#which i might end up doing cuz it's about the same really as banking then using dbones

[magicalgirlmindcrank]

Wehhhh prayer is gonna be SO ANNOYING to 99

[aggressivenesswhilecrying]

The meaning of red

Summery:

Grian had fallen, and after the months of near death, he gets better, but sadly, scar wasn't home fast enough. And this is just the monologing of a ghost.

TRIGGER WARNING, UH, DEATH, THIS IS VERY DEAD, LIKE, THE MAIN PLOT POINT IS DEATH, ANGST, BLOOD, YOU GET THE POINT, I THOUGHT "WHATS THE SCARIEST THING NATURAL TO HUMANS" ITS DEATH

Not proof read or edited

(This is another fic for the @mcyt-halloween event!! I might be a little crazy, cuz I read the message about possibly writing this one not even 12 hours ago, and this is for @skydoesthings my wifffeee<<<3333)

(If you could please tell me your ao3 username, I would love to gift this to you on there<3333)

The air was cool, like a comforting blanket, the desert nights are always cool, wrapping around you with a chill to your very bones. Grian knows it well. Griam has lived here his entire life. That the truth, he was born, raised, and killed, in this desert. it was almost stupid. Standing above his still young body. Which laid wrapped in blankets, skin still red with fever, he knows the color will be gone soon. 

He knows that there was no light.

He knows that there has still been no reaper to take his soul.

His last moments had been spent coughing, and coughing, then, he felt it rise. He had no idea it was well, possible to vomit so God damn hard that it was red. Straight pure red. But. He knew, the second he saw it, the red. The *blood*. That this was the end. He tried to reach for his phone, he really did.

Maybe tell his mom he's sorry she has to go to his funeral instead of the other way around. Or call his sister, tell pearl he's sorry he never got to go to her wedding. He heard her and cleo are engaged now. Tell mumbo that he hopes his next Redstone machine will win at that competition. Maybe call Scott and tell him he won't be there for the next mcc.

No. He reached for the hpone to tell scar. Just One more time. That he loves him. that the cacti farm idea wasn't that stupid. That he's been feeding jellie more treats then scar wanted. That his monical his in grains underwear drawer, he didn't lose it, grian just hid it. That he loves scar, but gods did he hate those cookies.

He wanted to tell him a lot. He really did. But he started to cough again. He was light headed. And then he couldnt breath. every gasping breath barely last long enough. His world got fuzzy around the sides. Then it was red. Everything was red. 

Standing back, grian doesn't know how to feel. Looking at his corpse. It's. Well. It's red. His sweater and pajam pants were already red, he wanted to wear something matching. His skin bright red with sickness. Then of course, the blood. His dripped down his chin. It covered his blankets. He was red. A violent color. A loving color. A bold color. He really was red.

Scar is at work. If he didn't go in, he would have gotten fired. And they financially couldn't afford for scar to lose his job. Grian already lost his a few weeks in. 

He has been getting better when scar left. His temp was going down, he hadn't thrown up. But then, he'd taken a nap. And it just...grian didn't have the time. He's glad scar didn't have to see it happen, but still, he knows the man will feel beyond guilty. 

He didn't know what to do. He's a ghost in a living house. 

The house felt beyond alive, everything around him felt to be breathing. But him. But, that might be the remains of sick hallucinating. He isn't sure.

He refuses to look in a mirror, he doesn't think he'd be able to see himself. And even if he did,, he doesn't want to see the same, pale, red, sick face. Red. Red. Red. 

The door to home open, and stuck in place, grian watches scar. 

"Hey gri!! I'm b…..back….." the cheerful scar opened the door, his work clothes for the bank on, skin tight, and he had a large grin on his face as he rolled in. That was untill he caught sight of grian.

Grian didn't want to watch anymore. Grian didn't want to watch as scar hurried over, checking his pulse before tears started to pour heavily when there was nothing there. Grian didn't want to watch as scar pulled the dead body off the the couch and sobbed. Grian didn't want to see scar covered in red. He didn't half to watch, he could hear it all.

Scar was green. Scar will always be green. His 3yes are green, his nails are painted green. Scar is green. Green is alive. Green is growth. Green means go, go fourth, red won't stop you anymore. Green means the red fire is gone, green means it can grow from the ashes red left. Green is calm, green is good. Green is the color of when scar throws up his lunch.  Scar is green. And now grians dirty, dirty red, is getting all over him.

He heard scar call the cops, a blabbering mess. Grain decided to float off. Curling up into his bed knees to his chest. He could see his through his knees. He doesn't remember the last time he had been in his room. it had been far too long ago.

Old mirror and clocks, and paintings hung the walls. Silly radios and casset recorders and VHS tapes and type writers, and books, and jusr, so much, surrounded him, drowning h8m in memories and joy. Scar had gotten him a TV with a VHS player in it. Big and bulky, but he loved it. Pearl didn't know what to get him for his birthday, but she had gotten him an old falling apart coocoo clock. He had fixed it up and hung it right by his door and cried. So many stupid memories. He guesses he's apart of those memories now.

Around his the room exhoed and singed of memories that arent his. Everything whispered of joy of having been loved again. Everything, once again. Was alive but him.

A poor, helpless ghost, in a house so alive. He heard some people leave the rooms of loved ones as they are when they pass. He wonders if scar will do that. Or if scar wont be able to handle it here, won't be able to imagine living here any longer, and move out. He almost hopes scar leaves. Maybe then scars green won't be dirtied with his red. 

STOP.

STOP.

RED MEANS STOP.

Months had passed. 7 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days to be exact. Grian was pronounced dead at 6:42pm on the 26th of June. The house was at 68 Fahrenheit becuase of the cooling temp outside. Jellie had gotten out through a window. And grian was already dead. With his sickly state. He looked almost like he died days ago. They say he died only an hour or less before scar had gotten there. scar had gotten home at 6:25pm, it took ambulance 15 minutes to get there. Grian was dead long ago. 

Scar is infront of grians door. His wheelchair at a full stop. He bit his lip as his body seemed to shake with an empty feeling in his chest. He opened the door for the first time in a year. 

A red, sickly ghost sits on grians bed. Blonde hair having grown out, looking shaggy. Empty, red, beautiful eyes look at him. Scars breath stops right in its fast and uneven place. 

Red is a sad color. And green is for mouring what's still there. Apparently.

Grian and scar are brown now aparently. A sick. Gross brown. Red and green mixed. 

[destinyc1020]

this is exactly why i want tom to distance himself from the MCU so that people in the industry take him seriously. even RDJ is joking about it himself. https://www.tumblr.com/artsimpourtzi/742688904767045632/i-love-him?source=share

First off.... Wow! Congrats to Robert!! 👏🏾👏🏾

Let me tell you... Robert Downey Jr is coming for that OSCAR hunny!! In fact, I def think he's gonna win it.... hands down lol 😆

Anyway....

I think it's good to make sure we know the context of someone's words, and even the vocal tone. Here's the video:

I don't think Robert was putting down Marvel or the MCU, or sharing any regret for having played Ironman for 10 years.... 🤔

And let's be honest, those Ironman and Avengers movies made RDJ BANK okay?? Like, dude was on the original great contracts so he was getting paid so many millions of dollars just to show up even in Tom's Spiderman HOCO movie for like a few mins of screen time. 😏 So he can only hate Marvel but SO much lol.

RDJ is a jokester, so I think his words were very tongue-in-cheek. I also don't think that Hollywood wasn't taking him "seriously" (Robert has been acting since he was a kid, and has been in the industry for DECADES lol), but perhaps he wanted to do more in his career? 🤷🏾‍♀️

I can def see how playing one character for over a decade can start to feel stifling. Come to think of it, maybe he wanted to be killed off instead of "riding off into the sunset" lol 😆 😂

Same thing like Daniel Craig. He wanted his Bond KILLED off, coz he knew that if they kept his character alive, it would leave the door open for them to ask him back, and he was DONE rofl 🤣

Re: Tom....

I really don't know how Tom personally feels honestly. I kinda get the impression that he doesn't want to say too much and burn any bridges, but at the same time, I DO kinda feel like he would like to do OTHER things in his career other than playing Spiderman his whole life. 🤷🏾‍♀️

But I'm not going to assume I know what he's thinking when he's always spoken nothing but GREAT things about the character and playing in those movies. Again, idk how much is really him, and how much is him just being nice about it cuz he's still negotiating with Sony and Disney atm.... ykwim? 🤷🏾‍♀️

All I know is, he seems ready to walk out if they don't come to a firm resolution on the franchise, which is a far cry from him crying and begging Bob Iger to keep Spiderman in the MCU years ago lol 🤭😅

So yea.... maybe he's kinda done with it as well, but he still enjoys playing the character (it seems genuinely fun for him), plus, he gets to work with his gf for months on end lol 😏

It might just be "complicated" for him? Conflicting emotions I mean. But I'm not going to assume the worst if he himself hasn't said that, ykwim? 🤷🏾‍♀️

[cutie-keebs]

2023 End of year keyboard review

Hi yalls!

So we're approaching the end of the year. Since then, more keyboards have entered the market and I've managed to build some of them. At the same time, group buy orders managed to arrive. I'm so happy that I've been able to expand my collection with these items.

Honourable mentions

Due to how expensive the keyboard hobby is, I couldn't grab everything that was released this year. At the same time, I had to sell some of the keebs that I used to own due to a variety of reasons.

For starters, the QK and Jris series have been super amazing for opening doors for high-quality budget options in the market. I own the QK75 and remade my first keyboard build and I swear to god the improvement is immaculate.

Next is Mode Designs. They have released a bunch of high-quality boards and boy howdy, I wish I could own them all. The Envoy was well-loved in the community and the release of the Loop is so cute. I wish I could grab my hands on it, but I'm satisfied with my Sonnet, which is still available to this day and now has new colour options.

Lastly, it's the established keyboard companies like Asus and Razer as they've released some hotswap keyboards. The one that caught my eye the most is the Azoth. I would trade in my old Corsaid K70 for that keyboard. If anyone is willing to do so, hit me up.

Now, here are my top 5 boards.

5. The Dreamscape build

We all know how I've felt about this build. It took 2 years and it's finally here. I love this build for the soft aesthetic and I'm so glad I can finally use this keyboard. It's such a shame it took so long because there were times I was losing hope and was considering giving it a different build.

Specs:

Ikki Aurora x EPBT Dreamscape

EPBT Dreamscape

Gazzew Bobagums

Artisans from Namong and From Scratch

As for the use and feel, it's nice. A bit mushy cuz of the switches. But at least no one will get mad at me when I type during meetings because apparently, they can pick up my typing sounds. Its the ultimate dream silent keyboard.

I'm just happy this build is finally complete cuz omg, imagine if this went on to 2024. I would lose my sh*t.

4. Rama Thermal

Getting used to the HHKB layout has been a challenge. Fortunately, I ended up getting used to it after a few months. I do miss my arrow keys but using function + WASD was a good alternative. I will admit that my productivity at work did slow down during the first few weeks.

Specs:

Thermal by RamaWorks

Osume Winterglow Eve

Clackbits

Artisans from Tulipclay

While Rama might have some controversies, it's actually a really nice board. Has a really unique look it, something that I'm after when I buy keyboards. However, after comparing it to other builds, it's not really great. The sound quality feels hollow (despite tape modding it), and the keycaps and switches sound output doesn't help at all so I ended up rebuilding it.

Right now, as of writing, I'm using temporary parts for a later build and it's going to take a while for me to find the right combo. I will update you once I made something worth showcasing a sound test. I am interested in trying out the Akko Penguin Silent Switches so hopefully a muted build is what this build needs.

If there is something I learned from this keyboard - DON'T BUY FROM RAMAWORKS.

3. The Nordic Build

The boards may look good but their reputation sunk so bad. I had to file a bank complaint just so they could reply and get this board shipped (mind you, it was a in-stock item).

Originally, the keyboard that I wanted to use was the Loki65. But thanks to Mechs and Co, that was heavily delayed. I've always had eyes on the Fuji keyboard series since I started this hobby in 2021. So thanks to the Keebs For All Marketplace, someone was selling theirs for a good price and I got it.

Specs:

Fuji 65

EPBT Scandi

Hera Switches

Artisan from EzKeys

Aesthetics-wise, it looks pretty good. All the colours complement each other and I'm quite happy. The reason I wanted to make this build is that my favourite country is Iceland and I wanted to build a keyboard inspired by my trip there in 2019. The only flaw with this build is that the switches sound scratchy. But that's because I didn't lube them. Could be fixed if I do that.

I look forward to the day when the Loki65 gets shipped as I think my thoughts will change when it arrives.

2. The Tofu Build

Believe it or not, this was the first keyboard I built this year and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. The reason why built this keyboard is because I was inspired by Magic The Gathering - Kamigawa Neon Dynasty and this build resembles that trading card set.

Specs:

Tofu 60 (the original)

PBT Fans Kabuki-Cho

Tecsee Ruby Switches

This keyboard is THOCKY. It's not as thocky compared to modern builds but it has that low-profile sound that was highly sought after during the pandemic. I can see why this was a beloved build back in the early days of the keyboard hobby.

While the Tofu has increased in price over the years, I believe it's a testament to how the hobby has changed. I'm glad to have a piece of keyboard history in my collection.

1. The Sonnet Build

This has to be my newest go-to keyboard. From the looks, sound, and aesthetics, it was worth it. It took a while for me to figure out which keycaps to use since it originally had Osume Dusk. I think the greys from the Hooties are much better.

Specs:

Sonnet from Mode Designs

GMK Hooty

Popu Linears

Artisans from Hibi.MX and Geekkey

Using this board has that 5/5 experience. The sound is so satisfying, the feel is really nice. The artisans complement the board so well. And the fact that the Sonnet is a really good quality keyboard adds extra points. I highly recommend getting the Sonnet when you have the chance to do so.

[the-firebird69]

Sherry is now formally off the books of treasure properties she went over to stand and said I want my name off everything right now all the letterhead and everything and anywhere her name was she wanted off and she left so stan through the formal letter to the town and took her name out of the business and took her name out of all the documents and off the bank and who's doing it he's wondering why and he says she wants to be disassociated from these people mean there's a warlock and fully. And he knows I wonder why cuz they get under 1% and humanity is going to exterminate them so he decided to disinvolve himself. And he is working on selling off the properties including the one that you're in and it's not saying anything about renters people know about you and we do too and the max say they know and others so he's trying to sell it off and then again you say the more luck moving out so is the question as he might be trying to sell his apartments and he said it to I need to get out of this racket. The warlock we're down to 110 now there is 120 but the 10 did not return and now it's at 110 and it's dropping people out of it without the whole number changing they are leaving the households some fall entirely a lot of them die and they are dying silent deaths of violent death people are killing them and one such story is two houses down from our son towards the ocean but across the street adjacent to an empty lot on the same street. They had done a whole bunch of work on the place and they were doing it carpentry and yard work and it looks great and I spent a while then 90% of the house was killed in combat and it was mortal Kombat on the other side of the rings now there's two people left there two of the children the parents were killed as well. They were immediately incinerated during the action and their vehicle was as well which is not normal it's an incredible fireball and they're gone but they were in westborough some of them they lived across the street from the greenhouse it's next to the sweats towards our son's house and it's where he saw that boy naked running around a little young kid and that wasn't one of them but they're quiet and reclusive and never say anything to anyone and it wasn't their child it's kind of a off White colored House. Several other people have passed around here nearby from within the households and the household is getting very weak extremely weak and two of them are pretty close one right next door with the pool and three individuals died this weekend two males and one woman and they're from westborough they used to live across the street from our son and up the hill you know on Haskell and really he said I don't know where that would be the house that was down David way from David Way how's it going down Haskell on the left it was after such a character or something Harrington he's I can't remember the name and funny looking guy who's tall it's really something else but he had a character right after that house is one of the left and that's where they're from most of them from the house are gone. They had a lot of girls so what's left in the house or three girls and all the girls want to be there but it's a nightmare and is there the daughters so the clan heads passed. Their trumpsters and they regret doing all this dumb s*** they say. And it continues in that vein a lot of people lost their kids and a lot of people lost parents and the war has devastated them and this final blow of idiot behavior cost them way too much. And bja is shunned and hated.

Most all of the bases in the Western hemisphere empty and areas of operation are about 95% empty and they're fighting and within a hours they'll all be gone. Is a huge war between them and it continues after the areas are gone who knows that if groups are congregated in cities they end up fighting and better with the cities and towns are being hit by each other of them and they'll be out pretty soon nobody can last through that behavior. Literally City by City they are clearing out.

Their other households that are emptying there around here and they got killed and they really down to only a few people each house and all 110 I have two to three people in them and pretty soon nobody. This morning they're trying to call the action and they did not and they're noticing that people are evacuated and they're going to California and they're going to the islands. And they're leaving Florida this morning there were about 5% of population 3% have evacuated 2% sure thinking about it. And usually it leaves less than a percentage it's actually happening and it's not many people. Today the morelock are going to experience a power drain here and they are not keeping up with anything overseas or domestically they are not threatening people all over and they're not there asking for stuff because they simply are dead with the ones who are left in the cities and towns are fighting each other and it seems also that they are being shot by groups of people who are not them and they wear uniforms and colors so people know who they are this is a huge day it is the end of the warlock no chance they have to go to the islands. A lot of them are and there's a ton of them they are not staying in the upper Midwest or Midwest do not stay in California and they're not safe in Florida or the South they are leaving they're abandoning everything and they do not want to be anywhere near other people as they leaving they're saying we can't stand you at all why don't you give up hope and die and they say all such a horrible things and mostly they get shot. There's a whole bunch of them around here who need to just leave cuz for some reason this is some place they sent and they just stay when people hate them here they think they're threatening people here to survive and they're trying to sell them it's for everybody and it's not getting very far a lot of them are leaving saying good luck with that and we hate you too it's something stupid to do and they mean it.

There is a global evacuation of moloch that is now underway and it began earlier this morning and about 6:00 a.m. people started to file out of the harbors and bays of the Western hemisphere and now it's spread all over the world everyone who is a warlock is leaving and going to the islands and they will have their own society they say and they are moving it meaning they're putting some speed on it and they have ships coming and going and the ships will probably come down from the Midwest and Forrest Gump will begin it's a huge movie. This is a giant day because it might be the day start off the process and move the Cross keys. It's also gigantic because it will be the last day that the morlock are in society or near it it might be tomorrow but for the most part the majority of them will be gone to the islands and it is a day to remember, horrific people. And they are now getting up in Florida to leave and they realize they don't have a force it's a huge evacuation out of the 5% who were here who are more like 4% have evacuated or are evacuated now and that last 1% is his parents to evacuate shortly and if you sit here they are going to have the time of their lives being tortured and killed and quite easily.

-we do have news from overseas they are below 1% at about 0.6% and falling fast due to massive evacuations in fighting and being sought by groups of killers and hunters. Here in the Western hemisphere their population is still out of the general populace about 5% which is pretty high considering what has happened that's a lot of people and not all werer sucked into it's a combat that's why they're acting normal here. But they're evacuating from the Western hemisphere as well and yeah down south that's about the same percent. And they are going to be at 4% and probably 1 hour and we hear that the evacuation will start here shortly. The Western hemisphere they are migrating yes they're moving from the general population to places in California and their displacing everybody as a matter of fact it is California Arizona and Nevada in Las Vegas because they take it over. On the Eastern seaboard and portions of the South the population of warlock will be 3% this afternoon in the midwest it will be about 2% and by tonight we think 2% in the East and 1% in the Midwest and press the South too they're all going to jam in there okay we are going on high alert and we have factories some of them is telling us to move the stuff out of them and go ahead and do that doesn't want them to have anything and it's a lot of equipment we started moving it this morning and moving it last night and most of it's out and there's a lot of it there that's not ours and I'm actually behind and we start grabbing that in the back saw it and they started grabbing it they got huge teams out there now with us taking all that stuff and they're taking all the military stuff. He's more like a very slow people it wasn't done evacuating towards the West and they probably will be going to the islands and it says it in several songs. And it's like the mystery ship tons of them evacuate from San Francisco including clones and Southern Cross that's about the islands an Antarctica some said forms across and there are others and some people take the land route Criss Cross or Christopher Cross song about Mexico and they're also talking about the keys and they want to arrive in those things to ruin everyone's day it's going on shortly.

More shortly

Thor Freya

I do have stuff to say but a lot of it's very negative but still you people are hard to endure and deliver on and you just really don't help people make it you're not really programmed to and he says it's a group they are kind of and it's going to be fine for a while but he's got to get people in here and really we do more so so I'm sending the orders to feel the gappos and it's a fine time with you guys you quit jobs constantly and this is one of them you're quitting and you kind of stopped helping him we'll try to tell you this nobody else around and you didn't get it and somebody will try to kidnap him but you're very weak and we're on it too and we're sending special teams and removing any dangerous right now huge teams I just wanted to say goodbye and good riddance morlock

Hera

special teams we're sending out special teams tons of them. They have huge areas to clear of them and it's a lot of work tons of them are gone. It used to be okay they're back again or this number is over here but no they have ruined themselves and they're pretty much disappearing everywhere and it's frightening for them but that's what they did and mostly it's bja start off a war between them and ruined them and himself and I hate to say it but he really had it coming. There's a lot more going on in that people are competing to get here and the clones are going to be under siege like they've never experienced fairly soon we're pushing them out of our areas fully and we have to go to others and we have to infiltrate and we must and we do it and it's working and soon the entire world will once they've got rid of these idiots right now they're having a meeting and it's the max and foreigners are having a meeting and we are on what to do to ensure that these idiots are out they were setting up programs to do it programs to clear and to find them and more. Out in the middle of nowhere there so he's better when camps and they're getting hit and by each other they're allowed to and they're sent out with f-18s and other such things and that's where the movie started it will start soon and that's top gun and they are saying the foreigners the ones doing it and the others look like Max and some look like on larger ones they say but they don't really and that's what their message is in the movie and nobody got it at all they're getting it now because they're getting hired to go after these bedowin groups and that's very fast. And this other methods are using but that is the preferred method aircraft carriers have been mobilized in the eastern hemisphere there are three moving in this 20 of them out there only and in the welfare for and they're prepping seven more in the east and 10 more in the West and they're going to run these missions they're running from base too. It might explain Cuba there's this big force of Tommy f it's still nearby and it is under Cuba too in caverns it's under the islands and the warlock are investigating now and they have been looking at it and they're going to find them there ready to attack what's there out of there and they want to take over everything so the attack is probably bigger than just that and it went around they found it all over the place and everybody's at high alert and we're going to go after them shortly. We've been preparing for it all night and Max to and foreigners

Duke Nukem Blockbuster

Why don't we go there and take over their stuff to take over I'm not doing anything productive anyways so I'm looking into it now I'm trying to figure out when

Trump

We're actually in full position as usual and we're going to try and do that in moments

Bja

Well I guess we have to go there and try and stop you

Trump

I don't think so

Bja

And we see bja moving globally and he's calling for more of his and huge armies are going there and whatever is left it's not very huge but they're pretty big and they're going down and it is to fight clones and they do have a huge attack force that's ready. We can see underground they're fighting and full size are hitting each other and it has begun and the remaining four or five percent in the western hemisphere is paying attention and about 2% are heading to these sites immediately and 1% or so is getting up and getting ready to and it's a better bet and the one procedure so or less in the Eastern hemispheres looking for where and they're doing it now

Thor Freya

Olympus

[hotwings0203]

Guys I’m having another Bakugo brainrot

Tw: bullying, noncon, nonconsensual peeping, manipulation

Remember that one episode of MHA where the class goes to the sauna and M*neta tries to check da girls out over the wall?

Imagine the same scenario, but years later when they’re all older

The class wanted a reunion, just to relax and blow off some steam

You’re with the girls, and you all lay back in the hot water reminiscing about the older days when everyone was still getting the hang of their own quirks

Mina brings up this exact same scene but years ago.

“Ohmigosh, do you guys remember the last time we came in our first year here and Mineta totally tried to get a peek at us?”

“Ugh, I hope Iida is keeping a good hold on him right now,” Ochacko giggles, kicking her feet up to rest on a rock

You hum in agreement, tilting your head back to rest against the wooden wall separating you and the boys.

As it was, Uraraka was almost spot on with her hopes. Except, Iida and Tokoyami were out getting refreshments for the rest of the boys, leaving the remaining group to their own plot.

Which was lead by Mineta, of course, who had the brilliant idea to spy on the girls, just like they almost did years back.

“Guys, come on, please they’re right there!” He practically salivates, wildly gesturing to the tall wooden wall in front of them.

Most of them shift uncomfortably and groan about him being a creep as usual, but the rest stay silent.

Mineta takes their lack of outright refusal as fuel to keep blabbering.

“Look, we almost got away with it back then-“

“-You mean you got away with it, we didn’t do shit. And you didn’t exactly get off scot-free, Kota completely demolished your attempts and you landed ass down on Four-Eyes’ face,” Bakugo drawls, leaning his head backwards and looking up at the obsidian sky. The boys laugh, remembering the ridiculous event.

The night is cool, the stars littering the inky atmosphere take the pressure off of Bakugo’s lungs. For weeks now they’ve been training like dogs, battling each other and even minor villains for extra practice of their quirks. This trip was supposed to be a leisure getaway, not a free porno.

But the grape-headed perv is insistent, scoffing and waving the blond’s quip off like some annoying fly.

“You know, there’s something in it for you too, Bakugo. I’ve seen the way you look at Y/N.”

This causes a murmur and a couple of light beers towards the blond, who in turn snarls and ignites his hand to quell the commotion. All of them had an inkling that Katsuki Bakugo had finally set his sights on some poor girl, and that was you. It was such a rare sight to see his face flush slightly when you walked past him, the way he stuttered over his words a bit when you two would be conversing amongst the same group, and best of all, when they would see how he would excuse himself to the bathroom or locker room occasionally when your hero suit would tear in certain places after battles.

“Shut the fuck up 3’2, unlike you I don’t need to ogle at those brain dead bimbos.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you thought of Y/N as a ‘brain dead bimbo’, Bakugo, I’ll be sure to let her know how you feel” Mineta grinned maliciously, and the boys ‘oooo’ed at the jab.

Bakugo’s voice caught in his throat.

“You wouldn’t,” he growled, rising slightly out of the water.

“I already know you’ll kill me afterwards, but I’m prepared for the repercussions if you don’t help...cooperate here,” Grapehead inspected a cuticle and feigned a yawn.

“Come on Bakugo, it’s not like it’s gonna hurt anyone! Well keep this to ourselves,” Denki chimed in a little too eagerly.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re only asking for your and everyone’s support so that we can focus better on training y’know? A little fun never killed anyone.” Sero threw his arm over Kirishima’s shoulder, who blushed at the whole ordeal but kept silent all the while.

Katsuki looked around. Slowly, others were starting to really listen in and look interested at the outcome of Mineta’s plan. Surely a little peeping wouldn’t be too bad would it? And plus, it was only a one time thing.

Shoto was faring the same way as Kirishima, quiet and maybe embarrassed at what they were planning on doing, but no outright refusal. Even Deku had a weird longing glint in his eye, the same kind he would get when he used to fawn over All Might.

He thought about it for a minute more, a chance to see you, naked, honest, and pure, splashing around with your friends as you let your femininity dangle as it pleased.

“Do whatever the hell you want. I’m not taking blame if the bird and glasses come back, though.”

Hushed cheers and excited murmurs erupt from around the spring, and they huddle together to form a plan.

A couple minutes later, the boys were grouping around the wooden panels. Todoroki had burned a hole into the soft wood, and sero had used his transparent tape to cover it up so that the girls couldn’t see it from their side.

And there they were, completely bare, hair flowing, curves showing, voices mature and high pitched giggles emanating from around the water and bank.

Bakugo seeks you out immediately after the hole is made, shoving his way through the crowded bodies much to the amusement of others. But he doesn’t care, all he wants at the moment is to see you in your most honest element.

He doesn’t have to look long, because you’re right there, you’re right in front of them, only a few meters away. Your back is facing them, but the sight of your smooth, naked back and the round curve of your ass squishing against the rocks underneath you is enough to make Bakugo’s cock bob painfully above the water. It’s not too hard to hide his erection since the boys’s attention is elsewhere at the moment.

Your hair is open, and he wants nothing more than to feel it in his hands, run his fingers though your scalp and pull so hard that your neck is snapped back, he wants to know what kind of noises you’ll make for him, would you sound shrill and high pitched or would you wail and bellow for him to let go?

They can hear the girls talking amongst themselves, the hole in the wall makes their voices more audible and clear.

“Quit playing coy, Jirou, we know you’ve got your eye on someone,” Hagakure’s body is nowhere to be found as usual, but her chipper voice rings out from the middle of the hot spring.

Jirou is a few feet away from where you sit, her body also being shown for everyone to see. Bakugo glances at Kaminari to confirm his suspicion, but gags and quickly looks away when he gets an eyeful of his friends’ erect cock.

Not that Bakugo himself has room to talk, though.

“I mean, not really, it’s not a big deal.” The ravenette shifts and hides her head from the rest of girls’ cooing.

“Uh huh, sure. You’re not fooling anyone Kiyoka, I’ve seen the way you look at Denki. You two can’t keep your eyes off each other, it’s cute,” you purr, and Bakugo holds himself back from shoving the other guys out of the way just so that he can hear your voice the best.

Squeals and sounds of splashing fill the air, and Sero and Kirishima whisper excitedly and clap their red-faced friend on the back. Denki can’t keep the 50K watt smile off his face, and even Bakugo grunts and knocks shoulders with him, letting him know that he was happy for the human charger.

But then Jirou claps back with her own snarky observation, and the boys fall hush at the new revelation.

“Alright, you wanna talk about ogling Y/N? Then tell me, how’s Deku doing?”

“Or Bakugo, too,” Mina adds slyly, and now all the girls’ attention, as well as the boys’, is on you.

Bakugo felt like he had whiplash. He would’ve been elated, on Cloud 9 even to hear that maybe you had something for him too, had shitty Deku’s name not have been thrown in there too.

And he looks around wildly for the green haired freak, the freckles dusted across the expanse of his face even more prominent from the deep blush quickly forming, his scarred hands holding the sides of his face shaking in awe and gleeful shock.

But the rest of the boys aren’t as oblivious to how Bakugo seethes at his rival’s joy, from the way the water gets hotter from his quirk sparking underneath the rippling waves. Kirishima scoots closer to his friend and gently lays a hand on his shoulder as if to say, calm down, man. Not right now.

And so the hothead leaves it for the time being, opting to hear your response.

“I-it’s really nothing, they’re both just good classmates like the rest of the guys,” and although your back is turned to them, it doesn’t take a genius to know that you’re embarrassed too, your leg skittishly bouncing in front of you is making your ass jiggle from the back, much to the delight of the salivating boys.

Bakugo wants to spill blood when he suddenly realizes your body is being shown for the rest of these dogs to see

The girls start teasing you, your splutters being drowned out by their playful accusations.

“Come on L/N, whose cuter?”

“Dont act all coy now, I know how nervous you get when you’re all close to Bakugo. I mean I don’t blame you, have you seen his muscles? He could crush someone’s head with those things!”

“Yeah, but have you seen the way she giggles when Deku starts his mumbling tangents? That’s a classic crush right there.”

Bakugo is getting desperate to hear your answer now, some of the boys have left, feeling like they had their full of excitement for the night. They saw some tits and ass, heard some gossip, end of story.

The only ones remaining were Bakugo and his gang, as well as IcyHot and Shitty Deku.

Shitty Deku, who seemed equally eager to hear your response.

It pissed him off that he wasn’t getting the message to fuck off, even after all the growling and death stares he was receiving from his childhood friend.

But he guesses after a lifetime of dealing with it, it doesn’t scare Deku as much as it does anymore.

Maybe he’ll have to amp it up, later

“W-well I mean both of them have their own respective...flaws and strengths I guess..sometimes Deku can be kinda hard to talk to ‘cuz he’s so shy, but Bakugo can be a real jerk at times, too.”

You trail off, and Bakugo scoffs to himself. Him? Flaws? Those two words didn’t go well in one sentence together, but nonetheless he continues to listen. He wouldn’t refute the notion of him being an asshole, he wasnt that delusional.

“And yeah, I mean Bakugo definitely intimidates me sometimes with how aggressive he can be, but Deku is definitely getting up there in terms of physical prowess. But in terms of who I like, I’d have to say-“

“Midoriya! Bakugo! What are you two doing over there?”

Iidas voice booms across the water, and all 6 of the boys jump back, startled at the intrusion.

“No, wait-“ Bakugo hisses, clawing his way towards the hole to hear the rest of what you had to say, but Sero and Todoroki shove him back and patch the hole up with fire and tape, shutting off your confession.

Deku waves his arms around wildly, stammering some excuse of dropping his towel in the spot where they all were sheepishly gathered. They eventually waded their way over to where Tokoyami had set the drinks down, but the blond was shaking with hot rage despite the cool refreshment that was shoved into his hand by a wary Kirishima.

“Don’t sweat it dude, it’s not like her and Midoriya are gonna da-“

“Finish that sentence and I’ll blast both your and his head off,” he glowers at the redhead, shorting a dark look to where an all-too-happy Deku was chatting with Todoroki, as if they hadn’t been drooling over their naked classmates merely a couple minutes ago.

Kirishima backs off with raised hands in surrender, leaving Katsuki to mull over the situation by himself.

You couldn’t seriously be interested in that green haired freak, right? I mean he could barely talk to a girl without tripping over his own damn tongue, for fucks sake.

Not that he was any better himself. He failed to acknowledge the times where you had merely asked him for an extra pencil, when he snapped at you for being such a fuckin’ dumbass that you couldn’t even remember to bring your own shit. He had done that out of pure impulse, but he regretted it the moment he saw your face fall, his heart clenching at the sight

He’d have to show you that he was the better option, regardless of if you wanted it or not.

And so when they had all gotten out of the water and gotten ready for food, Bakugo already knew what he had to do.

You were all eating outside in the camp pavilion, each at their own separate tables. He was sitting with the boys, all of them joking around and throwing food at each other while he was staring you down.

He couldn’t keep his eyes off you. How could you expect him to, after he had seen half of you bare already? It was sinful almost, the way you were completely in the dark about what he had seen and heard, while he himself was fantasizing about what you looked like and felt like on the front.

So when Deku came by your table, no doubt also having the same conversation of the springs in mind, wanting to get closer to you, Bakugo felt his sanity snap.

The fork he held in his hand started melting in his ignited hand, steam curling from his palm. He watched as the green-eyed fuck made successful shitty attempts to make you laugh, his eyes trained on where you gently laid a hand on his shoulder after something he said that made you throw your head back and howl with glee.

“Hey man, your fork-!” Kaminari yelped, pointing at the disfigured mess of metal in his friend’s steaming hand.

“Huh?” Bakugo was pulled out of his irate daze, and he quickly dropped the fork when he saw what he unconsciously did.

They all looked at him for an uneasy minute after noticing the expression on his face, no doubt understanding he was furious about being compared to Deku once again in front of you.

“Look, Bakugo, don’t really take what Y/N said to heart. We don’t know who she actually likes, and Midoriya’s just her friend...” but Sero trails off hesitantly after glancing in your direction, seeing Deku’s dreamy expression as your hand still continues to rest on his shoulder.

“Just let her come to you, yeah? You don’t wanna force anything on her, that’ll make her really uncomfortable-“

-“Shut the fuck up Shitty Hair, and mind your own damn business,” Bakugo interjects, abruptly unscrewing his drink and standing up, unable to lose you to some broccoli- headed bug-eyed fuck.

He stiffly walks across the pavilion to where you two sit, and feigns a swig from his bottle. Your focus is still on Deku, so you don’t notice him approach until he comes up behind you two and ‘trip’s, falling forward and strategically spilling the liquid all over Deku’s back and your front.

You squeal as your blouse is drenched, and Deku shoots up from his seat to grab some napkins while searching for the perpetrator.

“What the- Kacchan?”

“Oops.”

Bewildered, you look at the two while dabbing the wet splotches on your shirt, Mina and Tsu jumping into action to help you.

The boys exchange a weird look, and although Bakugo gave his version of an apology, he doesn’t look very sorry. In fact, if you saw it right he looked almost...smug? With a bit of anger?

Deku wasn’t any easier to understand either. His voice was lilted as usual while he grabbed napkins, but his gaze never left his childhood friends’ and his eyes weren’t exactly the big doe-eyes you had grown fond of.

They were darkened, and narrowed as they bored into Bakugo’s eyes. Neither one of them was looking away from each other, and there was a weird tension in the air that everyone could sense.

But you couldn’t focus on that right now, you had to go and wash up.

“I gotta change and maybe take a shower, I can feel it sticking to my skin,” you scrunch your nose in disgust and tell Mina as you stand to leave. Deku offers to walk you, but you wave him off kindly.

As you pass by Bakugo, you can feel his eyes rove up and down your body, very obviously staring at the way your white shirt clings to your chest from the liquid, sending chills up your spine.

But he doesn’t come after you, not yet.

It’s only after everyone has finished up from their dinner and headed off to bed almost 20 minutes later that the showers finally, finally warm up enough for you to dip a hesitant toe in.

Curse the old pipes.

*******

He watches you from the dark, the only light you’re provided with is the dim emergency light from the rusty bulb, the camp counselors having been shut the facility’s lights off merely a half hour ago. But you were stubborn in waiting for the water to warm up so you were left alone in the showers, shifting uncomfortably in your sticky wet clothes.

And then miraculously you get up for the umpteenth time to check the temperature of the water, and it’s finally deemed appropriate for you when you sigh in relief and start taking your shoes off.

He hides in the door partition, his cock hardening slowly as he thinks of you alone with just him and his mercy. You were going to pay for almost breaking his heart and prancing around with stupid fucking Deku instead.

But asides from his rage, he still liked you, a lot. He wanted you to want him as much as he wanted you, so he decided to try and attempt to make your first time with him as gentle and as special as he could in the dirty cabin showers.

Bakugo waits with bated breath for the right moment, and the second your hands grip the end of your shirt to pull it up, he slowly emerges from the dark.

“You know, I’m glad you came here alone, at night. It’s almost like you wanted this.”

You jump violently at the low voice coming from seemingly nowhere, and you wildly look around for the source until you see him...coming at you slow from the inky abyss of the room, like a predator stalking his prey.

His figure seems to loom even larger than he actually is, the shadows of his tall body bouncing off the walls and grazing over the top of your head. He seems to be in no rush, taking his time with his hands in his pockets, eyes flashing dangerously at you as he stalks forward until he’s backed you up against the deteriorating wall, chest to chest with you.

“W-what the hell, Bakugo,” you stammer nervously. “This is the girls room, you can’t be here-“

And the hand you raise to push him away is caught in his calloused ones, your other wrist is quickly seized as well and slammed above your head. You cry out in pain and try kicking out, but he wedges a bulky knee in between your thigh and shoves his face mere millimeters away from yours, a mean leer adorning his normally-attractive face.

“What, I can’t be here? And here I was thinking that you almost liked me. But oh, I forgot, Deku’s your favorite, right?” The grip on your wrist tigthens and his leg flexes from in between your thighs.

You squirm and sob, about to ask what the hell he was talking about-

Oh.

Oh no.

He sees the understanding pass over your face, and he laughs cruelly at the horror that comes with it.

“You heard me? How?”

“Not just heard. I saw you, too.”

He lets his eyes drop from your neck, to your chest, and then to the juncture between your legs which was being massaged by his knee.

Tears well up in your eyes as you realize he was watching you this entire evening in the springs. How he got away with it, you didn’t want to even know.

“I saw your hair open for the first time, and not in that stupid hairdo you always do for school.”

He trails his hand softly up the sides of your body and up your neck until he reaches his big hand into your scalp. You whimper and gasp as he laces his fingers through your locks, seeming to caress you but then harshly yanking your head back so you had no choice but to look at him head on.

“I saw your ass pressed up against the rocks, and I wished it was up against my cock instead.”

He removes his hand from your hair and snakes it down to your bottom, kneading and slapping it lightly. You writhe even harder now, too scared to make a noise in case he hurts you even worse, just wanting him to get the hell off of you.

“But I didn’t see the front of you. I imagined what you would look like with tears streaming down your face while I was stuffing you full of me”

He plays with the edge of your shirt, a dark look in his eye as he plays with you. You try to budge your hands but to now avail, only serving in annoying him and shoving his knee up further into your crotch. The pressure on your clit is immense, and your legs start shaking as you’re forced to be suspended almost midair on his knee.

“Take this off,” he says softly, the rasp catching in his voice.

“Bakugo, please. You don’t have to do this, I swear I won’t tell anyone-“

“You think I’m worried about if you’ll tell anyone? Hah! I already know you won’t, wanna know why?”

He leans in, inhaling the scent of your hair and grazing his nose along the side of your neck. You force yourself to breath in and out, feeling an impending heart attack.

“‘Cause if you do, I’ll make sure to fuck you in front of everyone, especially on Deku’s broken body.”

And then you can’t stop them, the tears fall from your body shaking in pure fear at his threat.

You knew he wouldn’t actually do something like that, but hearing it snarled in your ear so softly made you believe it all the same, the power he held while you were fucked, literally and metaphorically.

“Now I’m not gonna ask you again. Take this shit off before I burn it, bitch.”

You don’t want to piss him off further, so with trembling hands you lift the edge of your sticky uniform and start to pull it off, but he stops you with a frustrated grunt.

“Slowly. I wanna savor this while no ones here.”

You bite your lip and suppress a scream as you do what he says.

And oh, does he ever savor it. The shirt clings deliciously to your breasts, and he licks his lips as it ruffles up and over your head. Your skin is perspiring from the humid air, a sheen of sweat lightly decorating your collarbones. Bakugo can’t hold himself back any longer, and you yelp when he comes at you suddenly.

He lunges at your face and pins your arms down by your side again as his lips mesh against yours, his kiss filled with clacking teeth and a thrashing tongue against your lips. The knee you’re straddling is bouncing lightly up and down, jostling you on it and causing your cunt to pulsate with heat.

You let out a distressed moan, and he swallows it greedily, using the advantage of your open mouth to delve deeper into your wet cavern. You open bleary eyes and flinch when you find his already wide open, staring back into unforgiving vermillion orbs.

He pulls back slightly, panting. “I bet Deku didn’t get this kind of treatment, huh? It’s all for me right?”

You don’t know if he’s genuinely asking you or just being insane, so you don’t answer him. Fortunately and unfortunately for you, he doesn’t care for your response, rather more focusing on dragging you by your neck towards the hot showers.

You slip and stumble as he shoves you in a stall, gaining your balance only too late when he turns and locks the door.

“Look, I’m sorry okay? I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, just forget you saw or heard anything at the springs, it was just girl talk, stupid stuff that didn’t mean anything-“

“-even if it didn’t mean anything to you I’ll make sure you believe what you’ll feel after I fuck you senseless.”

And with that, he tugs off his clothes and licks his lips at the sight of you cowering against the wall, naked and oh so vulnerable.

He slowly shifts towards you, pressing his body flush against your trembling one. You can feel the outline of his erection on your thigh, and you swallow at how big it is.

“I don’t wanna have to close your mouth or restrain you when I’m balls deep in that tight cunt. So don’t do anything stupid and this’ll be a whole lot easier for you.”

He reaches a hand down and lightly strokes your labia, relishing in how you whimper and jerk against him, but don’t dare try to stop his hand.

Smart girl

Another hand finds its way to your tits, tugging and pulling at your hardened nipples. You gasp and arch into his touch, slowly coming undone from his ministrations. He humps against your leg like a teenage kid, grunting while he does so.

His mouth is attacking yours once again, but now you’re too tired from the constant surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins to even move your head. You just let him play with your body, your heart, your soul.

“I think the princess is wet enough for me now,” he leers at you when he pulls his fingers away, scissoring his digits to show the strings of wetness he pulled from your pussy.

You squeal and grab onto his chiseled arms as he suddenly hikes his hands underneath your upper thighs and picks you up, forcing your legs to wrap around his middle for support.

He slams you against the wall, the water cascading down your head is making your hair stick to your face, and in a strange and sudden show of intimacy Bakugo softly moves your locks away from your eyes. Your gazes lock, yours desperate and tear filled while his scarlet hues show no signs of mercy, but rather a strange predatory hunger.

Your arms scrabble behind his head and on his shoulders for balance as he slowly sinks you down on his length. You hiss and throw your head back at the sensation of being filled, and he eats it up.

He watches the way your mouth opens, your eyes widen, as every sinful sound your body can make escapes you.

As if he needed more of an ego boost

You wail as the last inches are sucked into your dripping hole, and he lets out a mean breathy laugh.

“Fuck, you really were ready huh? I should’ve taken you weeks ago, little slut.”

Your brows furrow and you try to turn your face away but he snatches your chin in a hardened grip.

“Uh-uh, none of that shit. You were doing so well, don’t turn away from me now.”

He slowly starts to roll his hips minutely into yours, not exactly thrusting but enough movement to make your cunt flutter and throb.

“What do you want me to say? You got what you wanted!” You whisper to him, more tears falling down freely down your cheeks.

He can’t help himself, he groans and surges forward to lick the salty rivers up, gripping your ass tightly when you flinch.

“Tell me you love me. Tell me how much you want me, how much better I am than that green-haired bastard and I won’t shove it up your ass.”

You can feel his abdomen clench and shake from the effort he’s making not to completely batter your cervix so you give in quickly, afraid of what he’s like when his thin strands of self restraint snap.

“I...I love you Bakugo. I really want y-ooh!”

The last bit of your sentence is choked off as he lifts you up all the way to his tip and slams your hips down his length. You gasp and weave your hands through his hair for support, your legs violently shaking at the pain.

He grunts and starts really giving it to you, setting a fast pace as he bounces you on his cock. Your head is bobbing around, you’re fairly certain there’s drool coming down your lips but you can’t find it in you to care as he fucks you into oblivion.

After a couple of more painful thrusts he pushes you against the wall and removes your hands from his hair, holding them above your head against the wall. You’re trapped with your upper half plastered against the dingy tile while your lower half is wrapped his dick.

Your cunt swallowing him down is the only leverage you have, so your whole body weight presses down on his shaft. He moans loudly at the pressure on his tip, your gooey hot walls clamping around him from every angle and you yourself can’t help it when your eyes roll back at the sensation.

He rocks his hips up, and up you go as well, whining and clawing at the wall behind you, desperately grappling onto your sanity as well. Your tits bounce with each thrust, and his glinting eyes take perverse joy in their obscene movements.

Bakugo starts moving in earnst now, deeming the slow strokes enough prep for you. He batters your womb, reaching places not even your fingers could access, making you go cross eyed.

He sees this and snickers at your pathetic state.

“Fuck yeah you little whore. You’re gonna learn no one else can satisfy this slutty pussy like I can.”

You give him nothing but a choked gasp in response. You head moves like a bobblehead, you can’t even see clearly from the water cascading into your eyes. He’s just a towering blob of ashy blond hair and large muscles.

His hips start stuttering in their rhythm, drawing to a close from his contrasting pounding minutes earlier. Your nails rake over his forearms, holding on for dear life as he pants and groans into your ear like an animal. His dick spasms inside you for a second or two, and then Bakugo suddenly holds you tight against him, wet bodies pressed against each other as he cums.

He lets out a loud moan as you whine into his shoulder at the sensation of his hot seed filling you up. You’re held against his heaving chest for a moment of two, the both of you catching your breath until he slowly backs up and lets you slip to the ground.

It’s suddenly very quiet, the sound of the shower is drowned out by the ringing in your head. You’re shaking, shock overcoming your abused body as you refuse to look at him.

But he won’t have any of that. He steps forward, and you flinch yet again, scrambling backwards to put very necessary space between him and you.

“You got what you wanted. Please leave, I won’t say anything to anyone.” You breath out shakily.

He’s silent for a moment before you hear him chuckle. His low chuckles grow louder and more derisive, he’s booming with sinister laughter and you snap your head up in horror at him.

“You think this is done?”

He crouches to your level suddenly, elbows on his knees as he cocks his head at you, eyeing your naked body that he so recently claimed as his. His gaze travels down to where his cum seeps from between your legs, and you quickly cross your limbs over to prevent him from seeing the lewd sight.

“You’re mine now, Y/N. I already told you, you’re not gonna be talking to Deku, or any other guy apart from me. You think they’ll even want you when they find out how you loved being fucked in the dirty showers? Everyone’s gonna call you a slut, nothing else.”

“No, that’s not true you-“

He crawls to you, and it’s so mesmerizingly terrifying to see a man of his build crawl to you like some deranged humanoid that you shut up, words caught in your throat.

“Shut the fuck up.” He says softly. “You’re my bitch now, and you’ll do whatever the fuck I say, when I say it.”

Bakugo might’ve felt a little bad to see the girl he liked so scared of him all because of his doing, but the way you trembled and crossed your legs like the stupid, helpless little girl that you were erased every hesitancy from his mind.

He grabbed your cheeks and smushed them together, paying no mind to the pleas and whimpers you let out in retaliation.

Licking a long stripe up your neck, you shivered when he growled, “now clean up and be outside in 10 minutes, you’re sleeping in my bunk tonight. The guys are all asleep so we’ll just take an empty room in the cabin.”

He released you and stood back up, grabbing a towel for himself along the way. Drying his hair off, his back was turned to you as he started picking his clothes up too.

You just sat there in a daze, wondering what the hell just happened.

“Oh, and Y/N?” He was dressed, and he was at the door now.

“If you think about doing anything stupid or take longer than 10 minutes, I’ll come back in and get you personally. And I’ll make sure that we stay here for the rest of the night, just in case you like your little time alone that I’m giving you too much.”

[khentkawes]

Tony Stark-antis need to learn some chill and basic narrative comprehension skills. Like really? Again with this bullshit?

Dude, we are ONE episode into Falcon and the Winter Solider and people are already using it as an excuse to resurrect anti-Tony Stark bad takes. Like... WTF fandom? Do we really have to go through this with every single post-Endgame mcu project? Really? When are ya all gonna learn some comprehension skills and actually pick up on what the narrative is trying to say?

Say it with me: the bank loan scene was a not-very-subtle jab at systemic racism and the way black veterans have been treated in American for decades. It’s not an excuse to anti on about how “tOnY sTaRk DiDnT pAy ThE aVeNgErS CuZ hE’s A eVIL bILLIonAiRe!”

Are you all so afraid of talking about systemic racism that you have to blame Tony Stark for Sam not getting a bank loan? Really? After a year of BLM protests and extensive awareness-raising for systemic racism, and y’all still don’t get it?

That’s the real world issue that the narrative was trying to lay out, and it’s the in-universe explanation for that scene, which is trying to address out-of-universe real-world issues. But now let me be petty and go back to the in-universe issues of whether Sam got paid... because this whole take is just pissing me off and I have to rant. So...

Sam hasn’t had a paying job in seven years, and he chose to leave the Avengers when he defied the Sokovia Accords because he blindly follows everything Cap says without ever thinking for himself. He’s been badly written ever since he showed up at the end of Age of Ultron. And that bad writing means he’s just been playing as Cap’s lackey, and in doing so, he CHOSE to leave the Avengers, to reject a government paycheck, and take his chances on the run for two years as a fugitive. So yeah. Two years, no job, no pay. And as far as we can tell, he didn’t do a whole lot of awesome saving-the-world in those two years either. He was just hiding out with Cap and maybe punching a couple of low-level terrorists or something .There certainly weren’t any alien invasions that he stopped in that time. And after that, he was dust for five years. That’s not his fault, obviously, but no one can expect to collect a paycheck while they don’t exist. That’s why the post-Blip economy is probably a bit wonky at the moment. So in total... seven years. No job. No paycheck. Part of that is consequences of Sam’s actions and part of it was through no fault of his own. But yeah, after seven years with no paycheck, there’s a good chance he’s got money issues. Did banks seize assets of those who were blipped? Totally possible.

But now, in-universe, let’s remember that all this bullshit that antis are spewing about “Tony Stark should have set aside money for his friends and teammates” and “Sam saved the world from aliens so many times, so he deserves a pension” and “Tony could set up a trust fund for all of the avengers because they’re his friends!” Yeah. That’s all 100% BS.

First off, Sam Wilson and Tony Stark are not friends in the MCU. Never have been. In Civil War, Tony said, “I know we don’t know each other very well” because they don’t! They’ve NEVER FOUGHT TOGETHER ON THE SAME TEAM! Think about that. Tony wasn’t an active duty avenger between Age of Ultron and Civil War, and that’s the only time period where Sam was an active avenger. So they were never really “teammates” and they weren't friends. They were, at best, acquaintances or coworkers who never worked closely together.

And during that time, when Tony appears to have had little contact with the avengers, he was bankrolling the team. He says, “what, am I doing here? Running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?” He made the compound and supplied all of the avengers’ tech. He gave them free room and board. It sure looks like they had everything they needed, so it’s entirely possible (even likely) that Tony was paying the Avengers during this time. But that’s all it was. Two years when Sam was an active avenger, Tony wasn’t, but Tony was still bankrolling the team. After that... Sam was a fugitive and then he was dust. So he spent 7 years with no job, and two of those years were by choice, because of Sam’s rejection of being an avenger and refusal to accept a government paycheck. He chose to be a vigilante with Cap, and vigilantism doesn’t supply a paycheck on its own.

And finally... Sam has never saved the world! And he’s only fought aliens during Infinity War and Endgame. So where are people getting this whole, “but Sam should be paid because hE sAvEd tHe wOrLd!”? Uh, no. Not really. He helped in Endgame. He tried to help in Infinity War. And that’s good. That’s important. It’s not nothing. But it’s also not saving the world. In this first episode of TFATWS, Sam literally accepted thanks from a guy who said “you brought my wife back,” when Sam had nothing to do with that. Bruce snapped and brought back all the dusted. Sam had no role in helping for that. Now I get that Sam was probably just being polite. But it’s contributing to this narrative that Sam did more then he actually did. Naw, man. Marvel never cared about Sam Wilson until five minutes ago. So they’ve never actually shown him doing anything that was, well, important. And that’s a fail on Marvel, but if we’re looking at it from a purely in-universe perspective... Sam Wilson doesn’t deserve any more or less than any other government/military contractor. Because that’s what he is now (he’s not an Avengers because the Avengers no longer exist), and that’s what he was up until the last scene of Age of Ultron. Most of his existence, he’s been a solider. He’s a military guy. So if he’s not been getting paid, that’s on the military. Tony, at most, would have paid him for two years of his time and work. The rest is all on the military, including Sam’s current finances.

Which means, you want to blame someone for Sam’s finances and his inability to get a loan? Well, there are three reasons. 1. Sam chose to leave the Avengers to become a fugitive with Cap, which means he had no job and no paycheck for two years. That’s the consequences of his actions. 2. the military either stopped paying him at some point, or hasn’t been paying him enough/quick enough in the past six months since the Blip. Military pay for veterans and veterans’ access to benefits is a real problem, but it’s a military problem. And it’s possible that any back-pay or pension that Sam is owed is tied up in red tape, which is probably only exacerbated by his time as a fugitive (which might mean he was made ineligible for any pension). And finally 3. systemic racism. His sister was pretty clear on the fact that “people like us” are the ones who always seems to be denied loans. She was saying that there is money available for loans, but it always go to white folks first. Maybe try listening to the black character explain why they believe they aren’t getting paid. Sam (when not on the run or blipped) was living a pretty cushy life as a supporting avenger for two years. He apparently didn’t have to think about how systemic racism could affect his family because he was temporarily insulated from it. Now that layer of protection is gone because he’s not living in a cushy compound away from the real world (which, for the record, is probably a good thing. I think the Avengers being so isolated from the real world is probably partially what led to the problems in Civil War). So now Sam is going to be confronted with the reality that systemic racism is real and can affect anybody, regardless of your fame or your job. And after the past year of discussions on race, the fandom shouldn’t be surprised by this narrative.

I am so sick of every single MCU project post-Endgame being twisted by antis who just want to use it to hate Tony Stark. I mean, seriously. Give it a rest, people! Try reading the narrative the way it was intended and stop twisting it for your hate-Tony-Stark obsession.

[atlafan]

Hii ok u dont have to write this if it doesnt inspire u but I’ve been watching Selling Sunset on Netflix & I’ve been waiting impatiently for the 3rd season cuz it’s just so good lol but i was wondering if u could write something about rich real estate agent H? Maybe helping the MC buy her first home and they hit it off? Ur the only 1 who writes these diverse Harry’s & I can’t stop thinking about real estate H showing her expensive houses & like doing NaughtyStuff with her in an empty 1 lol xx HC

a/n: this has been in my inbox for a while and I’ve been wanting to get to it, so here it is! there is smut, but it’s more tame than you requested. Hope you still like it! 

Sold

You weren’t sure how you were able to do it, but you finally had enough money for a down payment on a home. You scrimped and saved for years as best you could, you paid off the majority of your student loans, you built up your credit, and now you felt ready for this very adult step. 

Your parents weren’t sure why you weren’t content with just renting. “What if you meet someone?” They’d ask you. “Then they could just move in with me, or we’d find another place. It’s an investment!” You’d reply. They had this vision in their head that you’re supposed to buy a home with a partner. It was the twenty-first century, you didn’t need anyone to help you...or so you thought. 

The pre-approval process at the bank was lengthy, but thorough. They’d need to see your W2′s from two years prior, they needed to know how long you’ve been at your current job, and basically just how much money you had altogether. The mortgage specialist at the bank was very kind. 

“So, you’re doing this all on your own?” 

“I am.” You smile.

“Have you got real estate agent yet?”

“No.” You shrug. “You don’t really need when you’re the one buying do you? I can just call whoever’s showing the house and work with them.”

“Maybe in small towns, but in larger areas like this you’ll want a realtor, trust me. It doesn’t cost you anything either way. They can top shop, help you negotiate, all those kinds of things.”

“They also like to show you houses out of your price range.” You scoff. 

“Not the honest ones. I get it, at the end of the day, they’re out there to make a quick buck, and the more the house is, the larger the cut they get. But I know a guy, he actually helped my son buy his first home. He was absolutely wonderful, and he’s a shark.” She goes through the many business cards on her desk. “Ah! Here it is, Harry Styles, he works for Greenfield Real Estate.” 

You take the card from her and scan it over.

“Don’t they sell, like, really nice homes? They work with people looking for mansions.” 

“Just give him a call, and tell him I sent you. You won’t regret it, trust me. Your pre-approval is only good for ninety days, so you’ll want to contact him soon.” 

//

Your head was swimming, but you knew she had a point. Half the houses you favorited on realtor.com or zillow were sold already. It was a seller’s market for sure. Maybe you would need someone to help you negotiate...but did it have to be a man? Couldn’t you find a female realtor? You spent years becoming the strong, independent woman you came to be, and now it felt like you’d be surrendering to some stereotype. 

However, after perusing on the Greenfield website, you see a picture of Harry. You bite your bottom lip, swallow some pride, and dial his number. 

“Greenfield Real Estate, this is Harry.” You weren’t expecting the British accent, or the deep voice and drawl that came with it. “Hello?”

“Um, hi! Yeah, Doris at Hills Bank gave me your card...I’m a first time home buyer.” You want to smack yourself for how stupid you sound. 

“Oh, I love Doris! I’ve worked with her a bunch. I actually helped her son buy his first home last year.”

“That’s what she told me.” 

“Right, so, picking a realtor is sort of like dating, you wanna make sure you pick the right one. Why don’t we meet up for coffee somewhere locally so we can get to know each other a bit.” 

Pushy, he was already wanting to meet you. Probably to have you sign your life away to be his client. 

“Sure, we could do that.”

“Are you local? There’s a place on Bleaker Street that has great coffee.” 

“Is it Monte Alto?”

“Yeah! That’s the one. When are you free?”

“I could meet you Friday during lunch my break.”

“Sounds great, I’m assuming noon?”

“Correct.” 

“By the way, you didn’t tell me your name.”

“It’s Y/N.”

“Alright, Y/N, I’ll see you Friday at noon at Monte Alto.” 

You take a huge breath after you hang up. 

//

Friday rolled around, and you weren’t able to step out of the office until nearly 11:50. It would take a little more than ten minutes to get there, and you hated being late. You were happy you had at least looked up what Harry looked like so you’d be able to spot him once you were there. 

Once you’re there, you see a man sitting on one of the cushioned chairs, looking out the window. It had to be him. 

“Harry?” 

He looks over at you and smiles. He stands up to shake your hand.

“Y/N?”

“Yes, hi, sorry I’m late, I’ve had meeting after meeting this morning. Fridays aren’t usually this busy.”

“No worries at all. Tell me, what’s your order?” 

“Oh, I can get it myself. I’m gonna grab a bagel too.”

“Good idea, I’ll do the same. Now, what’ll you have?” 

“Really...I can-”

“I know you can, but I invited you here, it would be rude to have you pay. Do this with all my perspective clients.” 

“Well, don’t I feel special.” You say sarcastically. He chuckles softly as you both get in line. 

You both order your drinks and food, and wait awkwardly for your names to be called, then you sit back down. 

“Thank you.” 

“You’re more than welcome. So, tell me, what’s your dream home?”

“Oh god, um, nice big kitchen, I love to cook when I actually have time. A room for entertaining. I’m usually the one to host friends. Two stories, a garage, three bedrooms would be ideal, but I’ll settle for two-”

“No settling.” He smirks. “Go on.” 

“Um...well, so, three bedrooms, ideally I’d like a master with an en suite, but who doesn’t?” You watch as he makes notes on a little pad of paper. “I’d like a yard, but it doesn’t need to be huge. Bonus points if there’s a deck or patio, maybe even a pool, but I can live without those things.”

“And you’re buying this just for yourself, correct? No husbands or boyfriends I need to know about?” 

“You know, I could have a girlfriend.” 

“Shit, I’m sorry you’re right, um-”

“Relax, I’m teasing.” You chuckle. “But to answer your question, I am doing this alone. I feel like I’m ready for a house, so I want one.” 

“Thought I put my foot in my mouth for a second there. I need to learn to just say partner.” He picks up his drink to take a sip, and that’s when you notice he has perfectly manicured nails. Interesting. “So it seems like you know how to be realistic about what you want, and you also have a dream list. What about projects, do they scare you?”

“I’m good with painting or even having to put new flooring in, but I’d like to stay away from any major reno.” 

“Gotcha.” He makes another note. “And what price range are we working with here?” 

“Let me just make a note on my phone, I’d rather not say out loud in case someone tries to rob me.” 

He smiles and nods. He squints at your screen and makes a note. 

“Great, good for you. What do you do for work?” 

“I’m a physician, I work at a doctor’s office not too far from here. I’ve been there for two years, and I love what I do.”

“That’s great. So, Doris talked with you about balancing a mortgage and paying down your student loans?”

“They’re mostly paid for, actually. I got a lot of scholarships for my undergrad, and during med school I was awarded a pretty decent grant.” 

“Perfect.” He scribbles some more notes and then puts his pad and pen down. “What do you want to know about me?” 

“How long have you been a realtor for?” 

“Six years, been with Greenfield since I started.”

“What made you get into it?”

“Love seeing people happy.” 

“What about when someone buys below the asking price?”

“Doesn’t happen with me, not when I’m selling anyways. However, when I’m helping someone buy a home, well, let’s just say I’m pretty good at negotiating.” He smirks. “You’d be in good hands with me, but if you wanna shop around some more I’ll understand.” 

“Do you work with first time buyers a lot?”

“Sometimes, it depends. I know a lot of them like to work with me. They’re usually young, I’m young. Makes for a more relatable experience.”

“Okay.” You look outside and think for a moment. “I think I’d like to work with you.”

He smiles big at you.

“Are there any homes you’ve had in mind that you’d like to start looking at? I can definitely see what open houses are out there too. People tend to make offers fast, but don’t let that scare you. The home has to feel right, if you want it, I’ll make sure you get it.” 

“There were a few I’ve seen on realtor...” You take your phone out to show him. “I’d like to not have a super long commute either if I can help it.” 

“Are you looking to grow into this home or is it more of a starter space for you?” You give him a funny look. “I just mean, like, would you be open to a condo or something like that.”

“Only if it was detached and didn’t have a high HOA.” 

He nods and looks at some of the other homes you had favorited.

“So what I’m gonna do is go back to my office and run a few searched. Then I’ll text you a link to the home I find, and you can tell me which ones you like. Don’t be afraid to tell me you hate them either. Then if there’s a couple you wanna see, we’ll set up a time that works for you, and then I’ll contact the other realtor, sound good?”

“Sounds great.” 

You shake hands again before leaving. As you make your way back to the office, you feel relieved. You had someone you could ask questions to, and someone basically on your side. Harry was nice, a salesman at heart, but nice.

//

Saturday morning you get a text from Harry.

Harry Styles - Hi Y/N, it was great meeting you yesterday. Here are some places I think you might like. Let me know what you think! 

You liked how formal he was. You tap the link he sent you. The first couple were duds, but there were a few on here that actually peaked your interest. 

You - Could we three of the home? The bottom three on the list. 

Harry Styles - Sure! When would work for you? 

You - I don’t work on Mondays, so that would be easiest. Timing doesn’t matter. 

Harry Styles - I’ll contact the realtors and see what we can put together. 

You - Thanks so much!

You felt really excited. You wondered if maybe you should invite your parents to come look at the houses with you, but maybe you would save that for a second look through once you actually find something. A house can look much different in pictures than it does in person. 

//

Monday morning, around 9:30, you meet Harry at the first location. His car was parked in the driveway. He gets out when he sees you pull in. He had two coffees in hand. 

“Morning.” He says to you. “Got you a coffee, I remembered your order.” 

“Oh! Um, thanks.” You take it from him. 

“I’ve already gone in and unlocked the doors and turned the lights on. The other realtor isn’t here, which is perfectly fine. Take your time, feel free to walk around outside before heading in too.” 

You smile and nod. The front was beautifully landscaped, and there was a gate leading to the backyard. He follows you out that way. You listen as he explains when the home was built and why the people were selling it. There a nice deck that had been recently put on, no pool though, but there was room for one. You go up the stairs of the deck and go in through the sliding glass door. 

“Kitchen was recently renovated within the last five years. All appliances come with the place.” 

“It’s beautiful.” You run your fingers over the nice granite counter tops. 

As you scope out the rest of the house, you’re not as impressed as you were with it when you first walked in. The bedrooms were small, and barely had any storage. The basement wasn’t in the best condition either. 

“Definitely a no, but a good first experience nonetheless.” 

Harry looks down at his watch as he nods. 

“Wanna follow me to the next place then?”

“Sure.” 

Same thing happened at house number two and three. You just weren’t wowed. You sigh heavily as you lean against your car. 

“Don’t get discouraged, Y/N. It’s better to know what you don’t like. We can keep looking. When I go into the office tomorrow I can run another search. Maybe we can look at some condos.” 

“That might be good. Maybe somewhere with people my age? It would be cool to be in a little community.”

“Definitely.” 

“Thanks...I hope I haven’t been a pain with the things I don’t like.”

“Not at all. This is a really big purchase, you should get what you want.” 

//

It took three more weeks of meeting up with Harry on various days to find a place you liked. On a Saturday evening, he brought you over to a condo that was detached, had a garage, a community gym and pool. It had three bedrooms, and two and a half baths. One being an en suite for the master bedroom.The kitchen was gorgeous and flowed into a dining/living area. You were thrilled. 

“Harry...” You look at him. “It’s perfect.” 

“Really, you like it?”

“I love it!” You squeal and hug him without thinking. “Sorry.” You blush.

“It’s fine, it’s exciting.” 

“I’d like to put an offer in. The price is rate and the HOA is reasonable. It’s not too far from work. I’d be able to entertain, the backyard is fenced in. There was even security at the gate! This is my home, I can feel it.” 

“Fantastic. The paperwork can take some time. Would you wanna fill everything out over dinner?” 

“Um...sure...” 

“Plus, it gives you a chance to see what places nearby are like. We passed some nice restaurants on the way here.” 

You follow him to a nice pizza place a couple of miles away. He bring a large packet of paper and a couple of pens in with him.

“On the way here I called the other realtor to let him know an offer was coming their way.”

“Thanks.”

You both get seated and are given some water. He takes the papers out and explains what you would need to sign, and what your offer would mean. Harry said you could definitely low ball the sellers, so you asked for about $15K less than the asking price. 

“They probably won’t accept, but most people don’t on the first offer. This just gives us a good starting point.”

“And you think the six grand in closing costs is good?”

“Yeah, totally reasonable. That’ll be about half of it. Sometimes, you can get more money off after the home inspection. Once a price is settled, you’ll want to schedule that right away. I have some names of some great home inspectors.”

“Would you be there for that?”

“I would. I’m there for all of it. The other realtor will be there too.” 

“Okay good. I’d feel better with you there.” 

As you begin to sign the documents, a waiter comes over. 

“Good evening folks, can I start you off with anything to drink?”

“I’d love a glass of rose please.” You say. 

“Just a Corona for me, thanks.” 

The waiter nods and leaves you be. 

“Did you want to just split a pizza?” Harry asks looking down at the menu. 

“Sure, what do you like? I usually just get green peppers and mushrooms.”

“Works for me. Would you mind this cauliflower crust?”

“Not at all! I prefer that, actually.” 

‘Perfect.” He smiles. 

When the waiter comes back, Harry orders your pizza. He watches as you finish up all the paperwork. He checks over everything to make sure you signed everything. 

“I’ll get this all scanned and sent over tomorrow.”

“Do you ever take a day off?”

“Yes and no. The realtor world is funny. Sometimes I’m in the office all day and then I wont hear from a client until 8PM. I’m not helping someone buy, I’m helping someone sell. I’m always busy.”

“Sorry to take up your Saturday night...”

“No, don’t be. I’d just be home working.” He shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. “It’s your Saturday night I’m more worried about.” 

“Oh please.” You laugh. “My friends know I’ve been busy with this, they understand. Besides when I showed them who you were...” You stop yourself from finishing the sentence. 

“No, please, go on.” He smirks.

“They just, they saw your picture on the Greenfield website, that’s all.” You blush. 

The waiter comes over with the pizza, and thankfully it breaks a bit of the tension. You each take a slice and dig in. 

“This is delicious.” You say. 

“Yeah, never been here before, I’ll definitely have to come back.” He takes another sip of his beer. “Once that condo is yours, I fully expect an invite to your house warming, by the way. I like to know my clients are good to go.”

“I definitely won’t be a stranger.” 

When you and Harry are done, he walks you out to your car. He gives you a small hug goodbye as well. You felt like you just had a date, but there was no way you did. 

//

After going back and forth twice, your offer was accepted. You set up a home inspection with one of the names Harry had given you. He meets you at the house when it’s time, and you’re able to meet the other realtor. A woman, who was a little too delighted to see Harry. You felt jealous when they hugged. However, he stayed close to you and took notes while the inspector was talking. 

You made sure to ask a lot of questions. There were no major things that alarmed you. All of the information was just a lot to take in, and you were feeling slightly overwhelmed. You should have brought your parents, or another friend. Was Harry a friend at this point? As the inspector was putting together a full report for you, and getting your email, the other realtor was talking to Harry.

“So, I thought you were only in the selling game right now.” She smirks at him.

“Once in a while I take on a buyer.” He shrugs. “It’s good commission.”

“Yeah, thanks, can’t wait to split it with you.” She rolls her eyes. “But I do love when our paths cross.”

“Mhm.” He looks over at you and then back to the realtor. “The previous owners took great care of this place.”

“Yeah, they did. The only reason they moved is because they’re daughter had a baby and they wanted to be closer to her.”

“Ah, classic.”

“Are you doing anything later?”

“Um…well…Y/N is probably going to have questions and stuff, so I’ll probably be busy with her for a bit.”

“Okay, but, like, tonight, are you free? We could grab a drink.”

“I…”

“Harry?” You say, walking over to them. “Everything’s all set. He said I should have the radon and water tests by next week.”

“Perfect. You’ll be able to make a final decision and add anything to an addendum then.”

“It was nice to meet you.” You shake the woman’s hand.

“Same to you. Look forward to hearing from you soon.”

“Y/N, I took a lot of notes, is there anything you want to go over?”

“Yeah, that would be great.”

“See ya Margaret, we’ll be in touch.” He shakes her hand and leaves her standing there, shocked.

Harry walks with you outside, and you agree on a bar to meet up at. You both grab drinks and Harry goes over his notes with you. He gives you the name of a good plumber since you mentioned you’d want to update a few fixtures.

“What about a painter? Know of anyone that can help with that?”

“You don’t need to waste your money on a professional. Painting’s not that hard.” He chuckles.

“Well, I am not very skilled when it comes to that kind of stuff. Plus, I won’t really have the time to do it myself, and I’d wanna get it done before I move.”

“You could get all done in a couple of weekends no problem, you just need some friends that know how to paint.” He puts a toothpick in his mouth and fiddles with it. “I know how to paint.”

“You do?”

“Sure.” He shrugs. “Sometimes sellers need to fix up their houses quickly. I’ve come to the rescue on more than one occasion.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“I don’t make any money if I don’t. No one wants to be an ugly house.” He takes a sip of his drink. “I guess what I’m saying is, I could help you paint. You’re about to have a mortgage payment on your hands.”

“Pending the inspection report.” You smirk.

“Right.” He smiles.

“Did you offer up the same service for Doris’ son?”

“No.” He says smugly. “He already knew how to paint.”

“That other woman before, what was her name? Margaret?”

“Yeah, what about her?”

“I heard her ask you out…”

“She didn’t, she wasn’t…uh…” He scratches the back of his neck. “Sometimes we go for drinks if we end of working on the same house. Nothing more than that really.”

“So, you’re not, like, seeing her.”

“God, no. That would be a major conflict of interest.”

“Do you always go out for drinks with your clients?”

“Sometimes…I know some people have clients over to their home to do paperwork, but I didn’t think you’d feel super comfortable coming over to some guy’s house you barely know.”

“How considerate of you.” You giggle.

“Did it bother you that she asked me out tonight?”

You nearly choke on your drink.

“What? No, why, uh, why would it have bothered me?”

“Because…if someone had done the same to you in front of me I would have been bothered, but to be fair, I’m a pretty jealous guy.” He finishes his drink and orders another one.

“How many times does this happen?”

“What?”

“You hitting on your clients.”

“Is that what I’m doing?” He fake gasps. “And no, I don’t usually do this. I’m a little embarrassed, actually. Not very professional of me to have a crush on your client.” Your eyes widen and your jaw drops slightly. “Sorry, I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable.”

“No! I…I’m just a little surprised that you’re into me, is all.”

“Why? You’ve got a great career, you’re super independent, and you’re really funny.”

“How do you not already have a girlfriend?”

“I’m really busy, like, all the time. I’m able to take vacations here and there, but you see how much I work. Any time I date it doesn’t last because people don’t understand the job. You’re a doctor, you get it. You must be busy going to classes trying to stay up to date on everything.”

“I am, I’m definitely busy a lot…but I make time for friends.”

“So do I. My friends don’t get offended if I have to cancel or reschedule, or they at least don’t take it personally.”

“I get what you’re saying…dating is hard when you have a demanding job.”

“Exactly.”

“So…are you going to ask me out?”

“Can’t, not until this is all done at least. Conflict of interest.”

“Oh.”

“But when I do, are you saying you’ll say yes?”

“I guess we’ll find out when you ask, won’t we?”

//

Harry helped you go over the inspection report once you got it. You asked for some money towards getting the furnace serviced, and the previous owners thought it was a reasonable request. You were able to close a couple of weeks later. Typically the realtor comes to the bank with the buyer on the big day.

“Harry!” Doris squeals as she hugs him. “Great to see you.”

“Same to you.”

“Love when we get to see each other like this.”

“Same here, how’s your son?”

“Oh, he’s great. Y/N, have a seat. We have lots of things to sign.”

You sign what you need to. Doris gives you a gift bag with some wine glasses. Harry hands over a bottle of champagne to you as well. It was very exciting. You were officially a home owner.

“Thank you so much.” You shake Doris’ hand before leaving the bank.

Harry grabs your wrist once you’re both outside.

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks, I literally couldn’t have done it without you.” You give him a quick hug. “My parents are gonna meet me there soon so they can check it out. I think they wanna take me out to eat to celebrate.”

“That’s great.” He clears his throat. “What, uh, what are you doing tomorrow?”

“Continuing to pack.” You laugh. “But, um, I could make myself available in the evening.” You smile.

“I’m having a little pool party tomorrow. Bunch of my friends are coming over, I’d love to have you over too, if you felt comfortable.”

“That sounds amazing! Can I bring anything?”

“Just your beautiful self.”

//

Your parents were very impressed with your new purchase. You did well. Saturday morning you continued your packing adventure, trying to make sure you properly labeled your boxes. You needed to make sure none of your medical journals got lost.

Even though Harry had offered over and over to teach you how to paint, your parents offered to pay for a painting crew for you, just to make things go faster. Once that was done you’d be able to move. You search your dresser for a suitable bathing suit. You weren’t sure how much skin to actually show.

“Ah ha!” You find your green, strapless one-piece that had a cute cut out in the upper part of the stomach. You’re also able to find a cute cover up dress to throw on over it.

In the latter part of the afternoon, you drive over to Harry’s. You were impressed by the neighborhood he was able to live in. All of the houses were huge. When you pull up to his house you wonder what he needed such a big house for. Maybe he entertained a lot too, just like you did.

You – just pulled up!

Harry Styles - come right around back!

You walk around to where you can hear music playing and people laughing. There were plenty of people already in Harry’s large in-ground pool.

“Y/N!” Harry waves over to you.

Damn, he has a lot of tattoos. You think to yourself.

“Hi, Harry!”

He comes over to you and kisses you on the cheek without really thinking.

“Glad you could make it. Make yourself comfortable. Plenty of food, plenty of pool.” He chuckles.

Harry’s friends were really nice and welcoming, you didn’t feel too out of place. His eyes couldn’t help but scan over your body the second you took your coverup off. Turns out Harry was a master on the grill. He made sure to pay attention to while still being a good host to his friends. It was a fun party. As the night dwindled you wanted to make some sort of move.

“You know, I’ve seen your entire backyard, but I’ve yet to be given a your of your home.”

“You’d like that?”

“It’s only fair, you’ve seen mine.” You wink at him.

He leads you inside.

“Well, you’ve seen the kitchen, obviously.”

He takes you through the first floor and then leads you upstairs. He explains that he has all the extra rooms so his family has their own space for when they come to visit.

“And this is my room, but you don’t have to-“

“No, let’s see it.” You smile.

He smiles back and opens the door. Your jaw drops when you see how much space there is. There were two closets, both filled with nice clothes.

“Come check out the bathroom. I had some work done to it last year.”

“Why do you have a double vanity?”

“For guests.” He blushes. “My last girlfriend actually, she liked having her own sink. Apparently I have too many products and they can get in the way.” He clears his throat. “Anyways, I had everything redone last year. I know a great bathroom guy if you ever wanna update anything.”

“You have a guy for everything.” You giggle. “And you do have a lot of products, two sinks makes sense.” You walk out and back into the bedroom. “So…”

“So…”

“What date number would you consider this to be?”

“Legally, the first…not legally…” He grins. “Think I’ve lost track.” He steps closer to you. “My friends liked you.”

“I liked them.” You wrap your arms around his neck. “And I like you.”

“I like you too.” His hands move to your hips. “And I really like this bathing suit. Haven’t been able to take my eyes off you all day.”

You both smile and continue to make eye contact. Harry looks down at your lips and leans in. He presses his lips to yours, and you find yourself grasping at him to pull him closer. You couldn’t remember the last time you were intimate with someone, but it had definitely been too long. You were ravenous. You open your mouth him and he groans into you. You both shuffle back to the bed and fall on top of it.

“If this feels too fast, just let me know.” He breathes as you move to straddle him.

“Harry, I want you.” You cup his cheek and he moves to kiss your palm. “But, if it feels too fast for you, we can cool it.”  

“I want you too, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel pressured or anything.”

“I don’t, but thank you.”

You lean down to kiss him again. His hands move to the back of your bathing suit.

“Gotta get this off you.” He grunts.

You get off him to stand up.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“Seems to be our little theme.” He smirks.

Harry stands up and takes his trunks off. Your eyes grow wide when you look down at his hard cock. He steps towards you and helps you out of your swim suit.

“I have a fun idea.” He says as he kisses down your neck. “We’ve been in the sun all day, let’s go hop in the shower.”

You smile at him and nod. He leads you into the bathroom and gets the water in the shower going. He yanks you inside and gets you under the warm water. He backs you up to the wall and press you against it. His hands roam your body as his lips find yours again.

“I’ve thought about this so many times.” He says.

“You have?”

“Mhm, there were so many times in the houses I showed you that I just wanted to take you right then and there.”

He nips at your jaw as his hands knead your breasts. You wrap your arms back around his neck. You feel his hard cock press against your hip and it makes you whimper. One of his hands slides down your stomach. He looks at you to make sure it’s alright and you nod yes.

Your head rolls back against the tile as his fingers slips between your legs. His thumb works your clit while he works two of his fingers inside you.

“Oh my god.” You gasp and grind your hips toward his hand. You reach for his length and start to pump him.

You both were panting. You have to let go of him to clutch onto his shoulders as you release around his fingers.

“Please.” You moan. “Fuck me. I have an IUD.”

Harry kisses you and hooks one of his arms under one of your legs so he can push in at a better angle. You bite down on his bottom lip, causing him to groan loudly.

“You’re so fucking sexy.” He says into your ear as he thrusts in and out of you.

“You feel so good, Harry, fuck.”

He pulls out of you, turns you around, and presses back inside. His chest was flush with your back. You claw at the tile as he rocks in and out of you. One of his hands snakes around to rub your clit and the other works one of your breasts.

You feel a flood of things wash over you, but mostly it was another incredible orgasm. You could get used to this.

“Shit, I’m gonna come. Where do you want it?” He grunts.

“Inside me.”

“Jesus.” He groans and releases inside you. You moan out at the warm feeling.

//

“This is the softest robe in the world.”

“Glad you like it. You can wear it anytime.”

You both were cuddled up in his bed, munching on some fruit while watching TV.

“Do you have parties like this often?”

“Only when I’ve finally told a tougher home.”

“You were working with someone while working with me? How did you find the time?”

“Babe, I was working with like six other people.” He smirks.

“Doris was right, you are a shark.” You laugh.

“Gotta be able to afford this place, right?” He tucks some hair behind your ear. “You’ll stay tonight? I’m a cuddler.”

“Of course.” You giggle. “I’ll have to have you over for my next game night, you can meet all of my friends.”

“Like I said, I fully expect to be invited to your house warming.”

“That too.”

“But I’d be happy to meet your friends. Are they doctors too?”

“A couple of them are, yeah. We met in med school. Wouldn’t have made it through without them.”

You two stay up for hours, legs tangled in each other, telling each lots of things about one another. It was easy to talk to Harry, it had been since you met. He felt the same about you too. You both knew it wouldn’t be so easy to just get together. Harry’s schedule was unpredictable, and your days were long and tiring. But, neither of you really cared because you both felt like you found your person.

Harry loved game nights with your friends. He was a tad competitive, but it just made for more laughs. You both liked having your separate spaces, but you enjoyed when he could actually spend the night, or when you could spend the night at his place. Neither of you took it personally when the other was too busy or too tired either. Once you felt truly settled, you wrote Doris a thank you note for setting you up with the best realtor and the love of your life.

[flutter2deceive]

Inspired by @everybodyknows-everybodydies recent ER dream posts, I figured I'd share some of my ER dreams from the past year. I text myself whatever i remember after waking up from interesting dreams so that's the grammatically incorrect format they're in lol

buffy out on the streets moving vans with her strength, timothy olyphant is a vampire and he and his vamp buddies need romano to inject blood back into his circulatory system so he can go out in daylight again, they're taunting him like "come on didn't buffy train with you for a week to be a surgeon before giving up?", idk

The coolest stop motion video ever of this ER drawing turned into a storyline, mark leaves i guess jennifer and is running down the hallway to someone and i'm curious to see if it will be susan or elizabeth, it's elizabeth but then the pov switches to susan and she continues running down the hall to the trauma coming in and she high-fives abby and it's like the main point of contact for all the friendly characters when they do something cool is to high-five, watching this whole thing run thru and have the absolute biggest look of gleeful wonder on my face, i say some very nice words and hope they make it to whoever the author/vid marker are

In a steam engine room like that titanic ep of newsradio, there were also demons, so hell??, then there was a thing about carter being gay and in love with his best friend but then he called me lisa (which is my name) but i took that to mean that it was actually dave and it was a whole thing about maura tierney's fake ex-boyfriends?, and carter was out in my parents' front yard confessing his love but he accidentally stepped in the path of a chainsaw and the top of his toe got chopped off so then he was in a wheelchair

Kerry and elizabeth talking about sandy and mark and how they dread talking to henry and ella about them without breaking down, but it's also like they're still there, and then it's kerry and mark having the same convo but it's mark talking about his dad, they're in the hospital bathroom, a scene where sandy is temping in a library at the hospital and arizona robbins also working there and the implication is that they used to date, arizona comes up to sandy's table and notices that she seems to be doing wedding planning meanwhile kerry is sitting by herself at another table, arizona is judgy about what appears to be sandy chasing a girl who's in the closet and ashamed, sandy explains that kerry doesn't know and it's a surprise which is why she has the flashmob people standing 2 deep around kerry's table so she doesn't see the minister bringing the shrubbery in (this never happens in the dream but also what?? lol), then kerry has a successful hip replacement surgery that luka performed and mark is telling everyone about it, susan and abby were just starting to feel out a relationship and were making out in the bathroom

The er hospital but housed in an amalgam of my workplace and childhood church, i guess i'm like an orderly?, corday is pregnant and examining a patient and she's like ready-to-pop pregnant but she's still insistent that she's good to work until she's 8cm dilated and she's only 6 right now, we're all like dude go up to ob now, she's doing like yoga stretches on the floor to alleviate pain but still insists she's fine, meanwhile her patient is like ???, her water breaks and romano is gonna take her up to surgery, there's a space issue at the elevators and only he can fit, me and the other orderly say we'll take her up on the gurney in the other bank of elevators, we go flying down the hall and yelling for people to move cuz mrs corday's-- "sorry, dr. corday's"-- water broke, we get stopped by a security guard who won't let us through and then stopped again cuz there's construction in the warehouse, somehow romano manages to get lizzie but me and the other orderly are locked out, go to a bar downstairs to wait and nick kroll is there and he alerts everyone at the bar to the fact that he found several fan art/fic hits for "nick kroll/luka kovac" on the company's subreddit, he seems oddly intrigued, how weird of a pairing

In the future, there are no doctors because they're all burnt out from covid so healthcare in the future is just holograms of scenes from er but they're not the medical scenes they're the relationship drama stuff, alex kingston is named ceo of brain things due to her time on both er and doctor who, an interviewer asks what her favorite katy perry song is and romano answers for her, then maura tierney kicks everyone's ass at a banquet

The specifics elude me but somehow abby made it so that neela's memories of gallant's death are erased, and he's not exactly alive but also not dead, maybe she went back in time and changed something or had magic?, but neela is now texting with michael who is actually abby with his phone pretending to be him, abby is feeling really guilty for playing around with life and death and neela's feelings when she didn't have a gameplan, she ends up telling weaver she did something extremely morally questionable, now the two of them have to think thru how to handle the situation, neela is concerned now cuz michael texted that he'd talk with her at 23:00 but he hasn't called yet, then there's this really annoying intern that's pissing all the docs off, weaver starts to say something and ppl think she's gonna tell this woman off but she's like "this is an intern that's working here? She should be the hospital's lawyer", and then abby and susan smirk at each other and put on a tie? Idk but i think it's a different reality than the gallant-still-alive one

On a road trip or something and get back to abby's apartment, i may be susan but also possibly just me, we get the luggage from the car and while abby is trying to find her keys to unlock the door, we hear a noise from down the alley, the blonde woman that luka had been flirting with is near the luggage and is drunk or high, we wrestle with our conscience on whether to help her, she ends up asking to crash on the couch, abby and i get her inside and on the couch, we then end up sharing the bed and giggling

Caring for romano while he was in the hospital, mei lin from top chef is a med student and robert keeps insulting her, i think i might be corday, order a butterfinger and bottle of water from the hospital convenience store, go back to robert's room, he's muttering about the salad they brought him, i ask if he wants me to tell the nurse that he wants them to leave the salad for when he wakes from his nap, he squints up at me and smiles, says that his coping mechanism for stress is egg salad, idk

Living an ep of ER, i am susan, walking to my car alongside elizabeth, we're kinda tensely discussing when the kids will be at each of our houses for the holidays, i say let's just fuck it and join our celebrations, it's like a thing as if mark actually used to be married to susan and had a kid, don't know if it was supposed to be little suzie or rachel, elizabeth smiles unexpectedly and my heart kicks up, get in our cars and drive off, i am fumbling with a cigarette and the lighter from the car, drop them both as i'm driving down the hill out of the hospital parking lot, but now i am abby and have the season 9 hair, keep talking about this guy coworker i'm secretly seeing but it's actually susan and i'm trying to throw people off the scent, and there's something also about trixie and katya in this part of the dream but i don't remember specifically what, maybe guest star patients?

[palestinianliberator]

I'm new to the Western Palestinian organizing scene. Can you explain to me what the trouble is? Cuz I have no idea what's going on and I would like to know before I get invested in the wrong thing.

I have some more detailed posts somewhere, but I’ll have to dig around and find them.

The summarized version is that the western Palestinian scene is largely dominated by “ally” work, as opposed to genuine Palestinian organizing. This isn’t true of all of it of course, but SJP for example has more chapters with non-Palestinian leadership than actual Palestinian leadership.

Much of the organizing has been focused on BDS, for example, and while BDS is great it should really only ever been seen as a small stepping stone rather than a means to an end in and of itself.

There’s also a SERIOUS lack of political and historical education taking part in many of these groups, which leads to legions of people with their hearts in the right place, but without the reading and education to really back it up.

We need to have a much more structured approach to how we do things, we need a unified curriculum to help educate Palestinian activists that allow everyone in an organization to be able to stand up on their own to the questions and attacks of our detractors. We need solid education that gives each activism the right tools to help spread the message on their own and not only stand up to, but also destroy any detractors, wherever they might be. We need to have organized movement working in tandem across the board to respond to Zionist threats and pressure. We need centralized resources that can allow everyone to at the very least start on the same page.

The Zionists have all of this and more, though they’re also VERY well funded and have nothing to lose. WE need this same infrastructure.

I’ve spent a lot of time with various Falasteeny groups, and I kept seeing the same thing - people with the right motivations, but without the right tools. I also saw a lot of people who treated these orgs more as hangouts focused on the same three events every year rather than any meaningful organizing. Most groups will have an Israeli Apartheid Week, Nakba Commemoration, and Sabra and Shatila memorial event and that’s it.

What have any groups actually done to help Palestinians? Prior to the second Intifada, we would regularly hold events that would raise money, sponsor the education of Palestinian refugees, hold direct action events that led to changing of curriculum, organize trips to the West Bank, etc.

Now? It’s all BDS, the same few recycled events every year, and an army of pro-Palestinian activists who, despite all their good intentions, finish college and exit the activist scene with SO MUCH unspent potential.

Again, this doesn’t apply to all Palestinian organizers or all groups by any means, and there are some genuinely amazing chapters throughout the US - but compare your average US SJP chapter with any of the South American chapters of GUPS, and you’ll find a huge, huge discrepancy. 

I mean no offense to anyone who feels they may be a part of the very types of groups I’m talking about, I love everyone who puts in the time and effort for any Palestinian cause, but we can and SHOULD be doing /so/ much better as a community, and I believe we can. It’s just going to take a genuine, concerted effort and time.

Regarding what you can do as a newbie - try and push for weekly readings in your group, or develop anti-racist curriculum to not only challenge any potential racism from ANYONE in the Palestinian movement, but also to challenge those who use these outliers against us. Push for new events on top of the usual annual ones. Do community work to help out those in your immediate community and build connections with other local causes beyond sympathetic campus organizations. Do more to challenge Israeli orgs on campus, as well as the administration that continues to hold us to different standards. Fundraise for good local causes as well as Palestinian causes [charity to Gaza, find projects to help fund, etc]. There’s so, so much that we can be doing better, we just need more people to push for it, and more leaders to implement it.

[jesslivesau]

jess au @iloveeverythingwaytoomuch

pre show jess: doesn't know anything except that sam told her some fucked up shit and she didn't really believe him much like amelia didn't believe jimmy but what's clear to her is that sam's upbringing was deeply fucked up in what might've been some kind of apocalypse doomsday cult and she can say "sam, it wasn't real" as much as she can til she's blue in the face but it isn't going to change the fact that sam is Deeply Fucked Up by Shit. and it upsets her and confuses her but he does a good job of setting it aside or knowing when to give in and he's such a sweet and Loving Dude otherwise so she just files it away in her bf trauma bank and keeps cheering him on

s1 jess: your bf's CRAZY brother shows up says he needs help finding your bf's CRAZY dad who may or may not have been part of a doomsday cult and you say, bitch i watched the heaven's gate documentary there is NO WAY i'm letting you leave with him, but he's not gonna Stay cuz he insists it's just for one night (and his brother DOES seem relatively stable, like, as a person), so jess insists she'll go too. while she's in the back seat sam tells dean he told her everything dean's like lol. sure. you believe in ghosts, sweetheart? and jess is like no but i do believe that i'll kick your ass if we don't get home in time for sam's interview tomorrow morning. and then the whole white woman thing happens and she's like oh fuck it's REAL but they DO GO HOME and instead of jess dying on the ceiling there's like idk ghost mary on the ceiling or some shit and they NARROWLY escape the fire together andddd idk they can't go back to stanford cuz it's not safe and their apartment complex literally went up in flames. there’s a more complex reason here but idk what it is. maybe it was brady (demon brady) who died or something IDK LISTEN ITS JUST AN AU

anyway all of season 1 when they’re trying to track down john jess is the voice of reason asking why do they need john in the first place? And eventually sam is like listen we don’t need HIM but if he’s got research on where yellow eyes is, that’s what we need. and dean is mad about that and he’s mad at jess and they bicker like crazy. and sam sleeps on the floor because dean is like dude cmon. don’t make me sleep in the same room as you and your gf together. maybe meg gets replaced by meg possessing jess, and she doesn’t get thrown out the window so when they exorcise her she just needs a hospital and then she’ll be ok. and that would explain why she’s in the hospital and not there for the finale, but can meet up with sam & john & dean in the hospital after

s2 jess: sam is so consumed by grief and fear that jess is actually the first one to notice that dean’s spirit might still be still Around. i’m imagining a scene where sam is asleep next to dean’s bed and jess is awake, and she slowly looks around towards dean and you see ghost!dean Connecting with her for the first time

obviously, all the grief episodes keep happening. maybe jess got seriously hurt as well tbh so she goes back to her parents house to recover; there’s an episode where the boys go meet her parents and dean and sam’s Daddy Issues come out in full force. eventually jess is back and kicking ass and slowly getting along more with dean, partially perhaps because of dean’s Grief Response to john’s death, which is that all the anger and hate comes bubbling up, and jess is like i don’t fucking know this dude, but from what sam’s told me, i hate him, which is not something that sam is in a position to Deal With right now. things proceed pretty much along the course

i am considering now if jess could also be a special child. she also has some kind of psychic abilities but i’d have to choose something cool for her. anyway if she IS then that gets her in the town with sam in all hell breaks loose which i think is the best place for her during that arc? i know all the other special children supposedly had to die but maybe her psychic power was to go inviisble or something lmfao i don’t fucking know. anyway dean has his sad monologue but jess either (a) fully shuts down or (b) just goes STRAIGHT to hunt down whatever the fuck his name is. jake? leverage man? that would be dope actually. and then actually dean, sam, bobby, and ellen actually meet her at the hell’s gate

s3 jess: truly does not understand why they’re hunting. gets into arguments with the boys all the time about how this is pointless, if you’re not gonna try and save yourself then why can’t you just put it down and let yourself have this year?? and dean’s a little bit like you know what jessica that makes a lot of damn sense. but it makes sam mad and they argue a lot about it and jess probably takes off halfway through the season. maybe after malleus maleficarum? partly cuz that’s the ep where ruby more or less becomes part of the team and also when she confirms that she can’t save dean from hell. and i just feel like jess would be like i cannot.... Sit Here.... and watch you both drive yourself into the ground. dean, if you’re gonna die, sam’s coming after you. you knew that. you just didn’t want him to go first.

maybe dean hits her lmfao and sam screams at him for it and jess just Walks Away, tearfully

s4 jess: so jess bailed midway through s3, but when dean wakes up and starts making calls in that phonebooth, he calls bobby and bobby hangs up, so he calls jess. and she comes and gets him.

jess and sam are obviously not together anymore, but jess is totally civil with sam and even with ruby. she’s like we can work together, it’s fine, whatever. and this is the season where dean and jess really bond and become a good Team. and cas is just usually confused why jess is Around but eventually gets used to her. i’ve toyed with jess being jewish which would lend a good and also funny perspective to all the heaven and hell stuff

jess heard about hell first from dean, but not the specifics of the stuff that dean told sam, not until after on the head of a pin. she’s their Lore Expert on seals and is trying to identify as many of them as possible so they can put in place safeguards, and maybe that bumps her up against angel priorities for an episode. maybe we get an episode where cas has to Threaten her 00 and he can say something like sam and dean are important..... you are not. remember that. and then [flappy wings vanish]

uhhhh jess’s siren in the siren episode....... is just like a carbon copy of sam lmfao. which is extremely funny and sam and jess will both kind of awkwardly clear their throats and not address that. i guess jess is just fucking stuck with bobby during the finale because the point of her presence is that she’s so USELESS to both demons and angels

s5 jess:  i’d probably add in an early episode where her parents are killed, probably by demons because the demons know they can’t touch the winchesters due to angel shit but they can fuck up jess as much as they want. then when sam and dean temporarily split up jess would go with dean cuz she’s a hunter now and has nowhere else to go and it doesn’t feel right to just sit around with sam. or maybe she also leaves and splits up and doesn’t stick with dean cuz she’s processing her own traumatic shit. at any rate, early in the season there’s a moment where sam is Gone and dean and jess are drinking together and talking about their feelings and they have a moment where they gaze at each other in the eyes and almost lean towards each other.... then jess goes you know what? this is fucking weird and dean is like oh thank god you said that absolutely this is too weird

in The End, it’s revealed that jess was killed and no one will tell dean more information or talk about her until he finds out that she was pregnant when she was killed (presumably with sammifer’s baby)

in changing channels they get put into a telenovela and sam and jess have an tearful emotionally charged confession scene in spanish. this is about when sam and jess finally get back together [cue cheering]

in the chuck eps it’s revealed chuck rewrote it so that jess died on the ceiling in the first book cuz he was like “i just didn’t think it made sense for her to be alive! it was literary symmetry that’s all!”

in sam, interrupted when sam is all high on meds that’s when he says lots of kooky sweet shit to jess about wanting to MARRY her and have a FAMILY together and it’s sweet and also dean throws up in his mouth a little bit having to hear it

in my bloody valentine the thing that jess is hungry for is Family but i do not know the logistics of how

in dark side of the moon jess does die with the boys but it takes a while to find her, tho they eventually do in one of sam’s favorite memories (probably from the first time they met or something). she’s like what the fuck i’m jewish

no, i have no clue how she factors into swan song. she just does, ok. lucifer can snap her neck along with bobby’s

s6 jess: she tried to check in with dean occasionally at the braedens, and actually had dinner with them once but started checking in less and less as the year went on, and it turns out she knew that sam was back and she’d been hunting with him + the campbells and a couple things

when dean finds out he is truly FURIOUS, but jess is like dean i saw you with lisa and ben! i saw you getting better! i saw you happy, i saw you ok, and hell i’ve only known you since you showed up in palo alto five years ago but it was the most at peace i’ve ever seen you, and i couldn’t take that away from you, and neither could sam.

she’s also like yes, dean, he’s different, he’s colder, it makes me sad but who was the one who put up with YOU when you were spiralling after your dad’s death? or when you were all buttoned up after you came back from hell? he did! so show him a god damn OUNCE of empathy, would you!

and when they find out he’s soulless jess is like. hm. and dean is like i TOLD you there was something wrong with him!!! and jess is like i mean.... yeah....... and maybe i didn’t really want to admit it... cuz.... the sex was So good.........

[soulless sam winks at her]

anyway, s6 happens the way it happens and that’s fine

s7: the only important thing that happens in s7 is that Season Seven, It’s Time For a Wedding! is actually about some sort of monster and the only way to kill it is to cast a spell but the spell must be cast by “two warriors joined before god” which means married and cas is awkward about it cuz he doesn’t want to Presume Anything 

and the whole episode is lots of sam and jess being like “i mean, of course, if you want to..... .like, but if you DON’T, that’s also totally fine, of course.... you know.... whatever you’re comfortable with” until finally they’re in the final battle and cas has to marry them the way barbossa does for will and elizabeth in potc and when dean is pinned against the wall by the monster he goes “DAMMIT JESS WILL YOU KISS MY BROTHER ALREADY” and then sam dips jess in a kiss and the monster is instantly obliterated [heart eyes]

i truly genuinely do not remember anything that happens in s7. anyway jess and sam are married now

s8: sam was with jess the whole year dean was in purgatory. they were struggling to get back to normal life after everything. dean is still fucking mad that sam didn’t go looking for him. i assume everything else goes pretty much according to whatever the fuck happened in s8 except jess at one point has to go to bat for benny cuz sam for some reason hates him so much

i’ve been toying with the idea of jess doing the trials not sam but i mean how can i take that away from my Boy

s9: i do not know anything that happened in this season ):

s10: see above

s11: see above

s12: now i never watched s12, but in this au there is no lucifer’s son jack. instead jess gets pregnant midway through the season; cas finds out first because he can sense it and he’s like why does it feel like there’s an extra being in the bunker, and then he spills to dean cuz he can’t keep a secret, and then dean is like “oh shit what are you gonna do” and jess is like well!!!! sam and i.... talked about this. we were.....open to the possibility. and dean is like wtf how could u possibly bring a child into this world that’s fucked up adn cas is like [wipes tear] that’s beautiful

anyway when they come back from some kind of hunt (probably something that involved claire) and sam and jess are in the bunker, sam goes “jess, seeing claire, seeing jody and the girls.... it makes me think.... i wanna have a family with you” and jess hugs him and then cas walks into the bunker with dean and is like “oh, have you told him about the baby?” and everyone SCREAMS at him

and cas uses his annual miracle allowance to just reverse time about 30 seconds so when he enters the bunker he just goes “i have nothing to say” and Fucking Leaves

the baby is born in the back of the impala in the s12 finale, on the way to the hospital. dean is devastated. he’ll have to reupholster the WHOLE THING. sam accidentally names the baby john but they don’t want to tell dean that so they decide to call him jack.

s13-15 gets to be mostly about how cute it is to have a wittle baby in the bunker. cas is the best babysitter because he loves babies and is very powerful so he can protect him. the occultum nonsense in s15 can be about finding a Safe Place for baby jack, no matter what happens to the rest of the world. sam tells jess, you go with him, you’ll be safe there. dean tells sam, you go with them, you’ll be safe there. all of that good good cute family stuff. was it the best idea to have a baby in the middle of constant apocalypses? maybe not, but like, they are ALWAYS in constant apocalypses, so at some point you just have to bite the bullet

anyway. please clap

[wistfulcynic]

Their Way By Moonlight: Storybrooke (Chapter 13)

SO it is been a LONG time since I last updated this story! I never intended for it to take so long but Stuff Happened and I really struggled to get back into the right mindset for it. BUT! Now it’s back and the mojo is restored and I am going to do my best to finish the whole thing before the summer. Should be another two or three chapters after this one. 

COPIOUS amounts of love to all the people who have been so encouraging and patient over the past seven (eek!) months. @thisonesatellite​, OF COURSE, who is my absolute rock and without whom I would just be tumbling through the abyss, but also @katie-dub​, @ohmightydevviepuu​, @mariakov81​, @stahlop​, @kmomof4​, @teamhook​ and @snowbellewells​ with her recs and her wonderful, wonderful comments. THANK YOU, and I love you all. 

SUMMARY: A new curse has fallen on Storybrooke and this time Emma is trapped inside it, deliberately separated from Henry and anyone else who might  help her break it. But what no one knows –including her own cursed self– is that she and Killian have the ability to share their dreams, and are working together in secret to find a way to break the curse and free everyone from a new and dangerous foe.

Rating: M

 AO3

-

Storybrooke:

The meeting room at the town hall was empty when Killian arrived, and his footsteps on the old wooden floorboards echoed through the stillness of the morning. His early arrival was fully intentional; he had a reputation to maintain as a respectable citizen and small business owner, after all, and more importantly he wanted to get a good seat to observe the town’s residents as they came in.  He situated himself in one of the assembled chairs, in a corner near the back where he could see more than he was seen, and sipped his coffee while making his best attempt to look unremarkable. 

Good luck with that. He could practically hear Emma’s sarcastic retort. 

Emma would be here soon, and though it couldn’t be more than half an hour since he’d kissed her goodbye he felt a flutter of anticipation at the thought. After everything they’d been through even short separations were nerve-wracking, and it was taking all his effort not to simply wrap himself around her and hold tight, snarling away anyone who tried to make him let go. Normally Emma would laugh and tell him to get a grip but ever since her memories returned she had been clinging to his hand or arm or hovering in his space whenever they were in a room together, clearly as reluctant as he to relinquish physical contact between them. Such vulnerability from her made Killian’s protective instincts go into overdrive, so much that he almost wished she would shove him away and tell him sharply that she needed her space so he could try to feel normal again.

He suspected that normality might be a long time coming.  

Soon Storybrooke’s residents began to arrive, first in a trickle and then a flood, greeting each other and taking their seats, exchanging news and speculation about the reason for this meeting they had all been instructed by the mayor’s office to attend. He observed a few familiar faces: Granny, still wearing her grease-stained apron and Ruby snapping her gum, Mr Clarke from the pharmacy, Mr Wood from the bank. Belle, sitting by herself and staring blankly at the wall. The cricket, nearly unrecognisable in the clothes of a labourer, and the scowling dwarf wearing an actual suit. Killian thought he also recognised the odd face or two from the crowd that had landed back in the Enchanted Forest with him after Pan’s curse struck, but he could produce no names to go with them. He’d been so full of pain then, aching despair at the prospect of never seeing Emma again, that all he’d been able to think of was getting back to his ship and trying to reclaim his pirate’s life. 

Mary Margaret arrived, nodding and smiling faintly as she walked up the aisle to take her place behind the long table at the front of the room and fiddle nervously with a stack of papers that lay upon it. A minute later Emma appeared. She didn’t look for him in the crowd but he knew she could sense he was there by the slight softening in her stern expression and the way her fingers fiddled with the lid of her coffee cup as she walked past him. Killian ground his teeth as his own fingers flexed on his cup. He hated that they were still apart even just in this small way, hated that they had all agreed the night before that it would be unwise for the supposedly married town sheriff to start making ‘disgusting doey-eyed looks’—Regina’s words—at the newly established bookseller. He hated the logic and the sense behind that decision even as he bitterly resented yet another obstacle standing between him and his wife. 

At least she had her memories back, he attempted to console himself. And enough of her magic reserves replenished to put a sound-proofing spell around their bed the night before. A sound-proofing spell that was particularly necessary since she had also convinced Regina to spend the night on the sofa in his apartment rather than stay at the sheriff’s station again. 

He shifted in his seat and pushed away the memories of how they’d taken full advantage of that spell, refocusing his attention instead on the crowd. Henry was back at school that morning, despite his vehement protests and whining insistence that he should be allowed to go to the town meeting too, but Killian had promised the lad to remember every detail and fill him in on all that happened and most particularly who was currently present in Storybrooke and what their circumstances appeared to be. 

“If I’m going to help them find love again then I have to know what love is missing in their lives,” Henry had explained to his stepfather and both mothers over dinner the night before. “It might not necessarily be love love, like what Mom and Dad have.”

“Romantic love,” supplied Killian. 

“Yeah. Cuz remember Mom broke the first curse with True Love’s Kiss on me.” 

“So it might be parental love,” said Emma. 

“Yep. Or just like best friends love. What’s it called, Dad?”

“Platonic,” replied Killian.

 “Uh huh. Or even, like, love of a pet or a hobby or something. Not True Love, capital letters, just any love.” 

“And are you sure that’s all that’s needed to break the curse?” asked Regina. “Just love?”

“We’re not sure of anything,” said Killian. “But the lad’s theories are sound, and Zelena herself confirmed that there is no love currently present in Storybrooke.” 

“Do we think Zelena knew how the first curse worked?” wondered Emma. “How Rumplestiltskin wanted it broken so he could go and find Neal, and that’s why he put my parents’ True Love on the scroll?”

“Almost certainly, I think,” said Regina. “She intended to torture me indefinitely and she’s too clever to cast a curse without knowing exactly how it would work. She may be insane, but she’s not stupid.” 

Henry frowned and toyed with the lasagna on his plate. “Um, Moms,” he said. 

“Yes,” replied Regina and Emma as one. 

“Speaking of my dad… Neal, I mean… do you know where he is?’ He looked up, eyes huge in his small face. “He is here… right?” 

Emma and Regina exchanged a glance. 

“Sorry, kid, but I don’t remember ever seeing him,” said Emma. “I don’t even know—since he wasn’t here during the first curse I don’t really have any idea of what his role would be in Storybrooke.” 

“And I haven’t interacted with anyone except Snow and Charming,” said Regina. “And…” she frowned as she thought, “also Belle. She works at the market, on the register. I used to see her every day.” 

“Okay,” said Henry, still frowning at his plate. 

“Don’t worry, Henry, we’ll find him.” Emma reached out and squeezed her son’s hand. “We always find each other, remember?” 

Henry gave a small smile and nodded. 

Remembering the sadness in Henry’s eyes, Killian scanned the crowd once again for any sign of Neal as Emma took her place next to her mother at the table and Mary Margaret called the meeting to order. 

“H-hello,” she said. “I-if I could have your attention.” 

Silence fell in the hall and all eyes turned to her. She gulped visibly and panic filled her eyes as they darted around the room, observing all the solemn faces focused on her. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence then Mary Margaret released a breath and smiled. 

“I’d like to call this Storybrooke town meeting to order,” she said in a much stronger voice, her eyes fixed on someone in the crowd. Killian followed her gaze to where David was sitting, looking much more like his old self in a blue flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, smiling encouragingly at her. 

Well, thought Killian. That’s promising. 

“The first order of business is to announce that Mayor Green has resigned her position and I will be the Acting Mayor until an election can be held,” continued Mary Margaret. “Anyone wishing to run can get the paperwork from the Town Records Manager.” She nodded towards the end of the table where a youngish man with prominent ears and large glasses nodded in acknowledgment. Killian frowned. He didn’t recognise the man. Which wasn’t in itself remarkable as there were many people in Storybrooke he didn’t recognise, but this particular individual had the same air of a wild creature caught in a small cage that Killian had remarked on in his interactions with Mr Wood the banker. Who was himself an unfamiliar face. 

“I’ll now open up the floor to questions,” said Mary Margaret.  

“Why did Mayor Green resign?” piped up a gruff voice from the back of the room, and Killian could see Emma in the corner of his eye trying not to roll her eyes. 

Mary Margaret drew a deep breath. “That’s a good question, Leroy,” she said. “And I’m sorry to have to tell you all this but former Mayor Green has come under suspicion of fraud and misappropriation of town resources.” 

“What town resources?” 

“I’m, er, afraid I can’t be any more specific while the investigation is pending,” said Mary Margaret, looking pleased with herself. 

“But she didn’t resign then,” continued the voice, which Killian had now determined was that of the irritable dwarf who seemed always to be shouting. “She was forced out.” 

Mary Margaret’s pleased expression faded and Killian suspected that she also was trying not to roll her eyes. Like daughter like mother, it seemed. “It amounts to the same thing,” she said. “She’s no longer the mayor.” 

“But I think we have a right to know what—” 

“Leroy, please!” Mary Margaret waved her hands in an exasperated gesture that knocked her coffee cup off the table and sent it flying, crashing to the ground and splashing coffee all over the floor and on the shoes of the people in the front row. “Oh!” she cried. “Oh, no! Can anyone… does anyone have a mop? Or a—a tissue, or something?” 

The crowd began to shift as people patted pockets and looked in purses and then there was the sound of a door opening and movement from the far corner of the room. A janitor emerged, dressed in grey coveralls with a baseball cap pulled low over his face, lugging a pail and mop along behind him. 

“Ah,” said Mary Margaret. “Thank you, Neal.” 

Killian stiffened and he could see Emma do the same. The man gave Mary Margaret a small nod and took out his mop, and when he turned to wipe up the coffee on the floor Killian got a clear glimpse of his face under his cap. 

Well, lad, he thought, we’ve found your father. 

~

A triumphant sneer curled Regina’s lip as she sauntered into the sheriff’s station, at the sight of Zelena curled up on the hard cot in her cell, asleep. After a year of suffering at this woman’s hands, seeing her there pleased Regina even more than when she’d had Snow in much the same circumstances, locked away and at her mercy. The room still seethed with magic, dark and untethered and increasingly wild with no one to contain and control it, woven through with the faint glow of the light magic left by Emma. Careless, thought Regina with a sniff. Emma left traces of her magic behind everywhere she went. It all but oozed from her, more natural magic than Regina had ever seen attached to any one person before. 

At least she’s finally learned how to use it, she thought as she drew on the light magic, careful to temper it with some of the dark—though she couldn’t help noticing that touching the light hurt far less than it once had, and thinking that Henry would be proud to hear that—and wove it into an invisible but very sharp point. Which she then used to poke Zelena through the bars of the cell. Right in her backside.

Zelena shifted on the cot but didn’t awaken, and Regina with a gleeful grin took the opportunity to poke her harder. 

“Oi!” cried Zelena, waving her hand at the unseen irritant. “What is it—oh. Regina.” 

A cutting retort died on Regina’s lips at the look on her sister’s face. Her sister. That was still hard to grasp. Zelena looked… tired. Worn. Defeated. Which was good, obviously, but still it tugged at something unfamiliar and uncomfortable in Regina’s chest. 

“Well?” said Zelena wearily. “What are you here for? To taunt me, I suppose.” 

Regina had absolutely intended a taunt or two but she wasn’t about to admit that, not once Zelena had guessed it. “I wanted to talk about your curse.” 

“Ah, yes,” a small, nasty smile curved Zelena’s lips. “My curse. The curse you can’t break.” 

“We’ll see about that.” Regina couldn’t help needling her, despite the solemn promise Hook—Killian, damn it—had extorted from her the night before, not to let Zelena goad her into revealing too much. 

“Yes, I imagine we will.” Zelena’s smug and haughty demeanour appeared to be back in full force, her brief moment of vulnerability passed. 

Regina ground her teeth. “It shouldn’t be too hard,” she said. “It’s not much of a curse.” Zelena sputtered indignantly and Regina twisted the knife. “Barely in place a year and already weakening,” she taunted. “Though to be honest, I’m not surprised. It never was quite right, was it?” 

“Not quite right?” 

“No. There’s always been something off about it. Everyone’s noticed. Henry, Hook. Emma, now that she has her memories back. It’s distorted somehow, like… like a painting done by someone who’d only ever seen things through a mirror.” 

Zelena’s eyebrows twitched, just the smallest hint of movement but Regina did not miss it. 

“Through a mirror… that’s it, isn’t it? You used mirror magic to what… reflect the curse back into this world?” 

It was a stab in the dark but she could tell it landed firmly on its target by the anger that flashed in Zelena’s eyes, and the hint of fear. She laughed, a loud, triumphant laugh. “Which would mean that it isn’t even your curse! It’s Pan’s, modified by me then simply twisted and re-formed by you. Third-hand magic. Oh, that is delicious.” 

“It hardly matters,” Zelena hissed. “You still can’t break it,”

“As I said before,” sneered Regina. “We’ll see about that. Thanks for the information, sis. You’ve been very helpful.” 

~

When the town meeting ended Killian waited until most of the others had left before making his way out of the room. He was walking down the nearly empty corridor to the main doors when a hand grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him into a small office. 

“What the devil—” Before he could finish his sentence white smoke whirled around him and he found himself back in his apartment with Emma in his arms. He frowned. “Swa—” he began but she cut him off again, this time with a hard, intense kiss. 

Her body was rigid with tension as he ran his prosthetic hand down her back and curled his fingers into her hair. He gentled the kiss to try to ease whatever was troubling her, moving his lips soothingly over hers until the tension drained away and she relaxed against him, pressing her forehead to his as the kiss ended with softly clinging lips and they sighed into each other. 

“I’m not complaining, but what’s this about, love?” he murmured. 

“I just missed you.” 

“I missed you too, but—” 

“And I was worried.” She reached up to stroke his cheek, running her thumb along the thin scar that crossed it. “About how you’d feel. Seeing Neal, I mean. The last time we were all together, he was, well—” 

“Vying against me for your heart, aye, I remember.” 

“Are you gonna be okay with him being here?” she pressed. “With him being in Henry’s life once the curse breaks?” 

“Of course I’m okay with that. He’s Henry’s father.” 

“Yeah, but you’re his dad.” 

Killian cleared his throat over the lump that formed in it. “Indeed I am, and nothing can take that away, Emma. I love Henry and he loves me. But there’s more than enough room in his heart for a father and a dad. He has two mums already, after all.” 

Emma gave him a searching look. “So you’re really okay?” 

Killian took his time answering. It wasn’t an easy question, and though he’d known he would have to face it eventually he had tried not to think on it overmuch until seeing Neal that morning had brought the issue into sharp focus. 

“My relationship with Baelfire has never been simple,” he replied finally. “He’s the child of my first great love and also of my greatest enemy, father of the boy I call my son and the first man to hold my wife’s heart. It’s not going to be easy after the curse breaks and he learns what’s transpired between us, and between myself and Henry. But despite everything, even despite his unconscionable conduct in leaving you alone in jail, I still care for him and I want to try to find a place for him in our lives. If that’s what you wish.” 

Emma nodded. “It is. I know it won’t be easy, but I don’t want to keep him away from Henry. If he wants to be in his life, and in ours, I think we should try.” She smiled at him. “I love you.” 

He smirked. “I know.” 

Her mouth dropped open. “You finally watched Star Wars!” she exclaimed.

“Aye, Henry insisted.” 

“And? What did you think?” 

“Preposterous, from start to finish. However, I did enjoy the space pirate and his ship.” 

“Space pirate,” scoffed Emma. “You would.” 

He laughed and hugged her closer. “I love you too, Emma.” 

“I know.” 

They kissed again, soft and lovingly this time, and Killian let himself sink into it. He really needed to get downstairs and open the shop and Emma was already late for her patrol, but she was also soft and warm in his arms and he thought perhaps they might be able to spare the time for just a brief dalliance…

The door to the apartment opened and someone made a disgusted noise. “Can’t you two keep your hands off each other for five minutes?” said Regina’s voice. They turned to see her standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. “I need to speak with the sheriff, alone if you don’t mind.” 

“Aye.” Killian cleared his throat and gave Emma one more kiss, lingering as long as he dared. “I should get to the shop anyway,” he told her. “Come and say goodbye before you leave.” 

“I will.” 

Emma kept her eyes on her husband until the door closed behind him, laughing at the cheeky grin and raised eyebrow he gave her as he shut it. She turned to Regina. 

“So what’s up?” she asked. 

“We need to talk about what to do with Zelena.” 

Emma sighed. They definitely did need to talk about that, and also she really didn’t want to. 

“I’m guessing you have some suggestions.” 

“We need to get rid of her.” 

“By ‘get rid of’ I assume you mean ‘kill’.” 

Regina shrugged. “Dispose of her.” 

“Meaning kill her.” 

“Well, if you insist on putting it in such blunt terms, yes,” Regina huffed in annoyance. “It’s too dangerous not to. We know what she’s capable of.” 

Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “We can’t kill her.” 

Regina glared at her. “Why did I know you would express that opinion, Miss Swan?” 

“It’s Mrs Jones, and I don’t know, maybe because you know that I’m not going to condone murder?” 

“Oh yes, of course, how could I forget, heroes don’t kill,” Regina sneered. “And also, really? You’re taking the pirate’s name?” 

“Oh, I have no problem with killing in justifiable circumstances,” snapped Emma. “But you can’t just up and take out someone who isn’t threatening you and hasn’t been convicted of a capital crime. And yes, why the hell wouldn’t I take my husband’s name?” 

“So you want to let the woman who cursed this town just walk free? And honestly I figured you for more of a feminist.” 

“Um, in case you forgot you’re also the woman who cursed this town so are you really going to argue that cursing towns deserves the death penalty? And I don’t see how sharing a last name with my husband and my son is un-feminist. We’re a family.” 

“Regardless of who cursed what, we’re going to have to do something with Zelena. And are you seriously telling me that you changed Henry’s name to Jones?” 

“Zelena can stay in her cell until we come up with a better idea than ‘hey let’s kill her!’ And yes, Henry’s name is Jones now, it’s on all his documents. If you want to change it back you’d better first ask him and second figure out how you’re going to undo all my magical forgery.” Emma knew the smirk on her face was a bit smug, but she couldn’t help it. She was proud of that forgery.

Regina ground her teeth. “If I had my magic—” 

“Well, you don’t, so why don’t you use that angry energy to think of a non-lethal way to take care of Zelena. What did you use to do in the Enchanted Forest?” 

“In the Enchanted Forest we executed people when they got in the way!” 

“You mean you executed them when they got in your way!” 

“Yes!” 

“Well that explains a hell of a lot!” 

Regina threw up her hands. “We’re wasting time here,” she snapped. “We need a strategy and we need it soon, before Zelena figures out how to use her magic again.” 

Emma frowned. “Can she do that? If her amulet’s broken?” 

“She might be able to.” The anger faded from Regina’s eyes and posture, replaced by worry. “She’s very powerful and with a lot of—” her lip curled “—natural ability. The only person I’ve ever seen with the same raw skill is you, which is why you need to be the one to deal with her.” 

“But I can’t—” 

“Yes you can, and more than that you have to.” She sighed, and the look in her eye turned pleading. “There’s no one else.” 

Emma bit her lip. She had an idea, just a little glimmer of a thought tickling the corner of her mind. It might be crazy—it was almost certainly crazy—but it also might work. Before she could do anything, though, she needed to do some research. 

“Okay, look, we can’t do anything today,” she said, holding up her hand to silence Regina’s protest. “For now, Zelena’s not a threat and I don’t want to rush into anything until we know exactly what we’re doing.” Killian was right, Emma thought. Strategy first. This time she wasn’t going to jump into anything until she was fully prepared. “I’m gonna go grab some books from downstairs and do my patrol,” she continued, “then I need an hour or so at the station. Can you meet me at the loft at about one thirty?” 

Regina nodded. “That should be fine. I actually want to have a look in some of the pirate’s books myself.” 

“Really? What do you need to read about?” 

“Mirror magic.”  

~

Regina left the bookshop with a bag full of very intriguing books—she made a mental note to find a way to pry out of Killian precisely where and from whom he’d obtained them—and headed down the street towards Granny’s. So engrossed was she in her thoughts and plans and theories about how Zelena had cast the curse that she didn’t see John Wood until she’d walked right into him, knocking the takeout bag from his hand and sending it flying into the bushes.  

“Oh!” she cried. “I’m so sorry! It was an accident this time!” 

“This time?” he echoed with a quizzical smile. 

“Oh.” Damn it. “I mean, the last time too. I’m just sorry I keep running into you. Or not—not sorry to be running into you just… running into you.” 

She’d never felt more flustered or less regal and she could feel her cheeks burning, but then he laughed and gods she’d missed the sound of that laugh. It was warm and… merry, for lack of a better word, and it made her heart pound and the flush on her skin grow hotter. They were still standing close together and as she drew in a deep breath she felt a small pang of regret. He smelled wonderful, but it was all wrong. Laundry soap and cologne and not a trace of pine. She never imagined she’d miss the scent of the forest clinging to his skin, but in that moment she’d have given anything to smell it again and to have those eyes look at her the way they once had, all too briefly and too long ago. 

Do not think about his eyes. Or his skin.

But they drew her, those eyes and their twinkle, and while there was still no real recognition in them they seemed… clearer than they had yesterday. Like something had been lifted. Like they belonged to a more carefree man. 

“Do you want to have dinner with me?” she blurted, and the heat in her cheeks became an inferno. She managed to keep her face straight but cringed internally, bracing for refusal, preparing a withering put-down for when it came.

“Oh,” he said, blinking in surprise. “Ah. Um. Yes. I would. I mean, just in a, er, a friendly way or as as a—” 

“As a date,” said Regina, emboldened by how obviously and—yes, damn it—sweetly flustered he was. “Tonight?” 

“Ah.” A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Um, yes. Tonight is fine. Wh—where?”

“Meet me in front of Granny’s. About seven?”

He grinned, wide and warm, and she felt like she could soar. “I’ll see you then.”

~

Emma was already at the loft when Regina arrived, crouched in the corner near where Henry had grappled with Zelena two days before. When she heard Regina arrive she stood to greet her. “Hey,” she said. “I’ve been here like ten minutes. What kept you?” 

“I ran into someone.” Regina’s cheeks were bright pink and she wouldn’t meet Emma’s eye. Emma stared. 

“You’re blushing!” she exclaimed. 

“No, I’m not.” 

“You are! Who did you run into?” 

“No one.” 

“Oh, come on, Regina!” 

“Fine, it was John Wood. From the bank.” 

“John Wood?” 

“Yes. We’re having dinner tonight.”

“You’re having dinner. With John Wood, the banker.” Emma doubted she could be more astonished if Regina had announced her intention to dine with Zelena in her cell. 

“Yes.” Regina was standing stiffly, wearing her best haughty queen expression. “Now if you’ve satisfied your curiosity Mrs Jones, can we get back to the matter at hand?” 

Emma narrowed her eyes. John Wood hadn’t been in Storybrooke during the first curse, yet it was obvious that Regina knew him. She wouldn’t go on a date with a random cursed banker, not unless she knew who he was un-cursed. The new faces around Storybrooke were a mystery Emma fully intended to get to the bottom of but she also knew that with Regina she needed to choose her battles. Now was not the time to fight this one.  

“Sure,” she replied with a shrug. “First I just need to have a look at this.” She crouched down again and indicated the knife that was still lying on the floor, the one Zelena had used to threaten Henry and Henry had used to do something Emma still wasn’t quite sure she understood. He seemed to have actually cut into her magic with it, slashed a hole clean through her spell and then jumped through it to get to Zelena. There was no way that should have been possible but it happened, and Henry’s actions may have saved them all. She just needed to figure out how. 

 She had a few theories already, fleshed out by the research she’d done this morning, and now as she peered down at the knife on the floor, appearing as innocuous as any deadly weapon could look, she reached out carefully and prodded it with her magic. There was no dark magic in it that she could detect—no magic at all, in fact. It really was just a knife. Just an impossibly sharp knife with a short blade, double-edged, each edge made of a different metal. One side gleamed bright like polished steel and the other she’d never seen the like of before, shadow-grey but with a sort of dull glow that gave her the creeps. 

Gingerly she picked it up by its wooden handle and held it out to Regina. “Have you ever seen this before?” she asked. “Or anything like it?” 

Regina frowned. “No. But something about it it feels wrong.” 

“Wrong how?”

“I don’t know. It has no magic, but it just—it doesn’t seem to fit in this world somehow. And I don’t just mean in this realm.” 

“I know what you mean,” said Emma. And it was what she’d been hoping to hear. 

“What are you going to do with it?” Regina asked. 

“For the time being, keep it somewhere safe.” 

Just… be careful.” 

“Always am,” muttered Emma. She pulled an evidence bag from her pocket and carefully placed the knife inside, weaving a quick reinforcing spell into the plastic and tucking it into Killian’s satchel, which she had brought along for that precise purpose. 

“So,” she said, laying the satchel aside. “Let’s get started. What do you have in mind for this place? Not back to the way it was, I’m guessing.” 

“To your mother’s cutesy boho-chic?” scoffed Regina. “I don’t think so. Make it someplace I can live in.” 

“And Henry?” 

Regina nodded. “And Henry.” 

“Okay.” Emma flexed her fingers and reached for her magic. “I think I can work with that.” 

~

Several long hours later Emma poofed herself into Killian’s apartment and collapsed on the sofa with an exhausted sigh. 

“All right, love?” he called from the kitchen where he was cooking something that smelled amazing. 

“Yeah, I think so. I finally got the loft decorated to Regina’s satisfaction, so she’s going to spend the night there.” 

“Mom’s going to live at the loft?” Henry poked his head out from his bedroom. 

“Yeah, kid. I think we all felt that one night of her staying here was one night too many. For all of us.” 

“Not for me!” cried Henry. “I barely got to see her!” 

“Which is why we fixed up a room for you at the loft,” said Emma. “You can go there whenever you want.” 

Henry brightened. “Can I go tonight?” 

“If you’d like. Eat here first, though. Regina,” she paused to glance at Killian, “has a date.” 

“A date!” he exclaimed. 

“Yep. With Mr Wood from the bank.” 

“Interesting,” murmured Killian. 

“It is. I don’t recognise Mr Wood, he was definitely not here with the first curse. Henry do you have any idea who he is?” 

“No, but if he’s dating my mom I’m gonna find out,” said Henry. “I’ll see if he’s got a story in the book.” 

“What boo—wait, the storybook? You’ve got it?”

“Yep.” Henry ducked back into his room then reappeared a moment later waving the familiar brown leather book. “It showed up in the bookstore this afternoon when I got home from school. I’ve been looking for clues to how I can bring everyone’s love back.” 

“Good plan.” Emma heaved herself up off the sofa and went over to wrap her arms around Killian and lean her head against his shoulder. He kissed her hair in an almost absent gesture as he concentrated on stirring a simmering pot. 

“What is that?” she asked him. 

“Bouillabaisse.” 

“Booyah what?” 

“Its fish stew, Mom,” said Henry. 

“Um…” Emma shot her son a panicked grimace and Henry laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s really good. Dad’s a good cook, he can make even gross stuff taste nice.” 

“High praise indeed,” said Killian with a grin, though the word dad reminded him that they still hadn’t told Henry about Neal. He glanced down at Emma and could tell from the look on her face that she was thinking the same. 

“After dinner,” she murmured. “Let’s just have a quiet family meal, just a moment of peace. Then we’ll tell him.” 

“Aye, love. It’s a plan.” 

-

@thejollyroger-writer​ @jennjenn615​ @tiganasummertree​ @lfh1226-linda​ @winterbaby89​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @resident-of-storybrooke​

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Dennis

Welllllll this one got a bit away from me. I blame cabin fever (two days snowed in) and my angst addiction. Story 4 for @drawlight‘s advent challenge.

Couple of notes: Dennis, MA is a real place, and chosen for the setting because (a) it is the site of the first recorded commercial cranberry bog in America, and (b) it has a very silly name. It’s actually quite nice, if you manage to visit between the overcrowded tourist season and the completely dead off season, Crowley just has no patience.

Cranberry wine is not as common as the story might imply, especially in 1982. Crowley is drinking Truro Vineyard’s Cranberry Red from their Lighthouse Wine Series, which my parents are big fans of (it’s good, if you like red wines), even though that wasn’t available until the late 2000s. Bad historian, no cookie for you.

Thanks to @angel-and-serpent for reminding me about the wolf spiders.

04 - Cranberry (2,600 words)

Crowley sat on the four-poster bed, staring at the phone. The clock beside it clicked from 1:59 PM to 2:00. He tensed…but nothing happened.

Don’t panic. It’s not always exactly the same time. He tried to occupy himself by listing things he disliked about the hotel room.

The lighting room was atrocious, casting everything in a sickly yellow color. Even sitting alone, he wore his glasses to dull the glow a little. The bed was…passably comfortable, the quilt too stiff, the pillows far too flat. The carpet was worn, though only a little. The color scheme was too…green. He’d seen three ants, which might just be a coincidence, or the start of an infestation.

The phone rang, a sharp jangle cutting right across his nerves. 2:03 PM.

He scooped up the handset and said as casually as possible, “Yeah?”

And relaxed, smile drifting across his face that he’d never allow in a face-to-face conversation.

“No, I’m not too busy, Angel. How was your week?”

Slowly, he leaned back on the bed, stretching the coiled cord as far as it would go.

“Really? No. The audacity, coming in and trying to buy a book. What do they think it is, some kind of shop?” He listened another moment. “Aziraphale, I am taking this exactly as seriously as it deserves.”

He listened for a while longer, with an occasional, “Yeah. Yeah.”

“How are my plants?” He frowned. “Perfectly fine? They’re dropping leaves all over the shop, aren’t they?” Rolled his eyes and sat up. “No, I don’t care if it’s November, they know what’s expected of them. I’ve only been gone…” he sighed. “Twenty months.” He was really going to have to re-establish dominance when he got back.

“Nah, I mean, New York was great. Plenty going on there. We should – you should – yeah, I think you’d like it there.” He winced. He sounded pathetic. “Then two days ago, hey, congratulations, now on to the next location. But…I really think someone cocked this one up. No way this is where I’m supposed to be.”

“Dennis.”

He jumped to his feet. “No, not Dennis who, Dennis. It’s a town.” Pacing was difficult in a room this small. He almost immediately became tangled in the phone cord. “I have no idea who names a town ‘Dennis.’” He struggled to free himself without moving the earpiece. “Some bloody tourist place, beaches and sea food, only it’s the off-season.”

He kicked the last bit of cord off his leg – how had that even gotten there? – and flung himself dramatically into the armchair. It wasn’t as good without an audience.

“Now I’m stuck here, nothing to do, until Hell admits they made a mistake. Who knows how long that’s going to be.”

Furious scowl. “No, I’m not being… who even uses the word histrionic? There’s really nothing here. Even the hotel – you’ll never guess. Three stars.” He frowned. “You try it.”

“There is a cranberry bog.” He admitted sullenly. “Lots of spiders. I’m sure there’s something I can do with that.” Pause. “No, I will not behave myself, I’m a demon. And I was told to make trouble, not that there’s any trouble to get into here.”

He sighed. “Haven’t the first idea, they just congratulated me for something to do with politics or the economy.” Crowley pulled off his glasses rubbing at his eyes. “Come on, Aziraphale, you know that’s not how I work. I don’t even understand the economy. Supply-side whatsname, what’s that even mean? But Hell was really happy.” He shuddered. “Ah, I hope I don’t get a commendation. Then I’ll know it’s bad. It’ll be like the Spanish Inquisition all over again. Or the French Revolution.”

He smiled, twisting the cord around his finger. “No, I – you don’t have to. If you want crepes, I’m sure there’s someplace closer.” He laughed. “Yeah, now you mention it, they do still have the death penalty here, but I think you need something more than a bad outfit.”

He was running out of things to say. He tried desperately to think of something, anything. “Uh, any dinner plans?” Nodded. “No, that’s – that sounds good. I wish – I hope you enjoy it.” He knocked his head against the back of his chair. “Got some wine at the airport. ’S alright, I guess.” Nodded again. “Yeah. No, definitely. Talk to you next week.”

Crowley walked back to the bed and dropped the phone into the cradle with another sigh.

--

It was 2:07 PM and Crowley had the phone to his ear before the first ring even finished. “Yeah?”

“Not good, Angel. I spent days getting those wolf spiders to listen to me, and before I could enact my plan, they closed the bog for the season!”

He covered the mouth of the phone and scowled at the half-dozen spiders on his curtain. “Oi, you lot. Back in the planter or you can winter outside with the rest.” He glared until they had settled back among the spiny shrubs with small red blossoms. He would not be telling Aziraphale about his new roommates, or that the best option at the undersized plant shop had been a succulent called crown of thorns.

“No, it was going to be a great plan. All my plans are great.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Well, that worked, didn’t it?”

He groaned and flung himself back onto the green quilt. “Of course I’m still in Dennis, where else would I be? I told them it was probably supposed to be Denver, but does anyone listen to me?” He pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “The worst is, they keep congratulating me on all the good work I’m doing.”

“No, Aziraphale, I don’t think they meant the spiders, either.” He picked up a newspaper – an actual, local paper, not one of the ones put out by Hell. “I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on, but they don’t exactly get the New York Times here.” He flipped through the titles – Cape Cod Chronicle, Provincetown Advocate, The Register. He’d tried to get a few older issues, but everything was from the current month: November, 1982.

“Why would I go to a library?” Pause. “Ohhhhh. Mm, I suppose I can try that if I get desperate.”

Aziraphale asked a question. “Nh, ah, ok. So. Someone wrote this book about this huge secret satanic organization that, I don’t know, controls the world or something. Accused my side of…some stuff.”

He sighed. “If you must know. Torturing and murdering children.” Crowley sat bolt upright. “No, Aziraphale, obviously not. You’d know if it was true.” He picked at the seams of his black jeans. “I suppose you had to ask.”

“Well that’s the thing. We didn’t know anything about it either. So they sent me here to figure out what was going on.”

He flipped through the pages of the newspapers. “Not much, really. All in their heads, right? Didn’t even need to bother stirring it up, these things really take care of themselves. I’ve just been doing my usual, traveling to different cities, causing a little trouble.”

Giving up on the tiny newsprint, Crowley reached for one of the bottles of cranberry wine that the liquor store had had in abundance. “Well, that’s the thing. I can’t find anything in the papers, so that can’t be it.” He poured himself a glass. “Just…you know. Economic stuff. Banks. Taxes. I don’t know.”

He took a drink. “Mh. There was something, can’t find it now. Some men getting sick out in California. Hope it’s not another plague.” He laughed a little. “Hooray penicillin. Honestly, I’m glad to see the end of plagues. Lousy way to do things.”

Aziraphale turned the conversation to lighter things, and for a while Crowley sipped his wine and listened, learning everything going on back in London, what the customers had tried to buy now, and the angel’s dinner plans.

“Oh, you’ll like this. You know what next week is? Thanksgiving.” He poured the last of the bottle into his glass. “It’s like Christmas, only instead of presents, more food. Very American. The hotel’s serving it in the main dining room.” He drained his glass. “Eh, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce. The usual. I probably won’t have any, you know, you’re supposed to celebrate with friends, but – yeah I thought you’d like that.” He smiled at the phone. “I’ll…uh, I’ll talk to you then, right?”

After he hung up, he noticed one of the spiders sitting on the floor next to him. “I thought I told you to stay in the planter.” At least they’d cleared up the ant infestation. He’d have to get some crickets in the morning.

The wolf spider waved hairy legs at him. “Oh, alright.” He let her scramble up his arm and settle on his shoulder. “But no wine for you. That’s all I need, bunch of drunk spiders.”

--

The phone rang at 2:01 PM. Crowley didn’t pick up.

Or at 2:10. Or 2:13.

It was 2:29 PM – long after Aziraphale had lost track of the number of times he’d called and hung up – when Crowley finally knocked the handset out of the cradle. “Wha’?” he demanded, slouched on the floor amid empty bottles of cranberry wine.

“’M celebrating, tha’s what.” The spider on his shoulder scurried down to settle on his knee instead. She was always nearby these days. “Cuz I know what Hell c’gratulated me for.”

He dug around for a bottle that was still half-full, drank straight from its mouth. “Not the economy. Well. Starts with that. Whole time I’m here, people been…losing jobs, banks closing. Did I notice?” He leaned his head against the bed. “No, s’pose not. But people…you know people.”

He nodded, watching the spider jump from one knee to the other. “Satanic Cult story just…keeps growing. Accusations. People in prison. Kids always in the middle. ’S not even real. Just. Panic. And then the other thing.”

He held out his hand, let the spider crawl across his fingers. “Said I was done caring, after the Black Death. You can’t… can’t care, you know? Plague’s gotta run its course.” He hadn’t ever really believed that anyway. “But this is… something new.”

He raised his hand and the spider clambered onto his head. It felt nice, little fuzzy legs combing through his hair. “Dunno. Something with… ’mune system? ’S bad. And…and no one cares. Aren’t studying it. Aren’t talking about it. Cuz of who’s sick.”

He picked up the bottle again, draining it, sweet-tart wine running down his throat. “’S what ’m s’posed to’ve done, y’know. Make ’em turn on each other. Cut off th’ ones who need help. ’S like I did in Spain…and France…”

He leaned his head against his knees, curling up beside the bed in his nest of bottles. “Nnhhh, ’f its nothing to do with me, why do I keep getting credit?”

Crowley couldn’t listen any longer. He let the phone tumble out of his fingers, onto the floor. Aziraphale’s voice grew louder, more insistent, then abruptly cut off.

Of course he’d hang up. Why would anyone want to talk to a demon who –

With a strange hum, something burst out of the phone, materializing in the hotel room very close to where Crowley sat. The pale figure stumbled on the wine bottles, then straightened his tartan bow tie and glared.

“Don’t you dare ignore me, Crowley.”

“I…how’d you…”

“Traveling through the telephone lines. You told me you’d tried it once before.”

“It was awful.”

“Not nearly as awful as your driving.” Aziraphale looked him up and down. “Look at yourself. You’re dressed like some sort of…teenaged ruffian. Why is there a spider in your hair?”

“’S fashion,” Crowley answered vaguely.

The angel leaned down and lifted the wolf spider, being careful not to hurt her legs. He watched the spider run across his palm. “And how long has he been like this?”

“Look, Angel, she just –”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Aziraphale walked away, whispering to the spider. “Really? And you didn’t try to tell him – No, I suppose not. No, you’ve done your best. I’ll take it from here.” He set the spider down among the crown of thorns.

The angel still looked absolutely furious. “You could at least stand up instead of skulking on the floor like that.”

Crowley stumbled and tottered getting to his feet, and it wasn’t only because of the all the empty bottles.  Well, in a way it was.

“Angel, you shouldn’ be here –”

“I should absolutely be here. You’ve been on your own far too long.” He eyed the bottles. “How many of those are from today?”

“Nn. All of ’em. Housekeeping clears them out every morning.”

He tried not to notice the look Aziraphale gave him as the angel snapped his fingers, miracling the bottles into a neat row across the bedside table. “Now sober up.”

“C’mon, Angel, ’m fine.”

“Sober up. I’m not talking to you like this.”

The cranberry wine was a lot less pleasant coming out than it had been going in. And sobriety only made all the emotions he’d been feeling more clear.

Aziraphale watched the liquid pour back into the bottles, and when he was satisfied, jabbed a finger into Crowley’s chest.

“I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense. You are not responsible for what the humans do, or believe, or ignore. That is their choice.”

“I know.” He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. “I just…how can they be so cruel to each other?”

“Free will.” Aziraphale sat beside him, so close their shoulders just barely brushed. “One day an act of kindness that surprises even me, the next…”

“The next, they leave hundreds of people to die horribly, just because they’re different.” This wasn’t any easier to process sober. “Are you going to tell me this is all part of the Ineffable Plan?”

“Would that make you feel better?”

“Has it ever?”

“Then, no. I think I’ll leave it at that.”

They sat together in silence for a long time.

There really weren’t any words to make it better. Free will or not, Plan or not, sometimes, humans were the absolute worst. He didn’t know why, after six thousand years, it still hurt to learn that.

But it helped to know, from the pressure of one shoulder leaning on another, that at least someone else had never learned to stop caring.

“So, are you going to head back to London?”

“After coming all this way?” Aziraphale had run out of severe looks; he just smiled sadly. “I have a few healings left in my allowance for the year. I think I might…see what I can do out in California.”

Crowley nodded, and for once he was the one on the verge of a forbidden thank you.

“Before you go. I think the Thanksgiving dinner is about to start. I don’t suppose…”

“My dear, I would never turn down a feast.”

The demon quickly stood up, re-settling his glasses, manifesting something a little more sophisticated than the punk-inspired look he’d been wearing.

Aziraphale dug under the bed and found an unopened bottle of cranberry wine. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this tastes. Oh, it looks like a little lighthouse! Lovely.”

Crowley paused at the door. “You’re not going to be all weird and pretend we don’t know each other, are you?”

“I suppose not. Since this is supposed to be a celebration with friends.” He eyed Crowley suspiciously. “Don’t go being overly familiar just because I said that.”

“Me? I would never!”

[peepee-magee]

Reverse Au cuz God has forbidden me from sleep

I see a lot of reverse au stuff for the good omens fandom and it's all fantastic, but I can't get into most of them which sucks so I decided at this 3 am sleepless juncture to blurt my version of this AU because I have nothing else better to do.

In my head the ideal AU with the universes two most favorite dorks is one where Angel Crowley runs a flower shop/nursery, and is unabashedly loving of everything in the shop. He heals up plants who gets spots, he is unendingly forgiving of their short comings, and keeps the lesser plants for his personal garden in the hopes one day they'll be as magnificent as their siblings who he sells only to those who he knows know what their doing; unable to bare the idea of the wrong hands killing them.

As I see it canon Crowley has plants as a way to vent, and unleash millennia of pain and frustration which Angel Crowley wouldn't have much need for. In my AU Angel Crowely is, yes, frustrated from time to time with his lot but can't bring himself to let it out on his plants. They try to hard to be their best for him, and when he's really upset they even go so far as to produce new blooms just to cheer him up.

AU Crowely uses his plants for a similar but opposite reasoning. He uses them to try and heal pains he can't heal on himself or others. Guilt about that big flood rising up? Save a new plant, and try and make it grand. Doubt to the great plan? Well, time to grow a huge, complicated plant so hard to take care of he can think of nothing else. A certain demon he can't help with his suffering? Bring a plant back from the brink of death and cherish it in his pride collection for the rest of time.

Which is where Demon Aziraphale comes in.

In my head Demon Aziraphale would be semi the opposite. He's still hospitable on the surface, but only as a means to an end. He's angry he's fallen, but is unwilling to forgive and even more unwilling to accept things as they've been set. He works very hard while on earth to try and prove almost out of spite he would still make a good angel and it always ends up backfiring on him. He'll do a miracle to try and make someones life better, but accidently ends up making things worse.

(i.e: Miracles someones crashed computer fixed in a coffee shop in a thumb up 'ha, see did something good' only to have it turn out the person with the crashed laptop had been trying to hack everyone in the coffee shop via the shared wifi to steal their bank info.)

Every time he fucks up trying to be good and prove God made a mistake casting him out he feels both immense guilt and rage. Flabbergasted as to why she'd make (originally) an angel who could only do bad in the first place. He hates how comfortable he feels in hell. He hates being praised by his side for his misdeeds because all that are unassigned are normally unintentional. He proposes The Arrangement as a way to dodge having to do purely bad assignments as much as he can, and Crowely leaps at the opportunity at the globe just to try and ease a bit of his obvious frustration. (He said no in Wessex, but after all these centurys what started out as mild sympathy has practically turned the demons personal suffering into his own come on.) He practically clings to earth, and humanity for stability in the times he's not around Crowley to put on an 'all I do is on purpose' facade because despite him being born the worlds very best worst most humans still kind of like him. Love him in fact, because he's outwardly nice, friendly and helpful even when he's being guarded about himself, and his things. He still fucks up, but most humans appreciate his attempts especially when it's obvious he's really trying. Of course it's mostly an act, and long stretches of forced niceness just make him feel even more horrible for having to fake, but he really does give it his all to try and absorb as much of the act as he can in hopes it'll just leak into him and become natural at some point.

He still owns a bookshop and still collects rare tomes as well as his love for food, and it's really the only thing he uses his inherent evil for. ( Steals, bribes, cheats, and gambles his way to his vast collection.) Despite this however he really does cherish his books, and takes great pride in owning each one regardless of how he got them. Especially since he considers each nefarious gain it's own personal story for each book in addition to the stories already on the pages themselves.

They both work on the same street on opposite ends by just before antichrist time. Both know full well of one another, and both chock it up to their sides as 'keeping an eye' even though for YEARS since 1800 Aziraphale's bookshop has seemed to drift closer and closer with each move.

(First excuse to move shop was termites, then a fire hazard, then oh woops looks like there is a plumbing issue, leaks, can't have that with old books around.)

Crowley sees right though his shit by the thrid time he's moved but dosent say shit because he's both amused and curious to see exactly how close the demon can get before one of their sides notices. Only Hell really ever notices enough to care mentioning tho as Heaven trusts Crowley (he's been a very exemplary angel by all the reports he's sent in even tho at least 1/3rd of them are twisted truths, but it dosent hurt he also kisses major ass whenever he has to physically report in) and when Hell questions Aziraphale he just chocks it up to 'circling prey' all ominous like with a creepy smile (he's a vulture afterall) and Hell just kind of shudders and accepts that as an answer cuz all of Aziraphale's fuck ups have proven very well for his record as a demon.

By the time their living on the same street just at opposite ends Crowely finally takes the piss, and walks into Aziraphale's shop like he's any normal customer, and just starts talking him up about books much to Aziraphale's momentary terror because while indeed he's been telling Crowely about his moves he'd stopped saying where he was moving to after the 20th, and momentarily worries Heaven has sent him to intervene, but no. Crowley sees the fear on his face, and takes enough mercy to stop taking the piss long enough to invite me to lunch etc etc.

Basically Crowely is an angel easily attached to this to good, guilt riddled demon and for 6000 years finds little excuses to bump into him just to check up on how he's doing at first, but by Rome and oysters he's in love because he's just utterly enchanted with the demons leap and bound attempts to try and do good despite himself. (He didn't even try to corrupt the emperor he'd been sent to influence for heaven sake! Activly vented for an hour over oysters how he tried so hard to talk him into doing good only for it to backfire, and make things worse.)

While Aziraphale is smittin in the middle of the Reign of Terror when he needs to mircale his seemingly stupid angel out of chains all because he so despretly wanted to try and come see the gardens, and architecture before it was all destroyed, and best yet the angel makes up for the need of rescue by offering to pay for lunch with a face that reads 'what a good deed it was, saving me, right?' How is he suppose to say no to that, what?

Then after that it seems Crowley just dives head first into dangerous situations knowing full well Aziraphale will just jump at the chance to do good even though after 1941 they stop so much stroking the demons ego as they do start stressing him out cuz he is so deep in his feels at this point loosing him even for a bit would crush him, but Crowely at this point can't fucking help himself cuz watching Aziraphale squirm for him has slowly become a slight sadistic delight (as much as an angel can have one anyway) given that when they first met Aziraphale barely paid him the courtesy of their breif conversation. (Seemed aggravated to hear about the sword, and flew off after that with a huff.)

Crowley just can't help but soak up the attention now that he has it. Giddily returning it when ever he can through dates at the ritz or gifts which is as far as he's willing to leap since the first, and last time he kissed the demon on the cheek after a particularly dashing rescue the demon nearly brust into flames and avoided him for 3 decades.

I've been rambling a long time on this, and finally getting tired so I'll stop here pff-

Idk what to do with all this but might write since I can't stop thinking about it with all the other aus floating around.

[thattimdrakeguy]

Maybe it's just me having my shipping goggles on too tight but I think the reason Timkon aren't interacting as much is because DC doesn't want to make Tim look too gay. Pre52 a lot of people kept thinking of Tim as the gay Robin so I think that's they keep shoving in Stephanie everywhere he is now because they wanna discourage Timkon shippers, which sucks because Conner is genuinely one of Tim's best friends but homophobia is more important to DC than Tim having friends.

I think part of it is that they have no idea what to do with Steph otherwise, because DC is doing a vague attempt to please her fans by including her, but at the same time isn’t really doing much, because they’re still barely doing anything with her, and if they do. Typically, it’s garbage.

But quite a few of her fans will just suck up and act like anything with her is the bee’s knees (idk where that saying spawned from).

So they just make her the girlfriend of Tim Drake and shove her in with him.

Her being in issue 5 of Young Justice hasn’t bugged me though, because it would honestly be weirder if she wasn’t there given she was with him by the time her time on Detective Comics as a regular (or half regular, I just read that run the other day. She barely show up, and she’s just dreadfully written).

Forcing an Earth 3 version of her into the second arc however was so painfully forced, because she’s a good guy in there. When the basic rule of the Earth is that good guys are bad guys, and they forcibly have characters who either had no opinion on her, felt awkward around her, or did not like her be weirdly excited she was there and had Bart even seem excited they were in love (which they never actually showed so it was a bit contrived), even though Bart has never once mentioned or so much as cared about their relationship before. Making it almost cringe worthy to read, because of how off feeling it felt.

It just felt very pandering towards that vaguely toxic to full on toxic part of the fandom that does not shut up about how she has to be this overly impressive character who everyone would love because blah blah blah. “Oh she’s just so pure of soul she’s the only good one on a planet full of evil” Maybe there’s a plan where she’s secretly evil later on, but boy was that poorly sat up and only banking on people realizing that she shouldn’t be good if the main basic, simple, rule is that good guys are bad guys on that Earth..

I can’t confirm pandering to the annoying part of her fandom (there’s annoying parts of every fandom. That’s just how the annoying part of her fandom operates) is actually why that happened. i’m not sure it’s even my true guess why that happened, but it’s what it felt like, and it’s notably killed hope for her inclusion in the series for anyone that doesn’t act like a simple appearance from her is a sign of high quality. At least from what I’ve seen in many reactions.

At the same time though. I’m not sure if it’s to make Tim not seem gay or anything. I think that’s part of it personally, because reading quite a few occasions in older comics were he shows no sign of a crush, but everyone assumes he does, or he thinks he does because a girl smells good and he likes her perfume is some (most likely accidental) gay coding, because that’s part of a lot of people’s gay experience.

In most likelihood though Bendis just thought “well, Steph his Tim’s girlfriend. Might as well include her”, and that was that.

He’s not a homophobic man.

Not that that’s stopping DC from telling him to do it as a precaution. If that even ever happened. I have no clue.

So perhaps there’s some kind of strict ‘we can’t let that Young Justice Robin (Tim’s still Robin to me) seem gay’ or a stricter ‘we don’t want any of our superheroes to seem gay if they aren’t incredibly obviously gay like Midnighter who kisses men’ that’s also part of the reason why they randomly shoved TimSteph into an arc that shouldn’t even needed Steph, because it’s not exactly like Earth 3 Steph did anything else but be plot convenience cuz she had the multiverse map in that arc. That literally could’ve been any bad guy that would be a good guy on Earth 3. That could’ve been a more good, less chaotic, Klarion, and for a Young Justice comic fan that would’ve been more fan pleasing. Not to say I wouldn’t take anyone else, but as an example of a character that would’ve made more sense to be in that spot.

With DC it’s hard to tell if that was the reasoning or not. I have my doubts. Part of me has some curiosities involved with it because of how incredibly forced it was. I’m not sure.

To be clear on my personal opinion though, because I’ve seen people mad at Tim and Steph texting in issue 11.

I don’t really see the big freaking deal. 

(In general I’m not even upset they’re still dating, because they were dating last we seen them. I expect it. Even if I personally prefer TimKon)

They didn’t say anything inherently romantic or cutesy in the texts. Tim would’ve done the same thing with anyone else, probably word for word if he promised to back to someone like he did with Steph. Storytelling wise, if they want it to seem like a cohesive story, they have to acknowledge Stephanie to make it feel right given what they set up.

Tim would seem like a giant jerk if he did not text Steph. I would’ve been more annoyed if he HADN’T texted Steph or anything, because id make the issue seem very disconnected to past issues in the series.

You can’t exactly have an issue were Tim realizes he’s gay and have it feel right without bringing Stephanie up either. So she was going to show up or be mentioned even in an issue were you get what ya want in.

But as for Tim and Conner not interacting much even on a best friend level.

I think that’s just bad writing more than anything else, because they made it clear that Conner is very important to Tim, but they don’t ever have them interact as such.

It’s been very annoying to me that they act like Conner wasn’t zapped out of Tim’s memories. There’s no sense of urgency to catch up on one another like how actual people and their established characters would. Tim even tried to catch up in issue 6, but they never really went back to it. They never actually got plot growth on that that’s needed.

If they actually won’t let them just talk on fear of them seeming gay, which I doubt personally. Then they are the pettiest company I’ve ever seen in entertainment, and I hope the person who said that gets fired.

Personally I like Steph.

She is not a perfect person, but I don’t need to like perfect people or even good people as long as they’re fictional.

It’s getting tiring that they’re constantly tying her to Tim in a way that undermines her character though. In Tec her whole arc is her reacting to Tim’s death as his girlfriend (in a way that makes her a stupid hypocrite), and now her only importance in Young Justice is being Tim’s girlfriend again.

Even Earth 3 Steph, who was suppose to be this big important figure only ended up winding down to just being an alternate version of Tim’s girlfriend more than anything else.

Which is why I sort of want her to be in Batman and the Outsiders instead, because just for her sake, as a character, I’d rather her just grow as a character again, because it’s ridiculous.

[richgorl]

I’m sorry I’m really so hateful and this is my worst opinion yet but I’m waiting for people to agree with me....

This obviously doesn’t apply to ALL people in the professions I’m about to talk about....

But teachers, nurses, and doctors are the most important members of society and end up being the scum of the earth for some reason? Like be honest, think back to middle school and high school. Can’t each of you just think of one instance where your teacher got all tyrant and punished you for something you didn’t do or that wasn’t typically punishable? Like leaning against the wall during a fire drill (in elementary) or using your phone at lunch(HS)... those are mine but I bet there’s way better examples. I swear, it’s just human nature once you give power to someone with a wavering moral compass they just immediately start abusing it, especially when their victims are easily manipulated like kids. Don’t lie, we all have one teacher that actually gave us PTSD. The same type of lowly white women are nurses. The ones who signed up to be a nurse for the outfit and the gossip. The ones who treat people like bags of meat and are so “desensitized” that they crack jokes while you’re grieving and talk on the phone in ICU? They claim it’s how the cope. Nah they’re actually just trifling and rude. What about the people who actually just lost a family member or friend? Shouldn’t it be part of any medical staffs’ job to be trained in coping/grieving strategies for friends and family of patients? I know the doctors don’t cuz all they have to say is “They didn’t make it.” That leads me to doctors. I’ll be honest, some of them are actually smart enough to understand the dynamic between Doctor-everyone else and try to use that power for good but then the other large majority of doctors become doctors simply FOR that glory. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, too many people either “know somebody” who can get them their med degree, pay for it, or are mindless book robots who will do any amount of irrelevant and cripplingly difficult coursework just to sigh and give up on what they started when they get their degree. Those are the doctors who don’t want to be a doctor, they want a doctorate. They want money, esteem, and respect. But they’re nerds (the bad kind) and don’t deserve it. Then they become intoxicated by the job and either end up alcoholics or just flat out terrible doctors or most commonly both. They collude with Big Pharma and the government to wreak havoc on their patients’ lives and bank accounts. They are completely indifferent to the political mega-Corp industry medicine has woefully become.

What will help you understand, though, is that all of these flaws within these jobs are the result of our broken capitalism. People wanting an occupation for the wrong reasons (class, power, esteem) and overflowing the system with uninterested, mediocre employees in the professions that should employ the most attentive and caring people in our community. Those are jobs (teachers, nurses, doctors) that require perpetual updating and lifelong learning. By that I mean, a good doctor should always be pushing their limits and testing their skills, accessing more education opportunities, improving the hospital they work at by pushing for newer technology, better work practices, and access to supplies (why did no doctor do this before Covid-19 when the disease was being warned about in science for months before it hit the U.S.? Why don’t they do this regardless?). A good nurse is respected by peers and is in closer contact to the patient than the doctor. This means nurses should have more empathy, interpersonal skills, knowledge of mental health and coping strategies for the sick or friends of the sick, and just overall fucking respect. Nurses might be the worst in the whole group simply because they constantly have this inferiority complex that they manifest for themselves by not being as respectable as other professionals in the field. Finally, teachers. I’ve had some excellent teachers. Some of my teachers are truly instrumental to my growth as a person and as a learner. And what that comes down to, again, is intent. It’s obvious which teachers want to help you grow and which want to make you miserable with the limited tools and privilege they have. Students sense that too, and that’s when they become terrible. High school students can be really awful and start doing the most, but that’s only because our whole lives prior to that we’ve been victimized by elementary and middle school troll teachers (or maybe more likely there’s some seriously fucked up shit going on at home). I’m not a Bernie bot, obviously, but I think a little socialism might change this phenomenon not only in the sectors aforementioned but in every job in America. We’ll see more people happy with their jobs and therefore we’ll see a happier society.