn’t told Michael that he was planning on leaving, much less checked in.

Michael should’ve let it go. No one else is worried, there’s no dangers around, no lingering threat that could result in Alex being missing or worse. But Michael couldn’t shake the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

And he kept circling back to Alex hadn’t told him that he was leaving.

Which is how he ended up here, standing in Alex’s driveway and staring at the old Christmas lights still dangling from the porch, trying to shake off his paranoia without invading his friend’s private space.

On second thought, that’s exactly what he did last time and he turned out to be right. He started for the door. The game plan that time around had been Find Alex, and okay, it was the same here. Whatever, it was a good plan. At least this time he knows where the spare key is kept.

Michael jogged the last couple steps up to Alex’s front door and knocked loudly. “Alex?”

No response. He stood on his toes to peer inside through the glass in the top of the door. From what he could see, none of the lights were on and no one was moving around inside.

“Alex, I’m worried about you,” he tried. He knocked on the door a few more times. “If you don’t answer, I’m coming in. He backed away to dig the key out of a bottle buried nearby. “Using the spare key,” he added. If Alex was inside, it probably wouldn’t be helpful if he thought Michael was going to telekinetically break his lock.

When he was met with more silence, Michael unlocked the door and took a hesitant step in.

“Alex?”

He made his way around the house. The kitchen held a small pile of take out bags and dirty, plastic containers. Alex was here then, and eating. That was always good, Michael acknowledged.

He walked over to Alex’s bedroom door and knocked quietly, cracking open the door as he did and poking his head inside. A blindness darkness greeted him.

Michael blinked quickly, trying to help his eyes adjust as he took in the room. Heavy, drawn curtains blocked any light from the windows. Two large, empty bottles sat on the bedside table closest to the door. It was too dark to be sure, but the thin, tall neck made Michael think it was tequila. The bed held a pile of blankets surrounding a curled up figure in the center.

Michael let out a breath, his shoulders slumping.

“Alex, it’s me. Can I come in?”

He received a faint humm in response.

Taking that as a yes, Michael slipped into the room and shut the door behind him, careful not to make any loud noises. He slowly inched closer to the bed Alex had buried himself in. He wasn’t sure what the protocol here was. Alex was physically fine; Michael could see enough to make out the movement of the blankets from Alex breathing. Strands of hair peeked out of the fuzz pile and the sunlight in the hall shined back at him from Alex’s prosthetic where it was laying on the floor near the bed.

But Alex obviously wasn’t fine. From what Michael had seen, Alex had apparently spent the past three days of avoiding his friends in bed, ordering takeout, and day-drinking. While Michael may not have much experience with avoiding worried friends, he did have a decade spent deep-diving into a bottle or three in his belt, and multiple empty maybe-tequila bottles did not equal fine.

“Alex, what’s going on,” Michael whispered. He sat on the edge of the bed with one leg still on the floor, hand hovering over Alex’s body as he waited for a response.

After a few seconds, Alex reached a hand out of his pile and pulled the blanket closest to him tightly, framing his face.

“What are you doing here,” he croaked out, eyes still closed.

“I was worried about you. You haven’t responded to me or anyone else in three days.”

“I’m fine.”

Michael caught the blanket before Alex could pull it back over his head. “I see that,” he noted dryly.

Alex huffed and opened his eyes. “I am. You can go now.”

“Not until you tell me why you’ve been avoiding everyone in favor of alcohol and shitty take-out.” Michael kicked off his shoes and crawled over Alex onto the bed. He leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes. “I can sit here all day.”

He opened one eye to see Alex glaring up at him. “I’ll just listen,” Michael offered.

Another huff.

Michael closed his eye again and waited. A minute or two later, he felt the mattress moving under him. He opened both eyes to see Alex sitting up beside him and offered him a smile.

Alex’s lips twitched in response and Michael felt his own widen to a grin.

Michael waited patiently beside him.

“I got a phone call,” Alex started. His eyes stayed fixed on the floor well-away from Michael as he spoke. “I loved being in my squadron. Some of the guys were family in a way I hadn’t had before, you know?”

Loved. Were. Michael stopped smiling.

“Flint and Clay always felt really distant. When I was a kid, I thought it was because they remember Mom. And I love Gregory, but we weren’t super close as kids.”

And Flint and Clay were two peas in a Jesse-spawn pod, Michael wanted to add.

“We has to be together all the time, we didn’t have a choice but to get close. There were four of us that were,” Alex tutted, searching for the word. “I don’t know. Saying brothers feels weird considering my real brothers.”

“I get it,” Michael said softly. He and Max and Isobel, they weren’t actually siblings. But Max and Iz were so important to him, to his life on Earth, and to his past, that calling them brother and sister felt inadequate. “They were real. What brothers should be.”

Alex nodded. “Besides me, it was Hunter, Jamie, and Patrick. Hunter and Jamie died in the same explosion that blew off my leg. Which. . . sucked. But Patrick was okay. He stayed with me as long as he could in the hospital in Germany. He missed their funerals to stay with me.” He took a steadying breath. “He had to ship out eventually. He was assigned a new unit and left for an eight month tour about six months ago.”

Alex looked up to meet Michael’s eyes. He schooled his face, trying to project a sense of calmness and security. He just hoped that the grief and pain and mourning he saw in Alex’s eyes wasn’t echoed in his own.

When Alex spoke again, it was so soft Michael had too strain to make out the words. “Patrick’s new unit chief called three days ago. He - he’s dead.” Alex voice shook as he choked back a sob and leaned into Michael.

Michael gripped Alex tightly and pressed his lips to his forehead. Michael didn’t - he couldn’t comfort this. He had lost a whole world. . . but he hadn’t know them. He lost his mom but, so had Alex. She might not technically be dead, but she had left when he was so young and stayed gone so long that she might as well be. The only think Michael had to compare was Isobel and Max and if he lost them. . . well. He’s sure he would be in the drunk tank in a lot worse shape than this.

“Alex,” Michael said softly, turning to press his cheek against Alex’s head, “When I was a kid, I spent years imaging what it would be like to lose Max and Isobel, either when they got sick of me and left or if they got caught and were killed. I planned out how to be alone, as much as it killed me to admit that, since that implies I wasn’t alone with them,” he chucked lowly.

Michael buried his free hand in Alex’s hair, letting the soft, dark strands run through his fingers. Alex stayed quiet. “I stopped because I met someone who was different. He treated me the same way Max and Iz did and no one had ever done that before. In my experience, people weren’t just nice for no reason. Even Max and Iz treated me like they did because they viewed me as their brother. And this guy, I could never seem to drive him away. And I certainly tried my best,” he admitted, “especially after graduation. He was the fucking sun and he made me realize that I wasn’t better than everyone else. It kinda opened up my world.”

Alex stirred at that. “Life isn’t a rom-com, Michael.”

“Okay, but it is a telenovela. I mean hello, alien from outer space here.”

Underneath him, Alex made a sound that reminded him a baby whining.

“You interrupted. There was more,” Michael chided jokingly. He gave Alex a light flick on the head. “I would still fall apart if I lost Max and Iz. That hasn’t changed. But I would want to keep on going now. Because of you. And you don’t have to get over this or be okay because of me, that’s not what I’m saying-“

“Michael.”

Michael shut up. “Sorry,” he murmured.

Alex finally moved from his half-laying down, half-sitting up position and looked at Michael. “I get it.”

“You do?”

“I do.” Alex smiled sadly at him and let his hand hover over the side of Michael’s face. “Thank you.”

Michael’s eyes lightened. “Thank you,” he returned. They were words he’s been waiting to say to Alex for over a decade. Since they were seventeen and stupid in love. He owes Alex so much.

They weren’t seventeen anymore. Picking a place to make-out that wasn’t the pickup of Michael’s truck was no longer their biggest hurdle. Now, that would have to be a toss up between the giant government conspiracy, the alien-DNA-targeting-bomb, and the various murders him and his siblings were hiding.

No, they definitely weren’t seventeen anymore. But as Alex curdled back up under his blanket mound and buried himself into Michael’s side, Michael knew that, for him, that was the only thing that had changed.

[watchtower-feed]

Mortal Sanity

SSA Request ✧ Joker ✧ Mortality Link @lady-of-fandoms​: Aging indicator with the Joker? He found out who his soulmate was, and to gain immortality, had her captured and locked away. Batman and co. find out, and go to save her, but theres a complication, and the Joker sees the reader and starts aging. You can take it from there! Notes: Some graphic gore. I’m so sorry, lady! I changed your request quite a bit. I tried using this request to write a different kind of Y/N. Words: 2,514

          When you live in a world full of superheroes, there are worst things than meta human villains, invading aliens, and psychotic clowns. One of them is having a soulmate.

          Some say it’s better because your other half is easier to find, but they’re not the one who has a hero or a villain for a soulmate. You do.

     You’re old. You’ve been alive since before Gotham. Your family was one of its first British settlers in the late 1600s. You are one of its original founders. You built this city and continue to care for it better than your own family.

     Because they kept dying. One by one mortality catches up with them and each funeral strips away part of you, the side of you that grieves and fears death.

     Whenever your spouses lay on their deathbed, you only feel disappointed that they weren’t the one. There was no way of knowing until you’ve spent time with them and seen the wrinkles on their skin next to your suppleness.

     No one knew much about soulmates at all. Not until one of the three Fate Sisters visited Gotham in the late 19th century. You came across her by chance but to her, it was no accident.

     “Your soulmate has not been born yet, child.”

     You asked how much longer you had to wait but the Fates only give so little of their time. She didn’t answer and other people had crowded her. It took two world wars before another Fate passed through the city.

     “Why are you so eager to meet them? There is still so much to do before your soulmate will be born.”

     She was gesturing to the streets of Gotham, littered with people slumped over the gutters, children crying and holding their bellies, and mothers with babes sucking on their tits while they begged for money.

     The war never passed through Gotham but its devastation has clawed deep into its foundations and stripped the people of their livelihood. Your eyes and your heart couldn’t take it.

     You were the one who held the first meeting of the Court of Owls. You gathered every wealthy Gothamite, from old money to new business owners. The politicians were only later invited as a courtesy.

     With the Court at your disposal, you built Gotham from the ground up, quickly turning it into the business capital of the country for anyone hoping to live the American dream.

     But as the city’s population grew beyond your control, you had to cut your losses, divide the city into districts, and protect the wealthy. But unbeknownst to you, this was what set off Gotham’s descent into madness and the very creation of your soulmate.

      The first sign of everything going wrong was the man dressed as a Bat. But his actions were in alignment with the Court’s will over Gotham and so you let him be. When villains in similar attire started to sprout all over the city, the Bat kept them in check. And so the Court did nothing.

     And then the Clown entered the picture, causing devastations all over the city like you’ve never seen before. You watched buildings burn with children still screaming inside them, towers fell on people running amok in the streets, and the horrendous gas that left its stench at every street corner in Gotham.

     The Clown is a plague and the Court has decided that he has to go.

     After a meeting, you’re met with the final Fate sister. She has been waiting for you.

     “Child, you’ve done well. You’ve loved and fostered this city like no other and I am truly misfortuned to be the one to tell you of your soulmate. Fate has been unkind to you.”

     Your soulmate is the Joker.

     Your knees suddenly go weak and your chest feels tight. Phantom claws are constricting around your heart. What you’ve waited for centuries is finally here and you don’t want it. Take it back.

     The Fate sister holds your shoulders, “Stay strong, child. The worst is yet to come. I must tell you about your link.

     “For years, you have not only eluded aging but also death. So long as you’re not in your soulmate’s arms, you will never die.”

     Immortality is no stranger to you. Mortality even less. But the sudden prospect of knowing that the Clown himself is as immortal as you-- the image that Gotham would be plagued by his madness for eternity-- it terrifies you.

     “I need your help.”

     You’re standing in one of the meeting rooms of Wayne tower, interrupting a conference between Bruce Wayne and his major shareholders.

     “Miss L/N,” Bruce treats you with respect despite your actions. He knows who you are. Knows what you are. “It’s lovely to see you but we are in the middle of something important here. You can make an appointment--”

     “I need to talk to your friend,” you stare at Bruce and watch the subtle recognition dawn on his face. “It’s urgent, Bruce.”

     You’ve always called him by his last name like you did his Thomas Wayne. It’s how you show your respect for his work and successfully making his father’s company his own. You only ever call him Bruce when you want to remind him that you’re older, much wiser, and more powerful.

     Bruce clenches his teeth and shuffles the papers in his hand. He turns to his shareholders and gives them his signature playboy smile. “I apologize. We’re going to have to reschedule. It seems the Queen of Gotham needs me.”

     Bruce loosens his tie as he walks around the table of perplexed and annoyed millionaires. He places his hand on your lower back, standing shoulder to shoulder, as he escorts you out of the room and into his office.

     With the doors closed and his blazer off, Bruce’s demeanor changes. His eyebrows are no longer arched upwards but slanting down and his smile has been replaced by a deep scowl. His eyes pierce into yours when he turns to you.

     “Start talking.”

     You cross your arms and narrow your eyes at Bruce but quickly unfold them and relax. You didn’t come to fight. “I’m not here on behalf of the Court, Bruce. I’m here as myself.”

     Bruce doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t exactly know who you are. He only knows exactly what you want him to know, and what little you allow is only necessary for him to realize that you have Gotham eating from the palm of your hands.

     But you’re extending your palm now as you finally reveal to him everything that you are, who you have been, and what you’ve been waiting for. Even Bruce Wayne couldn’t hide the reaction on his face. He’s visibly horrified.

     “You’re not immortal, Bruce. But if the Clown kills me, he will be.”

     “What’s your plan?”

     You grimace at the man behind the Bat. “Why do you think I need your help?”

     Being the Queen of Gotham and the leader of the Court of Owls has distanced you from the city. You’ve been watching it from your highrise and no longer know where the streets bend and what the people look like.

     You’re ashamed to be asking for help from someone so inferior. But Batman is the best weapon you’ve got against the Clown. He and his little band of eager boys.

     “Does the Joker know about your link?”

     You turn to Richard Grayson, a child always on the outskirts of the city with no Gotham blood flowing through his veins. “Yes. The Fates has an obligation to humor everyone with links.”

     “I’m surprised the Joker didn’t kill her,” Jason Todd snorts. A real child bred and raised by Gotham herself. Through the good and the ugly.

     “He tried. But the Fates aren’t human.”

     “Really? What are they?” Timothy Drake. Another Gotham child. Middle class with the potential to join the Court. Potential lost to the Bat.

     You raise an eyebrow. “None of you have links?”

     “Only mindless individuals would believe in such nonsense.”

     Damian Wayne.

     You can feel each of your muscles tense as you turn to him. Definitely not a Gothamite.  “Sounds like something an ignorant person would say.”

     “This is enough,” Bruce interrupts.

     You brought them to one of the secret bunkers of the Court. Years ago, you had constructed a facility for the truly dire patients of Arkham. Under Bruce’s instructions, you had reinforcements built into it to hold the Joker for eternity.

     The boys purse their lips at Bruce’s word and follow him out of the cell. But you’re not one of his wards.

     You touch Tim’s shoulder on the way out, “The Fates are ancient beings, as old as the soulmate links. They’re immortal but they’re not gods.”

     Tim is still processing the information when Bruce interjects.

     “Do you remember the plan?”

     You roll your eyes, “Stay in my penthouse with the mini Bat watching over me until you find the Clown. It’s not exactly a science.”

     Bruce holds out his hand to help you climb up the ladder out of the bunker but you reject him and climb on your own. When you arrive at your penthouse you won’t have to deal with him any longer. His son, on the other hand, is a different story.

     “How does it feel to be told your soulmate is a psychotic maniac?” he asks as he looks down at Gotham through your large windows.

     You suddenly feel the urge to hurl his tiny body down the side of the building. You probably don’t have the strength to do it but you won’t die trying.

     “I thought only mindless individuals believed in soulmates.”

     “I don’t believe in it. But I want to know the kind of mental state of someone who believes they're destined to live the rest of their life with the Joker.”

     You roll your eyes at his arrogant smirk reflecting off of the window. You’re holding a glass of wine in your hand and you lift it up to cover Damian’s silhouette with the red liquid, wondering if the rest of Gotham’s children are as bratty. Absolutely no appreciation for things that are ancient and sacred.

     It took another week before they caught the Joker. He proved to be a hard man to find when he’s not ready for showtime. The Bat had found him while setting up his next attack on the city. Bruce himself dragged him to the cell and made sure the reinforcements were still in place.

     You’re surprised Bruce even trusted you at all. You think that maybe he knew exactly what you were planning in the first place. That he felt he had no choice and it was better to play the ignorant fool and let you and the Court do the dirty work.

     The Clown is awake when you enter the cell with a gun in your hand. The moment his eyes land on you, you pull the trigger and shoot him in the head.

     His body slams against the side of the table and his head tips back but slowly he reels it back up again. His eyes go twice as wide as the bullet hole on his forehead. His pale bony fingers tap on his head and one makes its way into the hole. The Clown laughs hysterically as he flicks the bullet out.

     “The Fate sister was being literal,” you grumble, “We have to be in each other’s arms to age and die.”

     The Clown suddenly stops laughing and stares at you curiously. You watch his eyebrows move up and down. “You mean that oooold hag was telling the truth?” He takes a step closer to you with excitement pouring out of every muscle in his body. “If I kill you, I’ll live forever?”

     You glare straight into the madman’s eyes and he looks back. His pupils are dilated and roaming every muscle on your face. Looking for the lies. You’re ready to touch him, hold him and then pull the trigger again, when suddenly, he lowers his face and looks at you with bored eyes.

     “No, thanks, lady.”

     Your grip on the gun loosens but you quickly hold it still. The Clown turns around with his hands behind his back and starts looking at the interior of the cell like an invited guest.

     “Now, why would I want something as booooring as immortality?” He looks back at you with an angry expression. His lips upturned in distaste. “Where’s the punchline? Nobody likes a joke that takes too long.”

     “You… you want to die?”

     The Clown turns his whole body back to you with his arms spread out wide. The hole in his head is completely gone. “Of course! My greatest gig depends on it!” He starts hunching over the table and his hands act like they’re directing miniature pieces on a stage. “Me and the Bat under the moonlight, all of his so called ‘partners’ dead around him. And then finally he’ll kill me--” he turns to you, glaring, suddenly realizing that your link is an inconvenience. Then he rolls his eyes. “I suppose a third wheel could add some impact to the scene.”

     You stare at him dumbly. Unsure of what to think. You’ve lived all these years building up a city but to what end? To meet this psycho lunatic in front of you who is more infatuated with the Bat than anything else? This is your soulmate?

     No one knows anything about the Clown. Except you know he’s 18. He has been for years and has probably gone crazy because of it. He doesn’t know about the links, never knew that he should’ve been waiting for you. That there’s a future already planned for him.

     The Clown has taken steps toward you, eyeing the way you’ve held down your gun and are now staring mindlessly into his face.

     “So. Soulmate.” He peers down at you, so close that you can feel his breath on your skin. “How about a teeny tiny winsy favor? You know, for love’s sake.”

✧ ✧ ✧

     “You let him go.”

     Bruce, dressed as the Bat blocks your path back to your town car after a meeting. You cross your arms over your chest. “The Court doesn’t want him prisoner.”

     “The Court? Or you?” 

     You narrow your eyes at Bruce. You think he bugged the cell and heard every bit of your conversation with the Clown. You should have expected him to do so. But it’s not like it matters now. You turn away from him and check your cuticles.

     “It’s your game, Bruce. Yours and the Clown’s. I’m merely a spectator.”

     “I thought you cared about Gotham.”

     A vein along your neck twitches as you clench your teeth. After everything you’ve done for the city. After all the hours you’ve dedicated to its development, and all the hope you’ve handed out freely to its people, what has it given you? Madmen.

     “Gotham is my child,” you say sternly. “And just like any parent I need to let it learn to fend for itself.”

     Bruce gives you a long look and narrows his eyes. “You’re sick. You deserve each other,” he says before walking back into the shadows. 

     No, Bruce, you’re the one who’s sick. Sick and dying every day. Always striving to make every minute count, when they’re all just meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Meaningless because everything is already written.

     Unlike the Clown who’s writing his own destiny.

✧ Watchtower Masterlist ✧  

[voltrontranscript]

VLDS7E7: The Last Stand, Part 1

Season 7 Episode 7: The Last Stand, Part 1

Transcript by @dragonofyang

Episode Summary: The Paladins make their way back to Earth, but upon reaching out to Sam Holt, discover Earth’s distress beacon and that the Galra have invaded. We catch up with Sam and the technological developments on Earth since his return four years prior to the Paladins’ approach, and the trials Sam and Colleen face when in the heart of the Garrison.

[Google Doc]

Hunk: I can’t believe it. We’re finally back to Earth.

Keith: Well, what are we waiting for?

Pidge: I’ll see if I can get a message out to my dad. Dad, it’s me, Pidge. Do you copy? We’re back in Earth’s solar system, and heading home now.

Sam’s voice: To any beings who receive this message--

Pidge: Dad, you’re okay. How’s Mom and Matt? Is he with you?

Sam’s voice: Planet Earth has been… Most of the citizens…

Pidge: Hold on, let me try to get a clear signal.

Sam’s voice: ...have been captured.

Pidge: What? Who’s captured? Dad, what are you saying?

Sam’s voice: Those of us remaining are making our last stand. If you get this message, please get word to Voltron. We need help.

Keith: Guys, are you seeing this?

Sam’s voice: To any beings who receive this message…

Allura: Oh, no.

Sam’s voice: ...Planet Earth has been overrun by the Galra.

Lance: The Galra have invaded Earth.

Sam’s voice: Most of the citizens have been captured. Those of us remaining are making our last stand. If you get this message, please get word to Voltron. We need help.

Hunk: It’s not a reply. It’s a distress signal.

Pidge: Dad.

[Scene change to a flashback, labeled “Four years earlier…”.]

Sam: Admiral Sanda, how long have I--?

Sanda: It’s been about a week since you landed. Sorry, we’ve had you under for most of the time.

Sam: A week?

Sanda: We had to run tests. You spent years in an alien environment. Look, Sam, the joint chiefs are eager to hear what you have to tell us.

Sam: Tell the chiefs I’ll debrief when I’m ready. There’s someone I need to see first.

[Scene change to a lounge in the Galaxy Garrison.]

Colleen: Sam.

Sam: Colleen, I’ve missed you so much.

Colleen: I thought you were dead. I thought I’d never see you again.

Sam: You’re squeezing me pretty tight. Being abducted by aliens didn’t kill me, but I think you might.

Colleen: Aliens?

Sam: On the Kerberos mission. Matt, Shiro, and I were taken by hostile aliens.

Colleen: So Matt is with you?

Sam: No, but he’s alive and safe. So is Katie. They’re together. Last time I saw them, they were just outside the planet Olkarion. They saved me. There was a device on my pod, a transmitter. Where is it? I can use it to contact my children and the other Paladins, cadets.

Sanda: I’m afraid we can’t allow you to broadcast yet. We need more information before you start sending messages into deep space. Any contact with alien species needs to be run through the appropriate channels. We need to be sure you’re not putting Earth in danger, Sam.

Colleen: I don’t care about your channels. I want to talk to my children.

Sanda: And you will, soon. We just want to debrief you first.

Colleen: Tell them what you know, then we can talk to our children and get you home.

Sanda: I’m afraid we can’t allow Sam to leave the premises. We’re not prepared to tell the world about the existence of alien life just yet. Remember, everyone thinks you’re dead.

Sam: So you’re holding me like a prisoner?

Sanda: Not a prisoner. You’re free to move about within the Garrison grounds. Just until we’re ready.

Colleen: If he’s staying, I’m staying, too.

Sanda: I’m afraid you don’t have the clearance, Colleen.

Colleen: This is the only family I have left. You’ll get me the clearance.

[Scene change to a meeting room in the Galaxy Garrison.]

Iverson: Here’s what we know. Two years ago, during your Kerberos mission, our scans picked up an anomaly at your location. Minutes later, we lost contact with you and the rest of the crew. In the immediate aftermath, we intercepted a transmission.

Unnamed Galra Commander’s voice: We found these primitive scientists. I don’t think they know anything useful.

Zarkon’s voice: Take them back to the main fleet for interrogation. The Druids will find out what they know.

Sam: That last voice is Zarkon, the emperor of an advanced hostile alien race known as the Galra.

Unnamed officer: How advanced?

Unnamed officer 2: And how do you know they’re hostile?

Sam: Do you have the device I asked for? The one from my pod?

Sanda: Bring it to him.

Sam: Before I left, I downloaded as much information as I could from the Castle of Lions. For ten thousand years, Zarkon has been expanding his empire, conquering vast swaths of the universe and harnessing its quintessence in order to survive and maintain power.

Sanda: Quintessence?

Sam: It’s an energy generated by living beings.

Bearded officer: You mean certain alien beings?

Sam: No. Quintessence is within us all.

Bearded officer: Impossible. We’ve never come across anything like that.

Sam: Maybe because this is beyond the realm of what you think you know. Have you ever traveled faster than the speed of light? Have you ever seen a living creature bio-hack nature? Have you ever come face to face with an alien warlord who’s older than the entirety of human civilization? Well, I have. And I assure you, it’s all real. Following our abduction, Shiro, Matt, and I were taken by Galra scouts to the main fleet where we were interrogated. After that, we were split up. I spent the next year at a remote outpost, working alongside other captive scientists researching and creating new technologies to be used by the Galra. I later learned that Shiro and Matt had been sent to fight in the gladiator pits. Matt would’ve been killed, but Shiro, he saved my son’s life. Later, Matt was rescued from a work camp by alien rebels. He now works alongside them, fighting back against the Galra. During his time on Zarkon’s command ship, Shiro discovered that Zarkon was looking for a super weapon hidden on Earth. Shiro escaped to get the weapon first.

Iverson: That must be when Lieutenant Shirogane returned to Earth.

Sam: That’s right.

Iverson: Following Garrison protocol, we placed Lieutenant Takeshi Shirogane under mandatory quarantine, but he managed to escape with the aid of several Garrison cadets. We later found out the one known as Pidge Gunderson was your daughter, Katie Holt, who had illegally enrolled in the cadet program under an assumed identity. The following day, the Blue Lion appeared on our radars. Long-range sensors tracked the UFO to the edge of our solar system traveling at speeds we’ve never achieved. It disappeared along with the ship. That was the last activity we had until your pod arrived on Earth a month ago.

Glasses officer: So that Blue Lion, that was the super weapon?

Sam: Part of it. The super weapon is known as Voltron. It’s made up of five mechanical lions. As fate would have it, when Shiro crashed on Earth, those same Garrison students that got him out of quarantine became the pilots, or Paladins, of the five lions of Voltron. The Paladins are doing everything they can to protect the universe from the Galra. But we must begin to bolster Earth’s defenses now, or we do not stand a chance. War is coming.

Iverson: So this Zarkon, you think he’ll attack Earth?

Sam: No. Zarkon is dead, but the Galra Empire is not stopping. There are factions fighting for control and looking to dominate their own sections of the universe. Without a clear leader, things are worse than before.

Iverson: So what do we do?

Sam: We hold a conference and announce what we know to the world.

Sanda: Absolutely not.

Sam: They need to know. And if we can bring the world’s top minds together, it might mean the difference--

Sanda: If we told the world there was an imminent attack, we’d set off a global panic.

Sam: But there will be an attack.

Sanda: When? How will the attack happen? Is there a plan to stop it? None of these things have been discussed. None of these things have been thought through, and until they are, we’re not going to be responsible for sending the world into disarray.

Sam: If you would allow me to contact Katie and the Paladins right now, we could begin to answer those questions.

Sanda: Very well.

Sam: This is Sam Holt calling the Paladins of Voltron. I’m on Earth. Please respond. Pidge, this is Dad. Come in.

Colleen: Katie, it’s your mom. Are you there?

Sam: The transmission’s not being received. There might be interference. We need to keep trying.

Sanda: We can have someone send out regular transmissions around the clock until we hear from them. But in the meantime, we stay quiet.

Sam: Very well, but we should at least begin preparations.

Iverson: We already have.

[Cut to an elevator in the Galaxy Garrison.]

Iverson: We’ve been studying the ship that Shiro crash landed in for the last year, and we’ve begun research on the ship you arrived in. We thought the technology would be exactly the same, but that’s not the case.

Sam: That’s because one is Galran and the other Altean, created by two different alien species. So, did you get it airborne?

Iverson: Unfortunately, no. We got the nav system and other instruments turned on by powering them externally, but the power it would take to fly them is unsustainable.

Sam: Hmm. The crystal must have been damaged on entry if you couldn’t power it.

Sanda: Crystal?

Sam: It’s the main energy source for most alien spacecraft. If you haven’t been able to get it running, then what have you been doing with it?

Sanda: We created a simulator based on the controls so that when we figure out how to integrate the tech into our own ships, we’ll be ready to fly.

Iverson: Commander Holt, I’d like to introduce you to the best pilots to come out of the Galaxy Garrison in the last year. These are officers Griffin, Rizavi, Kinkade, and Leifsdottir. They’re young, but their ability to adapt to new flying techniques is a step above.

Griffin: On behalf of my squadron, it’s an honor to meet you, sir.

Iverson: I’ve got them running drills in the simulator five days a week. They can take just about anything you can throw at them.

Sam: Good. Now it’s time to get them out of the simulator and flying these things for real.

Rizavi: But they aren’t working, sir.

Sam: Then we better get them working.

[Scene change to outside the Galaxy Garrison.]

Griffin: No way.

Rizavi: When can we fly them, sir?

Sam: You’re gonna be flying ships much faster and much more maneuverable than this in no time.

Rizavi: Sir?

Sam: This is just an Altean shuttle pod. The engine and functions are extremely basic. If we’re going to defend the planet against the Galra, we’re going to need better ships.

[Scene change to the Galaxy Garrison meeting room.]

Sam: When I was enslaved by the Galra, I was forced to work on technologies that are a hundred times more complex than a simple pod. And after I regrouped with the Paladins, I continued learning alongside the Olkari, some of the most amazing engineers I’ve ever had the honor to work with. They taught me everything I know about integrating technologies. These are Altean schematics. We’re gonna use these to upgrade our weapons, build new ships, and create a defense for Earth. Engineers will be in charge of salvaging what they can from the pods. Repurposing parts is of the utmost importance. Our pilots must get out of the simulators and into real ships powered by crystal technology if they hope to stand a chance against Galran battle tactics. It’s gonna be a steep learning curve, but I know they’ll get it. The Garrison will become the epicenter of technological advances beyond what this world has ever seen. In the meantime, we will continue our attempts to contact Matt and the Paladins. It’s imperative that we find out what’s happening beyond our galaxy. There is a war coming, and we need to be prepared.

[Scene change to another flashback, labeled “One year later…”.]

Griffin: Sorry, guess I’m too quick.

Rizavi: Not for my micro-pulse boosters!

Sam: How’s the response time compared to the previous generation?

Rizavi: Instantaneous, sir. It’s like it knows what I wanna do before I think it.

Iverson: It’s amazing what you’ve done in just over a year.

Sam: We’ve done it together.

Unnamed female officer: Sir, you’re needed in the communications room immediately.

[Scene change to the Garrison’s communications room.]

Colleen: It’s Matt. He contacted us.

Matt: Mom, is that Dad?

Colleen: He just got here.

Sam: Matt, are you okay? I’ve been trying to contact you and Katie for months. Where are you? What’s going on?

Matt: So, you didn’t hear yet?

Sam: Hear what?

Matt: Mom, Dad, no one has seen or heard from the Paladins in the last six months.

Colleen: No…

Sam: Katie… What happened?

Matt: No one is really sure. There are rumors that Voltron fought Lotor, then they just disappeared.

Sam: So, they could still be alive.

Matt: No one knows. But, Dad, listen to me. You need to stop broadcasting from Earth. Members of the Blade of Marmora and the Voltron Coalition are being hunted. Our army has been all but wiped out. The situation is bad out here, and the last thing we need is to put Earth in danger.

Sam: But how will I get ahold of you?

Matt: I have to go. I’ll contact you when I’m safe. I love you both.

[Scene change to Admiral Sanda’s office.]

Sam: It’s time. We need to tell the rest of the world the situation.

Sanda: Sam, I’m sorry to hear about your daughter, but we can’t get off course.

Sam: If we want to finish the IGF-ATLAS, we need more resources and more manpower. The world needs to come together so that we can take the fight to the Galra.

Sanda: You’re too emotional right now and you’re not thinking straight. We’re not building ships to go fight aliens in different galaxies.

Sam: But they need us!

Sanda: The citizens of Earth need us.

Sam: And yet you refuse to tell them the truth!

Iverson: Maybe we should talk about this later.

Sanda: We can talk later, but my decision will be the same. We’re not telling the people of Earth, and we’re not fighting in someone else’s war.

[Scene change to the Holt’s private quarters.]

Colleen: They’re gonna be okay.

Sam: They will be okay because they’re strong just like their mother.

Colleen: We’ve gotta do something. We can’t just sit here while our children are in danger.

Sam: We’re doing everything we can with the limited personnel we have.

Colleen: Then we’ll get more personnel and more resources. The admiral is making decisions for the rest of the world. I say let them make decisions for themselves.

Sam: You wanna tell the world? The repercussions could be serious. They could kick us out of the Garrison.

Colleen: It’s risky, but that ship may never get done otherwise. And I’ll do whatever it takes to see my kids again.

Sam: Okay.

[Cut to Sam and Colleen walking into the communications hub.]

Sam: You’re sure you wanna do this?

Colleen: I’m sure.

Sam: Alright, I’ll be broadcasting on every channel. You ready?

Colleen: Citizens of Earth, my name is Colleen Holt. I am the wife of famed astronaut, Sam Holt, and mother of Matt Holt. Two years ago, it was believed that they died during a deep space mission. That was a lie. My husband, along with his crew, were abducted by an alien race known as the Galra, a fact that was covered up by the Galaxy Garrison.

[Cut to Admiral Sanda’s office.]

Unnamed soldier: Admiral, you need to see this. They’re broadcasting on every channel.

Colleen: A year ago, my husband returned to Earth, but the Garrison forced him to stay in hiding.

Sanda’s voice: I’m afraid we can’t allow Sam to leave the premises. We’re not prepared to tell the world about the existence of alien life just yet.

Sam: But I refuse to stay hidden any longer. We desperately need your help. Not every alien species is friendly, and Planet Earth must be protected. Here at the Garrison, we’ve been working on creating advanced ships and weaponry.

Sanda: Get the rest of the guards.

Colleen: The footage you are about to see is real.

Sam: These are the Galra. If they find Earth, they will attack, and we must be prepared.

Griffin: Huh. Guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh?

Colleen: But there are those that have spent years protecting us. They are the Paladins of Voltron, and they come from Earth.

Hunk: Ugh, I can’t wait to be back home. I’m not really sure when that’ll be, but when I get there, I really want Uncle Filo to make some of his amazing pork lau lau. I can almost taste it now.

Lance: Hi, Mom, hi, Dad. It’s me, Lance. I’m here in outer space somewhere. I, um, uh, don’t really know what to say. Uh, I miss you guys. I miss you guys a lot.

Pidge: Mom, I’m so sorry I left without saying goodbye. I think of you every day.

Colleen: Now is the time to come together. To protect our world, we must be united under one cause.

Sanda: Override the lock. Lock them up.

Iverson: For what?

Sanda: For divulging top secret information.

Sam: Now, now, Admiral. Don’t get emotional.

Sanda: You disregarded a direct order.

Sam: You held me at the Garrison against my will. You lied about my death. You wanna control every situation, but face it. You can’t. The world needed to know this, and now that they do, it will be better for us. Right now, the world needs a leader that’s not afraid to face facts and you’re not it.

Sanda: And you think you are?

Sam: Yes.

Sanda: Get these traitors out of here.

Iverson: Stop. If Sam goes, I go too.

Glasses officer: Admiral Sanda, calls are coming in from all over the world. Citizens want to know how they can help. It’s incredible.

Sam: It worked.

[Scene change to the desert outside of the Galaxy Garrison.]

Sam: That’s the last one.

Griffin: Think it’ll work?

Sam: Well, particle barriers are tricky, but if my calculations are right, these just might act as a perimeter. What’s that?

Griffin: I don’t know. I didn’t think we were doing any test flights today.

Sam: They’re here. Activate the particle barrier immediately.

Woman: Are you sure, sir? We haven’t run diagnostics--

Sam: Do it, now!

End.

[bellakitse]

i found a home in you

For @manesalex

Molly, happy birthday my love, I hope you had the greatest day. You are simply fantastic, I hope you like this.

Weeks after the shed incident, Alex is living with Rosa and Arturo and working in the Crashdown waiting tables. He tries to keep his distance from Michael, which proves difficult with Michael working in the kitchen of the diner, not to mention the fact that he's hopelessly in love with the boy.

* Alex finds the family he needs in Michael, Rosa, and Arturo.

Warings: mentions of child abuse and panic attacks

8.4K

Alex Manes walks away from the tourist family at his section of the café with the practiced smile he has for the alien nuts that like to invade their town in the summer. Alex likes working at the Crashdown; it isn’t exactly what he planned to do right after high school, but he gets to work with one of his best friends, his pay and tips are decent, and Arturo is a good boss that treats him with the fatherly kindness he’s never gotten from his own father.

Thinking of Jesse leaves him frowning, his fist closing around his notepad as his shoulders tighten. It’s been weeks since he’s seen his father, rationally, he knows he’s not going to see the man anytime soon. Not after what he did to Michael in the shed and not after Alex finally worked up the nerve to file an official police report with Sheriff Valenti, the fresh bruises and belt marks on his body as proof of the abuse. And while the law hasn't done much to punish Jesse Manes, word of him beating his son for being gay had spread around the town like wildfire, the scandal enough for the man to take a post at a new Air Force base hundreds of miles away from Roswell.

“What’s with the upside-down smile, punk?”

Alex looks over at Rosa, losing his scowl as a smile takes over. She looks better with every day that passes, more like the old Rosa; before the drinking and the drugs took control of her life. Her smile is carefree and happy, instead of the veneer she would slap on her face to hide the turmoil inside her.

He’s grateful for that.

For having his friend back, especially now when his own life is a mess. He feels guilty in his private moments for laying his troubles on her, on the Ortecho family as a whole. After reporting his father to the authorities, he didn’t have anywhere to go. High school was over, his plans up in the air, and he wasn’t welcomed in his home, not that he had ever been welcomed to begin with.

Maria was dealing with Mimi’s declining health, Liz had her bags packed and one smitten Max Evans waiting to see the country with her. She offered to stay for him, but he couldn’t do that to her, so he hugged her tight and asked for postcards. He was sure he would be alone, but instead, Rosa had come to the rescue like his pseudo big sister. She was the one who decided Alex should move in with her and her father. He’d been sure that Arturo would say no to Alex sharing a room with Rosa. Gay or not, it was still a boy in his daughter’s bedroom. But the man had just smiled that gentle smile of his and said he would appreciate it if Alex moved in to help Rosa with her recovery. Like Alex was doing him a favor, instead of the older man saving him from being homeless.

“Earth to Alex, come in, Alex.”

Alex rears his head back, the antennas on his head swaying back and forth with the movement. Rosa looks up at them, smirking the same way she does every time she sees them on his head. When Arturo offered him a job to go along with a place in his home, Rosa had insisted that he wear the headgear since there wasn’t a men’s version of the uniform she and Liz wore. Alex wasn’t bothered by it, the uniform and visor he wore for the UFO emporium was more ridiculous than a white headband with two blue balls at the end.

“Sorry,” he shakes his head as he puts his order in the queue, ringing the bell for the cook's attention. “Got a little lost in thought there,” he continues as he starts to make the first milkshake that goes with the order.

Rosa gives him a nod as she looks at the order, pulling out another glass. Alex gives her a grateful smile as she starts to make the other shake. He rings the bell again when no one appears at the cook's window.

“Where the hell is Roberto?” he asks as he adds the chocolate chip mint to the shake.

“He called out; his wife finally went into labor this morning,” Rosa tells him.

“Then who’s-” he starts to ask, but she shoots him an almost apologetic look. He knows better than to buy it though.

Rosa doesn’t actually feel bad about this. She thinks she’s helping by forcing them to interact. “Rosa,” he sighs tiredly, shaking his head.

“It’s not like you can keep dodging the guy, Alex,” she answers, rolling her eyes at him, letting him know once again what she thinks about his avoidance. “He works here.”

“I don’t dodge him,” Alex argues, silently calling himself a liar, that's precisely what he’s been doing since Michael showed up two weeks ago asking Arturo for a job because his hours at the junkyard had been cut. “He works here,” he throws her words back at her childishly. “I give him my orders, he cooks them. No dodging, I’ll prove it to you.” He continues and rings the bell two more times.

“Guerin! Order up, two lunar lunch specials; one beam me up burger with a side of chili orbit rings and an order of take-off tacos,” Alex rattles off the order, proud that his voice doesn’t waver when the boy appears at the small kitchen window where the food gets pass to them. His curls are even wilder from the heat of the kitchen, just begging for Alex to run his hands through them, but Alex doesn’t get to do that anymore. No, Alex doesn’t get to touch Michael Guerin, not after what his father did to the boy.

“Did you get that, or do you need me to repeat it?”

Michael raises an eyebrow at his tone, looking at him with the same tender amusement he's been showing him since he stepped into the cafe, instead of the anger Alex deserves.

Alex can’t begin to understand it. His eyes stray to Michael’s left hand as it rests on the windowsill; the way it always does when he's around the boy, a constant reminder of the pain he has caused Michael. After weeks, it’s healed. If you can call the crooked fingers and still pink puckered skin healed. After his father had finished beating the crap out of him, Alex had gone to find Michael, begged him to go to the hospital to treat his hand. The boy’s refusal, the way his eyes had widened, full of fear, more than the ache of his own body, had been the final push that took him to Sheriff Valenti’s office. He would protect Michael from Jesse Manes, the way he hadn’t been able to in the shed. That was the last time they spoke about anything real. Now it was just lunch specials.

“Good afternoon, Michael,” Michael starts with a playful smile, his honey-colored eyes crinkling at the corners. “Nice of you to fill in for Roberto as he waits to greet his new spawn into the world, Michael. You look great today, Michael,” he continues, a pleased smirk on his face when Alex rolls his eyes. “Why thank you, Alex. You look good too, as usual.”

Alex scowls both at the boy and himself for the pleasure Michael’s flirting gives him. He doesn’t deserve Michael’s attention, his smile, or his warm looks. That was something from before. These days all Alex deserves is his derision. Michael doesn’t seem to want to get with the program though, and continues to act like nothing has changed between them. Like his father didn’t just take a hammer at his hand, but also the potential of their love story. Shattering it into pieces before it had a chance to grow.

Alex stares at him silently with a raised eyebrow, waiting the boy out. After a moment longer, Michael gives in and with a sigh, grabs the order slip, and heads back into the kitchen. Once he's out of sight, Alex drops the hard look, his chest losing the tightness it feels whenever Michael is around him.

"I love you, Alex," Rosa starts as she places the finished milkshake on his tray. "But you’re an idiot."

"Rosa-"

"You are accomplishing nothing by keeping that boy at arm's length," she continues, steamrolling pass anything he can begin to say. "You care about him, he cares about you, and this cold shoulder act you are putting on does nothing but hurt you both."

"It keeps him safe," Alex protests, already tired and once again kicking himself for having confessed to her everything that happened between him and Michael. "Besides I don't de-"

"You say the word deserve one more time," Rosa hisses, her eyes flashed at him, pissed off. "I dare you."

“I don’t deserve him,” Alex hisses back, annoyed. “Not after what happened, what I did to him-“

“What your father did,” she cuts in, the frustration evident in her voice. “What Jesse did, when are you going to get it through your head that you aren’t responsible for what Jesse Manes does, Alex? The guy is a monster and an asshole, and that has nothing to do with you!” she shouts, causing more than one head to turn their way.

Alex takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly past his lips; he does it again just the way he remembers reading on a site about handling anxiety. “We’re not talking about this anymore,” he says quietly. “And we’re definitely not talking about it here,” he continues when it looks like Rosa wants to argue. He takes the shakes they finished making and walks away, feeling her eyes, along with another pair from the kitchen on his back.

The rest of his shift passes in a quiet blur, Rosa doesn’t talk to him more than necessary, not angry but also not in the mood and it’s fine with Alex, he doesn’t have anything to say himself. Intellectually he knows she has a point. His father is hateful, homophobic and abusive, Alex isn’t the reason he’s those things, he’s the target. That doesn’t change the guilt he carries every day on his shoulders. A series of what-if run through his head, What if he had just been straight? What if he hadn’t been so brazen with his taste and had used some discretion until he was far away from Roswell? What if he had never invited Michael to the shed? What if he had never fallen for the boy in the first place? He thinks about all these what-ifs often, but it’s the last one that he can’t regret even knowing the outcome.

He loves Michael, it’s his one truth, and while it causes him a dull ache underneath his ribcage, it also sparks a warmth that starts in his belly and spreads outward, warming him down to his toes.

“I was thinking of going to group tonight,” Rosa says quietly, coming to stand next to him behind the counter after hours of keeping her distance, the Café all but empty as the sun starts to set, it’s never hectic on Tuesday nights.

Alex gives her a nod. “Okay.”

“Dad is out, and I’m supposed to help you close,” she continues, fidgeting with her hands. A sign of her nervous energy, Rosa gets like that sometimes, and the best thing for her is to go and talk it out.

“Go to group,” Alex cuts in, knowing what she’s getting at. “Guerin,” he starts, clearing his throat, his palm suddenly sweaty at the thought of spending time alone with Michael. “Guerin and I can close, this place is dead on Tuesdays anyway.”

Rosa bites down on her bottom lip and shifts from foot to foot. “Are you sure?” she asks, her question a whisper. “I don’t want to force the issue, and I’m sorry about earlier-“

He stops her by placing a hand on her shoulder, and she looks up at him, he’s not sure when he got taller than her. Knowing Rosa since they were kids, the older girl had always seemed like a giant with her larger than life personality. But in reality, she is so tiny, barely reaching his shoulders. He tugs her softly and chuckles as she slams her small frame into his, her arms circling his waist as he wraps his arms around her.

“I’m sorry,” she repeats, mumbling against his shirt. “I hate arguing with you.”

He lets out a small amused huff. “I hate it too. I’m sorry.”

She pulls back to look up at him, her hands come up to frame his face, a thumb brushing under his eye, cleaning his slightly smudged eyeliner. “I want you to be happy, punk.”

He swallows through the lump of emotion that catches at his throat. “I know,” he whispers, hugging her once more.

Leaning back, he brushes away one of the locks of hair framing her face. "Go to the group," He repeats with a smile. "And I'll have a movie and popcorn ready for when you come back," he tells her, knowing Rosa always needs something mindless and straightforward to do after she ends an NA meeting.

"Nothing romantic," Rosa warns, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "I know what a sap you actually are, Manes, the emo punk aesthetic doesn't fool me."

Alex rolls his eyes. "Something scary and gory just how you like it, weirdo."

"I'll let you hide your face in my shoulder at the really scary parts," She promises, grinning up at him.

"My hero," He says dryly.

Rosa laughs, her eyes bright, and like always, it soothes something deep inside Alex.

"Okay, let me go upstairs to change."

"Go," He says, giving her a small nudge. "I'll tell Guerin he's stuck with me for the evening."

"Yeah, he'll hate that," Rosa mutters sarcastically as she passes him, dodging his hand when he reaches out to poke her.

"Meddler,” he murmurs, shaking his head. He lets out a breath giving himself a moment before he calls out to Michael to let him know the change of plans.

“Gue-“ he starts as he turns towards the kitchen window, jumping back when he finds that Michael is already standing there. “Jesus, fuck!” he startles. “Do you need a bell? Make some noise, Guerin!”

Michael looks at him innocently, even as a small twitch at the corner of his lips betrays him. Alex narrows his eyes. “Were you just standing there listening to us?”

“No,” Michael drags out, blinking at him slowly.

“That’s really convincing, Guerin, seriously,” Alex rolls his eyes. “We’re closing alone tonight.”

Michael nods with a happy smile that makes something in Alex hurt.

“You start shutting down the kitchen, and I’ll work out here, okay?” he says quickly, taking a step away from him before he does something stupid like reach out and touch him.

Michael’s smile dims a bit at his dismissal, that familiar ache inside of Alex flares up.

“Sure, Alex,” Michael says quietly, turning around to head back into the kitchen, and Alex has to bite his tongue to keep from calling out to him. Instead, he sighs deeply and calls himself an idiot, the voice in his head sounds suspiciously like Rosa’s.

Pushing it aside, he gets back to work, it’s a little past nine, there’s only one customer left, and they close in an hour. He starts wiping down tables on the left side of the café, flipping chairs as he goes.

All the while, he’s lost in thought, Rosa’s words playing back at him along with Michael's reaction every time he pushes him away. He knows he's not being fair to the boy. By keeping him at arm's length to keep him safe from the shit that is Alex’s life, he’s also hurting Michael. He can see it in the way his smiles drop, the way his eyes shutter when Alex dismisses him.

I want you to be happy, punk.

He shakes his head, his happiness is standing in the back of the café probably feeling like shit because of Alex. He lets out another heavy sigh, not knowing what to do, everything inside him screams to keep Michael safe, while also telling him that if he doesn’t hold on to Michael, he’ll never be happy.

“That’s too deep a sigh for sweeping the floor.”

Alex looks up at the comment to find Michael behind the counter emptying out the coffee pots. “You can’t be done with the kitchen already.”

Michael raises an eyebrow at him and then looks meaningfully at the clock above his head, Alex follows his gaze to see that it’s almost ten. Somehow nearly an hour has passed while he’s been thinking, and he hasn’t gotten very far in his part of the cleanup. He looks over to the table where his last customer had been eating, finding an empty table with dirty plates and cash next to it.

He didn’t even notice when the customer left.

“Sorry,” he starts, looking back at Michael, who is watching him concerned. “Guess I got lost in thought. I’ll speed it up.”

Michael shrugs, moving on to the sugar dispensers, lining them up to fill them. “I don’t mind helping you out. I still need to get those last plates into the dishwasher.”

“I’ll take them,” he says quickly, placing the broom in his hand against a booth. “You stay here, and I’ll be back.”

Michael watches him again, saying nothing as he nods.

Alex takes the last of the dirty plates before heading to the back. Everything is put away and wiped down. The dishwasher is ready to go like Michael said, he works fast, especially for a guy with a busted hand, he thinks grimly. Placing the dishes in the dishwasher, Alex starts the machine, the sound of it oddly soothing as he takes a deep breath, psyching himself up to go back outside and be alone with Michael.

He’s in the middle of it when he hears the first strums of a familiar song, smiling to himself as Counting Crows’ Mrs. Potters Lullaby starts to play. He heads back into the front of the café to find Michael wiping down the counter with a smile on his face as he looks down.

Alex stares at him, watching as his smile seemed to grow the longer Alex stands there, finally he looks up at Alex with a sweet grin.

“Why?” he questions, feeling a reluctant smile take over his face.

“Because it always makes you happy to hear it,” Michael answers quietly, the softness of his expression makes Alex’s breath catch.

“It’s really Rosa’s song, she’s just made sure we all love it,” he tells him, thinking of how many times the older girl has made him, Liz and Maria dance to the song. “She’s convinced that it can cure anything.”

Michael raises an eyebrow at him, and Alex finds himself shaking his head even before Michael starts moving. The curly-haired boy doesn’t pay him any mind and instead starts two-footing as he comes around the counter towards the open space next to the jukebox. Michael is a mess of uncoordinated limbs as he white-boy dances to the song, he extends his hand out to Alex silently asking him to join him. Alex shakes his head again, but he can’t help the small noise that escapes his lips as Michael shakes his hips, bopping his head from side to side, singing along with the song.

“You’re so bad at this, Guerin,” Alex laughs helplessly at the ridiculous picture Michael makes, he’s a horrible dancer and Alex isn’t sure how much it’s lack of rhythm and how much it’s Michael playing it up to make him laugh.

“Like you can do any better,” Michael challenges, giving his shoulders a little shimmy that makes Alex wheeze.

“Better than you,” he gets out through his laugh.

“Put up or shut up, Manes.”

Alex stops laughing and looks at Michael, while his words are a playful dare, there is a hopeful pleading look in Michael’s eyes that makes Alex press his hand against his chest to relieve the pressure he feels.

It’s that hopeful look, and the need not to crush it that has Alex moving towards him, his breath catching when Michael gives him a smile so bright, it’s blinding.

He comes to stand in front of him, about two feet away as he starts to dance with the boy. It’s awkward at first, and he’s stiffer than he would like, earning him a mocking look from Michael that has him rolling his eyes as he starts to loosen up.

‘Hey, Mrs. Potter don't go,’ Michael sings softly, his eyes crinkling at the corners when Alex sings the next line.

Caught up in the song, it takes Alex by surprise when he feels Michael’s body brush against his. Michael looks at him from under his eyelashes, biting down on his lip as he watches him for a moment before resting his hands on Alex’s waist.

“Okay?” he asks hesitantly, his touch feather-light, giving Alex no resistance if he wants to step out of his hold.

After weeks of denying himself and Michael, he can’t bring himself to step away, he hurts with the need to have Michael close.

Michael lets out a shaky breath and pulls him closer, while Alex rests his hands on Michael's shoulder. The song’s beat is a touch too fast for a slow dance, but neither mind as they turn in a slow circle, swaying to the music.

“If we had danced at prom, it would have been like this,” Michael says quietly, his hands holding Alex’s waist.

Alex looks at him and can’t help but be surprised by the comment. “You wanted to dance with me at prom?”

Michael lets out a huff. “I wanted more than a dance. I wanted to take you. Take cheesy pictures with you and drink watered-down punch.”

Alex laughs softly, his pulse ticking up when Michael pulls him even closer still, his body pressed against Alex’s.

“And then at some point, I would have convinced you to sneak out of the gym with me and go by the football field’s bleachers and-,” Michael trails off, the smirk on his face sly, probably a result of the blush spreading across Alex’s face.

“And what? Gotten your dick sucked?” Alex asks, the question backfiring as he pictures it. He’s had Michael’s dick in his mouth, and he remembers just how much he liked it.

“Hey,” Michael complains, though his eyes are dancing with amusement. “I would have been a gentleman. It would have been just second base at the most. You can’t blame me for that, you looked really hot that night.”

Alex shakes his head as he looks down to hide his smile, letting out a breathless sound when Michael reaches up, cupping his jaw to tip his face back up.

“Guerin,” he sighs, not sure if he’s asking him to stop or to close the gap between them.

“I miss you,” Michael murmurs back. “I see you all the time, and I miss you, Alex.”

“I miss you too,” he confesses, defenseless to do anything but tell the truth.

Michael lets out a shaky breath before leaning in to press his forehead against his. “Don’t push me away,” he whispers, the pleading tone in his voice has Alex nodding absently as he gets lost in Michael’s honey-colored eyes.

He feels the brush of Michael’s lips against his just as the door to the Crashdown swings open, the bell above it ringing loudly, causing them to spring apart as Rosa walks into the diner.

“I’m back losers!” she’s already calling out, stopping short when she spots them. They’re not holding each other anymore, but they’re closer than she’s seen them before, which is probably why she raises an eyebrow at them.

“Hey,” he breathes, turning to face her, he feels Michael a step behind him, and he finds himself trying to take a calming breath when he feels Michael’s hand on the small of his back.

“Was your meeting okay?” Michael asks Rosa with a friendly smile on his face, though Alex spots his jaw clenched in frustration, and he has to bite down on his lip to keep from making a sound when Michael's hand caresses him. Knowing that Michael still wants him even after everything that’s happened between them, stirs something hot in Alex’s belly.

Rosa nods, her eyes locked on the lack of space between them. “The meeting went fine, the usual hits: don’t do drugs, one day at a time, and we finished with the traditional kumbaya,” she answers with a roll of her eyes, her usual attitude toward narcotics anonymous even though she admits it helps. “Is closing going okay?

Alex turns to Michael and finds his eyes already on him. “Yeah,” he says after a moment, getting a smile for it. “Pretty good.”

“Better than good,” Michael says softly, and it takes everything in Alex not to press himself into his side.

Rosa makes a noise at the back of her throat, making Alex turn from Michael to look back at her, blushing when he spots the smirk tugging on her lips. “Well, great, finish up. You promised me a scary movie, Manes,” she says, turning away as she heads for the stairs that lead to the second floor, leaving them alone.

Alex takes a breath before turning back to Michael, gasping when Michael is right there, pressing his lips against his. Alex moans into it, his fingers finding Michael’s curls as Michael kisses him soft and slow, holding him like he’s something precious.

The kiss doesn’t last long, but after weeks of not tasting Michael, it’s everything.

“You have no idea how hard it’s been not to do that,” Michael whispers against his cheek.

“Trust me, I know,” Alex tells him.

Michael smiles at him as he pulls back. “I should go, you have a movie to get to.”

Alex nods, he knows Rosa is probably upstairs waiting to grill him on the sudden shift in their behavior. “You could stay and watch the movie with us?”

Michael's smile grows. “This is the first time in weeks you’ve let me get close to you,” he starts, holding up his hand when Alex opens his mouth. “I get why, Alex,” he continues quietly, looking down at his battered hand. “My point is, now that you’ve let me kiss you again, if I go upstairs, we’re not watching a movie.”

Alex's body clenches at Michael’s words and the images they invoke.

“And something tells me Rosa would not be happy sitting next to us as I spent the night kissing you.”

Michael steps into his space again, brushing his mouth against the corner of Alex’s. “Go spent time with your friend, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he raises his hand, his thumb caressing Alex’s cheek. “We’ll talk then, okay?”

Alex nods silently, getting another smile from Michael before he heads towards the door. “Good night Alex.”

*

“Come on,” Rosa groans, poking at him as they sit at the counter of the diner waiting for Arturo to come out of the kitchen with their churro pancakes.

It’s his favorite thing about living with them. Every Saturday before they open the café, Arturo makes them breakfast to catch up on the week past. It’s a tradition that warms his heart, Rosa likes to roll her eyes at him, but Liz told him before she left how much Rosa secretly loves them.

“No.”

“Tell me,” Rosa pouts at him, asking him for the third time this morning. He lost count of how many times she asked the night before as they watched The Ring. Finally stopping when she fell asleep mid-movie, while Alex stayed awake, half freaked out by the horror film, half thinking about Michael and their kiss.

“Nothing to tell,” he answers as he pours himself some orange juice, shaking the carton in Rosa’s face before pouring her a glass too.

Rosa gives him a disbelieving look. “I walked into tension you could cut with a knife, so don’t tell me that was nothing.”

“Rosa,” Alex sighs loudly, rolling his eyes when she just continues, ignoring him.

“Not to mention that you're in love with him, so it’s never nothing between you and Guerin.”

“Michael?”

Alex freezes at the voice, turning in his stool to find Arturo on the other side of the counter, balancing three plates of pancakes. Alex watches as the older man places the plates in front of them with a small frown on his face. He glances at Rosa out of the corner of his eye, as she bites down on her bottom lip, looking apologetic at him.

“Yes,” he says quietly, watching the man for a reaction.

“Are you two dating?” Arturo questions, his voice doesn’t give anything away, and it puts Alex on edge that he can’t read the man’s thoughts on the subject. Instinctively he knows Arturo is nothing like his father, but he still can’t help the sliver of fear that runs down his spine.

He looks back at Rosa, letting out a breath when she places a supportive hand over his, taking another breath he turns back to Arturo.

“It’s complicated,” he starts, gripping Rosa’s fingers when Rosa squeezes his hand. “Michael is the reason my dad beat me up the last time. He found me with Michael, shattered his hand, and then punished me for being with him.”

Arturo curses in Spanish, shaking his head, his kind face twisted in anger, which Alex quickly realizes with relief is targeted at his father. “You’re father is an asshole, mijo.”

Alex lets out a startled laugh that grows as Rosa nods emphatically.

“And Michael?” Arturo questions again, in that gentle way of his. “You have feelings for him?”

Alex licks his lips nervously, meeting the other man’s brown eyes, finding nothing but support. “I love him.”

Rosa lets out a short excited scream at his side while Arturo smiles at both of them, reaching out to place his hand on Alex’s like Rosa had done before.

“He’s a nice boy, I like him,” he tells him, his eyes twinkling as the corner of his mouth quirks up. “Handsome too.”

“Papi!” Rosa screeches, laughing loudly, slapping her hand on the counter as she holds her stomach. “You’re going to break Alex’s brain!” she exclaims, making Arturo laugh, obviously amused.

Alex stares at the man in awe, not knowing how to answer, he doesn’t even notice the tears that escape his eyes until Rosa makes a worried noise.

“Alex, sweetie?” she questions, alarmed.

Alex sniffles, running the back of his hand under his nose. “Sorry,” he croaks out, the tears coming out faster the more he wants them to stop. “I'm ridiculous. I just-,” he takes a breath to try and get himself under control. “I just never thought I could talk about this with-“ he trails off, waving his hand in Arturo’s direction, who is looking at him so concerned, it springs fresh tears to his eyes.

“To a dad?” Rosa questions with a small smile, looking at her dad before looking back at Alex. “Liz and I don’t mind sharing him with you, right, Papi?”

Alex lets out a wet laugh as Arturo nods.

“I’d like that,” he whispers, his words causing Arturo to move. He comes around the counter to their side until he’s standing in front of Alex, opening his arms for him.

He looks back at Rosa, who gives him a simple shrug. “When one of us cries, Papi hugs it out. Like churro pancakes, these are the rules of the house.”

Alex laughs again, barely getting out of his seat before Arturo wraps his arms around him. He can’t remember the last time Jesse hugged him, if he ever did, he never held him this tightly.

“There’s nothing wrong with your love, Alex,” he says softly in his ear, his hand cupping the back of his neck. “You know that, right?”

Alex pulls back to look at the man who has offered him more kindness than his own blood and finds that he means what he says, nodding when the man looks at him for assurance. “I’m starting to get that.”

Arturo smiles, pulling him back into a hug that Alex happily returns, his eyes stinging when he feels Rosa hug him from behind, he throws an arm back squeezing her as best he can, Arturo too, silently thanking them for being them.

*

It’s past noon, the café is half-full, and Alex is behind the counter settling someone's bill. He’s not lingering there because Michael keeps finding reasons to stick his head through the kitchen window to say something or just flash him a smile. It has nothing to do with that, no matter how many knowing looks Rosa shoots his way as she moves around the café.

He hears Michael moving around in the kitchen, and has to stop himself from peeking in. Arturo is back there with him fixing some loose shelves, and the last thing he needs is for the man to catch him mooning over his cook no matter how nice he was this morning about everything.

He blushes as he thinks of the grin Arturo, and Rosa sent his way earlier when Michael walked in for his shift. The pleasure he felt at Michael’s soft ‘hey’ and even sweeter smile, obvious to both of them.

He feels his skin grow hotter as he remembers, but he can’t help the smile on his face or the giddiness he feels. He’s been a fool to think he could live without this feeling Michael sparks inside him.

A tub of dirty dishes slams on the counter, startling him out of his thoughts, and he jumps, frowning when he finds Rosa at his side with an evil grin on her face.

“Was that necessary?” he asks, making a face at her when she nods happily.

“To drag you away from your obvious Guerin-induced stupor?” she questions sarcastically. “Absolutely.”

“You’re a brat,” he tells her sincerely, keeping his face stern when she proves him right by sticking her tongue at him.

“And here I was going to do you a favor and give you these dirty dishes,” Rosa says with mock-sadness, making him chuckle.

“And that’s a favor, how?”

Rosa rolls her eyes at him in a way that lets him know she’s questioning his intelligence. “Where do dirty dishes go, Alex?”

Alex instantly looks back at the kitchen window, and Rosa nods at him in a patronizing way.

“Exactly,” she flashes him a shit-eating grin. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty, Manes. Now take these dishes and go moon at your boy without a wall between you, and take your break while you’re at it. It’s slowing down.

Alex leans in to give her a smacking kiss on her cheek, smiling as Rosa lets out a happy laugh while giving his shoulder a small shove. He takes the half-full tub of dishes and heads to the back, taking a steadying breath as he goes.

“Guerin-“ he starts to call out, stopping short in the middle of the open kitchen when he finds Michael and Arturo talking. Arturo’s back is facing Alex as he speaks, too low for Alex to hear. Michael has a serious look on his face, listening intently, but Alex can’t focus on that. He can’t concentrate on anything but one thing, and that’s what’s in Arturo’s hand.

A hammer.

He doesn’t move it, it rests innocently at his side as he talks with Michael, but Alex can’t breathe, can’t move, all he sees is the hammer and just how close it is to Michael. He doesn’t even realize that his grip has gone slack until the dishes fall on the ground making a loud racket that doesn’t dim out the roaring of his heartbeat in his ears.

Arturo and Michael jump at the noise, the older man turning to face him, there is concern on both their faces, and Alex opens his mouth to reassure them, but nothing comes out, it feels like his throat is closing.

“Alex, mijo?” Arturo starts. “Are you all right?”

He takes a step towards him, the hammer still in his hand, and Alex doesn’t even realize he’s screaming ‘no’ until it stops the man short.

He hears Michael swear, but that’s all he hears; everything else is the hammer slamming over skin and bone, Michael’s screams and his father’s rage. Alex closes his eyes tight, his hands covering his face and ears, everything is so loud, and he can’t make it stop. His chest is starting to hurt, and dimly he knows it’s because he’s not taking a breath but he can’t make himself inhale. Hands pull at him, removing his hands from where they’re digging into his face.

“Alex, Alex, baby, you need to breathe for me.”

Alex blinks rapidly, his eyes can’t seem to focus on anything, all he sees is the hammer and Michael’s hand.

“Alex, please,” Michael pleads. “You need to take a breath for me.”

He tries, he inhales, but he feels the air stuck before it reaches his lungs.

“Again, baby, come on, one breath at a time, in and out,” Michael continues, his hands tilt Alex's face, and for the first time, Alex can see something else other than the hammer or his father’s hateful face.

“He-“ Alex tries, choking on the words and his shame. “He h-hurt you.”

Michael gives him a pained look.

Of course it’s pained, his hand was broken because of Alex.

“I-I let-“

“Stop,” Michael commands.

Alex flinches at the tone of his voice, this is what he’s been waiting for since the day in the shed. Finally, Michael is angry with him the way he should have been from the start.

Michael sighs, his hands that are still holding his face go down to his shoulders, the touch much more gentle than he deserves.  He turns his head, saying something, but Alex doesn’t hear it or to who it’s directed.

“Come on,” Michael wraps an arm around his shoulder as he turns him around. “We’re going upstairs, you need to lie down for a minute.”

Alex tries to shake his head, but Michael isn’t listening as he guides him up to the 2nd-floor apartment.

“Where’s your bedroom, sweetheart?” Michael speaks softly, his words against Alex’s temple as he holds him close.

Alex motions with his hand towards his and Rosa’s room; his body feels heavier with every step, and by the time they make it to his small twin bed, it feels like stone. Michael makes him sit with a gentle but steady press of his hands on his shoulders. He drops to his knees before him. Alex watches him through heavy eyes as he undoes his shoes, taking them off, followed by his socks.

“I can’t stay up here,” he whispers, his throat feels rough as he speaks. “I have work, and I have to apologize to Arturo,” he pauses, his eyes stinging as he remembers the stricken look on the man’s face. “I screamed at him.”

“No, you didn’t,” Michael shakes his head, his fingers feel warm against Alex’s skin as they press into his ankle. “You were yelling at your dad.”

Alex snaps his gaze to Michael, letting out a shuddering breath when he sees the understanding in his eyes.

“It was the hammer,” Michael continues, his grip tightening on Alex's foot. “You saw your dad.”

Alex nods miserably, he doesn’t say out loud that he sees his father all the time, he thinks Michael already knows. “I can’t escape him.”

Michael closes his eyes at that, and when he opens them, they are glassy with unshed tears that pierce Alex’s chest.

“I should have protected you better,” Michael starts, his eyes somewhere around Alex’s chest, so he misses the look of shock and horror that crosses Alex’s face. “I shouldn’t have left you alone with him after. I’m so sorry, Alex.”

Alex lets out a wounded noise so deep he can only imagine what it sounds like to Michael, he lifts his gaze to him, looking worried, his hands holding on to Alex’s knees as he continues to kneel in front of Alex.

“You think you have to say sorry to me?” Alex questions, incredulously. He takes Michael’s damaged hand, studying it, comparing it to the uninjured one. One smooth and straight, the other crooked with puckered skin. “He did this to you, and you think you have to apologize to me,” he continues, letting out a humorless laugh, and he can’t see much through his tears.

They spill as he raises his gaze to look at Michael. “He hurt you because of me,” Alex whispers. “He saw that he could hurt me more through you than any of his beatings, so he did, because I love you.”

Michael's fingers tighten on his, his face an open book for Alex to see everything he’s feeling. Michael’s love, his hopes and fears, and even though Alex is sure that he doesn’t deserve him, that he never will, he can’t help but want.

“I love you Michael, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what my father did to you. For pushing you away all these weeks. I thought I was protecting you,” he rushes to say as Michael shakes his head furiously, rising to his feet, his hands gripping the back of Alex’s neck as he hovers over him.

“Shut up, Alex,” he says harshly before giving him a rough kiss that tastes of salt.

“I love you,” he says between kisses, speaking it over and over again as he pushes Alex back into the bed, covering him with his body.

Alex moans into the kiss, his hands touching any piece of Michael he can. They shove at each other’s clothes, frantically pushing up shirts until they land on the floor. Alex pops the button of Michael’s jeans, sticking his hand inside, he finds Michael hard and ready.

“Fuck, Alex,” Michael gasps, pushing into Alex’s hand as he starts to stroke him.

The hold is awkward but he makes it work, Michael shifts to the side as he opens Alex’s pants, pushing them past his hips. Alex makes a noise of protest when Michael pulls his hand off him, only for it to turn into a whimpering moan when Michael presses his cock against his, rubbing them together as he holds them in his hand.

He gasps as he meets Michael’s thrust for frantic thrust, his body tightening with every press of their hot skin against each other. He threads his fingers through Michael’s hair, and pulls him into a bruising kiss when Michael circles the head of his cock with his thumb, it feels like fire spreading throughout his body as he gets closer and closer with every twist and pull of Michael’s clever hand.

“I love you,” Michael whispers yet again, breaking the kiss. He trails soft presses of his lips against Alex’s jaw and cheek, up to his ear, as he keeps telling him he loves him. “I love you so much Alex.”

Alex cries out as he comes, spilling between them. Michael pushes against him a few more times before he’s coming too, adding to the mess. Michael lets out a deep breath as he moves to his side, throwing an arm and a leg over him, while Alex moves his arm around Michael’s shoulder, letting Michael rest his head on his chest.

Neither of them speak as they get their breath back, Michael runs his hand over Alex’s sweaty chest, while Alex twirls a curl around his index finger. It’s only when Alex is being lulled to sleep by Michael’s gentle touch, the emotional toll of the day taking hold that Michael speaks.

“Tell me again,” he whispers into Alex’s skin.

Alex pulls him closer into his arms. “I love you.”

*

When Alex wakes up, his shared room is darker than before, a quick look at his watch lets him know it's after six. He's also alone in his bed, he feels a wave of disappointment that only lasts a moment as he spots a note where Michael was last sleeping.

It simply says, ‘downstairs,’ but it's enough to settle his nerves. He gets up, and looks down at his body. His chest and stomach are clean, and he finds himself smiling at the thought that Michael cleaned him up while he slept. He heads for the bathroom to wash up quickly, slipping on another T-shirt before making his way downstairs back to the diner.

Stepping through the door, he finds that there are a few customers at different tables, while Rosa is behind the counter pouring a cup of coffee. She stops mid-pour as she spots him.

"Hey," he starts to say, barely getting the word out before he's pulled down into a bone-crushing hug. He circles his arms around Rosa's slim waist, hugging her back. "I'm okay," he whispers when he feels her shake.

Rosa lets out a noise that's both a laugh and a sob, as she leans back to look at him. "Yeah, you are," she says like she’s making a promise to him; it quiets something inside him.

“Where’s your dad?” he asks when she lets go of him. “I need to explain what happened.”

Rosa nods towards the back with a soft tilt of her head. “In the back office,” she answers, giving Alex’s arm a squeeze.

Alex makes it through the doors of the kitchen, pausing when he spots Michael flipping a burger, the boy stops to look at him, the expression on his face loving.

He gestures towards the office, and Michael nods in understanding.

“I’ll make you something to eat when you’re done,” Michael answers with a smile that Alex returns.

“Fries?” he asks as Michael’s smile grows.

“I’ll even personally make you the milkshake to dip them in.”

Alex smiles at the boy he loves once more before continuing down the narrow hallway that leads to Arturo’s small office space. He finds the man at his desk, bent over a few papers. Arturo looks up when he knocks, an automatic smile on his face when he sees him.

“Alex,” he starts warmly as he stands up. “Did you get some rest?”

Alex nods, stepping into the small room. “Yes, thank you. Sorry I bailed on my shift.”

Arturo waves his apology away with a gesture of his hand. “Don’t worry about it, Rosa and I had it handled. You look better, are you okay?”

Alex motions yes. “Michael and I had a long-overdue talk, it helped.”

Arturo smiles. “I’m glad, mijo.”

He pauses and neither speak for a moment. Alex doesn’t know where to start but knows he needs to say something.

“About earlier,” he begins, swallowing around the lump forming in his throat. “I’m sorry about freaking out.”

Arturo shakes his head, coming around his desk towards him. “You don’t have to apologize, Alex. Michael explained what happened.”

“It wasn’t you,” Alex rushes to explain. “I’m not scared of you, I know you would never hurt me or Michael or anyone, it was-“

“The hammer,” Arturo finishes for him quietly. “Yes, Michael explained.”

Alex lets out a breath, grateful that he doesn’t have to say more.

“What your father did, Alex, is evil,” Arturo tells him quietly, but with conviction. “And it has everything to do with him, you did nothing wrong.”

Alex bobs his head, afraid if he opens his mouth now, it will just be him crying. Arturo seems to understand, and just like earlier, he opens his arms to Alex, his arms secure around him when Alex hugs him.

“Thank you, Arturo,” he says quietly as the man pats his back. “For everything.”

“No need to thank me, kid,” he answers as he lets Alex go. “We’re your family now, we’re here for you,” he pats Alex’s back one more time. “Now come on, you must be hungry.”

“Michael is making me fries and a milkshake,” he answers with a smile, blushing at the amused look Arturo gives him.

They walk back into the café to find Rosa sitting at the counter drinking a shake herself, Michael behind it, making another.

“Alex, settle this for us,” Rosa points a fry at him as Alex comes to stand next to Michael, facing her. Arturo goes around to a customer who is signaling for the check. “Isn’t ‘the milky way’ shake your favorite?”

Alex looks at Rosa and then at Michael, who gives him a silent look asking if he’s okay. Alex nods, making Michael smile.

“That one’s really good,” he starts as Rosa starts to give Michael a smug look. “But of the themed ones, ‘the alien encounter’ is my favorite.”

“Ha!” Michael shouts victoriously, snaking an arm around Alex’s waist, giving him a loud kiss on his cheek. “Told you, Ortecho. I know my man.”

Rosa rolls her eyes at him. “Whatever, you only knew cause you can’t keep your eyes off him. Stalker.”

Michael shrugs, not denying the accusation, and Alex tries not to blush when Michael looks at him with loving eyes. “Can you blame me? Look at him,” Michael answers, and now Alex can’t stop the blush that spreads through him.

Rosa pretends to gag, though her wide smile gives her away as she and Michael start bickering at each other. Alex takes the shake from Michael’s hand, taking a sip as he watches them, laughing to himself as they argue.

He finds Arturo looking over at the three of them with a fatherly look on his face, the older man shakes his head, laughing, when Alex rolls his eyes at him.

He feels Michael’s hand brush against his, and he turns his palm, linking their fingers together, feeling happier and safer than he has in a long time.

In this little alien-themed diner, he’s found the boy he loves, an older sister, and a loving father.

For the first time, he truly has a family.

*

A year from now, when he moves out of the Ortecho’s apartment into a tiny place with Michael, and he and Michael, along with Rosa, start ENMU, they will still have the Crashdown to come home to.