#yes there’s more to it then him being stubborn he’s got his feelings of abandonment and the fact that it was nailed in before he got his

[damiansgoodgirll]

don’t break my heart part 9 ❤️❤️❤️

WE ARE BACK BABY!

PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8

terror twins x platonic!reader, the judgment day x platonic!reader , drew mcintyre x reader

likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated!

‼️SMUT!!! so stay away kids , aftercare, mention of loneliness, fear of abandonment, depression, panic attacks, anxiety, fear of rejection‼️

DON’T BREAK MY HEART - PART 9

“what did rhea do?” damian asked a little confused.

“she hates me…” you whispered, your voice broken from crying.

“she doesn’t hate you, she could never” the man knew how close you two were so he found it impossible for her to even hate you.

“did she say something?” drew asked.

“she was disappointed…she got mad cause she lost, she wanted me to help her out when raquel appeared but i didn’t, i couldn’t, both hunter and adam forbidden me to go otherwise we would be risking a month fine…but maybe i was wrong, i should have risked it for her, she’s always been there for me and the one time she needed me i wasn’t there…” your soft voice echoed in the room as some tears kept falling down.

“listen to me hermosa, she doesn’t hate you, she could never hate you, yes, she’s stubborn and proud but she will never hate you, i’ll talk to her and we’ll figure it out” damian’s words somehow reassured you and you relaxed a little more into drew’s touch.

……………

“priest” rhea called him when she saw him in the hotel lobby.

“what did you tell her?” he asked, straight to the point.

rhea knew exactly what he was talking about “listen i…”

“no, you listen to me. what the fuck happened? why did you have to blame her? was it really her fault or you couldn’t accept that you lost?” maybe damian was being too hard on her but he knew it was the only way to make rhea understand her mistake “you screamed at her? rhea what the fuck? seriously?”

“listen i’m so fucking sorry about what happened, i wasn’t thinking”

“yeah, you weren’t thinking! rhea, you know better than to scream at her, you fucking scared her. you better apologise to her or we are gonna have a problem…” damian was serious about this, about you. he always cared about you, about your well being and seeing you so torn down because of something his best friend did was making him even angrier.

“i will apologise to her, i will, i promise” rhea felt guilty. she knew she went too far. she regretted saying those words the moment she saw the fear in your eyes. the moment she saw the tears in your eyes. she felt sick, as if she was a monster “how is she?”

“she’s with drew now, she’s in good hands” damian didn’t want to talk about the painful panic attack you had earlier, it pained him too much and the idea of having you crying in his mind was enough to make him sad again.

“he’s good for her” rhea softly smiled, thinking about how much she wanted to protect you from drew at first and how now he was the one protecting you from her.

“yeah…” damian softly smiled “rhea, you apologise” he reminded her.

“i will, first thing in the morning, she needs to rest now, i feel like we all need to rest” the woman said, feeling all of her pain in her body.

“absolutely…whatever happens, call me” damian said before saying goodbye to rhea as they all approached their rooms.

unbeknownst to them, liv and dom heard the whole conversation and they knew what cards to play in the future as they were already plotting a sweet revenge to make you and rhea hate each other. liv didn’t really care about what happened between the two of you but her interest was caught when damian said that she scared you, that you got afraid of her and that is what she’s going to use to bring you on her team and let you leave rhea’s graces for once.

in the meantime drew helped you changing in some fresh clothes and getting you ready for bed.

“i’m so tired…” you yawned.

“i am too, and i barely died out there” he joked making you laugh.

“how are you feeling? does your head hurt?” you asked him, a little worried.

“it hurts a little…nothing i can’t handle” he smirked making you smile a little.

“you got me so worried out there…”

he looked at you. he knew the hell in a cell match was going to take a big tool on him but he didn’t really think much about you and his family might have been affected by that too. “i know…i’m sorry…” he felt a little guilty.

“it’s okay…at least you are here…” you softly smiled before let his big arms wrapping you close to his body.

“rest love…” he whispered and before you could even realize it, you were already falling asleep.

…………

as the sun came out, you lazily stretched your legs and arms into the bed. slowly realizing that drew wasn’t next to you, instead he left a note.

i have a check up visit this morning, i probably won’t be there when you wake up. you looked too peaceful for me to wake you up so i let you sleep. enjoy your free morning, i’ll see you in a couple of hours.

love,

- drew

you smiled, thinking about how he even took time writing you a note instead of a simple text message.

you weren’t surprised to find yourself in the gym early that morning. after the way last night had gone, you needed the distraction and the fact that you had time for yourself, you needed that distraction more than ever.

rhea had been pissed - more than pissed. your mind kept thinking about last night. she had yelled at you, voice sharp and cutting, frustration pouring out of her in a way you hadn’t expected. you didn’t even know where it had come from. yes, she was mad because she lost but you never expected her to be that mad.

she was going off, anger spilling out before she finally stormed off, leaving you standing there with your heart sinking.

you hadn’t slept much after that. even drew could sense it - probably the reason he didn’t wake you up when he left.

so here you were, throwing yourself into your workout, trying to shake the tension still sitting heavy in your chest. you didn’t hear her come in, but you felt it the moment she was near.

“hey…”

you turned, catching sight of rhea standing a few feet away, looking…regretful. her usual confidence was dimmed and she was fidgeting with her wrist wraps.

you didn’t say anything, just waited.

she sighed, running a hand through her dark hair “i fucked up.”

you stayed quiet.

rhea exhaled, stepping closer “i shouldn’t have yelled at you last night. i was mad about other shit and i took it out on you. i blamed you and that wasn’t fair” her voice softened “you’re my best friend, and i messed up.”

the sincerity in her voice cracked something in you. the anger you had been holding onto wavered, replaced by something else.

“yeah…” you muttered, still a little guarded “you did.”

rhea nodded, accepting it “i’m sorry, really.”

for a moment, you just stared at her, weighing the words, the emotion behind them. you knew you couldn’t stay mad, then, finally, you sighed and nudged her shoulder.

“you owe me a coffee…”

a grin tugged at the corner of her lips “done”

just like that, the weight between you started to lift “so…drew?” she asked, already knowing what she wanted to know and you pretended you didn’t hear that.

………..

as months passed, your bond with drew grew stronger and closer. he took time off to cool down after the injuries he sustained during the match and you were managing life between work and home.

you got used to the little routine of coming back home from a trip and being spoiled by drew’s cooking or drew’s hands massaging your body after a rough match.

in those time you also got yourself a title opportunity to be the first women us champion and you couldn’t believe that you were the finalist for that title.

drew couldn’t be happier. rhea and damian too. things were finally starting to work.

no nightmares. no panic attacks. no anxiety. just a lot of love and support from the people you loved the most and you couldn’t be more grateful.

drew also had a match the same night you were fighting for the championship and you actually were so excited to see him fighting again.

the energy backstage was electric. the whole night had been leading up to this - two huge matches, two moments that could change everything. and somehow, you and drew were both right in the middle of it.

your match was up next, but you weren’t thinking about that yet. right now, your eyes were locked on the monitor, heart pounding as you watched drew in the ring with sami.

it had been a war. neither of them had held back and you had winced more than once watching drew take hit after hit. but he had powered through - like he always did - and now, after one final claymore that nearly took sami’s head off, drew had done it.

the referee’s hand hit the mat. one, two, three.

you didn’t even think - you just cheered, grinning as you watched him push himself up, chest rising and falling, sweat dripping from his forehead. the crowd was going insane, his music blasting through the arena.

you knew how much this meant to him. you knew how hard he had worked, how much he had needed this win. his big comeback and he brought the victory home.

but suddenly now it was your turn.

your match was a blur of adrenaline and instinct. you fought with everything you had, pushing past exhaustion, past the ache in your muscles, past the voice in your head telling you to slow down. because this was history. this was your moment. your big opportunity to show everyone you could do it.

your big push.

to show your family, your fake friends “i made it.”

and when the final bell rang, when the referee raised your hand and handed you the brand-new united states women’s championship, you barely had time to process it before you turned toward the entrance ramp where drew was standing, watching.

he had changed out of his gear, but his hair was still damp, and his eyes - god, his eyes were shining with pride.

you barely had time to breathe before he was in the ring, arms around you, lifting you off your feet as the crowd roared.

“you did it…” he murmured, voice rough with emotion.

“we did” you corrected, gripping the title with one hand and holding onto him with the other.

you didn’t care if you didn’t come out yet with your relationship. it was pretty obvious now to everyone that you were together. making liv and raquel plans to destroy you and rhea go to hell - as they wanted to bring your secret relationship with drew into their mess.

rhea and damian were watching backstage like proud parents.

“she did it…” damian whispered, rhea nodding along.

drew was still holding you as confetti and fireworks echoed through the arena.

you just made history.

you both had your moments tonight. but this - this moment with him, was the one you’d remember forever.

“this is gonna go down as the best thing that happened in the company for years” drew whispered in your ear making you laugh.

as soon as you both got backstage, the noise from the crowd still echoing in your ears, drew didn’t waste a second.

before you could fully process everything, he grabbed your wrist, pulled you into him, and kissed you.

it wasn’t just any kiss. it was deep, slow, full of every emotion from the night. pride, relief, love.

when he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against yours as you were barely standing on your feet and you could feel his breath mix with yours.

“i’m so proud of you…” he murmured, voice low and rough. his hands found your waist, thumbs brushing soft circles against your skin “first-ever us women’s champion…love, you made history tonight.”

you smiled, looking shortly at the shiny belt in your hands as still breathless you whispered “so did you. you killed it out there.”

he chuckled, shaking his head “watching you win felt better than my own match.”

you rolled your eyes but felt your heart squeeze at his words. before you could say anything, you both heard your names being called from different directions. media time.

he groaned, pressing another quick kiss to your lips before stepping back “guess we gotta go be professional now.”

you smirked “don’t sound too excited.”

with one last glance at each other, you split off. drew heading toward his interview, and you toward yours.

hours later, after the whirlwind of interviews, - asking you both of how you felt about the victory and how long you and drew had been dating - photos and endless congratulations, you finally made it back to the locker room and took a quick shower before going straight to the hotel.

the moment you stepped inside the room, you let out a heavy sigh, kicking off your shoes and tossing your championship onto the bed. your whole body ached, but it was the best kind of exhaustion.

drew came in behind you, shutting the door and immediately pulling you into him from behind, arms wrapping around your waist.

“long night” he murmured against your shoulder.

“worth it…definitely worth it” you sighed, leaning back into him.

he hummed in agreement before gently guiding you toward the bed “c’mon, let’s get some rest, champ.”

you smirked as you climbed into bed “you too, champ.”

he chuckled, sliding in beside you, pulling you close.

“tonight was just the beginning” he whispered.

and as you lay there, wrapped up in each other, title resting nearby, you knew he was right.

“i guess so…” you knew he was right and from that moment you were going to prove yourself even more.

you looked up at him for a moment, admiring him in all of his glory.

“what?” he smirked down at you.

“oh, nothing…is just, you’re so handsome. and strong. and tall…” you smirked back “i wonder how did i manage to pull you.”

“i’m the one who’s winning in this relationship you know? i’m the one wondering how someone old like me managed to pull someone so gracious and perfect like you…” - you thought for a moment about his words.

“we’re just soulmates i guess.”

he never believed in soulmates. he never believed in love at first sight but he knew he was fucked the moment you two got closer. you were like a drug to him and he couldn’t get enough of you. “come here…” he whispered softly as you shifted from his side to his lap.

“feeling nasty tonight uh?” you teased making him laugh.

“it’s you.”

his smirk deepened, but he didn’t say anything, at least not with words. instead, he tilted your chin up, catching your lips in a slow kiss.

it started soft, teasing, but it didn’t stay that way.

drew’s hand slid up your back, pulling you against him and you gasped against his mouth.

that was all the invitation he needed.

before you could process it, he was shifting, strong hands gripping your waist as he effortlessly hold you closer onto his lap.

his huge lap. you almost vanished in comparison.

you swallowed hard, thighs straddling his as his hands settled on your hips, holding you in place.

“that’s better…” he murmured against your lips before kissing you again, hungrier this time.

you melted into him, your fingers playing through his long hair, tugging just enough to earn a low growl from deep in his chest. his hands moved, slipping under your shirt, rough palms dragging over soft skin, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

you could feel him - all of him - beneath you, hard and warm, and it made your head spin.

he kissed down your jaw, his beard scraping deliciously against your skin, making you shiver.

“you’re incredible, you know that?” he muttered against your neck, voice thick with want “everything about you drives me insane.”

“drew…”

he hummed in response, lips trailing lower.

you pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, heart pounding, cheeks flushed.

were you ready?

“i’m ready…” you whispered.

he knew what you meant by that.

that’s why he stopped all of his movements. he looked at you. trying to see if you were being serious or if you were playing with him.

“you sure love?” his hand softly pressed against your cheek.

“yeah…” your voice below a whisper.

you were being serious.

when realization dawned, his expression softened even more.

“i’m asking you again…are you sure?” his voice was gentle, like he didn’t want to push, didn’t want to assume.

you nodded, chewing your lip “i’ve thought about it a lot and i trust you, drew. i trust you more than anyone.”

suddenly you felt shy sitting there on his lap after the confession.

his brows furrowed slightly, like your words meant more to him than he knew how to express. he knew how much you struggled with words and opening up.

he exhaled, his hand cupping your cheek, thumb brushing over your skin “love, you don’t have to do this for me. we don’t have to rush anything.”

“i know…” you whispered “but i want you to be the one. i don’t want to wait for something that already feels so right.”

his jaw clenched for a moment, like he was holding back emotion. then, slowly, he leaned in, pressing the softest kiss to your forehead.

“thank you…” he murmured “for trusting me with this.”

you felt a lump in your throat at the way he looked at you - like you were the most precious thing in the world.

he shifted, sitting up slightly, his fingers still stroking your cheek “before anything happens, i need you to know something.”

you sat up straight too, heart fluttering “okay.”

this is getting even more serious - you thought.

his hand found yours, lacing your fingers together “this isn’t just a moment for me. this matters and it’s not just about tonight - it’s about every night after because i’m not going anywhere.”

tears pricked at your eyes at the sheer certainty in his voice.

no one ever stayed for you.

not your family, not your second family - the judgment day - but he was willing to stay.

you squeezed his hand “i don’t want anyone else, drew. just you.”

he smiled then, leaning in to kiss you slow and deep, full of promise. when he pulled away, his forehead rested against yours.

“then let’s take our time…”he whispered “i want you to feel comfortable love.”

you nodded,speechless. the way he was treating you with such care.

the room felt warmer, softer somehow, as drew cradled your face between his hands. his touch was gentle, his thumb brushing over your cheek as if memorizing the feel of your skin.

he gently moved you from his lap to beneath his large body

“we can go as slow as you want” he murmured, his deep voice low and soothing “remember, you are the one in charge tonight…”

“just tonight?” you teased him.

“love…” he smiled “i’m trying to be as good as possible with you tonight…”

“fine, i’ll behave” you nodded, heart pounding, but it wasn’t from fear. it was anticipation, love. trust.

he kissed you again, slow and lingering, his lips moving against yours like he had all the time in the world. and in this moment, it felt like he did.

his hands traced down your arms, to your waist, pulling you closer, but never rushing. he let you lead, let you set the pace.

“can i undress you love?” he softly asked, making sure you still wanted to go on. you softly said yes and that was all he needed to hear.

as he slowly undressed you, his fingers trembled slightly, not from nerves but from reverence. he looked at you like you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and the way his eyes softened made you feel like you were.

for the first time in your life, you didn’t feel scared, ashamed. laying underneath his body completely naked as he watched you mesmerized.

he kissed every inch of skin he uncovered, taking his time, making sure you felt safe, cherished.

starting from your neck, moving down to your collarbone and chest. softly kissing your hard nipples and making you whimper as you tried not to be too loud.

every touch, every movement, was filled with love - not just desire, but something deeper, something unspoken yet completely understood.

“you’re perfect” he whispered against your skin as his lips moved lower - and the way he said it made you believe it.

you let yourself melt into him, into the warmth of his body, the steady strength of his arms. every kiss sent a shiver down your spine, not from uncertainty, but from the overwhelming intimacy of it all.

he kissed your thighs, softly, teeth grazing your now reddened skin. he looked up at you one last time.

your eyes fully closed, mouth slightly opened - that was all he needed before his lips met your clit.

a loud whimper left your lips. not used to this feeling, you felt warm and fuzzy.

“you taste like heaven…” he whispered mostly to himself. as if you could focus on what he was saying. too lost in pleasure to even notice that he spoke to you, your hands instinctively grabbed the sheets underneath your body.

you weren’t used to be loud. to moan. to let your voice out but before you could overthink yourself, drew asked you to be loud as possibly.

“don’t hold back love” he whispered “i want to hear your pretty moans…” - and the way he said it, his strong thick accent, how could you say no?

so the moment his tongue found your clit again, you let out a deep breath “fuck…drew” as you bit your lips.

he held you close, whispering soft reassurances as his tongue was working over your clit. him telling you how much he loved you, how much you meant to him “let go for me love…i can feel how close you are…” and you did. you trusted him and you let go.

he licked every single drop of your juices, not leaving your thighs until you calmed down.

the moment your breath got back to normal, he raised from your legs. his hair completely messed up, his face covered in your juices and his eyes staring at you with a mix of love and lust.

his forehead pressed against yours, breaths mingling, hearts beating in sync.

his heart was beating so fast you thought it was going to explode any minute.

“you sure you wanna go on?” he asked one last time, looking for any doubt in your eyes.

“i’m sure drew” you said, looking straight at him.

“i’ve got you” he murmured, his voice full of emotion, of promise “i’ll be as slow as possible…if at any point you want me to stop you say so and i’ll stop, got it?” he asked and you nodded “if it hurts you tell me, okay?” and you nodded once again “good…” he smirked, gently kissing your lips, making you taste yourself on his tongue.

the air between you was thick with anticipation, the kind that made your skin tingle, your breath catch in your throat.

he slowly lifted himself up to be able to undress himself and he made sure that you were able to see all of it.

his fingers moved to the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one by one, slow and deliberate. each inch of skin he revealed made your heart race, your mouth dry.

you had seen him like this before, of course- backstage, after matches, in hotel rooms just like this. but this was different. this wasn’t just drew mcintyre, the wrestler, the larger-than-life powerhouse. this was drew, the man who loved you, the man who looked at you like you were the only thing in the world that mattered.

he removed the shirt off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor, and god, he was breathtaking.

strong arms, every muscle defined - not just from years of wrestling, but from the way he moved, the way he carried himself. but it wasn’t just about how he looked. it was him. the warmth in his eyes, the quiet confidence, the way he watched you, like he wanted to see every reaction, every flicker of awe on your face.

he smirked slightly, amused by your silence “you okay there, love?”

you blinked, realizing you had been staring - hard.

heat rose to your cheeks, but you didn’t look away. instead, you let your eyes trail lower as his hands moved to his belt, unfastening it with the same unhurried pace.

“i…yeah” you breathed, barely able to get the words out.

he chuckled softly, the sound deep and rich, like he knew exactly what he was doing to you.

the belt slid free, landing somewhere on the floor and then his fingers moved to the button of his jeans, popping it open, lowering the zipper.

your breath hitched.

he noticed.

his smirk faded into something softer, something deeper.

“you sure you’re okay?” he asked again, stepping closer, his fingers brushing your knee as he leaned in just enough to make your heart stutter.

you swallowed hard, nodding “just… you’re - you’re beautiful.”

his expression changed completely like your words had caught him off guard, like they meant more to him than he could put into words.

he cupped your cheek, thumb stroking over your skin “you’re the only one i want to be beautiful for” and as he leaned in to kiss you, slow and tender, you knew he meant every single word.

he was standing there with only his boxers on. you could feel his hard cock even if it was covered by his clothes.

he brought your hand slowly next to him, to feel him “see? look what you done to me” he teased.

“we better do something about it then…” you slowly bit your lips.

in a swift move he let his boxers fell on the ground, freeing his huge dick.

your mouth slightly opened.

you knew he was big, you just didn’t expect him to be that big.

“we will take it slow, remember” he reminded you and you nodded.

you laid back on the bed as he hovered over you. he was watching every move you made.

he traced his hands down your body, featherlight touches that made your skin tingle.

“tell me if anything feels wrong” he whispered, forehead resting against yours “promise me.”

you nodded “i promise.”

he kissed you again, and when the moment finally came, he was impossibly gentle. the tip first, making you gasp a little.

his lips found yours as he pushed into you. you suddenly clenched on his length - as he was expecting - making it even harder for him to focus.

“breathe…” he reminded you and you nodded.

it hurt a little and he probably realized that too. he let you adjust to his size. he let you take your time. he didn’t move until you said so.

“you can move…” you whispered slowly.

he nodded, his lips kissing you deeply as you melt into him.

he moved slowly, pausing to check on you, his hand threading through yours, grounding you. his eyes never left your face, watching every reaction, making sure you were okay.

it was new, different, intense but not in a way that scared you, more in a way that made your heart swell, made your entire body feel alive.

he whispered your name like it was the most sacred thing in the world. kissed you like you were the most precious thing he had ever held.

and when your body adjusted to him, when the tension faded into something natural, something right, you felt it - the connection. deeper than touch, deeper than anything you had ever known. not the pain, not the burning sensation, just the pure connection with the man you loved.

he held you close, his breath mingling with yours, his fingers laced with yours.

“you okay?” he asked again, softer this time, like he already knew the answer but needed to hear it anyway.

you smiled, eyes shining “more than okay.”

he let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, pressing a long, lingering kiss to your forehead.

“good” he whispered, voice thick with emotion “because this, us, this means everything to me.”

“i love you drew…now make me yours” there was something shifting in his eyes the moment you said those words.

he moved his hips harder, making you moan even louder.

your hands moved from the sheets to his shoulders, your fingers slowly marking his back, making him growl into your ears.

“i’m so close…” you moaned looking up at him.

“then let go for me baby…” and for the second time that night you came. this time moaning his name as your nails scratched his back.

he followed you soon. trying to not make a mess, he finished jerking his cock a few times before spilling onto your stomach and thighs. he wanted to feel you so bad but being your first time he didn’t want to traumatize you.

as you both laid there breathless, drew softly kissed your shoulder.

“are you okay baby?” he softly said whispered against your skin. you slowly turned your head to look up at him and noticed how good he looked. his hair all messy and sweat dripping from his head.

he was incredible.

you nodded at his question, letting yourself melt into him “yeah… that was amazing…i’m just tired.”

he let out a small chuckle, the vibration rumbling through his chest “figured” he murmured, his fingers brushing damp strands of hair from your forehead.

but still, he wasn’t done taking care of you.

without a word, he shifted, moving carefully as he sat up “stay here, love” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead before slipping out of bed.

you watched as he disappeared into the bathroom, the soft sound of running water filling the room. when he returned, he had a warm washcloth in his hand, his expression focused, gentle.

he kneeled on the bed beside you, his large hands brushing against your thighs and stomach as he cleaned you up, taking his time, being so careful.

“don’t want you to be uncomfortable” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your knee as he worked.

your chest swelled with something warm, something softer than anything you had ever felt before.

when he was done, he tossed the cloth aside and pulled the covers up over you before climbing back into bed. but instead of pulling you back against him, he disappeared again - only for a moment as he was looking for something in the mini fridge.

when he returned, he had a bottle of water in his hand, offering it to you “drink, sweetheart.”

you gave him a sleepy smile, taking a few sips before handing it back.

finally, he settled in next to you, wrapping you in his arms, pulling you so close you could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against your back.

his lips found your shoulder again, leaving soft, lazy kisses as his fingers traced patterns along your arm.

“you did so good, i’m so proud of you love”he whispered, his voice barely above a breath “so perfect.”

your heart fluttered, warmth spreading through your chest.

you turned in his arms, burying your face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in. “thank you” you murmured against his skin, your voice barely audible.

he smiled, his arms tightening around you “thank you for trusting me to be your first, i love you…sleep tight baby.”

and as you drifted off, safe in his arms, you knew there was no place in the world you’d rather be.

……………

a couple of days later you both returned home. you needed to grab a few things from your apartment before going straight to drew’s home - more like your home too now.

as you unpacked the dirty clothes and fill up the washing machine, you took a few minutes for yourself. thinking about all the things that happened in the past few days. your fight with rhea. rhea apologising for hurting you. drew and damian being there for you. drew making you feel like you were the most special person in the world. you felt alive for the first time in many years.

you felt like everything was finally coming back together.

you smiled as you played some music on your phone as you kept doing home chores.

filling up your bag with more clothes that eventually you were going to leave at drew’s, you decided to check your mailbox since it’s been weeks you’ve done that.

nothing really special or now about your mails except for a letter that caught your attention.

subject: notice of legal proceedings

dear [y/n’s name],

i am writing to formally notify you that our firm, representing your parents in a legal matter concerning an outstanding financial obligation they claim is owed by you.

according to our clients this obligation remains unpaid, and despite previous discussions our clients sustained you had in the past, they have not received repayment or a resolution regarding this matter. as a result, they have initiated legal proceedings against you to recover the amount in question.

you are hereby notified that a court hearing has been scheduled regarding this claim.

we strongly advise that you seek legal representation to review this matter and respond accordingly. if you wish to discuss a potential resolution before the hearing, please contact our office at your earliest convenience.

failure to appear in court on the specified date may result in a default judgment against you. if you require any additional details or clarification, do not hesitate to reach out.

this letter serves as a formal notification of the pending legal action. we encourage you to take the necessary steps to address this matter appropriately.

sincerely,

mister john waller.

you felt like your soul just left your body.

what payment? what previous discussions? what money? you owe them nothing.

background music long forgotten as drew was calling your phone. but your eyes couldn’t leave the letter in your hands.

your parents, your own blood, your own family was taking you to court and there was nothing you couldn’t do to stop them.

[redcoralpot]

U Malatu - Mike Schmidt x M! Reader

Summary: Mike gets a call back on the ad he had sent out for a new babysitter for Abby. While they were interested in the job, Mike was more than interested in them.

Warnings: NSFW content (masturbation), and mentions of murder.

Word Count: 1.55K

Notes: Consider this a gift for the gay Mike simps!!

-

Mike had expected nothing of it, really. He had paid a newspaper company a few dollars to display ads for a babysitter in their daily papers; a last ditch attempt before starting his new job at a local pizzeria. He was working the night shifts, and with his office being in the middle of a highly dangerous, abandoned building, he hesitated in bringing his little sister along. Abby was only ten years old– who knows what she would get into?

So, when his phone rang with a call from an unknown number, Mike immediately answered, “Hello?”

Radio silence from the other end. His mother always had warned him about spam. 

His finger hovered over a red button, ready to end the call, when a noise froze any movement, “Um… are you Mike Schmidt?”

“Yeah, this is him.”

The caller cleared their throat, “Okay, so, I’m calling about a babysitting ad I saw at a local diner; I’m interested. Is it possible for us to meet there to discuss details?”

“Woah, hold on. What’s your name?” Mike questioned, folding his jacket over a chair.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll meet you outside of Sparky’s at four o’clock. I’m looking forward to it!”

“Wait–” That was the only thing he could respond with before the line cut out, and his home screen went back to normal.

Suspicious. Maybe he should have gone a different route than dropping the opportunity of watching over a vulnerable child into just anyone’s hands, but it was too late to turn back now. Sparky’s was a public place, at least, so this person would not be able to hurt Mike without getting caught. If he got any weird feelings from them, he’d immediately call it off and go home. 

Mike glanced at the oven clock, ticking away at time like it was nothing. Currently, it was only three, and the drive to the popular diner was only fifteen minutes away. Well, shit. He was too desperate to pass this up, not with the court constantly watching his back. Mike groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose, dreading his first shift already.

He ended up needing that extra time to get Abby comfortable enough for him to leave, and oh, how stubborn she was. Mike had to carry her over his shoulder just to get her into her bedroom, where she had plenty of sensory toys and items to occupy herself with. Additionally, Mike had put extra care into making sure she had the opposite too, such as noise canceling headphones in case the neighbor decided to mow his lawn again. The last time he saw her, she was huddled up on her desk again, using crayons to draw scribbly pictures of her imaginary friends. Yeah, imaginary. They weren’t real, as much as Abby claimed they were.

By the time he had gotten in the car, started it, and driven to Sparky’s, he was five minutes late. Yet, from his windshield, he could see a man in a quirky uniform sitting outside the main doors. Mike couldn’t see the details of the stranger– he needed to get his eyes checked– but he witnessed them flinch at the sound of his car door slamming. As he approached, the man jumped up with a sparkle in their eye, and held out a hand.

“Mike Schmidt?”

He didn’t shake it, causing the hand to fall awkwardly to your side, “Yeah.”

“Uh, anyways, I saw your ad. The diner hands out a paper full of ads with their menus, you see, and yours caught my eye.”

“You mentioned that.”

The man had a lopsided grin on his face, and you chuckled; the sound sent a spark up Mike’s spine, “Yes, yes I did. I make decent money, but I’m also looking for a bit of a side job too. Babysitting was on the top of my list, ‘cause I love kids.”

“Do you have any actual experience with it?”

“I was a babysitter for my first job in highschool,” he rambled, “my favorite kid was a little boy from a local daycare. His mom said he got diagnosed with autism and she needed extra help taking care of him during the evenings. He was a delight!”

“Why did you stop?”

“Ah, it’s a shame. Fritz, the little guy, was one of the kids that went missing at a pizzeria a while back. His mom was never the same after that, and I felt guilty that I wasn’t there.” You shuffled closer to the doors, shoulders tense.

“A pizzeria?”

You shrugged, “It got shut down soon after that. I guess when a couple of kids disappear into thin air in a restaurant, parents aren’t keen on bringing their children there anymore.”

Mike opened his mouth, ready to ask another question, but you stopped him, “Listen, I gotta go, this was my break. You have my number, right?”

He nodded, and you replied with your pinky and thumb sticking out of a fist, held to your ear. Mike watched as you disappeared into the diner, curiosity and another, more unknown feeling creeping up his chest. He remembered it so well, looking back on it.

-

Nowadays, Abby loves you. Mike could lean on the doorway, and a smile would tug on the corners of his lips as he watched you make shapes with your hands. A light was set in her room specifically for this purpose, as the shadows cast would mimic whole storylines. His little sister would view it in glee; the tales always accompanied by voice acting, your doing. Mike even started, in the back of his mind, to prefer the idea of spending the night like that instead of in front of a collection of security cameras. He observed your hands, how your body moved, your face, and more embarrassingly, your lips.

Mike studied how gentle and sickeningly sweet your voice was when you praised Abby, but also the stern expression that played in your eyes when she misbehaved. You would glance up at him sometimes, the manner still stained, and a heady feeling would slam into his brain. The experience always only lasted a few seconds, when his little sister would grumble again, and you were pulled back towards her. Frankly, there were times when Mike wished you would continue, though he’d never admit it. He pushed it down with everything else.

Alas, that can only work for so long– a man has needs. Those needs surface at the worst possible time, and for Mike, that was on his endless night shift at the pizzeria. He cursed under his breath, feeling his dick straining against his jeans. The feeling of your hand manhandling him out of his own front door was imprinted on his shoulder, even if his uniform vest covered it. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down his spine, and he closed his eyes as his eyebrows scrunched together.

“F-fuck.” He whispered. 

His seat shook as Mike shifted in it, fidgeting, unable to focus on the bright screens on his desk. The more he tried ignoring it, the more depraved thoughts infected his head. A finger trailed up the seam of his pants, his breath hitching, where it finally landed on the button holding it all together. Mike bit his lip and unbuttoned it, a whine escaping him as he palmed himself. 

He imagined it was you that was doing it, your strong palm cupping his crotch as easily as you did a mug at home. He snaked fingers into his boxers, sliding himself out of the top, and rested his forehead against the wood under the cameras. His dick twitched at the movement, and he brushed against the tip. Mike huffed as he slid his hand down, and then up, repeating; spreading precum as it came out. What else could you do with that strength?

Could you manhandle him on his hands and knees? You could, he knew, and you would trail your hands down his body. So very gentle, so very kind, for what you were about to do. You could hold his hips still to prevent him from thrusting up into your hand, as he whimpered in complaint. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he felt the stickiness grow in his hand; you could call him the most pathetic things and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. A pet, a slut, a little whore.

Mike let out a quiet moan, “Please…”

He’d face away from you as you thrust your own against his cock, not even earning the privilege to look at you. You would treat him as only a toy to use, whenever, and however you wanted. His ass would be red from how hard your skin slapped against his; the sting only sending down zaps of pleasure. You wouldn’t even bother taking off your own clothes, only his. 

“That’s it, that’s a good boy,” you’d grunt.

That same heady feeling slammed into Mike again, but this time was different– this time it was accompanied by a white flash in front of his eyes. His body seized upwards, drool smearing against the desktop. The guard felt warmth drip down his palm, onto his pants and the floor. For the first time in what felt like forever, he let out a deep, shaky breath. 

The stain was going to be hard to explain.

-

[sunlitlemonade]

I don't like fics where Jason just abandons Gotham, because that makes no sense what so ever, like where he is supposed to go now??? But fics where Jason leavs the Batfam are soooo it. And I wish there were more fics that has Jason leave the batfam (or just cut Bruce off, I'm totally fine with just Bruce) but stays in gotham. Because dammit he was born and reborn here, he going to stay here.

anon im gripping your shoulders because. YES. YESSSS!!!!!!!!

putting it under the cut because it got long

a/ as you said hes been born & reborn there AND to quote myself he will look at all 10 vigilantes running around that city & go 'none of them get her like i do' & get down to business. he takes everything about that city very personally. making him leave just so the conflict subsides feels like a disservice to his character & the easy way out.

b/ i know we all joke abt jason needing self-respect in order to actually leave the bats, especially given how often he gets degraded at their expense but still sticks around given the direction dc is taking for bat-affiliated characters to make them a family unit. but i really do think he has the gumption & the self-respect [not to be confused with self-worth. he has zero self-worth applied to his life. zilch] to demand the respect & autonomy he deserves. the entirety of utrh was about that. he knew what he deserved from bruce & he demanded it every way he could. he also is flexible enough to work with others but stubborn enough to stick to his own ways [see: teaming up with bruce in the middle of their extended cat & mouse chase, doing flippy maneuvers with him but shooting a nazi right in the head at the end of their team-up] we'll have to stick to that version of him for this scenario to make sense

c/ now it is very important to me that there is no one being bashed for the sake of it. with concepts like these ppl often veer into very extreme depictions of characters. i don't think is always a bad thing, especially if it provides you comfort or catharsis, hell i've enjoyed some fics like that myself but i personally would like to depict this in a manner that shows just how difficult it is for ppl on both ends to understand the other with a special focus on jason ofc since hes the one leaving them/shutting them out. i think the only person who absolutely will catch some strays is bruce but thats expected i suppose. lol

d/ im. extremely pedantic [its a compulsion] & hence feel the need to point out that 'leaving the batfam' is a phrase i use very loosely because 1- i do not enjoy the term batfam anymore & usually stick to 'the bats' or 'bat-affiliated characters' or sometimes 'batclan' 2- jason isnt completely treated as a part of their group & doesnt know half of them very well so 'leaving' here implies putting an end to the prolonged scapegoating, isolation, abuse & cautionary-tale-ification he has faced from bruce & alfred & maintaining his distance with the rest of them.

e/ ESSENTIAL to me that jason stops wearing the red bat suit & goes back to his utrh fit. he'll figure out another way to have tasers in his suit. he's already got a bomb as a part of it. dw abt it y'all. i need him to sever every part of him that's connected to them.

should..... i write up a post abt how i would write an au like this............ let me know if any of you guys want me to yap abt it <3

[2-dsimp]

Hey, @2-dsimp!

Idk if you're still doing request for Genshin, but if you are, can you please do Éclair + Devil cake for Albedo (I don't care if this dude is a synthetic human, he still needs some love-)

(Btw I was thinking of Villain!Albedo x Hero!Fem!Reader)

If you don't wanna do it if fine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

～【Smutty imagines】🍒

→《Ft! FEM READER》

————————————————————————

[🔞] Case study #1 [🔞]—> ft! Villianous! Albedo! NSFW MDNI, Mindbreak, coercion, dubcon, slight bimbofication, praise, unhinged behavior, yandere tendencies, cockworship, deepthroat, male oral recieve! Slight humiliation

————————————————————————

『Albedo conditioning You to be his cumdump』

。Albedo was only trying to help you. Although you may have seen him as an arch nemesis he saw you to be his destiny. Why else would he bother holding back on destroying that worthless city of which he could’ve easily could’ve terminated without a moments notice?

。He was utterly enamored by you and tried his best to persuade that thick skull of yours to abandon those parasites and join his side. But no matter how much he tried to get you to see reason you’d only brush off his efforts. Despite how frustrating it was, that stubbornness of yours was his favorite quality about you.

。He tricked you into coming to his aid under the pretense of helping him turn over a new leaf only to trap you within his penthouse. Making you wear an electronic collar, all the more to help discipline and mold you into the woman he knew you’d eventually become in all due time. His sweet obedient housewife.

。It made him wonder how long it would take to break you.

→ “I’m so proud of how far you’ve progressed my love, haah you’re taking in my cock so well, so willingly…with such eagerness.”

。He’d groan, languidly humping his pelvis against your face. Pulling on your hair so you could properly cater to servicing his throbbing pretty cock adorned in prominent veins from balls to his pink tip. As he suffocates you with his heavy balls that were bench pressed against your nose. Hypnotizing you with his enticing musk of which he infused with certain pheromones to help you become more of a willing participant.

→ “Yes keep it up darling, don’t stop until you make me cum. Don’t You wanna please me? Mmh make your husband feel so wonderful just like the good girl that I know you are?”

。He rasped reaching his breaking point from the sloppy toppy you gave his mushroom pearly tip so reverently and his hips stuttered as he pulled you up by your hair and shoved your face to take his rod to the hilt. Allowing you to feel his abdomen and balls flexing against the cockdrunk expression present against your face.

→”Fuck, I love how you attempt to take every last drop. You’re such a pretty little wife for me when you’re obedient. Now smile for the camera love I’ve got to document how well you’ve grown to adapt to being mine.”

。Albedo praised with a small smile. He felt so complete spurting his hot sticky load into your open mouth. Filming your face in his baby batter while he was content in watching his outload drip from down to your chin. Watching you with satisfaction and pride that you belong to him and no one else. As you tried your best to swallow every bit of his manhood’s nectar.

。Snap!

。The sound of a camera shutter going off echoed throughout the room. As the villain captured your messy face all filled with his creamy load. To mark a corner stone in yalls happy relationship where you acted as his ever so faithful housewife.

→ “You’re so perfect when you’re under my control.”

————————————————————————

A/n: I’m back in business yall! ٩(˃̶͈̀௰˂̶͈́)و

[aciddrattboyy]

Mσɳʂƚҽɾ Mαʂԋ

┆ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ - "scare!actor bachira appeared in a vision and i had to let it be known or, after being stood up on a date, one scare actor meguru spots you and decides to try to fill the spot"

ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ ꜱᴛᴀᴛꜱ: ★ Starring: Bachira M. x F! Reader ★ Run Time: 1.7k ★ Genre/Warnings: [Rated R: Slice of Life] one mention of blood (its fake)(characters are aged up)

▶▶

the cold fall breeze did nothing to help your already trembling body. as soon as you stepped out of your house you regretted wearing the tight black dress your date picked out for you. and when you got a message from said date saying he wasnt going anymore when you were already half way to the festival, you regretted it even more. 

you thought about turning back, going home and calling your friends. maybe try to see if there were any parties you all could go to. you wouldve felt bad asking your friends to buy tickets last minute. but you spent a good amount on your ticket and you weren’t about to waste it. 

here you were now, standing in line for a haunted house all by your lonesome. were you a huge fan of haunted houses? no not exactly. but were you about to get every pennys worth of what you paid for? yes of course. you kind of felt stupid about it, feeling a bit stubborn doing this all out of spite. but you weren’t exactly made of money and you had been excited to come here. so you’d persevere. 

meguru strolled out of the ‘crew only’ door, hands in the pockets oh his sweatpants while goosebumps trailed up his arms up until well his t-shirt sleeves ended. observing the ridiculously long line, he silently prayed for his coworkers and hoped their night went… decent.

rummaging through his pockets, meguru grabbed for his earbuds. but he stopped in his tracks when he saw you. arms crossed tightly over your chest as you fidgeted with the hem of your short dress. a smile twitched on the corner of his mouth as he smoothly changed his course, abandoning his walk towards the employee parking lot and making a bee line towards you. he seamlessly slid under the velvet rope, grinning as he stood behind you. 

“what’s a pretty girl like you doing out here by yourself?” 

your eye twitched, twisting around and fully prepared to tell the creep off. but your words faltered when you actually saw megurus face. his smile didnt seem to match what sounded like cat calling. so you relaxed a bit, hoping that continuing this conversation wouldnt end badly.

“being stood up on a date,” you watched as his eyes widened, his smile faltering for just a moment. 

“no shit really?” he barked out a laugh out of surprised. his eyes scanned over you, watching in amusement as you bounced on the balls of your shoes. “damn that sucks.” you scoffed, nodding your head with a less than enthused smile. 

“thanks,” 

“but-” meguru said quickly, taking a step forward when he saw you begin to turn away. “uh if you want i can help you through it, i know the place well,” he said, gesturing to the haunted house youve been waiting to get into for what felt like eons. your eyebrow cocked as you faced him fully, being amused by his attempt to salvage the conversation. 

“are you some kind of adrenaline junkie?” you asked lightly, wondering just how many times he’d gone through it. little did you know it was more than you couldve ever guessed. 

“yes- but im one of the actors here so it would be pretty inconvenient if i didnt know my way around- whats your name? im meguru,” meguru didnt usually tell people about his job. not finding it important enough to talk about most times. was the job fun? most of the time. but it was just an exciting side gig while he made his way through college. but seeing the way your eyes lit up at his words, he felt good about it. 

“you dont look… scary,” you teased, studying megurus features as you moved up the line with him in tow. if you were given a line up of people to guess who were scare actors you probably would’ve picked him last upon first glance. “and its y/n” you added on with a bubbly grin. 

“well yeah i dont have an ax through my chest right now,” he shrugged his shoulders, eyes never leaving yours with a goofy smile on his face. you laughed, a sweet smile settling on your face. you felt like your night was starting to look up just a bit. “but nice to meet you y/n,”

the two of you talked a lot about nothing going through the line. it was surprisingly easy to just chat with him and you hadnt even noticed you were moving with the line until you were basically at the entrance. you looked at meguru with wide eyes when an ear piercing scream could be heard of from inside. 

“dont worry pretty girl i’ll protect you,” he said with a wink, mirroring the smile on your face. as you guys moved towards the entrance, your heart was too busy beating in your ears for you to notice or hear meguru talking to one of his coworkers that were monitoring the line. you were only brought back to reality when meguru linked his arm with yours, rolling his neck. 

meguru usually didnt actually walk through the haunted houses he worked at. the thought of seeing a coworker in the makeup he’s seen been put on them before would probably ruin the mood. but now that he had you, clingly to his side oh so adorably, he was starting to think maybe it would be fun. 

as soon as you walked in you were immediately veiled in eery, cold darkness. adrenaline pumped through your veins as you tried to adjust your vision. you swerved your head, trying to look out for any possible jumpscares. meguru watched as you grew a bit frantic, not wanting to say too much and spoil the fun. there was a faint smile on his lips when he saw you notice the well lit door down the hall. 

while you were relieved, and started making your way to the door, meguru knew that it wasnt the exit. he knew someone was behind that door, patiently waiting for someone like you to open it to jump out and scream. he found your interest in the door amusing considering he was there just a couple hours ago. 

“you might not wanna open that door,” he leaned down to whisper in your ear. he felt bad for ruining the illusion, but you already looked like you were on the brink of collapse and the last thing he wanted was for you to faint. 

you shivered, his warm breath grazing your skin a stark contrast to the cold room you were in. holding on to his arm with both hands now, you let him lead the way, suddenly realizing you were not a fan of haunted houses. 

you got through the majority of the house with almost no incidents. having put your faith into meguru, you screwed your eyes shut. only getting scared by the ambience or someone else’s screams. 

meguru glanced down at you plenty of times as he walked you through. you just looked so cute leaning your head on his with your eyes closed. you had put all your trust in him to get you through and he was going to honor that. 

what meguru didnt know then, was that a bunch of the crew members had been plotting as the two of you walked through, staking out the exit for an impromptu jumpscare. they normally wouldnt do this, they have a job to do after all. but you guys were the last of your grouping so they would have to wait for you to leave before letting more people in anyway. it was sort of a gift to meguru, giving him a scare in a haunted house.

“we’re almost there,” meguru muttered close to your head, his smile growing as he made his way to the exit. your eyes had opened just a bit, relief washing through your body when you could clearly see outside of the haunted house. with a little pep in your step, you sped walked for the exit. 

but that was cut short when a body fell from the roof, almost landing on top of you but staying suspended in the air. you yelped, stumbling backwards into megurus chest. unfortunately for you, he was of no help. his eyes furrowed, his own heart rate starting to pick up. but just as he was about to make sense of it all, two actors jumped in front of you. the special effects were gorey and you thought you were going to vomit. with wide eyes you turned to meguru who was now laughing nervously. 

another body fell, this time hitting the ground with a thud right behind you. you both spun around towards the sound and you could feel a scream bubbling in your throat when you saw a dark liquid seep out from under it. 

under normal circumstances, meguru would laugh that stunt off, knowing exactly how it was done and having pulled it off himself. but having already been caught off guard, it did nothing to calm him down. 

quickly grabbing your wrist, he pulled you through the hallway, blood pumping through his veins as all of the sound effects and screams followed them out. your eyes were tightly shut, not daring to open until you knew you were out of there. 

the oh so slightly warmer autumn air hit you like a truck when you finally got out. your eyes were almost bugging out of your head as you looked at meguru who had the exact same expression. the both of you were breathing heavily, standing there in stunned silence.

“you said you knew-”

“i know i did-”

“so how-,” you took in megurus disheveled state, his genuine look of shock in his face made you giggle. with the adrenaline still flowing through you, you both became a laughing mess, rethinking that just happened in the past 3 minutes. and when you looked into his eyes once more, you werent able to stop yourself from pulling him into a kiss. meguru was quick to reciprocate, wrapping his arms around you as your soft lips pressed into his. 

the kiss only lasted mere seconds before you both stepped back in shock. you felt your face start to heat up as his smile only grew wider. 

“woah at least treat me to a caramel apple first,” you laughed softly and meguru could have sworn he felt his heart do a backflip into a split when he looked at you. you took your hand in his, squeezing it once before dragging him deeper into the festival. “i lied actually im more of a funnel cake typa guy,”

i hope you enjoyed !! reblogs/comments are very appreciated <3 ʟᴏʙʙʏ ﹕ꜰɪʟᴍᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜʏ 𝄃𝄃𝄂���𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃

[skyfallslayer]

The Daughter of The (Dare)Devil - Story 11

|| Matt Murdock x Daughter!OC ||

Series Masterlist || Hiatus Recap

(Please Reread recap if needed)

Summary: Trying to rebuild the many crumbling things in her life, Kaila must keep things civil between her father and his old acquaintances. But during the trial of Castle v State, this might be proven more difficult than ever. (Set During S2E06 - E08, “Regrets Only”, “Semper Fidelis” and “Guilty as Sin”.)

Date: 4/2/25

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 19,514 (My Treat To You Guys)

Warning: The Murdocks Are Stubborn People; Frank's PTSD; Heavy Angst; Heavy Language; Allusions To Mental Illness; Bullet Wounds/Recovery; Implied Child Abuse; Talks of Mental Abuse; Talks of Violence; Talks of Death/Murder; Implied Abandonment Issues; The Murdocks Could Use All The Hugs In The World; Matt Being Overprotective (He Needs A Warning, I think?); Past Toxic Relationship(s); Elektra Could Use A Warning Herself; Suggestive 18+ Themes; Foggy & Karen Being MVPs again. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

- Let me know if I missed anything, please.

A/N: AND I COME BACK FROM THE ASHES!!! And yes, we're going to ignore the fact that I've had writers block on this story for a long time (amongst other issues, personal and computer). I bet this will be your reaction:

Like the DM I answered the other day, I just had surgery done and is on bed rest for a while, so I have no excuse to ignore my older stories anymore -- Not like I wanted to "abandon" this one. I am DETERMINED to finish this up. And thanks to DD:BA, this has really lit the fire back in me to start writing for DD again. Thank you, THANK YOU for your patience, and hopefully this was worth the wait 😄.

Also, on a side note, I decided to update all the aesthetic boards for all the stories. In my opinion, they look SO much better than what I had before. So, feel free to check them out, too. - 'Nother side note, we're getting Dad!Punisher in this because Frank deserves all the love in the world in this fic (and it'll be important later on).

The door swung open and two teenagers stepped inside. The young Murdock trailed behind her guest as she locked the door, watching him take the place in. Her emotions were mixed, and it was brewing in her stomach of nervousness. I mean how long has she been home now? Over a week? Almost a fortnight?

I don’t even know. She swallows. “Uh, d-do you want anything to drink? Or…”

“Oh, uh, n-no. No thanks. Uh…” He chuckles in amusement. “No offense, but when I think of lawyers, I think they have big fancy apartments.” He said, looking back at her.

She smirked, amused too. “Well, when you have your own business it can be a little hard. Especially when they specialize in, uh… ‘charity cases’.”

“Well, I guess as long as you stay true to your own values, it doesn’t matter where you live.”

“True.” Kaila leans against her crutch, watching him walk around the living room. “Although, for Hell’s Kitchen, it was pretty cheap.”

Jayden raises an eyebrow. “How’d you manage that?” And from there, her grin grew on cue just as the infamous billboard flipped on to blind them both. He cussed out of surprise, making her laugh. “Okay. Now, I see.” He said, while covering the side of his face from the light. “I know it’s cheap, but how did your Dad think this was a good idea?” 

“Well, my Dad is blind.”

He blinks. “Your Dad’s blind?” She nods. “Oh… sorry, I didn’t know.”

Kai shrugs. “It’s fine, seriously. We don’t take it personally.” She smiles and looks around, memories flooding in. “I grew up in this place, so it doesn’t really bother me. I just tend to pay no heed to the flashing lights at night.”

“Well, you have a lot more willpower than I do. This would drive me crazy.”

The two of them laughed before being enslaved with silence. A very awkward silence. The Murdock was the first to break eye contact, looking at the corner of the room, racking her brain for things she could say. Like… ‘Sorry I got kidnapped? I know it’s making this awkward’? Eh… maybe not that. What can she say that won’t sound so strange?

He clears his throat, pulling her from her thoughts. “So, uh…” Jayden fiddles with his hands, finally taking her full appearance in. “Did uh… did y-you get hurt?”

Kaila meets his gaze before looking down at her healing leg. “Y-Yeah.” She says, frowning. “Uh, the guy who took me, uh, hurt me after I got a little lippy.”

“Ah. I-I see. Um…” He looks and sounds so uncomfortable being here, and he knows it. “I uh, got your messages–”

“Jayden.” She begins, looking a bit guilty. “I’m so sorry about all those. I know they were quite excessive of me. I… I should have just texted once and been done.”

He shakes his head. “Look, Kaila, you have every right to do what you did. I should be the one apologizing.”

“You don’t have to.” 

“I do.” He pushes, remorsefully. “Look, The whole… kidnapping thing I– I was worried shitless out of mind. Everyone at work was too. And when we heard that you were safe, it was a huge amount of relief for us. We all tried to visit you in the hospital, but you know, it’s–”

“Family only?” She says, getting him to nod.

“Yeah. So when I texted you after hearing you were discharged, you just…” He sighs, his stiff form falling. “You just sounded like… that what just happened to you was a typical Friday. Even our Boss, when you told him you were taking medical leave, said you sounded like it didn’t happen at all.” He shifts on his feet. “I guess I just didn’t know how to respond myself or what to say. I mean, for all I know, you could have just been still processing what just happened. So for that, I’m really, really sorry. I’ve been a shitty friend.”

She suddenly recalls back to the conversation yesterday with her dad -- Everything finally making sense.

.

.

“He’s also probably taken back by how you responded. To him, you might have sounded… too okay with a text. It might have been different if you two would have talked on the phone or face-to face.”

.

.

Ah. So my Dad was right. I did sound too okay. Man, she really wants to slap herself silly right now.

“I… I appreciate the apology, but I don’t think it’s really needed.” Kaila says, raising her hand to stop him from saying something. “Let me finish. I should have been better about expressing myself. It’s a cross I have to bear. I’ve always been terrible at it.”

He frowns, worriedly. “Kaila.”

“It’s okay.” She shrugs again. “Seriously. I mean… I am… getting better, but I’ve been having nightmares about it. I still… have other bad things in my past that are mixing up with this new one and it’s started to take a toll.” 

Sometimes, when she closes her eyes, she’s back at the warehouse with Wesley. Sometimes, she still imagines Fisk at the end of her bed, taunting her for her defensive kill. Sometimes, she still thinks she’s going to wake up and her family is going to pay the price for her sin.

It makes the everlasting knot in her stomach tighten even more.

Her expression deepens as she finishes, “And I’m trying to be strong for everyone else, but I think I’m just fooling myself at this point. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a hundred percent again.”

“That’s the thing, Kaila, No one’s expecting you to be.” Jayden replies, truthfully. “Especially after that. Hell freaking no.”

She chuckles bleakly. “That’s the thing… I… I want to be. But I know I can’t.”

He copies her, messing with his hands again. “No wonder we hit it off, you sound like me.”

She tilts her head. “Do I?”

“Yeah. Um… I told you about my parents, right?” He asks, and she nods. “Well, It was kind of an arranged marriage between them. Dad needed something from her family and it kind of just happened. Uh, he wasn’t a good person, and he wasn’t physically abusive, but–” He shook his head at the memory. “Man, he knew how to get in your head.”

“I’m surprised she actually got out of that. You told me they split, right?”

“Yeah, they did, and I’m actually surprised she did too. But, uh, my point being is, he used to use my Mom’s… flaws against her, and against me. He knew by poking around it would mess me up.”

“That’s…” Kaila scoffs in disbelief. “That’s really disturbing.”

“Yeah. It is.” Jayden agrees. “And just like you, I tried to be okay after they split, you know, be the man of the house, but… I-I knew I wouldn’t, I couldn’t be. I… I knew well enough that I couldn’t be a hundred percent. For anyone or myself. No amount of any kind of healing method can fill me back up.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah. I have to be.” His frown deepens. “And… I find talking about it does help. I’m not saying you have to specifically tell me anything, but from my experience, it is nice to talk about it with someone. Even if you don’t tell them the whole thing, just a little bit helps in the long run.” He averts his gaze. “Sorry if that was a bit of a downer…”

“No, no. I–” She smiles a little. “I think I needed to hear that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I think I do need to talk to someone about my troubles.” She hugs herself, thinking. “Maybe… maybe I should start going to church like my Dad.”

He cracks a smile, too. “That’s one way to start.”

“Yep.” She feels a bit of weight get taken off her shoulders. “Thanks for saying all that. I know it was probably hard talking about your Dad.”

He waves her off. “Don’t mention it. It’s the least I do for ghosting you, you know?”

She laughs. “Seriously, man, don’t worry about it. We’re still friends, right?”

And that’s when his face fell completely and his body subtly got stiff again. He looked like he was a kicked puppy; Those olive eyes holding an emotion she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

He grips his hands together, nervously. “That’s the thing, I… I think that’s going to be a little difficult.”

Her heart sank as she gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Listen, Kaila. There’s another reason why I was being distant. Probably the real reason.”

Okay, now he’s scaring her (Why can’t she have any nice things?!). “And what’s that?”

“I…” He takes a deep breath as he stands right in front of her. “My name is–” He was suddenly cut off by loud knocking, startling them both. They both stay quiet for a second, puzzled (Nervous?).

“Did you bring anyone else along?” Kaila asked, turning her attention away from the door and back to him. 

“No.” Jayden shakes his head, and locks eyes with her. “You expecting someone?”

“No. And everyone I do know has a key to this place.” Who the heck could be at her door now? But she felt herself grow a bit pale at the possibility of someone else trying to snatch her up again. No… not again. That can’t be possible… right?

Jayden must have seen her face, and went into defensive mode. “I’ll check. Just stay put.” He said, and walked away.

That got her to snap out of it. “Jayden–”

“Relax. I’ll get it.” He ignores her calling his name on repeat, and focuses on the next round of knocking. Carefully, he opens the door slowly to find a woman about eye level with him, sun kissed skin and dashing dark eyes. He almost seemed mysteriously captivated by her appearance; he almost forgot why he opened the door in the first place. “Uh, hello–”

“Hello, young man.” She greeted with an (un)settling smile. “Is the young lady home?” 

He blinks to get out from under her ‘spell’. “Uh, who–?”

“Who’s at the door?” Kaila asked, finally managing to wobble herself over, only to immediately freeze up when seeing who it was.

“Hello.” Elektra said, chippy. 

“Kaila, who’s this?” Jayden asked, looking between the two. The young girl tries to say something, but is quickly cut off.

“I’m her mother.” 

“Mother?” He said, confused. “I thought you told me your mother left you when you were a baby?”

“I did. But we just decided to rekindle. Anywho–” She brushes her way in, pushing and swapping places with him. “Goodbye.” She shuts the door in his face, and turns her attention to the girl who’s backing away. “Hello, little one. Let’s chat.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Foggy nodded in the open air like his girlfriend could magically see it. He hums into his phone, patiently waiting for the coffee machine to fill up his cup. “Yes – Yes – Yes, I’m sorry, Marci. – Yeah. Yeah. Well I got a few things to finish.” He raises an eyebrow at her reply. “Then why are you complaining? You’re stuck at work, too.”

He chuckles, and smiles. “Yes – I’ll make it up to you, I promise – I promise. I will.” He smiles and grabs his cup, taking a minute to let it cool before drinking. “Yes, I will – I will, don’t worry – Awe. Love you, too – Goodnight.”

Oh, Marci. He tells himself, wandering back to his desk. He decided after dropping Kaila off he would go to the office to put together some stuff for the Castle case, which he still wasn’t a hundred percent on board with representing him -- Despite him, you know, saving his Niece. But it was two against one in this law firm and he was the odd man out.

I just don’t want us to get too screwed in this. Especially with freaking Reyes on our asses. But before Foggy could even begin sorting through the paperwork, oddly enough at this late hour, the phone rang.

Shooting straight up in surprise, and double checking what the actual time is on his watch, a million things went through his mind. Who could be calling an attorney at this time at night? 

Getting up from his desk and heading over to Karen’s reception area, he picks it up. “Nelson & Murdock Attorney Firm, Foggy Nelson speaking.” 

‘Huh. So I did call the right place.’

That’s not what I was expecting. And is that a kid? Foggy raises an eyebrow and skeptically asks, “Who is this?” He swears this better not be a prank call. He is not in the mood for one of those tonight.

‘Mr. Nelson, I’m only calling because I don’t have anybody’s personal number. I’m calling because I’m concerned about Kaila.’

“Kaila?” His heart skips a beat. He remembers the last call he got when it was about Kaila -- And it was Brett telling him she was taken away. Oh god, not again, please. 

But he swallows his worries and stays level headed. “Wait… who is this?”

‘I’m Jayden. I’m a friend from work.’

His eyes widened slightly, remembering the name now. Oh, this is THE Jayden! Okay now. But what is he–

‘I was visiting her since I haven’t seen her in a bit. Anyway, as I was leaving a woman was at the door.’

A woman? Karen? He scolds himself. No… wait. Karen is on a date with Matt. So that leaves her out of– 

‘She claimed to be her mother–’ 

His brain short circuited. Wait… what?!

No. That can’t be right. That shouldn’t be right. After fifteen long years Mary decides to crawl out of the rock she’s been hiding under and visits?!

That very thought made his blood boil. Why, that fucking bi–

‘But I remember Kaila telling me that her mother left her when she was young and hasn’t been seen since. The woman told me they recently had rekindled but, I don’t know… something doesn’t feel right. And Kaila looked a little uncomfortable. So–’

“A woman?” Foggy’s heart was in his throat as he nervously held onto the phone cord. “What did she look like?” He swears if he says blue eyes and reddish-brown hair he’s going to–

‘Tall, dark hair and eyes. Had an accent–’

His heart skipped another. Oh, no…

‘I was hoping you would know what’s going on, or maybe you can pass the message onto her dad? Or maybe you know what’s going. Like I said, it just seems a bit weird to me.’

‘Cause it fucking is! But he has to stay calm now. He doesn’t know all the details, he can’t jump straight to panic yet. “Shit… uh, thank you. I will call her Dad, um–” 

Keep it together, Foggy! He mentally slaps himself straight. “W-What was your name again?”

‘It’s Jayden, sir.’

“Well, Jayden, thank you. I’ll take care of it.” Foggy hangs up, maybe a little more forceful than he wanted to be. “Fuck.” He starts frantically grabbing all his belongings as he starts calling up his friend’s number. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Matt was lazily playing with a strain of her golden hair, while Karen was softly tracing one of his fading scars across his chest. They both couldn’t keep the smiles off their flushed faces.

“You know…” She begins after a while of comforting silence. “I can finally understand the tales of College Playboy Matt Murdock.”

“Oh, yeah?” His grin grows at her cheekiness.

“Mmm, hmm.”

“Well… is that a good thing, Miss Page?”

“It is a very good thing.” She replies, leaning now on his chest.

“Well that’s good.” He brushes her cheek. “I’m glad I can live up to the stories.”

“I’m glad, too.” They lean in for a quick kiss before melting back into his arms. “Can I ask you something? And it’s a bit silly.”

“What is it?” 

She hums, and looks up at him. “When did you… you know, start liking me?”

His eye brows shoot up. “Liking you?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm… yesterday.”

She blinks. “Yesterday.”

“Yep.” He nods. “Definitely yesterday.”

She scoffs playfully. “Yesterday?”

“Oh, yeah.” He hums loudly. “I just… thought I’d kiss you and see if it felt right, you know?”

“Oh, my, god–” Karen shakes her head and picks up a pillow. “You suck!” She laughs, and lightly smacks him with it.

He laughs too. “Ow… you’re hitting a poor defenseless blind man, Miss Page.”

“Defenseless, my ass, Mr. Murdock.” She chuckles, setting her pillow aside.

“I’m kidding.” Matt says, still grinning. “If I’m being honest, I think pretty early on. I think it especially started when you didn’t judge me over the whole thing with how Kai was brought into my life.”

She looks at him all confused. “People judged you on that?”

“Some did.” He shrugs. “But you, you took all the, for the lack of better words, ‘messiness’ in my life and you handled it pretty well. I think what really made me realize I like you is by what you said the other night. Is that you ‘Loved my daughter’. No one I tried having relationships with in the past has ever come close to that.”

“But who couldn’t love your daughter anyway?” Karen asked, truthfully. “She’s a lot like you, you know?”

“Oh, I know.” He nods. “Still can’t decide if that’s going to be a good thing in the long run.” 

“Relax. At the rate she’s going in life, she’s going to be fine. Maybe she’ll be a lawyer? This can be the start of a generational tradition.”

“That’s something I can get behind.” He smiles. “What about you? When did you start liking me?”

“Hmm… yesterday.” She replies, making them both laugh again. “Sorry, I had to.”

“So when was it?”

“It’s…” She groans nervously, her face falling onto his chest for a split second. “It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Well, when was it?”

“Um…”

“Was it when you thought I was in that car accident and you came for a visit?”

“No.”

“Was it… when my fly was accidentally down that one time?”

She snorts. “What? No.”

“Well, spill it. When was it?”

“I–” She sighs into her hands. “I kind of like you right off the bat.”

“What?” He said, over exaggerated. “Right off the bat?”

“I know…” She mutters, hiding her face.

“So, right as me and Foggy walked into the holding cell, you fell for me.”

“Okay, well maybe a little bit after that. But yeah.”

“Wow.”

“I… I thought you were cute.” She says, propping herself back up.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. And…” Her fondness grows. “After I found out that you were Daredevil, that whole situation where you saved me in my apartment really added fuel to the flames. It made me realize how much you’ve done for me, in and out of that mask.”

“I’ll be honest, I’m actually surprised by your answer.” Matt says, honestly. “I really thought it was when we were playing pool at Josie’s a while ago.”

“Oh, my god!” She gasps, her face turning red as she sits up. “Oh, my god.”

“What?” He replies, worriedly.

“I just realized you could hear my heartbeat the whole time. Oh, lord…” Her face grows two shades darker. “My heart was pounding like crazy when I was teaching you how to play.”

“Karen–” He calls her name as he sits up too.

“And I was practically in your face. Oh, my god…”

“Karen–” He says, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Don’t be embarrassed.”

“Oh, how can I not, Matt!” She says, covering her face. “I want to die right now…”

“Awe, well don’t do that.” He starts kissing her neck. “Who’s going to cuddle with me?”

“Matt! Stop!” She laughs, hitting a sensitive spot.

“Gotcha!” He pulls her back making her yelp, before they start making out again. But their loving moment was cut off when his phone started to ring.

.

[ Foggy ]

[ Foggy ]

[ Foggy ]

.

“Foggy?” Karen said, surprised.

Matt shifts around to where his phone was laying, confused. “That’s weird. He knows we’re on a date.”

“Well, answer it, maybe it’s important.”

“‘Kay.” He does, holding the phone up to his ear. “Hey, Foggy, what’s going on?”

‘I’m sorry, I know you’re on your date with Karen, but you need to get home now!’

Matt doesn’t like the urgency in his tone and sits up straighter. “Why? What’s going on?”

‘Elektra! That’s what’s going on! Apparently Kai’s friend came to talk to her and when he was leaving Elektra was at the door. He called the office because he thought something wasn’t right.’

He felt his stomach tied in knots. “Fuck.” This is seriously happening right now? “Y-You said she’s at home?”

‘Yeah. She is.’

“Shit, shit. I’ll be right there.” He quickly hangs up, gritting his teeth.

“What’s wrong?” Karen asks, worriedly. 

“Elektra.” He couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her name. “She showed up to my house. And Kai’s home alone.”

She didn’t need to hear any more. “I’ll drive you.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

For once in my life, I would like one normal night, please. The young Murdock kept her cool as she watched her unexpected guest walk around her house, looking around the place like it was a museum full of artwork (Maybe to her it really was).

Elektra hums and picks something off one of the open shelves, a picture frame was now in her grasp. “Huh. I can’t believe I missed this.” She looks her way. “Your doing?”

Kaila clenched her jaw, subtly. “My Dad’s actually. Wanted to fill the space up a bit.”

“Well that’s strange.” She sets it down. “The man can’t even see it.”

“Well, he wanted to make the space feel ‘livable’ since, you know–” Kai waves a hand over her own face. “I can see.”

“Hmm. That kind of sounds like him.” Elektra says, and starts walking around again.

This lady… Kaila thought, keeping her guard up while maintaining a straight face. “You know I could call the police. This is technically trespassing.” 

“Oh, you sound like your Father.” Elektra cooed, all amused. “Are you studying to be a lawyer too?”

“What do you want?”

“Straight to the point.” The woman’s eyes lit up. “You are just like Matthew.”

The teenager so desperately wanted to roll her eyes right then. “Look, if you’re just here to compare me to my Dad, then you’re going to be here all night. Which I rather you not.”

“So sassy. You got his sharp tongue too.”

“For fuck sakes, lady. What do you want? And if you’re here to wait for my Dad, then you’re shit out of luck. He’s out and about, and probably won’t be back till morning. So…” She gestures to the door. “Get the hell out before I call the police.”

Seriously, one night without any drama would be nice. And wait until her dad hears about this, ‘cause there is NO way she’s leaving this interaction a secret.

“How old are you?” Elektra asked, when she was about a foot away.

Kaila quirks one of her brows up. “Are you just here to play twenty questions with me?” She asks back, skeptical. 

“If that’s what I must do, then yes.”

“Just me?” The teenager confirms and gets a nod. Well if this is what it takes for her to leave, then so be it. “What’s your question?”

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

She seemed taken back by that. “Fifteen?”

“Yep.” Kaila says, watching her face fall a bit.

“So…” Elektra stops to think. “Matthew was in college?”

“About the end of it, yeah.”

“Who’s your mother?”

“Some woman named Mary.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Fling-ish.” Kaila crosses her arms. “Choose wisely, Lady. You have sixteen questions left.”

“Is she still around?” The adult asked.

“No.” Kai slowly smirks after picking up her tone. “You sound kind of jealous. Is this what this interrogation is all about?”

Elektra scoffs and crosses her arms too. “You seem hostile towards me.”

“Well, you did try to kill me.”

“I thought you were an intruder.”

“Kind of like you are right now.”

“Touché.” Elektra hums, and adverts her gaze to look around the room some more.

Kaila exhales through her nose, frowning. “Alright, listen. Elektra, right?”

“Yes.”

“Just cut to the chase. Why are you here? ‘Cause I’m starting to think you came here just to see me and not my Dad after all.”

“Well, you’re right on the money.” She says, with a grin.

“Okay…” The Murdock shrugs. “Spill it then. What do you want with me?”

Elektra stays quiet for a moment, like she was gathering her thoughts up first. “You know your Father and I used to date.” 

“Yeah.” She shrugs again. “He’s told me.”

“So he’s told you all about our little adventures and–”

“Look, if you’re here just to score brownie points with me in an attempt to get back together with him, there’s no chance. He’s told me enough about you, and that he’s been over you for a long time.” Kaila straightens up. “I also know about the whole thing where you tried to get him to be your lawyer to help get your Father’s company back, and how you made a large deposit to the law firm. I know all about it. So, save your breath.”

“Well…” Elektra takes a step forward. “Did you know your Father had a bit of a… ‘bad’ side to him when we dated?”

Kaila rolls her coco eyes now. “If you’re talking about the bit of darkness that’s in him, I’ve seen it. Plenty of times actually. And if you’re saying that to scare me, it’s not going to work either.”

“Wow, he tells you alot.” She tilts her head, perplexed by the teen. “None of this scares you?”

“Lady, please, I have a bit of that in me too.” Then Kai finds herself laughing quietly. “Oh, god– this is insane. Ridiculous!” She points to the exit again. “You’re not scaring me. Get out.”

Elektra smacks her lips, hands coming together. “Did he tell you I found the man who killed his Father?” And that was the first thing that actually caught the young girl off guard tonight, and it must have shown. “So he hasn’t?”

Kaila shakes her head, confused. “Wait. You’re telling me that you’re the one who found out who killed my Grandpa?”

“Roscoe Sweeney.” The adult begins and starts walking around again, this time at a slower pace. “A mobster. A corrupted boxer promoter. He loved to use blackmail on the fighter’s under his thumb. And that includes Battlin’ Jack Murdock.”

“Yeah.” The teenager says, keeping her gaze on her as she walks. “He won the fight against Creel instead of losing, and got killed over it. I know that part.” She frowns. “So you told my Dad it was this Sweeney guy?”

“Oh, I didn’t just tell him, sweetheart.” Elektra’s expression grows more. “I brought him to Matthew.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, yes. I… got a couple hits in.” She sighs blissfully as she begins circling around. “Matthew did too. And he was… oh, so close to finishing him off. I mean–” She chuckles. “I encouraged him to. I even presented a knife to do the job, and–”

“Let me guess, my Dad didn’t kill him? And I’m going to put my bottom dollar on the idea that that’s where you broke it off?” Kaila gets no reply, confirming her theory. “So I’m right on the dot, huh?” She shifts her weight around to fully look at her. “I’m never going to be afraid of my Dad, if that’s what you’re trying to do.”

Elektra looks nervous. “Listen–”

“No, it’s time for you to listen.” Kai pushes and narrows her gaze. “I know my Dad, probably not the whole hundred percent, but I do know him enough. And yeah, there are times that he’s scared me, but not in the ways you’re thinking. That part of him, that little bit of darkness, is never going to change. I accepted that.”

Yeah, it did take a while to accept. This past year and some have been such a roller coaster between her and her father, and she’s learned to finally accept the bad that’s come with the good. No matter what happens, he has been and will always be the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

The girl continues, “But you also need to understand that my Dad has worked his ass off for as long as I can remember. He’s not perfect, but the fact that a… blind man in his 20s suddenly had a baby dropped into his lap, and he still somehow made life work, which should tell you everything about him.”

He told her the story of how she came to be, and it amazes her so many times how he handled the situation. He could have easily given her up in his hard living times, but he didn’t. He made sure he did every in his power to give her the life that he never had growing up.

“Sure, it was rough a few times; Sure, he took a few odd jobs for a few months to make some extra cash; Sure, there were times he had no clue if he was doing something right in raising me, but he did it.” Kaila continues proudly. “He made a life for himself, started his own career, turned people around him into his family, he even had the chance to start changing the city for the best. And if you’re just…”

She scoffs. “Stuck with an image of what you two had. And from what I’m gathering you didn’t sit back and see the rest of him; You just saw what you wanted and that’s it. That’s not on him or anyone else. That’s on you, Lady. Deal with it.”

She might as well be playing with fire at this point, especially all the strength and/or stupidness she had for snapping at this woman; But she’s so hung up on her dad, so desperate to paint him a different way, that if the roles were reversed right now, her father would be saying the same thing.

And I’m not letting anybody bad mouth my dad anymore. The teenager held her breath, realizing how quiet everything had just gotten. Maybe I just–

With a swift kick, her crutches were knocked to the side making her immediately clinging onto the back of the couch; Her injured leg reacting to the sudden pressure. She bites her lip and meets the other woman’s intense gaze -- like the hunter had finally stopped playing with its kill.

Elektra bares her teeth. “You–”

“You need to stay away from my Dad.” Kaila snaps, stinging eyes full of anger. “You need to stay away from him, and you need to stay away from everything he’s worked for. His job, his acquaintances, his friends. Everything. And if you really need legal help, go across the street to Landman & Zack’s, I’m sure they’ll be happy to help you.”

“You have no authority.” 

“Sure hell I do. My Dad has been the happiest he’s been in a long time, and I will not let you ruin it for him. So Stay. The Fuck. Away From Him.”

Before a bigger outlash of some sort could happen, the front door was slammed wide open, causing the whole place to shake. 

“Kai!” Matt shouts, as he runs in at top speed.

“Dad?” Kaila says, surprised. 

“Matthew–” Elektra says, before getting aggressively pinned against the wall by him.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” He hissed, as Foggy and Karen surrounded the teenager protectively. 

“Matthew–”

“Answer my question!”

“Just thought I would stop by.” She says, eyes avoiding his face to the others. “Is that Franklin? Finally cut that hair of yours.”

Matt shifts his elbow higher and just underneath her jaw, grabbing her attention again. “Talk.”

Her lips fold out into a straight line. “I told you I needed help, no?”

“You told me over the phone it was over.”

“I lied.”

“Yeah, no shit.” He snaps, irritated. “You’ve been lying since you showed up yesterday. And that ends now. I want to know what you’re doing back here in the city, and why the hell you’re in my house with my daughter?”

She rolls her eyes. “I don’t need a lawyer, Matthew. I just need some help from your other job.”

He quickly freezes before tightening that grip. “How the fuck do you know about that?”

“Oh, please. I know who you are because I watch the news. ‘The successful apprehension of Wilson Fisk’.”

“I wear a mask.”

“Well, you can’t mask that ass. I’d know it anywhere.” Elektra grins like it was the best news she saw. “You’ve been working out, by the way. I appreciate that.”

He pushes more. “Who are you actually fighting?”

“The Yakuza.”

“The Yakuza?” Is she being serious? “The Yakuza are a powerful organization with powerful enemies.” Matt gets a hum for a reply. “What do they want with you?”

“I guess I have a way of pissing people off sometimes.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

“Come on. Don’t be angry, Matthew.” She tells him in that sweet, seductive voice she tends to use to get her way. “I told you. My money’s planted deeply inside investments with the Roxxon Corporation. And Roxxon has ties to crime.”

“How long have you known that?”

“I didn’t.” Another shrug. “Until the meeting. I stirred the pot a little on the business side. And when I did, who came knocking on my door but the Yakuza. Their mistake, because now, they’re after me. So I need your help.”

“No.” Matt scoffs, which almost sounded like a laugh because it was all just so ridiculous. “Uh-uh. There is no us. This is your problem. Why can’t you just divest your funds from Roxxon and be done with it?”

She sighs. “That’s a coward’s way out. Someone screwed with me. I don’t like that.”

“Then get a lawyer.”

“I thought I did.”

“You fired me for a job I didn’t even take. Call the police.”

“You’re one to talk. ‘Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’.”

“What I do is none of your business, all right? Not anymore.”

“Matthew–”

“Let me tell you what’s gonna happen now.” And he makes sure she’s really listening before continuing, “When I let go, you’re gonna get up and leave. You’re gonna book yourself on the first available flight out of New York and get on it, go back to whatever spa, or resort, or five-star hotel you just came from, and stay out of my city and especially out of my house. If the Yakuza have their sights set on something bigger than your spoiled little rich ass, then I will take care of them.”

“Let me tell you. The Yakuza do have a bigger plan, and I’m not going anywhere.” Elektra says, all high and mighty sounding.

“You can’t fight them.”

“And you can?”

“I drove them out of New York once before.”

She chuckles, amused, “Oh, no, you didn’t. The Yakuza never left. They just hibernated and watched you take out all of their enemies. Now, New York is ripe for the taking, and they plan on getting to the top of the hill first. Well, we’ll scare ‘em back into hibernation. What do you say?” She sticks out her hand. “Partners?”

He only lets go of the hold on her to bat the hand away. “I don’t need a partner. Especially not with you.”

“Yes, you do.” She smiles. “And so do I. Because you have skills. You fight better than anyone I know. But I have information. I gained access to Roxxon’s servers right in front of their little criminal faces. We do it together, we take them down fast and hard. The second it’s done, I’m out of your city. Forever.”

Matt clenches his teeth, trying not to lash out. “The last time I saw you, you put a knife in my hand and asked me to slit Roscoe Sweeney’s throat. I happen to respect human life. Unlike you.”

“Matthew–”

“Get out.”

“Matthew, come on.” She begs, eagerly. “For old time sake. Forget about life for a while. Your job. Give yourself a break from being a father. Let’s drive them out together.”

He scoffs again. “You have… quite a pair on you. This may come as a surprise to you, but I’ve actually moved on in the years since you left. I’m seeing someone now, and I finally have the business I wanted with my best friend; And I have the responsibility of being a parent. Which is why I have zero interest in ever starting anything up with you ever again.”

True. Everything he said was true, which is why she seemed so hurt. She knew he was being truthful.

“Your daughter really was telling the truth.” She said, quietly. Matt says nothing, letting it really sink in. “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” She sidesteps around him and starts walking for the exit. “Goodbye, Matthew.”

When she left they all felt like they could breathe when she finally left. It was like a huge weight got pulled from their chests.

“Kai–” Karen begins, squeezing the teenager’s shoulder for attention.

“What happened? Did she do anything to you?” Matt asks, going into protective mode as he is suddenly right by her side.

“She just… wanted to know where I came from.” Kaila replies, truthfully. “I’m okay. Really.”

“You sure?” He pushes.

“Yeah.” Better now that they’re here. “You guys came fast. How?”

“Your friend Jayden called the office.” Foggy replies, catching her by surprise. 

“Jayden did?”

“He called because he thought the interaction between the two of you was weird. And thank god he did.” He sighs, his heart has finally stopped pounding. “Now we gotta meet this kid.”

She smiles. “I’m sure you will. We didn’t exactly finish our conversation.”

“So… are you guys good then?”

“Yeah.” Kaila says, with a nod. “It was just a misunderstanding.”

“Awe, that’s wonderful.” Karen said, happily. 

“Think this one will stick?” Matt asked, happy too, but still a bit weary. 

“Yeah.” Kaila said, confidently. “I think this one will. Unlike past friendships, he wasn’t turned off by the blindness.”

“Hey! That’s great!” Foggy says, clasping his hands together. “I’m liking this kid even better now.”

She laughs. “Yeah…” Then her face falls. “I’m sorry about interrupting your date.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. We still had a great time. Right?” Matt asks the blonde.

“Yep. We did.” Karen agrees, just as Foggy plants his hands over the teen’s ears.

“How great of a time?” He teases, causing a bit of blushing between the adults.

“Ew!” Kaila elbows her Uncle. “I can still hear, you know?!”

“Uh, no you can’t.” He shifts his arms around her, and gives her noogie. “Goofball.”

“Hey!”

“So–” His eyes shift back to Matt. “What are you going to do? Are you going to stay the night? Or… I-I mean, I would like to point out, you did kick down the door pretty hard.”

“You kicked the door down?” Kai said, concerned/shocked. 

Matt frowns. “We probably should stay somewhere else tonight. Just in case.”

“Want to stay at my place?” Foggy asked, as he got a smug look.

“Will Marci be okay with us sliding into your bed?”

“Oh, shit. Totally slipped my mind.”

Karen laughs quietly. “Want to just come back over?” 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“You okay?” 

Her voice broke through his thoughts like a knife as he was subconsciously rubbing his knuckles while sitting on the edge of the bed (The achiness of wanting to go out and punch something/someone was nagging at him). Of course his mind was going a mile a minute, of course he was getting sucked into his own head; It was another stupid cross he had to bear. He just…

Sick of all of this.

“Every time I think something’s officially over with, it just crawls back from the dead.” He sighs. “What have I done to deserve some of this? I thought I’ve done enough good, and I thought I’ve made up for some of the bad things. But I guess not.”

“Matt–” Karen starts, as she sinks down next to him.

“Remember the story I told you about how Kai came into my life? How I almost gave her up?” He hears her shake her head. “The first year with her, there were a few times I almost went back to that. I just… I can’t see her, and despite all my other senses, I sometimes didn’t even know why she would start crying; Or if she was hungry, or tired, I just didn’t know. And… I mean Foggy was there, thank god, and so was his family, they were always so helpful, but… I was so lost. I doubted myself. There were so many times I thought, ‘Maybe her life would be better without me there’.”

“Matt…”

“And I was nervous about Mary.” He squeezes his hands together. “Enraged too. Hell, there were a lot of emotions there. And it’s not that I wanted her back in my life, yet… I still feel like she needed to be there in some way, you know?”

He still remembers their fights, the last one being pretty miserable to the point they just said ‘Good Riddance’ and went the other way. 

Karen senses the hatred and plants her hand on top of his. “Who was Mary?” She asks, carefully. 

Matt closes his eyes and takes a sharp breath. “We met when I was in my… ‘party boy era’ so to speak. She was smart, sharp as a tack, quick witted, and very punctual too. She mentioned once her dad had a military background, and drilled it into her head, I guess.” He felt her squeeze his hands to comfort. “She was great… but it was messy from the start. I didn’t listen to my gut, nor Foggy. What really ended it for me was the fact that I felt like I was being interrogated by her; Like she was nitpicking me to find something useful. I don’t know. Then I forgot about her, graduated, got an apartment and then the rest is history.”

“If you didn’t have the best relationship–” She tilted her head, curiosity peaked to the fullest. “Why the feeling about wanting her back?”

“I guess I just wanted Kai to have her mom.” His expression deepens. “I never had a mom growing up, she left when I was a baby, and I never really got the chance to ask my dad about her. Why…” This was so hard to talk about. “Why did she walk out? Was she ever coming back? Or… why did a hardcore Atheist like my father raised to be Catholic like my mother? Why did I do wrong to have both my parents taken from me?”

“Matt–”

“Why did God put the devil inside me? Why must all the bad things come back to me?”

“Don’t.” She takes his hand into hers now. “Don’t put yourself down like this. And you want to know why?” He starts shaking his head, knowing he doesn’t deserve her kind words. “Because despite all these horrible things, you have turned out to be a good man.” He squeezes his eyes shut as she holds him close. “You graduated at the top of your class. You made a friend that thinks of you as his own brother. You got your apartment all on your own. You were given a healthy, beautiful, and happy daughter.”

His mind starts pulling all those memories to the front stage for him to view. The graduation where Foggy’s brother, Theo, nearly plowed them over for a giant hug; Mrs. Nelson’s never ending photos before insisting Matt and her son to come over for a big feast. - Finally having enough money to afford his own apartment. - Foggy and him hitting it off immediately. - When the nurse placed his daughter in his arms for the first time, it became love at first touch. - Despite all the darkness that surrounded his heart, God had given him a few good things over the years. 

He feels Karen’s thumb stroking the back of his hand as she continues her words, 

“You started your own business, you’ve helped people in and out of your suit and tie; You’ve helped me and you gave me a job.” She cracks a soft smile, enough for him to hear. “And deep down, I think even if you didn’t have these abilities, I still firmly believe the day you met me, that you still would have believed me. I still believed that you would have known wrong from right even without your abilities. ‘Cause you–” Touches his chest. “Are a good man, Matthew. Someone I’m proud to have in my life. And I’m sure everyone around you would agree.”

That’s…

That’s all he needed/wanted to hear.

He envelopes her free hand into his and gives her a quick kiss on her forehead. “Thank you.” He mutters, resting his head on her shoulder. “For putting up with my… everything.”

She hums quietly. “Anytime, Matt.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

As soon as they set foot inside the building the very next morning, Matt perked up when he tuned in on something.

“Something’s wrong, Dad?” Kaila asked, trailing a few steps behind him carefully.

“Sounds like there’s someone else other than Foggy is in our office.” 

“Someone… bad?”

“I don’t know. Let’s stay on our toes.” The three of them entered, Matt saying something first. “Early start today, Fog?”

Foggy looked so relieved they’re finally here. “Guys.” He begins, a bit of an annoyance in his undertone for the person sitting across from him. “Uh, this is Christopher Roth. He’s the public defender assigned to the Castle case.”

“The public defender? For Castle?” Karen asked, surprised to find out someone was already placed under Frank’s aid.

The man, Roth, seemed happy that she was here, eager for her to take a seat (which they all did). “I just dropped by to get Miss Page’s signature on this statement.” He shows off the paper to her. “So, um, Miss Page, I drew this up based on your official statement to the police, about the Metro-General shooting.”

Karen pulls it closer to her to read, while Matt was about to say something pushy; But Foggy cuts right in, poking around the man whose presence didn’t sit right with him either. “You new to New York, Mr. Roth?”

Roth blinks, confused, but answers. “Born and raised.”

“Is this your first case?”

“Second. I won my first. Domestic violence. I believe in protecting women.” His last statement seemed to be directed at the blonde who flashed him a strange look.

“That’s nice. Appreciate it.” Kaila said from the far end of the table, observing. 

“Um… who is–”

“Eh, don’t mind her. She’s an intern.” Foggy plays it off, which seemed to confuse him even more.

Karen looks up briefly to say, “Uh, this says that Castle pursued me down the stairwell, but I went down, he went up.”

“Um, okay, that’s a change I can make.” Roth replies, jotting that down on his notepad.

“Also, I didn’t escape on foot, I had a car. I know I told the NYPD about that.”

“Um, car–”

“I was also not Castle’s only target. That’s just flat out wrong.” She says, stunned by what she’s reading. “What about Grotto? Where– Where did you get my statement? 

“Grotto?”

“Grote. Our client, Elliot Grote.” Matt said, like it was obvious.

“Oh, yes, him.” Roth nods. “Yeah, he’s on the victim list. Ballistics matched him to one of the many guns connected to Frank Castle. Look, I just need a signature. Once we’ve got that, we’re all done.”

“Well, with this meeting.” Karen says, as she reads the last of it.

“With this case.”

She paused, along with everyone else in the room. Her eyes meet him again and asks, “How so?”

“Castle’s awake.” He explains, nonchalantly. “Soon, he’ll plead guilty, then it’s open and shut.”

“Open and shut is good. New York will sleep better knowing Frank Castle’s behind bars.” Foggy agrees, with a slow nod. 

“Sleep even better when he’s dead.” Those words rolled off his tongue that made everyone grow quiet yet again.

“Uh, dead?” Matt asks, puzzled; Eyebrow raised as he sits up straighter. 

“Well, lethal injection, probably, although the electric chair is a possibility.”

“New York doesn’t have the death penalty.”

“Yeah, but Delaware does. Some Dogs of Hell were murdered out there along Interstate 95.” Roth points out, suddenly making the whole room feel uncomfortable. “DA Reyes just has to link the killings to Castle, and then they’ll be well within their rights to extradite him. And you know–”

“Are you and DA Reyes friends?” Foggy cuts him off, the annoyance stirring up again. That seemed to make the other party unsettled from the way he shifted in his chair.

“I met her once.”

“When?”

“Yesterday, when the judge assigned me to the case.”

“Of course you did.” Foggy whispers under his breath, while shaking his head.

“Well, look…” Roth looks between them. “She’s the one who took down the Punisher. She’s not going through all these paces so that she can not put the final nail in his coffin.”

Matt scoffs. “Literally.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Roth, I can’t sign this yet.” Karen says, while shoving the paper back his way. 

“Um, A-Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“We’ll be in touch, Mr. Roth.” Matt says, another way of telling him to get the F out of here now. He does, gathering his things in a sloppy manner and scurry out of there without another word.

“Well, he seems great.” Kaila says, breaking the ice.

Karen stands up from the chair, hands on her stern hips. “Statement he wanted me to sign? Complete work of fiction. Probably handcrafted by Reyes.”

“Totally not disagreeing.” Foggy says, hands up in defense. “We could just write an anonymous letter, and maybe the judge will assign a new public defender.”

Matt shrugs at the idea. “Yeah, or we could help Castle ourselves… like we talked about.”

His eyes widened a smidge. “No way. You guys are still on board with this?”

“Yeah.” The blind man says, Karen nodding with him.

“I was hoping you weren’t…” He mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I was hoping you all wake up with a better mind set.”

“We don’t have to ‘full on’ defend him. We could just negotiate a plea deal. Without extradition, or an electric chair. And then, Castle goes away, Reyes gets her ticker-tape parade, everyone wins.”

“Everyone except us.” Foggy frowns, finally standing up. “Look, I know he helped you save Kai’s life, but do you see the front door?” He points at it. “The ‘open’ sign is up, but nobody’s walking in. If we keep messing with Reyes, we’ll be shuttered by the end of the month.”

“Look, I know we’re on a thin thread here, but come on. If we stand up to her, we could actually end her incessant bullying.”

“And possibly save this guy’s life.” Karen chimes in.

“A murderer who shot at you.” Foggy states the obvious. 

“For reasons that I don’t fully understand yet.”

“Roth said Castle’s gonna plead guilty. So we get in there, we talk to him–” Matt starts.

“Ask him some questions about what really happened to his family, why Reyes wants him dead.” Karen continues.

And the brunette finishes with, “Build a fair plea, and show the DA our justice system still has a backbone.”

Foggy takes a second to rub his hands on his face and through his hair that he swears it’s going to turn gray between these two. “This is a bad idea, guys.” He scoffs. “I can’t believe we’re even discussing this! He chained you to a roof, Matt. You, of all people, should know he’s a psychopath.”

Matt frowns, but not disagreeing. “Okay, his methodology is clearly wrong, but in his own kind of way, he was trying to do something noble. I mean, you, Karen and even Kai have been to his house, you have seen his life before. There’s a reason he’s doing all this.”

“Do you even hear yourself?” He asks, then looks between his two friends. “Even you, Karen.”

“Yeah, we understand, Foggy. We really do. But he wanted justice. Like us.” She replies, making him take a deep breath. 

“So we should risk everything? Our firm, our reputation, and– and let’s be honest, our safety? We should put it all on the line to help him?”

Matt shrugs again. “Kinda. Yeah.”

“He’s a person. Like you, Foggy. Like me. Like all of us. And he shouldn’t have to die.” Karen adds, making him throw his head back and sigh.

“Ugh. God, I hate when the two of you tag team me.” He admits, as he gathers his things together. “I guess we’re going to the hospital.”

“Hospital?” Kaila asked, confused.

“We got to interview Frank.” Her father says, also getting his things. “You’re still going to have to come with us. But the police probably won’t let you near his room since you’re a minor.”

The young girl shrugged. “Eh, I can probably hang out in the cafeteria. I don’t mind.”

“It shouldn’t take long. We’ll try to be quick.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After being patted down at the hospital entrance, the trio was run over by camera flashes as reporters nearly bulldozed them over as they stepped out of the elevator. Karen pretends to guide Matt as they follow Foggy up towards the front of the crowd.

“Looks like every outlet in town wants a word with Castle.” She says, getting a little overwhelmed with this many people in one small area. 

“Or a report on who does.” Matt adds, continuing their way until they were stopped by a police officer. 

“You press?”

“Uh, no, attorneys.”

“IDs?”

They flashed their IDs, before the officer waves for them to follow and leads them further down the hallway. 

Foggy slows his steps and comes to stand next to his friends, lowering his voice. “This much spotlight concerns anyone else? I mean, we’re about to step onto a big proscenium stage here.” He throws his hands out dramatically. “And how do I know what proscenium means? Because I did theater in summer camp which is exactly the kind of thing that these reporters will find out if they start digging into me.”

Matt couldn’t help but smirk at his performance. “Come on, jazz hands.”

“What the hell are you three doing here?” Brett’s voice came through, being as ‘cheerful’ as always when interacting with them.

“Brett!” Foggy faces bloomed with a big smile. “You’re wearing a tie, and it’s not a clip-on.”

The cop purses his lips. “This ain’t a good time, Foggy.”

“How’d you get babysitting duty, Sergeant?”

“A Detective Sergeant now.”

“A promotion?” Foggy replies, like he totally did not know about this already. 

“Uh, just lucky.” Brett says, shrugging and averting his gaze somewhere else for a second. “Top dogs like the press of a good collar.”

“Yeah, and the cops that get ‘em.” Karen says, smiling. “Congratulations, Detective.”

“Alright you three, enough sugar coating. This area is restricted beyond this point. You can’t be here.”

“What if we have business with Frank Castle?” Matt replies, getting a look.

“Business?” Brett almost laughs. “Guy’s barely conscious.”

“Our firm wants to represent him.”

“Man’s already got a lawyer.”

Foggy scoffs. “Yeah, we met that benchwarmer. Not the freshest fish the city could’ve drummed up, but he’s in the running.”

Matt clears his throat while readjusting his hold on his cane. “Brett, we feel Nelson and Murdock is better equipped to represent Mr. Castle’s best interests. Certainly over that of his current legal counsel.”

Brett holds his tongue. “Look, I don’t ask questions, but every firm in the city has passed this one by. Must be a reason. You’re chasing the wrong ambulance. DA wants the death penalty.”

Karen nods, before saying, “The public defender is all but ready to roll over and help.”

“They’ll even extradite Castle out of New York if that’s what it takes.” Matt adds.

“So, we thought he’d respond to our strategy of, you know, keeping him alive.” Foggy finishes. 

Brett looks between the three, realizing that they are the definition of ‘Dog with a Bone’. “Come over here.” He sighs, and ushers them over to an empty corner to be more quiet. “Look, none of this is my problem. But all I know is, you go up against this DA and lose? The only funeral to attend will be your firm’s. You’re talkin’ career suicide.”

“If we walk away we’re letting him die.” Matt retaliates, making the other man sigh. 

“Bags and briefcases get searched.” He says, pointing to an empty table with a few cops around. “Do not give Castle anything. Do not take anything from him. Arms up.”

The brunette raises an eyebrow above his glasses. “They already searched us when we came in downstairs.”

“Yeah? And we’re gonna do it again.” Brett quickly pats them down. “Everything’s been removed from inside the room. He’s tied down, but keep your distance and mind the tape. Do not step past it or I get to make my dream come true and arrest you.”

“Understood, Captain.” Foggy says, giving a quick salute.

“Let them check your stuff before going in. Except, Matt–” He stops the man from walking away with the other. “I need to talk to you for a quick second.”

“Okay. Um–” Matt looks at his friends. “I’ll be right there.” They leave, and Matt immediately picks up how nervous Brett suddenly was.

“I’m actually kind of glad you’re here, I was going to come see you before I got roped up into this.”

“What is it?”

“He’s dead.” The words slipped from Brett’s mouth that made Matt almost shutter. 

“What?”

“The man who took Kaila. He’s dead.”

“Dead?” Did he hear that right? “H-How? Are you saying ‘brain dead’, like from his coma?”

“No. Dead, dead.” Brett frowns, almost like it was his fault the man had passed. “When I got wind that he was conscious I sent some guys out to see how conscious, to see if he could actually talk well enough to give us some info on why he took your kid. But when they arrived, he was dead.”

Matt’s heart skipped a beat, and his stomach twisted for an unexplained reason. “Natural causes?”

“I don’t know. They’re investigating it right now. But with this whole Castle thing now, the police department’s mostly focusing on that. Unless this thing starts slowing down, I’m just giving you the heads up that there’s a possibility that this might grow cold. I’m sorry.”

Well that’s not something he wanted to hear today. But, he does appreciate his honesty. “It’s not your fault. Although I want answers, I’m just glad she’s home.”

“Yeah. But–” Brett pats his shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll find answers. You’re pretty good at that.”

Matt tilts his head, confused. “Excuse me?”

“Nevermind. Enjoy your talk with Castle.”

.

.

.

And he left him with more questions than answers yet again. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Oh, my God.” Karen said upon seeing the man again. I mean, he was pretty bruised when she saw him on the rooftop with Matt, but… Jesus. This way, way worse.

“Uh, the tape.” Foggy said, stopping the three of them from crossing.

“Frank Castle?” The sweetness in her voice finally reached his ears and made him open his half swollen eyes; His hardened gaze falling just a smidge.

“Ah. It’s you.” He croaked, his voice hoarse. “Nice to see you again, Red.”

“Nice to see you again, too.” Matt admits, and his lips curled upwards slightly. “Allow me to introduce myself properly this time. My name is Matthew Murdock. These are my associates, Franklin Nelson and Karen Page.”

Frank chuckled quietly. “Yeah. I know who you are. You protect shitbags… mostly.”

“We came here today to make you an offer.”

“An offer?” Another laugh. “You feel like you owe me, Red?”

“Well, you did help bring my daughter home. But even if you didn’t, we still would like to help you. We don’t need money, we’re not interested in fame or free advertising. Weren’t even assigned to your case. We don’t have to be here.”

“Ah.” He nods and closes his eyes again. “Then go.”

Matt frowns, worriedly at how defeated he sounds. “Look, Frank. Take a quick look around, and you’ll notice we’re the only ones who want to be here and help you. As you may well know, your list of enemies extends well beyond the gangs you’ve killed. You’re very good at making powerful enemies. And the day you were admitted to Metro-General for the round you took to the head, a do-not-resuscitate order was placed on you.”

“And a shoot-to-kill order, just a few days ago.” Foggy points out

“We know, because we heard it be given.” Karen says, frowning. 

“These orders were issued by the District Attorney. And the fact that she’s had it in for us ever since we started asking questions tells us we’re on the right track.” Matt continues, jaw tightening. “Someone in the DA’s office wants you dead, Frank and we’d like to know why. You let us take your case, we can soften your sentence, and give you a shot. Maybe even find out who’s responsible for what happened to you. We’re talking about your life. We can help you keep what’s left of it.”

“Yeah.” Frank scoffs, rolling his eyes. “What’s left. You know what’s left of me, Red. Fucking nothing.”

“But don’t you want answers?” Karen pushes in.

“Karen–” Foggy begins, but she keeps going.

“We want answers too, but none of us will get them if you’re dead.”

“Eh… death’s fine.” Frank mutters. “I could use the sleep.”

“But what about your family? Matt told us you spoke about your family briefly with him. I mean, isn’t this why you started all this? To find out what happened to them?”

“Listen, Blondie–”

“Mr. Castle, we’ve been to your house.”

He froze. “What?”

“Karen–” Foggy warned, just before they all jumped at the sound of someone pounding their fist into the door.

“Who’s in there?” They asked, as a brief, incoherent explanation was passed to her. “What?!” They knocked again. “Open the door! Open–”

Karen grits her teeth and turns up the heat. “Someone is lying about what happened to your family, Mr. Castle. Don’t you want answers?”

But before Frank could reply, DA Reyes came bursting into the room

“You three, out!!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The three of them were ushered out into the hallway, trying their best to ignore the screaming woman until she was right in front of their faces.

“How can we help you, Ms. Reyes?” Matt asked, with a bit of bite.

“Get your things and go.” She demands, as they all shrugged. 

“Uh, we have a little bit of business here left.”

“Frank Castle already has counsel. So, unless you’ve asked the public defender for permission to speak to his client, you are in violation of New York legal ethics.”

“We spoke to the PD this morning. To be honest, he doesn’t seem all that prepared to tackle this case. Although, he did mention the conversation that you had with him yesterday.”

She scoffs. “Matt Murdock, is it?”

“Yeah–” He flashes a shit-eating grin. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“You have a reputation of being a smart man, Mr. Murdock. And since your colleagues seem unable to grasp the hornets’ nest they keep kicking, let me direct this at you.” She puts her hands on her hips. “Leave this ward, leave this man, leave this entire case behind before you wake up six feet under the ash that was your reputation and promising legal career.”

“We have a right to a private conversation with a prospective client.”

“Not if there’s a conflict of interest.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And what conflict is that?”

“Elliot Grote.” She says, looking between the three. “You can’t represent Castle when one of his victims was your former client.”

“Alleged victims.” Foggy corrects, as Reyes gives him a glare.

“All the same.”

“Representing Grotto might have complicated matters, but then again, all evidence of our work with him and our deal with you seems to have disappeared from public record.” Matt points out, as all the color in her face suddenly drained (And his colleagues smile). “It’s almost as if someone didn’t want it known that you violated a wit-pro contract, jeopardized the safety of said witness, and then ordered a shoot-to-kill on Castle.”

“But I guess Ms. Reyes could just confess to that when she files this conflict of interest complaint. We have our case files to back up our story.” Foggy finishes, with a sassy undertone. “How’s your side looking?”

“The fact of the matter is, Ms. Reyes, the only person who shouldn’t be here right now is you.” Matt continues, with a ghost of a smile. “Seeing as it’s a breach of ethics for the prosecuting attorney to communicate with the defendant without his assigned legal counsel present. So, if you’ll excuse us, we’d like to resume convincing Mr. Castle that, unlike his current legal counsel, we can actually help him.”

“You already did.” Brett announced as he came into view.

Reyes’ snapped her head in his direction, eyes wide. “What?”

“Castle doesn’t want the public defender. Says Nelson and Murdock are his lawyers now.”

“Thank you, Detective Sergeant. If you’ll excuse us.” Matt says, holding his hand out. “Foggy, do you have my cane?” His friend quickly scrambled to grab it off the table and handed it over. “Thank you.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Finally feel like we have the upper hand against that woman.” Karen said, as they entered an empty room to regroup. 

“Yeah, she bluffs well, but she’ll negotiate.” Matt sighs with his hands on his hip. “She doesn’t want this going to trial.”

“Of course.” Foggy scoffs, upset. “She wants it to end quickly, so she can move on to burying us.”

“Just deal with one problem at a time.”

“So where are we supposed to start?” Karen asks, as Matt jogs his brain.

“Let’s have the charges and evidence summary brought in here. We can weed through it and work out what terms we want directly with Frank.”

“It’ll save time.” Foggy says, running a hand through his hair. “Can’t believe this is happening.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The three of them (mostly just Karen and Foggy for obvious reasons), had giant piles of paperwork scattered in front of them. By the time they had read through everything, the sun was already starting to set.

“It’s worse than I thought.” Foggy says, breaking the ice first. “Thirty-seven separate murder charges. What about you, Karen?”

“Uh–” She recounts everything in her head for a second, before saying, “98 lesser, I mean, felony assault, burglary, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment. Any number of criminal mischief charges.”

“And that’s it?” Matt asked, as he took everything in (Maybe they did bite off more than they could chew).

“Yeah.”

“We’re so fucking screwed.” The Nelson said, as he shook his head.

“You guys ready to go in?”

“No. But considering the arraignment in a couple hours, we don’t have much of a choice.” A sigh. “Time to play twenty questions with a killer.”

After getting checked and patted down again, They made their way back inside with the paperwork, ready to go head-to-head with the lunatic. 

“Frank–” Matt begins, as they make their way to the red line again. “Thank you for allowing us to be your attorneys.” Despite the genuine ‘thank you’, his client didn’t say anything. “Uh, Foggy?”

“Right. Um–” Foggy starts reading over his notes. “We’ve reviewed the charges you’re facing. It’s my understanding that you wish to plead guilty to all of them?” Nothing. “Uh, I’m gonna need a verbal confirmation if we’re gonna continue.” Still nothing. He frowns. “Look, you asked us to represent you. In order to do my job–”

“I’m guilty.” Frank croaked, as the wheels started turning in his head.

Foggy looked at his friends who smiled. “Great, uh–”

“I’m not talking to you yet.” 

“Excuse me?”

Frank’s eyes traveled to Karen’s and said, “Blondie?”

“Yes?”

“You said you went to my house?”

She swallows. “Y-Yes?”

“When?”

“Um…” Karen looks at the others who honestly, didn’t know what to say. “T-Two… Two days ago.”

Frank hums, thinking. “So that’s when Red and I duked it out with the Irish. And you also mention ‘we’. Which I’m thinking is–” He gestures to Foggy. “Him. But that also was shortly after the whole thing with…” His trailing off caused the lawyers to look at one another, puzzled and worried.

“Um, Frank?” Matt begins, trying to get a good reading off him. “What are you–”

“I want to talk to your kid, Red.” And that’s how you silence a room with a few words. The father’s eyes widened a bit just as the Uncle exploded.

“Um, Absolutely not!” Foggy said, immediately. “My Niece is not–”

“I want to talk to her.” Frank locks his gaze with the blind man. “You know I won’t hurt her, Red.”

Matt kept his cool and simply asked, “Why do you want to talk to my daughter?”

“Because I know out of everyone here, that fucking Reyes hasn’t touched her yet.” 

“Is that the only reason?”

“Yes.” Lie. Of course the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen could tell. But oddly enough, it sounded like Frank lied for a reason that only he could pick up.

Foggy sighs after a moment of silence and says, “Listen, Mr. Castle–”

“We’ll have to talk to the leading officer here to see if that’s even possible seeing that she’s still a minor.” Matt explains, as he feels his friends’ look of bewilderment on him. “And if it is allowed, my daughter also has to accept it.”

“Then go ask.” Frank said, resting his eyes again. “I got all the time.”

“Alright. I will.” He starts leading them away, but they manage to get between him and the door.

“Matt, are you crazy?” Karen said, in a whisper. “You’re going to leave your daughter alone with him?”

“I thought you had a soft spot for Frank?”

“I-I do! But… there’s a bit of a difference here between me and your kid.”

“Why are you okay with this?” Foggy asked, disappointed. “If I was you, I’d be freaking out right now.”

“I am.” He gets a look. “I am. Trust me. The only reason I’m even considering this is because of his background. I think…” He stops to think. “Karen, didn’t you mention you took a photo from his house?”

“Uh– y-yeah.” She sighs after realizing she didn’t have her bag. “It’s in my purse.”

“Right. Let’s go check that real quick.” They leave the room and retrieve her purse from the police. Hiding it from an outsider’s view she pulls it out. 

“I’m a little confused, Matt. What are we looking at? Or for?”

“If I’m right, then…” He takes a deep breath. “Is his daughter on there?”

“Um, yes.”

“Good. Now, uh, I want you two to get a good look at her.” The two of them spared him another gaze before doing so, it only took a few seconds for him to hear their breaths’ hitch and heart rate spike to confirm what he was thinking. “You see?”

“It makes sense.” Foggy admits in defeat. “Talking to someone who resembles a loved one does make one more comforting.”

“I… I still don’t like it.” Karen replies, saddened. “But I understand. You still okay with this though?”

“If getting him to talk freely involves using my daughter then… I guess we have no choice.” Matt said, still not a hundred percent sold, but this might be their only chance at getting him to speak (Or at least open up to a point of trust). “Hey, Brett?”

“Yeah?” The cop said, turning around at his name.

“I need to run something by you.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Miss Murdock, arms up please.”

Kaila let them pat her down while handing over her crutches and purse, letting all the weight to her good leg like she’s been practicing (PT’s a bitch, but it has been helping). 

“Do not give Castle anything. Do not take anything from him. Understood?” The officer explained, as she nodded. “If your leg starts acting up, we’d place a chair inside, but do not go pass the red tape.”

“Got it.” She muttered, and faced the adults. “Is that all the reports?”

“Uh, yeah. It is.” Karen said, still hesitant to hand it over. 

Matt frowns, nerves starting to grow more. “Kai, you don’t have to–”

“I’ll do it.” The teenager cuts off as she takes the paperwork. 

“Really? You positive?”

“You need answers. You need to build trust. I’ll do it.” Kaila looks at her Dad one last time. “And do not eavesdrop.” He opens his mouth. “Please?”

He sighs quietly. “Alright.” He feels her distrustful stare. “Alright. I cross my heart.”

“Thanks.”

The teenager takes a deep breath before entering on her wobbly feet. Upon entering she saw his dark eyes open, the only part of his body moving with his chest for light breathing. Surprisingly, she wasn’t as scared or uneasy as she thought she would be. Maybe her brain automatically accepted him as soon as he saved her back on the rooftop? Still, she doesn’t sit right away, instead she clings to the back of it, pushing it a bit closer to the red line on the floor. Her brown orbs caught his bruised hand moving and pointed at her.

“Your leg? What happened?” Frank asked, voice still scruffy, but gentle. 

“Uh… I uh, got a little lippy with the guy.” She says, smacking her lips. “I, uh, hot-headed is kind of my curse.”

He laughs dryly. “That makes two of us.”

That got her to crack a smile for a split second before asking, “Um, how… how are you feeling?”

His hum sounds a bit on the edge of a growl. “Shitty. You know all they gave me was an ibuprofen?”

“That’s it?” She frowns. “But aren’t you still a patient? Shouldn’t they give you something stronger?”

“Nah. No nurse or doctor wants to come near me.” He scoffs. “I’m not the fuckin’ Hulk, I can’t break out of these cuffs with one tug.”

His words affected her a lot. Criminal or not, you should still help him.

“I heard you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah.” He nods, slowly. “My family. What do you know? I know you went into my house.”

“I did.” She frowns, guilty. “I apologize if we overstep. We just thought we should know a bit more about you.”

Frank stays quiet for a moment then says, “You know what they’d be saying about me? About all this? How disappointed they must be?”

Her face morphs into a surprise when she realizes who he’s referring to. “Mr. Castle–”

“Have you heard about the Police report? Complaint number 211974.” He continues, his face twisting into something she couldn’t pinpoint. “‘Victims were stopped at a traffic light northbound on Buellton Ave, when an unidentified male suspect began firing a 9mm handgun at their vehicle. Juvenile male, juvenile female, and adult woman were found dead at the scene. Adult male driver was critically wounded and taken to Metro-General’.”

Vehicle– what? She blinks and shakes her head. “That’s… that’s all bullshit. Right?”

“Yep.” He pops the ‘P’, teeth then gritting in disgust. “That’s the story that fuckin’ DA woman is running with. But you and I, and your family out there, know we were at the carousel that day.”

“How much do you remember?” 

“This ain’t about what I remember.”

“But I think it is.” Kaila pushes. “From what my Father and his friends got are a lot of puzzle pieces, but trust me, this moves a lot smoother if you can tell us anything.”

Another pause. “It goes in and out.”

“Yeah?”

“The fact that it fades…” His brows pushed together as he tried to recall the distant memory. “We took our blanket down to our spot. She… my daughter was by the carousel on the lawn. Then I heard her shout. Scream. It was a grown man.”

“Who did you see?”

“I didn’t. But I found out later. The Cartel. Irish. Bikers.”

“Anyone else?”

“I should’ve seen it coming.” He says, almost between a laugh and a cry.

She gives him a worried look and asks, “How could you know?”

“What’d I just say to you?” He locks his dark eyes with hers. “I said that I heard it. I heard it and I didn’t do anything. My job was to keep them safe. I didn’t. I didn’t do it.”

This sounds something like my dad would say. Kaila looks down, trying to figure out what to say to a man who’s lost everything.

“She was never in any danger.” Frank’s voice creeped in and pulled her back.

“What?” Kai asked, confused again. 

Frank’s face and voice had softened up again as he explained, “The other night. Blondie was babysitting that shit brick, running around with that Grotto. I just–” He stutters. “I-I only hurt people that deserve it. I wanted you to know that.”

She tilts her head, trying to show slight empathy for the client she never met. “You think he deserved it? Grotto?”

“I do. You know he used to do hits for the Irish, huh?” He frowns. “One time, he shot an old lady because she saw his face.” He notices the girl’s surprised look again. “I guess he– he didn’t tell your Dad and his colleagues that, huh?” She shakes her head (honestly not sure if he did or not). “Yeah. The point is, Blondie was safe, okay? I just wanted you to know that.”

“Guess I’m just supposed to take your word on that?”

“Nothin’ to do with my word, kid. Nothin’ at all.”

“No?”

“No. Look, you got any idea what a scout sniper is? You ever heard of that?” She shakes her head. “No? Okay, well, you’re looking at one. My class in Quantico was class 307. And we had a motto. It was a saying, yeah? It was, ‘One shot, one kill’. The point is, if I wanted her dead, she’d be dead. Got it?”

“I think I got it.” Kaila said, nodding. This is so bizarre. 

She takes another deep breath, and continues with the questions. “Why… why am I here? Why did you ask me to come talk to you?”

“I don’t–” He swallows. “I guess I’m worried that the memories are just gonna go away.”

He’s not telling me something. What? She scans him subtly head-to-toe while mustering, “Mr. Castle–”

“Look, you…” Frank looked a little lost as he tried to recall distant memories. “You went to... You were in my house. You…”

She gives him a pitiful look. “You never went back? After your family was…?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Can I just ask you, did you–” He bites his lip for a second. “Were you in the kitchen?”

“Yeah. We came through the back door.”

“The plates, were they... Were they on the table, or did they get into the sink?”

“Um–” She starts replaying over her memories now. “Uh, I think, washed. In the rack.”

“How about in the next room, did you… Did you see that piano that was there?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?” He says, and finally cracks a meaningful smile. “My son, Frank Junior, he… he used to grab a handful of cookies and take ‘em and hide ‘em in that bench. You know, he’d play soldier. Guard it, protect it.”

“Oh, yeah?” Kaila asked, smiling, too.

“Then he’d fall asleep down there.” He laughs. “We’d find him, me and the wife… he’d be sleeping on a pile of cookie crumbs.”

“Yeah, I, um, when I was younger, I did the same thing.” Her expression grows at the thought. “Except it was those… animal cookies with the frosting, and, um, I’d hide them under a couch cushion.”

“Oh, yeah?” He said, amused.

“Yeah.” Then she laughed. “But I… I never could really ‘hide’ them. My Father always found out. I guess I could blame his abilities on that.”

“Abilities, huh?”

“Yeah.” Her smile faltered a bit. “Uh, when he was a kid he… pushed an elderly person out of the way, took a hit, got chemicals splashed into his eyes, rest is history.” Then she snickers. “And the dumbass thought he could keep his… ‘nightly activities’ from me.”

He hums, expression still the same. “Sounds like something I would do.” He briefly pauses again. “Kaila, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Can you come closer?”

“Huh?”

“Can you come closer? Please?”

Her eyes stayed on him briefly before migrating down to the tape on the floor. She knows she shouldn’t, she knows she could be arrested if the cops walked in and saw her crossing. Yet, just by talking to him, just by knowing his past, and despite the massive criminal record he’s painted himself, she knows deep down he would do anything to her if he could. 

Holding the paperwork under one of her arms, she uses the free one to help her balance. She circles the hospital bed on a slight wobble, her hand stopping a few inches from his as she meets his eyes once again. Frank studied her face for a long time, enough for his features to soften again, but there was the smallest speck of tears in his dark orbs.

“You look like my daughter. Brown eyes, hair…” He swallows and tries to get the scratchiness out of voice. “How old are you, Kaila?”

“Fifteen.” 

“Fifteen.” He whispers, laughing quietly. “Not much older than she was.”

“Is that why you choose to help save me? ‘Cause I look like your daughter?”

“Nah. I mean, I saw your picture in the news, it sparked something in me, but…” He smacks his lips with a small inhale. “You’ll never understand the love a parent has for the child until you have one of your own. I saw that with your Dad when I met him.”

“Is that before or after you shot him?”

Frank snorts, looking away. “Yeah, sorry about that. He was on my ass, you know?”

“Don’t be.” She smirks a bit. “He’s definitely persistent.”

“Aren’t we all? Nah, it was when he came after me the second time. He put up one hell of a fight, and managed to keep me on my toes for a bit. But I got the upper hand. Again.” He inhales again, and says, “Now, I ain’t going to sugarcoat it for you, but I was planning on killing him after I shot up the bar full of cartel members. I knew… if I didn’t, he would just keep coming after me.”

Kaila looks away, not sure how to feel about this as he continues, “But…” She looks up and so does he, sharing eye contact briefly before his shifts to a corner of the room. “We started getting into it, I spewed my reasoning, he spewed his Catholic guilt bullshit, but every time we got somewhere, his phone would ring. Do you have a clue what those were?”

She frowns, and nods. “I can… only imagine.”

“Yeah, well…” He sighs. “I just wanted to get into his head, get him preoccupied with some other shit so I could do my job, so I played those voicemails left by his colleague and threw it in his lap. I never expected the outcome of it.”

Kaila felt her chest get tighter. She still feels guilty about their fight, and wishes they were on better terms when the kidnapping happened. Dad… I can only imagine what that was like for you.

“You see his whole demeanor changed.” Frank says, eyes still trained on the corner. “He shut up so fast. Even with that stupid mask on you could see how haunted he looked. And then you know what he did when the message ended?” His jaw tightens visibly. “He started begging. Begging for me to let him go and find you.” He scoffs quietly, eyes watering over again. “You see… I know that fear.”

He turns his head and locks their gazes together once more. “I know that feeling.” He could see the sorrow in her eyes, all just for him. “When Lisa, my daughter, was about three we went to this market. You know, fresh fruit, handmade blankets, exotic soap, stuff I hated, but my Wife loved it, so I went. We stopped at a booth, I didn’t even realize she let go of my hand, but I blinked and she was gone.”

Frank knows she could see the panic in his orbs, but he couldn’t care now; He’s been unraveling for a while already. What harm could come from more? “We panicked. I was worse than my wife, though. I was hysterical, I was yelling, nearly knocking people over, and I was fearing the worst. Did someone snatch up my girl? Out of everyone here, why my baby? After what felt like years, I finally found her. She snuck off to a booth that had these dolls and she was just sitting there, trying to find one she liked. God…” He lowers his head with a bit of shutter. “I think I might have had a heart attack.”

“I’m so sorry.” Kaila said, truthfully. “I didn’t want you to remember that.”

“Nah, it’s alright.” He sighs again, more quietly this time. “But that’s what I saw in your Father. His whole world was just… crushed by a single voicemail. That’s why I let him go, that’s why I helped him find you, because I didn’t want him to go through what I did. ‘Cause you know, we’re the fathers, nothing should happen to our family. Everything should happen to us, and not them.”

“So that’s why you became the… Punisher. Your whole world fell, and you felt like you had nothing to lose?”

“Yep. I have nothin’ to lose.”

“But don’t you want to live? Or, better question, is killing not giving you peace yet?”

“Nah.” He looks at the corner of the room again. “No peace yet. I don’t know. Maybe I haven’t killed the right person yet. Maybe there is no peace, maybe when I finally kill the right person it’ll feel different. I don’t fuckin’ know. Not like you get it.”

“I do.”

And those words slipped out before they could even register with her brain. And she knows there’s a chance, a very small chance that her dad is actually eavesdropping on their conversation and he could hear this, but she knows she can’t stop now; Those two words couldn’t just be said and done, there has to be a follow up.

She finds herself looking at her feet, feeling the tightening in her chest return as she feels his intense gaze on her. But still, she refuses to look at him right now. 

She takes a deep breath, and begins, “Um, Fisk– uh, Wilson Fisk, you’ve probably heard of him, uh, he and my Dad got entangled with each other. Being Daredevil helped bring Fisk down a few pegs, but Nelson & Murdock they stepped in did the big final attack. They had enough evidence to put him behind bars, but…”

She needs to stop, stop before she spills too much; But Jayden’s voice nagged her in the background, telling her that it’ll help the pain to talk about her troubles instead of bottling them up. She agrees wholeheartedly. She just didn’t think this was going to the first person she talked to.

Kaila shifts her weight, continuing, “B-Before that, they were doing some digging, my Dad and I got into a bit of an argument, and I wanted some space so I went to Karen’s, uh–” She gestures to the door behind her. “Blondie’s. Before I got there I, uh, one of uh, Fisk’s right hand man snagged me. Apparently, he was going to grab Karen after she dug up evidence about Fisk’s mother, but I just happened to arrive first so…”

She felt her stomach now coil, nausea was coming up as the memory of Wesley slowly was creeping in. “He… was trying to blackmail me into changing the minds of everyone around me, to, uh, tell everyone and make them believe that Fisk was a good man. I refused. But then he told me I didn’t, he killed everyone I love, and make me watch… and then it would be my turn.”

Is she crying yet? Has the tears started flowing down without her noticing yet? “Before I could answer, the drug had worn off, and I just grabbed the gun on the table. I didn’t even know if it was loaded or not, but I needed leverage, you know? I told him I was going to leave, and he was going to let me, and I was going to keep this quiet for the sake of my family’s safety. I was almost free, but he just lunged at me.”

Sometimes she could still feel his hands around her throat as he threatened to throw her corpse into the Hudson (It makes her forget how to breathe sometimes). “We wrestled around, soon the gun was being passed back and forth, and…” She felt that lump in her throat now, the one she felt after she did it. “I-I didn’t mean to. It just happened. I…” Now it was her turn to laugh quietly. “I know it’s self defense but I… I still killed someone. You know?”

God, now she feels like she needs a shower all over again. A hot, burning one like she took when she arrived at Karen’s. She wants to burn his touch off, she wants to burn her sins away. She could feel her eyes stinging now, not really sure how long she stayed quiet until he started speaking again.

“Sweetheart.” His voice broke through, causing her to look his way. To her surprise there was no disgust on his face, only sadness and a tiny, tiny bit of anger that if you blink you would miss. “H-How… how’d you feel? After you did it?”

Kaila sniffles. “Um, sc-scared. I was scared, because… I knew if Fisk found out what I did to Wesley, to his friend, his genuine friend, I don’t know what he would have done… to me or my family. And…” She bites her lip. “Oh, god. If my Dad knew, I… I…”

“You mean…” Frank tries to find the right words. “No one knows?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Well… K-Karen does, but I… I kind of have her sworn to secrecy right now. I just…” Another sniffle. “I just can’t let my Dad know…”

“Why not?” He asks, a little bit of a growl in his tone, but it wasn’t towards her; Just the situation. “If my daughter came up to me and told me she was kidnapped by a dangerous man, you bet your ass I would be hunting that motherfucker down. I’d be storming that building that Fisk was in and I wouldn’t stop until the job was done–”

“That’s exactly why I can’t tell him.” Kaila replies, with a bit of snappiness. She watches him deflate under her words and she carefully explains, “I’m selfish. I’m really selfish. ‘Cause I know if I told him the truth, a few things could happen. He could kill Fisk and get caught, and put away, and that means I lost my Dad to the prison system. Or, he could kill him and never get caught, but I have to live with that guilt that I killed another man, bad or not. So would my Dad. Or…” She feels the tears rolling down her cheeks. “My Dad ends up dead trying.”

She could feel he was looking at her with the same expression from earlier again, but refuses to look. “So, you see? I don’t want to lose my Dad. Physically or mentally. I don’t want to lose the one I have. I don’t want to lose him over something I did. So… you see? I’m selfish. I’m really fucking selfish.”

There was another pause, only this time she pulled herself out of it; Wiping her tears as she apologized for being a debbie-downer (So much for helping him through his trauma). 

Way to go, Murdock. You fucked this up. She continues to beat herself up, wondering if she should just turn around and ditch. But then… she felt him touch her hand. Her head snapped back his way, and sure enough that expression was back on his face.

“Don’t cry.” He croaked, and even though his voice was rough sounding, she could hear the consideration that went into those two words. “I don’t like it when my kids cry. I don’t like it when any kids cry.”

“S-Sorry…” Kaila says, brushing her eyes again as a few tears got loose. 

“Don’t be. Never apologize for that.” He replies, and squeezes her hand gently. His eyes stayed on her face for a few seconds more before trailing to the paperwork she had. “I, uh, see that they gave you questions to ask me.”

“Oh.” She nods, almost forgetting what she was actually here for. “I guess I probably should start on those.”

“Yeah?” A little warm smile creeps onto his busted lips. “If you wanna ask your questions, you can go ahead. Whatever’s on the paper, and whatever personal ones you want to ask. I’m all ears, sweetheart.”

And without more being said there…

Kaila sits on the bed, and slowly starts from the beginning.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It was really, really hard for Matt not to eavesdrop. He wants to. He really, really fucking wants to, but he needs to be better by respecting certain bountries; Especially his daughter’s. But he’s still going to be a worrier. Now, he knew Frank wouldn’t do anything even if he wasn’t strapped to the bed, and that was where the bit of trust was. Well… it’s more of a respect for the man. However, even with that respect it still wasn’t enough to keep the jitters away. 

He was standing out in the hallway with Karen and Foggy, his right foot pattering like a rabbit’s foot, his fingers twitching at his side. It felt like every few minutes his hand would move to his left wrist, his thumb pad running across the braille clock to tell him the time.

Two hours. My daughter’s been in there for nearly two hours. It was making him nervous now. I mean, when it hit the hour mark it was already making him nervous, but two?! It’s literally taking all of his strength not to barge in there. So he tries to focus on something else… like Foggy’s sharp inhales while he leans against the wall, or Karen small pivots on her heels, or the sounds of reporters getting escorted out, or the beeping of a police’s walkie, or–

“I can’t take this anymore.” Matt finally says, as his friend’s look his way.

“Matt.” Foggy begins, sliding his back up the wall to stand. “You promise not to eavesdrop.” 

“I’m not going to.” He shakes his head. “I gotta get inside.”

“Matt– wait.”

“You can’t go in yet.” Karen says, stopping him with her arm. “Look, I know it’s been a long time–”

“Exactly.” The blind man says, getting even more agitated. “Two hours. Two hours, Karen. Why is she in there that long? I mean, I know we gave her a lot of questions to ask, but why–”

Suddenly the door to his room opened, and the teenager came wandering out with the stack of paper and her own notes. The trio took a quick glance at each other before surrounding her with questions.

“What happened?/You okay?/What took so long?”

Matt’s nose picks up the salt on her skin, the dryness in her eyes and frowns. “Kai? What happened?” He asks, worriedly.

She nods slowly, trying to find her words. “I’m okay.” Truth. “Really. I just… we shared a lot… personally, so…” Truth. She cracks a small smile while holding up the notes. “I got a lot of information back.” She hands it to Karen, who quickly reads it over. “Hope that helps.”

“Kaila, this is… amazing.” The blonde says, as she tilts the pages towards Foggy for him to read. “It wasn’t too uncomfortable?” 

“It was at the beginning, but–” She shrugs. “Despite the certain level of unhinge-ness, he’s actually a really nice guy. He’s definitely someone that loved his family with all his heart.”

“That’s good to hear.” Matt said, finally letting go of the breath he was holding. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Kaila hums. “You worry too much.”

“I worry not enough.” He pulls her in for a side hug which she immediately melted into. 

“So, you gave him our opinions on how the case should go?” Foggy asks, looking away from the notes to the teen. “How is he pleading? Is it still the same?”

Kaila takes a deep breath and says, “Guilty.” Her response made everyone happy and congratulated her. Her smile grows at the compliments. “So, when’s the hearing?”

“It’s not even mid-day yet, so…” He looks over his watch. “We could get this started?” His friends nod their heads as he begins flagging the detective down. “Hey, Brett! Can I have a minute?”

“I’m not even appropriately dressed for court.” Kaila mumbles, looking down at herself.

“Well, if we have time, I can swing by my place. I think there’s a dress you can fit into.” Karen replies, after fast thinking. “It’s a dark green color if that works.”

“Yeah, I’ll take anything that’s not a hoodie and ripped jeans right now.”

“That’s very nice of you, Karen.” Matt said, showing his pearly whites.

“You know me.” She chuckles. “I try.” 

“Guys–” Foggy says, getting their attention. He gives them a thumbs up. “We’re good. In a few hours everything should be A-Okay.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It was definitely NOT A-Okay.

You could hear a pin drop all of a sudden in the courtroom. Behind the defendant’s bench, Kaila stared with her big brown eyes as her father’s client repeated the words he was NOT supposed to be saying. Pinch me, I’m dreaming. Pinch me, I’m dreaming. Pinch me–

“I plead not guilty.” Frank says once more, as everyone starts muttering in the room with disbelief. “You hear that, witch?!” His eyes blow wide with rage. “I’m gonna watch you burn right along with me. You hear me?!”

The judge’s gavel hits down on his desk immediately. “Counselor, please control your client.”

“Do you hear me?!”

“Frank…” Kaila whispers, as her father gets up to his feet with an apologetic look. 

“I’m sorry, Your Honor.” Matt says, bowing his head in shame as Frank came down off his rage tangent. 

The judge narrows her eyes, looking between the room as she says, “The defendant has entered a plea of not guilty. Due to the nature and severity of the crimes he is accused of, bail is denied. A court date will be set upon consultation with the DA’s office. We are adjourned.”

The gavel hits again, and everyone in the room starts leaving; While officers in groups of two came over a re-shackled Frank before taking him away.

“I thought you said he was fine?” Foggy said, turning around to his Niece. 

“H-He was.” Kaila said, still in shock. “He promised me he was going to plead guilty.”

“Then what the fuck changed his mind?”

“M-Maybe he just wants the truth. About Grotto, about his family, about the– the cover-up. I mean, if we go to trial, then it all comes out, right?”

“There’s no ‘if’. This is happening. Trial of the century. Everything’s about to change.” He grunts. “Fuck.”

As Karen tries to calm Foggy down, Matt had come over to sit next to his kid. He could practically feel the guilt pooling off of her. 

“It’s not your fault.” He says, as she shakes her head.

“How did this happen?” She whispers. “W-We had such a good talk, Dad.”

“Kaila–”

“Do you think Reyes got to him during the transportation? Or somebody else?”

He frowns. “I don’t know, but… he seemed a lot more angry today. Nervous, too.”

“That’s an odd combo.”

“Yeah.”

She sighs. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” He heard her sigh again, muttering an ‘ok’. His heart aches at how defeated she sounds. “Come here.” He pulls her in for a much needed hug. “Everything will be okay.”

“Dad…” She says, relaxing in his embrace like she did back at the hospital.

“Everything will be okay, baby girl. We’re going to make this work.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The court date was a few days later. The media had exploded. The good and the bad had circled around the law firm. The trio were cooped up for hours in the office, trying to figure out how to get Frank a better sentence that wouldn’t lead to death. All while this was going on, Kaila had moved on to the last few steps in PT. Now on this fateful day, dressed in a nice blouse and skirt, she practices with her new walking stick out in the halls of the courthouse, waiting to be allowed inside. 

She curses under her breath when she slipped a little, muttering, “Easy, my ass. This is a lot harder than the crutches.” She was so focused on the stupid cane she didn’t even notice someone standing behind her snickering.

“You cosplaying as an old man now?” Jayden says, getting her to turn around.

Her face lights up at the surprise. “More like cosplaying my father. Wait. What are you doing here?” She asks, taking note of him dressing elegantly…? The freshly pressed suit and tie was not something she ever expected to see him in. Even his messy curls had been fixed nicely. He looks so…

“You told me you were going to be stuck all day in the courtroom. Thought you might want some company.” He explains, surprising her more.

“You… you sure?” Kaila asks, with a small frown. “These things tend to vary in time, you know? Could be five minutes, could be twelve hours.”

He waves the statement off. “Yeah, well, I don’t mind. And besides, I could learn a few things.”

She laughs. “That’s… that’s very true.” Her smile returns fastly. “This is quite the play date then.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling this now?” Jayden asks, raising a playful eyebrow.

“I think so.” She teases, copying his expression.

“Hey, Kai!” Her father’s voice broke through, her attention turning on him and the two others walking over to where she was. “It’s about to start. You sure you want to stay in there?”

“Like I said, Dad, I’ll be fine. I want to see how this goes.” Kaila says, shrugging. It takes a second for her to realize that they’re all looking at the person next to her and waiting for an explanation.  “Oh, uh, guys, this is Jayden. My friend from work.”

“Hi, everyone.” The boy says, with a wave. 

“Oh!” Foggy perks up upon recognizing the name. “I talked to you on the phone the other night.” He shakes the teen’s hand gracefully. “Foggy Nelson. It’s finally nice to put a voice to a face.”

“Pleasure to do the same, Mr. Nelson.”

“I’m Karen. I work with them.” The blonde says, with a smile, shaking his hand as well.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Karen.”

“And this is my Dad, Matthew, or Matt.” Kaila replies, gesturing to him. 

“Hi, Mr. Murdock. It’s nice to meet you.” Jayden says, holding his hand out as Matt subtly picks up on something. It was only interrupted when Foggy whispers, 

“His hand’s out.” 

“Ah. Nice to meet you.” Matt plays it off like he always does, taking it in his palm and giving it a shake. Upon the physical contact and release, the feeling of something crossed his mind again immediately. It must have shown in his face, because–

“You okay, Mr. Murdock?” Jayden asks, worrying that he did something wrong.

“Uh, n-no.” He shakes his head. “Sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind today. Um–” He moves his hand around in the air, trying to pull the right words out. “You’ve got quite the grip.”

“Oh, uh–” The teen chuckles. “Yeah. I’ve been told that. Um, so…” He looks between the four of them curiously. “What’s this case y’all defending?”

“Oh, it’s a doozy.” Foggy said, mentally cursing.

“Um, you’ve heard of Frank Castle on the news?” Kaila asks, making his olive eyes go wide.

“...Holy shit.”

“Yep.” She nods. “Perfect reaction. You’re in for a treat. I’ll fill you in on some stuff while we wait. Uh–” She gives the adults reassuring expressions. “Break a leg. You’ll do great.”

“Thanks, Kai.” Karen says, putting up a happy front as well. “That’s all we can do.”

The teenagers break away, Kaila even briefly reaching up to squeeze her Dad’s shoulder for more reassurance. Foggy and Karen both took deep breaths as they started the list of mental preparation from the top again.

“Alright, alright, alright.” Foggy whispers, and picks up his briefcase off the floor. “Let’s do this.” He waves for Karen to start the trek. “Lady’s first. Matt, let’s–” He starts reaching for his best friend’s arm, only stopping when he notices how in thought he looked. “Matt? Matt?” He starts reaching again. “Hey–”

Matt turns his head towards Foggy upon feeling the tap on his arm. “Huh?”

“You alright? What’s going through your head? Nerves?”

“No. Not nerves. It’s… It’s Kai’s friend.”

“Jayden? What about him?” Foggy starts to get worried. “Is he bad news?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s…” How would Matt explain it? “His… hand shake, t-the grip… the cadence of his voice, it’s…” Where was going with this? “He smells… familiar.” Maybe he’s just being paranoid. “But I can’t figure out why.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The first day in court went better than they expected. The opening statement went flawlessly (Unless you count Foggy nervously sweating throughout his half). They even got to present their witness(es) list, and even DA Reyes got herself into a bit of a pickle so… Yay! Jazz hands. 

Now since that was wrapped up, the adults had headed over to the office to compare notes and write down their next few statements, while the two teens went over to the next block for a bit to eat. 

“So… who’s this Tepper guy again?” Jayden asks, as they wait for their names to be called from the foot counter. He was trying to wrap his head around everything he’s seen today as the Young Murdock was kind enough to explain the thing’s he didn’t understand.

“Tepper is apparently the guy who did the autopsy for Mr. Castle’s family. Which Castle claims is wrong, so my Dad and them will bring that up, and hopefully bring Tepper to stand. You know, to try to get him to crack.” She replies, as he nods his head.

“Gotcha.”

“Then, they’re also going to get him an even better sentence by presenting to the court that he suffers from PTSD due to his time at war. Which was retriggered after his family was killed.”

“Gotcha. Man…” He shifts his weight around with a worried look. “They definitely got their hands full with this one.”

“Definitely.” She agrees, shortly afterwards their names were called. They soon slid into a booth with their trays.

“So, on a different note, I meant to ask.” Jayden starts, after getting comforting. “That woman who came to your house the other night. Who was she?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Kaila replies, brushing the thought of her off. “She’s an old, crazy flame of my Dad. Who apparently was still hung up on him so… yeah.” She starts to take a sip of her drink, but stops to add, “But don’t worry, she didn’t do anything to me. She just wanted to ask questions.”

“But still…” He makes a face. “Yikes.”

“Yeah.” She shrugs. “I, uh, appreciate you calling my Uncle though. He called my Dad, and they came over quickly.”

“No problem. I think anyone with the right mind would have done that.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“So, he’s your Uncle?” Jayden asks, and starts eating.

Kaila finishes chewing to say, “Not biologically. My Dad met him in college, roommates, and uh, they just hit it off. My Dad was immediately adopted into Foggy’s family so… yeah.”

“I take it he has a big family?”

“Oh, yeah.” She grins at the memories of them. “There’s my Uncle Theo, his wife, Sissy, and their three kids; And then there’s Grandpa Edward, and Grandma Anne.”

He quirked an eyebrow up at her enthusiasm. “Are they lawyers, too?”

“No.” Her grin grows. “They’re actually butchers.”

“That’s… a twist I wasn’t expecting.”

She snorts. “No one does. But hey, there’s perks of having your own butcher shop. They have the best maple ham around Christmas time.”

“I might have to stop by for a bite.” He says, as she shakes her head ‘Yes’. They fall into a comfortable silence for a sec, before he breaks the ice by saying, “This is a nice play date.”

“Yeah. It is." Another pause. "Can I ask you something now?”

“Go for it.”

“When you came to my house, before we were interrupted, what were you trying to tell me? You mentioned your name.”

“To be honest, Kai…” He shrugs. “Don’t even worry about it.”

She quirks up her eyebrow. “No?”

“No.” He pauses eating to say, “But my name is Jayden, I don’t want you to think it’s not. What I meant is my last name. I just… it doesn’t mean anything anymore if I tell you. So…” Another shrug. “I-I mean… my dad’s not around anymore, so… there’s no weight for it at this moment, you know?”

Kaila notices how uncomfortable he’s getting, to the point where he’s nitpicking at his food. And he looks way paler than a few seconds ago. 

She frowns, worriedly. “Your dad really messed you up, huh?” He nods slowly, looking like a kicked puppy. “You know I wouldn’t care about your past, you know? God knows mine is a little murky, I mentioned that to you, right?”

“Yeah. You did.” He says, meeting her gaze as she tries to find the right words.

“Do you… do you think if we’re closer you would open up more?”

“Probably. Yeah.”

She stops and thinks again, the lightbulb slowly turning on. “Hold your hands up.”

He blinks. “What?”

“Just humor me.” He does, and so does she. “Okay, obviously there’s a reason we met, maybe fate put us together to just be friends, or maybe we meant to help one another, but whatever the reason is, we should try to forge a bond. You know, hanging out outside of a… courthouse.”

“What?” He smirks. “Our playdate at the courthouse wasn’t what friends do?”

She copies her expression. “Definitely not what I had in mind.”

“So, what should we do instead?”

She hums, thinking. “We could go to the movies? Do you like Horror?”

He scoffs playfully. “Who doesn’t?”

That got her to laugh before asking, “If you’re free next week, we should go see something. Let’s get to know each other… little-by-little.”

Jayden smiles. “Little-by-little. I like that. But, uh–” He waves his hands. “What’s this about?”

Now it was her turn to smirk. “Uh, keep your left one up, and use your right to cross your heart.” She demonstrates this. “That way, we can’t break the promise.”

“And if it’s broken?”

“We have permission to knock some sense into one another.” She moves her hands around in a ‘so-so’ way. “That can be metaphorical or literal. Your choice.”

He laughs. “Uh, definitely don’t want to be literal if I don’t have to. Your huge ass family might butcher me for their shop.”

She snorts. “No promise there.”

“Okay.” He nods, and crosses his heart. His soft features grew along with hers. “It’s a promise.” 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“So, everything’s okay? You guys got all your notes intact?” Kaila asked, while her and her dad walked home in the moonlight; The hot Summer air grew cooler as soon as the sun disappeared, leaving them to stay close for a little warmth.

“Yeah. Everything’s okay. We should be fine in the morning.” Matt replies, his mind had been elsewhere ever since they arrived at the courthouse. It was getting… concerning.

Kai waited until they crossed a busy road to ask, “What’s the matter? I know this case is obviously overwhelming, but I feel like there’s something else going on in that head of yours.” He stays quiet, almost like he was trying to find the words as she continues, “Is it Jayden?”

He shakes his head. “No.”

“Do you have a problem with him?”

“No, I…” He sighs. “Well…”

“Well, what?” She grows worried. “Is he actually bad news?”

“No, no, it’s just… how do I say this?” Matt was struggling to explain it like he did earlier to Foggy. “His handshake, his voice… he smells familiar.”

“Smells Familiar?” Kaila raises an eyebrow. “Dad–”

“What I’m saying is, his natural scent reminds me of someone, and I can’t figure out why.” But he ways this whole conversation off with his free hand. “But that’s not what’s nagging me.”

“Then what is it?”

He inhales sharply, deciding there was no easy way to put this, so he says, “At the hospital, before we went in to talk to Frank, Brett pulled me aside. He told me that… the guy who took you is dead.”

“What?!” She says, pulling them to a stop with her widened eyes. “Dad, why are you telling me this now?”

“Because honestly, it slipped my mind. I was more worried when Frank asked to talk to you, that I just forgot.” He frowns. “Until today when Brett called me.”

She tilts her head. “What did he say?”

“That it was in fact not natural causes. It was… morphine. Apparently a far higher dose than you’re supposed to give a patient in pain.”

She sighs, closing her eyes for a second. “Jesus. Do… do they have a suspect? A witness?”

“They don’t know. The nurses who worked with them swear that they’ve never touched that IV since he went into a coma. No one says they haven’t seen anyone go into his room that isn’t staff, but stranger things have happened.”

“Geez. No wonder your head’s in the clouds. You’re trying to play detective right now.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, the bitterness was starting to come through the cracks. “I’m just sick of this. This past month has been… shitty. Nothing is adding up. This, Frank’s family death, even… Elektra’s situation, it’s j-just all… sh-shit. I’m tired of it.”

Kaila sighs again, more quiet this time as she pats her dad’s arm. “Let’s… Let’s take this one step at a time. Let’s worry about Castle first. Let’s try to get him out of the death penalty, then, when the time’s right, we’ll tackle this whole kidnapping thing. For all we know, it was just a crazy ass dude who got it into his head that Nelson and Murdock didn’t help his brother.” She shrugs. “That’s it. Okay?”

He exhales again, and nods (Admitting she’s right) “Okay. Castle first.”

She smiles. “Castle first.” They start their walk again. “I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, same. Took our freaking landlord long enough to fix the door.”

“Surprise he ain’t charging you for it, you trashed it pretty hard.”

“I’m surprised as well.” They made their way inside the building, riding the rickety elevator up to the top floor and making it down the hallway; Matt fumbling for the keys in his pocket. “I know you ate, but if you’re still hungry, I was going to make something for myself.”

“Nah, I’m good. I’m pretty stuffed.” She replies, entering the house. “I was thinking maybe before bed we could–”

“Took you long enough.” 

The Murdocks froze as soon as they entered the living room. Standing just outside their bathroom was a much older man, snow white hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to look through them despite not being able to see. Kaila felt her father stiffen at her side, and that anger was pushed at full force through his protective barrier. 

Stick just brushed off their silence, walking towards Matt’s room with a bunch of towels while saying, “Come on, I need your help to stop the poison.”

The father-daughter duo stayed still, both trying to process this in their own ways before in unison replying, 

“What the fuck.” 

-Taglist is open if anyone wants to join-

@stinkywhore @invinciblerikkai @glass-ghost

@your-not-invisible-to-me @ohtacosindrome

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@emodruig @skarrkiie @moon22flower @dragonflyreader @thepurpleclown @shroombloom95

[guesswhoisofftheirmedsagain]

I was thinking about my Rock Star Kon AU while writing this, but it ended up not specifically relating to that, so this could be read as a part of that AU or as completely stand alone. :] (this one def reads more like a short fic than anything tbh, apologies for bad writing ahead)

How Kon finds out Tim’s secret identity:

He goes to Tim’s apartment planing on surprising him, to officially ask him to be his boyfriend, and to apologize. They had a bit of an argument about what they were to each other. (It was all just a misunderstanding). Kon invites himself in, walking over to where he knows Tim’s room is, only to see clothes on the floor. Kon’s heart almost stops, he feels like he zeroed in on the clothes, his other senses leaving him. He follows the trail, anger rising when his suspicions become confirmed, that the trail led to Tim’s bedroom. He heard the shower running as he opened the cracked door to see into the room, a figure was laying in the bed. The only light in the room was streaming in from the attached bathroom. Kon knew he shouldn’t be, but he was mad, he had just started opening up to Tim, then he goes and sleeps with someone? The color scheme of the unusually thick looking clothes, and now that he thought about the various pieces of armor, the multitude of weapons carelessly abandoned, a mask set on the nightstand. A vigilante? Tim went and slept with a vigilante?

A tuff of black hair poked out from under the blankets. “Tim?” Kon’s voice was flat, an attempt to hide the hurt he was feeling. Tim shot up from the bed, the blanket falling down his chest. He was shirtless, Kon studied him but didn’t see any marks. “So which one, huh?” Kon didn’t have the looks of the vigilantes of Gotham memorize for Rao sake. “Nightwing? Batman?” His anger grew, he felt so, so betrayed. It’s his own fault, he got to attached. Lex warned him about this, that he wouldn’t find real love, but Kon had been too stubborn to see it.

“What?” The genuine confusion on Tim’s face, in his voice, only fueled Kon. “Where is he?” Kon started going for the bathroom door. “Is he in here?” He was- he didn’t even know what he was going to do with this guy, for sleeping with Tim, Tim was his. But he wasn’t, you never made it official. He pushed down that little voice, he didn’t want to hear logic right now. “Kon, what are you talking about-“ His voice was groggy, as if he just woke up. The question made him turn around to look at him. Against his need to beat up this Gotham vigilante, he flew over to the, now what is clearly, a vigilante suit. He grabbed it, and threw the shirt piece at Tim, who caught it. A look of understanding took over Tim’s face. “Kon, I swear, I wanted to tell you, I always meant to tell you eventually that”

“Tell me? Eventually?” Kon’s brain almost shorted out, was Tim dating this guy all along? Was Kon the second dude? Is this what being a side chick feels like? Really, what did he expect, Tim is good looking, rich, smart, funny and all around amazing, of course he’s out of Kon’s league. Vigilantes are cool, mysterious, strong, and save the day, is that what Tim liked? “Yes, if things kept going the way they were, I would have to tell you that-“

“I can’t believe you’re sleeping with a vigilante. Have you just- just been-“ Tim’s laughter cut him off, and Kon’s confusion overtook his anger for a moment. “Why are you laughing at me? Do you find this funny?!” Kon stormed over to the bathroom door, slamming it open. “Kon wait- I!” Tim choked on air as he called for Kon. Kon didn’t stop this time, pulling back the curtain to the shower finding, nothing? Kon immediately focused on his hearing, but was only able to pin point two heart beats in the whole apartment. “Where did he go, Tim!” He started looking around the room, not finding anyone, did this dude run out bare naked? How did he get out? Was Kon that distracted?

“Kon, Kon please there, there is nobody to find.” Tim’s laughter started dying down, little by little. “I swear, there never was anyone else here.” Kon narrowed his eyes at Tim, not buying it. “So? You just have a random vigilante suit laying around on your floor?” Tim looked him in the eyes, mixed emotions in them, amusement, nervousness, fear. “I am the vigilante.”

Kon’s brain skidded to a stop. What? The words echoed in his mind, turning them over, trying to find out how he could have misheard Tim. ‘Tell you eventually’ that what? Tim was a vigilante? Oh Rao, Tim is a vigilante. Kon approached Tims bed, hesitated only for a moment, then grabbed Tim by his shoulders. They were so close, Kon could see the pupils of Tims eyes, even in the dark. “So you’re not sleeping with someone then?” Relief filled Kon as Tim shook his head no. “No, Kon, I’m not sleeping with anyone, vigilante or otherwise.”

After Tim finally takes his shower, glad to get all of the grime from patrolling off of him, he and Kon have a serious conversation about what they mean to each other. By the next hour, they are officially dating, and Tim dreads having to tell Batman that Kon found out his identity. He dreads even more having to tell his family he actually has a boyfriend now, and prays to a god he doesn’t even believe in that they don’t get out the kryptonite.

[aylacavebear]

Soulmates? Yeah, right, pft. - Ch. 11

When you turn sixteen, and your soulmate's name doesn’t appear anywhere on your body that you can find, you figure you had to be the only person on the planet who didn’t have one. Most of the town shuns you, so you stick close to family. Your Aunt Ellen raised you after your parents died in a car crash when you were two, but what happens when the Winchesters return to town and buried secrets begin to come to light?

Pairing: Mechanic Dean Winchester x OC Reader/You

Word Count: 3380

Warnings: Lots of inuendos, Lots of insinuations (nothing actually happens), some fluff, Dean being Dean (yes, this is a warning), some alcohol, thoughts pertaining to the reader's toy, little bit of angst.

A/N: This is my non-Supernatural fic I'm attempting. Please let me know what you think, as I always love hearing from my readers.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 11

You weren’t in the mood for much of anything after you’d heard that and had spent most of the day sitting on your bed attempting to read a book. Your phone had been left abandoned in the kitchen at some point. It wasn’t that the book wasn’t interesting, it was just that your mind was on other things.

Dean gave you space, letting you spend the day in your room. You’d even stayed in your pajamas and hadn’t bothered brushing your hair. On top of everything, the mark on your collarbone was burning again. However, at the moment, you were being far too stubborn to deal with it.

A knock on your doorframe pulled your gaze from your book, and there was Dean, a playful smirk on his face. “You know, Sweetheart, I think you’re far more stubborn than I am,” he teased, injecting a hint of levity into the room.

“Why do you say that?” you asked, setting your book down on the bed next to you.

All he did was hold up the cream in his hand, which elicited an eye roll from you. You wanted to ask him how he always seemed to know, but at the moment, you weren’t in the mood. He gently applied the cream to your mark as you watched his expression.

How does he do that? It’s like he doesn’t want me to figure out what’s going through his head. It’s so frustrating. But, somehow, he always seems to know exactly what the hell is wrong with me. It’s not fair.

“What’s got you so frustrated?” he asked, his gaze fixed on your mark as he applied the cream.

“How are you doing that?” you asked, doing your best not to sound frustrated or annoyed that he seemed to read you like a book.

“Why can’t you just answer my question?” he asked, looking up at you through his thick lashes for a moment.

You grumbled and looked away from him, “Lots of things have me frustrated, and I feel like I have cabin fever,” you mumbled, but it was only half true. “I’ll probably journal about it when you’re done,” you added, looking away from those damn emerald orbs that always pulled you in.

Dean finished up and capped the cream with a light sigh before he looked at you again. When he cupped your cheek and looked into your eyes, you practically held your breath. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to go through this alone,” he told you softly before gently pressing his lips to your forehead and then leaving your room.

I hate it when he does that, the thought making you grumble quietly through a pout. You grabbed your journal and began writing, just wanting to get all your thoughts out of your head in hopes that they would stop. 

The aroma of searing meat began wafting into your room sometime later. You closed your eyes and breathed the scent deep into your lungs through your nose, licking your lips. Setting down your journal, you made your way to the kitchen, your stomach now growling as the aroma only intensified.

“You really need to stop skipping lunch,” Dean chuckled from where he stood at the stove.

You licked your lips again but then wiped your mouth, realizing you were drooling a little. “I wasn’t hungry,” you replied absentmindedly, making your way to the stove.

It was a sight to behold after the last couple of months of weird concoctions that Dean had come up with. Two beautiful, thick steaks cooking in a cast iron skillet, sizzling away and seasoned in a tantalizing way that teased your senses.

“If I knew all it took was some cooking meat to make you drool, I would have gone looking for some months ago,” he teased you, doing his best not to chuckle too much in amusement.

“Shut up,” you mumbled, swallowing again as your mouth watered.

God, I missed steak.

He did chuckle at that, “Have a seat, it’s almost done,” he managed through bouts of amusement.

“But, I can’t look away,” you mumbled, licking your lips, then pulling your bottom one between your teeth for a moment, and you missed Dean’s expression, which was probably a good thing.

You did notice how a low groan came from him, making you look up at him a little puzzled. You straightened yourself up a little, realizing you had partially leaned over his arm to get a better view of the steaks, and sat down at the table. At least your thoughts about everything else had stopped, for now.

Your eyes never left Dean, although that was more because he was standing in front of the stove. Your thoughts were only on the steak he was cooking. It wasn’t like you and Dean were lacking in any sort of nourishment, as the non-perishables were plenty healthy. No, you just missed steak or more; you missed meat. Canned meat was definitely not the same, no matter how good a cook Dean was.

He plated the steak, some corn, and mashed potatoes with gravy and set one in front of you. Your eyes never left the plate, and his eyes never left you as he sat across from you. “Hope you like it, Sweetheart,” he told you, and you could hear the smirk in his words.

You licked your lips once before cutting into your steak, then savoring that first bite with your eyes closed, making sounds of delight. Although, out of context, they probably sounded sinful. You didn’t even hear Dean shift slightly in his seat. 

“My God, Dean,” you practically moaned, still savoring the tender and juicy piece of steak in your mouth.

You opened your eyes slowly, a very happy smile on your lips as you looked over at him. However, your expression went to curiosity when you saw how his breathing had changed slightly, and he almost looked flushed.

“You okay?” you asked, a little puzzled.

Dean coughed in an attempt to clear his throat as he looked away from you, “Glad you like it,” he barely got out in a surprisingly gruffer tone than you were used to.

For a moment, you watched him debating, wondering what was going through his head and why he seemed frustrated. He hadn’t answered your question either. “Well, are you okay?” you asked a little hesitantly.

“Yeah. I’m good,” he replied quickly, not even looking up at you.

Then why won’t you look at me?

Grumbling silently, you went back to enjoying the amazing meal he had cooked for the two of you. There were a few more times that those sounds left your lips as you enjoyed your steak. You couldn’t help it. You would have even said it was the best steak you’d ever had in your life, but figured that was more because of how long it had been since you’d had any.

After dinner, you took care of the dishes. He’d cooked, so it was your way of showing him how you appreciated his cooking skills. While you did that, he went and showered. Your mind wandered again, mostly wondering what he’d been thinking about during dinner that had kept him so quiet. You headed into the living room and plopped down on the couch, still hearing the shower running, which seemed to be a little longer than he typically took, but didn’t stay on the thought. Your mark burned again, but you ignored it as your thoughts drifted back to when he’d kissed you. A smile tugged at your lips at the memory and the feelings it brought up.

Slowly, you let your fingertips glide across your lips as the memory played out. Then, quickly pushed it away, shifting how you were sitting on the couch. Another twenty minutes had passed, and he was still in the bathroom, and the shower was still going.

What the hell is taking him so long?

With that thought, you went to the bathroom, and just as you were about to knock, you heard him moan, deeply. 

Oh…

Now, you were attempting to get the image of Dean, naked in the shower, the water steaming down his body and his cock hard in his hand as you stood frozen just on the other side of the door. Your body began reacting to the sounds that came muffled from the bathroom, and your thighs rubbed together, almost instinctively.

Fuck, this is so wrong.

But that didn’t stop the image of him jerking off in the shower to get out of your head any faster. It wasn’t like you had remembered to grab your toy before the two of you had locked yourself in the bunker, but at the moment, you weren’t sure you’d need it. You heard another deep growl from him, and your walls clenched around nothing as your breath quickened.

Damnit!

Your room was near the bathroom, and you wondered if you dared to take care of yourself or if you had the time. You quickly calculated how long he’d already been in there, and when he moaned one more time, you knew you didn’t. I was deep but guttural. You even heard his hand hit the shower wall like he was attempting to steady himself.

Quickly, you went to your room and cleaned yourself up, changing your underwear. Now, you were utterly flustered in an entirely different way. All you could hope was that you could calm yourself down before he found his way to the living room. The shower, of course, stopped, and your eyes shot to your bedroom door.

Shit!

You slipped out of your room and into the living room as quietly but as quickly as you could, getting comfortable on the couch. You knew your face was flushed, and you felt far too warm, even in the thin material of the pajama pants and tank top. Dean emerged from the bathroom minutes later, dressed, but his hair was still damp, and it looked as though he hadn’t brushed it.

“Why don’t we go play some pool?” he suggested, seeming quite relaxed now.

“Oh. I thought you’d just want to watch another movie and call it an early night,” you replied, looking over at him, mentally cursing as sinful thoughts began drifting through your mind.

“Not tonight, Sweetheart. It’s New Year's Eve, and I saved a bottle of whiskey to celebrate,” he smirked.

Dear God, if you’re listening, please help me restrain myself.

“Sure, why not,” you replied, giving him a neutral smile and praying he wasn’t reading you like a damm book, which he had a tendency to do.

“I’ll meet you down there. Don’t need you finding my hiding spot,” he smirked, putting his hands on his hips. You rolled your eyes but headed down to the game room; your thoughts of nothing but him and God were they only getting more sinful. You mentally berated yourself as you set up the pool table for a game, grabbing a pool cue as Dean joined you. He did indeed have a bottle of whiskey and two glasses in hand, along with that damned smirk on his lips as he approached the pool table.

He poured you each a glass, holding yours out for you. Doing your best to focus on the glass and not his hand around it, you went over and gently took it from him.

“Happy New Year’s, Sweetheart,” he told you, gently tapping his glass against yours and giving you a slight nod.

“Happy New Year’s, Dean,” you replied, giving him a soft smile before taking a sip of the whiskey.

You hissed as it burned not only your tongue but all the way down your throat. It had been a while since you’d drank anything alcoholic. Making a mental note not to drink too much, figuring your tolerance had dropped drastically, you set your glass down on the border of the pool table. Dean grabbed a pool cue while you grabbed yours.

He seemed to have a cocky smirk as he turned to face the table, and you, then set his hands on the top of his cue, just watching you. You pulled your hair back into a ponytail with your cue tucked in your elbow, leaning it against your shoulder.

“Did you wanna go first?” you asked, finishing with your hair.

“Go ahead,” he replied fairly casually, but you swore there was a hint of something else there. You just couldn’t put your finger on it.

You eyed him for a moment, then took the opening shot. Your mind wasn’t really focused on the game, as it was like your mind thought of every dirty innuendo for literally everything, like when the balls would roll and then slide down one of the pockets. It only made your body warmer, or was it the whiskey? You figured it was probably both.

The game played out, and you were losing, badly. You also swore Dean was teasing you on purpose but wouldn’t accuse him of that outright. It wasn’t anything direct, and that was why. The way he’d lick his lips after he sipped his whiskey. Or the way he slid the pool cue almost suggestively between his thumb and index finger. It was sinful, to say the least. 

Then, there was the way he’d look up at you through those thick lashes of his just before he’d take his shot, and his eyes never left yours. Your first drink had gone down quickly, and you were trying to nurse the second one. However, when the man bent over right in front of you to take his shot, you inhaled deeply, downing the rest of your drink.

“You alright, Sweetheart?” he asked you as he took another shot from another side of the pool table.

“Fine. Why do you ask?” you replied, trying to act as nonchalantly as possible and ignore the heat that only seemed to intensify within your body.

“You seem… distracted,” he said, glancing up at you with a knowing smirk.

It has to be a sin for anyone to look that fucking hot playing pool.

“I’m just out of practice,” you replied, waving your hand and playing it off, or at least attempting to.

Dean just chuckled and shook his a little, and you could have sworn he missed the shot on purpose. However, you knew you couldn’t call him on it and win that argument. He did notice that your drink was empty as you moved to take your shot, so as you missed yet another shot, he filled your glass again before you could protest.

“Definitly distracted,” he chuckled, capping the whiskey bottle.

You’d already begun feeling the light buzz from your first two glasses and knew you’d have to stop after this one. “Out of practice,” you argued, attempting to give him a serious glare.

“Whatever you gotta tell yourself, Sweetheart,” he teased, leaning over to take his shot.

Stupid thoughts, stupid hormones, stupid bunker. God, why did I have to forget my damned toy.

You weren’t mad at him, far from it, but you still refused to get your hopes up that he was your soulmate. Just because he said he could feel your emotions and the name on him was the same as yours wasn’t enough proof for you. Plus, you were stubborn. 

The smirk never left his lips during the rest of the game. You noticed how he watched you, even when he was taking his own shots. Briefly, you wondered if he could tell that you were turned on and wanted him, but there was no way you were going to ask that. One thing you noticed, he’d only poured himself one drink and never refilled it. 

He suggested another game after that one, but you weren’t in the mood, not for pool, at least. You also weren’t sure you could trust yourself to cuddle with him and watch a movie. Between the alcohol and your thoughts, you needed to take care of yourself so you could think straight again.

“I’ve had three. I think I’m gonna call it an early night,” you told him, feeling comfortably buzzed but also far more aroused than you’d had to deal with before.

“Come on, Sweetheart. Just one more,” he pouted, and you could tell he was trying to make you give in.

“Dean, that’s not fair,” you whined, doing your best not to think about just how plump and soft his lips looked when he pouted the way he was.

“Well, I cooked you an amazing steak and saved whiskey, your favorite, for tonight. It’s New Year’s Eve. Just one more game, please,” he told you, giving you the most adorable puppy dog expression you’d seen on him yet.

“You’re cheating when you do that,” you protested, wanting so badly to look away, then groaned. “Fine, one more game, then I’m going to bed.”

He grinned triumphantly and set up the next game. You attempted to concentrate on the game, but your mind refused to let you. Your thoughts were of Dean doing utterly sinful things to you on that pool table, and he wasn’t helping get your thoughts on anything else. He still wasn’t doing anything directly. It was all subtle, and it was driving your body up the wall.

There was no way you were winning this one either; you were far too distracted to focus on taking your shot, especially when Dean stood directly in front of where your focus needed to be. You’d glare at him, but all he would do was smirk in response. You weren’t mad at him; you were just sexually frustrated, and he wasn’t making it any easier, just by being his usual self. That was what was more infuriating than anything. He didn’t have to do anything to get to you.

“You really are out of practice,” he chuckled when the game was over as he followed you back upstairs.

“I told you,” you huffed, praying that he really had believed that. 

“Looks like we’ll have to play more often. Get you back into practice,” he replied, sounding far too amused for your liking.

“I don’t see why not. I’m sure the whiskey didn’t help my chances any,” you retorted.

Dean chuckled again and followed you toward your room, at which point you stopped and turned to him, “Why are you following me?”

“Just wanted to give you a hug, since I know you won’t be staying up with me to watch a movie, and I don’t get my cuddles,” he replied with that devilish smirk of his.

You rolled your eyes but gave him a hug. As you wrapped your arms around his back, the scent that was all his engulfed your senses. You felt his arms around you, and there was a sense of safety there. Leaning your head against his chest, you sighed. 

That was when it hit you, almost like a ton of bricks. You didn’t want to let him go, and oddly enough, it had nothing to do with how your body felt. Dean rested his chin on the top of your head, just holding you close as the emotions rushed through your body.

No one in the town had wanted much to do with you, at least not anyone that wasn’t family. Now, there was Dean, who’d become your best friend. You didn’t want to let go of him, but you also couldn’t let yourself go with him. You knew that if you gave in and allowed yourself to get that close, that intimate, it’d only hurt more when your soulmate’s name fully appeared. If it wasn’t his, you weren’t sure you’d be able to go through that sort of heartache.

He’d begun pulling away, so you did the same, taking a step back and giving him a small smile, “See you in the morning. Try to get some sleep.” “You too, Sweetheart,” he replied, giving you a soft smile, but he didn’t come closer.

You closed your door and crawled into bed, snuggling up with your pillow in the darkness. A single tear slipped down your cheek when you finally let the thought you’d been fighting slip past your lips.

“I love him…” you whispered into the darkness.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 12

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[biblical-chronicles]

Helping hand

_____________________________________

where Guigsy helps you with a bassline.

Pt.1 | Pt.2

_____________________________________

The studio was as lively as ever, a constant hum of activity from different rooms bleeding into the halls. You were used to it by now, having spent enough time in these walls, running into the same faces. The Gallaghers were always lingering, whether it was Liam pacing the halls, chatting absolute nonsense at whoever would listen, or Noel deep in his own world, obsessing over some mix.

You got on with them well enough, Noel gave you the occasional nod of approval when he overheard your playing, and Liam, true to form, was always running his mouth about something. But there was one person you kept noticing, over and over again, yet had barely exchanged more than a few words with. That being Paul, or rather Guigsy.

He was always there, somewhere in the background, quietly getting on with it while the chaos of Oasis raged around him. If he wasn’t in the studio laying down bass, he was outside having a smoke, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, expression unreadable. You’d never seen him making a fuss or jumping into the Gallaghers' endless scraps, he seemed content to just be there, and for some reason, that made you curious.

But Guigsy never really spoke to you. Sure, he was friendly in passing—he’d give you a little nod if you caught each other’s eye, maybe even a “Y’alright?” if he was feeling particularly social. But that was it. No long conversations, no banter, just a quiet presence.

Which was why it felt almost strange to be standing outside his studio now, hesitating before knocking.

You had been working on a track for hours, everything flowing fine except for one stubborn bit. The bassline. No matter how hard you tried, it just wasn’t clicking. You weren’t a bassist, and while you could mess about enough to lay down a simple groove, this particular section needed something better. Something tighter. And Guigsy… well, he was the only bassist in the building you actually knew.

Taking a deep breath, you knocked.

It took a second before the door swung open, and there he was, looking mildly surprised to see you. His knit was slightly oversized, sleeves pulled over his hands, and he had that usual soft expression—though his brows did raise just slightly.

“…Alright?”

You shifted on your feet. “Hey. Uh—I know this is kinda out of nowhere, but… d’you reckon you could help me out with something?”

Guigsy blinked. “…Me?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “I need a bassline sorted, and I’m… well, proper shite at bass. Figured you might be the man for the job.”

For a moment, he just looked at you, unreadable as ever. Then, without much of a fuss, he shrugged and stepped aside, letting you in.

His studio was dimly lit, smelling faintly of cigarettes and something else—coffee, maybe. A few empty mugs sat abandoned on a side table, and his bass was resting on a stand in the corner, looking well-worn but well-loved.

“Alright,” he muttered, settling into his chair. “Let’s ‘ear it then.”

You played him the section, explaining what you were aiming for, where it wasn’t working. He listened without interrupting, his gaze steady, nodding along every now and then.

When you finished, he leaned forward, picking up his bass. “Yeah, alright,” he mumbled, fingers already idly testing a few notes. “Can prob’ly sort summat.”

You sat back, watching as he found the groove almost immediately, fingers plucking the strings with effortless precision. He didn’t overthink it, didn’t question himself—just felt it out. And as soon as he locked in, you knew.

It was perfect.

“Oh, yes, that’s it!” you grinned, the frustration of the past few hours melting away. “Can you record that?”

Guigsy just nodded, going through the motions without any grand declarations, no ego about it. He played it again, solid as ever, and within minutes, the track was sorted.

You exhaled, relief washing over you. “God, I could kiss you.”

You meant it as a figure of speech, but before you could even process what you’d said, you found yourself acting on pure impulse, arms wrapping around him in an excited hug.

It was only when you pulled back, catching the slight stiffness in his posture, that you realized what you’d done.

“Oh—shit, sorry,” you said quickly, stepping back. “Didn’t mean to—”

“S’alright.”

He said it quiet, almost like it didn’t cost him anything at all. But when you actually looked at him, you noticed the subtle flush creeping up his neck, the way his fingers curled slightly against his bass like he didn’t know what to do with them.

You hadn’t seen Guigsy flustered before. It was oddly endearing.

There was a pause. He was still sitting, and you were still standing close, your knee just barely brushing his. His eyes flicked to yours, then away, then back again.

You weren’t sure who moved first, but suddenly the space between you was closing. It was slow, hesitant, like you both had the same thought at the exact same time but weren’t sure if you were actually about to go through with it. Your eyes flickered between his, searching for any sign of hesitation, but he didn’t move away. Neither did you. And then—just like that—it happened. A kiss. Soft, barely there, but real. His lips were slightly chapped, his breath warm, his hand hovering just over your wrist as if unsure whether he should touch you properly.

When you pulled back, his eyes were wide, like even he couldn’t quite believe it had happened. You swallowed, your heartbeat pounding in your ears. “…Was that—?”

Guigsy exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck, looking almost dazed. “…Yeah.” There was a pause, a beat of silence stretching between you, before the corners of his lips twitched into the faintest smirk. He glanced at his bass, then back at you. “Guess that’s the best payment I’ve ever had for playin’ a couple o’ notes.”

You let out a laugh, shoving his shoulder lightly. “Piss off.” But your smile lingered. And so did his.

_____________________________________

know I said I'd take a break but I just felt bad for putting the guigs requests off so here ya go tried me best love x

tomorrow I'll be back on gallagherposting

part two x

[euclydia-family-au]

Chapter 1: Prologue | Euclydia family AU 

IN ENGLISH

**POV: Stanley**

Stanley Pines' life took a 180-degree turn the night he was kicked out of his home at the age of 17 for ruining a unique opportunity for his brother, Stanford Pines.

Everything started when Stanford announced that he wanted to attend a prestigious university, something that Stan would support. However, when he found out that his brother was abandoning his childhood dream, he didn't know how to handle the situation.

Breaking Ford's invention was never his intention; he only did it because his brother was leaving him alone at Glass Shard Beach with no support.

Being honest, he shouldn't have kept Ford in the dark about the broken invention until the last minute. He should have told him what happened and helped him fix that stupid thing.

Thanks to that, more or less, thanks to not doing something as simple, his brother thought he did it on purpose, his father kicked him out, and now he lived in his car, facing the consequences of his actions.

It could be worse, in reality, it could be that he was dead... sick... homeless...

Now he was trying to sleep. The cold air that seeped in was very cold, and there was an overwhelming silence. It was not comfortable to sit, but at least the seats were reclinable, so he could improvise a bed with all his clothes and his sleeping bag as a pillow.

He stole food and water whenever he found a store, so he could save those small thefts for gasoline. Of course, identifications and things that weren't money he left with their owner.

He could be a thief, but he wouldn't steal for pleasure. So...

Yes, well, you can't be too picky when you don't have much food, water, and gasoline.

Returning to the present moment, the winter cold was becoming more intense with each week; it was difficult to move, especially on the icy road.

He always wanted to see snow, but this was a cruel and ironic punishment from the universe.

Really needed food... he was running out...

Stan got out of the car, preferring to be inside, and if he was lucky, he could steal enough for a motel... motels were nice... in their own way.

Stan walked around. In this season, not many people went out, although it was a tourist area, as everyone was inside with blankets and hot chocolate...

He saw a couple in the distance. They looked... very happy... he rarely saw a couple who looked at each other like that.

The woman had a beautiful ash-blonde hair, with earrings in the shape of a triangle of blue color. Her dress and coat matched elegantly, and her shoes, without a doubt, of an expensive brand, were resistant to these temperatures.

The man, on the other hand, was a Pines in every sense of the word: tall, muscular, with a square jaw and a very familiar nose. But his hairstyle was elegant; it seemed that he had taken care of his hair when applying hair gel.

What were those two doing in the middle of the night, with the cold of New York, in this season of the year?

Stan hid a little while planning to approach. He hated doing this, but he had to steal food, as well as some blankets. Maybe, if he chose well, he could get a coat... God, maybe he could have hot chocolate; that would be wonderful...

**POV: Elena and Erick**

Elena and Erick were a loving couple. Their love story made you feel lighter than air every time they told it.

Elena is a sweet and caring woman, full of curiosity and a desire to learn, as well as a big and kind heart. But she was also very stubborn and brave when it came to defending her principles.

Erick, on the other hand, was much more gentle; he was the sweetest and most honest man you could find, but fiercely protective and an expert in business.

A loving, loyal, honest, and sweet couple who loved each other and, in fact, broke the stereotypes of the time.

For example, Erick cooks, and he does it wonderfully. He is also excellent in educational matters: mathematics, sciences, literature, and art, he is a very good singer, while Elena is good at boxing, is very good with cars, and works hard in her businesses.

A perfect couple who always manage to break the mold whenever they have the opportunity.

Their lives were almost perfect, as Elena had a very good business and earned enough, while Erick was a recognized teacher; he gave tutoring, paintings, and crafts.

Both had everything they could desire, except one thing: a baby...

The first years of marriage were wonderful, but when they expected to have a beautiful baby, tragedy hit them hard. Their little baby, whom they had already seen in an ultrasound, was born dead...

It was the first time pain knocked them down. Elena didn't eat for weeks, and Erick almost fell into depression at the idea of losing their little one...

They tried again, but after two more miscarriages, they came to the conclusion that Elena could not conceive without the risk of a spontaneous abortion or even that she could die...

The couple, who were not believers in anything in reality, prayed to anyone who would listen for them to be given the opportunity to raise a baby... a child... to have someone to love with all their soul and to be able to give them what they deserved.

While walking through New York to spend their weekend together, Elena thought about everything that had happened to get to that moment, everything they had suffered, and how, despite everything, they stayed together.

— Erick, dear...? — she began with some doubt — ... do you think...? — she hesitated — ... would you adopt a baby?

Erick stopped in shock, surprised by the idea.

— That... that is a very good idea... But, are you sure you can handle something like that? — However, in his eyes, hope shone.

— Yes... yes, if we can't bring a baby into the world, we can give a small one a place where they feel at home... loved... with parents who love them... wouldn't that be wonderful?

— ... it would be a dream come true...

The couple arrived at an alley. From there, a boy with a worn-out jacket came out and walked towards them.

The couple noticed the boy and greeted him kindly before passing him by, when Erick felt that someone was trying to take something from his pocket. His reaction was automatic; he took the boy's wrist with force.

The boy struggled while Elena screamed. Normally, she would fight against anyone who tried to hurt Erick, but when she saw that the boy almost managed to take the wallet, she was paralyzed.

Inside it wasn't only money, there were photos of her and her husband, and the most valuable thing they had: the photo of the ultrasound of their little baby.

The boy managed to break free from Erick's grip, his face covered by a worn-out bandana like his jacket. He retreated far enough to check the wallet, taking only the money.

— I'm sorry, I didn't want to cause problems... — the boy gave the wallet back to Erick before trying to run away.

Erick managed to stop him while Elena checked the wallet. The ultrasound photo was not there, so it must have been among the money that the boy took.

— The photo... the photo... — her voice broke, desperate, making the other two men stop.

The boy checked the money and found the ultrasound photo. His look of panic changed to one of shock and, afterwards, sadness.

— ... I'm sorry... I didn't want to take this... — his voice was soft, trembling, with fear and a little sadness — ... forgive me...

The boy, because now that they had stopped to look at him, was a young boy, he gave the money and the photo back to Elena, lowering his head ashamed.

— I'm sorry... I didn't want to take this...

Elena took the photograph, only the photograph, with trembling hands. She sighed in relief and carefully put the photo away in her husband's wallet.

Erick approached to hug Elena to comfort her while the boy looked at the money in his hands.

— ... that boy... he looked very young... — murmured Erick.

Elena looked at the ultrasound in her hands and put it back in her husband's wallet, before seeing where the boy went.

— ... he gave it all back... do you think he was alone...? — Elena began to imagine the worst.

— He looked very young... judging by his clothes and his voice, he was someone without much... maybe he needed the money for food or... drugs, maybe... — Erick didn't hesitate in that thought.

Both saw where the boy was going before looking at each other.

— ... do you want to follow him? — asked the man while the woman nodded.

— I think we should return the favor...

**POV: Stan**

Returning empty-handed would be considered a failure in his situation, especially due to the lack of food and money for gasoline.

But remembering what he heard from the couple, who were planning to have children and even possibly adopt one, as well as the ultrasound of a little baby that was theirs... he couldn't do something like that.

He, more than anyone, knew what it was like not to have money to survive, and imagining how those parents had to fight to take care of a baby on the way without that money was a limit he wouldn't cross...

When he got to his car, he was shaking; he hated the cold with all his soul. He entered the car and dried the snow off his body before lying down on his makeshift bed of clothes and sleeping bag.

Maybe a quick nap would help, at least he wouldn't think about hunger.

Just when he was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on the door.

Stanley froze, who could it be? A police officer? A vagrant looking for a place to sleep?

Stanley opened his eyes a little to see the man who had tried to rob him before.

Definitely he was crazy; the couple had followed him and now they were going to take him to the police for theft.

— Sorry, kid... — he said softly — can we talk for a moment?

Stanley felt he had no choice, so he took a moment to get out of the car. The cold, without a doubt, was horrible for him in this season.

The man looked at him from top to bottom; he seemed to be analyzing him carefully.

— Tell me, kid... how long have you been living like this?

Stanley didn't want to answer the question. He felt like an idiot to have to answer that to the person who had tried to rob him.

— Listen... I'm not angry... Elena isn't either... — he took money from his wallet — if you need the money, you can have it... with a condition... please, stay here until morning...?

Stan was shocked. This was a dream; that man really wanted to help him?

— Why do you want me to stay here until morning? — Stan asked.

— Because... I want to see you again tomorrow... that's all... — he said while giving the money to Stan — now go eat something, you need it...

With that, the man left while Stan looked at him, still unable to process it...

EN ESPAÑOL

**Punto de vista: Stanley**

La vida de Stanley Pines dio un giro de 180 grados la noche que fue echado de casa a los 17 años por haber arruinado una oportunidad única para su hermano, Stanford Pines.

Todo empezó cuando Stanford anunció que deseaba asistir a una prestigiosa universidad, algo que Stan apoyaría. Sin embargo, al enterarse de que su hermano dejaría de lado su sueño de la infancia, no supo cómo manejar la situación.

Romper el invento de Ford jamás fue su intención; realmente no tenía más objetivos que echarle la culpa porque su hermano lo iba a abandonar y se quedaría solo en Glass Shard Beach, sin nadie que lo apoyara.

Siendo honesto, no debió dejar que Ford se enterara del invento roto hasta el último momento. Debió decirle lo que había pasado y ayudarlo a arreglar esa estúpida cosa.

Gracias a eso, más bien, gracias a no hacer algo tan sencillo, su hermano creyó que lo hizo a propósito, su padre lo echó de casa y ahora vivía en su auto, enfrentando las consecuencias de sus actos.

Podría ser peor, en realidad, podría estar muerto... podría estar enfermo... sin un lugar que llamar hogar...

Ahora estaba tratando de dormir. El aire que se filtraba era muy frío y había un silencio abrumador. No era para nada cómodo estar sentado, pero al menos los asientos son reclinables, así que podía improvisar una cama con toda su ropa y su bolsa de lona como almohada.

La comida y el agua las robaba cuando encontraba alguna tienda, así que podía ahorrar de esos pequeños robos para conseguir gasolina. Eso sí, las identificaciones y cosas que no fueran dinero las dejaba con su dueño.

Podrá ser un ladrón, pero no robaría cosas así por gusto. Así que…

Sí, bueno, no puedes ser tan quisquilloso cuando no tienes mucha comida, agua y gasolina.

Volviendo al momento actual, el frío del invierno se volvía más intenso con cada semana; era difícil moverse, especialmente por la carretera helada.

Siempre quiso ver la nieve, pero esto era un cruel e irónico castigo de parte del universo.

Realmente necesitaba comida... se estaba acabando...

Stan salió del vehículo, aunque lo preferiría dentro, y si tenía suerte, podría robar suficiente para un motel... los moteles eran lindos... a su manera.

Stan caminaba alrededor. En esta época, no muchos son los que salen, aunque es una zona turística, ya que todos están adentro con mantas y chocolate caliente...

Vio a lo lejos a una pareja charlando. Se veían... muy felices... pocas veces había visto una pareja que se mirara así.

La mujer tenía un hermoso cabello rubio cenizo, con unos aretes en forma de triángulo de color azul. Su vestido y abrigo combinaban elegantemente, y sus zapatos, sin duda de una marca cara, eran resistentes a estas temperaturas.

El hombre, por otro lado, era un Pines en toda la expresión de la palabra: alto, musculoso, con un mentón cuadrado y una nariz muy familiar. Pero su peinado era elegante; parecía que había cuidado mucho de su apariencia a la hora de aplicar gel para el cabello.

¿Qué hacían esos dos en medio de la noche, con el frío de Nueva York, en esta época del año?

Stan se escondió un poco mientras planeaba acercarse. Odiaba hacer esto, pero tenía que conseguir comida, además de algunas mantas. Tal vez, si elegía bien, podría tener un abrigo... Dios, tal vez podría tomar chocolate caliente; eso sería maravilloso...

**Punto de vista: Elena y Erick**

Elena y Erick eran una pareja amorosa. Su historia de amor hacía que te sintieras más ligero que el aire cada vez que la contaban.

Elena es una mujer dulce y cariñosa, llena de curiosidad y deseo de aprender, así como de un corazón grande y bondadoso. Pero también era muy testaruda y valiente cuando se trataba de defender sus principios.

Erick, por otro lado, era mucho más gentil; el hombre más dulce y honesto que podrías encontrar, pero ferozmente protector y un experto en los negocios.

Una pareja amorosa, leal, honesta y dulce, que se amaba y, de hecho, se salía de los estereotipos de la época.

Por ejemplo, Erick cocina, y lo hace de manera magnífica. tambien es excelente en temas educativos: matemáticas, ciencias, literatura y arte, es un muy buen cantante, por otro lado, Elena es buena boxeando, es muy buena con los autos y trabaja duro en sus negocios

Una pareja perfecta que se sale del molde en cada oportunidad que tienen para hacerlo.

Sus vidas son casi perfectas, ya que Elena tiene una empresa muy buena y gana bastante, mientras que Erick es un maesro reconocido; hace tutorias, pinturas y manualidades hermosas.

Ambos tienen todo lo que podrían desear, excepto una cosa: un bebé...

Los primeros años de casados fueron una maravilla, pero cuando esperaban tener un hermoso bebé, la tragedia los golpeó con fuerza. Su pequeño bebé, al que ya habían visto en una ecografía, nació muerto...

Fue la primera vez que el dolor los derribó. Elena no comió durante semanas y Erick casi cae en depresión ante la idea de perder a su pequeño...

Intentaron más veces, pero después de dos abortos más, llegaron a la conclusión de que Elena no podía concebir sin el riesgo de un aborto espontáneo o incluso de que ella pudiera morir...

La pareja, que no era creyente de nada en realidad, rezaba a cualquiera que escuchara para que pudieran darles la oportunidad de criar un bebé... un niño... tener a alguien a quien amar con toda el alma y poder darle lo que merece.

Mientras caminaban por Nueva York para pasar su fin de semana juntos, Elena pensó en todo lo que había pasado para llegar a ese momento, todo lo que sufrieron y cómo, a pesar de todo, siguieron juntos.

— Erick, querido... ¿Tú crees...? — empezó con algo de duda — ... ¿Tú querrías que adoptáramos un bebé?

Erick se detuvo en seco, sorprendido ante la idea.

— Esa... esa es una idea muy buena... Pero, ¿estás segura de que podemos manejar algo así? — Sin embargo, en sus ojos brillaba la esperanza.

— Sí... si no podemos traer a un bebé al mundo, podemos darle a alguien pequeño un lugar donde se sienta en casa... amado... con padres que lo quieran... ¿No sería maravilloso?

— ... sería un sueño hecho realidad...

La pareja llegó a un callejón. De ahí, un chico con chaqueta desgastada salió y caminó, acercándose a ellos.

La pareja notó al chico y lo saludó amablemente antes de pasar a su lado, cuando Erick sintió que alguien trataba de sacar algo de su bolsillo. Su reacción fue automática; tomó la muñeca del ladrón con fuerza.

El ladrón forcejeaba mientras Elena gritaba. Normalmente, ella pelearía contra cualquier persona que intentara lastimar a Erick, pero al ver que el ladrón casi lograba llevarse la cartera, la dejó paralizada.

Dentro no solo había dinero, había fotos de ella y su marido, y lo más valioso que tenían: la foto de la ecografía de su pequeño bebé.

El ladrón logró soltarse del agarre, su cara cubierta por una bufanda desgastada como su chaqueta. Retrocedió lo suficiente para revisar la billetera, sacando solo el dinero.

— L-lo siento, no quiero tener problemas... — El chico le entrega la cartera a Erick antes de intentar salir corriendo.

Erick logra detenerlo mientras Elena revisa la cartera. La foto del ultrasonido no estaba ahí, así que debía estar entre el dinero que el ladrón tomó.

— L-la foto... l-la f-foto — su voz se quiebra, desesperada, haciendo que los otros dos hombres se detengan.

El chico revisa el dinero y encuentra la foto del ultrasonido. Su mirada de pánico cambia a una de shock y, después, a tristeza.

— ... lo... lo siento... — su voz era suave, temblorosa, con miedo y algo de tristeza — ... perdónenme...

El chico, porque ahora que se habían detenido a verlo, era un chico joven, le entrega todo el dinero y la foto a Elena, bajando la cabeza avergonzado.

— Lo lamento... no quise llevarme esto...

Elena toma la fotografía, solo la fotografía, con manos temblorosas. Sospira aliviada y abraza con cuidado la foto.

Erick se acerca a abrazar a Elena para tranquilizarla mientras el chico mira el dinero en sus manos.

— ... ¿Qué estoy haciendo? — susurró — ustedes necesitan esto más que yo...

El chico les devuelve el dinero con una mirada avergonzada.

— Lo siento mucho...

La pareja ve como el chico se aleja de ellos, cabizbajo.

— ... ese chico... se veía muy joven... — murmuró Erick.

Elena miró la ecografía en sus manos y la guardó de nuevo en la cartera de su esposo, antes de ver a dónde se fue el chico.

— ... él nos devolvió todo... ¿Tú crees que él solo...? — Elena empezó a imaginar lo peor.

— Se veía muy joven... a juzgar por su ropa y su voz, es alguien sin mucho... tal vez quería el dinero para cosas como comida o... drogas, tal vez... — Erick no se quedaba atrás ante ese pensamiento.

Ambos ven a dónde se dirigía el chico antes de mirarse entre sí.

— ... ¿Quieres seguirlo? — pregunta el hombre mientras la dama asiente.

— Fue lo suficientemente humano para devolvernos algo tan importante... creo que deberíamos devolverle el favor...

**Punto de vista: Stan**

Volver con las manos vacías se consideraría un fracaso en su situación, especialmente por la falta de comida y dinero para la gasolina.

Pero recordar lo que escuchó de la pareja, que planeaban tener hijos e incluso tal vez adoptar uno, más la ecografía de un pequeño bebé que era de ellos... no podía hacer algo así.

Él, más que nadie, sabe lo que es no tener el dinero para sobrevivir, e imaginar cómo esos padres tienen que luchar para cuidar de un bebé en camino sin ese dinero era un límite que no iba a cruzar...

Cuando llegó a su auto, estaba temblando; odiaba el frío con toda su alma. Entró al vehículo y se secó la nieve del cuerpo antes de recostarse en su cama improvisada de ropa y bolsa de lona.

Tal vez una siesta rápida ayude, así al menos no pensará en el hambre.

Justo cuando se estaba quedando dormido, alguien toca la puerta.

Stanley se queda congelado, ¿quién podría ser? ¿Algún oficial de policía? ¿Algún vagabundo que busca un lugar para dormir?

Stanley abre un poco los ojos para ver al hombre al que intentó robarle antes.

Definitivamente estaba jodido; la pareja lo había seguido y ahora lo llevarían a la policía por ladrón.

— Disculpa, jovencito... — dijo el hombre con voz suave — ¿Podemos hablar un momento?

Stanley siente que no tendrá opción, así que se toma un poco de tiempo antes de salir del vehículo. El frío, sin duda, era horrible para él en esta época.

El hombre lo mira de arriba a abajo; parecía analizarlo detenidamente.

— Dime, muchacho... ¿Hace cuánto vives así?

Stanley no quiere responder a la pregunta. Se siente como un idiota al tener que responder eso a la persona que intentó robar.

— ... escucha... no estoy enojado... Elena tampoco... — sacando dinero de su cartera — si necesitas el dinero, puedes tenerlo... con una condición... por favor, quédate aquí hasta la mañana... ¿Puedes hacer eso por mí?

Stan sintió que estaba soñando. ¿Esto era real? ¿Ese hombre en verdad quiere ayudarlo?

— ¿Por qué quieres que me quede aquí hasta mañana? — pregunta Stan.

— Porque... quiero volver a verte mañana... es todo... — dijo Erick mientras le entregaba el dinero a Stan — ahora ve a comer algo, lo necesitas...

Con eso, el hombre se aleja mientras Stan lo mira aún sin poder procesarlo...

[daisyychainssj]

I know the whole Richas and Tallulah conflict happened hours ago and it reached a resolution and stuff but I'm just now catching up with it so I'm gonna write out my feelings about it because I think the whole thing and the way everyone is interpreting it differently is really interesting. I'm probably going to end up saying things that people said like hours ago so sorry if it's a bit repetitive to read!

!THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE CHARACTERS NOT THE CCS!

Richas POV - Okay so firstly, Richas' pov is probably the most complicated because he (obviously) has a much more complex relationship and understanding of the paintings. Not only do they cause him to be distressed because of how they're created but seeing it up on Philza's wall has just shown him that his pai Cellbit betrayed his trust. He didn't get rid of the paintings and instead has been just handing them out behind his back and I can't imagine how gut wrenching that must've been. Tallulah get's defensive about the painting and so she becomes the target of all of his hurt, frustration and fear. He is so worked up over this (understandably) and is getting increasingly frustrated because nobody is listening to him. He didn't agree to the "not be siblings anymore" ultimatum because he truly felt that way, I think he was just blinded by pure desperation. This poor kid NEEDS to be given the opportunity to sit down with someone and open up about this whole Romero Richas situation and he needs to be listened to and his fears taken seriously.

Tallulah POV - Now onto Tallulah's pov. For Tallulah this painting is a cute art piece of her papa phil and her brother Chayanne and suddenly her other brother is demanding that he take it back. Yes it's his painting but also she's a kid, in her eyes this painting was given to them and it's theirs now why would she give it back just so it can be destroyed? Also, Tallulah is the sweet egg! the kind egg! oh she's just so lovely and that's all there is to her!!!!! (sense my sarcasm here) sometimes when that is the way that someone presents themselves it's because they're scared that if they aren't that way they won't be liked/loved and people will leave if they're not prefect. This girl has abandonment issues on top of abandonment issues and Richas agreed to not be her sibling anymore over a painting. So this impacted her HARD. (we ofc know Richas didn't mean it but her character didn't) Tallulah acts out and (from her pov) stands her ground for once and now her brother doesn't want to be her brother anymore. I also think her throwing a tantrum and being a bratty made some of the audience even more shocked and dare I say frustrated at Tallulah behaving like this during this situation because that's not how they're used to her being. She was being stubborn and giving these intense ultimatums but she can be like this I think people just don't see it often because she only really lets her guards down in that way infront of Phil and Chayanne.

So now you have two extremely worked up kids who won't really listen to each other because their emotions are so heightened and that's to be expected! Children can not and should not be expected to regulate their emotions in the same way adults can.

Forever POV - His entire pov of the situation is very interesting to me. I see a lot of people criticising the way he handled this and to a certain extent I do agree. However, I think something that is being overlooked is that Forever perhaps wanting to make sure Tallulah was okay is because that is not his child. He only got permission literally yesterday to look after her after being previously denied. With Richas he can sit with him for HOURS afterwards if needed to try and talk through things. He has to drop Tallulah home in like an hour. It's very obvious to everyone on the island how close she is with Phil, she will tell him everything that happened during her time with the other parents. It makes sense, to me, for Forever to want to try and smooth the situation out as fast as he can and make everything okay. Do I think that makes the way he acted completely fine. No. but I don't think it makes zero sense for him to have acted that way. Also, him being Richas' pai means he's seen Richas have tantrums and be dramatic and bratty, he's never ever seen Tallulah do that so yeah he's going to panic and be like "oh shit I need to calm her down/make sure she's okay because this is unusual". I really do wish he had taken Richas' feelings and concerns more more seriously and hadn't just left him for a bit hopefully in the future he makes sure that he does that. It's a learning curve and he's learning to parent as he goes! He crash landed on an island and then got a child dropped into his lap to take care of so he's kinda just learning on the job.

BBH POV - I don't really have much to say here, I think bad handled the situation well given what he canonically knows about the Romero Richas situation (which is basically nothing) He encouraged Tallulah to talk things through with Richas and kept explaining how important their bond is and idk I just think BBH did a really good job.

Overall, I LOVE that the eggs are getting storylines with each other and are learning and growing. I'm so glad that Richas and Tallulah made up, they both need a warm hug and some hot chocolate or something after that whole ordeal. Little kids feeling big emotions for the first time is tough! but they did great <3

(I apologise if I missed anything important that happened between Richas and Forever when they were alone, I don't speak Portuguese but I tried my best based on the bits and pieces that the wonderful Portuguese speakers on here have translated!)

Anyway that's my long ass essay done! <3

[vorbarrsultana]

the vampire lestat reread, pt. 1 (lestat and nickistat)

also known as "i decided to reread tvl after the season finale because some takes i've seen online give me the impression i read a completely different book two years ago". i've finished it two days ago, and turns out i have more than 5000 words of notes that significally exceed tumblr character limit. so, i had to split them into three parts.

here is part one, all about dramatic theater kids full of love, sad violinists of infinite beauty, and friends-to-lovers romances doomed by the narrative.

i love lestat.

i forgot how fun and likable tvl lestat is from page one. and how different he is from his fanon characterization!

lestatposting is fun, i get it, but i am starting to get annoyed at the amount of fanfics where lestat needs someone to help him adapt to modern times. he is doing fine on his own, thank you. it took him less than two weeks to start a rock band.

(and the whole iphone thing from "prince lestat" is more about him not seeing it as something useful since he has a mind-skype ability to talk to any vamp on planet earth, and they cannot decline the call.)

lestat is not stupid. impulsive? yes. stubborn? of course. but clever, resourseful, and cunning when he needs to be. all of this makes him a great hunter! also, really thoughtful when the mood strikes, and his quiet, existential moments have some of the best prose in that book.

i wish someone smarter than me wrote a good meta about lestat & social class because he really seems to buy into the idea of "noblesse oblige" i.e. the belief that aristocrats are obliged to take care of those less fortunate. it's present in the way he kills the wolf pack for the villagers (who live on his father's land), and later takes responsibility for the theatre troupe & remnants of armand's coven, even though he doesn't owe them anything.

also, characterization of lestat as someone socially cluesless is simply untrue. sure, he plays dumb on occasion (and hates it every time because early life illiteracy trauma), but he is also good at reading people. like, he got a pretty accurate read of armand behind the angelic facade during their first face-to-face meeting. the only people he has trouble reading are those closest to him because he heavily projects his abandonment issues on them.

lestat's struggle of being "too much" contrasts nicely with the struggle of never being enough which is so crucial to louis. hashtag made for each other.

and juxtaposition of lestat's desire to be loved for who he is and louis's struggle with identity is also delicious.

this time i also related so much to lestat's "malady of mortality" and his search for meaning in the world. which ultimately fails because he is forcibly turned into a monster, and now every ounce of happiness he might bring into the world (and lestat desperately wants to do good!) is outweighed by him killing to survive.

and marius later reinforced the belief that vampirism has no higher purpose, and no wonder that nola!lestat is a shell of his former self.

lestat's turning is the most classic horror moment of the vampire chronicles to me. the mina harker of it all. the creature of night shrouded in terror snatching an innocent victim from the arms of their love right before bleak november sunrise.

also, all the implications of what magnus has done to lestat were even more clear during this reread, and i wonder if that was the reason rolin "i-love-narrative-parallels" jones added bruce into claudia's story.

the book also explains perfectly why lestat is so well suited for vampirism. his curiosity, thirst for new experiences, and adventuring spirit are his eternal engine on the devil's road :)

however, the downside of that personality facet is that lestat steamrolls over his trauma telling himself "this is fine! look, satan, i am making the best of it", which in turn leads to the iwtv nola mess.

and i feel like this constant search for positives in vampirism (that unwilligly turned lestat & claudia share) is why they can't really relate to louis, who chose it for himself. if these two start to get too existential, the temptation to throw themselves into the fire might become unbearable.

lestat equating his loneliness with his evilness is interesting, but i have nothing to say about that for now other than equation being there.

lestat's explosive temper is also present in the book. there is a constant pattern of lestat doing things he regrets the most (like the theater performance fiasco or eating people at notre dame's steps) when he is angry or upset.

let's talk about nicki. i love him, despite half of fandom hating on him for some reason.

lestat has a type, which is "good catholic boy" with narrow view of good and evil. except louis is of a parent's favorite, conforming variety, and nicki is the rebellious one, driven to the utmost cynicism by religious dogmas.

however, despite being a self-proclaimed cynic, nicki practically drowns in catholic guilt, almost reveling in the fact that everything he does, from playing violin in the boulevard theater to having an affair with lestat, is wrong. there is no meaning in anything, and he is doomed to die a sinner's death.

he is doomed! by the narrative though.

lestat and nicki's philosophical difference seems to be that nicki (unlike lestat) does not believe in inherent goodness of the positive emotions. for him, "sin always feels good", therefore happiness they bring performing = sin.

but still, nickistat's love is so touching. after lestat ghosts nicki to protect him, he still trusts lestat's love for him and the troupe, thinks best of him, and shuts down all nasty rumours. in turn, lestat equates all the good that was in his mortal life, all his hopes and dreams with nicki. he is a symbol of everything magnus took from him.

AND THEY COMMUNICATE THROUGH MUSIC, AND IT'S THEM AT THEIR BEST, AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

nicki almost became lestat's charlie. when they meet face to face for the first time after lestat's transformation, he can barely contain his hunger magnified by attraction.

the most terribly sad thing about nicki is the unfairness of all that happened to him. he had seen lestat being shot right before him, then he disappeared with dying gabrielle, then the coven kidnapped and tortured him until he lost his mind.

and for nicki, the dark gift is a confirmation of everything he believes in being true. the meaninglessness of it all. evil being the only certain thing in the world. the way to fall into a deeper, darker abyss than the one that was before the mortal him. and it is a confirmation that lestat's inner light he loved so much will eventually burn out.

(his spark in the dark, if you will.)

(and lestat's dream before turning nicki hurts, because he dreams of growing up and growing old together, of maturing past magnus's eternal lelio with sunlight in his hair and summer sky in his eyes. oh, the lesdaughter of it all.)

there is certainly a parallel between nickistat's bitter "in darkness, we are equal now" vs loustat's comforting "in the quiet dark, we were equals".

[bastardtrait]

Legacy superlatives tag game

hello babes I found this really old tag game that was being passed around simblr like almost 10 years ago and I thought it was funky and fun. I brought it back for the legacy girls. I'm tagging some folks who've got a few generations under their belt, so: @beebeesiims @simsandgiggles @natolesims @bearphase @akitasimblr but if you see this n u wanna participate please feel free to!! <3 I will be answering for Nova and Lucky bc they're both done as of October 2024.

Favourite heirs

Nova: HONESTLY I think my 9th generation heiress has officially dethroned Musica from gen. 2, like I genuinely feel like I went out with a bang.

Lucky: I love Iain from gen. 5 okay he's been through a lot. I put old boy through a victorian death trap of a story and he still made it out flaws and all.

more below...

Favourite spouses

Nova: this is really hard but I think it's Neveah from gen. 6 by @lizillasimming. I had genuinely so much fun with her and she even got her own solo adventure like hello? mother

Lucky: OOHHH this is really hard but I love Chen Ruiyang from gen. 4 mainly because he had the most fleshed out story between Magnolia and his generation and also bc he's hot like. yes daddy.

Favourite spares

Nova: hmm I guess I'll hand it to Crow from gen. 3 bc he appeared as a side character in the Luckys too! but then again Soma from gen. 8 is about to be in another save, so it's up in the air.

Lucky: Sara from gen. 3 thank u bye! actually, I loved Ibrahim too; gen 3 kids were just built different

Favorite side characters, if you do story-oriented saves (skip if not)

Nova: ok this save was really inconsistent with story lmfao but I'll hand it to ... idk Lim Shiyeon from gen. 3? she was not a good person but she gave us Delilah at least so.

Lucky: of COURSE it's miss Khadijah Daniel from gen. 3! she ran Finn's office like a naval commander. but I also have to give an honourable mention to Jiang Yuqi from gen. 4 because she's mother.

Mishaps during your legacy

Nova: let's discuss Salem from gen. 7 dying in a glitched out fire that the firefighters refused to save him from!!! damn!!! that shit pissed me off so bad bro

Lucky: umm it's obviously Shaw from gen. 7 fucking DYING BEFORE HIS GENERATION COULD EVEN START OMFGG.....like are u kidding me dawg!!! i had PLANS FOR U!!!!!

fuck man, 7th generations of my legacies are bad omens...

Largest number of children

Nova: oh let's talk about how Jericho and Day-Day from gen. 1 had four kids: TWO sets of twins in a row?!! i actually quit this save for the first time because of that AJDSIOFDSKF

Lucky: Franklin and Bayram from gen. 2 had three, and that's not even counting all their dependent animals. six chickens, two cows, and a llama! and one Sister Elisabeth.

Any surprises

Nova: that I even FINISHED THIS SAVE AT ALL. lmfao. I abandoned it like 3 times dude! but I'm nothing if not stubborn. and also that I ended up really loving my final 9th generation. I can't wait to post that one.

Lucky: that I pulled out all the stops for the story portion of gen. 6? tbh that was the most story for TS4 i'd ever worked on, and it was hard, I won't lie. but rewarding. and I'm terribly satisfied with the results.

Favorite family pet why this is question so low smh.

Nova: aw now come on, it has to be my baby Tango from gen. 4. a little stray that went up to Delilah to ask for a home...and she took him in...I love u Tango...

Lucky: now can this go to anybody but Cake Boss from gen. 4? the immortal dog so iconic she also appeared in TWO Nova generations? like hello?

[sparklesdogs]

Hello hello 👋😊

Thank you for answering my asks! :))

I really love your au so much it literally scratches that spider optimus itch and that tfa itch that has been bothering me when i read the scrapped season four plans and realized that hasbro are cowards and should have renewed the show for more seasons.

But I have a question what happened to the Dinobots? Are they still kicking or they all got scrapped? And is wasp or anyone else going to get turned into an Predacon?

After the events of the Archa Seven accident did both Sentinel and Elita get demoted or did they have to return back to the academy due to the higher ups realizing that they aren’t ready yet.

And I’m sorry if I’m over sending too many asks and questions your fanfic is literally in my brain rent free

(I can’t wait for the next chapter, but please take your time to write and answer) :33

★彡

Hey hey!

I'm glad to hear that it scratches your spider Optimus itch! It was an AU that I thought about a lot when I was first getting into the TFA fandom- even before Arachnus Prime was revealed to the public lol. I wrote Those Abandoned and honestly didn't think I was going to make a sequel. But I got the sudden inspiration one day and wrote like.. 4 chapters in one go and thought "hey, why not?"

I was so upset when I saw that there was a planned season 4 that was never released too! Shattered Glass?? Role swap?? A TF fan's best dreams were destroyed with that season not getting made. Although, to be fair, they stopped it from getting made so that Prime could come out. I wouldn't have minded both shows co-existing though..

For the Dinobots, yes, they're still kicking. They're over on Dinobot island. I'm not sure how much I'll go into depth about their origin 'cause it's basically the same from the show. It just happened before Orion's group arrived. I will say one thing: It was First Aid who helped them escape ;).

For Predacons, I'm probably not going to include them. In the show, they're made by Blackarachnia. Since she doesn't exist here and it's Orion instead.. I'm not. Maybe if he was more scientifically-inclined like Blackarachnia was in the show, but since he isn't and is more of a general or a commander and actually has a crew, he doesn't feel the need to make "more like him".

The incident on Archa Seven definitely went a lot different. In the show, Optimus is very much a push-over when it comes to taking responsibility (Sentinel shoves him under the bus on MULTIPLE occasions and he still doesn't say anything). In my AU, it was Sentinel and Elita who were brought forth to answer what happened. Elita is more bull-headed and stubborn than Optimus and I doubt she'd let Sentinel throw her under the bus. So, they were both punished since neither would admit to being at fault. Plus, I think, out of the 3, Ultra Magnus could recognize that Optimus and Elita were the better candidates for Magnus rather than Sentinel. So, he gave Sentinel and Elita an equal punishment to seem like he is fair, but in reality, it's so that Elita kinda still has a back door into getting back in.

But then Rodimus appeared and I think he is now the best candidate, so that's why he takes Rodimus everywhere and gives him valuable experiences. You may have noticed that Rodimus, unlike Sentinel, is actually fairly diplomatic. Ultra Magnus recognized that Rodimus would be willing to learn and has done so well. Rodimus is definitely still immature off to the side (because I love his LL and MTMTE self), but he's serious when he needs to be.

Don't worry about sending too many asks! Like I said, I love answering questions about this AU!

[thatseventiesbitch]

Hi!! I would love to hear what you think Donna's consistent main flaws are since people accuse the writers of making her too perfect?! I kind of love that Eric the 'softer' one in that relationship - it's a great subversion of gender roles, especially for that era!

Thanks for the question! I enjoyed answering it - it turned into a little essay.

Donna's Flaws

Donna, like all of the main characters, has flaws. I don't think she was painted as perfect at all, but rather as a realistic teenage girl experiencing her first serious relationship, the disintegration of her parents' marriage, and the social conflicts of the '70s.

For example, she was not always the best at communicating - especially with Eric. See: S2xE21 "Kelso's Serenade". She and Eric got into a massive argument because she wasn't honest about her feelings, and that she was bothered by him hanging out with his friends instead of her. Or in S3xE15 "Donna's Panties". She tells Jackie:

Why doesn't Eric understand that when I said I'm fine I meant I will be fine... so long as he kisses my ass for two weeks until I'm actually fine? He's like, brain damaged.

Donna expects Eric to read her mind, and then gets upset with him when he doesn't. Is it annoying? Yes. A flaw? Yes. Also highly relatable, especially for high school relationships? Also yes. Plus, Red and Kitty have shades of this in their relationship, too.

Another flaw? Donna's stubborn. (So is Eric)

In S3xE11 "Who Wants It More", Donna is the one who breaks their impasse and initiates sex at the end of the episode, but when Eric starts to gloat about winning their competition she's willing to walk away rather than admit she gave in first. In S7xE23 "Take It Or Leave It", she's upset by Eric's decision to go to Africa without talking to her, so she makes up a fake date with one of her co-workers to try to make Eric jealous/rethink his choice. In S5xE9 "Black Dog", she fights with Eric throughout the entire episode about whether it's better to give your partner attention/extra love when they're upset, or space. Etc.

And lastly, despite everything she outwardly projects, Donna ends up being a fairly dependent character. Is this a flaw? Not necessarily. It's just an interesting dichotomy - Donna yearns to be fiercely independent and seems to inherently value that, but at the core of who she is, she's not.

Unlike Kelso she doesn't enjoy the California beaches, but instead is miserable all summer until Eric arrives. She accepts Eric's proposal (in high school!). She doesn't get on the bus - she delays college to stay in Point Place with Eric. She buys the trailer. She waited around in Point Place for a year while Eric was in Africa. She says things like,

"My guidance counselor gave [these college brochures] to me, but I already told him that I'm going wherever you go." (S5xE7 "Hot Dog")

and

"I mean, Eric, I loved [Marquette], and when I was driving home, I was so excited to tell you about it, and then the drive took forever, and I realized that's how far away I'd be from you all the time, and I don't want that. So I'll just tell my dad I want to go to U.W. with you." (S5xE6 "Over The Hills And Far Away")

and

"I don't want you to go. You've always been like, twenty steps away from me my entire life. What am I supposed to do without you?" (S7xE23 "Take It Or Leave It")

I think to dismiss or deny this pattern as "out of character" is to ignore an important part of Donna's characterization: she's really dependent. On Eric, yes. But as soon as she and Eric break-up, what is her modus operandi? To start dating a new boyfriend.

I just think it's interesting, and not often (or ever?) discussed. Worth noting that these instances are most pronounced in the second half of the series, and that Donna wasn't this way in the earlier seasons. What happened midway through the series? Her parents split up/mom abandoned her/her family disintegrated. Hmmm.

[casvonriegan]

I love that I got to rewatch good omens a few times while I was visiting home (and again yesterday) because I just LOVE just really getting to notice and feel the Little Things that you don't always catch the first go around. Getting to really deeply understand the characters.

The little things between Aziraphale and Crowley. Prolonged looks, the music that accompanies the more heartfelt moments (Crowley saving the books, Aziraphale bringing Crowley the holy water). Crowley wanting them to go off together, to have "their side" Aziraphale being so torn between following Crowley (his heart) or Heaven (his mind, what's expected of him).

The way Crowley is constantly lamenting his fall! Like that tears me up, he didn't mean to fall, he was just around the wrong people. He hates saying he fell. Whether that be because he hates the prospect of falling in general (and why Armageddon/the war "needs" to happen in the first place) or he hates that he specifically fell, and it tore him away from being "good." His own constant battle between doing Good things (his heart) or doing Bad things (his mind, what's expected of him).

The way Crowley always comes back even when Aziraphale is so stubborn! It's so easy for him to do what he's not supposed to and spend time with Az, want to be with him, want to abandon Hell and make their own side and save humanity; he's a demon after all, doing wrong is what he does. But he's so PATIENT with Az as he waits for him to finally come to terms with what Aziraphale wants to do, not what he is expected to do. Crowley is always there ready to take his hand and guide him down the path that he wants to take!!! They trust each other so much and there is such a deep love there, be it platonic or romantic or WHATEVER it's so obvious that they love each other so much.

Also, the little tidbits that pop up that just make you go "ah yes, a Neil Gaiman trademark" like if you didn't already know it was his work, that's something that would give it away once you saw it (so many sci fi elements mixed in with the religious elements and its so glorious)

I haven't even read the book yet but I can't W A I T I'm probably even gonna annotate it so I don't forget any of my thoughts about it because I'm just insane and I love Good Omens I love the Ineffable Husbands GAH