#you fix a guy's almost-stolen eyeball once...

[rozaceous]

@arc-esius

no massacre au aka tsunade gets her grubby hands on mariko

Mariko is probably the only one aware of the giant bullet dodged by the Uchiha Clan being alive, but that's fine, she'll take it, everything is soooo much better like this, she can feel it.

Curse of Hatred who? Tsukuyomi? Never heard of her. Danz--well, heard of him, actually, but it was a big deal that he died, and not just to Mariko. There was halfway a coup and everything leading up to it.

Somehow, however, Mariko gets roped into becoming Konoha's bestest little Uchiha eyeball medic. She's not sure, exactly, how this happens, but she thinks it has something to do with the Uchiha not trusting a Senju with their doujutsu despite how they're the ones who put Tsunade in power in the first place. And they're definitely not letting a Hyuuga have a peek.

Mariko still thinks they should've picked Shizune.

Eyes aren't even her favorite body part! She's a spine girl all the way!

And Tsunade's still the one teaching her, so the cognitive dissonance at play here--

"Sooo," she drawls to an amused-looking Uchiha Itachi, whom she's cornered at his tea shop during slow hours. The tea's good here, but tea shops in general aren't her scene. She prefers a full-on food stall. "Say a girl needs to fix the implanted doujutsu on a man who's been allowed to have said implanted doujutsu, but she suspects there's some secret sauce underlying the mechanics of the eyeball in question. Who would that girl talk to about the secret sauce?"

"I'll let Father know you'd like to speak to him," Itachi says.

Mariko slumps. "I like your dad, but come on."

[lailyn]

This Magical Journey Called Multiple (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark/Stephen Strange

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Drama, Idiots In Love, Mpreg

Summary: Loki thought he had struck gold this lifetime around, having found not one, but two loves at once. This new life he is carrying could only be a blessing, so why isn't everybody happy?

“I am not injured,” Loki insisted. “It was the heat, it must have gotten to me.”

“It’s still a good idea to take it easy, Bambi. Heat stroke is one of those things that can hit you from out of nowhere,” Tony said.

At Stephen’s mildly-impressed look, Tony gave a modest shrug. “We’ve been together how long? Of course I’ve picked up a few things.”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “At least something good has come out of it.”

Ignoring Tony’s indignant ‘Hey!’, Stephen conjured a tall, cool glass of water and offered it to Loki, who looked all manner of singed save for his armour. “But Tony’s right. There may not be external burn injuries, but we humans are about seventy percent water, and I’m guessing you’re not that far off either.”

“I’m not a child,” Loki grumbled. Nevertheless, he dutifully accepted the drink and took a few long gulps, stopping abruptly when a sudden nauseous feeling assaulted his senses the moment the water hit his stomach. “Tony, please don’t make that face. It’s making me want to do things.”

“I can’t help it. It’s my fault. I should have - ”

“No should haves, could haves,” Loki interrupted. “Stop it. Shit happens.”

“Language,” Tony admonished lightly but his body language was still steeped in guilt.

“Guess I’ve picked up a few things too,” Loki murmured, nodding gratefully at Stephen as his husband stepped in to wrap an arm around Tony’s shoulders. Not only was the Sorcerer Supreme a good lay in bed, he was a mind-reader too. Loki sure got lucky this time around.

Tony straightened up a little in Stephen’s one-armed embrace. “Glad you guys had my back or I would have been smoked brisket.”

At the mention of brisket, the nausea reared its monstrous head again and Loki gagged.

“Let’s get you out of the sun.” Stephen was beginning to sound worried now. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine,” Loki said, swallowing compulsively. Before either of his overbearing husbands could argue, (they were always so noisy when they fussed) he corrected himself, “I will be fine.”

“Right,” Tony snorted. “Nice try. Come on, up. Next time, don’t skip breakfast.”

Stephen snorted even louder. “And the frying-pan said to the kettle, 'Avant, black-browes'.”

“I don’t know what you just said, but it can’t be good,” Tony grunted, nearly toppling under Loki’s weight, who really was more unsteady than he was letting on. “Will you boom-boom-whoosh us a portal already?”

Stephen shook his head and wrapped his arm around Loki’s waist, taking on some of the burden.

“I can walk,” Loki whined.

“Sure you can,” Stephen said kindly. “We just happen to do it better.”

__________________________________________________________

Tony didn’t know how anybody could sleep with the AC blowing full-blast in their face but Loki did just that, and for twelve hours straight too. Their not-strictly-human husband had never slept for such a long stretch of time and it could only be a testament to his exhaustion.

As he closed the bedroom door behind him to give Loki some privacy while he freshened up in the bathroom, his worried eyes met Stephen’s equally troubled gaze.

“Think he’s coming down with something?” Tony asked quietly.

“He seemed fine yesterday when the call came, and he was fighting fit," Stephen mulled as they walked back toward the kitchen together. “Wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, he took down those Doombots like they were nothing. He did that flashy move of his, you know the one where he’s like ribbon-dancing in the sky, except his ribbons turned into deadly blades the minute they came into contact with a Bot.”

“I have to take your word for it, I guess. I was kinda busy keeping a few buildings standing,” Stephen said enviously, as it was a sight he wouldn’t have minded seeing himself. Watching Loki in battle was always a spectacle, even back when they were still rivals.

Tony must have misconstrued the envy in his voice and decided that a little teasing was in order. “Aw, I’m sure you were great, honey.” He reached out to squeeze Stephen’s bicep. “Feeling a little sore there?”

“I held them up by magic but thank you for asking,” Stephen said dryly. “I wouldn’t mind a massage though, if you’re offering me one.”

“I’ll see if I can fit you in my tight schedule.” Kisses stolen in passing whilst walking down hallways were often sweet, made sweeter still by the relief Tony could feel bleeding through their locked lips. It had not been too long ago that they had almost lost Loki to that terrible illness, and it was that same shared fear that had plagued both Stephen and him since yesterday.

As they sat back down to their now-cold breakfast, he could see just how much Stephen’s face had brightened. The appetite that was almost killed by JARVIS’ mid-meal interruption to inform them that Loki was finally awake came back with a vengeance, and Tony shoveled his eggs into his mouth like a man starving.

It was after a few bites that he deemed his hunger momentarily sated enough to broach another issue that had been weighing on him.

"How was Loki...the night before last?" Tony asked tentatively.

It was an arrangement only recently agreed upon that they made use of the ten bedrooms in the penthouse, with each claiming a bedroom of his own and still having the freedom to choose where and with whom to spend the night. It came about after Stephen's odd hours and Tony's unpredictable work frenzies clashed with Loki's need for absolute silence when sleeping.

Tony had never met a lighter sleeper in his life. So when Stephen got called out on Sorcerer Supreme business for three nights in a row, it did not surprise either of them when Loki, tired of the interruptions to his beauty sleep, set fire to the bed.

Tony wished the mercurial God of Chaos could spare the custom-made, eiderdown-covered Alaskan king bed...alas, new beds he could always buy, but there was only one of Loki.

"Sleep in separate bedrooms! It's the secret to a happy marriage, don't you ever watch The Crown?" Pepper had said, rubbing salt into the wound the next day when he called her up the next day to moan. "God knows you have enough rooms to sleep in a different one for every night of the month."

Which was an exaggeration of course, for only the top floor of the penthouse had four bedrooms on the same floor, one for each of them, and the biggest, most lavish one reserved for when they needed to spend time together as a proper throuple.

Clearly perturbed by Tony's question, Stephen carefully set his fork back on his plate. "Could you be more specific?"

"Did he seem a little...impatient to you?"

"Impatient?" Stephen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know…" Tony drawled, "More...urgent. Demanding."

"You mean horny," Stephen deadpanned.

"Shhh. You know he doesn't like that word!" Tony whispered loudly. "It depreciates his aesthetic."

Stephen chuckled. "You can say horny, Tony. Loki's not here."

"And now he is," a sultry voice suddenly spoke from behind, and Stephen nearly yelped.

"Loki!" He gasped. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Loki said coolly, sliding into the empty chair beside Tony, to whom he directed his next question. "So what else does he say about me when I'm not here?"

"Only the most flattering things, sweetness." Tony rubbed his hand up and down Loki's back. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm drunk on sleep." Loki's nostrils flared as he tried to kill the oncoming yawn but failed. "But not bad. You?"

"Nothing an Advil or two can't fix." Tony reached out a hand to stop Loki from stealing a piece of toast off his plate. "I think Stephen's wanting to take your spinal fluid or brain tissue or something first."

Stephen rolled his eyes. "Just your blood will do."

"Why?" Loki whined. "I hate those adamantium needles, they itch like a bitch."

Tony let out a scandalous whisper. "Language!"

"I want to make sure there's no electrolyte imbalance and that your sugar level's okay. You were vomiting quite profusely yesterday," Stephen said,

"I'm not anymore," Loki pointed out. "I feel absolutely fine."

"It's just a precaution, Loki," Stephen tried again but before he could say anything further, Loki held up a regal hand.

"And I can tell you with absolute certainty that my blood sugar level is very low because I am very, very hungry and if you do not feed me within the next thirty seconds I will eat your face," he growled. "Literally."

Stephen slowly, wordlessly, slid his plate across the table.

"Thank you, Stephen," Loki said sweetly  before attacking the egg-white and quinoa omelette with gusto. He swallowed the first bite and made a face. "This is nasty."

A heated debate and a number of mortal threats later, Loki was well on his way out the door. “Anytime today, Stark. Get a move on.”

“Can’t you go?” Tony pleaded. “I’ve never done my own grocery shopping before.”

Stephen looked at him incredulously. “You don’t have to do anything. You just have to prepare the money when he asks and make sure he doesn’t buy out every stall he happens to like.”

Loki tapped his foot impatiently. “Shall I go by myself then?”

“No!” Both Stephen and Tony said in unison.

“Nice try, Bambi,” Tony added. To Stephen, “You owe me.”

“This and more.” Stephen kissed Tony quickly. “Bring him back in one piece if you can. Oh, and I’m speed-dial number one, two and three on both your phones.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.”

Stephen's eyes disappeared behind his smile. “Loki, babe? Can you come here for a sec?”

Loki marched back to where Stephen and Tony were still huddled by the kitchen counter. “What is it now?”

Stephen dropped an effervescent electrolyte tablet into a glass of water. “Drink this before you go. You need to replenish your electrolytes.”

Loki groaned. “Stephen, I am electrolyted up to my eyeballs. Enough, please.”

“Today’s going to be a hot day, according to the weather forecast,” Stephen warned. “Can’t risk you getting dehydrated again.”

“It can’t possibly be hotter than yesterday," Loki said. He turned to Tony. "You need to figure out how to increase your heat resistance to Doom's fire-breathing Bots, I can't be covering you all the time. What if I'm not there?"

Stephen’s gaze vacillated between his two lovers in alarm. “Are we expecting any trouble today?”

“No, it was simply a theoretical question,” Loki said patiently. “Tony needs to build better suits.”

“And you need to see a sleep hygienist,” Tony said, just as sweetly. “Can’t have you burning any more beds. We are living in a high-rise, you know.”

Loki shrugged. “It’s not like both of you can’t fly.”

Stephen chuckled, “He’s got a point.”

“Whose side are you on?” Tony grumbled to himself. “Are we going or what?”

Stephen sighed. If he had not made prior arrangements to visit Kamar-Taj that day, he would have been more than happy to take Tony’s place.

He kissed Loki, a tad harder than usual. "Be careful, you two."

Loki laughed. "We're going to the market, Stephen, not off-world to another planet."

“Thank you for the reassurance, Loki.”

Loki’s kiss took Stephen by surprise, not so much the hard pinch Loki gave his cheek. “You fret too much.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s sweet.” Loki’s green eyes glinted. “Makes me want to eat your face every time.”

__________________________________________________________

Strolling the gorgeous Botanical Garden in the Bronx at this time of year was...interesting. Being public figures, it was a given that they would be recognised, but most everybody gave them a wide berth, wholly content with admiring from afar.

If Tony had reservations before, they disappeared quickly enough. Loki’s excitement and appreciation for the diverse arrays of artisan foods was contagious, and as they went from stall to stall perusing the seasonal produce on offer, Tony found himself in danger of doing the very thing he had promised Stephen he would keep Loki from doing.

“That was the best goat cheese I’ve ever tasted,” Tony gushed, arms laden with carrier bags full of cheeses, preserves and a variety of herb-infused olive oils. “You sure this is enough?”

“Nope,” Loki said. “But next week we can get Stephen to come with us and buy some more.”

“Sounds like a plan. Your ice cream’s melting.”

Loki held it out and Tony took a lick. “That’s yum.”

“You can have it if you want,” Loki said, sounding suddenly faint.

Tony frowned. “What’s the matter?”

Loki took in a few deep breaths, his face suddenly the colour of parchment. “I don’t know.”

The ice cream cone slipped out of his hand onto the ground when he abruptly bent at the waist, propping himself on his knees. “Just...give me a moment.”

Tony fumbled with the bags, managing to shift them all onto one hand, freeing the other so he could take Loki’s arm. He led his husband to a bench and sat him down.

“Do you feel sick again?” Tony asked, palming Loki’s forehead. His hand came away clammy. “ Do you need some water?”

Loki nodded his head to the first question, and shook his head to the second. His throat bobbed up and down erratically as though he was trying very hard not to lose the content of his stomach in front of all these people.

“I’m calling Stephen.”

“No!” Loki lunged to try to snatch the phone out of Tony’s hand, but the sudden movement sent a jolt of pain like a knife to his stomach. He doubled over and moaned in pain.

“Loki.” Tony dropped onto the bench and placed a hand on the small of Loki’s back. “Shit, shit, shit.” He stabbed the speed dial on his phone and began to pace. “Come on, come on, pick up.”

By a stroke of fortune, Stephen answered before the first dial tone ended, his “Yeah?” a cross between irritable and amused.

“We have a situation,” Tony said tensely.

“That bad, huh?”

Stephen’s indifference was expected given Tony’s propensity for drama, but today was not the day. "Strange, I’m not kidding. I think you need to come get us.“

"Loki may not have the patience for fresh produce and mingling but I’m sure I can trust you to keep him from terrorising the poor farmers for a few hours,” Stephen said, letting out a small chuckle at the imagery. “Or has he stabbed someone already?”

Tony remained uncharacteristically silent.

“Tony?” Stephen began to feel uneasy. “Please tell me Loki did not actually stab someone?”

“Loki’s not feeling well."

There was a sudden pause. When next Stephen spoke, his voice sounded strange. "Well, come on home.”

Loki lifted his head, as though he was listening in on the conversation all along.

“Can you walk?” Tony asked quietly. He helped Loki to his feet, only to regret it a second later. He did not think it was possible for Loki’s face to go that many shades paler, but it did.

Tony cradled the phone to his ear and quickly pushed his swaying husband back onto the bench. “Yeah…that’s a negative.”

Another pause ensued; thankfully it was a shorter one this time.

“Stay where you are.”

TBC

[fanfics4all]

To Love Is To Lose

Request: Yes / No Hello! Can I please request #75 (“ You’re one hell of a girl. ”) with Oliver queen or Barry Allen where the reader is also a vigilante and Oliver/Barry slowly fall for her when they end up doing a few missions together? Btw, I love your writing, it’s always so good ❤️❤️❤️ Anon

Request are closed <3 Have a nice day/night

Barry Allen x  Fem!Reader

Oliver Queen x Fem!Reader

Word count:  3695

Warnings: Death, gang

Y/N: Your Name

A/N:  I based the Reader on the DC vigilante Shado (I know she was in Arrow but in this she was never in the show!) But the backstory and everything is from Shado and I just changed it a little bit. I wanted to use an already existing vigilante because I’m a HUGE DC nerd!

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK!

If you want to be on the tag list for anything (My series fics, specific character fics, or just all of them) All you have to do is send me an ask and I will add you!

Masterlist

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

Before I was born my father was part of the Yakuza. He was sent to America sometime before World War Two had broken out. He was sent with a large amount of gold to establish Yakuza operations in America. Because he was Japanese, my father was placed in an internment camp when the war broke out. A group of soldiers suspected him of having Yakuza ties, but my father was strong and loyal. No matter how much they tortured him he wouldn’t tell them where any of the money was located.

Years after the war my father met my mother and they had me. We were living a normal life, until some retired soldiers decided to try again. They threatened me and my mother. My father didn’t want to see his family harmed so he turned over the gold. They didn’t keep to their promises and hurt my mother, she died because of them. My father had committed seppuku not long after to atone for failing the Yakuza. His disgrace then fell upon me. The Yakuza had taken me back to Japan where I was raised to kill the Americans who dishonored my Yakuza family. They had trained me in martial arts and Kyūdō, which is the Japanese art of archery.

Once I was eighteen, I left to return to America and started killing the men that disgraced me. Two of the former soldiers used the stolen gold to build a shipping business, as well as a drug trafficking operation. The blood that followed me got me into the view of a local vigilante, his name was the Green Arrow. I had evaded him for years, he even recruited, what people call metahumans, to aid him in catching me. Not even the so called fasted man alive could catch me. Our paths did cross however, an ally of his, the Black Canary, was captured by one of the men I was after. Him and his people had tortured the poor girl. I had showed up almost at the same time the Green Arrow and his team did, he even brought his little speedster friend.

“What are you doing here?” He asked me with a growl.

“Doing what I was trained to do. What are you doing here?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

“A member of my team in in there and I’m getting her back.” He said drawing his bow and aiming it at me.

“So I don’t have time for you tonight, get out of my way if you don’t want an arrow in your skull.” He growled and I smirked.

“You’d never hit me, I’m here to kill the men inside.” I said and went to go in.

“Wait!” The voice of the speedy guys said.

“What if we work together?” He asked and I raised my brow at him.

“Work together?” I asked and he nodded.

“Yeah, we all want the same thing right? So why not?” He asked and I looked at them.

“I work alone.” I said and turned my back on them.

“Extra hands couldn’t hurt.” He said and I rolled my eyes.

“If I say yes will you shut up?” I asked annoyed and he nodded.

“Fine. But I kill Lawton.” I said and the Green Arrow nodded.

“Fine.” He said and I nodded. We all went inside and did our things. The speedster distracted them, while Arrow and I shot arrows at them. He was aiming to wound, I was aiming to kill. The Green Arrow’s friend shot at them also only wounding them. Arrow went to get the girl that was tied to a chair and I saw Lawton running. I ran after him and decided to get the high ground. I ran above him and dropped down in front of him. I looked up at him with a glare and he pointed his gun at me. I grabbed it from him and knocked him to the ground. I aimed my bow at him and he looked up at me with fear.

“Please! I have a family!” He begged and I narrowed my eyes at him more.

“So did my father!” I growled and he looked at me confused. I pulled down my mask and his eyes widened.

“You’re Yao Fei’s daughter… You look like your mother…” He said shocked and I pulled my bow back more.

“Don’t you talk about my mother! Or my father!” I shouted at him, apparently this caught the attention of Green Arrow and his friends.

“You killed them! You and your friends hurt my mother and killed her! You made my father kill himself to atone for what he did!” I shouted and he cowered in fear.

“I’m sorry! Please I have a daughter!” He said and I gave a humorless chuckle.

“Then she will grow up without a father.” I said and pulled my arrow back once more.

“You die in the name of the Yakuza.” I said and released my arrow. It hit him right in the left eye and he was dead within seconds.

“That was a little harsh.” I heard the voice of speedster.

“He deserved worse.” I said pulling my arrow out.

“Awww gross!” Speedster said.

“Get over it speedster, it’s just a little blood and his eye.” I said pulling his eyeball off my arrow.

“It’s actually Flash.” He said.

“Well, I must go.” I said turning and walking away.

“Wait!” Green Arrow’s voice said.

“I’m not letting you catch me Arrow.” I said and rushed off. That was the last man. I sent his eye back to my Yakuza family and they were pleased with my work. They said my disgrace from my father was repaid. I had finished my mission and I was able to come back. I didn’t want to though, I didn’t want to follow in my father’s footsteps. I just wanted to fix his mistakes, but I had become the best of the best. I should have known I wouldn’t be able to escape this life. But because I was the best of the best, I knew I could hide from them.

Oliver’s POV

I watched as the mysterious vigilante fought with us. She was a killer, but she was amazing. She was like what I use to be, but ten times more violent. Once we took care of everyone I went to get Loreal. She was in bad shape, but she would live. Once she was safe we all heard yelling coming from one of the halls and I noticed that the girl was gone. We all followed the shouting and saw her holding a man at arrow point.

“You killed them! You and your friends hurt my mother and killed her! You made my father kill himself to atone for what he did!” She shouted and he cowered in fear.

“I’m sorry! Please I have a daughter!” He said and She gave a humorless chuckle.

“Then she will grow up without a father.” She said and pulled her arrow back once more.

“You die in the name of the Yakuza.” She said and released her arrow. It hit him right in the left eye and he was dead within seconds. My eyes widened when I heard her say Yakuza.

“That was a little harsh.” Barry said.

“He deserved worse.” She said pulling her arrow out.

“Awww gross!” Barry said looking away.

“Get over it speedster, it’s just a little blood and his eye.” She said pulling his eyeball off my arrow.

“It’s actually Flash.” Barry said.

“Well, I must go.” She said ignoring him and turned walking away.

“Wait!” I called out to her.  

“I’m not letting you catch me Arrow.” She said and rushed off.

“Who is that exactly?” Barry asked.

“I have no idea, but I think I know how to find her.” I said and we left to get Loreal help.

Y/N’s POV

It’s been a month and I’ve avoided any contact with the Yakuza. I was free. I didn’t want to give up my alter ego, well my main ego I suppose. After all this is what I was made to do. I would take care of some of the criminals in Star City, the Green Arrow wasn’t too fond of this. He’d have to catch me to make me stop and we both knew that was impossible. Or so I thought… I had gotten a lead about a criminal and was following it. Unfortunately I came to found it was false and the Green Arrow was there waiting for me with speedster.

“We meet again.” The man in green said with his deep voice.

“You set me up!” I growled and he nodded.

“So what? Gonna take me to jain now? Or am I going to have to kill you both?” I asked holding up my bow.

“Whoa! We just wanna talk!” The guy in red said with his hands up. I narrowed my eyes at him and he took off his cowl.

“See? Trust.” He said and I raised my brow. I looked at the Green Arrow and he took off his hood and mask.

“Oliver Queen? Interesting.” I said with a smirk, even though they couldn’t see it with my mask on.

“We’ve already seen your face so there’s no need for your mask.” Oliver said. I lowered my bow and took off my mask.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Your help.” He said and my eyes widened in shock.

“The Green Arrow wants my help?” I asked with a smirk.

“We need help. We can’t do it alone and we need someone skilled.” He said and my smirk grew.

“What’s in it for me?” I asked.

“The feeling like you did something good.” Barry said and I rolled my eyes.

“What’s the job?” I asked.

“We’re going after a man named Constantine Drakon. He’s an incredible martial artist and has outwitted us far too many times.” Oliver growled.

“I can tell you right now I’m way better than him.” I said and they nodded.

“That’s why we need you.” The speedy guys said.

“What’s your name?” I asked him.

“Barry Allen.” He said with a smile.

“You look like a Barry.” I said looking at him.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“Y/N Fei. But you probably know me as Shado.” I said.

“Shado. That’s what you call yourself?” Oliver asked.

“Most people don’t see me coming.” I said with a wink.

“So will you help us?” Barry asked with a small blush.

“Sure, I get to kill some baddies.” I said with a shrug and a smile.

“We’re not killing.” Oliver said and I gave him a look.

“They deserve it.” I practically growled.

“Y/N, we don’t kill.” Barry said softly and I rolled my eyes.

“Fine.” I said and they smiled.

“Well I have to go.” I said putting my mask back on and turned away from them.

“Wait how will we get in reach with you?” Barry asked. I smirked and hopped up the building next to us. I shot an arrow at their feet with my number of my burner phone on a piece of paper wrapped around it.

Three Weeks Later

The two boys were texting me nonstop. It was kind of cute. They both had asked me to help them on missions besides the one they actually asked me to help with. They were actually sweet and wanted to be friends with me. This was new to me, I never had a friend before.

Finally they told me where to meet them to talk about the mission. I arrived at the location and Barry was standing outside.

“Hey Y/N!” He said with a huge smile on his face.

“Hey Barry.” I said with a small smile.

“How are you?” He asked slightly awkwardly.

“Fine. You?” I asked.

“I’m good! I mean just catching some mettas, but I guess you knew that seeing as I am a hero and all…he…” He said scratching the back of his neck and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Did anyone ever tell you you’re adorable?” I said without thinking. He looked at me with wide eyes and a blush.

“U-um no…” He said nervously.

“Well you are.” I smiled.

“T-thanks.” He said.

“So what is this place?” I asked looking at what looked to be an abandoned building.

“Oh! This is the Arrow cave.” He said and I looked at him like he was crazy.

“This place?” I asked and he nodded.

“Come on, it’s way cooler than it looks.” He said opening the door. He walked inside and I followed him confused. He walked into what looked like an old office and smirked at me.

“This is the Arrow cave?” I asked confused.

“No, this is how we get to it.” He said and then a wall opened up to reveal an elevator.

“What the hell?” I asked shocked. Barry just smirked and walked in.

“Well, are you coming?” He asked and I nodded. I walked in next to him and he pressed a button. We went down and the doors opened up to a huge area with computers, weapons, a lab, and a few other rooms.

“This is the Arrow cave.” He said still smirking.

“Whoa…” Was all I could say.

“Oh! You two are here!” A blond girl said getting up.

“Um, who are you?” I asked confused. I’ve never seen her before.

“Oh right! I’m Felicity, the one they all call Overwatch.” She said with a kind smile.

“Right… I’m Y/N, the one they call Shado.” I said and she smiled.

“I know, you’re really incredible with a bow, ya know, minus the whole killing part.” She said and I nodded.

“The bow and martial arts is all I’ve ever known.” I said with a shrug.

“Your parents didn’t let you have fun?” She asked and I tensed up a bit.

“My parents are the reason I do what I do.” I said coldly.

“Hey, Felicity, don’t you need to check on the plan?” A man said walking over.

“Huh? Oh! Uh, yeah! Nice meeting you Y/N.” She said and walked off.

“Sorry about her, Y/N.” He said with a smile and Oliver walked over beside him.  

“It’s fine.” I said.

“Y/N, this is John Diggle.” Oliver said introducing him.

“Hello.” I said with a small smile.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, but I should go help Felicity.” He said and walked away.

“What’s the plan?” I asked Oliver and Barry.

“First, I want you to meet my team.” Barry said and dragged me away from Oliver.

“Guys, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is Cisco, Caitlin, and Iris.” He said and I gave a polite smile.

“You’re the girl who can shoot better than Oliver!” Cisco said.

“She is not!” I heard Oliver shout and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“I’ll out shoot you any day Arrow!” I called back with a smirk.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Caitlin said with a smile.

“Yeah, happy I can meet the girl Barry can’t stop talking about.” Iris said with a smirk.

“Iris!” Barry said with a blush.

“She’s joking, I don’t talk about you a lot.” He said and I nodded with a smirk.

“Right… It’s nice to meet you guys.” I said to his friends.

“So shouldn’t we get this plan going?” I asked.

“Yeah.” The two boys said.

We all went over the plan a few times and where everyone was going to be. Once we finally all got on the same page we all started to get ready. I grabbed the bag I brought and pulled out my costume.

“Where should I go to get dress?” I asked.

“Oh, right over there.” Oliver said pointing to a room.

“Got it.” I said and walked into the room. I put on my tight black pants, my black and red top with one sleeve so my dragon tattoos with my parents names showed, my black boots, and my black mask that covered the bottom half of my face. I put my hair up put it in a tight braid. Once I was finished I walked out and everyone was looking at me.

“You guys okay?” I asked confused as I walked over to my bag. I pulled out my bow and knives.

“Yeah, we were just waiting for you.” Barry said with a blush.

“Okay… anyway, ready to go?” I asked and everyone nodded. We all left, except for Felicity, Iris, Caitlen, and Cisco. We got to the location Felicity told us to go to, it was an abandoned warehouse.

“Barry, check the perimeter.” Oliver told him.

“On it!” He said and he was back with in seconds.

“All clear, but there are a few guys in the back room.” He said.

“I’ll take care of them. I said walking over to the building.

“No killing Shado.” Oliver said and I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever Arrow.” I said and hopped up the building. I walked over to the back of the building and hopped down through the skylight. There were six guys and they all looked at me shocked, I had the upper hand. I grabbed two of my knives and tossed them into two guys legs. They fell to the ground and by then the other guys came to their senses. They all took out their guns and started shooting at me. I jumped, weaved, and dodged all of them to get to a safe spot. Once I was out of their fire, I pulled my bow back and shot three of them in the knees. There would probably be permanent damage, but at least I didn’t kill them! There was only one guy left and he tried to sneak up behind me. He grabbed me and I smirked. I pulled out one of my knives and stabbed him in the arm then flipped him on his back. I pulled back my bow and shot him in the leg and his other arm. Finally they were all down and I opened the back door for everyone else.

“Whoa…” John said impressed.

“This was nothing.” I said with a shrug.

“You’re one hell of a girl.” Barry and Oliver said at the same time. I smirked and then they glared at each other.

“Guys, Constantine just arrived.” Felicity’s voice ran through our ears.

“We’re on it Overwatch.” Oliver said still glaring at Barry.

“Come on boys, you can fight later.” I said with a smirk, they couldn’t see it with my mask on. They snapped out of it and we all went to our positions.

“Everyone ready?” Oliver asked.

“Yep.” Barry said.

“In position.” John said.

“Ready.” I said with my bow at the ready.

“On my go.” Oliver said. We waited for a few minutes and then he jumped down. We took out the little guys while Oliver was dealing with Constantine. Once they were all dealt with, Oliver was on the ground with Constantine’s foot on his throat.

“Barry!” I shouted and he looked at Oliver. He nodded and ran at Constantine ready to take him down, but he was punched in the face.

“Goddamnit!” I growled. I jumped down and shot my bow at him. He caught it and looked at me with a smirk. He got off Oliver and ran at me. He grabbed me by my throat and lifted me off the ground. He looked at my exposed arm and then back at my face.

“Yao Fei… Your father?” He asked like I could answer. I glared at him which he took as a yes, by his smirk.

“You’re Yakuza.” He smirked again.

“You’re going to be one of my finest kills.” He said and I smirked. I grabbed one of my knifes and plunged it into his side. He dropped me and I took a deep breath.

“Not today.” I said and he growled.

“You’ll pay for that!” He shouted, but before he could even get up Barry put handcuffs on him.

“You’re never going to hurt anyone ever again.” He growled and Oliver walked over. He shoved him against a pole and shot rope to tie him to it.

“Overwatch. Tell the police they have some guys here.” Oliver said and she notified them. We all left and went back to the Arrow cave so everyone could get looked over.

“Y/N, we should really check you out.” Barry said.

“I’m fine.” I said undoing my braid and letting my hair down.

“You were almost killed.” Oliver said and I rolled my eyes.

“If you think that was almost killed you’re insane.” I said looking at the two boys.

“You’ve had worse done?” Barry asked shocked and worried.

“I was part of the Yakuza Bar, their training is serious.” I said and Oliver looked at me.

“I thought you were part of the Yakuza?” He asked.

“I was, I’ve been hiding from them for months now. I cleared the wrongs my father did to them the night you got your friend back. They wanted me back in Japan, but I do not wish to follow in my father’s footsteps.” I said and they looked at me.

“I’ll keep you safe!” They both said at the same time then glared at each other again. I smirked.

“I don’t need protection, but thanks anyway.” I said.

“Well if you ever need a place to hideout, this place is yours.” Oliver said.

“No way! Star labs is way safer and in another city!” Barry said.

“Right… Well thanks for the offers, but I don’t think I’ll need them.” I said smiling.

“See ya Arrow, Speedster.” I said picking up my bag and walking away.

“You know they’re both head over heels in love with you right?” Iris asked when I walked by her. I looked back at the boys and sighed.

“Yeah, but relationships and friendships are just more people you can lose, or people can use against you.” I said and walked out of the Arrow cave. I can’t be with anyone. I’m just a shadow in the background. Someone no one can actually know…

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @xrosesareredx @herokyolachan @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs @schisbro87 @lover-of-books-and-teas @nerdygaloresposts @alex--awesome--22 @teenwolfbitches2 @genius2050 @drw0301bieber @tigermillionaire-philanthropist @marveloverdcsstuff   

[everydreamrecorded]

what are all of the mods you have for skyrim?

hey there, i love you anon, legit i love you. or i anyway love this question. here is my current  mod list. because i’m a shithead who likes talking/typing, i’ll put the list below and explain each one. if this isn’t what you were looking for, i’m sorry

Skyrim.esm=1 = main game obvUpdate.esm=1 = some kinda update for main gameDawnguard.esm=1 = vampire dlcHearthFires.esm=1 = build house dlc (my fav honestly)Dragonborn.esm=1 = miraak dlcUnofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch.esp=1 = fix shit modSkyrim Supplemental Patch.esp=1 = fix other shit mod, newerLanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm=1 = i don’t like darknotice board.esp=1 = extra misc quests modApachii_DivineEleganceStore.esm=1 = haven’t tried this, clothing modTravellersOfSkyrim.esm=1 = travelling merchants!!!!!!!! i loveUnlimitedBookshelves.esp=1 = tbh haven’t tried but i like the idea soETaC - RESOURCES.esm=1 = expanded towns and cities ie for me, lotsa ingredientsHighResTexturePack01.esp=1 = tesxtures from bethHighResTexturePack02.esp=1 = more textures from bethHighResTexturePack03.esp=1 = even more textures from bethAH Hotkeys.esp=1 = hotkeys for…….s omething idkEnhancedLightsandFX.esp=1 = lighting goodWeapons & Armor Fixes_Remade.esp=1 = fixes shitETaC - Complete.esp=1 = etac……. seee above plus i mean, not just ingrediens but just like.. added interest in townsClothing & Clutter Fixes.esp=1  = more fixes. whys a game like this need fixes, fuck allSummermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim.esp=1 = enchanting is fun, for money making because i’m a greedy, leveling loving bitcgWeapons & Armor_TrueWeaponsLvlLists.esp=1 = idkaMidianBorn_ContentAddon.esp=1 = amidian goodComplete Crafting Overhaul_Remade.esp=1 = more mining wiht less hittinbg, if you get what i mean. it’s got other stuff, lots of other stuff honestly but i don’t even look at it. idk i’m kinda fucking dumb soRealisticWaterTwo.esp=1 = pretty waterJKs Skyrim Major Cities.esp=1 = again more interesting cities, ie loooooooooots of ingredietns and looting i like items nad shitImmersive Orc Strongholds.esp=1 = sameAlternate Start - Live Another Life.esp=1 = who does the intro nowaydadsImmersive Whiterun.esp=1 = hImmersive Solstheim.esp=1 = idk sometimes with somenting else, above mod also i assumeETaC - Complete LoS Patch.esp=1 = to connect lanterns of skyrim and etacBFT Ships and Carriages.esp=1 = better fast travel, for those who are lazy fuckers but don’t want to just like cheat with console all the time. so take a carriage, pay 25 gold or whatever, feel better about your game choices. idkSMIM-Merged-All.esp=1 = smim, for those who ejnoy realistic ropes and shit. i doRealisticWaterTwo - Legendary.esp=1 = water againInigo.esp=1 = that purple cat, he’s a good guyRun For Your Lives.esp=1 = idk if this works, i seem to alway shave people die. but maybe i ‘ve got a conflict. i always put it on anyway hahfallentreebridges.esp=1 = fallen trees, pretty cool. puts… fallen trees around. idk how else to say this but i like this modOH GOD BEES.esp=1  = bees, apiaries, idkSFO - Dragonborn.esp=1 = flora overhaul part dragonbornETaC - Complete ELFX Patch.esp=1 = etac + elfxETaC - Dragon Bridge South.esp=1 = fffffffmihailmmaminotaur.esp=1 = minotaurs from mihail. this modder makes fome fucking cool monster/creature mnods. i use minotaurs and land dreughs. so far, i ama unable to fight either they look fucking cool. io’m probably just fuckn dubmSkyrim Flora Overhaul.esp=1 = frlowers, plants and shit, you knowVerdant - A Skyrim Grass Plugin.esp=1 = grass. aint never been able to play with a grass mod until i go t my new pc, now i’ve got grass everywhereAlternate Start – New Beginnings.esp=1  = yeah who does the cart to be executed anymroe ehApachii_DivineEleganceStore_Patch.esp=1 = io still don’t know, still haven’t tried. clothes modmihailcliffracer.esp=1 = fuckng…….. cliff racers. i like them okay. i aven’t seen them in game (in skyrimn ri mean, ih avce seen thiem i nmorrowind aright)ETaC - Complete BFT Patch.esp=1 = patchmihaillanddreugh.esp=1 = those land dreughmihailhungerandvermai.esp=1 = fucking hungers. for more morrowind feels or whateverETaC - Complete AS-LAL Patch.esp=1 = patchFishingInSkyrim.esp=1 = fishing in skyrim!!!!!! motherfuck thsi is one of my favorites so i;’m putting it in blold text to get yalls attention. idk if it’ sufcked up or not, i havne’ looked atht emag in amillion years but i love it seriously, get it if you like alchemy but also look at the page first cause idk about bugsLanterns Of Skyrim - AIO - Dawnguard.esp=1 = lightsImmersive Whiterun - Verdant Patch.esp=1 = idkApocalypse - The Spell Package.esp=1 = spells, i use like…… two of them. i’m stupidApocalypse - Waterstride Spell Addon.esp=1 = see aboveBabette.esp=1 = i dn’t knowBattlemage Armour.esp=1 = armor i don’t use, again stupidBearMcrabWispArmor.esp=1 = m100 or seomtihg, good mod maker who makes weird shit. bear armor looks fuckin weird, gotta take some screenshots bhuhChesko_WearableLantern.esp=1 = have i mentioned tha ti like seeing, i like litghtDesyncBirdsOfPrey.esp=1 = idkEpisodeParallax.esp=1 = parallax even though it messes with me sometimesEyesFix.esp=1 = for the fucking eye issue that i’ve had several timesLeazersOpenLock2_0.esp=1 = for mages who want lootFeather Spells.esp=1 = for MAGES WHO WANT LOOT, I LOVE ITEMS AND become overencumbered eaislyGeneral Goods Fences.esp=1 = selll stolen shit when you are not a thiefHarvestOverhaul.esp=1 = ingredients, fo r the greedy alchemistHarvestOverhaulCreatures.esp=1 = sameHighHrothgarWindowGlow.esp=1 = idkInigoMCM.esp=1 = inigo + mcmKS Hairdo’s.esp=1 = hairdoooooosLindsWoodlandAlchemist.esp=1 = an armorLovelyHairstylesCE.esp=1 = hairsLucrezia_Navarre_Robe.esp=1 = my currrent outfit ( i have some other stufff paried with it but my character is wearing most of it right now), looks super coolNUHairstyles.esp=1 = hairs. i have too many hair mods for someone who dones’t look at their charact4e muchNatural Lighting and Atmospherics.esp=1 = lighting and shit idkRaceMenu.esp=1 = you knwRaceMenuOverlays.esp=1 = yeaRaceMenuPlugin.esp=1 = hRainbows.esp=1 = weat4her mod, never seen one in gmnae but you know, good idea, goo dshitReal Roads.esp=1 - roads, 3d or somethingSC_hairs.esp=1 = hairsSHOT.esp=1 = for screenshots, screenshot hot keys. fav modSkyUI.esp=1 = i buet you kow what this isSkyrim HD Tribute - Roads.esp=1 = i don’t know honestlySnowBall.esp=1 = idk??SolitudeExterior.esp=1 = ??The Eyes Of Beauty - Elves Edition.esp=1 = nic elooking eyeballsWestWindMisfit.esp=1 =  a good mage outfitTheEyesOfBeauty.esp=1 = eyse againThievesGuildTrapDoor.esp=1= so if i do thief shit i don’t have to fast travel in an annoying wayTransmuteSpells.esp=1 = spells, idkTravellersOfSkyrim - Vanilla.esp=1 = gain, traveling merchantsUNP Leggings.esp=1 = legginsg, clothig modVividian - Extended Groundfogs.esp=1 = iodk??????When Vampires Attack.esp=1 = vampires don’t kill ya npcsWhiterunExterior.esp=1 =etac related i thinkajd_domhearthfirestewards.esp=1 = extra stewards for hearthfire homesfemale mannequins in homes.esp=1 = no dude mannequinsfemale mannequins.esp=1 = “″nomorestupiddog.esp=1 = dogs goodLostGrimoire.esp=1 = spellsVioLens.esp=1 = no fucking kill camRGMsVanityMirror.esp=1 = mirror to change appearnace. v important whe n you give almost no shits what your character looks like. once again, i’;m dumbBewitching Clothes.esp=1 = witchy oufit, my character wears the shoes and hatBashed Patch, 0.esp=0 = i don’t even have mine activated because my game won’t load with it activated, idk why adn i can’t be assed to figure it outDynDOLOD.esp=1 = lod modMurphy.esp=1 = good dogMurphy - Dawnguard and Dragonborn Patch.esp=1 = good dog +dlc

[waldos-writing]

The Dig Initiative: Chapter 11

Father Barkley

Alright, it was stupid. It was stupid and fun and it was so much fun but it was stupid. It was. He admitted that. Didn’t mean he was not going to spoon her in that cramped twin bed. Because that’s what a gentleman does after like, shit, what? Hours and hours of practice. Right? I mean, people still counted sex in rounds, in turns. One-Love. Five-six. Whatever. He hadn’t done anything since…but it still counted. Holy balls the girl was a demon and he enjoyed her tricks.

He was buried in her long black hair and he didn’t even mind it. She was texting with his phone, furious little words spit out from her thumbs. She had a fire bug up her butt about this whole tower thing and he liked her energy. It felt good. It just felt nice and he hated that he liked it and he hated that he thought about it too much. He always did. If anything, it didn’t really matter, in the scheme of things.

“Wanna know why?” she used to say.

“Why?” he’d croon back at her, face in her red hair, intoxicated on perfume and gin.

“You’re a speck,” she used to say and he’d nod and tell her to go on. “You’re a speck in a sea of people on a spinning marble in a giant solar system in a clusterfuck of stars you or I or the guy next door couldn’t name or imagine in its completion, in a void that doesn’t even reach our own eyeballs at night and you think if I stepped out into traffic tomorrow that it would change the world?”

“Well,” he’d say, slowly coming out of the fog of hair and sex. “Well, probably change whoever hit you.”

Devon hated when Cherry did that. She liked to ramble and he liked to go with it right up until she started being cavalier about suicide. He tried. He was very good at talking her out of it when she was really messed up. But if she was casual about it, like she was after sex, and she put her head on his chest and occasionally drew words on his stomach with her fingernails, then he’d have to be casual too. He’d try. He’d always try.

“It would raise their rates at least. Might even put them in jail.”

“Yeah. Bet it’d screw with their family too.”

“Bet it would.”

This was a common scene. It was best because he could wind himself around Cherry and she was calm and hot and peaceful. He remembered that this was when they had just purchased the house, the one Devon said he’d build a fence around and fix up the kitchen sometime. Maybe he’d put in new shutters before winter. There was something about the light through those yellowed, filmy windows and that rough beige carpet. It was theirs. They’d earned it begging people to buy her art and his records from his shitty little band and the radio gig in Montpelier, before he moved over to Yellow Yowl Entertainment. It was all theirs and they could walk around naked, eat fruit roll-ups and vodka for breakfast, shower five times a day or once a week and crush neat little lines of oxycodone along the ceramic sink. They could fold origami cranes from grocery receipts and smoke some of the meth they’d stolen from their recently dead neighbor and drink sugary smoothies and cry at Bambi every night. Whatever they wanted. It was theirs.

“Do they do funerals at night?” she asked as she kissed the bright red lines scratched into his chest. Her hair, which was once as red and vibrant as her namesake, had brown roots and split ends. The curls were all frizz, a mess of burnt straw. He brushed it gently out of her eyes. Her bruised, bloodshot eyes that were covered in week-old makeup, smeared with a fresh coat in the morning when he went off to work. She spread it into practiced smoky lines. Her weary beauty made his stomach bubble with delight. “I mean, like, ones under full moons or no moon or whatever.”

“I don’t know,” he answered, feeling that old metal coil of fear corkscrew through his guts. Why was it always funerals?

“You’d think you could, like, really see the soul float up then. I bet if you did one of those barbarian things, those Viking funeral things where you push the body out on the sea and light it on fire. Oh my god, the spark coming off that and the smoke billowing up. Watch it go up to the stars to dance forever. Learn all the names of all the faces looking down on us. ‘Kings of our past.’ Why does that sound familiar? ‘Kings of our past.’ What’s that from?”

“I don’t know, babe. Little Mermaid or something.”

“Something. Yeah. Yeah, I wonder what their faces would look like, don’t you? You know, they’ve been fire for so long; can they even have a face? Do you just, no, listen, do you go up in smoke right away? Or they give you some time to drift around. I want to see them drifting. Blurry faces squirming of everyone below you. Or maybe, maybe, babe, maybe they’re like stone. You think we look like statues to all the ghosts? I’d think springtime would be good. Mist spools up from the ground, like all the ghosts are coming together. Big orgy of spirits, you know? Makes it look like they’re dancing.”

“Right, love,” he said and kissed her over her eyebrow. “Mist in the morning. Speaking of which, I’ve got to be at the station in an hour and you’re up at Sal’s today, right?”

“It’s Wednesday already?”

“Wednesday already,” he answered. “Look, we got a gig at Feuermann’s tonight. You promise me to go to Sal’s, please.”

“Oh, he’s just going to say I need to go back on those pills”

“He will.”

“They make my tummy hurt.”

“I know.” Devon scrubbed her leg, making the pale white skin red and alive. “Also said you gotta take them with food. Go with me to the grocery later, okay? Promise me and I’ll buy you the whole bar if you like.”

“Nah,” she said, reaching for his hand. He gave it to her, just so she could nibble on his thumb. “I like to watch you play with a clear head. Hand me my vest over there. And make some toast? No butter!”

And that’s how it was. Months like that, years even. Where did it all go?

 “I don’t know how you got me to agree to this,” whispered Devon, staring down at the giant monkey wrench in his hand. “And where the hell did you even get this?”

“Brother’s a mechanic,” said Declan. He was over a control panel, tapping part of a screen and sucking in his cheeks only to puff them out and do it again. “Hit that.”

“Hit what?” Devon hissed. His heart was hammering so hard he was afraid he was going to choke on it when it exploded. “I don’t want to hit anything. Oh my god, I’ll just hit you. I’ll hit you and I’ll run and they won’t even find me except for the piss trail I leave behind me oh my god, is that an alarm? Holy shit, that’s an alarm. We gotta go. We gotta go, holy shit, that’s an alarm. I’m going to drop this. I’m just going to set this down here—”

“Pause.”

“Did you just—”

Declan swiveled in the chair that was left in front of a large, closet-sized control panel. Little red lights blinked behind him, a panel of orange lit buttons to his left and too many wheels and gears and pipes to his right. The whole thing looked fake. It thrummed like a cheap television set. Declan, with his black hoodie, his long dreadlocks, his patchy beard, looked like a harmless villain. He even tented his fingers in thought.

A moment stretched as something buzzed persistently behind Declan on the vido screen. It was counting down, probably alerting someone far away and Devon was sure they were about to be pounced upon by a fleet of Black Jackets. They were going to bust in and decapitate them with a flick of their wrists.

“You want some water?” Declan asked.

“Water? What the actual literal entire fuck is your issue. Water! Why the f—”

Declan snapped his fingers and reached down into his old duct-tape duffel bag. True to word, he pulled out a water bottle, clear, glittering with the alarm lights. He held it out as an offering and just before Devon took it, he raised his hand. The alarm on the screen stopped. A green light overtook the control panels. Security was shut off and whoever had been alerted was given a short message of “false alarm.”

Devon stood taller, watching the door and the vido screen. His heart was still going, but he sighed, feigned a little satisfaction and relief. He said, “You did it.”

“Yeah. So, water?”

“Sure.”

Devon reached out and again Declan pulled it back. He said, “I gotta be straight.”

“Okay,” said Devon slowly.

“It’s drugged.”

“It’s—”

“Drugged. Yeah. Here.”

“I don’t want it if it’s drugged!” Devon almost slapped the water bottle out of Declan’s hand, but Declan was quick and snapped it back. “What the hell!”

“Anti-anxiety,” said Declan as he stood. He pressed the bottle into Devon’s chest, and tapped him twice on the shoulder. “Mostly. Thought I’d ask this time.”

Devon held onto the bottle. Anti-anxiety, huh? No rhyme or reason to it, but he started to untwist the cap and just as he was about to sniff the water and convince himself whether he was going to drink it or not, the words clicked. “Wait…this time?”

Declan did not have time to defend himself as Alice burst through the thick steel hatch. She had on a black stocking cap, black skintight shirt and pants, sweater, boots, socks, lipstick, eyeshadow, underwear. Whole outfit of “I’ve seen this in movies and I think I can get away with espionage and wreak havoc” that was not nearly practical enough in the cold night air but damn if she didn’t look fine as red wine.

“It worked?” she asked, for some reason breathless.

“Worked,” Declan answered.

“Worked how what worked?” asked Devon. “What’s it doing?”

Devon chucked the drugged bottle of water against the wall. It bounced, the plastic making a soft “pap” sound before the water erupted out of the opening. An arc splashed the floor in an anticlimactic protest of aggression.

“You should have had that,” said Declan.

“‘You should have meh mlah mah,’” said Devon in a nasally mimic.

“He’s having a bad time.”

“Fucking right I am!”

“Dev,” said Alice and touched his arm. He was pulled out of his useless tantrum. “What’s wrong?”

And it was a simple question. It was. She just asked it, casual like that, touched his arm, casual like that. She’d come out of the shadows with her warm buttery skin and dark oily hair from days without shower. She kept it tied behind her small ears, out of her eyes. Kohl eyes, big lovely eyebrows. Mustard Alice. She was so not Cherry, it punched him in the gut.

“Dev?” she asked.

So what did it matter that her band partner was going to drug him or maybe had done it before. The bar, the egg. This was the usual for good old Declan. Alright, so it wasn’t that bad. They were illegally inside a CleanAire tower and basically dismantling it. Devon tried another big breath to see if it calmed his heartbeat. It didn’t, but he pretended that it did.

“Nothing,” he said at last. He tried to sound convincing. He was good, you know, because he was in radio. “What’re we doing?”

“Fucking shit up,” said Alice, her cheeks dimpled, her eyes sparkling in the low green light of the control panels. “Ready?”

Devon eyed the kid and the bottle on the floor. What did he say? He said he was going to stick to Declan’s side. He was going to follow Alice because he was head-over-heals for her. Devon felt old and stupid, but he wiped one hand on his pant leg and then the other so he had a good grip on the wrench.

“Born for it, baby,” he said, and lifted the wrench high over his head.

Devon wanted to say more. He used to have such a way with words, he did, and he knew there was a lot of terribleness coming that he wanted to speak to. Instead, he hoisted his weapon up high and brought it down on the electrical equipment like he was smiting Sin. Sparks shot up. There was a jolt along his forearms, maybe a literal shock mixed with the reverb. Alice shrieked some fantastic battle cry and knocked a big rubber mallet into a panel next to her. Declan wheeled out of the area, watching calm and cool from the back. He had a toolbox with him and he whistled as he went up the stairs to the filtration center, returning later with grease stains and a new metal pipe. Devon picked up his wrench to ruin the next piece of equipment.

It was stupid. It was stupid and fun and painful, but it was stupid. It was. Of course he admitted that. Devon whooped victory as Mustard Alice kicked her big boot through the projection panel for the vido screen. They might be caught and they might not. When she smiled a big wild grin over at him, Devon breathed. It was stupid. He was in love again.

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