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clusterbuck · 3 years

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measuring heartbeats (you held me together)

1.7k, rated G, complete read it on ao3

three times eddie definitely does not panic, and one time he does

Here’s the thing about Eddie: he doesn’t panic. He puts his head down and he steels his spine and he does what needs to be done, and he does not panic.

This is the way the army trained him. This is what his parents ingrained in him. This is the foundation upon which he builds his life and his career. Eddie is steadfast and steady and he is cool in a crisis, and he does not panic.

Five weeks after the shooting, when he wakes up gasping for breath feeling the hot asphalt pressed against his cheek with visions of Buck’s blood-splattered face floating in and out of focus, he does not panic. He’s had too many nightmares in his life not to know how to ground himself again; it doesn’t require much conscious thought anymore.

So he sits there in the darkness and takes deep breaths, and reminds himself of things he knows to be true. He starts small and works his way up: his name is Eddie Diaz. He is at home, safe in his bedroom, and his son is safe down the hall. He was shot, but he’s recovering. The sniper is dead and can’t hurt him anymore. Buck was never shot; Buck is okay. He is okay. Everyone is okay.

He doesn’t panic. What does he have to panic about? The sniper is dead, and he’s alive and healing and home with his son. Everything is fine.

Two months after the shooting, when he’s walking down a busy street framed by skyscrapers and his brain tries to overlay everything he sees with memories of that day and his chest begins to tighten, Eddie does not panic. He blinks away the images of the ambulances and the battalion car, lifts his gaze from the street when the pool of blood refuses to recede.

Beside him, Christopher turns to peer up at him, wearing that expression Eddie is getting achingly familiar with. The one that means he’s concerned, that he thinks something’s up. He hasn’t asked, not yet, but Eddie’s pretty sure he’s building up to it.

But for the time being, Eddie looks at his son and he reminds himself that they’re out in the middle of LA, just the two of them, and Christopher is counting on him to get them home again. So he puts a hand on Christopher’s shoulder and reminds himself of the facts. There are no ambulances in the street, and there is no blood on the pavement. He has not been shot; he is healing, and he is out for ice cream with his son. The sniper is dead and can’t hurt him anymore. Buck has reassured him time and time again that sniper attacks are exceedingly rare, and the chances of two unconnected attacks in the same city this close to each other are so small you haven’t even heard of these fractions, Eddie.

He doesn’t panic. He has responsibilities, a son to look out for—and the sniper is dead. What does he have to panic about?

Three months after the shooting Eddie is back at work, and when he encounters a patient with a bullet wound in the same shoulder as his, he does not panic. His vision blurs around the edges and the memory of blood is bitter on his tongue, but he picks up the med kit and goes to where Buck is waving him over to the other patient.

These are the things he knows are true: he is at work. He was shot, but he has healed, and now he has a job to do. People are counting on him; people need him. Buck is counting on him. Buck needs him.

Buck looks up when Eddie kneels beside him and Eddie looks right back, and with every breath, the world comes back into focus a little more. By the time he turns his attention to the patient he is laser-focused once more, all of his attention on his job. What does he have to panic about, anyway? He isn’t the one bleeding out on the ground, not anymore. His sniper is dead.

Four months after the shooting, a well-meaning store clerk refers to Ana as Christopher’s mother, and Eddie freezes. He thinks his heart might have stopped but that can’t be right, because the only sound he can hear is the thundering of his own pulse.

I don’t panic, Eddie thinks, and tries to remind himself of the facts, but he can’t find anything to anchor himself with. There is nothing to grab onto, because the facts are these: it’s a reasonable enough assumption. He and Ana have been together for almost a year, and if they continue on their current trajectory—continue taking next steps, like meeting each other’s families—she will become a permanent fixture in their lives.

The fact is this: Ana says I’m just a friend, and the realisation hits Eddie like a punch in the gut. He never wants to hear her replace it with stepmother.

His gasping, strangled breaths are familiar, but the facts don’t steady his lungs like they usually do. There is no comfort in them. Eddie is lost, untethered, and instead of reeling himself back in he collapses onto the floor.

Ana kneels above him, but she barely registers. The only thing he can see is the future stretching out in front of him, and it’s only now that he realises he is staring down the barrel.

The doctor says panic attack and Eddie scoffs, because he doesn’t panic. He can’t panic. She thinks he’s hung up on masculinity, but it’s not about being a man so much as it is about being this particular man.

Eddie doesn’t panic. This is a fundamental piece of who he is. He doesn’t know who to be—how to be—if it’s dislodged.

Ana asks him about it exactly once, and he knows they both hear the rough edge in his voice as he dismisses it. She doesn’t bring it up again.

Buck, however, is a different story. From the moment they walk past Dr. Salazar and Buck realises something is going on, he doesn’t leave the subject alone. And as much as Eddie really doesn’t want to talk about it, he wants to talk about it in front of other people even less.

Which is how he finds himself dragging Buck into a hospital supply closet and turning to glare at him.

“Will you just leave it alone?” he snaps. “I’m fine.”

“If you’re so fine, why did you drag me into a closet to talk about it?” Buck challenges.

Eddie presses his fingers to his temples. “Because I don’t need you bringing everyone else into this.”

“Into what?” Buck demands. “You still haven’t told me why you were seeing a cardiologist.”

“Isn’t it enough if I just tell you everything is fine?”

“No!” Buck says, and the force of it takes Eddie by surprise. “Eddie, you told me I’m responsible for your kid if you die. So that kind of makes it my business if you’re dying.”

“Jesus, Buck, I’m not dying,” Eddie says, but it’s not as harsh as he was moments ago. Buck’s concern—overbearing as it is—makes sense.

“Okay, then what?” Then Buck narrows his eyes. “You thought you were having a heart attack, but you didn’t—Eddie, did you have a panic attack?”

“I don’t panic,” Eddie repeats, more stubborn still than he had been with the doctor.

“Eddie,” Buck breathes, and Eddie feels Buck’s hand find his arm in the semi-darkness. “Would it be so bad if you did?”

“Yes,” he says, a decade’s worth of expectations packed into the weight of one word. “I don’t panic. I can’t panic.”

“Says who?”

“Says—I don’t know, everyone,” Eddie says, and wonders how this foundational piece of him isn’t more obvious to Buck. “Can’t be a good army medic if you’re panicking. Can’t be a good firefighter if you’re panicking.” Can’t be a good dad if you’re panicking, he doesn’t say out loud, but he thinks Buck might hear it anyway.

“Says who?” Buck asks again, softer this time. “I mean, I’m not going to pretend to know anything about the army, but—I get panic attacks, sometimes. You saying I can’t be a firefighter?” There’s just a hint of challenge in his voice.

“I—no,” Eddie says. “You have panic attacks?”

“Not that often,” Buck says. “Not anymore.” Then, as if sensing that Eddie’s going to ask: “I talked to Dr. Copeland. A lot.”

Eddie sighs.

“The only way out is through,” Buck says. “Have you been seeing Frank?”

“Not as often as I should,” Eddie admits.

He waits for the reprimand, but it never comes. “Okay,” is all Buck says. “So we’ll start there and see how it goes. And if Frank isn’t working out, it can be someone else. It just needs to be someone, okay?”

“Okay,” Eddie mumbles, and part of him thinks it shouldn’t be this easy. But most of him knows it only feels easy here, in the liminal space that is a hospital supply closet in the middle of a blackout, with Buck’s reassurance in his ears and Buck’s hand on his arm. Most of him knows that it’s going to be anything but easy, once he keeps his word and goes back to Frank.

But here, in the shadows of the closet with Buck right beside him, it feels like maybe he’s going to get through this. Maybe he’s still going to know who he is when he comes out the other side. Maybe admitting he needs help doesn’t have to mean sacrificing part of himself.

Maybe knowing that he’s not alone in this is what makes all the difference.

“Okay,” he murmurs again, an admission and a benediction.

“Good,” Buck says. “I need you to be okay, you know. I love Chris, but I don’t want to raise him without you.”

There’s a weight to the way he says without you, like he wants to make sure Eddie knows that’s the part he doesn’t want. Eddie swallows.

“You’re just worried you’d never live up to me,” he manages, and Buck cracks a smile so bright Eddie can see it through the darkness.

“Please,” Buck says, “I could take you any day.”

#911fic #buddie fic #eddie diaz #i just have a lot of feelings about eddie 'i don't panic' diaz ya feel #shush emma #emma writes

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guacam011y · 3 years

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***SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5 OF WANDAVISION***

HOLY SHITE MY MIND IS BLOWN

TOMMY AND BILLY CRYING

“Do you want me to take that again?” “Take it from the top?”

Agnes knows ! Tiger - Ralph

“Dark liquor” Vision being concerned

Billy and Tommy aged up?!

I DO NOT TRUST HAYWARD

SCARLET WITCH - TALKING ABOUT HOW WANDA DOESN’T HAVE A CODENAME

SIS STRAIGHT UP TOOK VISIONS CORPSE

HEX — HER POWERS GET REFERRED TO AS HEX POWERS SOMETIMES IN THE COMICS

CAPTAIN MARVEL REFERENCE

NORM SAYING NONE OF IT IS REAL

SPARKY THE DOG - VISION HAD A STAND ALONE AND STOLE A DOG

HER ACCENT

LAGOS

SHE DOESNT KNOW HOW ANY OF THIS STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE

EVAN PETERS AS QUICKSILVER

DARCY GOING “SHE RECAST PIETRO?” MOOOD

X-MEN, START TO THE MULTIVERSE?!

WANDA CAN’T BE THE ONLY ONE CONTROLLING IT

IS MONICA MAD AT CAROL???

MONICA X DARCY?! WHAT A POWER COUPLE THAT WOULD BE

SIS REALLY ENDGAME - ENDGAME ENDED WITH TONY’S FUNERAL AND WANDA PROBS WENT STRAIGHT FROM THERE AND STOLE HER DEAD BF’S CORPSE (can’t really blame her, it looked like they were trying to experiment on Vis and could it be Hayward behind it?)

WHO WAS THAT ENGINEER THAT MONICA WAS GOING TO CONTACT?

BABY VISION

AND AGNES DEFINITELY KNOWS SOMETHING

DARCY FINALLY GOT HER COFFEE

SO VIS SAID THAT WANDA COULD’VE MADE EVERYTHING SUBCONSCIOUSLY AND THAT OVER TIME SHE BECAME AWARE OF IT, AND SIS DEFO HAS SOME CONTROL BUT IT’S NOT ALL HER. I THINK AGNES IS AGATHA HARKNESS AND EITHER MEPHISTO IS BEHIND IT OR IT’S NIGHTMARE AND THEY’VE MAYBE POWERED UP NIGHTMARE

***FURTHER UPDATES AND EASTER EGGS***

Auntie Agnes and Agnes saying she has a few tricks up her sleeve - we should definitely take note of that seeing as Agnes definitely has something to do with the whole situation

Wanda and Vision’s house changed again, being inspired by Family Ties, possibly Full House and Growing Pains

“Do you want me to take it from the top?” It seems as though when someone, this time Vision, steers away from the script, things either reset themselves or people become aware to some capacity, although Agnes probably already knows

Speaking of Growing Pains - It had a spin off called “Just the 10 of Us” in which the director for Wandavision, Matt Shakman, was apart of the cast - and seemingly also inspired the theme song for this week

We should definitely keep an eye on Monica and her potential for powers. With Maria last episode revealed to have gone by the name ‘Photon’ (which is a name that Monica uses as one of her aliases in the comics) and could inspire Monica’s name as she develops her powers - those scans didn’t look 100% normal. Monica has also used the Captain Marvel monicker in the comics

Wanda’s energy field and such being referred to as “Hex” short for Hexagon, could be a little nod to the comics where Wanda’s powers are sometimes called Hex powers

She’s never been referred to as the Scarlet Witch on the big screen - and it seems as though she soon may earn that code name

So we now know that Wanda stole Vision’s corpse from S.W.O.R.D, but did she actually re animate him fully? He’s still got the gem in the centre of his forehead, but the last time he had it was in Infinity War where it promptly got ripped out by Thanos - so has Wanda found her own way of reanimating him and he’s alive or is he dead and just a trick of the mind - though from other trailers/previews, Vis is seen trying to and looks successful at leaving Wanda’s barrier

They had a little call back to Captain America: Civil War with the Sokovia Accords, which were targeting the Avengers in general but were created when Wanda lost control of her powers and killed civilians

A little joke towards Vis as playing “Father Knows Best” in their little suburbia - Which was a sitcom that ran for 200 episodes in the 50’s

Sparky ! A little nod to the little green dog from the Walta and King comics run for Vision and unfortunately soon meets the same fate 💔

A little nod to Endgame when we hear from Monica that Wanda definitely could’ve taken down Thanos by herself had Thanos not rained fire - and Jimmy arguing that Captain Marvel could’ve just as easily done it - which leaves Monica with an angry look on her face

Good ol’ dial up internet

Can Vis “save” the residents of Westview? He can still seemingly interact with people’s minds, with or without the mind stone - Norm soon comes out of his trance as Vis snaps him out of it and asks to call his sister and that he has to save them all from “her” - now this “her” could be Wanda...but it could also be Agnes and then Vis shuts him down soon enough again and Norm goes back to his sit com self

Billy and Tommy are fully aware, or at least suspect Wanda’s abilities - after asking her to bring back Sparky from the dead and speaking of Billy and Tommy - could they be semi permanent fixtures in the MCU, it would help to introduce the Young Avengers eventually. They'll do Young Avengers at some point since Kang is supposed to be a thing in the third Ant-Man.

Teddy, unfortunately, I don't think will be here for a bit (I really hope he is though!). I think the guy they hired that everyone is rumoring to be Teddy might just be an episode about Billy coming to terms with his sexuality and Wanda and Vis learning to accept it in the way that era of tv they're in would go about with that kind of episode and the dude is just a dude - but again, I really hope it’s Teddy 😭

Wanda leaves the hex after a mini missile/plane tries to shoot at her - and she’s in her Scarlet Witch costume and is seemingly mostly back to her “normal self”, which includes her accent !

Lagos brand paper towels - “For when you make a mess you didn’t mean to” - a nod to Civil War again in which Wanda accidentally blew up a building in Lagos and caused the Sokovian accords to come to fruition

The mail man again - I also think he was in the commercial but anywho - “Your mom won’t let him go far” similar to “Much like she won’t let anyone leave” a potential nod to Wanda or Agnes not letting anyone leave?

“We can’t reverse death” and yet she brought Vision back - keeping in mind that he’s an android but still a little foreshadow to what happened at the end of the ep? Better yet, could Pietro coming back be a distraction for Wanda? Agnes or whoever introducing someone that Wanda lives in hopes that she won’t go full on breakdown superpowers or just to give her an attachment to Westview even more and make her not want to leave at all

“She recasted Pietro” EVAN ! I’m so pumped for this - it seems this could turn into the X-Men making their debut earlier than expected possibly? In any case, it’s a nice little Easter Egg to the previous Fox franchise of X-Men movies where Evan played Peter Maximoff “Quicksilver” alongside James McAvoy as Prof X, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and so many others - and with Deadpool being confirmed as Disney’s first R rated film, it seems Mutants are definitely on their way to the MCU

Agnes is definitely Agatha or a gender bent Nightmare

The way Billy shed himself and Tommy up was scary - definitely a little nod to his powers coming in

Multiple different perspectives of Wanda saying that Monica left

Red Hex dialled up to around light sources (computer, window, etc.)

Vision mentions reading Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man - which could refer to Mutants entering the MCU, Mutants being superior to humans

Agnes calls herself Auntie Agnes - in episode 2 during the title sequence in the grocery store there’s a product called ‘Auntie A’s Kitty Litter’

Agnes refers to herself as a Tiger and in the episode, there’s a Tiger on the dining table in the kitchen - could that be a listening device, her eyes and ears?

There are no other children in Westview - Billy and Tommy are immune because they have no prior trauma

Elizabeth Olsen’s photos are real and slightly altered with Sokovian flags in the background

In the birthday shot of Billy and Tommy, they have ‘1,2,3,4,5’ candles all on one cake

In the holiday photos, Vision goes from Turkey to Easter Bunny, to Santa and progressively gets more unhappy - realising he no longer wants to play along in Wanda’s Hex

During Monica’s callbacks to seeing Wanda’s pain inside her head, we see a new shot of Wanda crying - it looks like it’s around the time she stole Vision’s corpse, as the outfit she’s wearing is very similar, if not the same - could this be an after shot of when she’s trying to bring Vision back?

During the scene where we see the footage of Wanda stealing Vision’s corpse, the S.W.O.R.D logo that appears on the table has 8 stars around the rim of the logo but then has a 9th one in the middle - could this be a little Easter Egg to the nine realms of the Cosmos? And there’s also a map showing Cape Canaveral, could that be where S.W.O.R.D’s headquarters are?

Wanda and Pietro were born in 1989 to Irina and Oleg Maximoff - who were killed in an air raid when the twins were 10. In the comics, Wanda and Pietro were raised by Django and Maria Maximoff, before their true parentage was revealed as being the children of Magneto, however, in the comics this has been retconned so that Wanda and Pietro are no longer Mutants and the High Evolutionary had just disguised them as Mutants (something I think they should undo tbh - MARVEL, PLEASE MAKE WANDA AND PIETRO MUTANTS AGAIN!!!)

Speaking of the air raid, that was also referenced in Age of Ultron by Pietro and Wanda - “We were 10 years old, having dinner the four of us. And the first shell hits 2 floors below, makes a hole in the floor” - was the beeping Stark toaster be what that was referring to?

WHIH reappears for a brief cameo as the news service in the MCU - and Hayward cuts off Jimmy as he was trying to defend Wanda’s reputation, in which Jimmy then turns to Darcy and says “I try not to speak ill of people” Darcy then follows up with “Then allow me, Hayward’s a-“ and then she’s cut off by a shot back to Hayward saying the word “Terrorist” which would make sense as it seems with Vision’s corpse, he may have been trying to make sentient weapons and by subverting Vision’s will and blaming Wanda of doing the same. In the footage shown of Wanda stealing Vision’s remains, we see Vision broken up into parts and S.W.O.R.D seems to be experimenting on him and this seems to be the robotics/nanotech project that Hayward was referring to. Monica asks Hayward about the footage saying “When was this?” to which Hayward replies saying “9 days ago. Maximoff stormed our facility, stole Vision’s body and resurrected him” - this would mean that Wanda took Vision 2 weeks after the events of Endgame, about a week before Monica returned to S.W.O.R.D and Hayward didn’t tell her any of this and when he sent her in there, he knew exactly what he was doing - with her reputation after Civil War, this makes it easier for Hayward to paint her as the villain.

Back in Westview, Tommy wears red and Billy wears green - which are the colours that Wiccan and Speed wear in the comics, respectively. And it’s also the colours that Wanda and Vision are known for and appears quite a lot in their wardrobes

More in regards to Sparky, he was the synthezoid dog in Tom King’s run of Vision - the story being that he was originally a dog named Zeke who unfortunately passed away after digging up the Grim Reaper’s corpse and getting zapped. The Grim Reaper’s helmet appears during the title sequence of Episode 2 in the floorboards. Could Sparky have been trying to dig up a similar thing when he was caught by Agnes and consequently killed?

Monica mentions that she knows this aerospace engineer, they’re never shown but she is seen texting them. Could it be Reed Richards a.k.a Mr Fantastic? Hayward did mention that some astronauts used to work for S.W.O.R.D before a mission went haywire - though it seems a bit lacklustre to introduce such highly anticipated characters this way. Could it instead be the Skrull daughter of Talos that Monica befriended at the end of Captain Marvel? She mentioned that they had extraterrestrial allies in episode 4 working with her and Fury as apart of S.W.O.R.D - in the Spanish subtitles they use the feminine articles for this engineer - so I think it’s more likely to be Talos’s daughter

The board that we saw in Episode 4 now includes the mailman, drivers license and all - could he be Jimmy’s missing witness?

The tension in the room after Jimmy references Carol is similarly seen when in Spider-Man: Far From Home, where Peter asks Skrull Fury/Talos “How about Captain Marvel?” To which Talos replies “Don’t involve her name”. Fury, Monica and Talos were all on the side of the Skrulls by then end of Captain Marvel and the space station that Fury was on maybe apart of S.W.O.R.D. So did Carol betray them?

A slight reference to Captain America: The First Avenger is made when Monica pulls a Peggy Carter and shoots at something to see if it’s bulletproof, in Peggy’s case it was the iconic Captain America shield and in the case of Monica, it was her clothes that she was wearing after Wanda threw her out of the Hex

Abilash (Norm) never states that Wanda is the one that Vision has to save them from, it’s just “her” - could this instead be Agnes?

When Billy is training Sparky to sit, he puts the treat by his ear up to his temple - a future reference that Billy will one day share the same powers as his mum?

During the scene in which Wanda leaves the Hex briefly, she turns the guns onto Hayward but none are trained on Monica - she may still trust Monica slightly, whereas with Hayward, she slightly more pissed off because of what he was doing to Vision’s remains. And turning a bunch of guns on the people you don’t trust? Like father, like daughter as Magneto pulls a similar move in one of the X-Men films - Hopefully, the big cameo they keep teasing will be Ian McKellan as Magneto or the Magnus of this House of M adaptation

During when Agnes “found” Sparky, she says he died from eating too many leaves from her plants - in the Tom King Vision run, one of Vision’s kids ends up killing Sparky and sees inside his stomach that there’s a plant that Agatha Harkness grows in her garden

All the names that appear during the credits that Wanda tries to run to end the show and to stop Vision from talking are names of people who work on the actual Wandavision show itself

When Evan Peter’s version of Quicksilver shows up, he says “Does a long lost bro get to squeeze his sister to death or what?” I DO NOT TRUST THIS PIETRO - Similar to Wandavision, the Fox X-Men movies moved up decade by decade - First Class was in the 1960s, Days of Future Past was in the 1970s, Apocalypse was in the 1980s and Dark Phoenix was in the 1990’s - which would make even more sense as MCU! Pietro wasn’t born until 1989, whereas Peter was active during the 1980s. I reckon that this Pietro is Jimmy’s missing witness, Agnes’s husband Ralph and is disguising itself as a comforting presence to Wanda as Vision no longer brings comfort and is trying to bring Wanda back to reality - and when he shows up, the mirror in the background behind Wanda is slightly distorted but his hand looks red and in the shot as well, there seems to be a grey arm reaching towards Pietro - in the shot itself behind and in front of Wanda, there’s nothing there but in the mirror, there is! Either way, I do not trust this Pietro and it’s just an entity trying to give Wanda the last thing that could make her happy - but it won’t last, as everything is already breaking down around her.

I seriously seriously love this show so much 💙

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lala-ladybug · 3 years

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Healing Hands: Chapter 1

Hello hello! First fic here, it’s a Maribat AU with a side of Sword Art Online. Or what I remember from having watched the show once about five years ago. We’ve got Marinette and minimal class salt, Young Justice but only the good parts, and primarily Jasonette. Please spread the word (I am a tiny sideblog) and let me know what you think <3

Read here on AO3

Chapter 1: You have no idea how many baddies I’m going to blow up because of you

Friday, at long last. Marinette could not have exhaled a bigger sigh of relief. It was mid-way through the school term, her commissions were ramping up, and Hawkmoth had become frustratingly active. Her duties as class president had only increased as she and her friends neared the end of lycée, not to mention all the studying she was doing for the baccalauréat on top of her regular school work. Commissions were booming now that her popularity as the anonymous designer MDC was soaring worldwide. She wouldn’t give any of it up for the world, but she might enjoy getting more than three or four hours of sleep for once.

There was only part of her life that had gotten easier since that day three years ago when she was entrusted with a pair of spotted earrings and an old god to match. Ladybug started out with one partner, but she now had a whole team to share the responsibilities of keeping their city safe. Ryuko and Viperion became permanent fixtures of the Parisian rooftops, and Bourdonne replaced Queen Bee after the infamous (albeit self-inflicted) unmasking of Chloe Bourgeois. The people of Paris looked to these heroes with pride and trust.

And Marinette Dupain-Cheng, now the Guardian of the Miraculous, looked to her partners with trust as well. She had decided that with her in charge, she could no longer keep secrets from her friends, from her new Order of the Guardians. She discussed it with Chat Noir, and he had smiled and agreed that it was time. And one day, when Ladybug gathered her teammates on a remote rooftop in the dead of night, she said only “I trust you,” before allowing her transformation to fall.

She wasn’t nervous, not really. She knew Kagami and Luka had good hearts, and she had seen firsthand how much Chloe had grown. Those three accepted her civilian self, her true self, without half a thought, and followed their leader in dropping their transformations as well. Chloe got her quips in while Ladybug looked to Chat Noir.

He passed his gaze over the faces of their friends and smirked like he was holding in a laugh. As he said “Claws in,” Marinette could hear the laugh in his voice, an intonation that sounded so very familiar, and oh. Of course.

Adrien Agreste beamed at his friends, both in the mask and out, and said fondly, “I’m so glad it’s you.”

The rest, of course, was history. For the year and a half since then, the five heroes of Paris had kept the city safe from threats magical and mundane alike. Hawkmoth had, of course, gotten craftier and more vicious with his attacks, sometimes choosing to send bursts of weaker akumas over the span of a week, sometimes waiting a month before sending an especially brutal villain their way.

But it was nothing that the Order of the Guardians couldn’t handle. Even though it could get exhausting after a while, which is why the incoming weekend was a welcome reprieve. There was another reason why this particular weekend was so exciting, which was that a new video game, Mindscape, was debuting. It would be released at midnight EST, which was 6:00 in the morning for Paris.

“Today’s the day, girl!” Alya squealed as she flagged Marinette down on their way to the classroom. “We are so lucky that our class won that raffle to get these exclusive passes. I bet I’ll be the first blog to get the scoop on this new tech they’re using!”

Marinette giggled and started to reply, “Super lucky, right? I’m excited too, I heard--”

“You know,” Lila cut her off as she sidled up to Alya. “I’m not saying that I didn’t enter us to get those downloads, but I was a big help with beta testing.”

How she managed to time that comment just as the three girls crossed the threshold of the classroom, and how she managed to know that nearly the whole class would already be there to hear it, Marinette would never understand. She only had to wait a moment before the rest of their friends rushed to the door to thank Lila.

“This opportunity is amazing, we are incredibly grateful!” Max was first in line, ever the technology-enthusiast.

Kim pushed his shorter friend out of the way and vigorously shook Lila’s hand. “You have no idea how many baddies I’m going to blow up because of you.” Lila looked a little overwhelmed as he continued to shake her hand all the while, and she gave him a nervous smile.

He was soon pushed out of the way as Alix muscled her way to the front next. “I definitely owe you for giving me the chance to kick his ass in a brand new way!” She jerked her head to where Kim had landed on the floor, pouting at her.

As the rest of the class who would be joining them in the game’s premiere expressed their thanks, Alya looked on with an affectionate smile. She was so very happy that she now had two kind, selfless best friends. Her smile fell a little as she noticed Marinette stoically edging her way around the crowd and up to her seat, not having said a word to Lila. Alya just wished that her two besties would get along.

Alya put a hand on Lila’s shoulder and smiled her thanks before following Marinette to what was once their shared desk. “You really should thank her, you know,” Alya implored hopefully.

Without turning around to face Alya, Marinette paused and shared an incredulous look with Adrien, who was already seated at his shared desk with Nino. She then shrugged and replied, “Lila never actually said that she got us the passes,” before continuing up the steps to her seat at the back of the class. Alya shook her head and sat down. It was always like this, a cool indifference from Marinette whenever Lila came up. They were both such incredible people, Alya couldn’t understand why they didn’t get along.

As for Marinette, she was semi-content to let Lila be as long as her lies didn’t hurt anybody. Her unrealistic promise to take away all of Marinette’s friends was never fulfilled, and honestly the amount of emotional energy it used to sap from her just wasn’t worth it anymore. Marinette had no idea how Lila was going to get her hands on a copy of the game when Mari was, of course, the one who had won the raffle. She distributed the special access passes herself, and Lila certainly hadn’t gotten one. If this was the way that she wanted to make friends, she would eventually have to face the consequences.

But for now, Lila was basking in her praise. That is, until she glanced at her phone and gave a small gasp of dismay.

“What’s wrong?” Rose asked, concern already etched on her face.

Lila covered her mouth with one hand and started rapidly blinking back tears. “It’s my VIP copy of the game. There was a mixup in the mail and it won’t get here in time for tomorrow morning! I’m so sorry everyone, it looks like you’ll have to do it without me....” She buried her face in her hands and her shoulders trembled with barely restrained sobs.

The class shared a worried look, and Sabrina piped up, “It’s okay Lila, you can borrow my copy.” Lila immediately looked up and surged forward to clasp the hands of her friend.

“Really? But won’t it have the same problem?” Sabrina smiled and shook her head. “Nope, it’s a digital download! I don’t mind, you can always trade it back when your VIP pass arrives later.”

Lila gave her a brilliant smile, any tears long-since dried. “Oh, thank you so much Sabrina! I’ll see what I can do about getting you a VIP pass too once mine gets here.”

At that moment, Chloe walked in, and one look at the scene displayed in front of her had her rolling her eyes at her former best friend. She gracefully swept up the steps to join Marinette at the back of the classroom and whispered to her, “Aren’t they all digital downloads?”

Marinette, who had started unpacking her bag to prepare for class, inclined her head and gave the blonde a meaningful look that indicated yes, they were indeed all digital downloads. Chloe snickered and started preparing her own side of the desk.

After the fiasco of outing herself as Queen Bee, Chloe had lost the minimal support and tolerances she had been allowed before. It gave her time to truly reflect on how she acted and treated other people. She had since been quietly making amends with those she’d wronged, and the person on the top of that list was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It took time and a lot of effort on Chloe’s part, but she mellowed out and did a lot of growing up. She still spoke her mind, though.

“Huh that’s strange, I got the VIP package too, but mine was a digital pass,” Chloe loudly proclaimed, studying her nails nonchalantly as the rest of the class turned to look up at her.

Lila grit her teeth into a forced smile and replied sweetly, “Well that’s because mine was an original beta testing copy that they had to update for the full game.” She turned her attention to Marinette and a note of false concern crept into her voice. “Oh Marinette, I hope you’ll still have time to come too! I know you’ll be busy this weekend with planning the spring class field trip. It would be such a shame if it didn’t happen because you were too busy playing a video game.”

Marinette suddenly felt very warm under the gazes of the entire class. She stammered out, “Oh-of course we’ll get to go! Don’t worry, I have a meeting with the school board on Monday.” Trust Lila to sniff out the one thing that had slipped below her radar.

Lila’s eyes lit up with an opportunistic gleam. “That’s great! Where will it be?”

“Well, uh, the school board has to review the location, so I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I can tell you that it will be in, um,” her eyes flicked around wildly and landed on the posterboard of different flags from the prior week’s lessons. “America!”

The class burst into excited chatter moments before Madame Bustier arrived and the late bell rang. Marinette released a breath and sagged in her seat. Saved by the bell.

Chloe gave her a sidelong glance and murmured, “America, huh?”

“Shut up,” Marinette shot back.

* * *

Madame Bustier tried to get the class to pay attention, she really did. They struggled through their lessons before lunch, the volume of side conversations between deskmates swelling all the while. The moment the bell for lunch dismissal rang, the students exploded into conversation as they left the classroom.

Marinette waved as Chloe and Adrien walked off to go meet Kagami and Luka at a nearby cafe. She breezed into the patisserie across the street from Francois Dupont and gave her surprised Maman a kiss on the cheek.

“I thought you were going out with your friends for lunch?” Sabine asked, balancing a tray of eclairs on her hip. “I forgot I have to plan our class trip!” Marinette replied cheerfully as she hurried into the kitchen to quickly fix herself a croque-monsieur. She gave her Papa a hug as she finished preparing her meal. He shouted up at her to not make a mess as she retreated into her room to eat at her desk.

She gave a small snort at that. It was nearly impossible for her to make a mess of food when she had over a dozen Kwami there to clean up after her, but he didn’t know that. She greeted said Kwami with a delighted grin and a wave as she set her plate down by her desktop computer.

“Marinette, why are you back so early?” Tikki asked, “is everything okay?” The other Kwami swarmed around her as she woke her computer up and logged in.

The girl waved one hand nonchalantly and opened up a web browser with the other. “Everything’s fine, I just forgot about planning the class trip!” She took a huge bite of the sandwich and started typing furiously. Several Kwami dove after the crumbs that sprayed everywhere.

“Ohhh, I see! Do you have an idea of where to start?” Tikki zoomed around Marinette’s shoulder to hover next to the monitor screen.

Marinette had the same determined gleam in her eye as when she finally found the perfect fabric for a design. She said confidently around a mouth full of ham, “America.”

* * *

By the time the lunch break had finished, Marinette had a preliminary list of cities on the East Coast of the United States. She had researched Gotham first, but it looked far too dangerous and gloomy. Next was New York City, which she determined was too big. Philadelphia was historic, but in a way that would definitely bore her classmates. Boston was too cold despite its excitement. Which left Metropolis as the perfect candidate. It was also protected by the perfect superheroes, Superman and his family, so she was absolutely confident the school board would approve of the city.

Of course, the meeting on Monday would need more specifics than just the city, but she was pleased with her progress so far. Marinette shut down her monitor, grabbed her backpack and plate from lunch, and went downstairs to the kitchen. She quickly scrubbed and dried her plate in the sink before waving to her parents as they bustled around, accommodating the tail end of the mid-day rush.

Marinette walked across the street with a spring in her step and, spotting a tall flash of blue hair, half-jogged up to her group of friends.

“Hey guys, sorry I couldn’t make it to lunch!” She grinned apologetically at Kagami and Luka.

“That’s alright Melody,” Luka gave her a side hug, “Chloe told us you were busy planning your class trip.”

Adrien slung an arm around Kagami’s shoulder and pulled his girlfriend closer to whisper conspiratorially to her, “I hear we’re going to America.” She laughed softly at his antics and at Marinette who stuck her tongue out at him. Kagami then said to Marinette, “That sounds delightful, Marihime. I trust you will still be joining us tomorrow morning?”

Marinette’s eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of playing the game with her friends all weekend long. “Definitely! I’m going to finish preparing for the school board meeting tonight so that we can play the second it comes out.”

“If you can wake up on time,” Chloe teased.

Marinette crossed her arms defensively and stated with pride, “I already set three alarms, thank you very much!”

Adrien burst out laughing at that. “Leave it to our everyday Ladybug,” he winked. Her face flushed as she pouted. He chuckled again and kissed Kagami on the top of her head. “See you later, mon coeur.”

She and Luka waved to the rest of the group as they left to return to their own schools. The three Francois Dupont students watched them go for a moment before returning inside.

“So, you and Kagami have plans?” Chloe asked.

“Yeah! Our parents gave special permission for a sleepover at my place tonight so we can play the game right when it comes out tomorrow.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had never quite abandoned. “But I’m not sure how often we’ll be able to be online with you guys after this weekend. You know how busy our schedules are....”

Marinette elbowed him lightly as they walked. “It’s a blessing you both managed to convince your dad and her mom to let you come to the launch at all! We’ll play together when we can, it’s no big deal.”

Adrien smiled gratefully at her and held the door open for both Marinette and Chloe as they entered the classroom. Alya was already there, and once she spotted her best friend (well, one of them), she skidded down the steps with a huge grin and held an invisible microphone up to Marinette.

“Thank you Nadja, and good afternoon Paris! This is Alya Cesaire, and today I am joined by young fashion designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, can you give us an exclusive scoop on the trip you’re planning for your class?”

“Good afternoon Mlle. Cesaire,” Marinette giggled, “Unfortunately, the trip has yet to be approved by the school board so no details just yet. But I can tell you with certainty that we will be visiting the resident city of some popular American superheroes.” She winked as she finished in her best interview voice.

Alya gasped and dropped her pretend microphone as she hugged her best friend. “Really!? Oh my gosh girl, you are the best!”

Marinette laughed and hugged her back as Alya jumped and spun them around. Once they pulled apart, she told the brunette, “As soon as the school board gives me the green light, you’ll be the first to know.”

The late bell rang and the girls practically skipped to their respective seats as Madame Bustier called the class to attention. Well, “attention” in the loosest sense of the word. They struggled once more through the majority of their lessons, but Madame Bustier seemed to sense defeat and she let them chatter excitedly for the last twenty minutes before dismissal.

Kim and Alix were boasting about how they were going to stay up all night, while Max encouraged them to maximize the time they would be able to play the next day by getting a full night’s sleep in before the launch time.

Lila bragged about her role in the creation of the game from its conception to even having suggested the highly anticipated date of release. Adrien pointedly ignored Lila in the row behind his and discussed the music they had recorded and mixed for the game with a very enthusiastic Nino.

Sabrina looked on a little sadly until Mylene, Ivan, Rose, and Juleka invited her to join their Disney movie marathon double-date instead. Mylene was too nervous to play the game so Ivan chose to sit out to support her, and video games weren’t really Rose and Juleka’s style. Sabrina’s face softened as she gratefully accepted their invitation.

Nathaniel turned around in his seat to talk to Marinette about the art rendering and the programs they used while Chloe scrolled aimlessly on her phone.

By the time the bell finally rang, the class was beyond excited to go prepare for the launch the next morning.

Marinette, to her credit, swallowed her enthusiasm and sat down to fully plan out their trip to Metropolis. It was grueling work, researching the safest hotel that was still in a central location. It had to be affordable but not shabby, too, because they had a limited budget. She eventually settled on the reputable Wayne Hotel, apparently part of an enormous corporation called Wayne Enterprises, and then began to build an itinerary with different events from there.

She worked nonstop the rest of the night, with the exception of a brief dinner break, and it was nearly 11:00 at night by the time she finished. Marinette sat up from her desk chair and stretched, then double-checked that her alarms were set before finally heading to bed.

#marinette dupain cheng #jasonette #sword art online au #virtual reality #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fic #maribat #maribat fic #healing hands

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uselessidiotsquad · 3 years

Text

Yet another Drabble

Drabble that I’m actually half-way proud of. It will probably find itself worked into another piece that I’m fussing with at some point but as of now I just wanted to get it out of my phones notes feature - it’s always a precarious feeling to have half of my writing done in my phone ^^’

(Context: Our ex-commander lets himself actually get help/comfort for his really upsetting dreams for once, instead of pretending it that didn’t bother him or shutting people out.)

Under the cut, for sake of everyone’s dash.

I am eternal.

He woke with a gasp, icy fear flowing through him closer than his own sap. Heart pounding painfully against his ribs like it was trying to escape before certain death arrived. It was bright out, the idle chatter of birds making their morning remarks let him know it wasn’t midday yet. He’d likely gotten a couple hours worth of rest, at least. If he wasn’t trying to claw his way out of the dregs of yet another hateful dream, he likely would have been able to gauge the time better. The spring colored Sylvari hauled himself to the edge of the bed, groggily rubbing at his eyes.

Though he had become accustomed to handling these episodes himself, he couldn’t deny that having someone with him helped. In a halfhearted attempt, he tried to remind himself that it wasn’t imposing on them, wasn’t asking too much to seek company. With a huff of irritation, Riaghael realized he still thought it childish, he should be used to this by now.

It’s not anyone’s problem but yours.

Luckily for him, the decision to find company was made for him, by a form shadowing the doorway. Walking quietly in an attempt not to wake him. Which failed, given that he was already awake. They stared at each other for a brief moment before the Firstborn commented,

“You’re up earlier than usual.”

He replied, feeling as though he had been caught doing something. “I guess so.”

“Is everything alright?”

“What? Yeah, fine.” Riaghael brushed the question off, reeling in his thoughts from the last vestiges of the dream.

“...don’t do that. Not to me.” A feeling of guilt crept over him as the yellow eyes narrowed at him, not in anger but in worry. He opened his mouth to say what had happened but decided against it. The words heavy and dry in the back of his throat.

“It’s nothing new. Don’t worry about it.” That was all he offered, hoping it might diffuse the situation.

Picking up on the hint, Trahearne ventured further, “That same nightmare?”

“Yes.” Reluctantly confirming felt like he had gotten himself into a corner. No evading it this time.

“Riag, I don’t want to pry but I can’t help but be concerned.”

He sighed, having to speak about it felt like giving it more influence, as if it had another entry into reality. “At this point I wonder if it’s always going to be this hard to talk about.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Riaghael laughed, a forced, short sound. Far from his normal one, it even sounded a bit sheepish. “Can you come here?”

“Of course.”

Despite the ripple of self-consciousness he felt in having to ask directly, he couldn’t help but smile as the other necromancer approached. The smile had become rarer than it once was, no longer a semi-permanent fixture, but it brightened the room when it did choose to appear.

As Riaghael stood from the bed, Trahearne opened his arms in invitation - to which he gratefully accepted. Burying his face into the side of the Firstborn’s neck, hiding for a moment from the worries and threats that lurked, waiting for their moment to strike. In the warmth of him, he could almost forget the voice that seethed through his dreams. Or the sound of him choking on sap, drowning on his own body.

Almost.

Riaghael pulled away from the embrace by a fraction after a moments respite, having come to a decision. He could think of no other way to tell him of the contents of the dream than to show. One hand slipped free from it’s place at Trahearne’s back and ghosted it’s way up to his throat, where it hovered fearful yet reverent. The tremor had grown stronger under duress. Unable to bring himself to speak and yet hoping the message would still come across. So that words wouldn’t spill as the golden essence had. Instead of daring to touch the line of flayed bark and gore that had been burnt into his minds eye, he let his hand rest at the base of the neck. Close but not exactly where the cut once laid. There, he felt the Firstborn’s pulse quicken in a shock of understanding and he returned to the safety of his shoulders crook.

The arms around him grew tighter, almost protective. As if trying to shield him and conceal him from the invisible assailant.

The Dawnbloom let his hand slide a little further down his chest, until it rested over Trahearne’s heart. Curling his fingers inwards softly, as though he was trying to catch and keep that fluttering thing beneath his fingertips. Keep it, so it might be safe and loved, and held like some stolen star plucked from the curtain of the heavens. Though far from lifted, the darkened cloud that hung over his thoughts which was so often bloated on pain and guilt, felt smaller.

Being here, Riaghael thought, pressed into his hold so tightly that he could feel his breathing rather than hear it, was not the worst way to spend a morning.

#did i write a drabble fix it to my other drabble? yes and #i'll do it again #it's like somft angst tm #but at least he's letting himself have a bit of comfort #as a treat #squadstories #unburiable #riag/trahearne #fanfic #mild angst #but also like mild somft #my writing #writing #gw2 oc #sylvari

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onlyfireandphoenix · 4 years

Text

The Golden Rules (from the Golden Boy Himself)

Summary: Dick tries to teach Tim how to be a good brother (as well as a semi-normal human) through love and affection

Dick had called an emergency meeting of Robins, which meant that it was just him and Tim sitting in the living room with a tray of Alfred’s cookies.

“Tim, we need to talk,” Dick was surprisingly serious, which was not comforting coming from the person who never learned to be serious outside of his masked life. Tim knew that something bad must have happened. What had he done this time? Was he going to get kicked out of the Robin mantle?

Dick looked at him, and frowned, “Tim we have a problem.” Oh no, he knew it. He was getting kicked out of the mantle and he didn’t even know what he did. “You are way too serious.” Wait… what? Tim glanced at Dick trying to puzzle out what he heard. Surely he must have heard wrong.

“Tim, you are like what? Ten?”

“Twelve,” Tim said indignantly.

Dick plowed right through like he hadn’t heard. “No ten year old should be as serious or reserved as you. It’s not healthy.”

Sooo…. Tim wasn’t getting kicked out? This was only an intervention! He couldn’t believe that Dick would call an emergency meeting to tell him that he needed to be less serious.

“So, I thought that I will teach you how to be less serious.” Because he was the perfect example of less serious of course. Still out of respect for Dick and not wanting to hurt his feelings, Tim stayed.

“Great! Now, lesson number is one everyone always needs a hug. You can never give too many hugs.”

Tim frowned at Dick. He knew that Boy Wonder was much more knowledgeable in the area of physical contact, but he clearly remembered Batman’s face last time Dick tried to hug him. “Are you sure about this? Bruce never seems to like it when you hug him.”

Dick pouted at Tim. “Tim… you don’t trust me?”

And there were those stupid puppy dog eyes. Why did Dick always pull those puppy dog eyes on him? Any why did they work every single time? Tim sighed, and Dick gave a gleeful squeal and hugged Tim as if to prove his point.

After few weeks of not so subtly drilling this lesson into Tim’s head, Dick watched from a distance as after a long patrol, a exhausted Tim Drake shuffled over to where Batman was sitting in the cave and gave him a hug that might have been more of a collapse than a hug, but still, it was progress.

The first time Tim had tried Dick’s advice, Dick remembered watching Bruce stiffen like a board under the tiny boy’s embrace. It took a week and much encouragement from Dick for Tim to try it again. Dick might or might not have given many lectures to an emotionally constipated bat behind the scenes, but Tim did try again, and this time Batman did not stiffen. From then on it was smoother sailing. And Tim had begun hugging people on a much regular basis. Now even the emotionally constipated bat was getting use to the idea that it was not only Dick that gave hugs and that maybe normal people hugged each other more than just on their birthdays.

Now that stage one was completed, Dick decided that it was time to move on to step two.

Tim sighed as Dick called another emergency meeting. He wondered if this one was an actually emergency. Knowing Dick he doubted it, but he still went anyway, if only to humor Dick.

“It is time for lesson two,” Dick said in all seriousness. So no, it was not an actual emergency. Figures. “You need to know how to cuddle.” Was he serious? But knowing Dick, yes, unfortunately he was completely serious. “Cuddling on the couch is important in everyone’s life, so you need to get acquainted with it.” Dick decided to work on cuddling while watching Lilo and Stitch, which if Tim was honest, he wasn’t opposed to.

Dick felt a surge on glee as one night after he had convinced Tim to watch another movie with him, Tim plopped right down next to him and curled up like a kitten next to Dick. The child was finally learning!

Soon even Batman started noticing that Tim was becoming more like Dick, but at first he saw nothing wrong with it. The problems started when he found Tim dangling from a light fixture eating a bowl of cereal. That is when he called in Dick to reign in these ‘lessons’.

“Oh come on B, don’t you like having a more friendly, slightly more normal child around instead on a miniature version of you?”

“I do not mind that you are teaching Tim to be more socially interactive, but I do not want to see you teaching him your unhealthy addiction to cereal or to risk his neck my dangling from places that are not meant to be dangled from.” Dick sensing that he was not going to get anywhere by arguing, agreed. However, Bruce never said anything about discontinuing the lessons…

That is how Bruce got stuck with another, smaller Dick Grayson.

Tim had heard that Jason was back. He had heard that something was very wrong inside his head, but he still hoped that maybe now, he could finally meet his predecessor, and brother that he never had. Of course he had been warned to stay away, and he would never break Batman’s order, so he didn’t try to go hunting for Jason, but if he happened to patrol a little later than normal or stray closer to Crime Alley than he did before, who could stop him?

This strategy of ‘avoiding’ Jason finally paid off when three shots came whizzing past Robin on one of his slightly longer patrols.

“Greetings from the dead, Replacement!” IT WAS JASON! Tim would recognize that voice anywhere, even though it was slightly distorted through the red mask Jason was wearing.

“JASON!” Tim squealed before launching himself at the vigilante. Jason who was not expecting this, took a moment to shake off the child that was… hugging...him?

“Get off me, you rat!” Tim only clung on harder and climbed further onto him with Dick-like agility.

“Ican’tbelieveitisreallyyou!” The miniature Dick rambled. “I have wanted to meet you since forever, and now you are here, and alive, and RIGHT HERE! I can’t wait until you get to go back to being Robin! You will kick so much bad guy derriere!” Who was this kid, and what had Dick done to him? This kid should not be allowed next to any sugar. Jason would make sure to warn Alfred, but knowing Alfred, he already knew and had locked all of the sugar in a bat-proof safe.

“Look Replacement, I don’t do all of the hugging and touchy feely things, okay?” He peeled the kid off of him and pinned the boy’s cape to a nearby wall.”

“Nightwing says that everyone always needs a hug. It is rule number one.” Even behind his domino mask, Jason could tell the kid’s eyes were unnaturally bright. And of course it was Dick’s number one rule. Jason would make him pay for corrupting this child.

The child suddenly changed the subject. “Are you aware of the breakout at Arkham?” And before waiting for a reply, he plowed on. “There were no major ones that escaped but a few of the lower ones did and I am trying to track them. I was wondering if you could help me?”

Jason knew exactly what the little vermin was doing. Nightwing had already tried this tactic on him MULTIPLE times. “Why isn’t the big old bat helping you?”

“I think that he is away in a JL mission and Nightwing is away at Bludhaven.”

“So they left you here to deal with it alone?” Jason couldn’t tell if he was impressed by the kid’s guts or furious at the bats for abandoning one of their own? Maybe a little of both? But no, he was not going to be roped into helping any of the bats.

Then the rat delivered his final blow. “Okay that is fine. But could you get me another cup of coffee? I haven’t been able to get enough sleep since the breakout.”

He would strangle Dick if he ever got his hands on him again. No remorse. In fact he was thrilled about the fact. Him and his manipulative little clone.

“Replacement,” Jason growled in warning. He was not going to be manipulated into helping this accursed family. “Go home.”

“I really shouldn’t. Who knows what these villains might do while they are loose?” He gave a tired smile and was about to leap away, when Jason grabbed his arm.

“Fine, Replacement, I will help! But don’t think I don’t know what you are doing!” The little rat would be the death of him.

Tim grinned as he watched his predecessor kick some bad guy derriere. It was nice to have Jason back home, and Tim would make sure that he comes home permanently. Maybe then Dick would have someone else besides him to teach his rules.

Jason had finished with the bad guys now, and with a sidelong look at Tim, he silently agreed to just truss them up for the police to handle.

“Now Replacement, go get some sleep and leave me alone.” Tim grinned again and let himself sag to the floor. He really was tired and Jason had never brought him that coffee. “Aww, I didn’t mean here!” Jason said plucking Tim up from the ground, but Tim was already on his way to dreamland. The thought of maybe this is what Dick’s rules were really supposed to be used for, flitted through his head before the sleep took over. The last thing he heard was Jason grumbling about having to drop him off, and with one last smirk, he was asleep.

He woke up a few hours later back inside the mansion with a slightly puzzled Dick hovering over him. “What happened out there last night?”

Tim smiled up at his big brother and replied, “I used rule number one.” Then he scooted off the makeshift bed and walked out of the room, leaving a still very confused Dick behind.

It wasn’t like Jason came over any more than normal, but if the bats got into some trouble, there was always someone who would miraculously save their bacon right in the nick of time. Now who this guardian angel was, who could guess….

……….

Then along came Damian, the demon spawn. He was the one that really challenged Dick’s rules. Maybe this was the one person that truly did not like being hugged. But that couldn’t be true because he let Dick hug him. What was up with that? Tim frowned at his little brother who was sitting across the cave. If the rules worked for Jason, surely they would work for this child, so with a deep breath, he walked towards the demon child.

“What are you doing, Drake?”

“Just coming to say hi, you know like a good brother would do.”

“We are not brothers, Drake,” the little brat was sure not making it easy.

“Okay, but will you be willing to come watch a movie with Dick and I?” Tim felt sure he could rope Dick into watching a movie. He loved stuff like that.

“Tt, I assume Dick is going to force me to do it if I refuse.”

Knowing Dick, he probably would. “Yes…”

“Fine, Drake, I will meet you up there.” Tim looked at Damian warily. Well that just happened. Tim assumed that it had been a victory for him, but one could never tell with Damian. After all, the assassin child could be plotting his murder at that moment. After a moment’s hesitation, Tim retreated to find Dick.

…

“Hey Dick,” Tim poked his head into Dick’s room. “Would you mind watching a movie with Damian and I?”

“Oh sorry Timmy, you know how much I would love to, but B has me working on this case, and I don’t think I can take any time off. You know how he is.” Dick did look apologetic, but all Tim could think of was how dead he was going to be once Damian found out. This time there would be no stopping it. He was going to die, and knowing Damian, it would not be pleasant. But maybe he could turn this situation in his favor. Yes, he had been meaning to get some sleep sometime, and dying in your sleep was always better than being tortured. And if he didn’t die, there was always the benefit of getting more than two hours of sleep at one time. Maybe Dick’s rules could come in handy after all...

...

When Damian showed up to watch the movie with Grayson and Drake, he found Drake sitting all alone on the couch. Of course Damian knew right away that this meant that Grayson could not have come to this ‘bonding’ session, but for some reason that completely escaped him, he walked over and sat down anyway.

After a long moment of silence, Damian broke the silence. Just out of curiosity of what Drake would say he asked, “When is Grayson arriving?”

Drake visibly gulped and replied without looking, “Soon, but let us go ahead and start the movie.” It was said way too quickly. Drake might be an expert at lying when he was under the mask, but in familial situations like this he was less than competent. Still, Grayson would prefer it if Damian participated in this ‘brotherly bonding’, so he pretended to be blind to Drake’s obvious lie.

“Do you want to watch Star Wars?” Tim asked as he held out the whole collection with a pride that was something to be ashamed of.

“What would Grayson want to watch?” Damian couldn’t help himself. It was quite amusing to watch Drake squirm as he tried to figure out a way to justify a decision that Grayson would clearly dislike.

“Well…… he isn’t here right now, and I would prefer to have a movie marathon right now.”

Damian didn’t care one way or another what they watched, so he gave his consent. Though he did vaguely wonder why Drake would want to watch a marathon. Usually he did not want to hang out with Damian if he could help it.

However, it did not take him long to figure out why Drake was so keen on the marathon because not even five minutes into the film, he was sound asleep. Wrapped around a very stiff Damian.

That sly little manipulator, Damian could almost not help but be impressed with Drake’s skill at masterminding this entire scenario just so he could get some sleep. Drake must know that Grayson would never allow Father to take Drake away from a “bonding” experience with his brother. He also knew that Grayson would never forgive Damian for waking Drake once he was finally getting some sleep, so Damian was stuck with an unconscious brother for 9 hours.

Drake would pay for this later, but Damian admitted that he needed the sleep, so he waited out the movie.

When Dick finally managed to take a break from the case, he was surprised to still hear noise coming from the living room. He quietly peeked his head and and laid eyes of something that he had only dared wish for in dreams. Not only was Timmy finally asleep, but he was asleep on Damian. And Damian wasn’t trying to kill him! The worst thing about this scene was Damian’s scowl, but there was not blood or knives, so Dick didn’t worry too much.

There was no way he was going to interrupt this progress, so he quietly stole some of Alfred’s cookies and headed back to the cave.

Tim awoke to find that he wasn’t dead. That was good at least. Damian was no longer in the room, but Dick sat on edge of the couch.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” he grinned. Catching Tim’s questioning look around, he said, “Damian had to go to school. You know, we have to keep up the appearance of a semi-normal family.” Tim gave a small, sleepy nod, and rolled out of bed.

“I am really glad you taught me those rules.” Dick didn’t bother to think about Tim’s sleepy ramblings, so he just grinned and caught Tim when he tripped over a stray blanket.

……….

This time Tim didn’t even mean to use the rules. It wasn’t even his fault. He was just tired and had a bit too much work to do. The rest of his family shouldn’t have even noticed, but somehow they managed to catch wind of his perpetual exhaustion decided to do something about it.

Dick suggested that they hold an intervention because those had worked in the past. Jason suggested they knocked him over the head and carry him to bed. Bruce wasn’t there as usual. No one would let Damian give his suggestion because no one wanted another dead Robin (except Jason at times, but those were becoming more rare).

This meant that the bat brothers spent the afternoon arguing about whose idea was better.

Damian rolled his eyes at Grayson and Todd. Sometimes his predecessors were fools. If Damian wanted Drake dead, the whole world would know, and that mechanical fraud would already be dead by now. However, Drake was an asset to the team, as long as he didn’t kill himself through exhaustion.

His brothers were obviously incompetent to handle the situation, he snuck out of the room to handle it himself.

Now where would a sleep deprived Drake be? He wouldn’t be in the cave because Father had banned him after Drake had collapsed mid lecture from Batman for lack of personal care. Probably then Drake would be holed up in his room. Sure enough, Damian could hear low moans coming from said room that could possibly resemble some form of language. The locked door was only a small inconvenience, and within seconds, Damian had the door opened.

“Demon Spawn?” a slurred voice asked hidden under a canopy of covers. “What ‘re you doin’ ‘ere?”

Damian pulled the covers away to find a haggard Drake surrounded by piles of papers. “Tt Drake, I am here to make sure you survive the next few hours.”

“I’m survivin’ great,” the slurred, slightly delirious voice responded.

“Grayson says that we need to have some ‘brotherly bonding’ time. He says that we need to watch a movie called The Guardians, and he has sacrificed some of his favorite chocolate milk for this.”

“But… I need to finish this for Bruce…” Drake stared blankly at the papers surrounding him.

Curse Drake and his stupid lack of self preservation instincts. But Damian needed to convince Drake to go along with this, not force him because Drake would only dig his heels in if he thought this might be some kind of trick. “Do you want to disappoint Grayson, Drake?”

“Well...no…”

“Then we need to have this ‘brotherly bonding’.”

Drake looked suspiciously at Damian. “Why ‘re you insistin’ on this? ‘Re you gonna kill me again?”

Damian replied as gently as a former assassin could. “No, I just want to assuage Grayson’s constant naggings.” Apparently that was enough to convince the sleep deprived Drake of his sincerity because Drake shoved some of his papers aside to make room for Damian on the bed. Damian quickly set up the movie and moved nest to Drake on the bed. “Here is Grayson’s chocolate milk.” He handed Drake a mug of the milk he had swiped for this occasion. Grayson would not mind his donation once he found out what it was for.

Drake clung to the milk and gulped it all down in only a few seconds. Damian was almost impressed with how he didn’t choke. Once the movie had started, Tim curled up against Damian, and within five minutes he was sound asleep.

Damian quickly scooted off the bed and collected the stray papers. He then gathered the discarded mug and made his escape.

Damian then went down to where his predecessors were still arguing. “The matter has been dealt with.” He said matter of factly as he interrupted their heated discussion. The both turned towards him with identical looks of horification. “I did not kill him, if that is what you are thinking.” Again, both faces sagged with relief.

“Then, what did you do?” Grayson asked hesitantly.

“I tampered with his chocolate milk.”

“Chocolate milk!” Grayson exclaimed. “My chocolate milk?!?” Todd promptly hit him in the head for being an idiot. “Okay fine, I guess that is okay.” Grayson grumbled.

“Drake will be asleep for at least 24 hours,” Damian reported.

“Good work,” Todd said, almost sounding surprised and possibly a bit relieved.

“Tt, of course, Todd. Unlike you two, I was able to get the job accomplished.” Damian took that opportunity to escape before things could get sentimental.

#Tim Drake #Dick Grayson #Damian Wayne #Jason Todd #Fix-it #Small Tim Drake #Jason Comes Home #damian needs a hug #Tim needs sleep #Protective Tim Drake #Protective Damian Wayne

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apple-grass-and-smiles · 4 years

Text

History: Endlessly Repeating

Summary: History repeats itself. Or Alfred realizes that there aren’t that many differences between Martha and Thomas Wayne and Bruce and Selina.

A/N: Did I have to go through and read the Pennyworth wiki for Martha to write this because I haven’t seen the show and my knowledge comes entirely from beautiful gif sets made by lovely people? Most definitely. Hopefully it doesn’t show. (And if it does, just play along and accept that this is canon for Gotham!Martha. Please.)

One thing that Alfred Pennyworth has learned during his undisclosed number of years on this Earth is that some turns of phrase are far more accurate and truthful than others. Perhaps the one that holds the most validity in his mind is “history always repeats itself.” When he was still young and living in England prior to his time in the military he used to find the phrase obnoxious because surely history wouldn’t actually repeat itself. But then two things happened:

The first: he saw men, some good, some evil, and some simply too young for their morality to even matter, be murdered in front of him over and over and over again. Eventually he determined that history had to repeat itself because there was no way that each day he witnessed such misery was a new horror and not just a nightmare that had somehow gotten stuck in a loop.

The second happened decades later and featured slightly less bloodshed. The event? He watched Bruce Wayne fall in love with Selina Kyle and it was just like watching Thomas Wayne fall for Martha Kane.

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

It started early on, when Master Bruce and Ms. Kyle were 13. Alfred had objected vehemently to the young girl staying at Wayne Manor (Master Bruce did not need a walking, talking reminder of his parents’ deaths and Alfred did not need another teenager to try and keep track of), but had been overruled. The first couple days had been nothing short of a disaster. Ms. Kyle seemed determined to prove that ‘Cat’ was an appropriate nickname and walked around the manor not interacting with others and giving the overall impression that she could not be bothered with anyone else. Alfred himself didn’t mind cats, but began to think that he might not like them if they could talk back to him like Ms. Kyle could. He was ready to evict her without a second thought when he stumbled upon the most peculiar thing. Or, more accurately, heard the most peculiar thing.

Master Bruce was… laughing. His young charge was honest to goodness laughing. Of course, this prompted Alfred to poke his head into the study where Master Bruce had been sitting, only to find breakfast food being lobbed every which way by both Master Bruce and Ms. Kyle. Under normal circumstances, Alfred would have instantly punished both and made them clean the whole room, but it had been months since Master Bruce had laughed and Alfred suddenly realized that he probably would have walked over hot coals if it meant that the last Wayne would laugh for 30 seconds. That fact alone would have granted the two children immunity for their food fight, but then Bruce turned his head so Alfred could see his profile and it was like all the air had been sucked out of the older man’s lungs because for a moment he could have sworn that a young Thomas Wayne was the one throwing a croissant across the study and not his much younger son. As much as Alfred knew that Master Bruce would never be Thomas, he couldn’t help but smile wryly because having a food fight in lieu of actually eating their breakfast would have been very characteristic of the Wayne couple.

Thomas would have always been far too serious and self-respecting to engage in such childish fun, but then he met Martha Kane and slowly but surely she seemed to fill him with a pure joie de vivre rarely seen outside of a kindergartner’s birthday party. While Alfred could not remember the older Waynes ever engaging in a food fight, he had seen Martha play countless harmless pranks on her husband. (Her favorite was always to spray Thomas with the gardening hose, a simple trick Alfred so closely associated with her that he cried the first time he had to use the hose after her death.) Martha’s ability to make Thomas laugh had always been one of Alfred’s favorite things about her, even if he had found her casual attitude a bit obnoxious early on in their friendship. But that annoyance had quickly turned to a fondness before deepening into love and perhaps the same thing could happen with Ms. Kyle (though Alfred would be horrified at the very suggestion).

History was indeed repeating itself because a young brunette has just made a Wayne man laugh with such joy that Alfred couldn't help but smile himself.

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

Master Bruce’s friendship with Ms. Kyle continued to grow as the months passed until Alfred had begun to begrudgingly accept that the young girl was likely to be at least a semi-permanent fixture in their lives. He had taken to teasing Master Bruce about developing a crush on Ms. Kyle relatively quickly after the two had become friends, but had never anticipated the two developing a friendship as deep as their quickly became.

That had been the case with Martha and Thomas as well, so Alfred likely should have seen the writing on the wall long before he did. As it was, he did not become alerted to just how close his ward and Ms. Kyle had grown until they snuck into Indian Hill together. Martha and Thomas had snuck into more places than Alfred thought he could remember, especially in the early years of their relationship. Once the two had gotten married they spent significantly more time sneaking out of galas to go home than they did sneaking into enemy territory. But, sadly, it seemed like Master Bruce had adopted the habit of getting into places he should not have been sticking his nose in much, much earlier than his parents had. (Many years in the future, Alfred was disappointed, though not surprised, to find that a long-term romance did not dissuade Bruce from sneaking around.)

As Alfred stood next to a group of GCPD cars near Indian Hill and watched the two teens talking together, Ms. Kyle perched atop a squad car with Master Bruce standing so that he had to look up at her, Alfred found himself very grateful that if Master Bruce was going to insist upon getting into trouble that he had a friend to do it with. Hopefully, some day another one of Master Bruce’s peers would come along and act as a calming influence, but until then at least Ms. Kyle was good at making sure everyone survived their misadventures. Alfred was imagining what lovely young woman or man would be the one Master Bruce would be sneaking out of galas with in the future as Officer Gordon came over to say good-bye to Master Bruce so that the older man could go off to try and find Dr. Thompkins. Officer Gordon seemed to be another man whose rebellious nature had been tempered when a loving woman entered his life. Alfred was turning around to comment on that exact idea to Master Bruce when he found the young man sharing an inside joke with Ms. Kyle and the two curling into themselves as they giggled, two people in their own little world.

And here was history repeating itself again. Afterall, Thomas and Martha had been partners in crime, just as much as Master Bruce and Ms. Kyle were quickly shaping up to be.

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

Alfred does not know how to feel when Ms. Kyle shows up at the manor just as he had finally convinced Master B to accept that she had stood him up and that he had cooked such a lovely meal for someone who would never stick around. On the one hand, he could never wish harm on the boy who he loves so very much, but on the other, he cannot imagine a world in which Ms. Kyle will not cause that boy an undue amount of pain. That girl had not had to sit across from Master Bruce as the boy fretted and worried about her wellbeing. She had not seen how he had once cried talking about how their two lives were so different and how he’d give up anything so that she didn’t have to worry about money and food and a place to lay her head. He had not seen how Master Bruce had wrung his hands as he waited for her to show up. Alfred highly doubted that she had noticed how the boy’s eyes lit up whenever he saw her. How could a girl who floated through the world like it was hers know to treat Bruce Wayne like the precious soul he was?

Many years ago, in what felt like a completely different lifetime, Alfred had once had very similar thoughts about another couple. Granted, he had had a much higher opinion of Martha Kane at the time than he did of Selina Kyle, but he had worried about if Thomas was heading for heartache when his friend had started truly courting Martha. He could remember one early outing where Thomas had arranged for an elegant dinner at one of Gotham’s most impressive restaurants only for Martha to show up an hour and a half late. Thinking back, Alfred cannot remember what her excuse was, but he can still remember exactly what Thomas sounded like as he called Alfred from the restaurant payphone asking what to do once Martha was an hour late. The protectiveness Alfred had felt for his friend then was nothing in comparison to how he felt about Master B now, but even then Alfred had encouraged Thomas to break the romantic relationship off. (His mother had always said Alfred did not have the patience for a romantic relationship that lasted longer than six weeks and she certainly had a least a bit of a point.) Thankfully, Thomas had not listened to Alfred that day, but the present Alfred certainly was hopeful that Master B would cut Ms. Kyle loose tonight.

Alfred did not think he could quite handle seeing a repeat of a history where a Wayne man had to put his heart into the hands of a girl who was not as careful with it as Alfred thought she should be.

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

Sometimes history repeats itself in a way that makes Alfred want to give up. There have been countless nights since the one in the alleyway four years ago that Alfred thanked his lucky stars that he was not there to see Martha and Thomas killed. (He knows that is probably selfish and that he should wish that he and Bruce could have traded places so that the latter had not seen his parents’ murders, but Alfred doubts that he could have shouldered the burden of that experience a fraction as well as Bruce has.) And, as he stands at the front desk of Gotham Hospital trying to fill out paperwork about how Selina came to be shot in the study, he wishes that death was not a part of history that could repeat. In a cruel twist of fate, Alfred had not seen this surely fatal gunshot take place either; no, that burden would once again be Bruce’s alone to bear.

Alfred had already wanted to murder Valeska the second he had seen what the monster had done to Bruce earlier today, but when the only remaining Wayne walks back into the hospital waiting room, his eyes empty of hope and tears leaving tracks along his face, Alfred thinks that he would happily kill Valeska at least once for every tear Bruce has cried and still feel that justice had not been done. Alfred takes the clipboard of paperwork to go and sit next to his charge in the waiting room. He knows that no amount of words he could ever say will help Bruce to feel better, so Alfred simply wraps his arm around Bruce’s shoulders and pulls the boy into a hug, just like he had in a dirty alleyway after the Wayne’s were killed. The two hug for a few minutes before Alfred pulls out a handkerchief and reminds Bruce, just like he did then, to dry his eyes because people will be watching. The advice seems just as pointless now as it did before, but Alfred believes grief should be allowed to be private, so Bruce must appear composed until he can grieve in private.

Of all the ways history could have repeated itself, this is Alfred’s least favorite one yet.

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

Thomas looked at Martha exactly like that, Alfred catches himself thinking one day. It’s the middle of summer and Gotham has been separated from the mainland for about four months. Alfred is trying his hardest to make something edible out of the small rations he has been given while Bruce and Selina are sitting on the ground in the living room of the small apartment Alfred had claimed for himself and Bruce early on. He thinks they are trying to play Monopoly, but they seem to be struggling on account of at least half of the necessary cards being absent from the box. While Ms. Kyle seems frustrated by the missing cards, Bruce seems entirely content to simply spend the evening watching her as she tries to come up with a way for them to still play. His eyes are so soft and hopeful that it hurts Alfred’s heart. Alfred had once believed that Bruce would never get to experience that whole-hearted love that his parents had had, but it has continuously appeared that, for better or for worse, Bruce has found that love in Selina Kyle.

The two are almost painfully similar to Thomas and Martha in some ways. Bruce is as committed to justice as his father. Selina’s mischievous streak makes Alfred believe she and Martha would have been great friends and a force to be reckoned with. Bruce’s eyes and jaw could have only come from his father. Selina possesses a constantly simmering anger just beneath her surface that Alfred has only seen in Martha. Bruce and Selina find themselves in trouble just as often as they find themselves breathing; Thomas and Martha were only slightly better. Martha and Thomas loved each other more than anything else and Alfred hasn’t heard Bruce or Selina say so, but he firmly believes the younger two feel similarly.

Sometimes history repeats itself in bold ways. But more often than not, it repeats itself in the small moments. Moments like this one, where Bruce Wayne looks at Selina Kyle with all the love that Thomas Wayne looked at Martha Kane with.

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

It seems fitting that countless moments of repeated history should inevitably deliver Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle to the same destination as it had delivered the former’s parents. Some of the parallels between this Wayne wedding and the one decades ago are purposeful, but many are not and Alfred smiles to himself because, in a slightly cruel twist of fate, he is the only person who has had the honor of attending both ceremonies. (Perhaps, he thinks, the fact that he gets to see both Thomas and Bruce Wayne fall in love with women who make them better men is a gift from the universe and not the curse he had once felt it was.)

Selina, who took to wedding planning significantly more than anyone had anticipated, has done her best to duplicate Martha’s wedding bouquet and chose her wedding dress around how it would look with Martha’s pearls. The young woman had poured over old wedding photos and bent over backwards trying to find small ways to help Bruce feel his parents’ presence at his wedding. When Alfred had asked Selina why she was working so hard to include Martha and Thomas in the wedding, she had explained that this was the best wedding gift she could think of to give Bruce, a sentiment so beautiful that Alfred had had to excuse himself to cry for a moment. It was just like both Selina and Martha to work to find small ways to display their love for their significant others and it was a characteristic that made Alfred love Selina more than he already did.

The wedding ceremony is short and sweet and absolutely perfect for the couple that has already vowed to spend eternity together over and over in every possible way. Alfred had had a similar thought when Martha and Thomas had been married. The couple is exiting the chapel, grinning bigger than they ever have before and reminding Alfred of the joy he felt at Thomas and Martha’s wedding, when it happens.

History repeats itself one final time as two of Jeremiah Valeska’s henchmen shoot Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne, targeting and killing both Batman and Catwoman. Alfred’s world ends for the second time as Martha Wayne’s pearls once again fall to the pavement. History, it seems, is endlessly repeating.

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

A/N: That ending was not what I was originally planning when I sat down to write this (I was going to let it end happily), but the idea came to me and I couldn’t write anything else. I’m really sorry, folks.

#I'm real sorry folks #hopefully this is edited enough to be understandable #gotham #selina kyle #bruce wayne #batcat #alfred pennyworth #I still have a writing tag somewhere around here #and I still don't know where it is #silence emily

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flourchildwrites · 5 years

Note

Prompt: TodoMomo; Todoroki performing CPR on Momo to restart her heart

Witch, Please! Fictober 2019 (19/31)

A multi-fandom Fictober prompt compilation. Your wish is my command, but be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.

For Anonymous

Prompt: Heart-Stopping (or something like that, lol)

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Relationship/Pairing: Todoroki Shouto/Yaoyorozu Momo

Genre: Fluff and Angst with a Happy Ending

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Word Count: 2,741 words

Read on AO3

Sneaking in and out of hospitals might as well be a part of the hero track curriculum. Shouto Todoroki likes to think he’s pretty good at it. He’s done it more than most.

He plans his visits weeks in advance and calls ahead so that the front desk knows he’s coming. Eyes down, Shouto navigates the hospital corridors, grasping the bill of his ball cap between his thumb and index finger. Indeed, it would anger Endeavor if he was seen at such a place, but that’s not why Shouto makes such an effort to camouflage himself.

For one, it wouldn’t be fair to her, his mother. Her unjust commitment is punishment enough. But also, his disguises tend to make Rei smile. When she sees her son wearing Midoria’s borrowed All-Might cap, her pale features stretch into a genuine smile.

“Does your father know you have that hat?” she laughs, slender fingers pressed to her lips.

Shouto smirks in reply. He thinks maybe, just this once, he’ll let his disguise fall on purpose.

At Rei’s request, the visit doesn’t last long. They never do, but things have been getting easier. Shouto takes it as a good omen that she can joke about her husband despite the havoc he wreaked on the collection of strangers that was once the Todoroki family.

He nearly makes it to the exit when a pair of familiar onyx eyes stops him in his tracks. Momo Yaoyorozu is a startling sight outside of her school uniform. Her raven hair is worn down, hidden by the hood of a jacket zipped taut across her chest. Shouto’s first thought is that she must be here to visit someone, like him.

His second is that she’s in a wheelchair, and she most definitely sees him as well.

“Yaoyorozu?” he queries, shocked at the suddenness of her appearance.

In response, she tries to jump out of the wheelchair. Her chest and face begin to flush with he imagines, a mixture of panic and embarrassment.

“Not so fast,” a voice chides.

Shouto’s gaze snaps upward to view a middle-aged woman grasping the handles of Momo’s chair. Both her business-like frown and her stiff-pressed uniform scream no-nonsense nurse. “Are you Ms. Yaoyorozu’s friend?” she asks. Her tone is accusatory, to say the least.

“Yes, I-”

“In the future,” she lectures, “it would be wise to accompany her all the way to the hospital when her symptoms worsen, not drop her off around the corner.”

Shouto opens his mouth to defend himself when he catches the panic in Momo’s eyes. The young semi-pro is many things, well-known for not being quick on the uptake, but he isn’t entirely without tact. He closes his mouth and nods.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be sure to do better moving forward.”

...

They take the bus back into the city center, and Yaoyorozu talks as Shouto listens. He does not ask for an explanation so much as he thinks she wants to give one. And if a sounding board is what Momo needs, Shouto believes that the least he can do is hear her out. She fiddles with her long sleeves the entire way, scratching at bandages which undoubtedly conceal needle marks. Words like ‘hypoglycemia’ and ‘quirk evolution’ pass through his ears. Shouto doesn’t understand everything she says, but he gets the gist of it.

“They don’t know if this something temporary or if the changes in my quirk’s function are permanent,” Momo says. “Either way, U.A. doesn’t know. My family has an arrangement with the hospital. We’d like to keep it quiet until… Until we’re sure… I’m fine for now, though, and I’d appreciate your discretion.”

The weight of the information takes Shouto by surprise. His discretion is one thing, but there’s a deeper issue at play.

“So, you go to the hospital when your blood sugar doesn’t come up fast enough?”

“Yes. And in between so that my doctor can monitor my bloodwork.”

“And you go alone? Jirou isn’t really dropping you off around the corner, is she?”

“No, I wasn’t ready for anyone to find out. Not even Kyoka.”

The bus isn’t crowded today, and for this, Shouto is grateful. The relative calm of the engine’s steady purr and the soothing sound of the city streets help the young man think. His decision is neatly made, conspicuously without the judgmental chiding which he thinks Yaoyorozu expects.

“I’ll go with you,” Shouto announces, leaving little room for discussion. “We have the same class schedule.”

“Todoroki, I couldn’t impose-”

“You’re not,” he says, unsure even as an ugly truth spills from his lips. When had he decided to tell her? She hadn’t asked. “My mother is in that hospital. Our family also has an arrangement. I visit her when I can. It might be better for us to travel together.”

Momo tries to protest, but Shouto will hear none of it. He makes sure she has his phone number and insures that she will use it, even for routine check-ups.

“I don’t know how to thank you, Todoroki,” Yaoyorozu says as they slip past the gates of U.A.

“Don’t thank me,” he responds. “It’s what friends are for.”

...

The first text comes a month later. Yaoyorozu and Todoroki slip out on a Wednesday night under the pretense of getting cold soba. Rei is thrilled by the impromptu visit though she cautions her son not to make school night meetups a regular thing. He doesn’t tell her about Momo. Even though he assures himself that she’s just a friend, it feels too soon.

After Yaoyorozu is given the all-clear, they really do get cold soba — her treat. He tries not to slurp the noodles, but she giggles at the attempt. There’s a bright look about her eyes that makes Shouto feel as if his half hot quirk is misbehaving.

“It’s okay to be yourself around me,” Momo says. “It’s what friends are for.”

His words taste sweeter coming out of her mouth.

...

A routine appointment brings them in on a Saturday morning, but Rei takes longer to ready herself than usual. Momo’s appointment goes smoothly, and judging by her smile, her treatments are working. She’s finished before Shouto can begin, and he realizes their delicate position.

Shouto cannot disappoint his mother, not when this visit had been planned for over a month. Neither can Momo risk being seen in the hospital. The longer she waits, the stronger the chances that she’ll be noticed.

There’s only one thing to be done. Shouto holds his breath when he asks the question, and he isn’t quite sure why the words feel heavy on his tongue.

She is just a friend, and surely, Rei would like to meet some of Shouto’s friends. She has even asked him to bring Yaoyorozu around once or twice.

“Would you like to meet my mother?” he finally blurts out.

Relief floods Shouto’s system when Momo grins broadly and tells him that she would like that very much.

...

The jacket tossed over Momo’s arm isn’t just a disguise anymore. Six months into their arrangement, she has become a regular fixture at visits. Sometimes, Momo pops her head in to say hello, and Rei responds with a polite nod, indicating that she’d like to be alone with her son. Most days, Rei invites the everything heroine inside, Momo wraps herself in a jacket and the two schoolmates listen while Shouto’s mother regales them with tales from her days of glory.

“Frostbite is an amazing hero,” Momo gushes, and Shouto can’t help but notice that Momo always uses the present tense. He also believes that his mother is an amazing woman. Time cannot tarnish the legacy she left behind when she retired to start a family. “I’m not sure anyone has been able to rival your mastery of winter weather rescue. Not even Todoroki.”

Rei preens as Shouto struggles to conceal a slight frown. “I don’t know. Shouto’s getting pretty close. He’s able to use his quirk more freely than I ever could since his hot half regulates his body temperature. Speaking of which, are you cold, Yaoyorozu? I can ask the staff to increase the temperature.”

The young man’s head turns to see his friend trembling beside him on the small loveseat. After many years of training, regulating his body temperature is second nature, as natural as breathing, but Yaoyorozu has no such capability. Shouto rarely notices how cold his mother keeps her room, but he makes a mental note to pay attention to it in the future.

Without the memory of deciding to do so, Shouto slips his left hand behind Momo’s back. His fingers tighten around the small of her waist. He isn’t sure where the bold gesture came from, but he’s relieved when his friend — and he swears to himself she’s just a friend — sinks into his touch. A knowing look flashes across Rei’s face, and Shouto isn’t sure if she is alarmed or relieved.

“Better?” he asks Momo.

And although she nods in earnest, the blush that spreads across her face makes him think he’s warmed her too much. Still, he keeps his arm around her for the remainder of their long visit, and she makes no attempt to pull away.

...

Momo’s been looking pale lately. Shouto thinks their peers are beginning to suspect something. In the back of his mind, he’s been wondering how he should phrase his concern when finally the text message comes.

Momo Yaoyorozu, 2:16 p.m.Can we visit your mother after gym today?

Shouto Todoroki, 2:16 p.m.Are you sure you don’t need to see her sooner?

Momo Yaoyorozu, 2:18 p.m.I can wait a little while. Meet you in the common area after class?

Shouto Todoroki, 2:19 p.m.Yes. We can get cold soba after if you’re up to it.

Momo Yaoyorozu, 2:19 p.m.I’d really like that.

Shouto suppresses a smile as he places his cell phone in the gym locker. He hardly hears the chatter of his classmates as they change into their swimsuits but does not believe he’s missing much. Surely, Mineta is drooling at the thought of his female classmates in form-fitting swimwear, though everyone knows their swimsuits are as modest as they come. Certainly, Bakugo is making posturing, if violent, remarks, directed toward him and Midoria. The hot and cold hero expects nothing less.

But in just over an hour’s time, he and Momo will be on their way to the hospital. And this is where the young man’s mind prefers to dwell. Shouto doesn’t know why, but he thinks he’ll feel a lot better once they’re well on their way. For her sake, he hopes Aizawa will take it easy on class 1-A today.

...

“YAOMOMO! YAOMOMO!”

Shouto hears Jirou’s screams from the other side of the pool, and his head emerges from the turbulent surface of the water just in time to see the green illumination of Midoria’s quirk. Fast as lightning, Deku makes his move, and Shouto stares on as Momo’s limp body is pulled from the lane where she was swimming laps.

Jirou screams again. “I CAN’T HEAR HER HEART. YAOMOMO!”

There’s a shuffling of bodies and a myriad of quirk usage as Class 1-A’s training kicks in. Iida speeds away to fetch Recovery Girl, and Uraraka levitates Yaoyorozu’s body, placing it down gently in the proper presentation. As Aizawa confirms Jirou’s observations, he calls off Kaminari, stating that his electric quirk is too dangerous to use under these conditions. It’s all Shouto can do to rush to her side, unsure of how he will be able to help, and when he gets there (after seconds that feel like hours), the young man is alarmed by how pale and lifeless she looks.

He blames himself, though he isn’t sure why and hold her hand as if the sheer force of his will could pump life back into her body.

But it can’t.

There is no time for hesitation. Aizawa is quick to begin chest compressions, counting loudly toward 30 as he forcibly pumps his student’s heart. And as the instructor’s voice reaches the number 20, Shouto realizes what he expected to do. He realizes that his fingers are beneath her chin, tilting her head upward, and his lips hover over hers, waiting to coax oxygen into her lungs. The hand gently caressing her forehead dips to pinch her nose, and on the count of 30, Shouto’s mouth covers Momo’s.

He gives her two gentle breaths, watching as her chest gently rises, and Shouto prepares to do it again, as many times as it takes, until she comes back to him.

It nearly breaks him when he realizes that she still tastes sweet.

...

Shouto’s classmates don’t ask how he knows the name of Momo’s doctor or the hospital where he primarily practices. They don’t question why he is aware of the Glucagon injection pen she keeps tucked into her purse, and if not for Recovery Girl’s insistence, he would have ridden in the ambulance with her. Not even Aizawa tries to stop him from leaving, even after he forbade class 1-A from rushing to Momo’s bedside.

He’ll take his punishment, whatever it is.

There are no disguises this time, and Shouto does not hesitate to call a cab. He doesn’t care when the driver recognizes him, and he cares even less about the wake of whispers that follow him inside the hospital’s automatic doors.

Recognition flashes across the receptionist’s eyes when she sees him, and it appears to bother her when she tells Shouto that she cannot release information to anyone that isn’t family. Todoroki turns away and slams his fist against a nearby wall. Rage bubbles just beneath the surface, and he can feel his quirk fluctuating dangerously beneath his skin. He is ready to search the hospital floor by floor when a familiar, middle-aged nurse catches sight of him.

She clears her throat and begins speaking loudly about the new admission in room 7309. Though unconscious, the young woman is stable, and her family is eagerly waiting to see her in the common area of the 7th floor. Shouto nods thankfully in her direction, and with an understanding tilt of her head, she responds in kind.

He races up seven flights of stairs and meets her parents, a woman with wet onyx eyes and a tall man with spiky raven hair.

They wait in silence for the dust to settle.

...

When finally he’s allowed in to see her, Shouto doesn’t know what to say. Her parents hug her, and her mother cries softly into the fabric of Momo’s hospital gown. Her father tries to accept all the guilt, and everyone agrees that U.A. should have been informed of her condition.

“Thank the Gods for Shouto Todoroki,” her mother sobs.

And that’s when she notices he is there, straddling the doorway, half in and half out of the room.

Momo’s eyes seem lighter than usual as they turn on Shouto, and from where he is standing, he feels both too near and too far from her. The lips that his mouth touched smile and beckon him to come closer. Shouto’s body obeys on instinct, and he waits patiently as her parents excuse themselves under the pretext of getting a cup of terrible hospital coffee.

“Guess I owe you some cold soba,” she offers to lighten the mood.

Shouto balks in reply.

“Momo, don’t even-”

“I was really looking forward to our date, even if it wasn’t really, y’ know, a date. And now, I might not even be allowed back at-”

In actuality, it’s the fourth or fifth time that Shouto finds his mouth pressed against Momo’s, but this time, her lips are warm and inviting and still so very sweet. He is careful of the cords and tries not to push her back into the meager cushion of her hospital bed. But there is so much worry and want that Shouto can barely contain himself. He speaks in ragged verses as one kiss becomes another and then another. And all of his words are promises of proper dates, more profound talks and endless kisses, whether she comes back to U.A. or not.

The elevated ticking of her heart monitor fills the room, and rather than annoy Shouto, the sound comforts him. Through a haze of want that threatens to consume him, he hopes that her heart belongs to him and wonders what took him so long to realize that his heart belongs to her.

A/N: I really enjoyed writing this prompt, and unsurprisingly, I over-committed. So, perhaps the prose is a bit more straightforward than usual, and maybe I wrote this thing in one, feverish sitting. And I definitely have adopted a “no beta, no cry” policy for the month of October. Suffice it to say, I hope anyone who reads this likes it! Feel free to send me pairing requests for particular prompts (Fictober or original) via my tumblr, and if you read something you like, don’t hesitate to let me know. Your kudos, bookmarks, subscriptions, comments, likes and reblogs make my day!

#fictober19 #writetober19 #bnha #my hero academia #todomomo #todoroki shouto #yaoyorozu momo #todoroki rei #angst with a happy ending #fluff #heart-stopping #CPR #flourchildwrites

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bongaboi · 4 years

Text

Liverpool: 2019-20 Premier League Champions

30 years of hope: my life as an ardent Liverpool fan

After three decades of near misses, slips and tears, the Merseyside team’s wait for another league title is nearly over. So what does it mean to a scouser and lifelong fan?

by Hannah Jane Parkinson

I am three years old in the photograph, hugging a plastic, flyaway football. I am seven, arriving tentatively for my first training session at a local girls’ club. I am bounding back to my mother’s car, blowing hot breath on cold hands, beaming, the salt from the artificial turf embedded in the soles of my trainers.

I am eight and glued to the television, watching teen wunderkind and my Liverpool hero, Michael Owen, score the perfect goal against Argentina in World Cup 98.

I am nine. I give up one of the few days I have to visit my father to attend my first ever match at Anfield, Liverpool FC’s famous stadium. A week later, my father dies. These two events are inextricably linked in my mind, and the guilt continues to whichever day you are reading this.

I am 10 and make my first appearance in print in a feature for the local paper, the Liverpool Echo, about girls getting into football. I am quoted as saying that all my sister cares about is boys and fashion.

Twelve years old and the fuzzy letters of “Parkinson” on the back of my shirt arch down my shoulder blades.

I am 13. Our team, known as Liverpool Feds, are approached by Liverpool FC to become their official girls’ outfit. We visit Melwood, the first team’s training ground. The full-size goals loom like scaffolding.

I am 14. My hero, Owen, makes the same move to Real Madrid that Steve McManaman made five years before him. This breaks my heart. Suddenly, all I care about is boys and fashion. Without really making a decision, I give up football. Cold winter nights are spent inside on the sofa watching Sex and the City. I discover live music and MySpace.

I am 15. I own the entire range of Clearasil products. A group of my schoolfriends and I take a night off GCSE revision to watch the 2005 European Champions League final in Istanbul; the first the club has reached since the mid-80s, and so it is forbidden not to watch. Liverpool are losing by three goals at half time. A lost cause. Minds wander to the second biology paper… But wait. Liverpool pull back to 3-3. And win on penalties. Pandemonium. We join the throng in the streets; the blaring car horns; the beer jumping, like salmon, from pint glasses; the embrace of strangers; the straining vocal cords.

I am 18 and living in Russia, watching games on my first-generation smartphone via a 2G internet connection. Each time a player goes through on goal the signal drops to endless buffering. Liverpool finish second in the league, four points behind bitter rivals Manchester United.

I am 26, we are bearing down on the title. Steven Gerrard in an impromptu on-pitch team talk, after a crucial win against the newly flush Manchester City, shouts hoarsely at his players: “This does not fucking slip now!” The next home game, Gerrard – one of the best players the club has ever seen, captain, scouser, Liverpool FC lifer – literally slips on the turf against Chelsea to concede a goal. We lose. Manchester City finish top of the league by two points.

I am 29. I am in Cuba, where the internet is heavily censored. But I manage to watch the last game of the season, which will be decisive. Liverpool finish the league with 97 points; the highest points tally ever for a team that doesn’t win the title. City win again. With 98 points. Liverpool do, however, win the Champions League – for the sixth time – after scoring four goals in a sublime semi-final comeback against Barcelona. The injured Mohamed Salah, watching on the bench, wears a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Never Give Up”. The T-shirt sells out.

I am 30. I have never witnessed my beloved Liverpool FC lift the title. Two months from now, this is going to change. As I write Liverpool have a 22-point lead at the top of the table. Of 84 points available this season, they have taken 79. Next Monday is the derby against Everton.

I want to untangle what this will mean to me – the fan who met Steven Gerrard a couple of years ago, grinning like a child; the fan who, two weeks ago, was unbelievably touched when current star Trent Alexander-Arnold recorded a video message to cheer her up during a bad time. What it means to other fans: those who witnessed the dominance of the 1980s, and the younger ones who have known only disappointment. And what it means, too, for the future of the area of Anfield itself.

It’s late February in the Flat Iron pub, one of the many dotted around Anfield. Steve Dodd, who is 49, is with his friends Dan Wynn, 26, and Gerrard Noble, 47. All from Somerset, they are having a pre-match drink before the home game against West Ham. Steve talks of the current Jürgen Klopp-assembled side as the best Liverpool side he thinks he’s ever seen.

The friends have been scouring the internet for places to stay in the city for the last home fixture of the season, but to no avail. “Rooms are going for £400 a night,” Gerrard says, his eyes widening. He and Steve are allowing themselves to get excited, but Dan, who like me has yet to experience a league title win, looks anxious and rubs his thighs. “No,” he says, “I don’t want to jinx it. Though I’ve been kicked out of various WhatsApp groups for being smug about all the results.” Steve tells me they weren’t prepared for it, this three-decade-long wait: “I just thought we’d go on winning.”

We talk about how important it is that Klopp’s politics match the club: Liverpool is a leftwing city; Liverpool is a leftwing club. At the last election, Labour retained all of its 14 MPs on Merseyside. The city has never forgiven the Tories for former chancellor Geoffrey Howe’s strategy of “managed decline”. Thatcher is a hated figure. But so is Derek Hatton, the former city council deputy leader and member of the Marxist group Militant. Last month, Italy’s rightwing politician Matteo Salvini was forced to deny that he had pulled out of a visit to Liverpool after the metropolitan region’s mayor called him a “fascist”. During several games last year, chants rang out for Jeremy Corbyn. The current prime minister conspicuously avoids visiting. As Gareth Robertson, who is a part of the immensely popular The Anfield Wrap podcast, with more than 200,000 weekly downloads in 200 countries, puts it to me: “Not only do we want a good football coach, we expect almost a political leader, someone who gets us, and our city, its values.” Humorously, there have been petitions for Liverpool to become a self-determined scouse state, and “Scouse not English” is a frequent terrace chant.

The club has a mantra: “This means more.” It pisses off other teams and is, understandably, dismissed as marketing speak. But isn’t it true? Isn’t the 127-year-old club what people think of when anyone, anywhere in the world, mentions “Liverpool”? The famous football team that plays in red – allowing for the Beatles, of course.

The city has another team, the blue of Everton. I have nothing against Everton. I consider Everton fellow scousers and too little a threat to focus animosity towards. In a way, the clubs are unruly siblings; we love and scrap in equal measure. Totally different personalities, but born of the same streets.

Four years ago, a man named Jürgen Klopp arrived on these streets. Or more accurately, he arrived in the suburb of Formby, renting the house from his managerial predecessor, Brendan Rodgers. Klopp is the football manager that even non-football fans like. He’s Ludovico Einaudi, seducing those previously uninterested in classical music. He is a man of principle; a baseball cap permanently affixed to his head, as though at any point he might be required to step up to the plate on a blindingly sunny day. Perhaps for the Boston Red Sox, owned by Liverpool FC’s American proprietor, John W Henry.

Klopp is erudite. He is proudly anti-Brexit in a city that voted 58% Remain. “For me, Brexit makes no sense at all,” he has said. He is a socialist: “I am on the left … I believe in the welfare state. I’m not privately insured. I would never vote for a party because they promised to lower the top tax rate. If there’s something I will never do in my life it is vote for the right.” He grew up in a humble village in Germany’s Black Forest, and it shows. There’s a saying in the region: “the hair in the soup”. It means focusing on even the tiniest things that can be improved.

He has the good looks of one of my favourite 1960s Russian film stars, Aleksandr Demyanenko. He hugs his players as though they were the loves of his life and he might never see them again. Journalists like him for his press-conference banter as well as his eloquence. He visits children in hospitals. He is funny. When Mario Götze, one of his star players at former club Borussia Dortmund, left for Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich, his explanation was: “He’s leaving because he’s Guardiola’s favourite. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I can’t make myself shorter and learn Spanish.”

Liverpool have had many famous managers, of course. Bill Shankly (there’s a statue of him outside the ground); Bob Paisley (ditto); Kenny Dalglish. But Klopp is already being talked of as one of the best ever.

Liverpool the city has evolved from its shamefully prominent role in the slave trade – in common with other major British ports – to a place with a diverse population and a well-won reputation for being friendly and welcoming. But the tragedy and scandal of Hillsborough, in which 96 fans were crushed to death in 1989 at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground, is etched into the nation’s sporting history, and its social justice record. After a 27-year-long battle to clear the names of the Liverpool fans whose reputations were smeared, after inquests that lasted two years – the longest case heard by a jury in British legal history – a verdict of unlawful killing was returned. But, as Margaret Aspinall of the indefatigable Hillsborough Family Support Group pointed out, after David Duckenfield, police commander at the ground, was cleared of manslaughter last year, no one has yet been found accountable for those killings.

The Sun, which categorically did not report “The Truth”, as the infamous headline went, but was found to have published untruths that blamed Liverpool fans for the disaster, is a red-top pariah here. The paper is the bestselling national in print, but shifts a measly 12,000 or so copies on Merseyside. A branch of Sainsbury’s was once found to be selling copies under the counter, as though they were counterfeit cigarettes. It’s a boycott that has lasted longer than many marriages.

The socially progressive values of the club extend to it supporting an end to period poverty – free sanitary products are available in every women’s loo at Anfield. Last month, the Reds Going Green initiative saw the installation of organic machines to break down food waste into water. The club even has its own allotment, which grows food to serve to fans in the main stand. It was the first Premier League club to be officially involved with an LGBT Pride event in 2012, at the invitation of Paul Amann. Amann tells me how he set up the LGBT supporters group, Kop Outs, because: “It’s essential that our voices are heard, our presence is welcomed and respected.” The group works alongside the Spirit of Shankly supporters’ group and the Fans Supporting Foodbanks initiative and has regular meet-ups. These things mean something to me: a football fan as a girl, and now as a woman. A woman who dates other women. A woman who doesn’t want to hear homophobic chants on the terraces. Or, it goes without saying, racist ones. Jamie Carragher, ex-player and pundit, has apologised on behalf of the club for its backing of striker Luis Suárez, who was banned from playing for eight matches in 2011 for making racist comments. “We made a massive mistake,” Carragher said. “What message do you send to the world? Supporting someone being banned because he used some racist words.”

Back on the pitch, some of this season’s performances have been, quite simply, balletic. Others as powerful and muscular as a weightlifting competition. Formations as beautiful as constellations. Forward surges as though our fullbacks were plugged into the mains. Possibly the best fullbacks playing today: 21-year-old local lad Trent Alexander-Arnold (known just as Trent) and the fiery Scot Andy Robertson (Robbo) are spoken about by pundits as innovators. Gary Lineker and I text, rapturously, about the two of them.

For a football team to be consistent, for a team to win the league, it must be capable of winning in many different ways. The aesthetically pleasing playing out from the back. Lightning counter-attacks. Scraping 1-0 wins in the final minutes (and, particularly at the start of this season, we have done a lot of that. It’s something Manchester United used to do in their 90s pomp, and naturally, I hated them for it). Mindful of the trauma of The Slip, the agreed club line is “one game at a time”, said again and again, as another scouse son, Pete Burns, once sang: “like a record baby, right round, round, round… ” And my God, how many of those we’ve smashed. The current side is the first in England to hold an international treble (the Champions League; Uefa Super Cup; Fifa Club World Cup). We have not lost a home game for almost two calendar years. Shortly, we’ll no doubt break the record for the earliest title win during a season; the most points across Europe’s top five leagues.

It is, even to the neutral, extraordinary stuff. It is, even to the haters, albeit grudgingly, extraordinary stuff. In 2016, one of the greatest stories of modern football was the previously mediocre Leicester City winning a surprise title. Liverpool’s dominance this season surpasses that for drama. It is watching history in the present.

Being at a game at Anfield is like being high while ingesting nothing. The stands seem to have lungs. Though You’ll Never Walk Alone has become supremely emotional, an anthem for strength and perseverance post-Hillsborough (“walk on through the wind / walk on through the rain”) it’s a song originally from the musical Carousel. It was a standout 1963 cover version by Liverpudlian band Gerry and the Pacemakers that kicked off its adoption at Anfield. “It’s got a lot of lovely major-to-minor changes at often unexpected moments that have the effect of emotionally blindsiding you,” music journalist Pete Paphides says (although he’s a United fan, so feel free to discount everything he tells me). “But it’s also obviously very hymnal, with a chorus which invites that religious ambiguity. It was Aretha Franklin’s version that John Peel played after Hillsborough and rendered himself incapable of carrying on by virtue of doing so.”

Anfield has always been something special; players from countless teams often talk of it being the greatest ground they have ever played at. Or the most intimidating. Or the most electric. But of late, there’s an extra buoyancy. The crowd salivates.

Watching the game against West Ham, we take the lead within 10 minutes, but they quickly equalise, before going ahead. We score twice more. It is our 21st consecutive home win, setting a Premier League-era record. At the end of the game, Klopp and his players applaud the Kop end, fans’ eyes glistening with both emotion and wind chill (“walk on, through the wind… ”)

Adjacent to the stadium at the redbrick Albert pub, Clara, Tom, John – all in their 20s, students, and local – and John’s dad, David, who is 53, are cheering the last-ditch win. I repeat what I asked Steve and his friends: just how excited should we all be?

“Very fucking excited,” says John. “Very fucking excited,” Tom concurs. (Scousers use swear words as ellipses. And the speed of Liverpudlian patter matches the rat-a-tat-tat of freestyle rappers.) The Albert is floor-to-ceiling in flags; unassuming from the outside, iconic inside. Across the road at the Park – the “Established 1888” sign above its door – it is Where’s Wally? levels of rammed, entirely usual for a match day. But the mood is as disbelieving as triumphant. It hasn’t happened yet, but it already feels as though people are waiting to be shaken awake from a dream. Around the corner, posters at another fan favourite, the Sandon, advertise a huge end-of-season victory party. I grab a burger at the Kop of the Range, a kebab joint not far from a scarf stall that has seen its business rocket over the past three years.

My Uber driver, Mohamed, 35, moved to the city from Sri Lanka. A massive Salah fan, he tells me his own revenue booms when the club win a game – happier fans means higher fares. “People don’t want to spend money on a loss,” he says. “If we win, the whole mood lifts. You can feel it in the car. Though when you start driving with Uber, they tell you not to mention what football team you support. Because football means a lot to people. There are many feelings involved with football.”

It’s unsurprising to me that even back in Sri Lanka, Mohamed was a fan. Liverpool is a global behemoth. The richest club in the UK outside Manchester.

A £1.7bn valuation; £533m turnover; pre-tax profits of £42m. Matchday ticket revenues increased (thanks to a regenerated £110m main stand). Visiting the club shop, there is LFC-branded gin; babygros; even a Hello Kitty tie-in range. As Richard Haigh at consultants Brand Finance tells me, next season’s kit deal with Nike is “expected to represent the largest in history. Brands will be willing to pay to have some magic dust of LFC.” There are official stores as far afield as Dubai and Bangkok.

John W Henry has won the support of the fans for his positive handling of the club. And yet, despite this huge wealth, Anfield is the 10th most deprived neighbourhood in the country. Boarded-up houses surround the stadium. The club has not covered itself in glory in the past, accused of buying up properties in unscrupulous ways. But it is hoped that local enterprises, such as the community-run Homebaked cake shop and new housing association properties, will make the neighbourhood better.

Last week, we were knocked out of the FA Cup in a match against Chelsea. Or, as I call that fixture, Kensington versus Kensington. (In Liverpool’s “Kenny”, 98% of residents are among the most deprived 5% nationally. In London’s, residents earn three times the national average.)

In the league, there has been a blip. Last weekend we finally lost. And we lost 3-0 to, with the greatest respect, Watford; not a bad side, but a side ensconced in a relegation battle. Arsenal, who once went a whole season unbeaten (“the Invincibles”), and are keen to keep that record, tweeted from the official club account: “Phew!”

But I am not panicking. It’s possible Dan from the Flat Iron is panicking. But Klopp isn’t panicking. In typical fashion, he said the fact we played an absolutely awful game of football was “rather positive… ”

“A couple of years ago,” our hero reminds us, “I said we wanted to write our own stories and create our own history, and obviously the boys took what I said really seriously. It is so special. The numbers are incredible.” In a nod to Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous line that his greatest challenge was “knocking Liverpool right off their fucking perch”, Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore says now: “We are back on our perch.” As The Anfield Wrap’s Gareth says: “In a dream scenario, a period of dominance follows. Not so long ago that dream was just that. Now, it’s a reality that is much easier to imagine.”

Four more games. Eyes on the prize. For me, at last, 30 years in the making, eyes on the prize.

#2020 #premier league #ynwa #liverpool fc #you'll never walk alone

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isobel-thorm · 4 years

Note

Lindsey probably beat me to all for wide man so all for Cal 😌

🍍 : how comfortable is my muse in their body? how do they feel about their height, weight, strength, and body type? how important is being attractive to them? // 🍑 : how meticulously does my muse look after their physical appearance? do they spend a lot of time on their hair, makeup, grooming, and clothing? is there a particular reason why they do or don’t? He’s okay with his appearance for the most part. He thinks he’s a bit odd-looking, but also figures that if he’s John’s spitting image and everybody was supposedly in love with the guy’s looks, he couldn’t be that bad either. That said, when he found out he was technically a Seed he tried to distance himself from being ‘John’s spitting image’ like everybody considered him. He kept trying to keep himself clean-shaven and put a bunch of lemon juice and such to lighten his hair so it wasn’t as glaringly obvious. He dropped it once he and John finally talked things through. As far as clothing, it’s not like he has much to choose from considering the Collapse, so he usually sticks with overworn jeans, a T-shirt and a button-up over it and a pair of workman’s boots.

🍅 : how does my muse feel about plastic / cosmetic surgeries & procedures? is it something they have done or would do? do they mind if others do it? He’s only ever heard about it in theory but doesn’t like it regardless. ‘Sounds like a lot of trouble for something that needs to be replaced again and again.’

🍏 : how stable is my muse’s physical health? do they go for regular or semi-regular checkups by a physician? do they have any diagnosed illnesses and / or take any medication? how often do they get sick? // 🍎 : how stable is my muse’s mental health? have they been diagnosed with any mental illnesses and / or conditions? do they have any undiagnosed mental illnesses and / or conditions? do they or should they attend therapy? His physical health is usually pretty good. He got majorly sick when everyone first left the bunker when he was seven, but it was really just a bad adjustment period that eventually evened out. After that he mostly just got a doozy of a cold every so often. Once he gets Eden’s gift, any illness became a thing of the past/a non-issue. Mentally he was also pretty good, though again the Seed reveal was a major point in his life, and he was depressed over it for a while but anxiety took over quickly and overrode everything. Actually, all things considered between that and his Uncle dropping all of the Shepherd nonsense on him, Anxiety became a permanent fixture in his life.

🍒 : how much does my muse value companionship? do they constantly keep people around them, or do they prefer to be alone often? do they have or desire to have many friends? do they see every meeting as an opportunity to make a new friend? He absolutely needs friends and family around him to function. He’s okay being alone, but he vastly enjoys people being there more. He goes out of his way to be friendly, even for people who he figures shouldn’t exactly be given the time of day. Even when Mickey and Lou showed up he mentioned thinking talking it out might work- until they threaten his sisters, and then it’s about game over as quickly as it was for John.

🍇 : how would my muse describe their childhood? how much has it impacted the person they are now, or will become as an adult? around what age did they or will they start to mature, and why? do they wish to go back to their days as a child, or have they embraced adulthood? As a kid, he loved his life, knew he was taken care of, loved all the adventure etc. After the Seed reveal and into his adulthood, he still would say he loved his childhood and all the adventures, but he also figures he was partly living a lie, even if he knows it was probably for the best. Again, that event made him grow up really quickly and really evaluate his stance on good and evil and if people could really come back from being monsters.

🍐 : how intelligent is my muse overall? are they smarter than the average person, or less than? are they primarily self-taught, or did they acquire most of their knowledge in school? are they more street smart or book smart? He’s pretty smart. Between the homeschooling that came from the people in Prosperity as well as the Survival skills taught alongside that, he’s pretty well-rounded skill and intelligence-wise.

🍉 : which of the four seasons suits my muse best, and why? Spring. Bright colors, the idea of rebirth and nice weather fit his personality most.

🍌 : is my muse inclined to help others, or will they only do it when it benefits them, if at all? what makes them this way? has it ever gotten them into trouble, or inconvenienced them? Nic and John raised him right. He wants to help people no matter what, without expecting anything in return. The closest thing he gets to that backfiring is having Mickey and Lou come to town, but that gets resolved quickly. After that, his desire to try to mend the rift between Joseph and John makes everything extremely tense for a while for the entire family.

🍊 : does my muse desire romance? is it something they would actively seek out, or prefer to happen more ‘ naturally? ’ what is their love life like? do they have any exes or past flings, or crushes? Cal and Carmina were the resident Simba and Nala essentially from day one, so even they kind of figured they’d end up together/be expected to do so. That said, it did help that they were best friends and a mutual crush developed so they pursued things and end up together 5ever.

🍓 : how is my muse typically seen by others? does it ring true to who they really are? does their reputation matter to them? He tries to make a name for himself, but even he knows that the public’s mostly going to know him as “John and the Deputy’s son” and be expected to be a perfect blend of their personalities. He’s a little insulted, but at the same time, he can’t really talk because that’s how he ended up - street smart, charming, uses humor to cope, charismatic, an explosive temper but it takes him a while to get to that point, etc.

🥝 : does my muse have any ‘ unusual ’ habits, interests, and / or talents? do they hide it, or are they proud of it? He absolutely ends up using Eden’s Gift as a party trick for the most part. “Hey, look how far I can jump!” “look how far I can punch this rock.” Also, he’s a ridiculously good shot with a bow and arrow.

🍋 : what kind of diet does my muse have? do they eat regularly, or the standard 2-3 meals a day? do they have to be reminded to eat, or are they likely to remind others? do they cook, or have others cook for them? do they eat healthily, or not so much? Eats whatever is available whenever it’s available. He just about dies for any sort of bread whenever anybody can manage to make it, though.

🥭 : how important to my muse is their hometown, or where they’re from? are they proud of it, or considered a hometown hero? did they move away, or do they wish to? From an early age he knew there was probably no chance of leaving Hope County, and even when he and Carmina leave for the train to get Rush and Sydney, even his time on there and seeing everything is nice, but it makes him ridiculously homesick. Once he inherits New Eden he redesigns and builds a lot of it up to make it his own, and that’s enough for him.

#Cal Raylan #troyebakers

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snapshotadeline · 3 years

Text

Adeline on Hiatus 2020

This is how Adeline spent 2020, copy and pasted directly from discord with Darcy’s player and not edited because fuck it I’m lazy.

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

I think Adeline takes the time to work on personal projects, because it’s something she hasn’t had the time for and she misses it

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

She’s gonna be hanging out at Bold doing all her projects omg

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

a significant amount of time is probably spent in the blanket nest that is sure to become a semi-permanent fixture in Darcy’s office, yes

[1:46 PM]

the first couple weeks at least 4 people ask, on any given day, if Adeline would like a chair or something that isn’t the floor and 9 times out of 10 she answers that, that’s what Darcy’s lap is for

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

Omfg Darcy snorts

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

but I do think she limits that time to after therapy and on really bad days, because she doesn’t wanna be in the way and as much as she knows Darcy doesn’t mind working around her, she does know it’s not as conducive to work as they perhaps wish it was. And she honestly likes her blanket nest that she always makes sure to fold neatly and out of the way when she leaves (cos she starts just leaving them there to make it easier). She probably bakes more, tries new recipes, brings them in for Darcy’s employees. Makes them both dinner and brings it to the office when she knows Darcy is really caught up in work and probably won’t leave til late. And she has to explain to her therapist (who is high key worried about dependency issues) that she could work anywhere and she does work at the studio, but she enjoys the environment Bold offers and yes, that means being around her girlfriend, but she’d just as easily spend time in Darcy’s office WITHOUT Darcy there because, ultimately, she’s been working alone since she broke into the business, and while she has a handful of people who work at either studio, 90% of all work is done so separately, there’s rarely anyone there. But at Bold, if she gets particularly bored of working in Darcy’s office she can probably go find someone else willing to let her camp out in a corner. She probably does this at some point too, like finds herself in various offices and work spaces and people actually ask her opinion on like article layouts or some shit cos they realize that she might be able to help, probably cos she walks by someone who seems frustrated, back pedals and takes a look and just given an offhand suggestion to try this thing and it works. And like, she’s not even necessarily doing it on purpose but I think in a lot of ways, Bold thrives in a way it hasn’t before while Adeline is just hanging out.

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

OMG, so when Darcy hires whoever, to replace Ben, they’re just like “who is the woman in the beanie?” cos confusion as to why she’s always around and dressed like that to a group of people and there are a handful of distinct answers:

Boss’ girlfriend

Adeline Finley-Jackson (some include the word Fucking between her first and last names apparently)

Don’t you know your photographers?

Office mom - this sparks an argument over whether or not she’s best labelled mom or aunt, they do ultimately agree on mom

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

I LOVE HELPFUL ADELINE OMG

[2:17 PM]

LMFAO OMG YES

[2:18 PM]

The replacement ofc doesn’t ask Darcy

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

I mean, to be fair, in a work environment asking coworkers before asking the boss is usually how one goes about gaining information. but it is possible the strange array of answers prompts them to be like “So… I’ve kinda gathered who she is, but why is she here?” Adeline, walking in to flop down into her nest “Cos I can be.”

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

This is very true

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Cos I think they try to crowdsource that answer to but no one has an actual answer and some people are just like “She’s been hanging around longer than I’ve been here.”

[2:25 PM]

The person just looking at Adeline, who is sat in her nest with a lollipop and her laptop, so confused and turning to Darcy like “Does she work here?”

“When I want to.”

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

LMAO

[2:29 PM]

Darcy is “Don’t worry about it.”

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

“You look like you could use a muffin. They’re in a box in the breakroom. Go. Get the muffin. Eat the muffin. Don’t stress.”

The person just kinda does what they’re told because a) muffins and b) it seems like the less confusing option

OMG some executive or something in the industry is on a visit and asks how Darcy got Adeline on her staff/ if it’s weird given they’re dating and Darcy is just like “She’s not my employee.”

“But we walked by that office, she was working.”

“She does that for fun. She wasn’t hired to do it, she wasn’t asked to do it, she just started doing it. And I’ve learned not to question what my girlfriend chooses to do in her spare time.”

[2:41 PM]

And it probably comes up as a concern with some people that maybe they’re taking advantage of it, when they ask Adeline’s help with stuff but what none of them pick up on, until she goes back to working, and is thus only in the office a couple days a week for more than like an hour, is that all they’re doing is learning from a resource that is freely offered to them.

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Please imagine Adeline (after having the IT people make sure EVERY computer in the office is set to sleep when the power button is pressed) walking up on someone completely stressing themself out over a thing, hitting the power button and in response to the following freak out going “You need to stop. Five minutes. Take five minutes. Go for a walk, get a drink, eat a snack. Just sit here and do anything but that and then go back to it. You’ll thank me later.” And then not only does she ultimately train them to do it to each other, she trains them to do it to themselves. To take those 5 minutes when things just AREN’T working and step away and reset cos like 9 times out of 10 they figure out what the hell was wrong way faster than if they didn’t. And they even manage to apply it to non-computer related work.

Though I feel like the first time she does it to Darcy she sits in Darcy’s lap and physically forces her to give her attention for those 5 minutes.

[2:57 PM]

And cos the employees learn from Adeline they start to turn things in that need less revisions, which makes Darcy’s work a hell of a lot easier

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

THIS IS DELIGHTFUL

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

And like, her logic is simple: better a 5 minute break to reset than spending all this time doing nothing but frustrating yourself.

It’s something she taught herself with editing photos. If the thing doesn’t look right STOP LOOKING AT IT and try again later when everything has stopped blurring together. And all it takes is 5 minutes for that little reset.

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

She gets kisses and “thank you for looking after them”

Aka Adeline goes on hiatus and accidentally revolutionizes the way Bold works

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

“They just seemed so stressed.”

[3:23 PM]

But OMG they come back from Disney (in which Adeline was very serious about there being no business outside of absolute emergencies) and Darcy expects things to be a bit of a mess, cos that’s how it’s been other times, but it’s not, cos her little family has figured out how to get things done without constantly needing her approval on every little thing cos they’re actually confident in what they’ve come up with

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Which, of course, people take notice of because Bold was amazing before but now it’s even better and that’s HARD to do so there’s an interview with Darcy about it, and like you don’t give away your secrets so the answer is that Adeline made the entire office her personal project and the interviewer is just ??? Because what does that even mean? She’s a photographer. But like Darcy’s just like “You’d have to ask her.” Because let’s be real, even Darcy isn’t 100% sure what happened, she just knows Adeline did.

[3:33 PM]

“The best thing that ever happened to me, happened to Bold. Adeline.”

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

Omfg “She was the missing piece of the Bold puzzle.”

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Omg imagine Adeline forgetting Darcy had an interview and like realizes as she’s walking in, cos she hears her name and is just like, “Didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll come back.” And even the interviewer is like “Can you stay though?”

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

DARCY PATS HER LAP

I feel like, by next year when Adeline proposes people are almost more scared of Adeline than they are Darcy because in being with Darcy and working on her mental health, Adeline grows as a person. She gains stability and in that stability she gains confidence. Sure, she still rocks skinny jeans and a band tee with a beanie more times than she doesn’t, but she walks like the punk she is. Head held high, shoulders back, and smile soft. The first person to tell you off for being a dick but also the first person to react to a child crying. She finally finds the balance she’s been looking for since becoming a professional photographer. The balance between the person she is and the work she does.

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Adeline just happily doing so, settling herself in Darcy’s lap like the fucking throne it is. And like, what was supposed to be an interview with Darcy turns into an interview with what is, essentially, the fashion industry’s power couple. And like Adeline is very open about what she did because yes, she holds a loyalty to Darcy and in turn to Bold, she’s the kind of person who wants to see the world thrive and if no one out there is pushing as hard as Bold is, then the industry stagnates. Nothing gets better. To be on top without challenge is to become complacent and prone to falling.

#about: a camera lens mask #about: headcanons

0 notes

darkmasterkattsvault-arc · 3 years

Text

Sober Adeline on Hiatus 2020

this is just a bunch of info I sent to @clamoringvoices at the beginning of the year about how Adeline ultimately spent 2020. copy and pasted directly from discord and not edited because fuck it I’m lazy.

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

I think Adeline takes the time to work on personal projects, because it's something she hasn't had the time for and she misses it

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

She’s gonna be hanging out at Bold doing all her projects omg

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

a significant amount of time is probably spent in the blanket nest that is sure to become a semi-permanent fixture in Darcy's office, yes

[1:46 PM]

the first couple weeks at least 4 people ask, on any given day, if Adeline would like a chair or something that isn't the floor and 9 times out of 10 she answers that, that's what Darcy's lap is for

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

Omfg Darcy snorts

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

but I do think she limits that time to after therapy and on really bad days, because she doesn't wanna be in the way and as much as she knows Darcy doesn't mind working around her, she does know it's not as conducive to work as they perhaps wish it was. And she honestly likes her blanket nest that she always makes sure to fold neatly and out of the way when she leaves (cos she starts just leaving them there to make it easier). She probably bakes more, tries new recipes, brings them in for Darcy's employees. Makes them both dinner and brings it to the office when she knows Darcy is really caught up in work and probably won't leave til late. And she has to explain to her therapist (who is high key worried about dependency issues) that she could work anywhere and she does work at the studio, but she enjoys the environment Bold offers and yes, that means being around her girlfriend, but she'd just as easily spend time in Darcy's office WITHOUT Darcy there because, ultimately, she's been working alone since she broke into the business, and while she has a handful of people who work at either studio, 90% of all work is done so separately, there's rarely anyone there. But at Bold, if she gets particularly bored of working in Darcy's office she can probably go find someone else willing to let her camp out in a corner. She probably does this at some point too, like finds herself in various offices and work spaces and people actually ask her opinion on like article layouts or some shit cos they realize that she might be able to help, probably cos she walks by someone who seems frustrated, back pedals and takes a look and just given an offhand suggestion to try this thing and it works. And like, she's not even necessarily doing it on purpose but I think in a lot of ways, Bold thrives in a way it hasn't before while Adeline is just hanging out.

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

OMG, so when Darcy hires whoever, to replace Ben, they're just like "who is the woman in the beanie?" cos confusion as to why she's always around and dressed like that to a group of people and there are a handful of distinct answers:

Boss' girlfriend

Adeline Finley-Jackson (some include the word Fucking between her first and last names apparently)

Don't you know your photographers?

Office mom - this sparks an argument over whether or not she's best labelled mom or aunt, they do ultimately agree on mom

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

I LOVE HELPFUL ADELINE OMG

[2:17 PM]

LMFAO OMG YES

[2:18 PM]

The replacement ofc doesn't ask Darcy

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

I mean, to be fair, in a work environment asking coworkers before asking the boss is usually how one goes about gaining information. but it is possible the strange array of answers prompts them to be like "So... I've kinda gathered who she is, but why is she here?" Adeline, walking in to flop down into her nest "Cos I can be."

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

This is very true

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Cos I think they try to crowdsource that answer to but no one has an actual answer and some people are just like "She's been hanging around longer than I've been here."

[2:25 PM]

The person just looking at Adeline, who is sat in her nest with a lollipop and her laptop, so confused and turning to Darcy like "Does she work here?"

"When I want to."

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

LMAO

[2:29 PM]

Darcy is "Don't worry about it."

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

"You look like you could use a muffin. They're in a box in the breakroom. Go. Get the muffin. Eat the muffin. Don't stress."

The person just kinda does what they're told because a) muffins and b) it seems like the less confusing option

OMG some executive or something in the industry is on a visit and asks how Darcy got Adeline on her staff/ if it's weird given they're dating and Darcy is just like "She's not my employee."

"But we walked by that office, she was working."

"She does that for fun. She wasn't hired to do it, she wasn't asked to do it, she just started doing it. And I've learned not to question what my girlfriend chooses to do in her spare time."

[2:41 PM]

And it probably comes up as a concern with some people that maybe they're taking advantage of it, when they ask Adeline's help with stuff but what none of them pick up on, until she goes back to working, and is thus only in the office a couple days a week for more than like an hour, is that all they're doing is learning from a resource that is freely offered to them.

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Please imagine Adeline (after having the IT people make sure EVERY computer in the office is set to sleep when the power button is pressed) walking up on someone completely stressing themself out over a thing, hitting the power button and in response to the following freak out going "You need to stop. Five minutes. Take five minutes. Go for a walk, get a drink, eat a snack. Just sit here and do anything but that and then go back to it. You'll thank me later." And then not only does she ultimately train them to do it to each other, she trains them to do it to themselves. To take those 5 minutes when things just AREN'T working and step away and reset cos like 9 times out of 10 they figure out what the hell was wrong way faster than if they didn't. And they even manage to apply it to non-computer related work.

Though I feel like the first time she does it to Darcy she sits in Darcy's lap and physically forces her to give her attention for those 5 minutes.

[2:57 PM]

And cos the employees learn from Adeline they start to turn things in that need less revisions, which makes Darcy's work a hell of a lot easier

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

THIS IS DELIGHTFUL

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

And like, her logic is simple: better a 5 minute break to reset than spending all this time doing nothing but frustrating yourself.

It's something she taught herself with editing photos. If the thing doesn't look right STOP LOOKING AT IT and try again later when everything has stopped blurring together. And all it takes is 5 minutes for that little reset.

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

She gets kisses and “thank you for looking after them”

Aka Adeline goes on hiatus and accidentally revolutionizes the way Bold works

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

"They just seemed so stressed."

[3:23 PM]

But OMG they come back from Disney (in which Adeline was very serious about there being no business outside of absolute emergencies) and Darcy expects things to be a bit of a mess, cos that's how it's been other times, but it's not, cos her little family has figured out how to get things done without constantly needing her approval on every little thing cos they're actually confident in what they've come up with

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Which, of course, people take notice of because Bold was amazing before but now it's even better and that's HARD to do so there's an interview with Darcy about it, and like you don't give away your secrets so the answer is that Adeline made the entire office her personal project and the interviewer is just ??? Because what does that even mean? She's a photographer. But like Darcy's just like "You'd have to ask her." Because let's be real, even Darcy isn't 100% sure what happened, she just knows Adeline did.

[3:33 PM]

"The best thing that ever happened to me, happened to Bold. Adeline."

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

Omfg “She was the missing piece of the Bold puzzle.”

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Omg imagine Adeline forgetting Darcy had an interview and like realizes as she's walking in, cos she hears her name and is just like, "Didn't mean to interrupt. I'll come back." And even the interviewer is like "Can you stay though?"

cassandra july’s abs02/27/2020

DARCY PATS HER LAP

I feel like, by next year when Adeline proposes people are almost more scared of Adeline than they are Darcy because in being with Darcy and working on her mental health, Adeline grows as a person. She gains stability and in that stability she gains confidence. Sure, she still rocks skinny jeans and a band tee with a beanie more times than she doesn't, but she walks like the punk she is. Head held high, shoulders back, and smile soft. The first person to tell you off for being a dick but also the first person to react to a child crying. She finally finds the balance she's been looking for since becoming a professional photographer. The balance between the person she is and the work she does.

darkmasterkatt02/27/2020

Adeline just happily doing so, settling herself in Darcy's lap like the fucking throne it is. And like, what was supposed to be an interview with Darcy turns into an interview with what is, essentially, the fashion industry's power couple. And like Adeline is very open about what she did because yes, she holds a loyalty to Darcy and in turn to Bold, she's the kind of person who wants to see the world thrive and if no one out there is pushing as hard as Bold is, then the industry stagnates. Nothing gets better. To be on top without challenge is to become complacent and prone to falling.

#bio: adeline #about: sober adeline (darcy)#ship: cornelia street

0 notes

cessanderson · 4 years

Photo

Aging in place: Renovating with independence in mind https://ift.tt/2T61VpK

Getty Images/Mint Images RF

Most Americans settle in a home, envisioning a permanent life refuge. Achieving this vision of aging in place, though, means preparing the home now to anticipate future needs. Doing so successfully can allow older adults to remain independent, autonomous and in charge of their home security as they age.

As many as 94% of today’s older adults (defined as ages 65+) wish to stay in their own homes as long as possible. This group, as of 2010, accounted for 13% of the population (40 million people), and that number is projected to increase to 20% of the population by 2030.

Studies show there are numerous benefits to home-based aging, such as increased life satisfaction, quality of life and self-esteem. Maintaining familiar surroundings and connections is also a benefit, allowing older adults to remain close to friends and neighbors, keep the same doctors and visit favorite coffee shops and grocery stores.

The time is now to start planning for down-the-road needs, like modifying your home to accommodate future accessibility needs, home security and even live-in care. It is important to understand the appropriate renovations that may be required and to equip the home with modifications that are right for you and any caretakers providing attention as you age in place.

What you should know about designing a home while aging in place

Studies confirm there are benefits to keeping older adults in their homes longer, such as maintaining more independence and connection to friends and family, as well as avoiding the high costs of institutional care. Luckily, there are many options, services and helpful solutions available to help us stay independent as we age at home.

Basic home renovations

Improve lighting

Improving the lighting in the home is an inexpensive solution that can provide an increased sense of safety and security for older adults — safeguarding against stumbling and falling, as well as break-ins. Consider adding lighting strips to stairways and other dark areas inside the home, as well as installing exterior lights that can be programmed to turn on and off, creating a pattern to deter break-ins. Nightlights are also a recommended addition — great for hallways, bathrooms and on or near steps.

Add easy-use fixtures and safety considerations

These simple home modifications are easy to implement and can have a significant impact on improving security and comfort in the home as we age:

Install oversized light switches ($6 to $28)

Replace faucet knobs with levers ($22 to $400)

Use automated garage door openers ($128 to $250)

Purchase larger digital display options for remote controls, phones, and screens ($7 to $545)

Add grab bars or rails around the home to prevent falls and improve mobility ($14 to $100)

Consider chair and toilet lifts ($18 – $100)

Use cord covers to prevent tripping and falling ($10 to $50)

Update your flooring

Falls are prevalent as we age in what should be our safest environment: our home. And flooring is often the biggest culprit. Loose rugs, slip-inducing mats, and curly edges on carpets are among the most common dangers. Many preventive measures are easy, DIY and often relatively inexpensive. Here’s what you need to do:

Secure rugs throughout the home: Use double-faced, anti-slip rug tape to secure the edges of all area rugs firmly to the floor. Or consider using an underneath rug pad, with options adhering to vinyl, hardwood and other flooring. In the bathroom, use bathmats with a good, surface-gripping backing.

Install anti-slip flooring throughout the home: Ensuring the type of flooring installed in the home (and especially in the bathroom) isn’t slippery is an important consideration for older adults. Some anti-slip flooring options include vinyl, ceramic tiles, and even bamboo.

Contrast for visibility while moving throughout the home: Consider varying the colors and textures of the flooring used throughout the home to provide better visual guidance, especially in transitional areas in the home, such as a sunken living room.

Advanced home renovations

Sophisticated upgrades to help current and future home healthcare needs not only add protections, they often heighten future selling prices. Keep in mind for some of these more advanced home modification tips, outsourcing to a professional may be necessary.

Assistive renovations

Widen your doorways: Even just carrying packages can make doorways impassable, so imagine providing adequate space for assistive devices like wheelchairs. To meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility standards, doorways should be at least 36 inches wide.

Add a stairlift: Unless you’re enjoying single-story living (or unless you have a downstairs bedroom and bath), many people need to navigate stairs in the home. In these cases, stairlifts are a great tool.

Keeping the home secure

Home security systems are an essential tool for being alerted to dangers you may not sense, like fire, carbon monoxide and break-ins. And these tools become even more critical for older adults. According to the National Fire Protection Association, people ages 65+ are twice as likely to be injured or killed by house fires, compared to the rest of the population.

For outside the home, consider installing security cameras, which can allow loved ones to monitor fall-prone areas around the home.

Assistive technology

There is a lot of assistive technology available today, including devices, software programs and equipment that’s specifically designed to help people work around their challenges — from arthritis-friendly light switches and easier-to-grip drawer pulls, to computer voice recognition programs, entryway ramps and more. Here are a few assistive devices for you to consider when updating your home for current or future assistive needs:

Clap-detection lights: Turning on lights with the clap of your hands makes turning lights on/off much easier. Plus, set the device in its “away” mode, and your lights will turn on with the detection of any sound, which can deter break-ins.

Smart entryway: Assistive tools like key finders, keyless doors and doorbell cameras make entering the home and monitoring activity at the front door easier. Learning who is at the front door from the safety of your couch reduces the need for unnecessary movement around the home, which can also prevent accidents and falls.

Home hub automation: Smart home options are now available to provide a one-stop solution for controlling your digital life at home, from programmable temperature controls and sophisticated home security systems to playing music and helping you keep track of appointments. For example, Amazon’s Alexa allows users to easily keep track of daily activities, call their doctor and even order food. And home hub security systems can offer older adults a greater sense of control over the safety of their home and valuables, all from the leisure of their couch.

Why designing with in-home care in mind is a good idea

Considering the high costs of long term care options in the U.S., it’s not surprising people are turning to alternative solutions. Although costs vary by state, let’s take a look at the average monthly costs of some of the more common long-term care options available:

A private nursing home room: $8,364 per month

A semi-private nursing home room: $7,362 per month

Assisted living facility: $3,862 per month

Adult day health care: $1,562 per month

To avoid these costs, and if in-home care is your goal, it’s important to start making plans now — so you’re not managing last-minute renovations and home modifications to accommodate the needs of caretakers at the same time your health takes a turn.

Some of the in-home care services you may need to consider planning for include health care aides, registered nurses, physical therapists, social workers and other specialists that make home visits. Your in-home caregiver might also be a companion or a loved one. Regardless of who is providing the care, it’s important to ensure your home is ready, so you can more easily adapt should the need arise.

Renovating your home for the future

When renovating your home, it’s important to keep future health challenges in mind, and the possibility of needing in-home care. Understanding your needs — and the needs of others potentially sharing your space — will create a more harmonious and comfortable environment while aging in place.

Creating a bedroom on the main floor of the home is ideal — allowing for easier accessibility throughout the home. In addition to reducing the use of stairs, main floors also provide faster exits to safety in case of emergencies — like injuries, break-ins or fires.

To accommodate live-in care, or for having loved ones stay, a separate bedroom is an essential consideration. Make sure the room has easy access to a bathroom, and even consider installing a small kitchen.

You’ll also want to equip your home for caregiver accessibility, including:

Installing smart locks, so people who take care of you always have access to the home.

Ensuring caregivers have access to WiFi, so they’re connected in the event of an emergency, or to purchase necessary items online.

Providing caregivers access to security systems, so they can help monitor the home in an emergency.

Adding more electrical outlets in the home, in case there is medical equipment to set up in the future.

Creating wider doorways and entryways for wheelchairs, as well as ramps for wheelchair accessibility.

Financial assistance for home modifications

Paying for Senior Care outlines four sources of assistance available for those needing to make home modifications to accommodate the needs of older adults and of those with disabilities, including financial loans, grants, labor and equipment loans:

Four types of assistance for home modifications

Low-interest loans: Some organizations, mainly governmental, offer low-interest loans for home modifications or guarantee loans so banks are less restrictive with their lending requirements. Since these are loans, they do need to be paid back.

Home improvement grants: These (usually one-time) grants are available for a specific home modification purpose, and do not need to be repaid.

Free labor: Another form of assistance is free labor to make home improvements. This is commonly offered by non-profit organizations or charities. Materials are not covered. The building of a wheelchair ramp is a common example.

Equipment loans: Some organizations make free, long-term loans of home modification materials. As an example, a portable wheelchair ramp that does not need to be returned until the borrower moves from their home or no longer requires the use of it.

Options for financial planning

There are also several programs and other assistance programs available for qualified individuals to take advantage of to help with home modifications for the purpose of keeping older adults at home longer. Some of the most notable options are:

Medicare Advantage: Beginning in 2019, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans now include benefits for home modifications, such as assisting with the addition of grab bars, stairlifts, and wheelchair ramps in the home

Medicaid HCBS Waivers and Home Modifications: Most states have Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waivers, which help qualified individuals stay at home and receive in-home care and assistance with home modifications. Each state offers different programs with different eligibility requirements and benefits.

Veterans Programs for Home Modifications: The Veterans Administration (VA) offers grants, including Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grants, Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grants and Home Improvement and Structural Alteration (HISA) Grants, to help veterans remain in their homes longer.

Non-Medicaid Government Assistance for Home Modification: The Department of Housing and Urban Development offers HUD Home Improvement Loans, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers Rural Repair and Rehabilitation Grants. Additionally, quite a few states offer various assistance programs that are referred to as “nursing home diversion programs,” and some of these programs offer home modification as a benefit. Review this list of state assistance programs that offer home modification benefits to see if there’s a program available for you.

Non-Profit and Foundation Assistance for Home Modifications: Many non-profits and organizations (such as Rebuilding Together) offer financial aid and volunteer labor to help older adults remain in their homes. Another option is finding local, volunteer community resources and projects that may help assist with home modifications.

Set your sights on home sweet home…forever

People are living longer and the percentage of older adults in the U.S. is on the rise. This means there is an increased demand for long-term care solutions. The good news is remaining independent and autonomous in the home you know and love as you age is possible. With the right planning and assistance, older adults can easily make modifications to the home — such as updating the lighting in the home, taking advantage of assistive technologies and even renovating the home to accommodate live-in care. Make these changes now and create a comfortable and safe space that you can continue to call home…forever.

Bio

Wendy Meyeroff, a plain language expert in B2B and B2C health/tech communications, has helped clients across the U.S. for 20+ years with journalism and marketing materials. Wendy has a specialty: writing for and about boomers, and mentoring outreach to ages 50+.

The post Aging in place: Renovating with independence in mind appeared first on Freshome.com.

The Freshome.com Team

#Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Magazine

0 notes

owensrhodes · 4 years

Text

Aging in place: Renovating with independence in mind

Getty Images/Mint Images RF

What you should know about designing a home while aging in place

Basic home renovations

Improve lighting

Add easy-use fixtures and safety considerations

These simple home modifications are easy to implement and can have a significant impact on improving security and comfort in the home as we age:

Install oversized light switches ($6 to $28)

Replace faucet knobs with levers ($22 to $400)

Use automated garage door openers ($128 to $250)

Purchase larger digital display options for remote controls, phones, and screens ($7 to $545)

Add grab bars or rails around the home to prevent falls and improve mobility ($14 to $100)

Consider chair and toilet lifts ($18 – $100)

Use cord covers to prevent tripping and falling ($10 to $50)

Update your flooring

Advanced home renovations

Assistive renovations

Keeping the home secure

For outside the home, consider installing security cameras, which can allow loved ones to monitor fall-prone areas around the home.

Assistive technology

Why designing with in-home care in mind is a good idea

A private nursing home room: $8,364 per month

A semi-private nursing home room: $7,362 per month

Assisted living facility: $3,862 per month

Adult day health care: $1,562 per month

Renovating your home for the future

You’ll also want to equip your home for caregiver accessibility, including:

Installing smart locks, so people who take care of you always have access to the home.

Ensuring caregivers have access to WiFi, so they’re connected in the event of an emergency, or to purchase necessary items online.

Providing caregivers access to security systems, so they can help monitor the home in an emergency.

Adding more electrical outlets in the home, in case there is medical equipment to set up in the future.

Creating wider doorways and entryways for wheelchairs, as well as ramps for wheelchair accessibility.

Financial assistance for home modifications

Four types of assistance for home modifications

Home improvement grants: These (usually one-time) grants are available for a specific home modification purpose, and do not need to be repaid.

Options for financial planning

Set your sights on home sweet home…forever

Bio

The post Aging in place: Renovating with independence in mind appeared first on Freshome.com.

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jovialsoulinfluencer · 4 years

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Aging in place: Renovating with independence in mind

Getty Images/Mint Images RF

What you should know about designing a home while aging in place

Basic home renovations

Improve lighting

Add easy-use fixtures and safety considerations

These simple home modifications are easy to implement and can have a significant impact on improving security and comfort in the home as we age:

Install oversized light switches ($6 to $28)

Replace faucet knobs with levers ($22 to $400)

Use automated garage door openers ($128 to $250)

Purchase larger digital display options for remote controls, phones, and screens ($7 to $545)

Add grab bars or rails around the home to prevent falls and improve mobility ($14 to $100)

Consider chair and toilet lifts ($18 – $100)

Use cord covers to prevent tripping and falling ($10 to $50)

Update your flooring

Advanced home renovations

Assistive renovations

Keeping the home secure

For outside the home, consider installing security cameras, which can allow loved ones to monitor fall-prone areas around the home.

Assistive technology

Why designing with in-home care in mind is a good idea

A private nursing home room: $8,364 per month

A semi-private nursing home room: $7,362 per month

Assisted living facility: $3,862 per month

Adult day health care: $1,562 per month

Renovating your home for the future

You’ll also want to equip your home for caregiver accessibility, including:

Installing smart locks, so people who take care of you always have access to the home.

Ensuring caregivers have access to WiFi, so they’re connected in the event of an emergency, or to purchase necessary items online.

Providing caregivers access to security systems, so they can help monitor the home in an emergency.

Adding more electrical outlets in the home, in case there is medical equipment to set up in the future.

Creating wider doorways and entryways for wheelchairs, as well as ramps for wheelchair accessibility.

Financial assistance for home modifications

Four types of assistance for home modifications

Home improvement grants: These (usually one-time) grants are available for a specific home modification purpose, and do not need to be repaid.

Options for financial planning

Set your sights on home sweet home…forever

Bio

The post Aging in place: Renovating with independence in mind appeared first on Freshome.com.

from https://freshome.com/renovation/aging-renovating-with-independence-in-mind/ via Aging in place: Renovating with independence in mind

#Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Magazine

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ponticle · 7 years

Text

Day 9: Seminar, Day 4, Night [9-Day Anderstair Challenge]

[Masterpost]

[Read it on Ao3]

Chapter Summary: Anders and Alistair prepare to say goodbye. Anders blurts the ultimate secret. (This is the end of the challenge. The next chapter of Coffee Shop will be out this week!)

Seminar Day 4: Night

As I push the elevator button to go up to Alistair’s room, I almost turn back. I just don’t think I can do this for the third night in a row. I mean—I know I can do it… I’m just not sure I should… not without some serious conversations.

I put the key into the lock and open the door. It’s dark inside. I blink a few times, trying to let my eyes adjust. He told me to meet him—he should be here. Then I round the corner—a beam of light from the window illuminates his sleeping face.

All my resolve is gone—I just want to crawl into bed next to him. I sneak to the side of the bed, strip my clothes off, and slide between the sheets. True to form, he’s naked… We used to have a rule about that: never come to bed dressed.

When I curl in behind his back, he stirs gently, pushing his ass against my crotch—we slot together like we’ve never been apart.

I rub my hands up and down his back until he rolls over and blinks at me.

“Sorry, I fell asleep…” he mumbles. “It was an accident.”

“You got naked, turned all the lights off, and crawled into bed by accident?” I laugh.

He smiles, “You got me. I just wanted to cuddle with you,” he yawns and pulls me into his chest. My head fits in that spot between his shoulder and neck like it was made for it.

“I love cuddling with you,” I blurt. The word ‘love’ slipped out of my mouth before I could catch it. It was okay this time, but I don’t want to accidentally say it between the words ‘I’ and ‘you’.

“Then wake me up in an hour,” he closes his eyes again and pretends to snore.

“You're the sweetest,” I kiss his cheek.

He opens his eyes. “Compared to what?” he asks. He's teasing me, but I like it so I play along.

“Compared to anyone else I know.”

He kisses me long and deep. Time stretches unnaturally until he lets me go.

“Andy… I'm so glad we ran into each other,” he whispers.

I nod. I wish I was braver. I'd tell him how I've missed him every day, how I never want to be with anyone but him. How much I love him. ...but I don't do any of that. Instead, I put my palm on the side of his face and kiss him with all the gentleness I can muster.

“I think a few of the presenters are heading down to the bar in the lobby now,” I mention.

“So what?”

“So… I thought you might want to be there… you're a presenter…” I laugh.

“Yeah, I suppose.” He stares up at the ceiling, rubbing circles on the skin of my back. “But what will you do?”

“I'll go with you,” I volunteer. It's a question, but I know it might have sounded like a statement. I don't want to be presumptuous, but this is going to be my field too. I'd like to meet everyone.

“Really?” he asks. He's pulled and pushed us so he can look in my eyes.

“Yeah…” I run a finger along his jaw. “Of course…”

“Okay. Let's do it…” he smiles and kisses me again. It's urgent—like something that won't happen again… and I suppose it's true. This is almost the end.

Downstairs, the bar is filled with academic types. I carefully scan the crowd before we get in too deep—I’m wondering if anyone I know will be here. I’m hoping not to run into that Steven (or whatever) person from the other night… I don’t think he was a presenter, but I can’t be sure. It's not like we talked, really. Thankfully, I don’t see him. The only person I do know is Dorian. He’s standing near the entryway taking a phone call. He looks stressed.

“What’s going on?” asks Alistair.

Dorian holds up a finger to us. “I understand, Cullen…” he pauses and rolls his eyes. “I think she’s going to be fine… this isn’t going to have a ‘lasting effect’ on her! She barely even has object permanence…” He sighs. “Yes, I’m kidding… I know that develops early…” He rubs his forehead. “Yes, of course… I’ll see you tomorrow… love you too…”

“What was that all about?” asks Alistair.

Dorian sighs, “Apparently Mia was asking for me all day.”

I blush. That’s so effing cute.

“...and then she couldn’t sleep—she’s been having nightmares—so Cullen called to tell me that I’m damaging our daughter’s psyche by being away this many days… not in so many words,” Dorian explains.

Alistair laughs.

“Yeah, laugh it up…” Dorian smirks. “He implied that we are having the time of our lives out here while he’s stuck at home with a sobbing child…”

“We are having the time of our lives,” says Alistair. He’s looking at me. “Aren’t we?” he winks.

“Dear god…” Dorian rolls his eyes again. “I need a drink…” He takes off in the direction of the bar.

When he’s out of sight, I have a semi-serious question:

“When did Cullen become such a wet blanket?” I’m laughing, but there’s truth in there. He was so suave before. Every time I saw him I wanted to murder him for just existing in that state.

Alistair almost chokes he’s laughing so hard. “He’s the worst, isn’t he?”

I blush. I like hearing him say disparaging things about Cullen. It makes me feel vindicated.

“He’s just not used to being a parent… and he likes Dorian a lot,” explains Alistair. “Like… it’s insane… he’s a completely different person in that relationship. He thinks Dorian is too good for him—which is true.” He pauses, looking down at his feet. “With me… he could see that I’m basically an asshole… so…”

“You are not,” I argue. Before I can stop myself, I’ve put a hand on Alistair’s cheek—in full view of everyone. I expect him to shake his jaw free, but he doesn’t. Instead, he leans into it.

“Thanks, Andy…”

I've said goodbye to Alistair before. It was horrible when he moved out, but saying goodbye after networking with his (my) colleagues trumps it. Even though we aren't an established couple, we met every person in tandem. We were a fixture.

On his way out of the bar, he pulls me into a side hallway.

“You were fantastic in there,” he says.

“Thanks,” I smirk. “I know a thing or two about musculoskeletal pathology.”

He laughs. “I was really surprised you knew about Dr. Gestalt’s research… that just came out.”

I smile. I’m pretty proud of myself too.

“So… are you turning in?” I ask. My spine curves in on itself; unexpressed emotion hovering in the air.

“Yeah, I think so…” he smiles at me. “Do you want to stay with me?”

That's the question, isn't it? Do I want to stay? Should I stay with him for one more night?

“I think I'd better go back to my room,” I shrug. I'm not even sure why, but it feels like this is the end—the time to say goodbye. It will only be harder in the morning.

“Okay…” he looks crestfallen. “Do you want to get a drink first?” he offers, “go for a walk?”

“Okay… let's do both.”

“Anders…” he slurs. “You're going to be a fantastic doctor.”

We're outside on the sidewalk in a beam of street lamp light. He's weaving and hopping, but I'm not even drunk. I'm not sure how.

“You think so?” I ask.

He stops a few feet ahead of me and turns on his heel. “Yes. You're amazing.”

I blush.

“...and I knew that already… but this weekend has just confirmed it,” he adds.

“How did you know?” I prod. I'm fishing for compliments, but who cares? Sue me.

His eyes widen. He cups my cheek with his palm. “Because you're incredible. The most conscientious, remarkable, amazing, person I know.”

“That's quite an endorsement,” I laugh, “but it sounds anecdotal…”

He snorts.

“And some doctor told me that we can only trust empirical evidence… just this afternoon,” I tease.

“Okay, okay… way to hold my lecture against me,” he smiles.

“At least I was listening,” I shrug.

He kisses me. Deeply, strongly. Right on the mouth, in the middle of the street. It couldn't be more obvious if he tried.

“I love you,” I blurt.

Oh shit. Fuck. What the fuck did I just do????

He pulls back—eyeing me suspiciously. My mouth was kind of smashed against his at the time, but it’s possible he understood me. I’m dying.

“What?” he asks.

Pull it back, Andy. Oh shit.

“Nothing…” I stammer, “you're great… that's all.”

We stare at each other. Time stretches. His hands are still gently resting on my hips, but it feels different.

“I think we'd better head back,” I say. It's a last ditch effort to keep shit from hitting the fan. He looks miserable as he agrees, but he doesn't argue. We walk back in silence.

At my door, he kisses me goodnight.

“Goodnight, Andy.”

I smile and nod, closing the door. On the other side, I listen to his footsteps get further and further away. It hurts, but I don't know what else to do. I've blurted the ultimate secret. Now it's time to back peddle.

Anders: Bela? I need help.

Isabela: Do you know what time it is here?

I look at my watch. It’s 2am here… so 5am in Boston?

Anders: sorry…

Isabela: …it’s okay… What’s going on?

Anders: I love him.

Isabela: And?

Anders: I blurted something to that effect… I’m not going to be okay.

Isabela: What do you mean?

Anders: I just can’t.

Isabela: ?

Anders: I can’t be… exist… without him. I tried to get over him before and it almost killed me. How am I going to do this again?

Isabela takes a while to answer. I see the ellipsis for typing show up and disappear several times.

Isabela: We’ll help you. That’s what friends are for, Andy. [heart]

Thank you so much for reading this challenge. I think it’s my favorite one so far. The next chapter of the main story, Coffee Shop, will be posted this week on Ao3. Stay tuned!

If you liked this story, I’d love to hear from you. :)

#anderstair #anders x alistair #anders #alistair theirin #conclusion #coffee shop universe #day 9 #dragon age #dragon age fanfic

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