#while eating a pint of ice cream and sobbing

[thebroccolination]

I really do think of Between Us as a parallel universe to Until We Meet Again rather than a parallel story. Because while some things are the same, maybe some diverge because they made different choices.

Like, in one universe, maybe they only hook up once, and it’s just an emotionless hookup on the beach the way it was in the novel. Just a quick blowjob or a handjob in the shadow of a cabin, no one the wiser, both of them enjoying it for what it is but nothing intense.

It’s a little confusing for both of them after that as members of the same club, but it’s not too bad. Through some coincidental twist, Team finds out he sleeps without nightmares in Win’s arms, but he doesn’t tell Win anything about what the nightmares are about or why he has them.

Their relationship is lighter. They flirt, they dodge serious conversations, and it’s easier on them when they do finally reach a place where they need confirmation from each other.

And I think that’s how you get a scene like the one we saw in Until We Meet Again.

Maybe in that universe, the serious topics come up after they’ve both made it clear what they want from each other. They can confront everything together with steadier footing because if nothing else, they have each other.

But in this universe, that first hookup wasn’t casual.

Win went out of his way to make Team comfortable, to keep that night secluded and private and contained to his room. He checked and rechecked that Team was okay, that he wanted what they were doing. He cupped Team’s face in his hand and Team looked up at him with trust and hope and a little fear.

Maybe that night was more than a hookup because Win was fresh from a conversation with Dean about love, about how he was convinced no one would ever stay with him. And maybe some part of him wanted proof that he was wrong and Dean was right.

Dean found love. Couldn’t Win?

And what could have been a simple hookup continued because these broken pieces were miraculously gentle in the few places where they fit together. They stayed close, and that physical magnetism between them felt necessary and safe.

Win didn’t open up to Dean about his grim acceptance of loneliness in all the years of their friendship, and Team has never told his parents how tormented he is by the death of his cousin. They don’t know how to put themselves first, but they try for each other’s sake.

And all at once, Win’s worst nightmare is confirmed.

And the nightmares chasing Team catch up.

And in the midst of all this, all they want is someone else to lead the way out. They’re stuck on a loop, and the only thing that feels safe is what came naturally to them in the beginning.

Which is why in one universe, they have the clarity and distance to speak beautiful words to each other without numbing fear and raw wounds. While in another, those words are underscored by touch, because that’s where their honesty thrives.

This is a universe where they ran to each other before they knew what they were doing, and they hold on because they’re more afraid of letting go than they are of pain.

Nothing could be worse for either of them than a future alone.

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

YOU MATCH THE 141 ON TINDER 💓

The Prequel to the "It's a Match!" series.

[ The Teaser! ] || [ Chapter 1 ]

Pairing: 141 x gn!Reader Words: 600~ Summary: While overcoming recent heartbreak, you decide to join Tinder in search of a rebound. Your friends advise to just Swipe Right indiscriminately... What happens when 4 soldiers from the same squad match with you?

You’ve always found the concept of rebounds hilariously dumb. Every time that trope came up on a romcom or sitcom you were watching, you found yourself rolling your eyes at it.

Then again, everything about how Hollywood portrays break-ups is ridiculous. Sobbing on the couch while eating a pint of ice cream? Putting on your ‘revenge dress’ and showing your ex what they’re missing? All BS… but you guess both of those have a time and a place… But rebounds? 

How can someone think the remedy to a broken heart or a bad break-up is… getting involved with someone else? How can that be healthy at all? You’re at your lowest and most vulnerable and you decide to let someone else in to do more damage? Ridiculous.

That’s why you scoffed and rolled your eyes when your friend Leah suggested it during film night at your flat. “C’mon, you need to get laid!” She said as she bit down on her slice of pizza.

“Oh, please-” You grumbled, slinking down on the couch. “I’m alright by myself, thanks.”

“Pfft, c’mon!” Mia, your other friend, quipped while sitting on a pillow on the floor. “You seriously need to get out of the house and find someone else!”

"No, serious, you do." Leah agreed and nodded. "What happened with that tosser Ethan should not have you isolating youself like this."

“No, thank you. I’m quite alright by myself. Don’t need that extra stress.” You retorted as you reached for another slice of pizza from the coffee table.

“What extra stress?” Leah asked. “There's nothing stressful about it! It’s sex.” She said simply, Mia quickly nodding in agreement.

“The extra stress of going out and talking to people and getting to know them…” You list it off while halfway through chewing your bite of food.

“Oh, sod off! We’re not talking about a date!” Mia quickly said as she pushed your knee lightly with her bottle of Coke.

“Yeah, it’s a shag. You don’t have to meet or talk to a bloke! You just create an account on Tinder or Bumble or something.” Leah added.

You shoot them a look of disbelief. “Oh, I’m not doing that! Are you mental? Those apps are a cesspool! There’s nothing but creeps and losers on there…” You complained.

“See, that’s the mentality of someone who wants a boyfriend out of those apps!” Mia scolded you and nudged your knee again. “If you use it with that intention of course you’ll think every bloke there is a creep. But you’re not going to use it to look for a date! You’ll use it for the same as them: a shag.” She added.

“C’mon! Hand over your phone, let’s create a profile for you!” Leah insisted and stole your phone from your hoodie’s pocket before you even had time to argue, unlocking it and getting to work downloading Tinder.

“I don’t know…” You said, uncertain, as you nibbled on your pizza slice again. “I feel like I’ll get picky and reject all of them once their profile pops on my screen.” You add.

“Then don’t.” Mia said with a shrug while she pushed up onto her knees to peek at your phone screen in Leah’s hand.

“Yeah! Just Swipe Right on all of them! You’re bound to find one that’s worth it that way.” Leah added as she began creating an account for you.

“I don’t know-” You tried saying again, not just uncertain but downright disliking the idea.

“We promise it’ll be fun!” Mia interrupted you. “Just do what we tell you! Swipe right on everyone!” Mia added. “What’s the worst that’s going to happen?”

“Worst-case scenario, you don’t like any of them enough to meet for a shag. So what? Will make no difference on your life as it currently is.” Leah added and leaned herself lightly against you, nudging you with her shoulder.

Thinking for a moment, you end up sighing and smiling. “Fine!” You said, amused. “I guess if nothing else, it’ll give me a confidence boost to have ‘em all dming me.” You joked.

“That’s the spirit!” Mia cheered and wrapped her arms around you. “Now, let’s find some pictures of you looking fit to add to your profile.” She said, causing you all to giggle.

taglist: @daisychainsinknots , @bunnysdaydreams , @iite-cool , @lahniu , @pagesfalling , @tapioca-milktea1978 , @live-love-be-unique , @thelaisydazy , @littleghosthoney , @bossva , @emotion-no-hot-yes-hotel-trivago , @chamomiletealeaf , @ghosts-hoe

[sc0tters]

Long Time Coming | Jeremy Swayman

summary: you’ve been in love with each other for years, so surely you guys have picked up on it by now

request: yes/no

warnings: mild swearing?

word count: 2.21k

authors note: this is my first time writing for any of the bruins players and I have to say that this is really one of my favourites that I have written in a while. This is the softness we all deserved before I get to something a little more fiery tomorrow for valentines day!

It was a friendship that was never meant to work. 

Jeremy was a popular hockey player and you were a journalism major who preferred spending her time in the library as opposed to the dorms. You swore that the hockey team on campus was bound to all be irritating but when you ended up in a class with Jeremy. Surprised to say that you were paired up with a hockey player for your pottery course was an understatement. 

But three weeks in to your first semester and you found your random elective quickly becoming your favorite class. The goalie made you feel alive as he brought this spark to your life. His teammates started seeing less of him at parties and they were confused until they finally met you. 

Jeremy spent weeks convincing you to finally come to his game. Of course the tale went that when you showed up it was his first shut out game of his college career. Even as the crowd chanted his name, all he wanted was to look for you. It was like clockwork when the boys saw Jeremy lock eyes with you. 

That was the first time that the boys realized Jeremy was in love. The way he spun you around, gushing about how you were his lucky charm. It was also the night that seemed to be the turning point in your relationship with Jeremy. He was no longer your classmate, he was your friend and soon to be your best friend. 

Years had gone by, Jeremy had made his way to the NHL and you had finally graduated. It was funny how you had grown attached to each other, like the moment you left college you were in Boston. Jeremy had you in the guest bedroom of his apartment which made life tougher than ever. 

It was Valentine’s Day and you ended up in his dorm after he revealed that his girlfriend was cheating on him. 

Jeremy swore you had never shown up as fast as you did there. The boy didn’t even time to fully open his door before you were in his arms  “hey Jer.” You sighed as his body clung to yours “she left me.” Jeremy sobbed as tears streamed down his cheeks. 

You rubbed his back desperate to ease his pain “you are better without her.” You mumbled kissing his shoulder as you raked your fingers through his hair “you know I’m not.” Jeremy had spoken to you of how he loved her like she was his world. 

The boy huffed into your neck “I brought everything we need tonight.” Your words made him furrow his eyebrows as he pulled away from you “for what?” Jeremy saw the plastic bag in your hand that had a mixed bunch of goods. 

You took the opportunity to walk into his room as you shut the door behind you “because we are going to eat our feelings away tonight.” You smiled pulling out two tubs of ice cream knowing that neither one of you were about to share. 

Jeremy couldn’t help but smile as he ran his fingers over his jaw “I can’t ask you to stay with me on Valentine’s Day.” He shook his head as it made your lips curl upright “then it’s a good thing that I’m insisting.” You shot back as you held the pint out in his direction. 

It was your kindness that Jeremy first fell in love with. The way you would think about giving someone the shirt off of your back if it could help them. Jeremy felt his heart grow full at the way you were always in the TD Garden with young fans helping them get his attention during warm ups and at the end of games. 

He had grown so comfortable with you and maybe that was his fault. Everyone treated you like you were his girlfriend because you were his partner. You might not have been his romantically but in life you were clearly his. 

That’s why it was so surprising to see you in your room getting ready for a date “you look nice.” Jeremy let his bag drop to the floor as he had come home from practice “thank you.” You smiled plumping your lips together as it coated your lipstick around your lips. 

The hockey player had to admit that he was confused as he leaned against the wall “do you think that he will like it?” You asked as you did a little spin letting him see your outfit in full. It was a blue dress that looked perfect on your skin as the springtime came in “you look perfect.” Jeremy nodded as he felt his chest pang “he?” The boy repeated your words as he froze. 

Watching you grab your phone from your table you rolled your eyes “remember when I told you I was going out with Taylor for lunch.” You motioned to the calendar that had the date and time that you were meant to see him “I didn’t know that Taylor was a dude!” Jeremy’s words brought a scoff to your lips as you crossed your arms. 

He was quick to mentally curse himself as he saw you furrow your eyebrows “why does the gender of my date matter to you?” You cocked your head pressing your finger against his chest “because.” It seemed that in that moment all Jeremy wanted was to tell you that he loved you yet he had all but forgotten how to talk. 

Your foot tapped against the wooden flooring as you awaited an answer “you want to give me an answer?” You watched him practically crawl back into himself as he sighed “have a nice night Jeremy.” He gasped at the feeling of your shoulder hitting his as you walked straight to the front door not giving him a chance to talk.

Jeremy was left wallowing in his emotions as he stared at the different pictures of you two that lived in his phone. The time he surprised you by making it to your graduation, the time you were there for his NHL debut. Even the picture of you two at one of his teammates weddings when Jeremy was caught staring at you. 

That was the day when his current teammates realised that Jeremy was in love with you “you will not believe it!” You groaned as you slammed the door behind you “you’re home early.” The boy mumbled going quiet as he was met with a glare.

Jeremy frowned as he watched you collapse onto the couch next to him “think he wanted to go on a date with you before me.” You complained resting your head on his shoulder “I’m sorry you had a bad date.” The hockey player was quick to wrap his arm around you.

Like always you melted into his touch “no you’re not.” You mumbled feeing him kiss your head “just like that I was right.” Jeremy could have lied but you knew him far too well for the chance to go unnoticed. 

You couldn’t help but laugh “you’re such an ass.” A giggle left your lips as Jeremy turned to look at you “sorry you let this outfit go to waste on him.” His hand ran along your cheek “you like my outfit.” You batted your eyelashes as you smiled. 

Jeremy nodded enjoying the feeling of your soft skin against his thumb “like anything you wear.” He mumbled beginning to turn his head to yours. Like clockwork his eyes shut and just as yours did your phone began to ring “shoot.” You groaned seeing your mom’s contact appear on the screen. 

It hit the boy like a cold shower as he watched you get up grabbing your phone “hey mom.” You tan your fingers through your hair as you sent Jeremy a sorry look “yeah I can talk.” You nodded along walking back into your room as you began catching her up on the events of your day. 

As the evening turned into night and the hours went on, Jeremy didn’t see you again as he had gone to bed. Whilst the lights in the apartment were off both of your minds were active. Truthfully neither one of you remembered what it was like to have your minds this full. 

Jeremy stared at the pictures on his phone of you two and he couldn’t help but curse your mom for calling. Especially after you called your mom this cool woman who was your best friend, that was a far cry from what he would have described as a cock block. 

What he didn’t know was that you were pacing outside of his door. You hadn’t even noticed but halfway through your phone call with your mom you were bringing up how you wanted kiss your roommate. Because of course you had been in love with him since your college days too. Yet yours came from your time in class together. 

You had been in the lecture hall for five minutes as you set yourself up in the middle of the rows. Whilst students came flooding into the cramped room, you were too focused on your phone to notice how Jeremy walked right to you “this seat taken?” The question was innocently asked with a voice barely above a whisper that you didn’t even care to look up as you instead opted to nod. 

It gave Jeremy the chance to settle in next to you “I’m Jeremy.” Even as you two had been in classes together, he had never gotten the chance to see you, especially not like this “Y/n.” You took his hand that he held out for you to shake. 

A smile formed on his lips as he couldn’t help but study your facial features that stood before him in all their glory as you woke up late with little to no time for make up that morning “I know.” Jeremy grinned seeing your lips curve upward “you know?” Your words were playful as you didn’t believe him.

The boy laughed as he nodded “think you’re real pretty y/n.” Your name sounded like honey as it rolled off of his tongue “think that’s enough flirting from you for one day Swayman.” You tucked your hair behind your ear avoiding how wide your smile had grown as you avoided his stare when your cheeks turned red. 

The memories of that day made you smile as you never thought you would fall in love with him. But you couldn’t help but come back to your dorm to gush to your mom about how different your expectations of him were. Yet all of those thoughts were pushed to the back of your mind as the boys door opened letting you be met by his chest. 

You almost fell back as Jeremy’s quick reaction time pulled you closer to him as he steadied your feet “what are you doing awake?” His voice was low as he watched you gulp “couldn’t sleep.” Your fingers ran over his bare chest as you looked up at him. 

If eyes were the key to the soul then the two of you were currently open books “you?” Your lips pursed together as the tension between you both could have been cut by a knife “couldn’t sleep.” He shrugged as he reached behind your head tucking your hair behind your ear.

Jeremy loved how you smiled up at him “what’s on your mind?” He asked noting how your eyebrow arched like something was on your mind “you.” The word came from your lips like it word vomit. 

But as his expression turned surprised it made you go quiet “me?” You nodded letting out a sigh “I try to ignore it but god I’m in love with you.” You ran your fingers through your hair as Jeremy just stared at you.

Maybe it was the shock of hearing you say that but he swore he was dreaming “and I don’t want to lose you but I can’t.” Your chest heaved “I can’t keep on going on these dates hoping it might get you to say something to me.” Tears formed in your waterline as you chewed at the inside of your cheek. 

Jeremy finally opted to put you out of your misery when he smiled “you love me?” His voice was shaky as he squeezed your hips “you’re being mean Jer.” You nodded feeling like you were on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what he would say.

A laugh left his lips “think you can answer my question f’me pretty girl?” Jeremy taunted as he smirked “I’m in love with you.” Your voice was barely a whisper as he shut the gap between you both.

The air was palpable as your heart pounded “I love you too.” Your hair wrapped around his finger as he smiled “can I kiss you?” Jeremy let his lips hover over yours “please.” You nodded letting your eyes shut when he kissed you. 

The kiss made you melt as his lips swiped across yours. Jeremy let his hands travel through your hair settling at the nape of your neck refusing to let you go. Only when you both needed air did you pull apart “wow.” Jeremy groaned running his thumb over your lower lip. 

It made you laugh “yeah.” You nodded sending him a smile “think we should do that more often.” Your words had the boy pulling you into his room “why wait?” The hockey player asked picking you up as your legs wrapped around his waist as he picked you up.

Whilst the city might have been colder as the rain came in that night with a spring storm but what nobody would know was how hot the activities were in his room. You were left twisted in his sheets as your hearts intertwined and life began to show that the only way possible for you both was together. 

[deviantly-inspired]

Dreamling concept

I absolutely love the 600 year slow burn to friendship and then wildfire romance that's in dreamling fics (it's IMMENSELY satisfying) but also, please consider:

after they finally (finally) become friends after 600 years they just... take their time, with romance. They spend years getting to know each other, genuinely, as friends. They don't know eachother, not really, until Dream has held Hob while he sobs over a loved one dying AND when he's seen Hob in his PJs eating ice cream out the pint because his students have stressed him out to the point of needing either ice cream or violence and Hob likes to think he chooses violence less often these days. And Hob doesn't really know Dream until he's heard that awful laugh, some unholy mix between braying donkey and the sound of magma shifting beneath the earth's crust OR until he's watched Dream scowl at the tele because they got to the last episode of "Game of Thrones" and Dream isn't any happier then anyone else is about a lot of those decisions.

And they spend days and weeks and years of being in one another's pockets. Choosing to come together again and again for a pint or a season binge or a silent supporting friend when the weight of living is a little harder. They earn each other's trust, and because they're both a little dense and maybe a lot more walking-wounded, the moment that each of them realizes that the other trusts them is, well, it's something that makes life worth living, for both of them.

Hob realizes Dream trusts him first, something small, something like Hob going to guide Dream out of the way and Dream just goes without any sort of hesitation. Not mountains or meteors could move Dream if he didn't want to, but he just goes to where Hob guides him out of the way so Hob can take the carrots out of the oven. It's enough to humble a man, and Hob might have a little cry over it later, in private, but for now he grins and tells Dream he has to try the carrots with the lamb, he hasn't lived until he's done so.

And Dream is a little slower to realize, I think. Because Hob is pretty open and friendly, it's a bit harder for Dream who's not so good with interacting with people face-to-face, to tell that Hob doesn't really get close to very many people for all that plenty seem to like him. There's a few exceptions, but even they are kept at a distinct distance. And it's maybe something small, like a small party or gathering of some of Hob's friends and it's late and folks are tipsy and Hob just kinda... dozes off against Dream. And Dream doesn't think anything of it, Hob does this quite often but Hob's other friends are immediately very surprised: Hob doesn't sleep in front of others, they explain. A relic from the war/traumatic past/whatever Hob's used to tell them. No matter how late or how tired or even how drunk he is, Hob would rather drive/bus/walk home then sleep where others can see him. You must be pretty special, one of them says. He even fell asleep on you like that: I've never seen him look so relaxed.

And I think that there's something beautiful about the slow, inescapable draw of it. It's like two meteors from opposite ends of the galaxy that have been on a collision course for eons. They both have moments of realizing that they're falling in love. They know it's going to happen, and the tension is slow and sweet and lovely. And there's no need to rush, because there's trust there too. Sometimes they'll meet gazes and they'll know, both of them, in that moment that they're in love. That, someday, what's growing between them is going to be a bloom unlike anything the universe has ever seen before. And they'll smile together and continue watching bad tv dramas or swapping gossip or sharing their pints and maybe their shoulders brush and their touches linger a bit longer that night but it's okay. There's no need to rush. They have forever after all.

And I think also that Dream is just a dramatic romantic enough of a bastard to confess to Hob on June 7, 2089 and i think Hob is just enough of a dramatic romantic to tell Dream that he certainly took his time.

I'm not late, am I, Dream will ask.

Of course not, Hob will laugh, you're exactly on time. We've plenty of it.

And in the Dreaming there will be a quiet warm breeze and gentle sunshowers as in the deepest heart of the dreaming a flower never before seen blooms awake. And in the waking two friends close the gap between them and talk about how Sally next door really needs to stop over watering her flowers she's going to drown the poor things, really.

And then they'll have the absolute longest courtship and engagement of anyone in the universe. There will be entire religions that will rise and fall before they get married. Pantheons will come into existence and be utterly dumbfounded when they're invited to Dream of the Endless and Hob Gadling weddings because weren't they already married? They've been together since the beginning of it all.

It's be great.

[froggibus]

First off anon ask! (We'll see how often this happens qq) been having some AWFUL cramps and saw your reqs opened for DC hurt/comfort stuff and I know you've got a LOT on your plate so please take your time but if you're up to write Harley Quinn Hcs with an s/o who kinda like.. bottles everything up until it's literally the smallest thing is the last straw? (I'm so not projecting ((also fr take your time, you deserve rest)))

Burn Out - Harley Quinn

Pairing: Harley Quinn x gn! reader

Genre: fluff, hurt/comfort

Summary: your girlfriend tries to comfort you after a particularly bad week

CW: established relationship, stress, burn out, violence, reader has nondescript stomach cramps, typical harley chaos, possibly ooc (its been so long since i read/watched anything with her in it :,)

hey wren! thanks so much for sending this req in (& I hope you’re feeling better now ^^) your ideas are always so fun to write and so creative 💓💓 you always bring me so much comfort so hopefully i can do the same for you ^.^

Harley can definitely tell when something starts to bother you

she was a psychiatrist, give her some credit here

when she notices you getting a stressed out or down on yourself, she’ll prompt you the best she can to talk about it

of course when you wave her off with a smile and insist it’s fine, she doesn’t argue

that doesn’t stop her from noticing the tension in your shoulders and the way you grit your teeth at every minor inconvenience

even things that don’t usually bother you get on your nerves (like the insane amount of glitter she leaves in her wake)

she tries to ease your tension with silly jokes, and if that doesn’t work, she’ll do a more hands on approach

(read: violence)

the final straw is when you’re already having a really bad day and then your stomach has the audacity to start hurting

Harley comes home from…whatever it is she does & sees you curled up in a ball half-dead

she jumps into action so quickly you’d almost think Supes was in the room

totally legally acquires you your fave dinner & snacks

brings you your dinner in bed & sits with you, rubbing slow circles on your back while you eat

pulls out some old tricks from her psych days to try and get you to let it all out

you break down crying in her arms ranting about the silliest (but valid) thing

“I’m so stressed and my cramps are so bad and I haven’t been sleeping well and—”

she’s the queen of reassurance

she’ll hold you in her arms & draw little shapes on your back with her fingers, rubbing your head until your sobs start to slow

once you’ve thoroughly gotten it out of your system, she’s planting you on the couch with a pint of ice cream & putting on your favorite movies

meanwhile she’s calling your work & telling them you won’t be coming in tomorrow (and if they have a problem with it, she’ll settle it hands on)

masterlist | dc masterlist

if you like content like this, interactions go a long way! likes, comments & reblogs are always appreciated ^^

[magicalmysteries777]

The Bloody-Handed and The Anguish Of Loving Them - Chapter 7.

Summary: Almost a year has passed since Eddie Munson died and it feels like the only person that isn't moving on is Steve.

After spending the night studying a Dungeons and Dragons handbook, Steve is convinced he's figured out how to bring Eddie back. Not only that, but defeat Vecna once and for all too. Now he just has to prove it.

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson

Masterlist: Here.

Chapter: 7 of 10.

Chapter WC: 3.4k.

CW: Swearing, implied drinking, heavy angst, temporary character death, and graphic depictions of blood and injuries.

This story can also be found on AO3 here.

Taglist: @ohmeg 🖤

March 25th, 1987.

“Robin? Can you hear me?!” Steve asked frantically, his eyes once again brimming with tears as he looked down at her pale, damp face.

“It hurts,” she answered, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“It’s okay, I’m here. Where does it hurt? Robin, talk to me.”

“I thought it was just a bruise,” she told him weakly, pointing to her stomach. He lifted her shirt to reveal a large, deep purple bruise forming near her belly button.

“You’re okay. You’ll be okay.”

“Steve, that’s internal-” Dustin began, dropping to their level.

“I know what it is. Would somebody please come up with a fucking plan?!”

Robin looked up at Steve, a soft smile spreading across her face. He met her gaze, the same smile reciprocated across his tear-stained cheeks as years of memories flooded his mind.

Countless hours of gentle bullying behind the counter at Scoops. Robin waiting for him to inevitably get rejected again so she could add another tally to her ‘you rule/you suck’ chart with a smirk on her face. The terror in her eyes the first time the Russians beat him whilst they were being held captive together. Robin coming out to him on the bathroom floor of Starcourt Mall while they waited for the drugs to wear off. All the sleepovers at Steve’s, where they’d binge horror movies and eat three pints of ice cream while they both vented about their failing love lives. The twenty-minute apology he’d received after she dented the bumper on his car when he tried to teach her how to drive. How she’d always been his rock whenever the flashbacks came, holding him until he felt calm and safe again. How he’d done the same for her. Popcorn fights and bad movies on the slow shifts at Family Video. The way she refused to take no for an answer when he’d tried to push her away, dragging his sorry ass out of bed instead and forcing him to get his shit together.

“Steve?” Robin whispered, her voice trembling just as much as her hands. “Tell Vickie I love her and that I-I’m sorry.”

“You can tell her yourself when we get out of here.”

“There’s a necklace. Second drawer of my d-dresser,” she instructed, choking on her words. “For our anniversary next month. Give it to her.”

“Nancy, do something!” he yelled, not daring to look away from Robin for a second.

She hurriedly flipped through pages of the handbook, snapping her response without looking up. “I’m trying, I can’t find the spell!”

A stifled sob from Dustin caused Steve to look up instinctively, the sight in front of him so heartbreaking that it would turn out to be ingrained in his mind forever.

El clutching Mike’s hand so hard that her knuckles were starting to turn white. Mike staring at Robin on the floor, horrified, his skin even paler than usual. Will, Lucas, and Erica all huddling around the contents of their backpacks, desperately searching for something that could help them and throwing anything that couldn’t over their shoulders without a second thought. Nancy scouring the handbook for a single scrap of helpful information, her eyes puffing and her cheeks wet. Jonathan next to her, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Then there was Dustin with his thousand-yard stare and heaving chest, his fingers wrapped tightly around the guitar pick necklace that Wayne Munson had returned to him many months ago.

Steve had a sneaking suspicion that whoever Dustin could see dying on the floor in front of him, it wasn’t Robin.

The grip on Steve’s hand loosened and his heart dropped. Robin met his gaze again, still smiling softly. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?”

“For being my best friend.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” he answered, his lip quivering.

“I love you, Dingus. Platonically, obviously.”

Steve let out a chuckle, quickly wiping away the fresh set of tears welling in his eyes. “I love you too. Platonically.”

“You still suck, though.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“You-” she began, choking on her words again before going quiet.

“Robin? Robin, talk to me,” he urged, shaking her slightly. “Robin?!”

Lightening cracked behind them causing all heads to spin, the lit-up red sky revealing the silhouette of a still lurking Kas.

“Steve, you need to go,” Jonathan urged, dropping to his knees beside them.

“Are you out of your mind?! I’m not leaving her.”

“You have to.”

“I’m not-”

“Steve!”

He fell silent, reluctantly meeting Jonathan’s eye. No more words were ushered between the two of them, only an understanding look and a slow nod that Steve could have sworn meant “It’s okay, she’s not going anywhere. I promise.”

His eyes flicked back and forth between Robin and Kas, his internal monologue screaming at him to make a decision. Reluctantly, he released his grip on Robin’s hand and stood, allowing Nancy to swoop in and take over.

She held her free hand over Robin’s stomach and began to recite Latin from the book clutched tightly in the other. Steve backed away and turned his attention to back Kas, El four steps behind him.

-

Steve charged toward Kas like a man on a mission, the adrenaline coursing through his veins making his almost certainly infected bat bites feel like nothing more than a mere cat scratch.

“You motherfucker!” he roared, spit flying from his mouth alongside his words. He wasn’t sure if El was managing to keep up with him, and honestly, he didn’t care. The shit-eating grin spreading across Kas’s face and the rapidly increasing thumps of his heartbeat in his ear were the only things he could focus on. “Come on, Munson. You were all fucking talk back at the trailer park.”

As the distance between them narrowed to a close, still not a single word had passed Kas’s lips. Only when Steve approached the final twenty feet separating them did Kas have any reaction at all, darting into the nearby trees with a maniacal cackle.

Steve quickly followed suit, weaving between the trunks of the towering trees whilst hoping and praying that it was Kas’s laugh he was following and not one of the many taunting echoes.

“I’ve got him!” yelled El. Steve spun on the spot and ran towards her voice as quickly as his legs would carry him. A little further into the woods Steve’s eyes finally landed on El, her arm outstretched toward a particularly wide oak tree and a single drop of blood trickling from her nose as the vines finished wrapping themselves tightly around Kas.

“You’re amazing, kid. Not sure if I ever told you that,” Steve told her, trying his hardest not to let the outburst brewing within him spill out in front of her. “Now go help the others.”

“But what if he gets out?”

“I’ll deal with it if he does, don’t you worry about that. El, I need you to go help Nancy,” he urged, taking her gently by the shoulders. “Please, El. I can’t lose her, okay? I just can’t. Please. If she… If she dies, you can bring her back, right? Like you did with Max?”

She stared back at him for a moment before nodding silently and set off back through the woods, leaving the two men alone in a tension-filled silence.

-

Surprisingly, it was Kas who broke the silence. “Spit it out, Stevie. You’re wearing the ground down there.”

“Spit it out? Spit it out?! That’s all you’ve got to say?” Steve fumed, glaring at Kas. “Dustin almost fucking died, man. Erica too. Robin could be dead for all I know.”

“And why exactly should I care?”

“Are you kidding me?! Eddie-”

Kas bared his fangs and let out a loud hiss in Steve’s direction. “When are you going to get it into your thick head? I’m not Eddie.”

“You don’t have to do this. Any of this. We’ve figured it out. Well, it was mainly Will - the kid’s a fucking Dungeons and Dragons genius. We can make you human again, we found a spell.”

Kas stared at Steve for a few seconds, a dumb-founded expression plastered on his face, before letting out a loud laugh. “Why would I want to do that?”

It took everything in Steve not to take Kas by the shoulders and attempt to physically shake some sense into him; instead, he just stood there, his mouth agape as he tried to find the right string of words to properly convey the amount of sheer stupidity he was hearing.

“Why would I want to go back to being what I was before, huh? Eddie was a pathetic, cowardly, stupid, high-school flunking, drug-dealing freak. Look at me now. I’m stronger, braver, faster. I’ve never felt so powerful.”

Steve’s words came out a lot more sheepish than he’d intended. “You were never a coward. Or a freak.”

“Yes he was and you know it. Principal Higgins knew it, Chief Hopper knew it, Jason and his little cronies all knew it, Al Munson, father-of-the-fucking-year, knew it. Hell, the whole fucking town knew it. The only time the whole of Hawkins could mutually agree on something was when they all decided that Eddie Munson was a satanic, murdering, freak.”

Kas thrashed against the rough bark of the oak behind him as he attempted to free himself from the grip of the vines. Steve stayed silent and looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time since they’d parted ways at his trailer a year ago.

His curls were still wild and bushy as ever and his eyes, albeit more red than they used to be, were still the same. Big and striking. Sure he had fangs now, but the man before was still Eddie, whether he believed it or not.

“They didn’t get to know you.”

“Oh, and you did?” he asked. “We knew each other for what? A week?”

“I never stopped getting to you know!” Steve snapped. He could feel all his repressed emotions from the last year rapidly bubbling to the surface, threatening to boil over.

“Bullshit.”

“Everything you just said was bullshit. Every word of it. You say I don’t know you but I think I know you better than you know yourself, Eds. You saved Dustin and distracted the bats to buy us more time knowing full well that they could kill you - those aren’t the actions of a coward. You say everyone thinks you’re stupid but they don’t know that you’ve pretty much got the entirety of ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ memorised and can discuss the intricacies of Elven politics for over half an hour at a time,” he rambled, allowing the pot containing his bubbling emotions to spill.

Kas stayed silent, looking at Steve in a way he’d never done before.

“I know that it was your dad who taught you how to play guitar but it was your mom who made you fall in love with music - she’d play Chicago Blues on the record player. I know she died when you were six years old and left you to deal with all your dad’s bullshit by yourself. I know you lost her records in the fire when your dad’s house burnt down, the only thing that survived was the guitar you played Master of Puppets on last year. I know your dad got in trouble with the cops and went on the run, and that’s how you ended up living with Wayne. I know that Wayne thinks you’re the best goddamn thing that ever happened to him. I know that he cries himself to sleep nearly every night because he misses you. I know that Dustin has nightmares and flashbacks of you dying and every time he does he sinks a little bit further into the same shell that you got coaxed out of, the same as you did for Gareth.”

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried to navigate all the sadness, grief, anger, love, and determination he was feeling. He’d kept it all trapped inside for so long that now it was out, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get it back in.

“Did you really think that the stories of an old man were going to be enough to convince me to give all of this up?” Kas asked, his voice cold and his eyes dark. “Standing there, bold as brass, acting like you give two fucks about me as though you didn’t leave me to rot in the fucking ground.”

“Do you think I wanted to leave you there?!” Steve yelled, his voice cracking. “Do you think I enjoyed digging that hole and burying you? Because I didn’t. It fucked me up, Eds. I see you laying in that hole, covered in blood, every time I close my goddamn eyes so don’t you dare say that I don’t care.”

“You did that for Dustin.”

“I did it for you. I did all of this for you!”

Kas glared at Steve, his fiery eyes burning a hole directly into his soul. “You did this for you! You can lie to yourself all you want by saying you did this for me if it helps you sleep at night but we both know you’re only here because a bottle of whiskey won’t drown out your guilty conscience any more. Yes, Steve, I know,” he divulged, smirking at the confusion on Steve’s face. “I know all about your sneaky little habit. Do your so-called friends know you’ve got vodka in your bag or are you still lying to them?”

“Stop it,” Steve sobbed.

“I can smell your blood alcohol level from here, you’re nothing but a fucking liar. Do you seriously think a bunch of teenagers and the town’s newest drunk are going to be enough to stop him? Stop us?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to stop him and undo what he did to you.”

“You did this to me!”

He stood there shell-shocked, unable to form any sort of retaliation to the words echoing in his head while Kas struggled against his restraints.

“It’s your fault. It’s all your fault!” Kas bellowed. “You’re the reason I died. You’re the reason Vecna’s still alive. You’re the reason he brought me back. You’re the reason that all your friends and the entirety of Hawkins will burn. He won’t stop until he’s taken everything and it’s all your fault.”

“Let me fix it,” Steve pleaded, desperation in his hoarse voice as a fresh wave of tears spilled from his eyes. “Please. I’m trying to fix it. Let me fix it.”

“You’re ego is astonishing. Listen to me, Steve,” he taunted, thrashing harder against the vines. “I’m not going back. I don’t want to go back. I want to make them all pay - Everyone who looked down on me my entire life, everyone who treat me like I was nothing better than shit on the bottom of their shoe. They’ll all pay. Nothing you can do will change my mind.”

Kas lunged forward and Steve felt his heart rate spike as the tension on the vines almost gave out. He was running out of time.

“I’d burn this whole fucking place down if it meant you got to walk out of here with me.”

And then it happened. Lightening cracked above as Kas let out a maniacal laugh and threw himself forward, the twisted vines around his waist finally giving out under the immense amount of pressure he was applying to them. In an instant, he was inches away from Steve’s face.

“You can’t fix it!” he yelled. “You can’t fix any of it. You’ve spent the last four years trying to fix things and all you’ve done is fuck them up further. Just give up, Steve. Your grovelling is embarrassing.”

“I can’t lose you again. I can’t. Please, Eds, just let me fix this. I have to fix this.”

“Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

Steve screamed the words he’d been dying to say for so long loud enough that he was certain almost every creature in the Upside Down had heard them. “Because I love you!”

It was subtle, the twitch of Kas’s eyes. He had no other reaction - he didn’t move, didn’t speak. Just stood there, inches away, his chest heaving with rapid breaths.

“I fucking love you, okay? From the moment I saw you in that boat shack last year, I have loved you. I don’t care if you don’t think you’re brave or smart because it doesn’t matter to me. I barely got to know you before you died and every single thing I’ve learned about you since has only made me love you more,” he rambled unapologetically. If this was his final chance, he was going to say it all. “Even when you’re a vampire that wants to kill me, I love you. I’ve found myself waking up outside your trailer countless times because every fucking time I have a drink, I end up there trying to get to you. I’ve cried myself to sleep almost every night clutching your vest because I can’t fucking stand the pain of being without you. I mean it, Eds, I’ll burn this whole place down if it means you’ll walk out with me. He’s taken everything from me. I have nothing left to lose.”

Steve had imagined their first kiss over a thousand times during the early hours of the many mornings in which he’d found himself battling his demons. He’d always thought it would be picturesque, straight out of a cheesy romance movie scripted by the Gods of writing themselves.

Sometimes his fingers would entangle themselves into Eddie’s curls and he’d gaze longingly into his eyes before leaning in, gently pressing his lips against Eddie’s whilst he tried to ignore the fireworks erupting in the pit of his stomach. Sometimes they’d be at the movies and Eddie would fake a yawn, trying (and failing) to be smooth whilst placing an arm around his shoulder before pulling Steve towards him.

Unfortunately, nothing about the situation he’d found himself in was like the meticulously crafted scenes from his daydreams, and yet, it was perfect.

Steve knew when Kas didn’t respond that this was it. His final chance was now or never. Every card he’d been guarding so closely to his chest had to be laid out on the table. Thousands of unspoken words, a handful of moments, all of the clueless flirting, the palpable tension, and a year’s worth of longing, grief, regret, and desire all bundled up into this one last-ditch attempt at changing Kas’s mind with a potentially world-saving kiss.

The moment that Steve closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against Kas’s the sky above was illuminated by wild cracks of lightning dancing around them at the same rate as the fireworks exploding inside of his stomach. It was gentle at first, timid even going by Steve’s usual standards, as though he was holding a delicate, cracked piece of china in his hands that would crack under the smallest amount of pressure but then, much to Steve’s bewilderment, Kas kissed him back and ignited a spark in Steve that gave him the hunger of a starving man.

The kisses turned torrid, foreheads bumping and hands sliding through hair with such ferocity that you’d of thought that something terrible would happen to either of them if they released the other. All of the air was sucked from his lungs leaving him dizzy, feeling like he was floating two feet off of the ground.

Only when Steve thought that he might genuinely pass out due to lack of oxygen did he pull away from the kiss. With his fingers still buried in Kas’s hair, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. For a split second, he could’ve sworn that the large, doe-like eyes looking back at him were their usual chocolate brown, illuminated with specks of golden honey as the lightning continued to crack.

Then he blinked and the bubble around them popped. The lightning ceased as quickly as the fire inside of him extinguished and he found himself sat on the cold, hard ground, with a pair of red eyes glaring down at him.

With a final taunt to rub salt into the wound, Kas turned his back on Steve and departed to rejoin his master. “Your friends are losing.”

[bloodforvampanon]

>Loud sobbing. From the both of them.

>Camara is eating ice cream by the pint while bundled up in a blanket and Cerberin is lighting a pentagram in a futile attempt to summon two specific missing people.

i mISS MY WIFE, CERBERIN

>I'M WORKING ON THAT

[kayyybenson]

I'm Here For You - Mother Olivia Benson

This totally isn't based on my real-life mental health

"Mom?" I weakly whispered, walking into the living room. She quickly turned around, concern filling her eyes as she saw my tear-stained face.

    "Oh baby, what's wrong?" She walked over and pulled me close, rubbing my back.

    "I-I had a nightmare." 

    "Wanna talk about it?" I opened my mouth to respond but all that came out was a sob. "Oh, my sweet child." She led me over to the couch and rocked me back and forth. "It's okay, you're okay, I'm here." Once I settled down enough to form words I moved my head from her shoulder and rubbed my eyes.

    "I got snot all over your shirt." 

    "That's not important, it can be washed. Now, let's talk about your nightmare. Same as usual?" I nodded. 

    "I miss him, Mom," My voice was raspy from sobbing. 

    "I know baby. I know. This is hard for you and that's okay. Breakups aren't easy,"

    "I know, I just wish it never ended, he never told me how he felt and our relationship imploded."

    "And sometimes that happens, can I see your arms sweetheart?" I nodded and rolled my sleeves up, there were scars on them, placed in random places to look like accidents. "You're doing great honey." She kissed my forehead and went to the kitchen. "When was the last time you ate?" 

    "When I got home from school, I gave Noah a banana and I had a granola bar." I could hear her checking the trash. She knew all of my tricks. The breakup had taken a toll on me, I tried to overdose on Advil, I stopped eating, I scratched at my arms, and my anxiety was constantly through the roof. 

    "Liar," I stiffened, I knew she saw all the junk food wrappers, when I picked up Noah from school we stopped by a store, and I let him pick whatever he wanted while I stuffed the basket with sugary snacks. "You ate two boxes of lemon cakes?" There was some rustling, "An entire container of cupcakes, and a pint of ice cream? Y/N, you and I both know where that food went." 

    "I ate it! It just came back up..." 

    "Purposely or accidentally?" I stayed silent, she knew the answer. "Here, eat." She handed me a sandwich.  

    "Not hungry."

    "Too bad, you need food." I practically inhaled the sandwich before laying down on the couch. "I'll stay here until you fall asleep okay?" I nodded my head and closed my eyes.

[p-artsypants]

Paint it Black (2) Observing

Robin disappeared three months ago. Now, Jump City's crime rate is mysteriously being taken care of by a normal, albeit strange, teenage boy who goes by the name Black. As the Titans befriend this lunatic, they begin to see a correlation between him and their missing leader. Will they be able to find Robin, or will Black turn them all insane as himself?

Ao3

"So?" Beast Boy asked, a grin on his features.

"I met him. He seems...strange. I wonder if there is something wrong with him."

"Of course there is!" Beast Boy shouted. "The kid's living a delusion! He's totally Schizophrenic! He’s 9th level crazy banana-pants bonkers!"

"Where's your degree in Psychology?" Cyborg asked.

Raven chimed in. "I couldn’t read his mind when I saw him. He's too...random?"

"Random? More like utterly out of control! He must have gotten brain damage or something!"

"Like you?" Raven quipped.

Beast Boy didn't skip a beat. "I don't doubt I have brain damage from all the fights I've been in, but there's no way you can compare us."

"I will agree and say that Black is very strange. I am concerned for him though." Starfire added.

"He told me he was homeless," said Raven. 

“I saw him take money from a drug dealer he took out.” Cyborg scratched his chin. “So he’s not panhandling.”  

“What do we do? Mention him to the police?” Starfire asked.

“Let’s just…keep an eye out for him. Maybe he’s a friendly neighborhood weirdo, or maybe he’s a problem.” 

—-

It continued like that for the weeks following. Each Titan would take turns performing patrol at night, while the usual super villains would crop up randomly in between. Nearly every night, for maybe only a few minutes, they would cross paths with the young man known as Black. Each time, they would try to weasel more information out of him, but more often than not, he left them with more questions. 

“Cyborg! Thank god! I need help!” A young man came running up to him. He looked rather roughed up and had a black eye. 

“What’s up, man?”

“I know we were wrong. My friends and I tried to shoplift from the Quick Mart, but then my buddy tried to actually mug a customer. It was so wrong and I know that but the dude went ape shit and just started beating the hell out of us! I’m the only one that got away! Please Cyborg, my brother’s back there and I think he’s gonna get killed.” 

“Alright alright, I got you man, take me there.” 

The young man ran back the way he came, Cyborg hot on his trail. The Quick Mart was just around the corner. The windows were plastered with posters and neon signs, so much so, the inside couldn’t be seen. 

“Wait here,” Cyborg demanded, and headed for the door. 

Whatever supervillain he was expecting to see, he didn’t see them. Instead, Black sat on the counter, nonchalantly eating a pint of ice cream. 

There were four unconscious young men on the ground, and the cashier was crying behind the counter. 

“Aww man,” Cyborg groaned, looking at the carnage. 

“Hey! Borgy-Boy! Want some Chunky Monkey?” Black held out his spoon.

“Man, what did you do?”

“Can you believe these Ding Dongs tried to mug me? I only have so much money to spend on food, and they’re trying to take it!”

Cyborg gave him a hard look. “What about all that money you’ve taken from the people you bust?”

“Hey!” Black pointed his spoon at him. “Most of that money went into the offering plate on Sunday!” 

Cyborg stared back in shock. “You go to church?”

“Sure! Free coffee, free music, free air conditioning and heat, it's a swell deal! I don’t really know what they’re talkin’ ‘bout, but that Jesus guy sounds like a real neat fella!”

Cyborg shook his head. Black had a talent for derailing situations quickly. “What did I tell you about beating people up?”

Black whined. “But mooooommmmm! They started it!” 

“I called the police,” the cashier finally sobbed out. “They’ll be here at any moment.”

“Whoops! Looks like I gotta vámonos!”

“Did you pay for the ice cream?” Cyborg asked sternly. 

“YeEEEeeeeEEEs!” Black sassed right back. 

“Good, then you’re ready to wait for the police with me.” 

Black’s attitude changed slightly then. He paled and his lips became taught. “Nah, I’m good.”

“What if I tell you you have to?”

Then Black’s face fell, a much darker, hateful gaze on his face. “I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to. Not anymore.” 

“Anymore?” Cyborg took a step toward him.

Black launched from the counter, springboarded off Cyborg’s shoulders and landed at the exit. “Bye Borgy-Boy! Love you!” And he was gone.

“Damnit!” Cyborg shouted to the ceiling. 

—-

“Okay, I think he’s a problem,” Cyborg announced without preamble. 

Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven all looked at him startled. 

“Who?”

“Black! Who else!? He beat up a bunch of shoplifters at the Quick Mart and then dipped when I told him to stay for the police. Why would he run if he had nothing to hide?”

Raven raised a brow. “So you want us to capture him? Take him down? Yeah, we all know what he’s doing is illegal, but he’s doing us a huge favor. We don’t have time to worry about the little guys.” 

“What if we were to just observe him more? Mayhaps this is a temporary thing?”

“Temporary insanity? I’d love to hear that argument.” Beast Boy chuckled. 

“Fine, another week or two of observation. Then we have to decide what we’re going to do about him.” 

—

During Raven’s patrol, she got to have her own fun with a jewelry store break in. She passed by the roof just as the burglar’s broke through the window. 

Thinking that was all the action she was going to see on her patrol, she began to return home, only to be distracted by someone singing. 

Well, it was more like caterwauling. 

“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!” 

It was a crime to be singing so poorly and so loudly so late at night. A crime to Raven, at least. All this required was a stern talking too. 

Raven followed the sour notes down a backstreet and into the warehouse district. 

“Why am I not surprised?” Raven drawled. 

Black was still singing at the top of his lungs, and sort of dancing down the alley. In both hands, he held cans of spray paint, and he was spraying the walls. 

Raven landed behind him. 

“I’M TRAPPED IN THIS BODY–CAN’T—GET OUT!!!”

“Vandalizing private property? Some hero you are.” 

“AH!” Black startled, whipped around and sprayed Raven in the face with red paint. 

Luckily she clenched her eyes shut so she wasn’t blinded. 

“Oh! Mrs. Magpie! I’m sorry, you startled me!” 

Raven tried to wipe the paint from her face. “So I noticed.” 

Black took out a rag from his pocket and started rubbing her face before she batted him away. 

He slunk back, defeated. “And to answer your question, I wasn’t trying to vandalize this wall. Someone else already did that. I was just trying to make it…less Hitler-y.” 

Raven looked at the wall. On half were some interesting black and red swirls, still wet, and the other half had about a dozen swastikas punctuated with profanity. 

“I see. You were covering it up.”

“Yeppers! Are you proud of me, Rae Rae?” 

The last thing she wanted to do was indulge this lunatic. “You know, if you talked to the owner, he’d probably give you some paint to cover the whole wall in an even coat.” 

He scoffed. “There’s no art in that!” 

“Oh, so now you’re an artist?”

“Am I not allowed to have a hobby?” 

She huffed. “Fair.” 

“I’ll take it more seriously. I’ll practice and make it really good! A series of pretty alleyways by me!” 

Raven was out of shits to give. “Fine. Go ahead. Wow me with your murals.” 

Black grinned gleefully and jumped. “You won’t regret it!” 

“See that I won’t.” 

“Oh,” he licked his thumb. “You have a little paint—“ 

She summoned a force field to stop him from getting any closer. “Don’t even think about it.” 

—-

Usually, Black had a tendency to seek out the Titans, or let his presence be known. So when Beast Boy found the young man digging through a dumpster, he quickly changed into a mouse to watch from afar. 

“In the deepest ocean, the bottom of the sea, your eyes, they turn me,” Black sang a tune Beast Boy swear he heard before, but couldn’t place it. 

Beast Boy scurried across the ground, coming closer. 

Black was bent over at the waist, his torso inside the dumpster, and his singing echoed with a metallic ring. “I get eaten by the worms and weird fishes. Picked over by the worms…and weird fishes.” 

Where had he heard that before? The radio? He was usually pretty hip with modern music.  

“Ah ha!” Black cried triumphantly as he emerged. He had a prize in his hand. 

Beast Boy eagerly waited to see what Black had found and was so excited about. 

Another watch. 

The young man cinched it on his wrist, so quickly, it looked like he’d done it a hundred times before. “You don’t have a battery, but that’s okay. I still love you.” 

A dead watch. What was so exciting about a dead watch?

Black then rubbed his stomach. “Hmm…me hungy!” And he turned and left the alley. 

Beast Boy waited until he rounded the corner to turn into a sparrow and followed him. 

Black skipped down the street, his tattered trench coat fluttering behind him. 

Coming down the street was a dog walker, a man with a husky. Black saw them and ran to them. “Ohhh! A puppy! What’s his name? Can I pet?!”

The man looked startled, but ultimately said, “uh sure. His name is Plinko.” 

“Hi puppy! Hi Plinko! Who’s a good boy?! Who would rip someone’s face off to protect his owner!? My name is Black. What’s your name?”

The man looked even more startled and started to tug his dog away. “Sorry, I have to go.” 

“Okie dokie then! Bye bye Plinko! Bye bye Plinko’s dad!” Black waved enthusiastically. Then he continued his merry way down the street. 

Beast Boy watched in fascination, and prepared to intervene if Black showed any kind of threat towards the man. Thankfully, he didn’t, just behaved oddly enough to frighten the man off. 

Black broke into a sprint, running at a wall. When he reached it, he used a fire escape to climb up the side of a building, then leapt onto a short roof. From there, he cartwheeled and flipped to the other edge and jumped over to the next roof. 

He was fast. Beast Boy had to morph into an Eagle to keep up with him. He was used to seeing kids parkour, and the hobby had become more popular over the years the more stunts of Robin’s had been captured on camera. But Beast Boy had never seen someone move like this. It was almost inhuman. Black flung himself across distances anyone else with self preservation would have avoided. He flipped and twisted as he went, ignoring laws of physics. 

Then, they were at the Quick Mart, and he strolled in like he hadn’t been performing gymnastics across the rooftops. 

Beast Boy quickly shifted into a fly and flew in before the door shut. This was kind of fun. He didn’t get to do stealth missions often. 

“Hi Laura!” Black chirped. 

“Oh. Hi Black.” The cashier looked nervous and swallowed thickly. 

“Got anything fresh? How old is the pizza? Is it all dried out like jerky?”

“I just put a new pie in,” she said with a sigh. 

“Then I want a slice! Not one with pepperoni’s though.” He shivered.

She gave him a solemn nod and cut him a slice of cheese pizza. 

“Hey chicky-poo, why are you nervous?” He asked as he grabbed a drink from the fridge. Just a water. 

“We’re not going to have any problems today, are we?” She asked sternly, but looked pale and nauseous.

“Problems? Me?! You know I’m here to solve problems, right?!” 

The cashier didn’t answer. 

Black placed his hands on his hips. “Is this about those shoplifters earlier this week? Did Borgy-Boy or the Popo give you a hard time?”

She took a shaky breath. “They were fine. I just…what you did to those boys.” 

He scoffed. “What's a couple broken fingers and fractured skulls among friends?”

“Um…I can’t imagine those guys think you’re friends…”

“Well, then they’re doodoo heads. How much for the water and the pizza? Ohh and this candy bar?”

“7.83.” 

“Oh. No candy bar then.” He pouted. 

“5.70.”

Black dug around in his pockets and took out some bills and coins. “Is that enough?”

“This is a button.” 

“Oh. How much is that worth?”

The cashier sighed and helped him count out the money on the counter. Beast Boy prepared to intervene if he didn’t have enough, but thankfully, he did. 

“And, you had a little extra, so you get a nickel back.” She handed him a coin. 

He grinned. “I think I like them! Most people don’t, but that’s okay. Not everyone has to agree!” 

“What?”

“Nickleback! They do the song from Shrek!”

“Honey, that’s Smash Mouth.”   

Black sighed. “I can’t count change and I can’t remember Nickleback’s discography. Is there anything I can do right?”

Break bones, apparently, thought Beast Boy. 

“Well, you do the crime fighting thing pretty well. Maybe once you get your memory back, you’ll be able to do other things.”

Black’s face soured. “No no, I’m going to learn new things, not remember old ones.” He took on a far off look. “I don’t want to remember the old things.”

“Oh…kay…” Laura said, leaning away from the counter. 

Black brightened considerably. “Thanks for the pizza! See you around Laura!” Then he looked to the wall, right at Beast Boy. “See you around, Jolly Green!” 

Beast Boy shifted back into a human, falling off the wall and startling Laura. “Duuuude! How did you know?!” 

“Come on, how often do you see a green fly?”

“Often?! How–!?” 

Black tsked. “You gotta be better than that, Beastie Boy! Ch-check, check it out! Wh-what what’s it all about!?” He started rapping Beastie Boy lyrics and he nonchalantly strolled out the door. 

Beast Boy stood still, staring open mouthed. 

“I had no idea you were there,” said Laura. “That kid is something else.” 

“Yeah, but what?”

—

Cyborg arrived from the lobby, the huge box with him full. He dumped out the contents, letters, on the table and started to sort. 

“What’s all that?” Asked Raven. 

“Mail. It’s been sitting out there for a while and I just can’t put it off anymore.” 

“Tired of all the condolence cards?”

“Very.” 

“Anything for me?” Beast Boy asked, peering over the table. 

“You can help me sort, and then you’ll know.” Cyborg threw a bunch of flyers away. “Man, I bet some of these are a month old. Hope none of it was time sensitive.” 

“Oooo what’s this?” Beast Boy picked up a thicker envelope with handwritten addresses on it. “It’s addressed to all of us.” 

“Who’s it from?” 

“Says, ‘Jim Baker.’ Never heard of ‘im.” 

“Probably fan mail. Maybe we saved him and never got his name. God forbid another condolence card.” 

“It’s thick. It feels like there’s something in it. Maybe money?” 

“If it’s money, we have to send it back,” Cyborg said sternly. “We can’t take it.” 

“Well then…maybe not money…” Beast Boy grinned, preparing to pocket the money anyway. He tore open the envelope, but instead of money, there was just an SD card and a note. 

‘Teen Titans,

This was left in my possession, but I think it’s meant for you.’ 

“H-hey Cy?” Beast Boy passed the envelope over to Cyborg. He scrutinized the note and then put the SD card into his arm to scan it for viruses. 

“Looks clean, but whatever is on it is slightly corrupted. The card doesn’t look like it was taken very good care of.” 

“May we see it?” Asked Starfire. 

“I can try to pull the file off.” He took the card over to the main computer and popped it in. “Oh, looks like multiple video files. Let’s see if they’ll load.” 

“Do you think someone has sent us a movie to watch? Shall I make the popped corn?”

“Something like that,” Raven answered, setting her book aside. “Don’t bother with the popcorn though.”

When the video started up, the picture was pixelated and grainy, the sound cut in and out. 

“Get—to work? —so old.” 

A face was in frame, black and white, and hard to make out. “It has to work. It’s the last chance I have.” 

“That is Robin’s voice!” Starfire shouted, standing to her feet.

“Really?” Beast Boy asked. “I can’t really tell.” 

“If you get caught, they’ll kill you.” The other person said. 

“Then I won’t get caught.” The camera shifted, showing more of the room, though it was grainy. The camera shook hard a few times and the picture became clearer. There was a young man, about Robin’s age, wearing a hospital gown. 

“Why are you messing with that thing?” He asked. 

“Secret,” said Robin’s voice. 

“Whatever dude, just don’t include me in this.” 

The camera turned, and they could see the nose down of the person Starfire thought was Robin. 

“That is Robin’s chin!” Starfire screamed. 

“Yeah, it is,” said Raven. 

“This is…not what I was prepared for. There’s twenty of us here,” Robin whispered. “Is that too much information? Crap.” 

And the video ended. 

“Play the next one!” Star demanded. 

Cyborg obeyed and played the next file. “I’ll set these up to play back to back.” 

The next video played, and it was immediately apparent that something was wrong. The camera was under a bed. They still couldn’t see Robin’s face. But his hand was on the ground. 

“There’s a red light.” He stated. “So, that’s good.” He breathed, a long, low exhale. Somewhere in an adjacent room, someone screamed. Robin took another shaking breath, then, to everyone’s surprise, he started to softly sing. “When I'm at the pearly gates, this'll be on my videotape, my videotape. Mephistopheles is just beneath…and he's reaching up to grab me.”

Starfire sat at the edge of her seat, holding a pillow to her chest. She had never heard Robin sing before. To everyone else, it was fine, but to her, his voice was perfect. Soft, gentle, and so so sad. 

“This is one for the good days and I have it all here in red, blue, green. Red, blue, green.” 

Robin’s song stopped suddenly as the scream came again, worse than before. He shifted closer to the camera, and continued his song as low as he could. “This is my way of saying goodbye. 'Cause I can't do it face to face. So I'm talking to you after it’s too late.” 

Starfire gasped. 

“No matter what happens now. You shouldn't be afraid, because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen.” 

And the video ended. 

A red exclamation mark displayed on the screen, determining that the video was corrupted. 

“NO!” Starfire shrieked. “Cyborg, you must recover those videos! It is the only clue we have to Robin! Please!” 

“Star, I’m going to try, but there’s no guarantees.”

“If you do not recover those videos, I shall never forgive you!” 

“Dude, he said he’s going to try!” Beast Boy yelled back. “We just…have to be patient.” 

Starfire fled the room, her cries loud enough to rattle the walls. 

“I’ll get to work,” Cyborg stated as he retrieved the disc and left. 

Raven and Beast Boy left shortly after, both lost in their thoughts.

[abandonthefort]

okay, this is not a DRINK but I maintain that this is the most hilarious alcoholic option.  Just sobbing while eating a pint of wine ice cream (yes, it is alcoholic enough that you can get inebriated from it but like. you need to eat So Much unless you’re a lightweight.)

@ people who drink/know about alcohol: what would be the funniest alcoholic beverage for William Shakespeare's King Richard II to be drinking directly from the bottle while crying on the kitchen floor wearing a bathrobe and a burger king crown and delivering a monologue in the style of a YouTuber making an apology video?

[theorchardofbones]

[marcspectorsbooty]

A Night In

(Jake Lockley x f!Reader)

Some angst with some smutty goodness

Description: Jake is late to your date so he makes it up to your in the best way possible

TW: mentions of blood/cuts, choking

18+ READERS ONLY, MINORS DNI

An hour had passed and your stomach was beginning to grumble louder. He was late, again. Jake was never this late, especially not without a call or a text as a heads up that he was going to be a while. He always made it a point to make it to special events, even if he had to show up covered in blood and with his clothes torn up, he would still be there. Tonight was one of the most important events as well, your anniversary. 

Part of you was worried that he was dead in a ditch somewhere, but an even bigger part of you was nervous that he had just completely forgot. Jake was a forgetful man when it came to the little things, sure, but he wouldn’t forget something like your one year anniversary, would he?

With a heavy sigh, you made partial peace with the fact that your boyfriend was not there and made yourself a plate of the (now cold) pasta dish that you were so excited to make for him. After a minute in the microwave, you grabbed a fork and planted yourself down at the kitchen table that was decorated with a nice candle and a few rose petals. You begrudgingly dug into your pasta and started eating. 

Maybe Khonshu had him out on another mission in some random country again. After all, that old bird had no mercy when it came to mortal affairs. Maybe he’s at the bar having fun and playing pool with the cute blonde that always seems to chat him up when he’s there. Maybe he is actually dead in a ditch somewhere and you’d have to be the one to pull him out. The possibilities flowed through your mind as you finished your meal and began to clean up. 

You placed the extra food in a tupperware and stuck it in the fridge, then turning your attention to the dirty dishes. You didn’t know whether to be worried, mad, or heartbroken, but still it all seemed to bundle up inside of you. Once the kitchen was clean and the dishes were done, you plopped yourself down on the couch with a pint of ice cream and turned on the news, just in case his face was being broadcasted.

After a few minutes, you heard the jingling of keys and the door open, but you stayed put. The front door gently closed behind you and you could hear his keys as they fell onto the table. Your eyes were still fixated on the television, too upset to say anything to him just yet. You could hear his footsteps approaching and he came into frame in your peripherals, but you still couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. 

“You’re two hours late.” You whispered, trying to hold back all of your emotions at once.

“Mi amor.” He called out, his voice quiet and low. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

You looked up at Jake who was standing by the couch with a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates in hand. He was covered in blood from head to toe, staining his clothes and clumping in his hair. 

“Jake,” You stood up, placing your pint of ice cream on the coffee table and stepping towards him. “Oh my god, Jake, what happened?”

“Please, don’t worry, mi vida. I’m okay.” He forced a smile. 

You wrapped your arms around him and squeezed tightly. Jake winced in pain so you eased up a little, burying your face into his chest as he dropped everything to hold you. All of your pent up emotions flowed out as you sobbed into him and he just cooed and whispered sweet nothings into your ear. 

“I thought you were dead.” You choked out, looking up at him. 

“Never, baby. I’ll always come back to you.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up, come on.” 

You led Jake to the bathroom and sat him down on the edge of the bathtub while you grabbed clean rags and the first aid kit. You got prepped and damped the rags with warm water, knowing this wouldn’t be the last time he’d come home like this.

“Alright, cowboy, this ain’t my first rodeo. Take off your shirt so I can assess the damage.” You said, wringing the water out of one of the rags. 

“Mmm, bossy, bossy.” Jake chirped as he removed his shirt, unveiling the cuts and bruises on his torso.

“Do you want to go to bed clean and patched up or stain blood on my new sheets?”

“Mmm.” He held his tongue.

“Care to share with the class, Mr. Lockley?” You asked as you dabbed one of his wounds.

“I’d fuck you just like this on your band new sheets, bebita.”

Your heart fluttered at the filth coming from his mouth, feeling the warmth begin to pool in your stomach. Gods, he was so hot with his shirt off while all beaten up and bloody. Part of you wanted to let him have his way, but you also didn’t need him to get an infection from his many open wounds.

“You can dirty talk me after I give you stitches, Jake.” You chuckled and shook your head. 

“Why not while you’re giving me stitches?” He grinned.

“Just let me do my job. Happy anniversary, by the way.”

“Happy anniversary, my love.”

Once Jake was fully patched up and the blood was washed off of his body, you two made your way to the bedroom for the night. Your outfit was partially soaked and bloody from him so you began to change into your pajamas, feeling wandering eyes on your body. It made your cheeks heat up a bit knowing that he was watching you slip one of his old t-shirts. 

“You’re so beautiful, Y/N.” Jake said with a beaming grin.

You climbed into bed next to him, giving him a sweet kiss on the lips and running a hand through his dark locks. He pulled you in for more, greedy for your love after such a long day of not having it. His hands pulled your hips to settle right on top of his lower half as your kisses became more sloppy and intense.

“Jake,” You whispered, breaking the kiss for just a moment. “I don’t want to go any further if you’re in pain, love.”

“It is all worth it, mi vida.” Jake said, smoothly turning you both over so that he was on top. “I would do anything to please you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I am.”

You gave him a nod, looking up at his darkening eyes that were now full of lust and passion. He craved you like a bad addiction, wanting to touch, kiss, and please every inch of you. Jake loved to take control in bed, but what turned him on the most was hearing you and seeing your reactions to the things he does to you, it fulfilled him. 

His lips met yours again as his hands traveled up and down your curves. You could feel his growing erection in his jeans brush by your thigh and you let your hands travel down to grasp at it. A small grunt came from his lips as soon as your hand made contact and his hips bucked into your touch.

“Dios mío,” Jake muttered under his breath as his lips began to attack your neck.

His hand slid up your shirt, cupping your breast which made you gasp. He played with your nipple, rolling it between his fingers and squeezing roughly at the softness on your chest. His mouth was leaving marks on your neck that you knew would definitely be visible tomorrow all while your hand was sliding into his jeans to better grasp at his length. Jake kissed his way back up to your lips, letting his tongue collide with yours for a blissful moment before he pulled away to look down at you.

“Bebita,” Jake muttered as he pushed a hair back from your face. “I want to taste you.”

That familiar warmth pooled in your stomach once again as his lips kissed their way down to your center. Your hand left his lower half as his head nuzzled between your thighs. Jake kissed your center over the cloth of your panties, his fingers working to pull them down and off of your legs. Once your folds were exposed his tongue gently licked up, causing your legs to quiver at the sudden sensation. He chuckled and got to work, licking and sucking at the sensitive bundle of nerves and wrapping his hands around your thighs to keep them steady.

You couldn’t help but let the moans and whimpers escape you as his talented tongue worked on your clit. A few hums of contentment came from him after hearing your reactions, knowing that you were his and that he was the only one who could make you feel this way. Sparks were igniting in your stomach and your hand was grasping at his hair as he continued to make you feel amazing. 

“Oh fuck… Jake… right… right there… yes…” You breathed out, your heart beating faster as his tongue picked up the pace.

Soon enough, one of his fingers was slipping inside you, pumping and curling toward your g-spot. Your free hand gripped the sheets tightly as the pleasure was bubbling up deep inside of you, preparing for release.

“Do you want to cum for me, mi amor?” Jake muttered against your skin.

You nodded as you gasped for air, moans getting louder and louder with each passing second. He added a second finger inside of you, curling and rubbing against that sweet spot as he sucked on your tender clit.

Pressure was building up inside of you, nearly ready to burst. You writhed and bucked your hips into him, wanting more, wanting it to never stop. 

“Jake, fuck,” You said in a breathy moan. “Jake, I’m gonna cum.”

“Cum for me, love.” He grunted as his mouth continued to work.

You let the pressure build up until it all came washing down over you, holding your breath as you rode the wave of your orgasm. He didn’t stop or slow down for a second and hummed after hearing all of the beautiful sounds come out of you. His eyes flickered up at you, watching the ecstasy come over your body as you started to come down from it all.

“So beautiful.” Jake smiled, his mouth parting ways with your lower half and coming up for a sloppy kiss while he still fingered you.

“Thank you, baby.” You beamed up at him, hands cupping his face.

“Oh, I’m not done with you yet.”

His fingers left you, making you whimper a little bit. He shushed you with a kiss and started to unzip his jeans, pushing them down to reveal his full erection. Jake leaned down to kiss you once again before letting his tip massage your wet folds, sliding into you with ease. Both of you let out grunts as you adjusted to each other, letting him fill you completely before giving him a small nod to keep going. 

“That’s my girl,” Jake hissed with pleasure as he began thrusting into you. “Always so tight and ready for me, huh?”

You let out a small moan in response as he pumped in and out of you slowly. Jake’s hand found its place wrapped around your throat, right where it always belonged. 

“Mi niña bonita.” He growled.

You let your legs wrap around his waist as his thrusts picked up the pace and his grip tightened around your throat. Your hands gripped his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin as he fucked you fast and hard. His hunger for you now became primal and he needed you like he needed air. 

You could barely let out a whimper because of his grasp around your throat and you could feel your orgasm getting closer. Black fuzzy spots were beginning to appear at the edges of your vision and your body felt like it was on fire. You needed him just as much as he needed you.

“Cum with me, hermosa.” Jake grunted breathlessly.

The warmth filled your stomach again and Jake released your throat from his grasp, letting you cum as he did the same. His white hot seed filled your walls as his thrusts slowed and your grip on his shoulders eased as you both felt the moments of bliss. Jake gently kissed you as his cock slipped out of you and then he let himself collapse at your side. 

Both of you took a minute to catch your breath, looking at each other with happy, euphoric smiles. His fingers pushed the hair back from your face and gently cupped your cheek. 

“You were so good, baby.” Jake hummed. “So good for me.”

You blushed and placed a gentle peck on his wrist. You were glad that he was safe and in bed with you rather than dead in a ditch somewhere. You wished that he could stay with you forever.

“I promise that I’ll never be late again, my love.”

[lnfours]

post nwh peter shyly opening up to you after months of being alone and only making casual conversation as peter at work. otherwise there's just spiderman duties 24/7

so anon, you wanna break my heart.

tw: mentions of mental struggle.

come talk to me about tom/nathan/peter

you knocked on the apartment door, silently hoping that peter was home this time.

for the past couple weeks, it seems like peter's been in a slump. will only talk to people if they talk to him first, and doesn't bother going out with your group of friends anymore.

he seems like he's struggling and you didn't want him to be alone while doing it.

the door swings open and there stood peter, wearing his ESU hoodie with the hood up and a black pair of sweatpants. his eyes weren't lit up, and he looked like he hadn't showered in a couple days.

"hey," you said, holding up the grocery bag,"i brought ice cream."

he smiled softly,"i'm on a diet."

you rolled your eyes,"you are not, i saw you eat pizza in the school's cafeteria yesterday."

he sighed, rolling his eyes at your stubbornness before opening the door for you to come in. he knew he couldn't argue with you.

"i brought your favorite," you said, sitting his pint on the counter,"and i thought that maybe we could watch a movie or something."

he read the label, cookies 'n cream.

he was suddenly lost in his thoughts again as you rambled on about movie choices in the background. he thought about you, and how after all this time you still loved him and cared about him even when there was no one else in his life.

and suddenly he felt the hot tears fall down his cheeks, quickly trying to wipe them away, but it was too late. you froze, spoon still full of ice cream in your mouth. you quickly swallowed it, setting it down before moving towards him.

"pete," you said, taking his face into your hands,"baby, what's wrong?"

he closed his eyes, not being able to look in your eyes. he felt more tears fall onto his lap and he tried holding back, but a quiet sob escaped his lips.

you pulled him into your chest as he cried, his hands gripping at your shirt. you knew he was still having a hard time with the memory spell and losing may, and to be quite honest, you didn't know what to do to help him besides be his shoulder to cry on.

peter had found you again after the spell and explained everything to you, just like he said he would. at first, you thought he was lying until he had wanda resurface an old memory of the two of you.

after that, the two of you had been almost inseperatable. until a few weeks ago.

"it's okay, pete. let it out."

he pulled you tight against him, not wanting to let you go again.

"i love you," he sobbed,"i love you so much."

"i love you, too, baby," you said, kissing his hair,"i'm not going anywhere this time, i promise."

"please don't leave me." he sniffled into your shirt.

"i wouldn't even if you tried." you said, combing through his hair as you held the boy in your arms. everyone thought that because of his strong exterior, it meant he had a strong interior, but that simply wasn't the case. the boy had been hurt time and time again and had been through enough.

and you were damned if you let anything happen to him.

[toastedside]

Call From Home

Tim Drake x Batmom!Reader

Warning: sad Tim Drake, him crying, feeling small, fluff in the end

Note: I always like and entertain the idea that Tim eventually finish his education and go to college. I wrote this back in 2019 when I was away for college and experiencing mild case of homesick. Enjoy!

College life was pretty exciting. At least Tim able to muster that out loud now, and no longer wallowing in constant denial how much he enjoyed being a college student. It does get pretty crazy at times. The chaos in the dorms, the shenanigans of bored college students, morning classes. It got its own rhythm, and Tim was proud that he able to blend and follow the rhythm pretty well.

He never imagined that he eventually able to live a life like this. Like this one. Not after him confronting Batman in his own house. Not after his parents’ death. Not after taking the mantle and split his life into day and night. He never imagined he get to party until late night, laughing his ass off whilst running on the campus ground at night, pulling all night for assignments, and running late to classes.

The Red Robin suit he carefully packed still untouched. Tucked carefully underneath his bed. He never got time to be Red Robin. Not with the piling assignments and constant nudging to socialize. He listened to the police’s radio from his dorm when he was alone from time to time, but in a city like this, it’s pretty calm and mild.

Compared to Gotham, this city is peaceful.

It’s loud, it’s colorful, it’s exciting. Perhaps that’s why he liked the thrill of being here. It reminded him of home. Of Wayne Manor that filled with too many people, too many vigilantes who never know when to lower their voices. And perhaps that’s why he grew relentless and anxious as the clock slowly tick by and it’s all quiet. Darren, his roommate, was gone to his parents for the weekend. Left him all alone with his thought.

Tim sighed as he punched the number on his phone screen. He didn’t know why he did it. But something behind his mind pushed him to do so.

“Hello?” the voice answered after the fifth rang. Tim wanted to smack his head. You were probably sleeping.

“Hi Mom,” Tim greeted. “It’s me.”

“Hi, honey!” your voice laced with a lot of excitement. Tim sat up on his bed, head leaned to the wall next to him as he closed his eyes. “How are you? How do you like college?”

Tim chuckled. “It’s exciting, yeah. The assignments were crazy. But it was fun.”

“It reminds me with my college days! One time, this one student flood the whole floor with detergent because he didn’t know how to wash his own clothes in the washing machine.”

“My God. Just last week a student accidentally pushed the fire alarm because she was drunk.”

Tim could hear you laughing. And then a faint sound of a silverware hitting a surface. You’re in the kitchen then. Or the dining room. There were no background noises and it was all quiet. You were probably alone in the kitchen; dug on the freezer to eat a pint of ice cream you always so cleverly hide from everyone.

“How are you doing, Timmy? You haven’t answered my question.”

Tim went quiet as he bit his lower lip. You often called him Timmy when he was upset or in dire need of comfort. A nickname you reserved for comfort and now his brain associated it with tenderness and comfort. And the warmth of your embrace.

All of sudden, he wanted to cry. His eyes started to sting and his chest heavy. He didn’t know why, but listening to his mother’s voice alone opened up something he had shoved to the back of his mind since the day he moved into his dorm.

“Timmy? Honey?” you called for him. He probably had unconsciously let a sob escaped his mouth. “Baby, are you okay?”

“I miss you,” Tim rasped between his sobs. Saying those out loud only made him want to cry harder. “I miss Alfred. I miss Bruce, Jason, Dick, Damian, Cass…” he trailed, sniffled as he harshly wiped his tears with his sleeve. “I miss home.”

Tim pulled his knees into his chest, curled himself into a ball. He wanted nothing but to sank into your embrace, enjoying the way your fingers would thread on his hair and your nails lightly scratched his scalp. He wanted nothing but to eat a homemade food, not the cheap, knocked off questionable foods he often got on campus.

He wanted home.

“I miss you too, honey,” you cooed. You heaved a sigh as you continued, “The house does get a little quieter without you here.”

“I- I thought I’d be okay. I like it here,” Tim sniffed. “But I miss you. I miss home. And – I want to go home.”

The line went quiet for a little while. He could hear you shuffling in the background, a sound of chair being pushed confirmed his suspicion of you being in the kitchen. He was both surprised and bashful about his sudden childish plea. He never thought he would miss Gotham out of all places. It stinks and raked of criminal. The air here was crisp and clear, he could hear the bird chirping on his way to his classes.

But one call to home and his body longed to be there. One call and his soul wished he was home.

His bed suddenly felt too small and stuffy. The mattress is too stiff and the duvet not warm enough. Tim pressed his head onto his knees, his eyes still producing saline tears as he quietly listened to you contemplating your answer.

“Baby, you know what? It’s okay to miss home. It’s okay for wanting to be home and liking where you are at the same time. I had severe homesick cases when I was away for college too,” you answered finally, with a quiet huff as Tim faintly heard you landed in a cushion. Perhaps the living room.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really,” Tim could listen a smile seeped on your voice. “Listen. You live your life here, in Gotham, for almost all your life. You born and grew up here. You live here in this house. You fight for the city. Of course, you’d miss home. Of course, you’d want to be here.”

Tim sniffed as a response.

“And you’re adapting. Nobody expect you to immediately like where you are. Especially when you’re so far away from home, all alone, all by yourself. You’re starting a new chapter in your life. There will be hard times. But I always know you’re a fighter. And you’ll survive just fine. You can do this.”

Tim smiled as he wiped his tears.

“Besides, I believe your friends suffer the same homesick cases too.”

An involuntary laugh escaped him. He let out a wet chuckle as he wiped his tears with his sleeve again. Eyes spared glances into the empty bed across him. “Yeah. Darren is out visiting his parents’ house. Lucky for him his parents are only two hours away.”

“See? You know what I mean?” Tim practically could see the way your face would scrunch up. An expression he grew fond of. “You’re always welcome to come home anytime, honey. Remember wherever you are, no matter how far, you’re always welcome here whenever.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“You know what? This gives me an idea.”

“Idea?”

“For impromptu family weekend getaway,” you said thoughtfully. “What about you show the city around for us next week? Tell me places you like, good restaurants to eat, and places you visit the most.”

Tim blinked dumbly. “You’re visiting?”

“Yeah! Next week. I promise.”

Tim could feel a smile slowly crept up on his cheeks. He shifted on his bed out of excitement. “You know what? This also give me an idea.”

“Ooh, what is it?”

“That I should go cycling around and list down all places I want to show you,” Tim said as he hopped out of his bed. Already made a beeline towards his coat and shoe rack. “I think I need some fresh air too.”

“Alright, Atta Boy. Wear your jacket. It’s cold outside.”

“On it, Mom. I’ll call you later. See you next week.”

“See you next week, baby. I love you, bye.”

Tim was already halfway out of his room when he answered, “I love you too.”

[hockeylvr59]

Collide Part 2 || Sidney Crosby

Summary: Life as a single foster mom and a pediatrician didn’t leave much time for dating. But when Dr. Erin Lancaster becomes the pediatrician for Pittsburgh Penguins Defenseman Brian Dumoulin's baby boy, her association and quick friendship with his wife Kayla turns her crazy but quiet life upside down. 

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: Apparently my brain is just on a Sid kick lately. First a blurb update, now this one. Let me know what you think. 

Warnings: alcohol consumption        Word Count: 2,001

~~~~~

The weeks leading up to the holiday season were usually some of the best as a foster mom. The kids that I called my own, even temporarily, generally didn’t have a great experience with family holidays in the past and it was always exciting to teach them the magic of the season. The joy of watching the Macy’s parade and then football before having a big meal, going looking at Christmas lights, and everything else that filled the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

This year though, this year was tough. A few weeks ago, just days after my trip to the hospital, the seven year old I was fostering was moved to another placement. More biological siblings had popped up in the system and taking them would have placed me over my permitted limit. So instead, the rambunctious boy I was finally starting to make strides with was moved so that he could be with siblings he had never met, all because of the preference of keeping siblings together. A week later, my five year old was transferred back into the care of his mother who had successfully completed a rehabilitation program. I wasn’t sure the woman could be trusted but the court had decided she was fit enough to regain custody and there was nothing I could do about it. 

Finally, yesterday, my newborn had been deemed stable enough to be placed with a paternal grandmother now that he was completely off the drugs. I had done my limited job of making sure that he got elevated care and now he was in the placement I knew he’d end up in all along. 

It was the weekend before Thanksgiving and for the first time in a long time I didn’t have any kids under my roof. Honestly, I couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t have any kids placed with me, it had been that long. Yesterday, it had been easy enough to ignore, I went into the office to catch up on paperwork, I picked up dry cleaning and went grocery shopping before drinking half a bottle of wine and falling into bed exhausted. 

Today though, things were quiet and now that the world had stilled around me, my normally thick exterior cracked and I found myself sobbing steadily. I loved being a foster mom, I really did, but it was heartbreaking to know that these kids would never be mine for one reason or another. That while most days my house was full of laughter and as much love as these kids could manage, days like today would always be waiting at the end of it all. 

While drowning my sorrows with a pint of ice cream I definitely didn’t need to be eating at 11am, my phone buzzed beside me with a message from Kayla Dumoulin. She had texted more than once over the past few weeks with worries such as whether Brayden’s cord was healing normally and whether she could cut his nails because he didn’t like the mittens but she didn’t want him to cut himself. Through our text conversations she had learned of my rapidly emptying house and her message this morning was just to check in and see how I was doing. 

She was such a sweetheart and I replied with a shrug emoji declaring that if sobbing over a pint of ice cream at 11am was normal then I was doing just fine. The phone rang a moment later and I sighed seeing her name pop up because the message wasn’t intended to make her feel guilty or anything, it was just genuine honesty. Still, I answered the phone, setting the pint of ice cream aside for a moment. 

“It sounds like you need some baby cuddles.” Kayla stated, the sound of soft chatter coming through the line. “Why don’t you come over. Brayden wouldn’t mind seeing his favorite doctor.” She suggested. 

“That’s sweet but I’ll be okay.” I assured her. “I don’t want to impose. I’m sure I can find something to do.” 

“You’re not imposing.” Kayla insisted. “Me texting you at 2am with a breastfeeding question was imposing.” Her voice was teasing and I sighed softly remembering being up with my own newborn when she had a question about hers since Brian was on the road. 

“Seriously.” She continued. “Come over, snuggle Brayden, and give my husband a second opinion on this bottle of wine he just got since I can’t drink.” She suggested. Sensing that she truly meant it, I sighed and agreed reluctantly telling her to send me the address. 

____

45 minutes later, I had cleaned myself up so it didn’t look like I had spent the last few hours sobbing. After putting on some light makeup, I had thrown on some black jeans, a striped long sleeve tee, and a tan pullover before deeming myself decent enough to head out. 

Plugging the address in my phone’s gps, I drove over to Kayla and Brian’s neighborhood, parking down on the street in front of their house. It didn’t even register that there were approximately a half dozen cars spread between the driveway and the street already as I made my way up to the front door. 

Kayla greeted me after just a minute and I gently teased that if I didn’t know better I wouldn’t believe she just had a baby as she let me inside. That made her smile, and as she guided me to the kitchen for a glass of wine I realized that there was a significant amount of noise coming from the living room. It wasn’t until she was murmuring for me to make myself comfortable that I realized the living room was occupied by almost a dozen Penguins players, football pregame on tv. 

“Alright Muzz, you can give my baby back now.” Kayla declared half-joking, half-serious. As soon as the goalie handed the baby over, Kayla was crossing the room back to me and handing off the little boy who just snuggled into my chest as soon as he was placed there. “There...baby snuggles.” She murmured. 

“Thanks.” I whispered, resting a hand over the infant’s back before taking a sip of wine feeling slightly uncomfortable as eyes slowly landed on me. 

“Hey doc.” Brian greeted appearing from somewhere else in the house. “Let me know what you think of that wine, not sure if this brand is a keeper or not.” He stated simply portraying the feeling that I wasn’t at all anywhere I didn’t belong and that this was a normal occurrence. Nodding I promised to do so before just focusing back on the baby in my arms. The physician portion of my brain noted that he was doing well and had certainly been growing while the rest of me just found myself relaxing at the feeling of a baby’s steady breaths. 

Most of the guys paid me no mind as the game started. Yet I felt one pair of eyes linger. As I stepped outside after handing Brayden off to feed just before halftime, a four legged companion joined me and I chuckled petting the Dumoulin’s dog Roo while sitting on the steps of their patio nursing my second glass of wine. 

The patio door slid open and then shut before a body slid down next to me on the steps. 

“So where are your foster kids?” A familiar voice asked and glancing over my eyes met those of the Penguins Captain. 

“With another foster family, with their mother, and with their paternal grandmother.” I whispered, quickly taking another sip of the wine to try and push back another round of tears. “The sucky thing about being a foster mom is they always go away in the end.” 

“I...I didn’t know.” Sid mumbled after a moment and I waved him off petting Roo and wiping at my eye with the back of my hand. 

“I didn’t expect you to.” I stated simply. 

“So that’s why…” Sid trailed off, stopping when I nodded. 

“Baby cuddles to try and make everything better.” I shrugged. “To fill the three new cracks in my heart. It’s been a long time since I was childless.” I whispered. “I’ve been trying to recall when it was and I honestly can’t remember. I feel like it had to have happened at least a few times but I really can’t recall not having anyone since I became a foster mom in the first place.” 

“How long is that?” Sid asked, tone softer now than it had been that day at the hospital. 

“Two...almost three years. I applied to become a foster parent toward the end of my residency.” 

“Can I ask how many?” Sid questioned. 

“36.” 

“In three years? That’s...wow.” Glancing over I could see the genuine shock on his face. 

“I don’t know what the turnover rate is generally but I’m fairly certain my rate is higher than average. I get a lot of the drug addicted babies because of my skills and they’re generally only with me 2-3 weeks until it’s safe to move them into a more permanent placement, often with other family members.” 

“How do you handle that?” He murmured, reaching down to pet Roo as well who had rolled over onto her back for belly rubs. 

“Usually I just focus on my patients, on the kids that I do still have with me because they deserve all of my love and attention. This time? Crying over Ben and Jerry’s at 11am until Kayla insisted I come over.” A smile cracked Sid’s face and he apologized quickly declaring that this isn’t something to smile about. 

“No it’s okay. You can find it amusing, I know it wasn’t the most healthy coping method.” 

“Are you going to be okay?” He inquires softly. 

“Yeah. Well, I should probably lay off the wine. Dumo has really good taste.” Sid’s eyes crinkled a little bit and he looked at me like be serious. “I will be. I mean it’s only a matter of time before I get the call that another child needs me.” I assured him. “I just...sometimes...days like this...they make me wonder whether I still want to do this, you know…” 

“Go on…” Sid urged. 

“I just...it’s so hard. Never knowing whether I’m going to wake up and have to say goodbye again. Constantly giving away pieces of my heart that I’ll never get back. Days like today make me just want to be a mom. Not a foster mom but a mom. To have my own kids who won’t be there one day and gone the next.” 

“I get that feeling.” Sid murmured after a moment. “Not the ‘here one day gone the next’ part, but uh, wanting your own kids part, that I get.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke before dropping his hand back down to pet Roo, his fingers brushing against mine. Immediately my mind flashed back to the feeling of his hand wrapped around mine and I quickly pushed that aside. 

“There you are!” Kayla exclaimed, popping her head out the door, her eyes shifting back and forth between you and Sid and noting how close you were sitting. “We just put out some food if you’re hungry and want something other than ice cream.” She grinned, dipping back inside looking like she was about to burst with what she just saw even if it was absolutely nothing. 

When Sid stood he offered a hand out to help you up, murmuring for Roo to come inside and he’d see if he could find her a treat. The bulldog was eager for that and followed after him as you brushed yourself off and picked your wine glass up moving to rejoin the group. 

Ridding of your buzz with some food and water and more baby snuggles you finally headed home with the feeling that there was something more to your conversation with Sid that you hadn’t put your finger on.

Outfit: 

[heroes-of-olympus-next-gen]

You all over me

Just some mother-daughter time between Annabeth and Zoe.

“I think it’s time for us to break up.”

Those words haunted Zoe. For 3 months she had the best girlfriend in the world. Until she decided to break up with her. Her explanation? Their relationship was just a teen romance, that went over after a couple of months. Zoe decided not to disagree or shout at her. There was no point. They had something nice, and it ended. It happens even to the best.

It was a quiet Friday afternoon. Percy and Annabeth were still at work, Charlie had football practice, and she wasn’t sure where Lana and Theo were. She was sitting on her bed, watching Netflix from her laptop. The bedroom door opened. Annabeth stepped inside with a pint of ice cream in hand. “I am sorry that you broke up. I thought ice cream could help.”

Zoe closed her laptop. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work right now?”

“I thought that it would be a nice idea to take the afternoon off.” Annabeth handed her the ice cream.

“I hope you didn’t do it for me.”

“No, of course not.” She definitely took the afternoon off for her daughter. But Zoe was like her, she would never ask for help. Especially over something romantic.

Zoe stared at her. “Thanks for the ice cream.”

“Anything you want.” Zoe smiled softly at her. Annabeth wasn’t sure if she wanted her to stay or go; she decided to leave her alone for a while and then come back and check on her.

She was about to step outside her daughter’s room when Zoe called her. “Is there any chance that you can stay here with me for a while?”

“Of course.” Annabeth sat next to her on the bed.

“I know it was just a stupid relationship, but I feel so bad.” She started crying. “I really liked Arizona.”

Annabeth kissed her on the temple. “You’re going to feel better soon. I know how it feels.”

Zoe wiped her tears. “How do you know?” She sniffled. “You and dad have been dating each other since you were 16. I wish I had a relationship like yours.” She rested her head on her mum’s shoulder.

“Do you want me to tell you a story?”

“Sure, why not.” Zoe laughed between her sobs. Apparently, her family had a story for every situation.

“It’s more like a family secret rather than a story, actually. That’s why I want this to stay between the two of us.”

“Girl talk. I get it. What happens in this room, stays in this room.” Zoe exclaimed thinking how much stuff her walls had heard over the years.

“Your dad and I have been together since we were 16. But when we were in college we decided, to get the whole college experience to break up.” Zoe stared confused at her. “We were still kind of together, but not dating.”

“And then you tell me that you aren’t a unique couple.” She confessed.

“Anyway, in that time we decided to experiment a bit with other people.” Annabeth didn’t know if it was a good parental move to have a conversation like this with her daughter. “I was going out with a girl.”

“So dad has bi wife energy?” Zoe asked a bit confused that her mother had never told her that she was bisexual.

“More like bi husband energy.”

“Dad is bisexual too? And you didn’t even tell me, your fellow bisexual daughter?”

“We thought that it was quite obvious.” She confessed. “Where was I?”

“You were going out with a girl. Who was it?”

“That’s something I am not going to tell you.” She was trying to be a cool mum but telling her daughter that she was in a loving relationship with her godmother aka Dr Piper McLean-Grace, wasn’t one of the things she was going to do in her lifetime. Percy was having the best time of his life when Zoe brought Arizona home for the first time. ‘I guess yours and Zoe’s type isn’t that different’. “Anyway, we were dating for a couple of months, but we both knew that it meant nothing to us. It meant almost nothing. Well, compared to our relationship with your dad it was nothing, but it still hurt a bit when we broke up.”

“But you had dad. I don’t have someone else. All my relationships end this way. You saw what happened last time.” She sighed.

Annabeth put her daughter’s hair away from her face. “Last time, it was just wrong people at the wrong time. Neither of you were to blame. You tried something and it didn’t work out. And you and Arizona. You are 16. Now it’s the time to have this kind of relationship.”

“She said that we can still be friends if I want,” Zoe confessed.

“See. You will heal, you will feel better, and find someone who makes you happy or maybe even happier.” Annabeth comforted her.

“Probably. Or I’ll buy a couple dogs and become the wine aunt to Charlie’s and Bianca’s kids.” Zoe laughed. She soon realised that it could come out the wrong way. “I mean separately Charlie’s kids and Bianca’s kids.”

“Either way, I just want you to be happy with yourself. You’re the best daughter I could have asked, and you deserve the world.”

“Thanks, mum.” Zoe hugged her.

“Do you want to watch a comedy? Or do you want to be on your own?”

“I could watch ‘The Grown Ups’ for the millionth time.”

Mother and daughter went downstairs and put the movie on Netflix. They were eating ice cream straight out of the massive pint Annabeth had brought home. “There are my girls,” Percy said as he walked inside and saw his wife and daughter sitting together on the couch. He kissed both of them on the cheek. “What is the occasion?”

“Nothing. Just some girl time.” Zoe smiled at her mum.