#and yeah! i failed! spectacularly! but it told me something about my system and i also worked to improve my method!!

[fangedtracks]

just got done for the day and i have a raging headache :/

#phd chatter #i have been in lab for the past six hours jesus christ #it was lab practical day so students had to run three experiments and obvi it didn't go well bc science rarely does #and i had to be like. LISTEN. science rarely ever goes how lab does!!! #ive been on a project since january ? and we are STILL confused #and one time i synthesized a molecule and i got a 0.97% yield (regular is like 40% lol) #and yeah! i failed! spectacularly! but it told me something about my system and i also worked to improve my method!! #anyway im gonna go home and make some dinner and pass the fuck out bc i am slowly becoming inhuman #oh! thé cool thing that happened tho is one of my students asked if we could take a pic #and also said that they recently came out as non-binary and thought it was cool seeing me kickass and succeed and also that i'm cool so!!! #like sorry bestie milo is like cool in theory but he thinks prime numbers are so cool and won't shut up about excel #hes actually such a fucking dweeb lmao #but it was really cool and it made me feel so much better about grad school!! #like this term has been absolute hell and i feel like i'm dying constantly but it was really cool that they said that to me :3 #also someone else was like thank you for an amazing term!! it was really nice getting to know u and ur so cool #AGAIN THANKS BUT ALSO AM I #do you think a cool person finds derivatives and integrals sexy. #anyway!! it made my heart feel so happy

[spectralscathath]

Through It All- Freezerburn oneshot

Weiss was never much of a hugger, whether by choice or circumstance. Yang is willing to do her part to change that.

(A freezerburn gift from @illusory-torrent to @shaevira)

Ao3 link, FF.net link

Weiss blinked awake, a quiet inhalation the only outward show of her nightmare. She took a moment to calm her racing heartbeat, trying to focus on her breathing before it corrupted into sobs. She reached down, a hand clasping over the pale scar through her ribcage to affirm that there was no wound, no blood.

A moment of weakness turned unfortunate. She’d been blind to the threat Vernal posed, too confident in her Knight as an easy road to victory. She’d almost paid the ultimate price for it. She’d never been so close to death as she had when she saw a mockery of Pyrrha’s javelin pierced through her as though she was a butterfly on a corkboard. Not even the scar over her eye had damaged her so severely. That was a mark of pride, of victory, overcoming insurmountable odds.

Not the scar on her ribs, a match to one on her back. In that case, it was pure desperation she was still alive. She tried not to let it bother her. Tried and failed. 

She flinched when she felt Yang’s grip around her waist tighten, pulling her close as she mumbled something unintelligible into Weiss’s nape, every bit of her radiating warmth like fire dust. It was welcome, once she recognised the source. The room in Mistral was cool but not cold, unlike Atlas, where everything was either on the edge of stifling hot from the heating systems, or cold enough to make her shiver even with aura. 

She forced herself to relax and take in her surroundings, deliberately relaxing her muscles. She was with Yang, cuddled up in a shared bed, with an open window that let in fresh air and a faint chill, the latter of which was warded off by her girlfriend. Who would never hurt her. Just… hold her. 

That was something that Weiss spent a lot of time thinking about. The hugs. Weiss spent a lot of time thinking about Yang in general, if she was going to be honest. 

Being with Yang was different to anything Weiss had ever experienced before. She’d had dates here and there, obviously, she was once a rich socialite, having the odd coffee date with someone of similar wealth and standing was only proper. It was always a carefully-rehearsed dance of politeness that never reached friendly warmth, a minimum level of distance at all times, and a perfectly flattering letdown that didn’t offend. Or, occasionally, not flattering at all. But that was reserved for those dates that went spectacularly poorly, or for unwanted pursuers that weren’t worth her time. 

Yang did what she always did, and made everything different. 

Instead of frigid small talk and empty space, time with Yang was full of genuine smiles and warm hugs. The latter was what had Weiss so deep in thought as she curled under the blanket, Yang’s prosthetic arm sitting on the bedside table beside her gauntlet and Myrtenaster. Weiss smiled as she felt another soft snore rumble through her petite frame, wondering if Yang was graced with a peaceful sleep this time.

She shifted, awkwardly turning herself around and accidentally elbowing Yang in the gut. She winced as Yang’s eyes opened, the gorgeous lilac turned pale blue in the moonlight that slipped in through the window. “Sorry.”

“Ow?” Yang smiled blearily, yawning immediately after. “S’okay. M’rnin’?”

Weiss smiled, reaching up to brush some of Yang’s hair back from where it fell in golden strands over her cheek. She caught herself right before she did, remembering that Yang was very particular about her hair. “May I?”

Yang blinked at her, still waking up. “Yeah.”

Weiss relaxed slightly at being granted permission, tucking the wayward hair back into Yang’s wild mane. She tried her best to be gentle, the way Yang deserved. “It’s still night. Go back to sleep.” 

Yang yawned again, awareness flickering on in her eyes like a lit match. “Nope, I’m good. Why are you awake, Weiss?”

“Oh.” She couldn’t sleep. Her head was too full of thoughts. Of fears. Of memories of her lower lung slowly filling with her own blood, the threat of drowning on the floor of Haven Academy overwhelming even now. But she wouldn’t admit that, or Yang would worry. Or should she admit that? She was trying to be more open, after all. The first thing she and Yang had decided when they chose to take their friendship into a tentative relationship was to support each other, to try and communicate. “I was just… thinking about something.”

“What?” Yang lifted her hand from where it was wrapped around Weiss’s waist, coming up to shove more of her golden hair off her pillow. 

“Just… Haven. And us. I had-” it was going to sound so childish and immature. She couldn’t come out and say it. “This is going to sound stupid-”

“Nothing you say sounds stupid,” Yang reassured her.

“That’s factually incorrect. I once got into a spat with you about fog machines and doilies.” Back when she thought they were all invincible. Back before Yang had to put on her arm each morning, if she wanted to, back before Blake opened scars on them all with her absence, and Ruby charged ahead recklessly into things none of them knew the truth about. Back before Weiss was skewered by a madwoman just because she was there. 

“Yeah. It was kinda dumb, looking back, but it was fun, and we both got what we wanted.” Yang smirked roguishly. “I like that about us.”

“Me too.” Weiss couldn’t agree more. She nodded to herself. She didn’t want to ruin this with discussion of a nightmare. It was only a dream. Only a memory. She’d already talked through this with Yang, the first time she woke up from a false death. It was time to let go, and to think instead about other things. She didn’t have to hide the truth, but she could ask for an alternative option. “I had a nightmare about Haven again. Distract me?”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yang blinked in surprise as the words filled the air, her stomach twisting as Weiss said it. Haven. She knew exactly what Weiss had dreamed. She remembered how the world seemed to stop when she saw Weiss run through by that spear, how Cinder had been smiling. The world had frozen around Yang, even Mercury seemed to back off for a minute as she tried to process that the kindest person she’d ever known was going to die just because Cinder wanted to prove a point to Jaune.

It wasn’t fair. Weiss never should’ve been hurt like that. It had been too close. Yang couldn’t even be there for her, too caught up in trying to fend off Emerald and Mercury, and then seeing Blake, facing Raven, fetching the Relic, forcing a smile for Ruby’s sake when all she wanted to do was tell Blake to go and screw herself-

But that didn’t matter right now. She shoved thoughts of Blake and Raven and Mercury and Haven out of her head, letting her palm rest against Weiss’s cheek. Weiss was never vulnerable. Not really. Not like how Yang always felt, always on display with her lopsidedness and false arm- she tried to reclaim it, make it hers, and some days it worked. Other days it didn’t.

But Weiss always had strength in her. Real strength. Not like what Yang tried to cling to. She looked into those beautiful, frost blue eyes, and tried to think of something to say. “Distract you. Okay. I’m drawing a blank, what do you want to talk about?”

Weiss bit her lip, which made Yang want to kiss her, but she held back. They were still figuring things out, still asking tentative permission. She could kiss her after, not like Weiss was going anywhere. She wouldn’t. She promised. 

“Cuddling.” Weiss announced, like it was obvious. Yang raised a brow, silently prompting her to explain. Weiss smiled back, a little awkwardly and completely adorably. “You hug a lot. We sleep like this. It surprises me, sometimes, how comfortable you are with it.”

“Do you want to stop?” Yang asked, worried but willing to do so. It’d suck, she’d always been a hugger, always slept better when there was someone to hold and someone to hold her. But for Weiss, she’d do it. 

“No!” Weiss took Yang’s hand, squeezing it tight with cold fingers. “I just… I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve been, well, cuddled. Before you, that is. You’ve made the numbers rise very quickly.”

Yang smiled, trying to figure out what to say. “It’s… there’s a story behind it.” She’d told Blake part of it. Weiss a different bit. But only she knew the whole thing.

“I’m listening,” Weiss smiled at her, lifting their joined hands up and kissing the inside of Yang’s wrist, so soft it stole her breath away. 

“When I was a child, Ruby and I got attacked by Grimm.” Dad left them with Qrow, but Qrow had passed out drunk, and so Yang had snuck out. “It was my fault. I could’ve gotten us killed, but Uncle Qrow saved us.” He’d killed the Grimm in seconds, carving them apart like they were nothing, and then he’d pulled Yang and Ruby close, endlessly apologising and carrying them home. 

Weiss listened, not a trace of judgement in her eyes, and Yang appreciated that. She smiled and kept talking. “After, Ruby and I were so shaken, we couldn’t sleep. Eventually we had a sleepover on my side of the room, and it helped. From then on, for a long time after, we just shared a bed. Even when we got older, if one of us had a nightmare, or dad was out, or sometimes just for no reason at all, we’d dump all our pillows and blankets on one bed and fall asleep like that. I guess I’m pretty used to sharing a bed, it’s almost weirder not to.”

Weiss took it in, Yang could see it on her face as she listened and worked through it in her own head. She could practically see the cogs turning. It took her a minute to get her thoughts in order, and Yang didn’t rush her. Weiss was patient enough to let Yang figure her words out before she said them, Yang could do the same. 

“That’s a very sweet story. Thank you for telling me.” She leaned forward, lightly touching her forehead to Yang’s. “Just so we’re clear, I don’t want this to stop. I like sleeping with you-”

“Oh really?” Yang grinned, waggling her brows. She was just teasing. She wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. She ignored a twinge in her right arm and a quiet, nasty little voice in her head that whispered ‘not ever’. No. Weiss thought she was beautiful, had said so before. She hadn’t lost her spark. It was just… harder to find. 

Weiss’s cheeks went a really fun shade of red as she spluttered, quickly catching her bearings. “Not like that- you know what I mean!”

“I do know what you mean,” Yang chuckled, untangling their hands so she could instead wrap her arm around her girlfriend and pull her close. “And I like cuddling with you too.” She wanted to do it forever. 

“So we’re in agreement, then?” Weiss slid an arm around Yang’s waist in return. “Cuddles are good and you may continue.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Yang grinned.

“May I?” Weiss asked as she cupped Yang’s cheek with her free hand, treating Yang like she was something precious. Not fragile, not breakable, but something to be cherished and cared for. 

“Please.” Yang’s heart did a flutter-thump in her chest as she nodded and leaned in, closing the distance with a kiss. She wanted to do this forever too.

#rwby #freezerburn #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #rwby fanfiction #my writings

[prettybuckybaby]

count all the bees in the hive, chase all the clouds from the sky

Fury calls a meeting while Peter is busy

part six of single parent peter parker

masterlist

read on ao3 here

Tony regrets ever meeting Nick Fury when he’s falling asleep on the table in the conference room that has become solely for avenger’s business. It’s 10 AM on a Saturday morning, he’s just got back from his business trip to Tokyo, literally an hour ago, and he wants nothing more than to mess around in his lab until he passes out, collapsing on whatever he’s building. Everyone apart from Steve and Harley are at least half asleep, even if some of them are hiding it better than others. Fury isn’t even here yet and Tony’s made a deal with himself that if he doesn’t show in the next three minutes, he’s allowed to leave. That’s fair. Pepper probably won’t even be that annoyed with him. Steve might be, but honestly, Tony doesn’t care that much about Steve’s opinion at 10AM on a Saturday morning.

He doesn’t get to leave. Fury arrives less than two minutes later, scowling. He throws his phone down on the table, aiming it so it lands right in front of where Tony’s head is laying. Tony doesn’t jump from the sound, just raises his eyes to glare at Fury.

“It was your idea to bring him onto the team, you can get Parker to come here.” Fury is practically growling at him.

“You called this meeting at this God-awful time; you get him here.” Tony replies, pushing the phone away from him. He raises an eyebrow when Fury glares at him.

“You think I haven’t tried?” He complains as he takes a seat. “Damn kid is dodging my calls,”

“He’s probably asleep in his bed,” Bucky groans, twisting in his seat and resting his head against Sam’s shoulder. The other man doesn’t even try to push him off. “It’s where we all should be,” Tony sneaks a glance down at the phone Harley is hiding under the desk, where he’s clearly texting Pete and the kid is responding to him, sending pictures of dogs. He rolls his own eyes before asking FRIDAY to call Peter. He answers, barely letting the phone ring.

“If you’re trying to get me to come to whatever sucky meeting Fury is calling me about, you can tell him to go away. I’m busy.” Peter sounds annoyed through the phone. Harley tries to muffle the snort of amusement with a cough. He fails spectacularly.

“Get your ass here now, Parker,” Fury demands before Tony has a chance to say anything. Everyone is the room can hear Peter rolling his eyes down the line.

“God, Mr Fury, I would, but I’m busy,”

“I don’t care, Parker. You’re one of the team, this is a team meeting. Get here,”

“I can’t,” Peter snaps. “I’m busy,”

“Villains don’t care about your schedule.”

“I can’t come. I’m busy.”

“What are you up to, kid?” Tony manages to get in. Peter’s voice is a lot happier when he replies.

“Oh, hey, Mr Stark, you’re back!” He answers. “We’re at the park. Leia’s feeding the ducks. We’re busy.”

“And ducks are so important that you can’t feed them later this afternoon?” Fury snaps.

“Well, Mr Wilson bought Leia a duck onesie, and she’s been extremely excited about showing it to them. It’ll be dirty by this afternoon. That wouldn’t make a particularly good first impression with the ducks, you know,”

“Just bring the kid,” Fury tells him, before telling FRIDAY to terminate the call. No-one says anything for three minutes, until FRIDAY chimes in again. Tony jumps from where he is on the very verge of sleep.

“Boss, you have a new text for ‘Underoos’. You left your phone in the lab. Would you like to hear it?”

“Yeah, go on,”

“Text from Underoos: ‘Mr Stark, you would be doing me a solid if you told Fury you’re retiring or something, you know, so he’s less annoyed at me’,” There’s scattered laughter around the table, but Fury looks even angrier than he did before. “Text from Underoos: ‘don’t acc retire tho bc that would suck’. Text from Underoos: ‘you know, just get him off my back?? Bc he’s gonna be hella annoyed when I’m up there’.”

“Where is he, FRI?” Tony asks, ignoring Fury’s glowering.

“Mr Parker has just stepped into the lift. He has asked me to take him to the penthouse first.”

---------------

Peter sighs when Fury ends the call. He shoots a quick text to MJ to let him know where he’s going, and one to Harley complaining about Fury. He gets a short acknowledgement from MJ, and a description of how angry Fury is getting from Harley before he puts his phone away and moves back over to where Leia is laying breadcrumbs out for the ducks that are waddling around her.

“Right,” He sighs, crouching down next to her. She frowns when the ducks move backwards away from Peter. “We’re going to have to take a break from the ducks, kiddo. Mr Angry wants to see me at the tower,” Leia frowns deeper as she stands up from her own crouch, steadying herself on Peter’s arm.

“Uncle Tony will be there?” She asks, hopeful look on her face. She grins when Peter nods.

“Sure will be. He got back early this morning. And you can show Sam how much you like your new outfit, yeah?” Leia nods happily and laughs. “Alright. Where’s the other menace got to?” He asks, looking around in big, exaggerated movements, pretending he can’t hear the two lots of giggles. “Oof,” He groans quietly when something collides with his leg.

“Hi,” He looks down at the kid attached to his leg. He laughs as he peels the little hands off his jeans.

“There you are!” Peter exclaims dramatically, causing both Leia and the little boy to giggle harder. “I thought I was going to have to tell your mom that you’d been eaten or something!”

“Haven’t been eaten, Petey,” The boy smiles up at him. Peter grins down at him as he ruffles his hair.

“No, I guess not.” He crouches down again in front of the two toddlers, trying to look serious. He struggles to fight the smile when he looks at his two favourite kids. “Right, Lucas,” He starts. “I’ve got to go and speak to someone at work, okay?” Lucas nods happily, sends Peter a big, toothy grin. “So, you’ve gotta be on your best behaviour, yeah? And if you’re super-duper good, I’ll even tell MJ to take you to get ice cream on your way home!” He stands up when Lucas cheers. He picks up the backpack off the floor and swings it over his shoulder, before taking one of Leia and Lucas’s small hand in each of his own.

“Hello, Peter and Leia,” FRIDAY’s voice welcomes them when they step into the lift at the tower. Peter laughs at the way Lucas’s head spins around, looking for the source. “You appear to have an unauthorized youth with you.”

“This is Lucas, FRI,” Peter explains, squeezing Lucas’s hand. “He’s MJ’s brother.”

“Good morning, Lucas,” FRIDAY responds, a little warmth in her voice. “I will add you to my systems.”

“It’s FRIDAY,” Leia whispers to Lucas, where he’s still looking around suspiciously for the owner of the voice. “She’s invis’ble,” Peter laughs again at the look of awe on Lucas’s face.

“FRI, can you take us up to the penthouse first please? So I can grab some toys or something,”

“Of course, Peter.”

“Thank you,” When they get up to the penthouse, he grabs the box of colouring supplies from Leia’s bedroom, along with a few colouring books and some blank paper. Leia and Lucas are still in the open lift, playing some sort of hand game as they sit in the corner. They perk up as Peter steps back in.

By the time the doors open on the floor of the conference room, Leia is bouncing on her feet.

“Hey, be careful!” Peter calls after her as she runs down the hallway towards the room. Peter and Lucas, hand in hand again, walk slower towards the room. Peter laughs when Leia goes a room too far. He pushes the door open, still laughing. “This way, trouble,” He holds the door open for her to jet through, smiling when she runs straight up to Tony. Everyone in the room, except for Fury, smiles and offers her a hello. Natasha is the only one to notice.

“Peter,” She stage whispers towards him, small smile on her face. “I don’t want to alarm you, but you appear to be collecting children,” This gains everyone’s attention, including Fury’s, and Lucas hides his face into Peter’s jeans when all the attention is suddenly on him.

“This is Lucas,” Peter tells them, ruffling the boy’s hair. “He’s a bit shy,” Steve offers the small boy a wave and smiles brightly when Lucas sends a little wave back before hiding himself again. Peter leads Lucas over to the smaller table by the window that was added to the room when Leia started to come to meetings with Peter. He sets the books and box of stuff on the tabletop, before getting two drinks out of his backpack. “Leia, come and play with Luke, sweetheart,” Leia frowns at him where she’s hugging Tony tightly. “Come on, you can see Uncle Tony when the meeting’s finished,” Leia hesitates again, frowning until Tony bounces her slightly on his knee.

“Go and play with your friend, kid,” Tony tells her, lifting her up and putting her on the floor. He laughs when she pouts at him. “Go on, or I’ll tell Aunt Pepper to give the present we got you to DUM-E,”

“Present?” She asks, looking at him suspiciously.

“What, you think I wouldn’t bring my best friend something back from Tokyo?” He teases her, tapping her nose lightly. “But, you only get it if you go and play with Lucas. Go on,” She frowns once more before trotting over to Peter and Lucas, sitting down happily next to the other child.

“You need anything, just come and ask, yeah?” Peter tells them, waiting for their nods before joining the others at the bigger table. He takes the seat between Harley and Bruce.

“Why’d you have Luke?” Harley asks, not trying to stay quiet, barely looking up from his phone.

“MJ and her mom have gone to a doctor’s appointment,” Peter tells him, taking his own phone out of his pocket and hiding it out of Fury’s view. He looks up at the man who is glaring at him. “If you’ve got a problem, can we please leave it until there are no children around to hear it?”

“You better not make a habit of bringing random children to confidential meetings. What if he takes what we discuss home and tells somebody?”

“I thought villains didn’t care about my schedule, Mr Fury? If they did, they’d have known that this has been planned for weeks, and maybe they could rearrange their…villain-ing until I’m not looking after two children with nowhere else to go,” He shifts in his seat, trying to hide his laughter at the meme that Harley has just sent him of Fury.

“Anyway,” Harley looks up briefly, offering a bright, false smile. “He’s four, the only person who would believe what he’s saying is MJ and Peter tells-”

“Shut up, Harls,” Peter interrupts, kicking Harley’s shin. He laughs when Harley gasps and glares at him. “I thought this was an important meeting. I left the ducks for this. Shouldn’t you be doing some…meeting stuff?” He asks Fury before leaning back in his chair. He doesn’t say anything when Fury glares at him. As soon as Fury is talking again, he looks back down at his phone.

----------------

Peter’s only been half paying attention to what Fury is telling them about, knowing that Steve is paying attention and will give everyone a more concise version later. He makes sure he’s paying enough attention that, if he does ask, Peter will be able to at least bullshit an answer to any question Fury sends him.

The other half of his attention is split between the phone on his lap, where he and Harley have been texting for the entire meeting, and the two children sitting just in the corner of his eye line. Fury’s been talking for about an hour already, so he’s not really surprised when he feels a little hand pulling gently on his t-shirt. He places the phone on the table and turns his attention to the little boy by his side.

“Sup, buster?”

“Need to go, Petey,” The boy whispers back to him, cheeks flushing slightly. Peter just nods, taking his hand and standing up and picking his phone back up. Tony looks up at the movement, nodding when Peter gestures his head towards Lucas. Peter goes back over to the smaller table, bending down and asking Leia if she needs to go as well. She follows them happily out of the room, jetting off down the hallway in front of them.

They’re on their way back to the conference room when his phone rings.

“Hey,” He answers when he picks the phone up. “How’d it go?”

“All good!” MJ tells him, voice happy. “She’s growing me a very healthy little brother,”

“Congrats, dude!” Peter laughs. “Is she happy knowing you’ll both be outnumbered by men now?”

“Very happy. She doesn’t care as long as they’re all happy and healthy, really,”

“Yeah. Lucas will be pleased though,”

“Yeah, he will. I’ve just got mom home, so I’m on my way to you now. You still in the meeting?”

“We took a toilet break. Fury’s glaring at me through the window. He’s definitely going to yell at me later.” Peter sees and hears Bucky snort through the glass.

“Ha!” She laughs. “Get back in there, loser.”

---------------

Fury stops talking as soon as Peter leaves even though Tony knows that Fury knows the kid wasn’t paying attention, but he’s grateful for the break from the constant talking. He glances at Harley, who’s still on his phone, has been all morning, but has angled the screen away from Tony. The man nudges his foot, getting his attention.

“Who’re you texting, kid? Smiling like that?” He asks. Harley locks his phone immediately, snapping his head up to look at Tony.

“What?” He asks, tilting his head slightly. “Oh. Uh, no-one. Ned?” He stutters, before nodding his head, and talking with more conviction. “Yeah. Ned. We were talking about…Star Wars. Yeah.”

“You were talking to Ned about…Star Wars?” Sam joins in the conversation, voice disbelieving. Harley frowns.

“Yes?”

“Harley,” Natasha meets his eyes, raising an eyebrow. “You hate Star Wars,”

“Oh. Yeah but…Ned doesn’t.” He says after he hesitates for a split second. “I don’t like dinosaurs, but I still talk to Cap and Bucky, don’t I?” Whatever reply Steve is about to fire back is interrupted by Leia running back into the room with Lucas. Lucas hesitates for a moment before going back over to the table by the window, but Leia crawls straight into Tony’s lap.

“Where’s daddy got to, sweetheart?” He asks, moving her hair out of her face. She giggles at the sensation.

“Talking to Emmy,” She tells him happily as she rests her head on his shoulder. Tony hums softly.

“You having a nap?”

“Just wanna cuddle,” She tells him, shaking her head. Tony looks up when Bucky snorts. The older man just gestures behind Tony. Peter comes through the door then, phone to his ear.

“Yeah, floor 48. Alright. Yeah. See you later,” He says into the device before he sits down. “Lucas, your sister will be here in a few minutes, you wanna finish your drawing quickly?” He smiles when Lucas nods happily at him, and then turns back to Fury. “Sorry,”

“Moving on.” The director says, turning back towards the rest of the room. He barely gets 5 minutes into the presentation when FRIDAY interrupts again. Fury groans.

“Mr Parker, Miss Jones would like you to know she is on her way up,”

“Thank you.” Peter turns to Lucas, who is looking up at him, eyes wide. “Grab your stuff, munchkin,” Fury continues talking, and Tony can see how much he wants to be finished with meeting as soon as possible. He gets through another two points before there’s a knock on the door. Peter glances up.

“Quick as you like, Parker,” Tony chuckles when Fury sits down and pulls his own phone out, not even bothering to glare anymore. Peter looks at him suspiciously before gesturing for MJ to come in. She’s barely opened the door before Lucas crashes into her legs.

“Hey, buddy,”

“Petey said you’d get me ice cream if I was good,” He tells her. MJ lifts her eyes away from him to glare lightly at Peter.

“Did he now?” She raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. Peter just shrugs his shoulders. “And were you good?” She laughs when he nods his head quickly. “Well, I guess we can get ice cream then, if you’ve been very, very good,”

“Yay!” He giggles as he hugs her legs. Peter comes over to her, handing her Lucas’s jacket.

“You want me to take Leia?” She asks Peter, lowering her voice a bit for Fury doesn’t hear. “In case things kick off?”

“Would you? I’ll join you after?” He smiles gratefully when she nods. “Leia, princess, you wanna go and get some ice cream?” The toddler perks up in Tony’s lap. She nods her head, her curls bouncing. “Okay, come and get your shoes on,” He moves over to where she’s kicked her shoes across the room.

“How’s your ma, Em?” Harley asks her, putting his phone down on the table.

“Peter said she was at the doctors?” Tony asks, concerned look on his face. It shifts when MJ smiles at him.

“Yeah, she had a 20-week scan. She’s all good, though,” She ruffles Lucas’s hair, laughing when he sends her a little scowl. “Growing me another healthy little brat of a brother,”

“Nice,” is all Harley offers before picking his phone back up. MJ rolls her eyes, but still has a smile on her face. She glances over to Peter, checking he’s busy with Leia, before turning back to Harley.

“You joining us after, Keener?”

“Huh? What?” He asks, glancing up.

“Ice cream,” She says, giving him a look, eyes flitting across to the other teen putting his daughter’s shoes on. Harley follows her gaze. “You’re coming, yeah?”

“Sure. But I’m not-”

“Okay, Keener, see you later!” She calls, taking Leia’s hand when she comes over to her.

“Be good!” Peter calls after them, smiling when Leia waves at him. “Sorry,” Peter offers to Fury again. The man rolls his eyes, putting his phone down, and carries on with his presentation. Peter, while still not fully paying attention, at least tries to look more engaged than before, asks questions before Steve can, and only looks down at his phone periodically.

Fury gets through the rest of his presentation without interruption. It takes a little over an hour and a half more, and by the time Fury bites out “Dismissed.”, Tony is already halfway out of his seat.

“Parker.” Fury says, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. The kid looks up from his phone. “Stay behind. We’re going to have a talk about your professionalism.”

“My…professionalism?” Tony sits back down in his seat. Even Harley puts his phone away. Away. Not just beneath the table, he actually puts it in his pocket, and turns to watch Peter and Fury. Fury rolls his eyes when no-one leaves the room.

“I appreciate that you have a child in your care but bringing her and her little friends to confidential meetings in unacceptable.” Tony looks at Peter. He figures it would be inappropriate to laugh at the mixture of confusion and annoyance on his face.

“Are you…serious?” He asks. He puts the phone that’s in his hand face down on the table. “If you want me to stop bringing my daughter to meetings, try telling me about the meetings before I’m already late. Or!” He snaps his fingers sarcastically. “Here’s a better idea! Listen to me when I say I’m busy!”

“You were feeding ducks, Parker!”

“Yeah, and you took me away from that to spend nearly 3 hours telling us something Cap could tell us in 30 minutes!” Peter snaps back. Everyone is watching him carefully, not having expected him to bite back. “And it doesn’t matter. What does matter, is that I told you I was busy, at least four times, and you ignored that. It doesn’t matter what I was doing! And even if you don’t count what I was doing as being ‘busy’, what do you want me to do with a three and a four-year-old at 10AM on a Saturday?”

“Call a babysitter, put them in a class, I don’t care, Parker! You were needed here; you should have made arrangements. Bringing two children isn’t the solution!”

“Who do you want me to call?” Peter’s voice rises, his eyes going dark. “May’s in work, and Tony is right fucking there!” He gestures angrily towards Tony, who raises an eyebrow at the outburst. “Who do you want me to call?” Harley places a hand on Peter’s elbow gently. The younger teen deflates almost instantly, closing his eyes and taking a breath before he continues. “I get this is like, your full-time job or whatever, Fury, but it’s not mine. I choose to do this, I don’t get paid for this, and believe it or not, this isn’t my biggest priority.”

“It should be, Parker! There are people-” Peter stands up suddenly, moving towards the door.

“Unbe-fucking-lievable.” He mutters, before leaving the room. The door slams shut behind him. Clint and Sam both let out a low whistle as they all watch the door.

“Was that really necessary?” Natasha asks Fury. “What was he meant to do with two toddlers with no warning?”

“I don’t care-” Fury starts to reply but is interrupted by the door opening again.

“I’m terribly sorry for being so unprofessional and interrupting your very important meeting,” Peter doesn’t even look at Fury when he talks. “Harls, you coming to get ice cream?”

“Absolutely.” Harley says without hesitation. He scrambles out of the room, quickly catching up to Peter. Everyone watches through the glass except for Fury, who gathers his stuff together and leaves the room. It’s quiet.

“So,” Clint starts. Everyone turns to look at him. “Harley has a massive crush on Peter.”

#peter parker #tony stark #harley keener #steve rogers #bucky barnes #natasha romanoff #clint barton #sam wilson #michelle jones #nick fury #single parent peter parker #peter parker fanfiction #irondad

[raguna-blade]

Radio B and B: Episode 1

@flashfictionfridayofficial​ congrats on your 100th Prompt.

Hello hello dear listeners to the space betwixt sleep and death, between dreams and reality.

This is Radio B and B, coming to you live.

It's been too long hasn't it? Or not long enough if you were to believe some of our call in members. Tonight, here at the edge of creation and before the black of time we have quite the show for you.

Ah but who am I? For some of you this is our first meeting and it would be all too rude to not introduce myself.

For the space of this program, you may call me The Host, and if you would I would greatly appreciate it.

Now then, for tonights theme...

Oh yes, quite the dramatic one isn't it? I teased it last time, but perhaps I was a touch too oblique if even our long time thinkers couldn't puzzle it out.

'Who took too great a fall' is not the most detailed, but I will admit to playing a bit of a trick on you all. Many of our viewers gave answers such as the Morning Star, Humpty Dumpty, and Even that most unfortunate fellow in the southern most tip of the planet Earth who had a rather unpleasant meeting with the ground following a teleportation trip gone quite awry.

The trick, of course, was that I was speaking not of an individual, but a group.

Tonight, we ask the question, What makes a Fallen Angel?

Yes yes, I can feel your disdain already. Them, again? Do they not have enough of a stranglehold on our era? Is their time in the sun not far too long?

But my dear listeners, I do not think that is so! For what is a fallen angel if not a Steward of this World and others? Those born and bred to guide and protect, for whom the idea justice is not mere creed but makes up the deepest and sweetest aspects of them, down to the blood and bone?

Can you not think of one in your life who fits the description? An Idol you found lacking, a hero who became their own darkest mirror, a god mired in the muck of right and wrong?

Yes that's what I thought.

So!

The thought of it is quite alien to me dear viewer. I am, such as I am, a being who cannot do much more than observe. The taste and feel of the thought of falling makes no sense to me, though I can puzzle it out in a logical sense. I'm sure some would be quite entertained if I were to go into it but I'm afraid this isn't The Host's Personal Musing Hour, though perhaps I should pencil it in for the next one.

No, This is Radio B and B, which means of the viewers now is the time, now is the place, and if you would give a light preference to those who are new It would be most kind of you to let them reach out first to speak if they will.

And...

Here we go! Welcome, Welcome, and I believe you are a first time reader?

“That's correct,” the thing in the appearance of a young lady said.

Wonderful. And do you have thoughts as to the question?

The Thing nodded.

“I was...Well I am one of them, so I thought, perhaps I would be the best to answer this question.” the fallen angel said.

Oh ho! I understand. Would this be a personal tale or more...?

“The thing of it is, It's not the same for everyone?”

Not a universal experience hm?

“Not in the least. In the old days, when I was young I mean, the only ones who ever fell were well...Evil.”

Subjectively?

“Objectively. Or, I mean, I suppose that's not quite right. They were disobedient in many cases, of the rules put forth by our creator, but in many ways that disobedience lead to hurt and harm so I thought, we all thought, oh this is evil. This is wrong.”

It is hard to say what is an acceptable level of harm before it crosses over from needs or fun into well...

“Yeah. But things were simpler then. At the dawn of things, or at that dawn at least, it was straight forward. Life was hard, it was brutal, it was short. For mortals, for those part of the whole...of everything I suppose, it was hard enough to simply survive. So to harm your fellows, oh it was wrong. Punishment was necessary. Justice must be meted.”

It did not stay so?

“I don't think it ever was, but we, I was young. Like kids, we made assumptions, and for most of us who stayed at the time...At the time we simply understood our creator to be correct, and didn't need to put forward additional thought. This was life, this was our lot, and it wasn't going to change.”

And then it did.

The Fallen Angel nods.

“What do you understand of theft, if I may ask?”

Hm? Well, it's the taking of what doesn't belong to you.

“Right. For me, the moment I can pin to my descent, was that by the rules of it all, theft was theft was theft. That's how I understood it at least. So when a thief made it past the gates I was...Livid. They were a thief! They Stole!”

A plain offense.

“As simple as flying yes. And yet I was told, no, this was fine. It was acceptable here. But why? It made no sense that this thief, that they were somehow deserving of all this when they had done what was objectively wrong. And uh...Here's where I went awry.”

Because of thieves?

“Because I didn't understand everything. Mortals are built different from us. They have a distinct inability to know and that leads to problems. It leads to errors, it leads to dirty dealings. Unlike us, well, we knew so there was no way we could be wrong.”

And your creator told you this?

“You know, no they didn't. In fact, I think in some ways, our orders were a test we failed, at least those of us who stayed without giving it a further thought. We listened, and we knew, and what we did with that knowledge was...Nothing. Not unless ordered. Not unless it fell within a strict set of rules that we viewed the world, viewed creation through. While remaining Angels, we could not fall, we could not disobey.”

And what did your creator tell you?

“To protect them. To love them. Guide them when they walked off the path, though we were no more told the path than they were in truth. But to falling.”

To falling.

“Theft was wrong, and so, obviously, I would see to it all thieves were punished dutifully. Before they died.”

Oh.

“Right? My thought was, well if they died and made it, they were technically fine, and technicallities were well..Failure states. Perfection shown to be imperfect. But while they were alive, well, I could see to it as I pleased, within bounds. After all they were thieves.”

The Fallen Angel laughs.

“It was so stupid. But I kept up with that for so long, punishing thieves as I came across them, until one day I realized...What's theft?”

Taking something that doesn't belong to you.

“Of course! If you take something that doesn't belong to you, then you're a thief. So, by that logic, after you've exchanged something, simple words, goods, services, whatever, it was no longer theft. It was as easy as saying someone could have something and that was it.”

I must confess I'm not quite following you at the moment.

“Well, if you made something, it's yours right?”

Certainly.

“And if you made it for someone, it's theirs.”

It follows.

“And what if you made something for someone, but you were not well...Compensated properly? What if you were forced into the situation? Was it still something exchanged if you were already compelled?”

A tad murkier I think.

“A lot murkier. But what I realized was many of the people I was inflicting justice upon could not be thieves by the definitions I used. They were the ones being stolen from, so for them to take what was stolen back was...Complicated. The act was theft, but the act wasn't theft, but was it still theft if you stole from the thief that robbed you in the first place?”

A classic logic error.

“Yeah....I uh...Did not handle it well.”

That sounds encouraging.

“I dropped a meteor.”

You handled it, I will say, spectacularly.

The Fallen Angel laughs, with a slight edge of panic.

“See the problem with knowing, which no one ever will tell you about when they do, is that when you know, it's extremely easy to justify anything. That doesn't make you right, though you may in fact be right. And I looked at what existed of creation then and there, and realized there was no way that as things were that things would be likely to improve. Likely to improve. Not certain, but likely.”

Ah. I think I understand.

“Without some massive shock to the system, the mortals of those times were almost certain to continue on forever. So I opted to give it the shock it needed.”

And that's when you fell.

“Yeah. If the world was to stay the same, if I were to guide and protect and all that, I couldn't merely prevent. I couldn't...Well, it didn't matter really. I was wrong. That's not what caused me to fall though.”

The meteor was not sufficient to cause you to fall.

“Oh no the meteor was definitely enough, but that wasn't the bit that did it. When I thought This is wrong, it needs to change, that's when it happened. I no longer knew, because I had my doubts and that, I think, was what did it.”

The doubt?

“Yeah. I won't make excuses for my bad actions, they were wrong, but the moment I thought that things could never improve, that I actively disbelieved in it? I fell in an instant.”

That seems rather cruel.

“It would seem it right? But I think I get it now. The world wasn't certain to continue on that way. But I knew, or rather I knew, that it would. I couldn't believe in something better. And that's the trick, though I wish I had the revelation over something more chill like never thinking I'd get a better pastry or something like that. It'd be cuter at least.”

Agreed.

“But, for Angels at least, or at least my kin, Knowledge isn't the same thing as Believing in something. And while we are up there, we know it all, so we can't really believe in it. There's no...Core to it really. It's empty.”

When you say empty you mean...?

“In the same way I could persecute thieves for stealing, while not thinking further and wondering what it really means to thieve, merely knowing doesn't do anything for you If you don't have something to do with it. Like...There was this book I liked, though I'm not sure when it was written in relation to here-”

Yes.

“But basically you KNOW the sun will come up the next day, but that's not really true. Any number of things could happen between the time you close your eyes. The wider universe could snuff it all out in an instant. You Believe the sun will rise, but that necessitates being able to doubt the sun would rise in way. But because of that, you can believe in bigger, better, and stronger things than mere facts. But this leads to errors, it leads to bad actors, it leads to well...The murkiness of life.”

And this murkiness then is what you think goes into the making of fallen angels like yourself?

“Yeah. It's...Well I suppose it's not very exciting. And maybe I explained myself poorly?”

Oh no, I think not in fact. Though, I fear our time is coming to an end. For you at least. I believe you'll be awake in a few moments actually.

“Oh is tha-

A wonderful guest they were. Well listeners, what thoughts have you on the subject? Did you learn something, or find their answers as infuriating as the insects that crawl across your skin? Did a new door open up for you, or slam shut as the heartbeat begins again.

Today was a shorter program than most, but then that's how it is on Radio B and B.

Until the next time.

#Flash Fiction Friday #A New Dawn #Dying Fire #Hidden Path #Bit of a Long one today!

[ahyesthesufferingoftvteens]

Just the Way You Are

I decided to IDK...write a ReeKai fic...cause why not?

Letting y’all know I might regret writing this tomorrow and might delete it, IDK XD.

Rated T for some swearing.

So here, have this bullshit I wrote in three days:

“...Hey...Kai’s been acting weird lately, don’t you think?”

Adam’s question startled Reeve.

He was, once again, extremely close with his old friends Mira and Adam. The entire “second round” incident, as everyone liked to call it, changed his relationship with the two for the better, especially with Adam. The two fought way less than they did before he even eavesdropped on their conversation with Mira.

He was also fairly close with Vanessa as well. He looked passed her mistakes, and she’s been a pretty chill person to hang out with. All three of these people, he could say with confidence, he could read pretty well. He could usually tell how they felt with each moment.

...Him and Kai though...

He could tell that Kai was also pretty close with Mira and Adam, and they’ve developed a special sibling bond with Vanessa it seems. But despite the fact that both of them are very close with the same friends...they never really interacted with each other.

Sure, him and Kai would sometimes converse with each other, but it wasn’t often, and always with the others, where it was more a group chat than anything. Him and Kai were simply acquaintances. Acquaintances that got along pretty well, but it never became anything more than that. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in getting to know the red-head better...it just kind of...never happened. The two only ever saw each other when someone from the group was also around.

Adam’s question startled Reeve because, unlike the others, who probably instantly noticed these changes Adam was referring to, Reeve only realized the change in that exact moment. Because he wasn’t close to Kai, he didn’t pay attention to him much. It was only when he quickly looked back at his interactions with Kai this month that he realized that, yes, Kai was acting a bit strange.

The dork was the type to stick chopsticks up his mouth and make walrus noises as a joke. The type to develop gadgets that had a 50/50 chance of either working spectacularly or burn the house down. Luckily he had his fire controlling powers, which he gloated about every 10 minutes or so. Kai was a fucking nerd, but not in a bad way, at least to Reeve. Kai’s quirks were charming.

...Lately however, Kai had begun to quiet down. He spoke less often, and the topics he brought up were a lot more general. “Have you heard of the latest Movie Weirdie implemented! A cult classic! I’ve always wanted to watch it!” Was replaced with, “So how was your day?” He gloated less, he didn’t do the stupid chopstick thing anymore, and most importantly...he looked sad.

“...Now that I think about it...yeah...he kind of has...” Reeve responded, shifting his comfortable position on Adam’s couch, and pausing Fire emblem on his switch.

Adam had returned from his trip to the kitchen, placing the last bowl of popcorn onto the nearby coffee table. 5 in total, for five people. It was movie night, and the others haven’t arrived yet. “I want to talk with him later...ask him what’s going on. I’m worried, he isn’t himself.”

“So why haven’t you?” Reeve questioned his best friend, who sighed and shook his head, collapsing into the couch behind him, and pushing Reeve’s feet out of the way. “I’ve been trying to speak with him in private for a week now. He always has some sort of excuse. Heck, sometimes he even says he has to leave early! Remember a few days ago at the fair, when Kai announced his parents called and he needed to go home to deal with some issues? That was directly after I asked him if we could talk in private near the river.”

Reeve narrowed his eyes at this piece of information. It was definitely worrying. “...Suspicious.” Reeve commented. “...What do you think could be wrong though-”

“Sup guys!” Shouted a familiar, lilting voice, who barged through the door and appeared from the doorway to the living room. Vanessa was, as usual, stylishly dressed for the occasion. Mira, meanwhile, who followed shortly behind, was dressed for comfort first. “...You two look gloomy. Is something wrong?” Mira inquired.

The girls were quickly filled in by Adam, who both instantly agreed with his reasoning. “Yeah, Kai has been acting strange lately!” Vanessa sighed out, gently massaging her neck. “I’ve asked him time and time again if he was OK and every time I ask he looks more and more depressed!”

“...Yeah, something’s definitely off about Kai...especially since he texted me he’s not coming over a few minutes ago.”

Everyone gawked at Mira’s confession.

Kai never missed movie night. Everyone had opted out at least once, but not him. Kai was the one that started the entire thing in the first place! And he used to pick all the movies before they all established a rotation system recently.

This night would have been Kai’s turn to pick the movie, but he surprisingly declined. “I don’t have anything good I can think of right now. Sorry! Vanessa can go ahead and pick one.” Was what they remembered him saying. That alone was weird, but ditching movie night? Absolutely bizarre!

“...That’s it.” Adam grumbled, abruptly sitting up from his couch. “I’m driving to Kai’s house.”

“Adam you’re grounded right now, you can’t go anywhere outside of the house.” Mira reasoned as she crossed her arms. Adam wasn’t convinced. “My parents would understand!” He stated.

“One of your parents teaches math, which you are failing right now. It’s a miracle they even let you host movie night in the first place with how much they want you to study right now.” Vanessa’s comment silenced Adam, and after a moment, he flopped back down onto the couch, grumbling about how it wasn’t fair that he was grounded for the week just for getting a few Ds on his recent tests. Those were flukes!

“...I’ll go check on him?”

Mira, Vanessa, and Adam turned to Reeve, who had placed his switch on the coffee table. He looked perfectly calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was beginning to panic.

Why did he suggest that?! Mira’s much more suited to this kind of comfort stuff, not him! He’s not that close to Kai anyways! He simply wasn’t the right person for the job!

...But...this was an excuse to finally try and connect with Kai...Was that why?

“...You sure?” Mira questioned, confusion clear with her furrowed eyebrows. “Because...I can go instead, you don’t have to-”

“It’s fine.” Reeve reassured his other friend, sealing his fate and lifting himself off the oh so comfortable couch. “...Just...tell me where he lives...”

Huge.

Kai really was rich off his ass, as he had heard from the others. The mansion was huge, and the front yard was spectacularly decorated. For a moment he just sat there, admiring the scene before him.

But then he saw...was was it called, a gazebo? Close by the front of the house, and in it, he could see Kai’s body, lying lazily along the benches inside.

It was only when he sprinted closer, out of worry, that he realized Kai was actually awake. They stared blankly at nothing, their eyes dull. They looked almost as if their mind was in a completely different world.

Now that Reeve was directly standing in front of the entrance, He could now see Reeve. It only took his name being called for the red-head to snap out of his trance. He looked absolutely confused, his eyes bulging. He abruptly stood up from the bench and cleared his throat, trying to calm himself down. “...R-Reeve!” He laughed out awkwardly. “...Didn’t expect to see you here. Didn’t know you knew where I lived!”

“I...didn’t...Mira gave me your address a few minutes ago.” Reeve answered. Kai raised an eyebrow at this, but didn’t comment, simply muttering a small “oh” under his mouth.

Awkward silence hung between the two, slowly suffocating them until Kai formed another question in his brain. “...So uh...” He began, trailing his fingers along the gazebo fence. “...Why are you here? I mean...it’s movie night after all...don’t you want to hang out with the others?”

Reeve was quick to explain. “We were all worried when you said you weren’t coming, it’s not like you...so I came over to check on you.”

“...Oh! That’s...really nice of you!” Kai remarked, showcasing an overly cheerful smile. “But I’m fine really! I just have some stuff to do at home! Real busy you know! I have to help prepare the mansion for some guests that are coming over tomorrow! Wish I could come!”

An obvious lie. “...Oh, so you’re taking a break right now?”

Kai nearly choked at Reeve’s reasoning, but quickly regained composure and nodded vigorously. “Y-Yeah! I have around 10 to 20 more minutes before I have to get back to work!”

Awkward staring was met with awkward staring.

...

...

...

The tension is mind-crushing, holy shit.

Kai cleared his throat, avoiding Reeve’s gaze. “So, anyways, you should probably drive back to Adam’s place! I don’t want to interrupt your fun! Tell the others I’m fine-”

“I-It’s not just that!”

Kai’s smile faltered a bit. He seemed more than shocked. “...Oh...um...” He scratched his head, and let out a strained laugh. “...What’s up?”

“...I just...I want to say I’m sorry for being mean to you, back in the first round...and...I want to get to know you better.” He explained. Although that wasn’t the main reason he was here...he couldn’t say his excuse to stay was a lie either. “We don’t...we haven’t really hung out that much...y’know? Figured now would be a good time...to just...chat.” Don’t break your stone cold demeanor now Reeve. You have a reputation to uphold. “...So...Is it OK if I come inside? I won’t be a bother or anything. I told everyone they could start the movie without me...they picked a shitty one anyways.”

Fuck, he was so nervous. Why? This isn’t like him...maybe it’s a result of the awkwardness from before. It was screwing with him.

Kai stood stiff as a rock, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at Reeve intently.

It was only after a few moments of silence that Kai finally nodded a slow, small yes, fidgeting with his shirt sleeves.

“...O...k.”

Reeve wasn’t much of a tea person. Yet here he was, sipping some freshly prepared chamomile tea. It was weird, how it actually didn’t taste as bad as the batch his grandma made him try once.

He watched Kai almost gather all the ingredients for a chocolate shake, but then put them all back in their proper places and made some hibiscus tea instead. He didn’t seem to enjoy it that much, as he took a small sip and sat stiffly on an armchair.

They were in some sort of fancy, parlor room. Wide, spacious, and rather modern styled. Reeve himself was sitting in the armchair opposite to Kai, a coffee table separating the two.

For a good while they just asked random questions about each other. Reeve indulged, mostly so he could eventually transition to the main reason he was here. “What’s your favorite color?” Was the first question Kai asked, which showed just how tense they both were. He obviously responded with red, and Kai responded with blue.

“...Weird, considering your power, I figured you’d like a more warm color.” Reeve commented. Kai shrugged in response. “I don’t think about aesthetic choice when it comes to power choosing...it’s more what complements my team.”

“...Have you...ever had any pets?”

“...What is this some weird version of twenty questions?” Kai giggled out, rubbing his hand against his face. “...God we’re...so awkward...”

Reeve, for some reason, couldn’t help but chuckle a bit in response. “...I mean, we don’t know each other that well, so might as well get the basic facts down...” Reeve reasoned. Kai seemed to agree, with the small smile he gave. “I had a pet cockatoo named Chipper when I was...around 8? They...flew out of my window when I was 10...I never saw them again...you?”

“Pet-less all my life...I remember when I was like...a toddler, I constantly begged my parents to let me get a cat...but it never happened.”

Back and forth, back and forth. Question after question was answered. And slowly, Reeve noted just how different him and Kai were.

Kai wasn’t that close to his parents, and vice versa. Reeve’s parents were over-doting, constantly hovering over him like a helicopter. Kai was obviously extroverted despite his awkward tendencies, and Reeve was more introverted. He liked his alone time. Kai could explain any and every piece of tech, not only due to his powers, but because those were his interests. Reeve was more the artsy type. He didn’t know what to do with a gadget, but he liked to sketch in a notebook he has at home.

Kai and him were almost opposites, counterparts. The only things they had in common were their love for video games and comic books, and their similar friends. These differences intrigued Reeve a lot. He saw a side of the world that Kai had lived in his entire life.

“Oh come on, superman would totally win in a fight with batman! It would take me more than a minute to list all of his powers!”

“Superman is too good-natured to kill someone and Batman is not. It’s not about powers, it’s about will, and Batman has the will that Superman doesn’t.”

Kai let out an annoyed huff, and crossed his arms. “...I mean, I guess it depends, Some of the comics portray Superman as the winner while in others Batman wins. The comic writers can’t make up their minds either...My favorite showdown between them was probably in...Justice League Origi...”

The way Kai trailed off at the end concerned Reeve, greatly. He looked shameful, like He made a grave mistake. Fidgeting with his shirt sleeves. Kai attempted an awkward smile, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “...But I mean...you’re probably not interested in me ranting about that, sorry...”

Reeve remembers seeing Kai do this before.

He’d speak about a topic he was passionate about, pour his entire soul into it, and then just...shut down, discarding the topic like some embarrassing photo he didn’t want people to see.

“...Hey...” Reeve spoke up. It was now or never. “...Are you sure you’re ok?”

Kai jumped at the question, and attempted to wave Reeve’s concern away with a forced giggle. “Oh, I’m fine! I just don’t want to annoy you! Let’s change the subject-”

“Don’t lie to me Kai.” Reeve growled out, silencing Kai’s excuse. “You’ve been acting weird this entire month. You haven’t been yourself at all. Everyone is worried about you.”

What Reeve didn’t expect was for Kai’s expression to harden, and for him to glare daggers at his lap. “...So that’s why you’re here huh...” He accused lowly. “Tell our friends who sent you here that I’m fine. Ok? There’s nothing wrong.”

“...Kai.” Reeve began his explanation. He was confused that Kai would assume he was doing this because he had no choice. “I volunteered to come over. I’m not doing this against my will-”

“Bullshit!” Kai stood up from his armchair, tears threatening to escape his eyes as he breathed heavily. ““I want to get to know you better” My ass! Why would you...” Kai trailed off for a moment, the tears spilling down his cheeks. “...Why would you want to hang out with me? The worthless fifth wheel of this group...why would...you want to be friends with someone like me.”

Muffled sobs filled the room as Kai hid his face into his hands and attempted to control his crying. It took a while for Reeve to process everything Kai said, but before long he had stood up from his armchair and walked towards Kai,hesitantly gripping his arms. Kai flinched at first, but didn’t struggle.

“...I...” Kai sobbed out in his hands. “...I’ve been trying to be more likeable...be less annoying for you all-”

“Is that what this is all about?” Reeve questioned softly. Kai nodded hesitantly. “...Kai...We don’t think you’re annoying at all. Everything about you is distinctly you. We love those parts about you...” Reeve, after a moment of reluctance, cupped Kai’s cheeks, and slowly coerced Kai to removed their hands from their face. “I mean, even I think you’re great...You’re quirks are charming.”

“...I-I thought...I thought you of all people hated me...” Kai strained out, small hiccups erupting from his throat as his snot filled face was shown for Reeve to see. “I think you’re really cool, you know that? You’re calm, and collected, and you read the mood well. You never make a fool of yourself. I was...never a worthy replacement for you, and now that you’re back...” Kai jerked his head away, and hid it from Reeve’s view as it faced the ground. “Adam and Mira...don’t need me anymore...I mean...that’s why they picked me to be in their team. There was an opening, and I was available...”

Reeve's heart tightened at Kai’s comment, as they stared intently at the floor, avoiding his gaze. He was partially responsible for Kai’s current insecurities. He couldn’t help but wonder, if he had tried to get to know Kai better earlier on, would this situation have happened in the first place?

His stern expression faltered, and was replaced with a guilty frown. “...Kai...I....hey, look at me.” He once more had to lift their head up, which they resisted at first, but eventually complied, and stared directly at Reeve, threatening to crumble at the sincere gaze they were met with.

“Listen...whoever told you these things, you need to stop listening to them right now.” Reeve commanded, almost begged. “You are not just my replacement. You were never that. If Mira and Adam secretly think so, then fuck them. You are you, and you aren’t going to make yourself happy by changing your very core, the thing that makes you you, just to please others. That happiness is only going to come if you love yourself, good and bad.”

The advice just came flowing through him. To him it was simple logic, and it wasn’t sure if it would even help, but according to Kai’s absolutely shocked expression. He supposed he at the very least reached Kai’s heart with those words.

“...Love myself?” Kai nearly whispered. Reeve was quick to nod a yes.

“...How?”

It was a question that left Reeve stuck in place for a good minute, as he removed his hands from Kai’s body, and massaged his temples for inspiration, for an idea that would answer Kai’s question.

Eventually though, that idea came in a flash, and he snapped his fingers, gripping Kai’s hand, much to their surprise. “Not that I’m an expert on this stuff but, let’s try something real quick. I’ll drive you there.”

“...Reeve, I don’t know about this...” Kai muttered as he stood on the thick railing of a bridge, which created a path over a chest deep river.

Reeve sat close by, on the same railing, his phone in hand. “...Listen, just, you know those pep-talks people give themselves while staring at a mirror?” Kai was quick to nod a yes, and Reeve continued. “...I want to you shout about all your good qualities on this bridge.”

“W-what!?” Kai shrieked out, earning the attention of the few passersby on the bridge. “T-there are people here Reeve I-I can’t...o-oh god they’re staring-”

“Sometimes you have to push yourself to extremes. The point of this is to teach you how to not give a fuck about what other people think about you.”

“B-but what do I say? I...don’t have anything nice to say about myself.”

“...Hey...just look at me for a minute...” And Kai did so, finding himself somewhat relaxed by Reeve’s chill energy. “Just shout the first good thing that comes to mind. Don’t try to deconstruct, just say it first thing...you got this.”

Kai, which shaking legs, slowly nodded, slowly breathed in, and shut his eyes tight. “...I have pretty hair!”

The red-head felt a brief moment of relief, before he peaked an eye open, beholding the groups of eyes that stared intently at him, judging his overly loud self-compliment. Immediately he crouched down, hiding his face, but felt a warm, firm hand on his shoulder.

Turning his head to the side a bit, he saw Reeve, still in that same spot, his eyes non-judging. “...The world didn’t end, did it?”

Kai looked around the bridge once more, and everyone went on with their lives. He wasn’t torn apart for his supposed sin. The world didn’t explode. He was fine.

Most importantly, Reeve himself didn’t think of him any less. “You’re not wrong you know.” Reeve reassured, focusing his attention on his phone once more. “Auburn’s a pretty color.”

On Reeve’s phone, was a text he had recently sent to Mira, along with a few replies.

Reeve: Had a talk with Kai, but he aint goin to come, we talkin things out, he’ll be fine

Mira: I’m super glad he’s doing better, but PLEASE CONVINCE HIM TO COME AND PICK A MOVIE!?!

Mira: VANESSA PICKED SPICE WORLD JUST FOR THE KICKS!!! PLEASE HELP US!?!

“H-hey!” Kai gained Reeve’s attention from his phone, and he raised an eyebrow, ready to hear what Kai had to say.

“...You can help out you know!” They said with a bright blush, late evening sky glowing his face. “...C-could you...compliment me more? Please?”

Reeve in that moment was completely consumed in the moment, studying each feature of the boys face.

“...You’re pretty cute, you know that?”

His complement escaped his throat without a single breath, or thought. Kai’s eye’s widened and sparkled at the sentence he quickly regretted saying out loud.

...But then Kai smiled...like...truly smiled. Letting out the most charming laugh he had ever heard. When he saw how happy they were, he instantly ceased his regret.

“I-I can’t! Y-you can’t be serious!” Kai accused in near tears, wiping his eyes and tilting his head ever so slightly. “Y-you’re joking right? Me? Cute? No way-”

“Dude I know plenty of friends who would die for the opportunity to have a cup of coffee with you.” Reeve justified his statement, a wide smirk on his face as he elbowed Kai. “Remember what this is about man. You heard me say it! Now you go say it to the world. Stand up already!”

Kai nodded, and quickly stood straight up. “I’m absolutely adorable!” He said without hesitation. Slowly opening his eyes, they sparkled with excitement, and he let out a soft giggle.

Reeve’s phone dinged, signaling another text from Mira, but Reeve ignored it. He shoved the phone in his pocket as he admired the boy before him.

You really are...

You’re amazing just the way you are...

#the hollow #the hollow netflix #the hollow reeve #the hollow kai #the hollow reekai #reekai #fanfic #fluff #hurt-comfort

[welllpthisishappening]

It admittedly wasn’t one of his better ideas. 

But these were definitely the best cheeseburgers in the city and there was a view and so Henry didn’t really allow himself to think much about it. Before he was calling to make a reservation. At The Jolly Roger. 

For his first date with Ella. 

He just...didn’t tell anyone else. 

---

Rating: Like the lowest of low teen if only for some first-date jitters-induced swearing Word Count: 4.5K  AN: A couple days ago I was answering asks from one of those writing memes and @shireness-says​ gave me a number that required me to headcanon something. Well, I responded here and basically said that in Out of the Frying Pan, on their first date, Henry brought Ella to The Jolly Roger. He just didn’t bother telling anyone because, well, it’s kind of a lot to bring a girl to your family’s restaurant on the first date, but the food is good and there should be good food on a first date. Cue a bit of inspiration yesterday and we’ve got a bunch of words, Will being super unhelpful, and Killian being peak dad. Thanks to Devon for taking my “give me a random Once character who could be a waitress” demand in stride. 

---

Will noticed him first. 

That wasn’t all that surprising, not really. Especially not when Henry was certain his heart was going to pound out of his chest, a mix of nerves and excitement and a few more nerves because taking a girl he genuinely liked to The Jolly Roger wasn’t one of his more well-thought out plans. 

But he also kind of wanted a cheeseburger. 

And these were the best cheeseburgers in the city. 

Maybe the Tri-State area. 

He figured Ella would like cheeseburgers. Everyone liked cheeseburgers, right? God, he hoped she liked cheeseburgers. 

He probably should have asked.

He’d admittedly been a little preoccupied. 

Will was very clearly texting someone. Henry hoped it wasn’t his mom. 

And no one had said anything when Henry made the reservation — two days earlier and still a little out of breath while Ella’s yeah that sounds nice ricocheted off every corner of his brain. Ariel had long left the hostess stand in Brooklyn, once she and Eric opened their own seafood place in NOHO, but the new girl was nice and Henry was vaguely confident her name was Merida. She’d asked all the usual questions; date, time, number of people and...name. 

So he’d lied. 

Henry Locksley, he’d said, certain neither Robin nor Regina would be that upset if he borrowed their last name for a few hours, and Roland would only think the whole thing was hysterical, but he also admittedly hadn’t even thought about what he’d do when he had to talk to Merida face to face and Ella knew his name, his real name, and this was already proving to be something of an unmitigated disaster. 

Will was still staring at him from behind the bar. 

With his jaw halfway to the floor. 

“Locksley,” Henry said, not for the first time. “Yup, yeah, that’s—that’s us. Two. Two of us.” Merida hummed, scrolling across a screen Henry would have to ask Killian about. He had no idea they’d gotten that, hadn’t been to the Jolly in Brooklyn in months, which was why he thought this would be better than any other options and seriously he just wanted cheeseburgers. 

With a girl he really liked. 

Will hadn’t blinked in days, though, shoulders shaking slightly when his phone buzzed. Presumably. Henry didn’t have supersonic hearing. 

Just the ability to glare — quickly and, he hoped, covertly, gritting his teeth when Will actually had the gall to laugh loudly. His whole body shook. Henry jerked his hand in front of him, some attempt at miming that he was certain failed spectacularly as soon as Will held his arm in front of him. 

So he could take a picture. 

Or so Henry assumed. 

He sighed. 

“Everything ok?” Ella asked, Henry’s answering nod nothing more than a quick shift of his head that nearly resulted in his chin colliding with his chest. She narrowed her eyes. 

“Fine,” he said. ‘Why wouldn’t it be fine?” “I asked first.” He let out a shaky laugh, another nod that wasn’t doing much to help the overall state of a variety of his internal organs and maybe Will could actually flash lasers from his eyes. It felt that way, at least, a stare that bored its way into the back of Henry’s head and he almost didn’t even notice Merida walking or grabbing menus, tripping over his feet and laughing a bit more and it would be fine, it would be fine, it would be fine, so long as—

“Oh shit,” Henry breathed. 

Ella stopped half a foot away from the table, eyes widening with even more entirely reasonable questions and he really hoped she liked cheeseburgers. 

And Henry didn’t move, even when Merida placed the menus down on the table. In the middle of the dining room, surrounded by other diners and a few other couples who also looked like they were on dates and...a clearly bemused, desperately trying not to laugh, Killian Jones. 

Wearing a chef’s jacket. 

Which really just seemed unfairly ridiculous, all things considered. 

“Damnit,” Henry mumbled, wavering for a moment before he flashed a smile at Merida. He hoped he didn’t look too psychotic. “You, uh—any chance we could get a table by the water?” “There’s water?” Ella asked. 

“Did I not mention that?” She shook her head. “You said you knew a place that had good food. And I wouldn’t mind the drive out here. Nothing about a view.”

“Wow, really undersold it, didn’t I?”

“I wasn’t really banking my decision on the potential of a view. Especially when I figured we’d stay in one borough.” Henry shrugged, doing his absolute best not to glance in Killian’s direction. There was absolutely no way that he could hear them — not over the rest of the soft conversations around them or the ringing phone at the hostess stand Merida hadn’t gone back to yet, but Henry knew he was smiling as well and Will was absolutely still staring. 

And texting mom. 

There was no way he wasn’t. 

“Ah, well,” Henry grinned, “I like to try and keep people guessing.” “You think this is working for you?” “You tell me.”

Ella’s laugh soared out of her, louder than the conversations or Will’s phone, even from a few feet away, a sound that Henry, rather quickly decided, he was going to hear as many times as possible in the next few hours. 

If not longer. 

They weren’t that far from Park Slope. There was good coffee in Park Slope. A few bakeries. Maybe gelato. 

Killian wouldn’t mind if they went to Park Slope for gelato. Will, on the other hand. Maybe. Or mom...and especially Belle. Who wrote the recipe for the cheesecake the pastry chef made every Thursday night before the weekend rush. 

“Did you guys want to move, or…” Merida muttered, and Henry had almost forgotten they’d never sat down. 

Neither Henry nor Ella answered. Not a good first-date moment, but neither was showing up at his family’s restaurant that he hadn’t told her was his family’s restaurant, so Henry didn’t bother thinking before he turned, ignoring the stab of pain in his neck when he met Killian’s eyes. 

And he didn’t do much, not really. Just lifted his hand and pointed a finger towards the row of windows in the back of the dining room, an empty table in the corner. 

Henry exhaled. 

He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath. 

“If that works?” Henry asked, nodding in the same direction Killian had pointed. Tugging some other screen that was far more high tech than Henry anticipated out of her back pocket, Merida clicked her tongue, once, twice, before—

“Yeah, of course,” she said. “Right this way.”

Henry’s feet continued to have minds of their own, walking too quickly and nearly stepping on the heel of Ella’s shoes in the process, but then his hand found the small of her back and she didn’t say anything, didn’t even tense, which must have been at least a few points in whatever date-scoring system they were working with. 

He resolutely refused to look behind him anymore. 

“Good?” Merida asked, dropping the menus again as Ella nodded enthusiastically. Henry hooked his foot around the other chair, all instinct and familiarity and he didn’t realize Ella’s brows had pinched until he looked up.

He blinked. “What?”

“I’ve never seen anyone pull out a chair like that.” “I don’t—was that weird?” “Maybe not if you live here.” Whatever sound he made was not a laugh. Might not have been human, really, scratching its way out of his throat and between barely parted lips that were starting to dry out a little. Probably from breathing like a psychopath. 

“Who would live at a restaurant?” he mumbled, nearly knocking over the empty water glass in an attempt to grab a menu he could have recited by heart. 

“I wasn’t necessarily speaking literally.” “Right, right, right, yeah that’s—” “—Are you really sure you’re ok?”

“Fine,” Henry said, far too quickly. Impressive since the world was four letters. “Do I seem less-than fine?” “You seem a little nervous,” Ella reasoned. “Which—I mean, first dates and all that, but I thought this was good and—” “—It is good.” Interrupting was probably a few docks on his overall point total. 

But those words didn’t shake and weren’t said at a questionable speed, one way or another, just even and honest and Henry liked Ella. Like liked Ella. He didn’t think Killian would be in Brooklyn.

“Yeah?” Ella asked softly. 

Henry grinned. “Yeah. And these are the best cheeseburgers in at least the six closest states to New York.” “Does that include Delaware?” “What?” “I ate a really good cheeseburger at some roadside stand in Delaware once. On the way to the beach when I was a kid.” “That’s very specific,” Henry admitted. More nerves erupted in the pit of his stomach, suddenly a little terrified that The Jolly wouldn’t stand up to a roadside stand in the middle of goddamn Delaware, but then Ella smiled and the lights reflected off the river and Henry’s shoulders dropped. With relief, or something. 

“You’re making fun of me,” he accused. 

She shook her head. “No, no, no, I wouldn’t do that. I’m having a really serious conversation about cheeseburgers with someone who appears to be an expert.” “Ah, I wouldn’t say that.” “How many states away is Delaware?” “I honestly have no idea.” “That’s actually kind of disappointing. These were your rules, after all.”

“Seafood country, right?” Henry asked, dimly aware that Killian had gone behind the bar. To talk to Will. And mom. Inevitably. “Delaware has like—I don’t know, clams or something.” “You’re really hating on Delaware, aren’t you?”

“I’ve never been to Delaware. We were Maine beach people.” “Maine beach people,” Ella echoed, slowly enough that every letter felt like its own joke. 

Henry hummed. “Didn’t happen often, because my parent’s work schedule was always nuts, but my mom grew up in Maine. We used to go visit my grandmother and my dad, he—” 

Footsteps stopped abruptly in front of their table, a soft hiss of regret from the waitress when she realized she’d interrupted and—

“I’m so sorry. Just wanted to see if you guys were interested in any drinks, or—oh, hey Henry!”

In some other point-based competition where he wasn’t on a first-date and trying to impress Ella or reminisce about childhood trips to the beach where Killian always managed to get mom in the water when no one else could, Henry would award himself first-place and several trophies for managing not to pinch the bridge of his own nose as soon as Ashley said his name. 

“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she continued. “Does your—”

“Drinks,” Henry cut in, quickly and efficiently eliminating any flirting-type progress. 

To her credit, Ashley didn’t do much more than blink in a few prolonged seconds of confusion, before mumbling a quiet oh, sticking her lower lip out when she nodded and suggested several specialities from the bar. 

“You’re in luck,” she added, “Will’s here tonight, and he’s won awards for mixology and some of his drinks are the best in the city. He’s not here very often, so I’m sure he’ll be happy to make whatever you guys are interested in.”

She cast a meaningful glance in Henry’s direction, his hands fisted at his side now. Ella’s eyebrows were never going to recover. “And he just happened to be here tonight, huh?” Henry grumbled. 

Ashley smiled brightly. “Certainly seems that way, doesn't it? Were you interested in hearing any of our specials?” “Nah, I think we’re good to order, right, Henry?” Ella asked. This was, hands-down, the dumbest thing he’d ever done. And once he’d broken the lock on their front door trying to sneak in after curfew. Killian and mom had argued for ten minutes about who got to teach him to pick locks after that. It was a matter of principle, they said. 

Ryan was the best lock-picker in the family. 

Henry hoped no one texted Ryan about this. She’d never let him live it down. 

“What can I get you?” Ashley asked. 

“Cheeseburgers,” Henry replied. “Just—two cheeseburgers.” 

And strictly speaking, it was almost silly to regret the words as soon as they were out of his mouth, but it was also kind of a dick move to order for his date and Ashley was doing a terrible job of turning whatever noise she was making into something that didn’t resemble a cackle. 

“Shit,” he mumbled again, trying to force his apology onto his face when he looked at Ella. Who had tugged her lips behind her teeth. 

Killian had gone back into the kitchen. 

“Sorry,” Henry stammered. “That was, I know you can order for yourself and—” “—Do we get fries with that?” Ella asked, ignoring him completely. Definitely not points, but not a detraction either, so Henry would take it. 

Ashley nodded. “Regular, sweet, onion rings.” “Sweet potato is great.” “Cool and then that’s onion rings for Henry and—oh.” Maybe he’d just slide down the chair, onto the floor and directly into the Gowanus Canal. It would have been better than whatever Ashley did as soon as she realized what she’d said, color rising in her cheeks and despair landing in Henry’s gut. 

Loudly. 

As if an emotion could do that. 

“Onion rings,” he said, neither an agreement nor an order really, but Ashley was already retreating and he couldn’t really blame her. 

Ella waited exactly fourteen seconds before talking. 

That was nice. 

“So,” she drawled, “you’ve been here before, huh?” “Couple times.” “Do you order the same thing every time?” “Usually, yeah.” “Huh.” “Huh?” Henry echoed. “People like things, right?”

“And you apparently like onion rings.”

There was no way to miss the less-than-soft edge to her voice, another question that might have been closer to an accusation and Henry honestly did not have anyone to blame for any of this. Except himself. 

And maybe Will. 

If he didn’t make good drinks. 

“Oh, no, no, no,” Henry said quickly, understanding rippling up his spine. “Ashley and I aren’t—no, that’s not—” “—You mean you haven’t talked to the waitress a couple of times before?” “Well, yeah, but that’s because I’ve been here a couple of times. But not because—I know her husband and she’s got a really cute kid. Ask her about it, I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to show you the several thousand pictures on her phone.”

That got him a laugh. 

And maybe a few points. 

“Kind of obnoxious to get jealous of the waitress on a first date, isn’t it?” Ella asked. 

“Nah, I think that’s a compliment for me.” “I wouldn’t go that far. What is it about the onion rings that makes them so obviously your favorite, then?” “Oh, well my da—” Henry nearly choked on his tongue, sputtering and trying to catch his breath, eyes watering when he wasn’t getting proper oxygen. “The, uh, the chef here,” he corrected, “he likes to double fry ‘em. You know, flash fry first, then re-batter them, gets them ridiculously crispy. Plus, the aioli sauce he makes? Otherworldly.” “High praise.” “They sell it. Like in supermarkets and cooking stores and stuff.” “Is the chef Paul Newman?” Henry barked out a laugh, any sense of frustration or worry forgotten for a moment. “God, we better hope he didn’t hear that. His ego would never recover.” “So, you know the chef too?” The moment ended. 

“Something like that,” Henry answered evasively. “So how often were you going to Delaware?” Shifting the conversation, he realized was the right choice. Henry only noticed Will a few more times, one quick hand wave that he was fairly certain he was able to turn into a tug of his hair, even if it wasn’t perfectly coordinated, and Killian really had retreated back to the kitchen because the restaurant was packed. 

Henry didn’t think too much about Killian for the next twenty-six minutes. 

Give or take. 

Instead, they ordered appetizers and talked about Delaware and beaches, family vacations and childhood memories, anecdotes about high school and college, slightly embarrassing stories that also made them look endearing and Ashley didn’t call him by his name when she brought the drinks. 

Or the cheeseburgers. 

“Oh fuck,” Ella mumbled, having to bring her hand to her mouth after an especially impressive bite. “That’s delicious.” “See,” Henry said. “Told you.” “Not a great first-date look, either.” “True, but if there’s one thing I am confident about, it’s my knowledge of good food in this city.” “Yeah?” “Yeah,” he parroted. “It’s a thing.” Ella tilted her head, another bite of cheeseburger and more than a few sweet potato fries dipped in a sauce Henry hadn’t had before. He’d have to ask Killian about that later, much later, after the desert and Park Slope and he was just about to ask Ashley for another drink, when—

“Shit,” he grumbled. Again. Third time was the charm or something. 

Because Ashley really was a very good waitress and had a general idea of how much Henry enjoyed that punch thing Will made, only she’d make fun of him for calling it that punch thing, and Will was crossing the dining room with two glasses in one hand. 

And a far too wide smile on his face. 

Henry moved his hand again, trying to slash across his throat without the whole night dissolving into macabre nonsense, but Will didn’t get the message or ignored the message and it was definitely the second thing.

“You’re going to dislocate something,” Ella mused. “What’s happening right now?” Henry didn’t stop. Neither did Will. “Nothing, nothing, this is—”

“Hey, kids,” Will said as soon as he was in front of the table, all energy and a hint of sarcasm. Melting into the Gowanus Canal was suddenly very appealing again. “Figured you could use another round. On the house.” “Huh,” Ella said. “Wow, that’s really nice.” “Isn’t it?” “Ok, thanks,” Henry muttered. 

Will slide the glasses across the table. “House speciality, you know. Rum punch. Very popular. Lots of magazine coverage. Mentioned on the Food Network. I think they made it on Iron Chef, a couple of times.” “They made your drink recipe on Iron Chef?” Ella asked. Henry’s spine didn’t appreciate how slumped he was in his chair.

Will nodded seriously. “Stole it right out from under us. Rude, don’t you think?” “Honestly.” “What do you think?” he pressed, stepping on Henry’s shoe under the table. “Don’t you think we should have gotten recompense or something?” “In the realm of that, yeah,” Henry agreed. 

“Maybe you should write a petition.” “To the Network?” “Or the chef who stole it.” “Oh my God,” Henry murmured, Will’s tongue finding the corner of his mouth when he grinned like a variety of literary cats. Ella looked confused. 

“Do you know who he’s talking about, Henry?” “I’ve got a vague idea.”

“Is this because of the food stuff?” Henry briefly allowed himself to be grateful Will had already put the glasses down before being entirely annoyed by his uncle, quasi-family member, whatever for laughing uproariously. Head thrown back and everything. 

More than one person stared openly at him. 

“Food thing,” Will chuckled. “Yeah, this might be because of the food thing.”

“Alright, well, thanks for the drinks,” Henry snapped. “We can totally pay for them if you want.” Will stopped laughing, shaking his head in what might have been disappointment and Henry hoped Killian wasn’t mad. Or disappointed. That was worse. “Nah, it’s fine,” Will promised. “Trust me, a gift of the house.” “Yeah?” “You bet.” “Ok, well—” “—Thank you,” Ella finished, a quick wink from Will before he was moving back towards the bar and Henry’s head was on a swivel. Nothing. No Killian. No chef’s jacket. No...anything. 

Both he and Ella ate all of their cheeseburgers. 

And, really, for as bad as it all could have gone after that, it was anything but. He still liked Ella and liked talking to Ella and they did just that, even when Ashley dropped the check on the table, tapping a knowing finger on the top. 

“Thanks for coming,” she said, eyeing Henry for another second. 

“Is that code?” Ella asked once Ashley was gone, but Henry didn’t do much more than shake his head, flipping the thing open to find the check upside down and he would have been able to notice that handwriting anywhere.

You need to learn the fine art of covert operations. Merida’s got cheesecake in a to-go back up there. Mom said you guys looked good in the picture Will sent her. Not me. Leave Ashley a good tip. 

Henry huffed out a breath, running his fingers through his hair. Not because he was trying to send any sort of sign, rather because he’d grown up with Killian and some things were bound to stick and—

“I’ll be right back.”

He didn’t run, so that was something. And nothing else. He might have walked briskly, pushing open the kitchen doors to find both Killian and Will standing in the corner. The phone in Will’s hand was buzzing. 

“Obviously I’m going to leave Ashley a good tip,” Henry announced. Killian arched an eyebrow.

“You’re not supposed to be back here.” “Yeah, when’s that ever mattered?” “Fair,” he admitted. “Did the date like the burgers?” “The date’s name is Ella and yeah, of course she liked the burgers. That’s why we came here.” 

“Right, right,” Killian said, grabbing a knife so he could dice something without looking. Henry crossed his arms. “No, no, kid, you don’t get to go defensive stance on me. Not when you used the wrong name and did you honestly think anyone would see Henry Locksley and not immediately realize what was going on?” “Ashley didn’t know.” “Ashley is not the hostess of this restaurant. Or the owner.” “Should I be offended you only came here for the burgers?” Will quipped. “Because that kind of hurts my feelings.” Henry scowled, not disentangling his arms. “This is the best food—and drinks,” he added quickly, “that I know of. I’m not going to go somewhere else, unless I go to Ari’s, but seafood is—” “—Gross?” Will suggested. “I’m going to tell her you said that.” “She said your date was pretty.” “Oh my God.” “So, this is actually a compliment, huh?” Killian asked. “Because we’ve got better food, but you wanted to lie about your name?” “I can’t take a girl to my family’s restaurant on a first date, that’s insane.” “Yeah, we’ve avoided insane completely.” “I didn’t think you were going to be here!” “At my restaurant?” “Mom said you guys weren’t coming out here that much anymore,” Henry cried. “Why are you here right now?” Killian laughed. Henry didn’t expect that. And the knife clanged softly when he dropped it, walking the few steps between them so he could clap Henry on the shoulder like he was sixteen and breaking curfew again. 

“This is your first date?” Henry nodded. 

“We probably should have figured that out, huh?” Killian glanced at a laughing-again Will, only to get a shrug in response. 

“He did keep doing the patented Jones-hair tug of nerves, so maybe this is our fault.” “Emma didn’t realize either, though.” “I hadn’t really talked about Ella to anyone, honestly,” Henry confessed. “This is—I like her. And I didn’t want to jinx it and it’s good food.” “Definitely sounds like a compliment, Cap,” Will said. 

Killian squeezed Henry’s shoulder. “I wasn’t kidding about the cheesecake. Belle would be really upset if you didn’t give Ella cheesecake.” “So long as she’s not lactose intolerant,” Will added. 

“Nah, she got cheese on her burger.” Henry blinked. Once, twice. More realization rattled around his brain and possibly his heart, the tips of Killian’s ears going slightly red. A tell. Much like his hair thing. 

“Did you make the burgers?” “C’mon, I thought we weren’t going to be insulting,” Killian said. 

Henry really needed to breathe better. His sigh wasn’t that either, was more understanding and appreciation and Killian grunted slightly when his arms darted out, a quick hug and mumbled thanks—“Tell Mom and Belle and Ari and whoever else you texted that it was a good first date, hopefully.”

“Hopefully,” Killian repeated. “Better go before this starts to get weird.” And he didn’t run again — followed at least some of the rules of an active kitchen, but any extra oxygen he’d been holding onto disappeared as soon as Henry realized Ella was reading the check. The back of the check. 

“You want to tell me the truth now?” she asked. “Why do you know the waitress? And the bartender? You know the chef too. That’s what you said, right? Did you just go in the kitchen? Is that allowed?” “In order of question. Honestly because I come here a lot. I do know the bartender, though he might be annoyed by that title. And yes to the chef too, probably way better than you’re guessing.” Nothing he’d said had really been right in a date-type setting, so Henry’s wasn’t all that surprised that he managed to botch that up a bit as well, the answer far longer than he planned on it being.  

Ella smiled. 

“I didn’t know I was guessing.” “This is my parent’s restaurant.” Her mouth fell open. Several times. Rather quickly. It was impressive, actually. “What?” “Yuh huh,” Henry said slowly. “And, uh—that Iron Chef my Uncle Will was—” “—That’s your uncle?” “Technically speaking. It’s—ok, everything I’ve said has been totally true. This place has the best burgers anywhere, like maybe the continental United States, really, and I sat down like I did because I helped pick out these chairs when they renovated while I was in college and—” Henry took a deep breath. “My dad is the Iron Chef. And the chef here, actually. He owns this restaurant and the original one with my mom. Original doesn’t have a view though and I’m pretty positive the drawings my sister made when she was a kid are still hanging in the hallway, so I figured this was better.” Silence. 

As much silence as a packed restaurant could allow. 

Steeling himself for the fallout, Henry tried not to get impatient or worried, but then Ella was laughing and still smiling and she slid the check back towards him. 

“Will I get to meet the chef, eventually? Is your mom a chef too?” “Emma Swan-Jones? She had—” “—That TV show?” “That’s her.” “Shit, you’re famous.” “My parents are marginally famous, cook really well and yeah, if you want to go out again sometime you can definitely meet the chefs. Both of them.”

“Well I am pretty interested in this artwork,” Ella said. “And then we wouldn’t have to leave the city either.” “That’s true.” “So, uh—” “—It’s a date,” Henry said. “You want to get the cheesecake first, though?” “This whole thing is a bust if we don’t get cheesecake.”

He nodded, stuffing bills that were far more than twenty-percent in the folder, and Ella’s hand was warm when it found his on their walk back to the hostess stand. There were four pieces of cheesecake in the bag. 

And it did take a few more dates before Ella met everyone, but Killian made her a bottle of her own aioli to take home and Roland only made fun of stealing his name for ten minutes, so Henry was fairly positive he’d won. 

#cs ff #captain swan #cs fic #captain swan ff #captain swan fic #listen--i just got a lot of feelings about parents having solid relationships with their grown up kids #where they can talk and tease and interact like real humans #and don't even get me started on all the good adult!henry ideas devon has for this verse #because they're real good #what if i only wrote sequels to verses that are almost questionably long??

[mvnvgedmischief]

bad luck: chapter 2

do my best to ignore it

work summary: normalcy. remus lupin has always craved normalcy. so he keeps his life at home in wales, where he’s a normal muggle boy with normal muggle friends and normal muggle interests separate from his school life, of magic, mischief, and deception. the only thing allowed to cross the threshold? his skateboard. however, he tries desperately to hide it from his friends, for fear of his favorite, normal muggle interest being taken from him, his space being violated. too bad sirius black has shaken up his entire worldview, and he can’t keep his friends out forever.

chapter summary: remus is trying to keep skating a private affair, but failing spectacularly. three interactions in fourth year prove as much to him. he can’t seem to keep everything together. not like this. 

cw: internalized homophobia, slurs

2.7k words

read it on ao3

Remus was a forth year when everything caught up to him. His nights out of bounds had gotten wilder, and the first time he thought that skating would be taken from him, was when he woke up in the hospital wing outside of the bounds of the moon. He hadn’t even begun to explain himself when Madam Pomfrey pulled out his skateboard. 

“You’re lucky I don’t turn this over to Mister Filch, Remus.” She took on a tone that reminded him of his mom. All soft lilts in her voice, but with a sternness that reminded him that he had done something wrong, and was being subtly reprimanded for it. 

“Please,” He didn’t mean to sound so desperate, “i– please– there’s nothing in the rules about skating and I just need it. I have nothing fucking else, Madam Pomfrey, I just need some semblance of normalcy.” 

“I worried about your adjustment to being here. Albus said you’d be fine, but I can’t imagine it’s easy to keep a secret such as your own.” It was then that he was reminded of McGonnagal. It was in the way she sounded like she was teaching him something instead of punishing him for his actions. “But if I catch you unconscious and out of bounds again, I will not hesitate to turn it over, Master Lupin. You’ve got a long day of recovery ahead of you. I trust you’ll stay off of it until your concussion has fully healed.” 

He wanted to nod with fervor at that, but his head throbbed too badly. So instead he watched her put the board aside and out of view of anyone who came walking in. He was thankful for that, particularly when his merry band of comrades waltzed into the hospital wing. He doesn’t want to talk to them– he really doesn’t. Sure, they were nice to him. They found out about his secret and didn’t care. That had been kind of them, and he knew it. They could have told everyone. They could have turned their back on him, and gotten him expelled. But they didn’t. Instead, they had affectionately nicknamed him after it and had even named his secret. They called it his furry little problem. It was kind, he knew that. But he couldn’t fight the bile rising in his throat that he was in this hospital wing, not having Daniel pour water over his head until he woke up. He hated that he wasn’t at home in Gwynedd. He hated that he hadn’t been more careful. Because they could find out, and it would throw his balance off. It would change his entire center of gravity if they knew he was sneaking out of the dormitory to go skate. They might try to stop him, they might try to tag along, and at this point, Remus was unsure which would be worse. 

He’s pulled out of his thoughts when Peter’s soft voice cuts through his panicked haze. “Moony, you’ve gotta stop ending up in the hospital wing.” 

“Yeah, at this rate people might think you’re in love with Poppy,” James added.

“I resent that,” Remus muttered, his eyes trained on a spot on the wall in front of him. He didn’t know why his chest had that same vice grip feeling like something was deeply wrong with the statement. But instead of saying anything, he did his best to shake it off. These were his friends after all. It was fine for friends to take the piss. He’d be fine. 

“What even happened Moony? Evans apparently found you on her morning rounds.”

“Yeah! My girl’s worried sick over you, Moons!” 

“Firstly, and I hate to be the one to break this to you, she’s not your girl.” Remus starts, trying to give himself the time to come up with some excuse. “I was walking around with the map last night, trying to finish it, and I tripped. Must’ve smacked my head pretty hard.” 

Sirius leered at him like he knew Remus wasn’t quite telling the truth, and for a split second, he panicked over the deck behind the bed, painted with the phases of the moon. Thre was no way they’d believe it belonged to anyone but him, and he knew it. 

“Mates, don’t you have a charms lesson you need to get to.” 

“Fuck.” And then the three boys are running off. Remus couldn’t be more thankful. Now he only had to have Poppy release him from the hospital wing, and he’d be home fucking free. But given that after they leave, the healer does not return, he realized he probably wasn’t going back his dormitory just yet. So instead he closes his heavy eyes, and begins to run through how he’s feeling. Why does his chest tighten when is mates mention dating birds. Sure, a few years ago when it began, he could justify it as being because of his age. But he was fourteen now, and it was getting less and less easy to use those same justifications. Why wasn’t he interested? He felt like he should be. His thoughts begin to travel, as they always do, to a particular pair of storm grey eyes, that seem to hold some secret deep within them. He recognizes it, because it’s a look he wears so well. And yet, he can’t push himself to think more about it— it scares him too much. So instead he thrashes a bit on the bed, trying to fall asleep. But sleep does not come to him, not that it ever has easily. Too often, he has a thrumming in his veins that he can only quell on concrete, too afraid of not getting away fast enough. What he needs to get away from remains to be seen. After all, he only has snippets of memories of Greyback. So when fiery red hair enters the periphery of his half lidded eyes, he immediately is put on the defensive. Sure, he liked Lily. But he didn’t know why she was here, nor what she wanted. They were friendly, but they weren’t really friends. 

“You gave me quite the fright this morning.”

“Good morning to you too, Evans.”

“Are you really so arrogant that you can’t wear a helmet, Lupin?” 

“What do I need a helmet for? I tripped.”

“You’re full of shite and you know it. I’m not stupid, Remus. You, of all people, should know that.”

He sighs in defeat. “Lils, please don’t tell anyone. I just— I wanna keep stuff like home and stress relief kind of off limits here.” There was no one Remus would dare trust more than Lily Evans. She was smart and loyal, and from their long hours in the library together, he knew she valued him as a friend. 

“Alright.” She sighs in return, a look of endearment across her face. It reminded him of Erika. Erika, who, just like Justin, has picked him up so many times after he fell. “One condition.”

“Alright, what's the condition?” He hoped, in vain, that the desperation wasn’t sinking into his voice. 

“Come get me when you wanna go for a late night stroll. Buddy system an’ all that. Someone’s gotta get help if you crack your head open again.”

“Fine, but breathe a word of this to James and you’re dead to me.”

This was a deal Remus could live with. Lily was a muggle. She understood.  The two didn’t mix. The closest they had ever gotten was a few odd letters exchanged between him and Daniel, or him and Justin, all of which involved questioning why his school didn’t have a bloody telephone. It was something he only spoke about with Lily Evans. Lily understood him in a way the other marauders often didn’t. She understood why he missed the comforts of home, the things that his friends probably never would. She accompanied him on late-night skates, because, according to her, he could get hurt, and then who would heal him so he didn’t wake up in the hospital wing. Lily tended to roast him for how much he kept in his pockets, and the fact that he would forgo any and all wizarding clothes, in favor of his soft trackies and a beanie. She told him so often, that he looked like a proper skater as if he wasn’t one already. Shee also tended to lay into him for his outright refusal to wear a helmet, but at this point, it had become quite endearing. She was a prefect, and she covered for him when he was out of bounds. It was nice, to have someone who understood. 

It was nice, up until she made him confront his feelings. “You skate when you’re trying to process your feelings.” It was a statement, not a question. As if she was informing him of something. That was different if you asked Remus. 

“And?”

“Just wondering what you’re processing.”

“None of your business, red.”

“C’mon, Remus. Enlighten me.”

“You can keep a secret?”

“I keep secrets for you all the time.”

“‘S about Sirius, who I know you don’t like.”

“Lay it on me.”

He takes a deep breath to steel himself against what he’s about to do. “I’m–“ i think i have a crush on him. coward. “worried about him. coping the way he does can’t be healthy.” 

“skating out of bounds every night for four weeks and making your mates repair a board you broke in a rage is also not healthy, Remus.”

“Sirius has a lot more emotional range than me. I have for moods, silent brooding, loud brooding, silent skating, loud skating.”

“skating isn’t a mood.”

“it is now.”

She looked at him like she knew something he didn’t, but the conversation was laid to rest. He wasn’t budging on this one. He was too afraid of it getting out. It wasn’t exactly like being bent was acceptable.

It was their fifth year when his friends started to catch on. He was fifteen when he stopped trying to keep his head down around them. He had spent the last four years sneaking out of the dorm and running off to blow off steam on his board. He knew he wasn’t really supposed to, he’d been caught by prefects more than once, but what else was he supposed to do? He needed some way to decompress when Snape was snooping around, whispering about the faggot in the marauders. Often times, that same rumor went around about Sirius, but the boy maintained a parade of girls in their year who were interested, and no one really believed it. People had no problem believing that the prefect who spent all his time sneaking around alone and had never had a girlfriend was bent. It was all mounting pressure. His mam was starting to get sick, his classes were so hard, his condition tore him up repeatedly, and he worried about the safety of the marauders. All of it felt like too much. He needed a way to relax when everything was off-kilter, and he missed the rough concrete against his hands when he fell, or the sound of his wheels spinning beneath his feet.  It wasn’t something to be ashamed of– he knew that. But he was surrounded by wizards. A particular three of whom didn’t understand the muggle world at all, let alone the niche interest of skate culture. And besides, skating was a safe space for him. It was a part of his life that he kept closed off, like how he spoke welsh exclusively at home, or how he never talked about his friends.

Remus also liked the freedom the map had afforded him, he could skate through the grounds and the halls, attempting trick after trick, as a way to get acquainted with the secrets of the castle. He could make sure no one was coming when he needed to. But on the night they found out, he had left the map behind, left Lily behind, in favor of some much needed alone time. He had been trying and failing to figure himself out. He wanted to know what it meant when his eyes caught the way Sirius’s bone structure in the dappled sunlight of their dorm. He wanted to know why he couldn’t look away. He wanted to know why every time Sirius flirted with Marlene it made him angry. He wanted to know why it felt like his stomach was fluttering every time Sirius opened his mouth. But he knew why. He knew this was how James talked about Lily, he recognized that he looked at Sirius the way Justin looked at his girlfriend Erika. He wanted to know why this had happened to him. He was trying to grind out his frustration in the grip tape, with the fervor of every pop shove-it landed and every heelflip that he primo’d or pushed too far. Why did he have to be the poof of the friend group?  It wasn’t until Sirius stepped into his way, and he slammed on the hard stone floor, that he realized he hadn’t been paying enough attention. 

“Moony! What the hell are you doing?” 

Frustration, resentment, irritation, and so much more began to bubble up within him. Here was Sirius, bloody beautiful Sirius, forcing him out of his groove, and injecting himself into Remus’s safe space. His alone time. “What the fuck does it look like?” Well, maybe he didn’t have to be so rude. Perhaps it was a genuine question, but Remus couldn’t find it in himself to care. Not when Sirius was staring at him

“It looks like you neglected to mention that you’re a bloody skateboarder. What the fuck, mate? I thought we weren’t doing secrets anymore. We became animagi for you Moony! How could you hold out on us with something so bloody cool?” 

Remus suppressed a cringe at the term skateboarder because it just wasn’t something people said. He knew it was some part of the skater in him that did so, with all of his lessons in skate etiquette (the dumb shit you need to know not to say was the name of that particular lesson) that had impressed this opinion on him. “It wasn’t a secret. It just isn’t something I mentioned. Besides, what’s it to you, Sirius?” 

A look of recognition passed over Sirius’s face, and Remus noticed the way his eyebrows furrowed as if he was growing cross. 

“Why are you being such a tosser, Remus? How’d you even learn this? I don’t know a single other wizard who owns a skateboard.” 

“You do know I had a life before you, before this smarmy, stuffy old place, before any of this shit. God, sometimes everyone here makes me just want to go!” 

And with that, he was off. He grabbed his board and ran, before jumping back on to get some much-needed air time. It was tiring to run from everything all the time. Remus couldn’t help it, of course. Not when he had so much to hide, with his friends constantly pulling pranks that only ever seemed to put his secrets on the line. This was something people could take away from him. He wasn’t willing to take the risk. The final weeks of the term came and went, with Remus not mentioning it a single time to Sirius. He wasn’t willing to talk about it, and he knew Sirius wasn’t going to bring it up until Remus decided they were done fighting.

He didn’t know that Sirius watched him leave, arms wrapped around himself in a self soothing position, and wishing he hadn’t put Remus in that position. He didn’t know that Sirius understood keep something tucked away because of a self preservation instinct. He didn’t know that Sirius resolved not to tell anyone while he was watching Remus, or that he thought it was fantastic that his moony had something that made him smile that wide. But it was okay that he didn’t know, because Sirius didn’t know how to tell him.

#wolfstar #wolfstar fic #skater! remus lupin #sirius black x remus lupin #moony and padfoot #moony & padfoot #hp #wolfstar angst #my shit #bad luck

[darkpoisonouslove]

Winx Club Season 2 Thoughts (4kids) Part 1

I already posted some thoughts on season 2 last year when I legit just clicked through he episodes rather than actually rewatching them so I am back to give a more in-depth look on this season! (And, hopefully, it won’t end with disappointment for me.)

2x01:

- Eww, why voiceover? It just seems so unnatural since we’ve never had it before. Not to mention that Bloom told us what each of the other girls has done during the summer but she didn’t tell us anything about herself. Like, she set out to find out more about her origins back in the first half of season 1, and I know that she did learn about being the princess of Domino but she still has no fucking idea who her parents are as individuals apart from them being the rulers of Domino. Considering how big of a plot that is later on, it just doesn’t sit right with me that she doesn’t seem remotely interested in it currently and didn’t mention anything about it. It’s like that plotline is closed for her which we all know is not true. So I am having some issues here, not gonna lie (not with Bloom but with her inconsistent writing).

- Aww, am I the only one who thinks that Stella buried herself in fashion rules all summer because she didn’t want to think about her parents’ divorce? Poor baby has been going so hard with no rest to keep herself from grieving over it. But at least she did something! (Proving she’s not lazy and spoiled; she practically had a job. Her dream job. You go get it, girl! (but also take care of your mental state, please.))

- Why is Bloom so eager to learn her fortune? Has she not read Greek Mythology? Bad idea, hon. Bad idea. (The thing with the magical reality mirrors was cool, though!)

- (Is that a new secret library or is it the regular library? I’m confused. Does anybody have a handy layout of Alfea for me?)

- She just fucking told her everything! I’m not a fan of knowing your future tbh. It really messes with your head and you start thinking “Will my actions have a negative impact on it? Will I somehow change my own destiny for the worse?” and then you go and do exactly that. Not to mention that it would be so weird to stare at Layla and just feel the pressure of being told that you’ll be best friends. Like, what if it doesn’t work? And what if it is just the fact that you were told so that pushes you to seek the friendship of that person? I don’t know. It’s just not my thing.

- Layla is awesome, though! Climbing those rocks with no equipment, not to mention with so little power left. She probably couldn’t even transform and fly if she fell. That was dangerous but did she care? Nope. She was there to save the pixies! Brave little soldier. Too good, too pure for this world.

- Ugh, Darkar managed to annoy me with his very first sentence ever. Nice job. You are a loser, loser. So deal with it! God, how will I take all that narcissism for 25 more episodes? Oh god, oh no, please, no! Whyyyyyyyy?

- Ugh, Bloom, that diadem is doing the opposite of wonders for your hair, please! At least Stella had the common sense to remove it.

- Speaking of Stella, that moment with the multiplying beauty was so cute! I love how she complimented the others while complimenting herself! But guys (Stella & Bloom), you’re not discreet with the groping. Seriously.

- Oh, hey! Riven won! And Sky only came in third! Nice! But lbr here, Timmy is the real victor! The others came in on hoverbikes while he had an entire ship that he modified himself. I mean, idk about anyone else, but I would definitely go for the ship.

- Of course there’s Diaspro drama. God, can they not for literally five seconds? And also, “we’re just friends”? Wtf? Did you fall on your head this summer, Bloom? You were calling him your boyfriend last time I checked. And you were fawning over the romance in your future. Can you just drop the pretense already?

- Ooh, Layla is so smart! She managed to outsmart all the monsters and win even when she barely had any magic left! You go, you absolute badass!

- Did they even make any changes on that new wing at Alfea? I mean, besides the name.

2x02:

- How did Tecna know that Layla was the princess of Andros? Did she hack the interdimensional FBI system? Wtf.

- They could’ve showed some other things we hadn’t seen that Layla had to go through but, of course, why would they do that when they could just use the same footage and draw less animation, bruh?

- And we’re getting to the opposites. Right on schedule when the Shadow Phoenix has shown up. You gotta love how convenient those school lessons are (not to mention that Bloom suddenly started feeling her opposite out of nowhere. Nice!) At least we got a cool magical lesson. Though, idk how to feel about the ying-yang symbol. I mean, it is a perfect representation of what they’re talking about but kind of weird to see something so earthly in Alfea. Though, Earth did have magic so... Hmm. Okay, anyway. Moving on.

- Um, question, why do Stella and Layla not know each other? And in the first season Stella and Musa and Sky didn’t know each other even though they were all royalty (I am still unclear on whether Musa is a princess or not btw but anyway). Don’t they, like, have royal meetings with other kingdoms? (which they even did in season 5 when Domino was back. What, is Domino the center of the universe and they can’t function without it? I mean, come on!)

- The talk about love is getting on my nerves and I literally have “love” in my url and it is my fave word. So what is wrong with that? I do love that guard there. Heck, yeah, it’s a prison (it’s worse than that tbh). And the fact that they’re trying to make it out not to be is extremely fucked up and sickening if you ask me. Not to mention “You can force people to be happy. It just takes time.” I really hope whoever had the idea of that place (in-verse) is going to hell.

- They legit just kept recapping season 1 for a solid minute? Aaaaaaaand... SKIP.

- Can I say that a 30-page report is an actual living nightmare. Thanks.

- The girls are all friendly with Layla (well, outside of a slip-up or two). That’s cute. But where the hell is Tecna? Can the animators only animate five Winx girls at a time? What the hell, you guys?

- So the Pixie village is on Andros (if Layla found it accidentally. I don’t imagine she realm-hopped at will)? Why don’t I remember any of that? But hey, finally some flashbacks that we haven’t seen before!

- Oh, look! My guy Kerborg is here! (the only good part of this whole Darkar thing tbh)

- The Trix finally thought of trying to pretend to be happy in order to get out of there. Well, better late than never. Though, watching how it’s going I can understand why they didn’t try before that. It is, in fact, hopeless. (But at least Darcy is handling it! She always was a bit more controlled.)

- I am so majorly creeped out by Darkar. He just met them and he’s like “You belong to me! Mwahahahaha.” Ummmm? Can you calm down? But I loved Icy’s response. Though, it didn’t stick. And he’s at it again. Seriously, this is really giving me some major off vibes. He said they were going to be the queens of Shadowhaunt which, considering he’s the king, would imply they were his wives. Now there’s a mental image that I am not even going to let inside my head, thanks. Although, having in mind that he just kept buttering them up, I would say it was just him stroking their egos to get them to join him. Not to mention that his later treatment of them supports that theory. And of course, he had to test them first and see how they’d do.

2x03:

- Please, tell me that they’ll tell someone about the Pixies and won’t just go to Shadowhaunt on their own initiative.

- O!M!G! They actually told Faragonda! I can’t believe this! Finally doing something smart, I can’t! And of course she wasn’t going to just let them go. Though, did she really think they weren’t going to want to take the test?

- Shouldn’t Stella be weakened by the darkness of Shadowhaunt? I kinda wish she’d stayed at Alfea if that would’ve spared us from the arc that is coming. (Why?)

- Okay, but it was kind of rude of Layla to just overtake Riven’s hoverbike like that. I wouldn’t appreciate it if I had to give someone a ride and they shoved me out of the driver’s seat and occupied my car, thank you. I’m surprised Riven agreed to let her drive.

- I don’t really have much to say about this episode tbh.

- It was cute that Stella jumped off the cliff for Brandon but it was not the smartest course of action. It probably would’ve been easier for him to save himself if he was alone and they may not have ended up being brought to Amentia. God, I hate this. I don’t want to be bitching about this every other sentence so just know that I absolutely despise this arc from the very bottom of my heart and that will never change.

2x04:

- They have no powers and Darkar knows they’re there. Sounds like a great situation, doesn’t it?

- That amazing moment when you either have to marry a person you’ve just met or watch the one you love die and then be forced to get married anyway. You gotta love that! I hate this so much! (And this is different from my previous point. Or at least has a different angle.)

- Wow, Riven is absolutely handling being a boyfriend. Somebody get him a manual, the man is failing spectacularly.

- I am not quite a fan of Flora’s “Must be nice to have a shoulder to cry on”. Like, you have your friends???? No, I get that she wants a boyfriend, nothing wrong with that, but it came out like she has nobody. Which is absolutely not true.

- What a lucky save that Stella just arrived when they were about to become toast. Can anyone tell me why she didn’t just teleport them where the Pixies are? Or anywhere closer to them if she could do that all along?

- Am I distracted or is there nothing to talk about in these episodes? (Both. It is both.)

2x05:

- Seriously, why didn’t they at least mention the option to teleport using that gadget from the beginning?

- Aww, Brandon was trying to be noble and get out of the marriage but it backfired. Poor him.

- Why are the Pixies bickering like that? Is it Shadowhaunt’s influence or just the fact that they’d been imprisoned together for so long?

- Wait, did they just... kill a pixie? (Off screen of course, but still. Damn!)

- So Bloom and Stella did... interestingly with the boarding.

- Why is Stella afraid of heights? Also, that’s never been mentioned before. Especially not when she jumped off a fucking cliff! Wtf. They just keep throwing in new stuff without setting it up properly and I am getting annoyed.

- What happened to Tecna’s computer?

- Oh, look! Chatta lied to Darkar to protect Pixie Village.

- It’s the Trix! Finally some action! And they are harder to defeat now that they’re stronger! Nice!

- Damn! Layla was really determined to get the Pixies out of there. (Which wouldn’t have helped if Darkar hadn’t let her but she still gets points for trying.)

- Oh come on! Do I really have to deal with fake Avalon so early in the season?!?!?! Dammit! Also, wtf is up with Bloom and Stella? Like, you both have boyfriends. At least Layla’s not affected.

- “Stella returned a compliment. What is that about?” XDDD One of the funniest lines ever! And look at Amore! She is so cute!

2x06:

- But yeah, seriously, just go get Brandon, please! (Also, good that they noticed something’s fishy.)

- Aww, Stella is absolutely furious and determined to get her boyfriend back. She should’ve gone for a plan tbh since it could’ve helped them get to the palace faster.

- I love how Stella’s known Layla for a week (half of which Layla was unconscious) tops and is already making her her bridesmaid. Am I the only one who finds this weird? Like, this friendship train is moving way too fast for my trust issues.

- Poor Brandon. She’s going to stretch him, wtf? These episodes are a horror show.

- How bad can a guard worm be? Hm, gee, I don’t know, Layla. Enough to stop you perhaps since it is a “guard”, y’know.

- And Brandon is talking to a parrot now. I am losing it just like he is. How much longer will this torture go on? Please, tell me this arc is coming to an end.

- Okay, so the plotline with Amore’s magic is less problematic than I remember it. I thought she was going to make Amentia fall in love with the flower pollen but it only leads you to your soulmate. That isn’t problematic, actually. Nice!

- Wtf do you mean they’re going to eat Brandon if he’s not a good husband?!?!?! I am getting nightmares over here. Just feeling them forming in my head. Thanks.

- It must be horrible for Stella to be standing there and watching her boyfriend being forced to marry another woman. How are these people not psychologically scarred anyway?

- Aww, they’re back together! I love how Amore is just sitting in Stella’s lap! It’s cute.

2x07:

- I was not ready for the Kiko angst even though I knew it was coming.

- Faragonda really thought she could just dodge that question without them noticing, huh? Yeah, well, no.

- Oh, look! The Shadow Fire is sentient. This reminds me of LotR tbh but anyway, moving on. So Darkar is a man who is possessed by the Shadow Fire? I so did not remember that.

- Oh, no! Is it really time for Avalon already? Dammit! I was just getting thrilled there was no Darkar in these last two episodes and now I get Avalon. Uggggh.

- I get Bloom’s annoyance with this but why does she keep blasting it when that obviously doesn’t give results?!?!?! This reminds me of that quote by Einstein that madness is doing the same thing and expecting different results. “I feel tired.” You think? You’ve been out there blasting that thing for hours. Get inside and get warmed up, oh my god! Seriously, how are they even alive? They don’t take care of themselves at all.

- This might be my more advanced knowledge of what the future holds for them speaking but I absolutely do not get what is Avalon’s appeal.

- Oh, how convenient. He’s teaching magic connected to their origins. Amazing.

- “I don’t want to seem obsessive” *proceeds to spy on girlfriend* At least the show is framing it well.

2x08:

- Ugh, I really hate these Bloom and Avalon scenes. They just leave a bad taste in my mouth.

- Ugh, I’m gagging at Bloom’s obsession with Avalon. I get he promised to help her learn about her origins but she’s downright lovesick. I am so with Sky on this and I understand his frustration.

- Aww, Brandon immediately revealed his own nickname to help Stella calm down. That was so cute! I love them!

- I love how the fairies are always invited, of course, but the witches are only invited because they helped. I mean, yeah, they do cause trouble, but like, they’re witches? I think the show should have done a better job at specifying what exactly being a witch is because currently it’s like “hey, they’re evil but they can legally learn how to be evil in the legitimate school for witches!” How does that make any sense?

- Ewww, seriously? On the one front I have Bloom and Avalon and on the other Icy and Darkar. What is wrong with this season?

- Oh, hey! It’s Helia! Now only if we didn’t have to wait half a season for Flora to confess her feelings, that would be great! I love how she got mad at Stella for introducing herself to Helia. Don’t just glare there, Flora. Do something about it! (About Helia, I mean.)

- So Saladin is also a dramatic bitch. Good to know. XD But hey, the new Red Fountain looks so much better. Before I started the rewatch, I didn’t even remember the initial vision. I only remembered the one from season 2 onwards.

- Poor Timmy! But what was Tecna’s problem? Like, you dreamed of him. That’s cool. I mean, you like him. What’s the problem? I guess she’s just not used to emotions like that, though.

- “I think it was Darcy” Jeez, really? Why is the fact that she ran away not enough proof that it was Darcy? Why would she run away if she was just a random girl? But I guess it’s a good thing Musa recognized her voice because people can actually do that unlike what movies would have you believe.

- It’s Kerborg time. Nice!

- Oh, yeah, “let’s leave Bloom and Sky in charge here”. Now you trust her. Last time she was there he blamed everything on her but hey, whatever.

- I loved Sky being supportive of Brandon and then the team up with all the rest. And Riven showing a better side of himself. That was really awesome.

- Oh, I think Helia’s got his eye on a certain fairy too! ;)

- But seriously. Literally an entire army of Specialists can’t hold the monster down while Helia did it on his own. With his glove. Wtf?!?!?!?! Though really, why am I expecting anything to make sense at this point.

2x09:

- Okay, but as annoying as Darkar is, he at least knows how to steer the witches to do exactly what he wants.

- Really, Tecna, I think your facts are wrong. You aren’t completely grown up at 16, wtf.

- Who else is completely creeped out by Avalon? He really just gave all of his very female and very young students flowers. And he’s teaching them all individual things (which is just a cover so that his interest in Bloom doesn’t stand out, of course, but still). He knows they are all crushing on him and he’s exploiting that and doing his best to lead them on and reinforce those emotions. That is absolutely disgusting, thank you.

- Seriously, even Faragonda is falling victim to his “charm” (not)? I can’t with this episode anymore and it has just started. And here I thought Darkar would be the problem of this season. How was I so wrong????????

- Oh, he wants them to trust him as much as they trust themselves? How about they throw you off a cliff instead? Oh, wait, that won’t work because he has wings. Crush him with a boulder then? (This is getting very anti Avalon and I am so sorry for all the negativity but I don’t think I can stress enough how much this is upsetting and angering me.)

- Why do I feel like Avalon is the one who planted the book there so that Tecna could do all of that and embarrass herself so that she wouldn’t try it again and he could proceed with his real plans?

- Well, we finally got Bloom’s parents’ names and a very unclear peek at them. Though, props for having their designs figured out from the beginning, though I guess that is just thanks to the comics.

- Oh, hey! Palladium is back. (Why is no one crushing on him? He is so much better and more handsome than Avalon tbh.) Glow up time, bitches. XD

- Amaryl is being Amaryl, of course. But Palladium is having none of it anymore. And he saved Stella. Nice!

- The others trust Tecna, that’s great!

- (Honestly, Griffin is the only thing saving me from losing my mind in this episode tbh, Also the fact that she believes Tecna and that Tecna was suspicious enough to dig in the first place. At least someone hasn’t lost their common sense.)

- Oh, hey, how did Bloom get that medallion? Did she pull it out of the past? Pls, tell me that’s not what happened. It can legit mess the entire timeline.

- Wait, didn’t they start chasing him before midnight? Why is it suddenly morning? Wtf? You can’t tell me they chased him all night. Why is everything so wrong?

- Poor Wizgiz! Another invention is destroyed. I feel his pain.

- At least all parts of the episode came together nicely. The writing was actually good but I absolutely hate this episode, thanks! I still appreciate the effort with the script, though.

2x10:

- Seriously, why did Bloom instantly decide that Diaspro was involved in this? Ugh. Both she and Sky need to calm down with the jealousy.

- Omg, Griselda is so savage, I can’t! Her magic is so awesome. (Since when is Stella up for cooking? Or was it just because she wanted to see the cute guy that would teach them cooking? Ah, and she’s tired of take out.) I really loved how she used different methods to deal with the different powers of the fairies. Finally we’re getting all the magical lessons and it is absolutely glorious.

- (Btw, seeing Stella openly critique classes schedule makes it clear to me why she’s always been my favorite. That is such a me thing to do. I still can’t understand how teachers liked me since I was always arguing with them.)

- Of course. Sky wants to talk and Bloom immediately decided he wanted to break up with her. Why don’t you hear him out first maybe? (Sidenote: Stella and Brandon went on a date with unicorns? That is really cute!)

- Brandon is in his role of the wingman again. Considering he’s the only one having a steady girlfriend (and they’ve said “I love you” already), the rest should just listen to him.

- Mayhem globe? That’s really cool actually.

- Helia is here. Nice!

- Poor Stormy. She looked really hurt. I thought Darcy was the one with the illusions and riddles. Why did she get it wrong and why was Icy the one to solve it (through a detail that not only has never been shown but has been pretty much disproven by what we’ve seen)?

- Yeah. Tecna and Timmy were also knocked out, Bloom. Just in case you care about that.

- Kindness spell? And non-agression spell? That’s kinda cool actually. But problematic... again.

- I am not quite sure what Bloom did but I am actually glad to see they went with a hug there (and it was cute). But how many times are they going to become a boyfriend and a girlfriend? I thought we were over this.

2x11:

- Brandon is at it again. A true specialist... in dating tips. XD

- Wow, Flora. Nice Helia spell you got there. (Btw I am so loving that we get to see them in different classes and learning things! Yes, this is what I’m here for!) But Layla was so ready to help! And I also love that Flora went to Layla instead of anyone else. It’s really cute that they got so close so fast. (”He’s crazy if he doesn’t like you.” Perhaps Layla is the one who likes Flora. XD)

- Shoulda listened to Brandon, Timmy. (But Tecna so boldly went for the “us”. You go, girl!)

- Idk but to me “The Archaic Spells of Spheria” doesn’t sound any good tbh.

- Of course Stella is all about the romantic movies. But poor pixies. They had to imprison them to save them.

- Why did all of the boys know about the Codex in the previous ep but the girls have no clue about it? Why is Faragonda keeping it from them if everyone at Red Fountain knows about it?

- What was Faragonda doing? And why did she make Bloom look for the spell? Couldn’t she do that herself? (Also, she just threw the book like that on the floor. I get why it prompted her derision but damn, really?)

2x12:

- Flora and Helia are such romantic dorks. And they’re bringing their A game there. Poems and flowers... A beautiful romance blooms. (I’ll stop now.)

- This convergence talk is giving me all the friendship feels. Not just for Winx but also for Faragonda and Griffin since they have been spotted doing convergence too. Ugh, my heart!

- Wow, Riven sure has a lot of pictures of Musa, considering the way he’s acting.

- “Kind of involved”? Mhm, sure.

- So I understand Musa’s frustration with Stella’s meddling but on the other hand I can see Stella’s point. I love Musa x Riven but Riven doesn’t seem exactly present and Musa herself stated that she’s not really sure what the status of their relationship is so...

- Okay, but there is no way in hell that it is Darcy’s birthday. It is fall currently and Darcy’s birthday is May 5 according to Wiki. So yeah, no.

- I am getting a bit sidetracked again but can we talk about the fact that Bloom and Stella couldn’t do convergence after a simple disagreement even though they’re together like 24/7 while Griffin and Faragonda managed to do it seamlessly at the end of season 1 after not speaking to each other for years and kind of getting into a fight the last time they spoke at the Day of the Royals. Friendship goals (well, besides the silent treatment.)

- Okay but I think it wasn’t right to blame Stella. She didn’t say anything that was inherently offensive. She suggested that they try to get closer. That isn’t bad even if it upsets someone indirectly. There was no need to blame her. They should’ve just focused on making Layla feel better.

- Why do I feel like none of them really had friends before they found each other? But hey, they are this big found family now and that is awesome! (I am getting all the feels again.)

- And Darcy is messing up the magical reality chamber again. Didn’t we do that already? Also, why didn’t they try to... idk, take precautions and put better security on it considering how dangerous it can be? Like, those are simple things. Please, be responsible.

- Better not play Truth or Dare with Stella. Unless you wanna be kissing ogres. XD

- That was a good save Layla pulled off there. Also, I love how the girls are mad at the “technical” issues. Tbh they are right to. How many times are they gonna get stuck in the wrong world when sent into the magical reality chamber? Like, get your shit together teachers. Also, why don’t they simply do a test run before they get anyone inside it? You’d think they’d learn their lesson.

- Damn, they can be deleted if the program is turned off? Why didn’t Darcy just have Jarred unplug it then? Winx are erased forever. Boom, problem solved. For the Trix, I mean.

- Aww, the pixies were ready to go in. That was cute.

- I LOVED that convergence! It was such a cool idea to have them make a figure. Also, they just created life. Damn! I am impressed.

2x13:

- Poor Layla. She has all those nightmares. But at least Piff helps! That’s really cute.

- I see Flora still hasn’t solved the Helia problem yet.

- They just ditched school to go to a club. What chaotic dumbass energy, I can’t.

- Aww, Layla is sharing about her harsh childhood. At least she has friends she can talk to now. But damn the difference between Andros and Solaria is very striking in scenes like that.

- Layla totally nailed that improv. Nice, you go, girl!

- I love the difference between Griselda and Faragonda! XD

- I loved that convo between Bloom and Vanessa! Yes, thank you for that. I am a little confused as to when Bloom learned Daphne was her sister. Did I miss something or did the writers miss something? But aww, Vanessa can’t see Locket. That’s making me sad. :(

- They did go to the club, though, huh? Nice one, you guys.

- How will Faragonda learn if they use magic on humans but not otherwise? That doesn’t sound very logical to me. (Speaking of logic, where is Tecna? They didn’t show her in this ep.)

- Oh, no! Poor Layla. But damn, she’s powerful. And the others are there to help her. (The pixies can cause so much trouble considering how small they are.)

- I love how Faragonda and Griselda just showed up to get them. It was cute. Though, now they’re being punished. Well, technically, Bloom didn’t break any rules because she had permission to leave but I guess she’s also in this because she shouldn’t have taken the others with her. (Cheeky to welcome Faragonda and Griselda to Earth.) At least Faragonda managed to get them the permission for music back from Griselda. XD

- Aww, babies! They are so tired from cleaning the whole school, they fell asleep. And the pixies helped, too.

- I’m not sure how Flora got that Helia is “the one” from talking to him for half a minute, but damn, wanna share those powers with the rest of us so that we can know immediately when we’ve met the one as well? (It was so cute to see Flora lean on Layla to sleep with her. And Piff, too. If she weren’t just talking about Helia, they would’ve been like a picture perfect family.)

This got very long so I decided to split the post for this season in parts. Part 2.

#winx club #winx stella #winx layla #winx flora #winx musa #winx tecna #anti bloom #just in case #i did bitch about her a little #anti avalon #also #very very anti avalon #anti darkar #the trix #winx sky #winx brandon #winx timmy #winx griffin #winx club season 2 #thoughts #part 1 #review

[prorevenge]

Underpay me, lie to derail a competing job offer and then try to humiliate me in front of the entire department? Say goodbye to your dignity and (eventually) job/business!

I'm going to leave out specific details about the company and people in question here, as some people also know about this story and I don't want to be identified.

TL;dr:

Company I'm loyal to takes advantage of my delayed graduation to underpay me

They lie to me so that I don't take a better job offer

They then claim my performance is an issue as an excuse to delay my pay raise

When I finally resign, my supervisor tries and spectacularly fails to make me look bad, and instead looks like a horrible, volatile boss.

Her department rapidly bleeds its experts in the months following my departure (I like to think this is in part because of my publicly awful treatment).

Chapter 1: The Good Years

BoringCorp hired me as an intern in the second year of my six year nightmare of college (long story). I was installed as a low-level support technician in the internal IT department, as I was a "wild card" hire, based on a recommendation and didn't have the usual qualifications.

In the three years I worked in the IT department (part time), I reimagined large aspects of how internal IT managed a plethora of internal services at the company. I designed and built several complex software systems to automate inter-department processes, systems management, security and compliance auditing and the like. Over those years I built a significant reputation for myself across many departments, including HR, the security team, engineering, marketing, etc. as someone who could not just "get stuff done", but also improve lots of other things in the process.

Chapter 2: The Downward Turn

Upon graduating, I was encouraged by my team lead (who is an awesome person) to look for a role better aligned to my skill set, and secured a role in the engineering department's systems engineering/automation team. I was offered a graduate salary, something I was unhappy with, as while technically a graduate, I had almost four years' experience in the industry at that point, and had demonstrated significant technical ability. Engineers from other departments often asked me to troubleshoot their code, so it wasn't like I was an unknown at this stage. Regardless, I accepted on the condition that I would be rapidly advanced.

As soon as I started with my new team, it was apparent that the company's engineering department was in some serious strife. Our single team of less than 10 people maintained a mostly undocumented codebase, supporting the deployment and automation of tens of millions of dollars of live customer sites... And stuff was always breaking.

Being the perfectionist and pathological problem solver I am, I immediately started looking for root causes. Most of the rest of the team, who were principally software engineers with no IT or systems background, or otherwise very inexperienced (grads with no work experience and first time interns), continued to chip away at the surface, without considering the source of our problems. This caused some friction with management, but I managed to convince them of the value of my work.

Six months in, I had identified major issues with our documentation, written up some basic (and easy-to-use) documentation standards, and even documented a large chunk of our projects. I had set up an incident logging process, and tried to pare back on our alerting/pager system to reduce "alert fatigue" and get more prompt responses from on-call team members during outages. No pay raise or even any acknowledgement of my efforts.

Chapter 3: The Struggles Begin

No one was interested in my work. No one documented anything, despite my making it as easy as possible. People kept adding bad code to fix short term problems, and despite my repeated pleas (literally every day at standup) this problem continued. Eventually I became pretty despondent about the whole thing and just started chipping away like everyone else, and commiserating with another new hire (senior engineer) who had significantly more experience than me and was equally horrified at the state of things.

I was then contacted by a recruiter for another company. Now at this point, note that I was still feeling a degree of allegiance to BoringCorp - they had treated me very well in years gone by, and I wanted to do right by them, despite their current struggles. So I kept my manager (who we shall call 'Z') in the loop about interviewing, and when I was offered a job with almost double my "graduate" salary, I told her first and gave her plenty of time for a counter offer. She assured me that they would match the offered salary within a month, and that the process was actually already underway (more on this later).

I turned down the job offer, which resulted in getting my ear chewed off by the recruiter and a very uncomfortable phone call from the CTO of the other company, almost begging me to join.

... Three weeks later, no news. I followed up. "We are looking into it, but I want you to communicate to the team why you haven't been around as much." Well, for starters the company had flexible working arrangements, and I had made it clear on multiple occasions that I was working from home. In addition, the reason I worked from home so much, is that my teammates, all of whom bar two were paid much more than me, would pester me with basic technical questions. I was sick of having my work disrupted so I could give first-year college tutorials on computer networking.

I explained this to my manager as diplomatically as possible (I avoided ripping into her about the ridiculous and offensive pay difference), and she asked me to "communicate more". Yeah, okay. I did that.

Chapter 4: The Last Straw+Camel

Three more weeks. Two past the deadline. No news. I follow up again - and hear basically the same complaint, despite having communicated very clearly and (grudgingly) worked from home less.

I started looking for a new job, again. Within three weeks I was five interviews deep in the process for an overseas company, and had a salary offer of four times my original salary. This was based not just on spoken interviews but also technical testing and work samples, so it wasn't just me overselling myself. At this point I became very angry at the degree to which BoringCorp was undervaluing me. I accepted the competing offer on the spot and started making plans to move. I also went back to working from home when I felt like it.

Fast forward two weeks, and I'm ready to put in my notice. I do so, and almost immediately I get an aggravated-sounding text message on my personal phone stating "we haven't seen you much this week and I expect you to be in for a meeting tomorrow." Clearly this set alarm bells ringing that it was a termination meeting and they were going to try to cheat me of my final pay.

Having worked in IT (and in fact having automated a significant chunk of HR processing), I was very familiar with the company's user offboarding processes. I looked for a work ticket logging my departure... And there wasn't one. Strange - policy dictates that one must be created. It occurred to me that in the past, handling dismissals, these tickets were raised with very restricted access permissions, so that the soon-to-be ex-employee had no prior warning.

Of course, I still happened to have some admin credentials in my password safe (used for automation, and which I had thankfully forgotten to delete). Upon logging in with those, sure enough, I found my very own ticket! Turns out they weren't trying to fire me, instead my supervisor (Z) wanted to put me on "involuntary paid leave" for the duration of my notice period. She also wanted me to clear out my desk during the daytime, in front of my colleagues, and deny my the chance to say proper farewells, etc.

Well, knowledge is power here. I spent the first hour backing up all of my personal data off my work laptop. I then wiped the disk clean and rotated the disk encryption keys, to ensure none of my data or personal project work could be recovered. I drove to work at 2am, cleaned out my desk and took everything home in complete privacy, and then went to sleep.

The next day, I walked in at 7:30am, dropped my wiped laptop with my old team and said my farewells. Also took the time to explain why I was basically getting booted out of the building. There was a lot of unhappiness - towards Z.

Then I went and said farewell to my current team. They were horrified by the situation and also were rather displeased with Z. I caught up with some of my closer friends that I'd worked with over the years and said my goodbyes to them as well. We had a nice, relaxed morning chatting about the good ole times and drinking coffee.

Then the meeting came along... Well, suffice to say, Z was rather disappointed that I had already handed in my laptop and cleared my desk. She grudgingly said I could stay for the rest of the day, seeing as I had already done everything I needed to do, and left in a huff.

Epilogue: The Aftermath

A few months had gone by, and I was now happily settled into my new job. I learned through contacts at the company that since my very rude expulsion, many senior engineers have left. They'd had to restructure the department to try to fix their product delivery issues, and were still unable to fix anything because all of the people who knew the functionality of the system (myself because of my documentation push, and the other engineers who built it) had left in disgust at the poor morale and working environment.

Last I heard, Z was still in her current role, but the company was bleeding cash and constantly downsizing. I don't imagine management was too chuffed with her performance.

(source) (story by Throwawayyyyyyy11235)

#prorevenge #by Throwawayyyyyyy11235 #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

[autumn-maple13]

Lost to Time - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Confessions

They were all worried, that much was clear, but the way Ignis had yet to let go of Amara's unconscious form, the way he kept murmuring to her things that made no sense to them, that worried them far more under the current circumstances.

"Ignis," Noctis finally managed to get his advisor to look at him and decided that for once he wasn't going to let his friend get out of things. "We need to talk. Now."

"Noctis-"

"Now," Noctis commanded, glaring at the man. "Ignis Scientia."

"Yes, sir." Ignis knew from his tone that it was the King speaking to him now, and not his friend. Carefully laying Amara fully on the floor of the tent, he took only a few moments to make sure she seemed comfortable before emerging from the tent and closing it behind him. The man walked over to his friends and sat in one of the chairs after a look from Noctis. The younger man was sitting straight in his own chair, ankle crossed over his knee as he fixed his advisor in a questioning glance. He was taking his time to figure out just what words to say, trying to figure out how to get what he needed this time.

"Ignis, first and foremost, what is your real relationship with Amara?"

"I don't know, and I have yet to try and discuss anything with her."

"If the two of you aren't together, why do you keep running after her? And don't try to tell me it's because of the Arms. She hasn't had a bad reaction to them in a while now."

"Yes, she has, more than you know, but that's not for me to speak about." Ignis shook his head and stood again. "I'm sorry Noctis, but this line of questioning you want to take isn't one you need to subject me to. Amara is the only one who can give you the answers you want."

"But you know something!" Noctis was on his feet now as well, and the glare had returned. "Damn it Ignis I need to know what!"

"I can't say."

"That's a lie and you know it."

"No, it's not," the others gasped and looked over at Amara, watching as she struggled to come out of the tent under her own strength. Ignis was at her side in an instant, wrapping an arm around her and supporting her as she walked over to the King. "I ordered him to not say a word."

"And who are you to order him to do anything?"

The woman sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they were a blazing red. The others were left to stare at her in when she snapped closed her connection to Noctis, leaving the guys reeling in shock from the force she put behind it. Gently pushing Ignis aside, the redhead stood straighter and stared Noctis in the eyes as she summoned the Royal Arms to her side.

"I am Amara Lucis Caelum, born 2000 years ago - before the ascension of King Somnus Lucis Caelum to the throne - to his brother and the first oracle Aera Mils Fleuret. Cast through time by my mother during the spread of the Star scourge, I was brought into this time by Bahamut to aid you in completing his prophecy, Chosen King." Amara allowed the arms to continue to float around her for another moment. Her friends looked like they had been struck by lightning, and though even Ignis also looked incredulous, he was the first to speak.

"Okay, that I didn't know."

"I didn't either. Every time another arm is gained, a bit more of my original memories are brought back. The Pious granted me a bit more as well." She admitted, still looking at Noctis. "If you don't believe me, reach out to the old Kings and ask them yourself. I'm sure Uncle Somnus would be more than happy to talk to you about it. Or, you could wait until we get to Altissia and ask Luna – she knows about me from my mother – the ghost woman you helped find me."

"You… wait what?" any trace of his Kingly self was gone as he gaped at his friend. "You're a Lucis Caelum?!"

"And a Fleuret, yeah." She allowed herself a shrug. "The reason the Arms were taking so much out of me though, is because my father was infected with the Star scourge when I was conceived. As a result, I was partially infected, but since my mother was the Oracle, it was prevented from spreading and was instead contained. The Scourge is a daemonic plague though, so the Arms, being weapons of light, were slowly clearing it away. My collapse today, and the magic I showed are a result of the plague being fully cleared from my system by the new Arm."

"And you knew about this?" Gladio looked more than a little peeved as he looked over at Ignis, who suddenly went on the defensive. "You knew she was sneaking around getting the Arms and… And doing this to herself?!"

"I knew she was also gathering the arms, yes," Ignis nodded, placing a gentle hand on Amara's shoulder. "And I knew part of the reason why, though the fact that it was the Scourge was not yet known, nor was her heritage. As you heard from her – even she didn't know."

The redhead nodded. "All I knew is that the day King Regis connected me to his Armiger as a Glaive, the old kings found me. Uncle Somnus knew who I was immediately and attempted to eradicate the Scourge – which is why I was in so much pain, and why I took to the magic so easily. But because I was unable to contain the amount of magic actually needed to heal me, not even gonna talk about the memory part 'cause I mean damn those aren't even fully back yet, I didn't know what was going on and fought him."

The advisor looked to their friends, then directly at Noctis. "She told me about some of it on her birthday, but since she hadn't unlocked her enough of her memories, she was scared to talk to you about it. I believe that had she not collapsed so spectacularly today-"

"I would have brought it up tonight, and let you figure out how to handle it," she confirmed. "But I'm not gonna stand by and let you interrogate my boyfriend when he can't answer your questions."

"Boyfriend?"

"You're not running off after Lestallum, Scientia, don't even think it's an option. Noctis, I can't answer all of your questions yet, but I'm willing to try and answer what I can now."

Noctis nodded slowly, taking a moment to look over her still drained stature. She hadn't even regained the color in her face, but the blue that was taking over the amber of her eyes and pull of familiar magic were more than enough to make him sigh.

"Fine but take a seat first. You look like you're gonna fall over."

And so, it began. For three hours Amara sat in a chair and told her friends the truth about everything, from the memories she had of her past, to how she was cast through time and how it had been Ardyn that placed the first blow in her need to find the Arms, as well as her suspicions that he was also a plague victim. There was only one issue that she was staying clear of for the moment, and when asked directly about it, she admitted her own concerns.

"What about your father, Amara? He was a Lucis Caelum, right?" it was Prompto who brought up the subject she was trying so carefully to avoid, and it made her hang her head in shame.

"I know who he is, but it's not something I'm ready to admit even to myself. He may be a Lucis Caelum, but he didn't keep himself on a good path," she paused, then looked up at her King. "He's caused a lot of problems that span even into this time."

"Did he travel through time as well?"

"Not quite. My father, well, he's so deeply infected by the Scourge, so much a part of it, that it's made him basically immortal, a monster." She listened to their gasps. "Noctis is the only one who can end him and the problems that follow him, but it's not going to be easy and it's not going to happen anytime soon."

"Amara, I know you said you didn't want to admit it, but…" Noctis looked unsure for a moment, glancing at Gladiolus in particular before he leaned over to rest a hand on Amara's. "Ardyn?"

The woman began to shake, digging her nails into her thighs until they thought she would make herself bleed. "Not quite. Ardyn," she paused for a moment and swallowed hard. "Ardyn Lucis Caelum, he is my father. But, Ardyn Izunia on the other hand… Izunia is what's left of him after the plague destroyed his mind and corrupted his body. He's nothing more than a puppet to the plague at this point, not my father. And I'll be damned if I let him get away with everything he's caused."

The King buried his face in his hands for a few minutes, trying to process everything that she had told him. It was quite the revelation, and one he had never expected. "What does that mean for… for us?"

"I'm sorry Noctis, but I really don't know what it will end up meaning," she sighed, and couldn't help but give him a shrug when he looked at her again. "Now that I am free of the plague, I will likely be able to wield the Arms properly, as you can, and I doubt that Izunia's spies will fail to let him know. Unfortunately, he's a smart man, so he'll know what that means, probably even before we really do."

"So, all we can do is stay on guard," Gladio growled, still clearly unhappy with what was going on.

"Wait-wait hang on a second guys!" Prompto was on his feet like he had suddenly thought of something. "Amara, you said you're half-Fleuret?"

"Yes."

"And Lady Lunafreya knows that?"

"Yes, where are you going with this?"

"Is it possible that Ravus guy knows too?"

The redhead started to reply but paused – thinking back over the way Ravus had treated her when she was being held on the Niff base, the way they had interacted, though their encounters were brief. "He… He might. And if he does, that would explain why Izunia left him in charge of me while I was unconscious. There's no way Ravus would harm a fellow Fleuret, even if it was only the first time we had met. The Fleuret bloodline wouldn't allow internal strife without repercussions."

"Neither would Ramuh," Noctis nodded slowly, looking at his friends. "Just like Bahamut is the Patron of the Lucis Caelum line, Ramuh has been seen as Patron to the Nox Fleuret. He's… not really a fan of feuds."

Amara nodded, thinking about the way, even now, that the god's power was interacting with her own. It felt oddly familiar like it was supposed to have been there. "But I don't think that's something to think about right now. We have to finish gathering the Arms before we take off for Altissia, and that's not going to be easy."

Iris seemed hesitant to speak in light of what was going on, but when she locked eyes with the redhead, she gulped down her doubts. "So, you guys really need to plan everything as carefully as you can, but you said it was Ar- eh, Izunia that gave you the map to the Arms. Isn't it possible he placed a trap at least one of them?"

"Unlikely. The magic barriers repelling the Daemon may have weakened for him to be able to approach them, but as far as Izunia is concerned I'm gathering the Arms as a part of his plan. If he wants me to gather them, he's not going to make the job any harder than it already is. What we should be worried about is whether or not he was aware that the Arms would be actively healing me. If he went out of his way to teach me how to unlock powers similar to his, I don't think he knows – and if he doesn't know, that could mean he wanted the Scourge to eat away at my mother's powers to make me more like him."

"That's a concern all its own," Ignis agreed, though he didn't look too hopeful about whatever was on his mind. "But I agree with Iris – we need to plan everything extremely carefully."

Gladiolus nodded but wouldn't look at them. Something outside the realm of their conversation was clearly on his mind, but with everything she had just divulged, Amara didn't feel quite right asking him. Instead, she focused on Prompto and Noctis, both of whom were eyeing her with varying levels of their own concern as Ignis put out the map of the Arms in front of them.

Everything else would have to wait a little longer.

#I found the flashdrive guys #LOST TO TIME #amara solis #amara izunia #amara lucis caelum #ignis scientia #ignis x oc #ffxv ignis #Noctis Lucis Caelum #prince noctis #ffxv noctis #prompto argentum #ffxv prompto #gladiolus amicitia #ffxv gladiolus #ffxv gladio #iris amicitia #ffxv iris #ardyn izunia #ardyn ffxv #ffxv ardyn #ff15 ardyn #ardyn lucis caelum #King Regis #regis lucis caelum #King Regis Lucis Caelum #ffxv lunafreya #lunafreya nox fleuret #ffxv luna #lady lunafreya

[sunbrights]

fic: somewhere surely lived (9/14)

fandom: danganronpa characters/pairings: fuyuhiko & peko as main POV characters + a "relationship of the day" character + some side characters. kuzupeko + 6 secondary ships. rating: e (not all chapters have smut, but a fair number of them do) summary: Hope's Peak is not just a dating program; it's a guarantee. With the right compatible partner, the benefits are endless: boosted life expectancy, improved self-esteem, increased productivity, new opportunities, better overall work and life satisfaction. For society's elite, Hope's Peak makes finding that partner straightforward, if not easy.

It provides an Ultimate Match-- provided the participants are willing to go through its paces.

(AU based on the Black Mirror episode, "Hang the DJ.")

read on AO3

3 WEEKS

She says, “I see,” like it bores her. He doesn’t say anything; he just puts the device back in his pocket and picks up his fork. If the system wants to go back to bouncing him from relationship to relationship, that’s fine. He couldn’t give a shit if he tried.

He has pork medallions for dinner. He figures they must have had a nice, crisp sear around the edge at one point, until they sat out on the table for twenty minutes and went slick and soggy instead. They’re served in a thick, rich mushroom sauce that’s since cooled and congealed all around them. When he picks the vegetables out, they leave an indentation behind in it.

He was late. She ordered for them both while she was waiting.

“I would never have started eating without you, of course,” she says. She plucks the edges of her napkin and drapes it over her lap. “That would have been extremely rude.”

She has a fresh winter salad, dotted with pomegranate seeds. It has a crisp, fresh crunch when she takes a bite.

He scoops the sauce back over the pork, to at least get some movement back in it, so it looks more like food and less like grime. “If you’re gonna bullshit me,” he tells her, “at least pretend to make an effort.”

Her eyes get narrower when she smiles. They’re almost familiar; the shade of her irises is close enough that it’s uncomfortable, like a needle under his skin. But they narrow at the edges, not at the bottoms, and it makes them look sharper, not softer. They don’t crinkle like Peko’s. They’re not warm like Peko’s.

The asparagus is slimy, but he eats it anyway.

*

She has this weird, elaborate black fur stole instead of a coat. He has no idea how it’s supposed to keep her warm, except maybe by combining it with all the overstacked layers of her dress. It lies heavily on the back of her neck, and when she slips it off, it leaves her hair messy in the back.

Everything about her is so prim and perfect and carefully aligned. It’s a wrinkle that’s only there for a second, before she reaches back to smooth down the flyaways, but it’s a wrinkle that makes her real in a way she hadn’t been before now. She’s a participant, too. The system stuck her with him as much as it stuck him with her.

There’s a lump in his throat.

“Listen,” he says, “I need to be upfront about something, alright?”

She’s hanging her stole from the rack next to the door. She barely glances at him. “Oh?” she says. “And what is that?”

“This is gonna be a waste of your time.”

Her hand drops. She tilts her head toward him, curious. She doesn’t say anything at first, just looks; the color of her eyes makes him feel sick.

“The idea that anything is truly wasted where the system is concerned is an arguable point,” she answers. “But please, continue.”

“It’s not a story,” he says. She doesn’t get that much. She gets as much information as she’s owed, and that’s it. “I’m hung up on a girl and three weeks isn’t enough time to get over it.” He needs to turn his eyes away from hers, at anything else, and finds himself staring at the door. “That’s it.”

“I see.” She approaches him, step by step, picking her thin gloves off her fingers. “And you felt it was necessary to warn me of this… shall we say, ‘hang up’?”

He shoves his hands in his pockets. Her stare is intense enough that it’s awkward for him not to look her in the face, and he still manages not to. “It’s better than not saying anything, isn’t it?”

“Not everyone would agree with that sentiment,” she says. “But you are a gentleman, yes?”

She’s getting too close. He shuffles back on his heels— and then she reaches for his shoulder. Her grip is harsher than he expects, and when she wrenches him forward, he stumbles into her. He can’t help but look at her then, that split second before she’s too close to see properly, and her eyes are delighted in a way that sends a chill down his spine.

“Tell me,” she murmurs against his ear, “exactly how little self-respect do you think I have?”

He chokes. “Wh-What?”

“What were you afraid would happen in these three weeks, hm?” Her tone is light and pleasant, but her skin is cold. “I would take you to bed,” her fingers curl around the back of his neck, “you would close your eyes,” she tilts her head back, cheek against his, “and you would see only her? Hear only her?” She elongates her spine, until they’re pressed belly-to-belly. “Feel only her?”

He tries to shove her off. Her nails hook into the back of his collar and hang there, unflinching. “Hey,” he grunts, “don’t—”

She doesn’t let up. “Did you worry you would lead me astray?” she coos. “Perhaps give me the wrong impression? Gasp her name instead of mine and break my precious heart?”

“I was trying to do you a fucking courtesy,” he snaps. He angles his hips back, curves his spine concave. Anything to put some goddamn distance between them.

“You needn’t have bothered,” she says, the winding quality of her voice dropping flat. “Your poker face could use work, by the way.”

She presses the flat of her hand against her shoulder, and pushes him away with a little shove. She tosses a hand at the couch when she turns away. “You may sleep there.”

Cold air rushes in to fill the space she left. He straightens the skewed edge of his collar. “Yeah, well,” he says, “fuck you, too.”

She doesn’t answer. She pulls the pins from her hair on her way to the bedroom, and the strands spill across her back in dark, perfect ringlets.

*

Natsumi doesn’t say she told him so, even though she did. She wants to, he can tell she does. She holds it behind her teeth the whole time he’s talking, just barely, but she doesn’t say it.

To be fair: he doesn’t talk that long. It turns out there’s not much to tell. His relationship ended, like every relationship does, and now he has a new one.

“You’re an idiot,” she decides, when he’s finished, “and your new girlfriend sounds like a bitch.”

He scoffs behind his coffee. “Yeah, great. Thanks for the fuckin’ insight.” She rocks her chair back on two legs and grins when she flips him off. “What about you?”

“What about me? You’re the one with all the drama.”

He tears open another sugar packet with his teeth. It’ll make the coffee too sweet, it came to him already made exactly to his standards, but fuck it. “I’m sick of talking about it. I’m sick of— fucking thinking about it.” He spills it into the cup, the whole thing. “I couldn’t get you to shut up about your relationships before. What gives?”

She cradles her smoothie in both hands. She glares at it, her mouth pursed. “There’s just nothing to say, alright?” she says. “It’s fine. She’s— fine. It’s whatever, you know? They’re all just—” She smacks the cup down on the table. It sloshes purple smoothie up the sides of it. “Just, whatever.”

He takes a slow sip. It’s too sweet. “How much time you got left?” he asks.

Her head is low. She draws a spiral in the condensation on the side of the cup. “Three months,” she says under her breath.

“Don’t fuck it up,” he tells her.

“Shut up,” she snaps. “It’s not like that. It turns out I’m not a dumbass like you.”

“Yeah,” he says, and sits back with his drink, “whatever.”

*

Celeste doesn’t let any of the time go to waste.

She drags him to concerts (but only the orchestra) and shows (but only the ballet). She schedules them for dimly lit dinners every single night, where she’s served lobster tail and foie gras and decadent chocolate cake. She picks his ties and pocket squares for him, so that they complement her dress for the night, and hooks her arm primly through his everywhere they go.

He lets her. He never refuses to do anything, no matter what it is, not one damn time. She knows why; she has a smug little smile that says so, the one she wears every morning when she tells him their plans for the day.

That’s fine. Let her be smug if she wants. If it can get him five minutes, a chance to plead his case, a chance for her to accept him, or to reject him, a chance for anything, it’ll be worth every second of Celeste’s derision.

He looks everywhere.

He never sees her.

*

Celeste puts him through the wringer, the last night. They have a wine-tasting in the afternoon, followed by a sprawling multi-course dinner, followed by a night at the opera. It’s fucking miserable, and she loves every second of it.

“You know,” she says when they get back, “I must say, I’m impressed with your dedication. It takes a rare man to be able to fail so spectacularly for so long and still be willing to try again, no matter the odds.”

He takes off his cufflinks first, then his jacket, then his tie. She’s studying him, and he ignores her.

“Oh,” she says, “I see,” and suddenly she’s at his elbow, too close. “At first I had assumed it was only infatuation, but...” She cups his cheek before he can stop her, and tilts his face toward her. Her fingers are cold. “It is heartbreak, is it not?”

He smacks her hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

She giggles, a delicate thing behind her hand. “My. Such a temper. Did you also treat her so roughly?” Her eyes glitter. “Or did she merely appreciate it more than me?”

He turns his back on her to hang his coat up. She sinks onto the couch, indulgently, with a little sigh, and crosses her legs at the ankle.

“It is nothing to be ashamed of, you know,” she says. “It is a powerful data point, to fall in love. The system now knows a side of you that you perhaps did not know yourself.” She hums, and when he looks at her, she’s tracing a spiral on the armrest with one dark nail. “I cannot imagine you will have much longer to wait.”

It’s bait. He knows that, and the implication still digs in like a hook in his throat, splitting him open. “What?” he says. “You think it’s going to pair me?”

“It is not so far-fetched, is it? The system knows your needs, and now it knows your wants as well.” She brings her fingers together in front of her chin. “Isn’t that what the ideal partner is all about?”

An ideal partner. A compatible other. An Ultimate Match. It’s bullshit, all of it. Either it’s the biggest fucking con in human history, or he’s one unlucky son of a bitch.

“I don’t give a shit about that,” he says.

“No?” She tilts her head to one side, lips delicately pursed. “A whole realm of possibility— a truly Ultimate Match— and you would dismiss it out of hand?”

“Yeah,” he answers. She waits for him to elaborate, and he doesn’t.

“But how could you possibly?” she presses. “There is so much more to true compatibility than a simple feeling, you must realize this. It is not just a romantic partner you are eschewing. It is a business partner. A social companion. Surely that alone is worth examining?”

“The system gets it wrong,” he tells her, and she only laughs.

“Oh really?” she says. “A 99.8 success rate, and you suppose you are the rare exception? How many other lovesick fools have convinced themselves of that, I wonder.”

“Better that than whatever the fuck this is,” he says. He plucks a throw pillow off the other edge of the couch, and throws it on the floor between them.

Her laughter swallows itself up. Her grin flips into a frown, and it’s a real, unhappy look, not like her pouty faces with laughing eyes.

“I see,” she says stiffly. “Then if that is the case, I suppose it begs the obvious question.” She lays her palm against her chest, the tips of her fingers toying with the bow at her throat. “Why did you end up here with me?”

He doesn’t say anything.

“If you don’t care for the system’s offer, surely you can’t care for its rules, either,” she says. “Why did you not stay with this lady of yours, if she is all you truly need?”

Celeste doesn’t get the story. She doesn’t get to know about the look on Peko’s face, how resignation had crumbled through it, how in those last three minutes she’d gathered all of herself up and locked it away. She doesn’t get to know how that felt, walking away because he had to.

“Ah,” she says anyway, her chin against her knuckles. “How sad.”

He fights with the buttons on his dress shirt. It’s harder than it should be, to get them undone. She sits there in silence and watches him.

“Go away,” he tells her, when he gets it off his shoulders. “I want to sleep.”

She doesn’t argue. She stands up, effortless and smooth even in her tall heels, and steps to the side. He elbows around her to throw the blanket down on the couch and smooth it out.

Her hand catches on his wrist. “There is only one night left,” she says, her voice pitched low but turned up, like a smile. Her fingers trail up the length of his forearm. “Would you like to come to bed?”

His skin crawls. He jerks his elbow back. “I told you not to fucking touch me.”

She clucks her tongue. “All she’s put you through, and still, this mindless dedication.” Her smile narrows her eyes that same way, at the edges, like she’s a big cat tracking him through the grass. She pats his cheek, but lets him go. “That, if anything, is love, I suppose.”

*

Celeste uses up every last second. She picks a pale lavender tie out for him the next morning, to bring out the embroidered pattern in her skirt.

He wears the red one.

END

#fuyuhiko kuzuryuu #celestia ludenberg #kuzupeko #danganronpa #a little under the wire but here it is!! #goin goin goin #fic: somewhere surely lived #sunwrites

[anne-wentworth]

Hi!! I’ve had this idea in my mind for a while and I was wondering if you could write it? Harvey takes Donna to Paris to celebrate something, you can decide what, but the truth is he knows how much she loves the city and wants to propose to her there. Thanks!!

Not exactly what you asked for but I really hope you still like it.

Ours

Read on ao3

Donna walked into the room, hair still damp from her shower. She ran the towel through it as she made her way over to the bed. Harvey scooted over a little to give her some more space as she plopped down.

He stared at her while she dried her hair, the affection rising in his chest warring with the guilt pooled in his stomach.

“I’m sorry that you have to spend your birthday like this,” he apologized for what must have been the millionth time.

Donna looked up, shooting him a glare filled with exasperation.

“How many times have I told you that it’s fine?”

He shrugged, knowing that she meant it but unable to stop himself from feeling bad. Or tamper his own disappointment.

They were supposed to be in Paris by now.

Harvey had surprised Donna weeks ago with two tickets. Their flight was scheduled early in the morning on the day before her birthday. However, while he was still planning, he had called Marcus for some advice, knowing that he had taken his wife to Paris a few years ago for a romantic getaway. And his brother suggested, although with some force, that he and Donna come up and spend some time with him and the rest of his family. Before he could automatically decline, Marcus pointed out that he hardly saw him due to the fact that he never took a vacation, attempting to guilt trip him the way he used to when they were kids. But with Donna’s encouragement, Harvey had been trying to mend his relationship with his mother and visiting his brother did sound nice. So he had thrown the idea out to Donna, even before telling her about Paris, and his girlfriend had been nothing short of delighted at the chance to get to know his family better.

Thus, they drove up to Boston at the beginning of the week.

Everything had been going spectacularly. His mother and nieces had instantly fallen in love with Donna. And more than once Harvey found himself watching her play with the girls, the sight tugging on his heartstrings as he envisioned a similar future for them both with children of their own one day.

Marcus had caught him once, a smirk on his face as he teased Harvey about being whipped. The hypocrisy of such a statement was mind boggling considering that Marcus would do just about anything Katie asked, especially if it made her smile. But when Harvey voiced this out loud Marcus just shrugged, a proud expression on his face.

The Specter men were weak when their hearts had been stolen. Neither brother cared one bit though.

On the day before they were supposed to fly out however, Lily had a heart attack.

It wasn’t anything too serious but she would need to remain in the hospital for a few days. Donna insisted that they cancel their trip and Harvey also didn’t feel comfortable leaving his mother when she was in such a state. So despite Lily’s arguments that she was fine and they should go, the couple remained.

And instead of spending Donna’s birthday in Le Meurice, they were in Marcus’ guest room.

Climbing further into bed, Donna sprawled out next to him, her head resting on his chest.

“Besides,” she said, snuggling up against him. “As long as I’m spending my birthday with you, I’m happy.”

Her words sent a surge of sunlight throughout his veins, the warmth seeping into his system and painting him in gold.

“And you tell me I’m the sappy one,” he replied teasingly.

She playfully slapped him on his arm and a burst of laughter escaped from his throat. A grin was written on her own features and as she stared at him like he was the only person on the planet, everything in Harvey went quiet.

Donna would never stop feeling like home.

Because she was his home.

The thought wrapped itself around his heart as the ring he bought her burned a hole in his pocket.

There was another reason he had been so hell bent on Paris.

He was going to propose.

Harvey took the ring out of the suitcase again earlier, looking at it again before finally shoving it in his pocket.

He hadn’t worked out when he was going to pop the question now that their plans had been squashed but as he lay there with Donna in his arms, he couldn’t help but think that there was no time like the present. He already wasted enough years by being an ass and refusing to admit that he was in love with her. He wasn’t going to wait any longer.

“There’s another reason I wanted to go to Paris,” he said softly.

Donna looked at him questioningly as he untangled himself from her and got out of bed.

As he dropped down on one knee however, pulling out the ring box, her confused expression shifted as her eyes bulged and her jaw fell to the floor.

His heart began to race as he stared at her, unsure of what to say. He didn’t prepare anything and right then all of his thoughts were a jumble in his brain.

“Donna,” he started, the two syllables stitched together with adoration. “I love you. You’re my everything. You’re the love of my life and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning and go to sleep with you in my arms every night. I want the good times and the bad times with you. Because Donna you’re it for me. And I’m happiest when I’m by your side. So will you please make me the happiest man in the world, now and forever? Will you marry me?”

His vision was blurred as the universe held its breath because no answer had ever been as important as this.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she grinned from ear to ear. “Yes Harvey, yes.”

All of a sudden she was in his arms and they were tumbling to the bed, a messy heap of giggles and love as their mouths clashed together. Every cell in his body sang while fireworks exploded in his chest, the sounds melding together in the most beautiful harmony. Harvey could taste the stars on Donna’s lips as he kissed her with everything he had, unraveling in her fingers. He was going to burst from the joy of it all.

“Can I put the ring on your finger?” he asked when they pulled apart.

“Oh! Yeah,” Donna said as if she had forgotten all about it.

Harvey smiled as he slid the object on her finger and it found its new home.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, staring at the way the diamonds shimmered in the light.

He had spent hours searching for a ring and in the end, settled on one with a plain band that had a rather sizable, but still not overly large diamond in the center that was surrounded by smaller stones. It was eighteen carats of beauty and hearing that she liked it made his heart swell.

“So this is why you’ve been so disappointed about our trip getting cancelled,” she said, turning her attention back to him.

“Yeah,” he responded, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Donna gazed at him in wonder as she shook her head.

“Harvey you could have proposed to me in a dumpster and I would have said yes.”

Sparks danced in his very soul.

“I know. But you deserve the best.”

“I already have the best,” she smiled before pressing her lips against his.

And so, tangled together in Harvey’s little brother’s guest bedroom, the couple found their own version of Paris in the arms of each other.

Donna moaned as she bit into her sandwich. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her head thrown back a little.

Harvey was pretty sure she was having some kind of religious experience.

Six months after their botched plans, they finally made it to Paris.

When Harvey suggested they go to Paris for their honeymoon, Donna lit up like Christmas and so that was that.

Today, they were visiting the Louvre. Donna was a ball of excitement the whole morning as she rambled on about various pieces of art she couldn’t wait to see. While Harvey was interested, his level of enthusiasm couldn’t match Donna’s.

After all, he already married the most beautiful artwork that existed.

“This is so good!” she exclaimed, her mouth stuffed.

“I can see that,” he replied with amusement.

Donna rolled her eyes in response and he grinned. That familiar wave of happiness that appeared whenever he was with Donna washed over him. He would drown in the feeling if he could.

The little cafe they were in bustled with people but she was the only person he saw.

She was the only one who mattered.

“Can you please pass me a napkin Mrs. Paulsen Specter?” he inquired, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

After insisting that she wasn’t going to change her name, in the end, she decided to hyphenate.

Harvey would have been happy even if she had kept her name but he admitted that Paulsen Specter had a certain ring to it that made butterflies flutter about in his stomach.

“You’re never going to get tired of saying that are you?” Donna asked, wearing an amused smile of her own.

“Never.”

“Here you go my husband,” she said, handing him a napkin as her own eyes shined.

Harvey’s grin only widened at her words.

He wasn’t the only one floating on air.

“You’re never going to get tired of saying that are you?” he was the one to ask this time.

“Never.”

They were idiots in love, making eyes at each other from across the table.

“I love you,” he said suddenly simply because he could.

Because he went more than thirteen years keeping those three words bottled up inside him.

“I love you too,” she replied tenderly.

Paris was the most romantic city in the world, constantly filled with lovers from every corner of the earth. But it had been built for Donna and Harvey.

Sitting in a small cafe on the edge of the street, they made it theirs. Just like they did with everything else.

#darvey #darvey fanfiction #darvey fic #darvey fluff #donna x harvey #mine

[rantingfangirl]

Cross Life Chapter Five

Summary: Moving across the pond was supposed to signify new beginnings for the Kirkland family. Arthur’s parents seemed to take that a bit too literally for his liking.

Chapter Index

This was moved from my old account

Like every good and successful plan, he needed allies. Ones who would be alibis if needed and would do and say things that he might need to be done later.

Not that they would need to know the specifics- or even the basics- of the plan. Arthur would take care of that part.

They were at lunch, talking about teachers, memorable classmates, and rumored future projects. Lukas was, unfortunately, absent, Vlad telling him to get used to it because while the occurrence was not common, it wasn't uncommon, either. However, his absence gave Arthur the perfect opportunity to speak with Vlad.

"So, tell me about this Mathias Kohler that has captured the heart of our dear Lukas." A bit dramatic, but it got the job done. He took a sip of his water, swishing it around before swallowing. The three had quickly established a system, deciding to take turns supplying lunch for each other. Today just happened to be his day. Snatching a large bag of crisps from the pantry and water bottles from the refrigerator was easy enough.

Vlad dug through the bag. "Well, uh... he's on the so- football team." He and Arthur shared a grin after his close slip-up.

He clapped his hands together, suddenly serious. "If you were to take a golden retriever puppy and turn it into a human, it would look, sound, and act like Mathias. No joke. He's a pure golden boy." Arthur chuckled at the joke, Vlad joining in.

Arthur took another sip from his drink. "So why does Lukas like the 'Human Golden Retriever'?"

Vlad snorted, staring off to the side. "I don't even know. Lukas already had a crush on 'im by the time we met. I do know, though, that Lukas joined the orchestra in the fourth grade because he heard that Mathias was thinkin' about it."

Arthur laughed- surprisingly genuine- at the thought of a fourth grade Lukas lugging around a heavy instrument, just to be with his crush.  At first look- or at the first meeting, even- Lukas didn't seem like the type to do something like that just to be with someone. He didn't seem like the type to have things as fragile and silly as a crush in general.

It seemed to show just how little Arthur really knew about reading people.

Arthur's laughter slowed down to a chuckle. Vlad sighed, scratching the back of his neck. He suddenly perked up, making a small, "Oh!", before smiling. He scooted towards Arthur, leaning in, cupping his hands around Arthur's ear.

"Don't tell anyone- especially Lukas- that I ever told you this." Hot air tickled the shell of his ear, and Arthur suppressed a giggle. He leaned closer, curious of what he was going to say. "There was a small rumor, though it went away pretty quick, that Mathias was only considering, but decided that he was going to join when he learned that Lukas signed up."

Arthur leaned back, eyes wide. He covered his mouth with his hand, his snickering muffled. Romance stories were always a soft spot of his, especially ones that involved secret want from both sides. This situation was certainly turning out to be entertaining, and Arthur wanted to get every detail he possibly could. "Ah... so mutual pining?"

Vlad nodded, his smile smug as he spoke. "Mutual pining. Exactly."

The two shared another laugh, reveling in their friend's fruitless attempt at a love life. They continued talking about Lukas' past failures to win the heart of Mathias, Arthur keeping note of each and every bit of information in case he needed it in the future. He had learned long ago that the secrets of his allies were much more valuable than that of his enemies. After all, as he had found, loyalty was harder to keep than hatred.

When the bell rang, Arthur was already rolling up the bag of crisps, shoving it into the front pocket of his backpack. Vlad was milling around, whistling some repetitive tune as he waited for Arthur to finish.

The two started walking towards the concrete stairs, Arthur to choir and Vlad to English. At around the third step, however, Arthur paused, grabbing Vlad's shoulder when he kept on going. Vlad made an "oomph!" as he was pulled back, but didn't say anything as he turned around, eyes filled with worry and confusion.

Arthur averted his eyes, stepping one foot down to the second step. "Uh..." He acted as if he was considering how to word his sentence, even though in reality he had already had it planned out. He made himself seem unsure, pausing a few times as he spoke in an effort to drive the point home. "Er- I'm not sure if you want to do this- and if you don't, that's... perfectly fine, but-" Arthur ran his hands up and down the straps of his backpack, adjusting his footing a tiny bit. "-would you like to work together to hook them- Lukas and Mathias, I mean- up? Maybe?"

He winced, expecting Vlad to decline, to say that it would be too much meddling in his friend's love life.

But instead of a frown, of a look of disgust at Arthur's suggestion, Vlad smiled brightly, clapping his hands together rapidly. "Yes, of course! Lukas deserves to be happy, and this'll be so much fun!"

Arthur hid his shock. He expected Vlad to have more respect for Lukas' privacy and love life, but if it was going to make his plan go that much faster, it was best.

He smiled, trying his best to match Vlad's. "That's great! Um... I was thinking that maybe we could... form a strategy at my place?"

Vlad nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, of course!"

"Wonderful! Could I meet you in the parking lot after the last bell?"

"Yeah. See you later!" Vladimir patted Arthur on the shoulder roughly before heading up the stairs. Arthur watched him go, giving a small, quick wave when he looked back.

Arthur tried to not look too smug as he made his way to choir, but it was something he just couldn't help. His plan was starting off smoother than he could've hoped for. He smirked, before beginning to run up the stairs.

Just s they had decided earlier, Vlad stood in the parking lot, lifting his heels off the ground, up and down and up and down, smiling energetically. His smile widened when he saw Arthur, raising his hand to wave. "Arthur! Are ya ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The normally quiet walk home was loud, filled with whatever topics Vlad had quickly thought up. They avoided the topic of Lukas and Mathias, though Arthur just assumed that they were saving it for later. Arthur supposed it was a nice change, though one he could do without, as he was giving up the only time where everything was silent and he could be alone. It was for the sake of his plan, however, so he guessed that he could be throw away one measly afternoon, even if it was done begrudgingly.

When they finally arrived at Arthur's house, he stopped to let Vlad take it all in. His eyes were wide, mouth gaped with the feeling of seeing a friend's living space for the first time. Vlad turned his head side to side, taking in the grass that badly needed a fresh trim, rows of bunches of flowers beginning to wilt, and the sad, pathetic tree that was one bad storm away from toppling over.

Arthur realized just how disgusting his front yard was and how little his family tried at making it look somewhat decent. Sure, it was like this the day they moved it, but that doesn't excuse it. He cringed, not bothering to elaborate when he saw Vlad staring at him, eyebrows raised, from the corner of his eye.

He considered turning around, telling Vlad that they could find someplace else to figure it out. Sure, it would make him look bad, but it was better than going into his house and risking seeing his family. Arthur turned around to tell Vlad that they were leaving when he saw the sky.

An angry mix of gray and black was swallowing up the cloudy blue in the distance. The wind, he noticed, was starting to pick up, softly pushing his fringe into his eyes. He pushed it out of the way, silently cursing at his horrible luck. It was going to rain. A storm, at the worst.

Arthur cleared his throat, resigning himself to his fate as he adjusted the straps to his backpack. "Right... let's go." He hoped Vlad would just shut up and follow him, as he no longer felt the need or want for any conversation.

Fortunately, Vlad didn't say a single word, waiting patiently as Arthur reached for his keys to unlock the door. As he pushed the door open, lifting his head up, he froze. Arthur cursed, choosing a word that was especially filthy and crude, contemplating on whether or not he should turn around, grab Vlad's hand, and run away as fast as he could.

There, standing behind the marble kitchen island, pouring milk into her now overflowing mug of tea, was his mother. Her eyes were wide as she took Arthur and Vlad in, especially the latter, but snapped out of it when she noticed her mug. "Oh, damn!"

She tried to whisper but instead failed spectacularly by yelling it. Arthur turned and gave Vlad what he hoped to look like a look of pure exasperation, before making his way towards the kitchen and, unfortunately, his mother.

Though it would make more sense to immediately turn right for the stairs, Arthur had to make a good impression for Vlad. He also wanted to get the crisps out of his backpack and into the pantry where they belonged, but that was beside the point.

"Good afternoon, mum." She was trying to drink down her tea, which must've been disgusting, considering the amount of milk in it. He raised an eyebrow as she slurped it down with a cringe while simultaneously wiping the counter down, but decided not to say anything about it. "Didn't expect you to be home so early."

"Mh." She stuck her pointer finger up in the universal sign to wait, drawing away from the mug with a gasp. "Apparently we get half days the last Monday of every month."

"Oh, that's nice. And convenient." He bit his lip, struggling to keep the temptation of calling her words bullshit away. She was lying, he knew it. She had probably come home early to chew him out for something that he didn't even do but had to quickly make something up when she saw Vlad walk in. "I've never heard of a place that's done that before."

"Well, apparently mine does." She set down her mug, jerking her head towards Vlad. "Who's your friend?"

Arthur opened his mouth, prepared to tell her that it was none of her business and to keep to herself when Vlad stepped forward. he smiled, hand extended, cocking his head to the side in a way that Arthur had to admit was charming. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Kirkland. Vladimir Popescu. It's a pleasure to meetcha."

She took his hand, shaking it, and immediately went to cradle her mug. She smiled, though Arthur could easily tell that it was forced. "Likewise. Arthur has told me so much about you."

Another lie. Arthur had never felt the need to inform his parents about his social life, and even if he did, they would just assume that he was making it all up. Like they always had.

"Oh, really?" Eyebrows raised, he turned to Arthur. "Thanks!"

He had to get out of here. They had to get out of here. The conversation was rapidly turning south, and any longer his mother would start asking questions that didn't need to be asked. And there was a possibility that Vlad would do the same thing. He wasn't going to stick around to find out the answers to those questions.

Slinging his backpack onto the floor and unzipping the front pocket, Arthur pulled out the bag of crisps. his mother watched him with a raised eyebrow as he walked over, pulling the door open and all but throwing the bag into the pantry. It hit a shelf, bouncing off and landing on the floor with a crunch. Vlad snickered. Without evening bothering to pick up the bag, Arthur slammed the door shut.

"Come on, Vlad." Arthur zipped his backpack up before grabbing his wrist and dragging him out of the kitchen.

Vlad dug his heels against the hardwood as he was tugged away,  gripping onto the doorway. "It was nice meetin' ya, Mrs. Kirkland!"

"Nice meeting you as well, Vladimir. Are you planning on staying for dinner?" Her lips were pursed, her eyes slightly narrowed. Arthur would surely hear it after Vlad left.

Arthur prayed to any powerful deity out there that Vlad would give him the mercy of saying no. That his mother would accept the fact that he said no. That after they figure out a way to hook up Lukas and the human golden retriever, he would leave and go home and they could be done with it.

But, of course, Arthur's life never turned out the way he hoped. "Uh... sure. I'll text my mom."

"Wonderful."

Arthur tipped his head back, quietly groaning at the thought of the evening to come. He didn't say anything to Vlad. Didn't mention the pure Hell he had managed to get himself into.

He just hoped his "friendship" wouldn't be ruined at the words of his parents.

Arthur threw his backpack into the corner of his bedroom, Vlad cautiously doing the same. Both bags hit the wall with a thump, though they didn't pay any mind to it.

Their walk up to his room was eventful, to say the least. Vlad stopped at every photo, asking about family. Arthur didn't mind, as long as he didn't get too nosy. About half way there, Peter came barreling up the steps, pushing the two out of the way before locking himself in his room. Vlad made a comment about how Peter reminded him of his own brother, but Arthur doubted it. Peter was the brattiest of them all.

He motioned for Vlad to sit on his bed as he searched for a notebook. Vlad kicked off his shoes before plopping himself down on the foot of the bed. "Your mom is really nice."

Arthur froze his rummaging through his messy closet. He turned towards Vlad, giving him a surprised look before continuing his search. "Yeah, I suppose she is."

He knew that in actuality, his mother's kindness only extended to guests and family members she didn't see monthly. To him, to his father, to his brothers, she acted like an angered Kraken. The way that woman could go from evil and malicious to kind, polite, and courteous always confused Arthur. He figured it was some particular talent of hers that he didn't inherit. Though, if he were to be truthful, he wasn't unhappy about it.

With a loud, "Aha!", Arthur pulled out a spare, blank notebook. He chucked it over to Vlad, who caught it after a few stumbles, and grabbed two mechanical pencils from the top of his desk.

Arthur jumped onto his bed, next to Vlad, it groaning in protest as he was pushed up and then back down. He crisscrossed his legs, kicking off his shoes to pile on top of Vlad's, and slapped his hands on his knees.

"Ok. How are we going to start this?" He tossed a bright red mechanical pencil over to Vlad, who started vigorously pressing down on the eraser.

After a bit of lead poked out of the bottom, Vlad scribbled onto the blank header: The Lukas Bondevik Love Initiative. Arthur embarrassingly giggled at the name, covering his mouth in an attempt to block and hide it. Vlad smiled a toothy grin as he did so, passing the notebook back to Vlad.

He started tapping his pencil against the paper, tipping his head back to stare at his ceiling. "Uh..."

Arthur had already planned out some of this in his later classes, though he didn't bother telling Vlad about it. "Erm. I was thinking that maybe we could do something that involves Lukas' interests? It could make him more willing to do it, and it would also give Mathias some sort of a clue if he were to come sniffing."

Vlad nodded along, eyes wide, a smile growing wider as Arthur went along. When he reached the end of his explanation, Vlad was nodding quickly. "Yeah! That sounds like a good idea."

The idea came to him in the middle of choir, Mr. Vargas having decided that they needed a quick solfege review. The only problem was that Arthur had no idea what Lukas was interested in. Sure, they were friends, or, at least, Vlad claimed they were. But Arthur had known the two only for about a week. Lukas was a mystery to him. He barely talked about himself, and barely even talked to Arthur. He was still a potential ally, however, and one that Arthur needed, so he supposed he would let it slide.

"Tell me everything he likes." He tried to sound like he at least knew some of what he was asking, and Vlad seemed convinced, bopping his head side to side.

"Uh... orchestra, obviously." Arthur nodded in agreement. "He likes Mathias- once again, obviously."

Arthur smirked, snorting at Vlad's comment. "Some of his hobbies?"

Vlad rested his head on his palm, tapping his fingers against his cheekbones. After about a minute, his eyes widened and he perked up. "Oh, oh! Lukas is really interested in Norse mythology."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Really? Norse mythology?" He didn't seem to be the type.

"Yeah! It's all he reads. Haven't you seen that big giant book he lugs around every day?"

He knew the book. If Arthur had a habit of keeping books until their pages were yellow, Lukas had one of keeping them until they were nothing but scraps. The book must've been more than a thousand pages, the width longer than Arthur's entire index finger. The gold and blue paint of the cover was beginning to fade, part of the edges chipped off, and the binding looked as if it were two more reads from disintegrating.

Arthur didn't know why he still kept the thing. It looked old, ancient, and was close to falling apart. He asked Lukas one day why he didn't just break down, throw it away, and buy a new copy, but that only led to him being shunned the rest of the lunch period and half of the one the next day.

"Ok, so that's something someone could use to identify him. Maybe we could do something involving that?"

"We would need an actual plan before we could even begin to incorporate it."

Sighing, Arthur swung his pencil between his fingers, the eraser thumping against his thigh. He cupped his chin in his free hand. covering his mouth with his pointer finger. "I've no clue..."

They sat like that for a while, staring off into space to try and find something that could help their friend. The room was silent, save for the tapping of Arthur's pencil and whatever Peter was doing in his room.

After about twenty minutes, Arthur's back slouching and aching, Vlad perked up, snapping his fingers. "I've an idea."

Arthur uncrossed his legs, sore from sitting in the same position for so long. "Shoot."

Vlad leaned forward, cupping his hands over his knees. "Ok, so Norse mythology is basically Vikings, right?" he waited until Arthur nodded to continue. "So, we dress up as Vikings, fake, braided beards, horned helmets, fur coats, y'know, stuff like that, and we walk up to Mathias and sing an epic love song. Well, Lukas will. You and I will provide the chorus and afterward, Lukas will ask Mathias if he would like to go on a date with him. Mathias won't be able to say no!" Vlad waved his hands around as he spoke, most likely in an attempt to add more emphasis.

Arthur looked at him as if he were crazy, which was probably true. "That is the stupidest idea I have ever heard."

Vlad deflated, his pout making him look like a disappointed toddler. "Why?"

He threw his hands up. "For godsakes, Vlad, you've known Lukas for- what?- years? You think he'll actually go for something like that?"

The fool actually seemed to consider it. He huffed, crossing his arms together. "You're right. If anything, he'll run away before the first verse."

Arthur nodded. That definitely sounded like something Lukas would do.

At the look on Vlad's face, Arthur decided he needed to do some ego fluffing. Scooting closer to the other, Arthur patted his shoulder exactly three times. "Sorry for being so blunt. That was a really creative idea, but I just didn't think it would fit with our circumstances. For coming up with something like that, and so quickly, too... you're really talented."

Of course, he meant none of that, perhaps beside the fact that it was creative. How Vlad managed to come up with that was beyond him.

Vlad's eyes sparkled. With what, Arthur wasn't even going to try to figure out. "That's okay." Groaning, he leaned back against the wall, folding his arms behind his head to create a pillow. The loon in his eyes was gone. "What're we gonna do~?"

Arthur ignored his friend's antics in favor of brainstorming. he clicked lead into his pencil, drawing a line down the middle and writing "Not To Do" on the top of one half. Lukas was extremely shy, even more so with Mathias, so anything up front and close would be off-limits. That included song singing, flowers and a note, asking friends to hook up, walking up and flat out asking, and a nerdy love equation thing.

Deeming himself finished with that column, he went to the other half, titling it "Possibilities". He stared at that half, wishing that a twelve-page list would magically appear. If that were to happen, he and Vlad would only have the problem of picking one to go with.

What seemed like hours ticked by, spent by them staring at that paper. Occasionally, one of them would propose something, only for it to be shot down by the other, followed by a lengthy explanation why. Arthur had learned more about Lukas Bondevik in those last few hours than he had in the past week.

Eventually, they were summoned for dinner. The food was good, for Kirkland family standards, meaning his mother must've tried harder than usual this time around. Vlad ate it and accepted when he was offered seconds, so he most likely enjoyed it as well. The whole thing was terribly awkward, however, with his parents quickly turning it into an interrogation. But where Arthur would've started snapping, Vlad stayed calm, smiling his way through even the toughest questions. Peter, thankfully, had decided to keep his mouth shut for the majority of the dinner.

When they returned upstairs, they went back to staring at the blank half, which is what they were currently doing.

Arthur groaned, pushing his fingers through his hair. One thing. He- no, they- just need one tiny idea that they could branch off of. One little idea, and then they would be airborne.

He racked his brain one last time, going back to Vlad's idiotic plan from earlier when he found nothing. It really was stupid. Viking uniforms. Lukas singing a song with him and Vlad as backup-

Backup. That was it. Arthur straightened his back, his eyes wide. Every single plan that they had come up with so far- besides Vlad's, of course- had Lukas doing all or most of the work. Buying flowers. Stalking him to learn his hobbies and likes and eventually working those to his advantage. Asking the teacher for an out-of-school tutor and recommending Mathis for the job. All of it with Lukas doing everything.

So what could they do? Vlad was creative. Eccentric. So he could surely come up with something to decorate and add on to whatever they were doing. Arthur prided himself with his writing, had done so for years, and-

"Oh my god, oh my god, Vlad." Leaning against the wall, the boy had begun to doze off, or at least, until Arthur grabbed his shoulder and started shaking it back and forth.

Vlad winced, leaning forward, rubbing his eyes lethargically. "What?" His voice was quiet, small, as if he planned to go back to sleep after whatever "minor" thing Arthur was going to say. "What is it?"

"I've got an idea." He wrote down the concept on the blank half- only to fill the stupid thing up- before flipping to another page entirely. Vlad slouched over the notebook, watching as Arthur scribbled down the specifics.

Arthur paused, looking up at Vlad. "he carries around that huge book, right?" Vlad nodded. "So I'm safe to assume that it's full of stories, right?"

Another nod. "And profiles of a lot of the gods and goddesses, but yeah, mostly stories."

"And I'm guessing that Lukas knows a lot of those stories?"

"No, as soon as he reads them, he instantly forgets what he just read." Arthur raised an eyebrow at the sarcasm, not entirely expecting it from someone like him. Vlad winced. "Sorry, sorry. You kind set yourself up for that, though." Arthur nodded. He had. "But yeah, he does know a lot of 'em. Like, what goes on and what happens. I think there's this one love story he knows word for word. I dunno."

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. It was all coming together. He finished writing down the plan, Vlad adding a couple of extra details here and there. Eventually, they had a solid concept in place.

The only thing they had to do was tell Lukas the next day at lunch.

"No." Lukas chucked the notebook onto the cafeteria table, it hissing as it slid back towards Arthur. He leaned back, crossing his arms. "Absolutely not."

Vlad grabbed the notebook, glancing it over and then turning it over to face Lukas, text forward. he rotated it back and forth between Arthur and Lukas. He leaned forward to look at the paper, before sitting back and shoving it in Lukas' face. "Show some common sense. This is top-notch!"

Arthur nodded in agreement. It was a fantastic, sure-fire plan that had no holes for failure. Especially so, considering the fact that Arthur had thought up and created three-fourths of said plan.

Lukas frowned, huffing. "This 'top-notch' plan of yours is the cheesiest, most cliche thing I've ever heard."

Honestly. That ungrateful- "What in the hell are you talking about? Do you want to hook up with Mr. Golden Retriever or not?"

Vlad snorted before breaking into a full out laugh. "Mr. Golden Retriever. Genius."

He smirked, taking a bite out of his peanut-butter and jelly sandwich- courtesy of Vladimir. It was his first one, embarrassingly enough. When he told his friends that, they stared at him with disbelief. He took another bite, using his pointer finger to push a bit of escaping strawberry jelly into his mouth. As Arthur spoke, his voice was muffled. "Give it a change, Lukas. Vlad and I worked hard and spent ages working on it."

Raising an eyebrow, Lukas gave him an "Are you kidding me?" look. On anyone else, it might've looked amusing or so ridiculous that Arthur wouldn't be able to take them seriously. On Lukas, however, it just made him look cold, intimidating. Arthur tensed, forcing the hackles back. It reminded him of his father.

"Really? You two honestly think that secret admirer letters that we slip in Mathias' locker will get us anywhere? If anything, he'll take them to his table and read them to everybody so they can laugh at how stupid it was for anyone to even think of it."

Vlad crossed his arms and pouted. "How could you think so low of your future lover?"

"He won't be if we-"

Arthur cut him off, not willing to hear any more bashing of his masterful thinking. "Cliches are things that are overused, yes? Well, there's a reason they're overused. They're effective. Efficient. They work."

Lukas threw his arms in the air, mocking a look of wonder. "How could I've ever known?" His arms fell, and he was back to his original, irritating expression. "This won't be worthwhile. I know it won't. I'ven't had a single full conversation with Mathias. Ever. And we're neighbors!" Arthur lifted an eyebrow at the new bit of information while Vlad just snickered. Lukas fixed him with a glare, before deflating in defeat. "I dunno. If anything, he'll just think it's someone else and fall in love with them. Like The Little Mermaid."

He paused for a moment to imagine his nightmarish thoughts, before shaking his head with vigor. When he finished, Lukas grabbed his sandwich, slumping back as he ate.

Vlad watched him with sad eyes, leaning over the table to pat Lukas on the shoulder. From the look he gave, it didn't help. "C'mon, Luke! This plan'll be different. Arthur and I put in a foolproof way to ensure that you'll be identified."

"How so?"

Arthur nodded to Vlad, silently conveying that he would take care of this part. "Well, you see, there's this one tiny, yet major, detail that we included-"

Vlad beamed. "And that's the theme of the letters!"

He lightly smacked Vlad on the shoulder for interrupting him, before continuing. "Exactly. The theme. You like Norse mythology, everyone who knows you knows that. So, we're thinking that maybe the messages can involve some of the stories?" Lukas didn't seem confused, but Arthur still felt the need to elaborate. "I-I mean, for example, 'Mathias, you are my- insert Viking name here-, you are brave, strong, and courageous.' You know, stuff like that."

Vlad nodded, having quit rubbing the area where Arthur slapped him. "Yeah! And, the thing is, if Mathias was really into ya, which I'm positive he is- c'mon, Lukas, it's you- then he'll have some clue of who his secret admirer is!"

Lukas huffed, grabbing his book and flipping through multiple pages at a time. Lukas stopped at one particular page, rubbing his fingers against the edge. Arthur and Vlad were silent as they watch him read, though he didn't seem to notice. He huffed again. "I'll start looking for some stories we can use."

Vlad sighed in relief, Arthur rubbing the back of his neck. If he were to be honest, Arthur expected Lukas to deny their plan altogether, leaving them to pick up the pieces back at square one. It certainly was something that he himself would've done, though he supposed that Lukas was kinder than that.

The three sat in silence for the rest of the break, someone occasionally muttering about a random, trivial problem going on in their life. When it was his turn, Arthur never mentioned anything about his home life, instead choosing to complain about the waves of homework that were starting up. His friends were sympathetic.

Friends. It felt weird for Arthur to think of them that way, to notice how quickly he was beginning to open up to them. It was certainly much faster than he had in the past. Eventually, if this kept up, he would be easily telling the two his deepest, darkest secrets and insecurities. Laying it all out for them on a polished silver platter, just so they could pick and choose which ones to mock and judge.

The very thought of it made him livid.

When the bell rang, Lukas tucked his bookmark into his current page before snapping his book shut. He grabbed his backpack, slinging it over a shoulder and walking away. He didn't even bother to say goodbye.

Arthur began packing up, mentally preparing himself for the horrors he'll have to face in choir. Today, they were supposed to be receiving their first music pieces for the concert in December, but, knowing Mr. Vargas and his teaching style, that could very well change. The Madrigal choir was due to start tomorrow. Arthur pursed his lips, wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into.

With a quick, "See you later," Arthur began his walk to the stairs leading to the second floor. A hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him back.

Vlad let go, moving his hand to rub his forearm. "I- uh... just wanted to say-" Arthur raised an eyebrow as he looked away. "-thank you!"

Arthur's eyes widened and he sucked in his lips. He was certainly not expecting this. Not at all. he opened his mouth to say something, to say anything, but Vlad cut him off.

"No- don't say anythin'. Just lemme talk." Vlad twiddled his thumbs, darting his eyes around as if he were trying to figure out what to say. "It's only the second day of the second week of school. Which means that Lukas and I've known you for not even two weeks."

Arthur stayed still, not bothering to nod in confirmation. It wasn't needed.

"But, the thing is that even if we haven't known each other for that long, I'm grateful of all you've done to help. Lukas is, too, though he's just too shy to say it."

The surprise on his face must've been obvious, as Vlad snorted. "C'mon, Arthur. Give yourself s'more credit. You offered to help set up Lukas with the guy he's been smitten over for years- and you've only known about if for a few days! A lot of people wouldn't even think about doing that."

Vlad put his hand on Arthur's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. He smiled, and kept the smile even when Arthur didn't smile back. "I gotta go, but, once again, thank you so much for everything. All of it. You're seriously awesome." He pushed Arthur back, laughing as he did so. Arthur let out a chuckle. "Have a good day, Art. See ya tomorrow when we officially start The Lukas Initiative."

And with that, Vlad briskly walked away, no doubt going to his next period. Arthur smiled as he watched him go, a real, genuine smile. He didn't have to fake even a fraction of it.

He didn't upset himself to develop relationships this fast. This easy. In actuality, Arthur expected himself to be alone the first three months at least. It was an odd and tense feeling to see his previous thoughts turn out wrong. It was kind of pleasant, though he knew it wouldn't last.

Yes, after they learned of his plan, saw the aftermath, gone would be any friendly relationships Vlad and Lukas had with Arthur. They would never speak to him again. Sneer in disgust whenever he walked past or near. It was a necessary sacrifice, he told himself. It would all work out in the end, and it was not as if he would see them after high school, anyways.

But he couldn't help but feel a little guilty for what he was dragging them into. For what was to come and what was to happen.

#Aph UsUk #UsUk #Aph America #Aph England #RantingFangirl #The Fanfiction Life of RantingFangirl

[theshipsfirstmate]

Arrow Fic: I Have Been Homesick For You Since We Met

post-5x21, Felicity watches Oliver’s press conference and has a talk with Thea.

“It's not time. Not just yet. But maybe soon. They're not planets in orbit around each other, they’re comets scorching through constellations, alternating near misses on an inevitable collision course.”

Title from “A Father’s First Spring” by The Avett Brothers.

I Have Been Homesick For You Since We Met (AO3)

Oliver texts to tell her about the press conference, and somewhere in between reading his message and replying, Felicity's slipped her heels back on and buzzed the doorman to hail a car. Next thing she knows, she's at City Hall.

She enters the building, and knows the route to the briefing room by heart, but when she hits the lobby, her feet turn to lead and won't carry her any further. She’s genuinely contemplating walking right back out the way she came when she catches sight of one of the wall-mounted TVs. Oliver is taking the podium and something in her chest still swells at the sight of him standing in front of the cameras, speaking to the city he’s given everything to protect.

The volume icon on the screen ticks up until she can hear his voice and after holding her breath for a long, heartbreaking moment when he admits that “the allegations made against Robert Queen are true,” she turns around to see the friendly security guard at the front desk watching either her or the TV.

“Thanks, Lito.” The uniformed man gives her a familiar smile and a mock salute with the remote control.

“You going up, Ms. Smoak?” he asks. “I can print you a visitor pass.”

The question shouldn't throw her for a loop, but it does. Oliver's given dozens of these press conferences since taking office. Felicity used to love being in the room as he commanded it, watching him lead the city the way he was meant to, and feeling her heart take a stutter step every time he met her eyes on a particularly meaningful turn of phrase.

She hasn't been to one since they split, and she's almost certain it would be too much. She's glad to have trusted that instinct when she hears Oliver continue.

“It’s time to leave the past in the past, so that our children may inherit the Star City we’ve always dreamed of.”

Felicity hears her words about his father echoed back in that line, but she can’t help but picture the school photo of William that she uncovered during her dark web deep dive to try and find where Oliver’s son and his mother had dropped off the grid. She’s spent the days since their harrowing entrapment in the bunker waiting for the other shoe to drop and avoiding the sting that comes when she thinks about how he’s chosen to trust her now that the dust has settled around the ruins of their life together, now that she’s apologized for walking out, now that he’s out of other options.

But that’s not the only thing that hurts.

She hadn't been ready for kids, of that much she’s certain. She still isn’t. This work they do is only conducive to heartbreak, and she's spent more than a few sleepless nights weighing the ethics of bringing more life into a world fraught with pain and destruction. Even still, in the face of every logical argument, Felicity’s come to realize that some subconscious part of her had believed that eventually, the two of them would hand down a legacy together.

There’s a hurricane raging inside her, but she still finds herself waiting in the lobby after the press have finished their questions and the local station switches back to regularly-scheduled programming. Mercifully, it’s not Oliver who happens upon her first in the exiting current of reporters, it’s Thea.

“Hey!” Felicity reaches out to hug the younger Queen, who relents after slightly longer pause than normal. “How are you?”

Thea feels like next to nothing in her arms, and when they pull back, Felicity can see that her time away hasn't done anything to lighten the worrisome smudges underneath her eyes. She's got that haunted look that creeps up on Oliver sometimes, and Felicity’s heart aches because she knows even less about how to fix this Queen.

“Feels like I should be asking you the same thing.” Thea replies, avoiding the question and Felicity's eyeline. “Ollie told me about your bunker death trap lockdown. The chip’s OK?”

“Oh yeah, Curtis fixed me up in no time.” Oliver's sister's gaze returns to her with sharp focus then, and Felicity wonders if she'll go as far as to press her on what she really wants to be asking. She’s slyer than Curtis, but often delights in pushing the two of them into awkward circumstances or making them answer for the longing looks that even Felicity’s growing weary of denying.

But today, Thea seems like she’s a million miles away. “You came for the speech?”

“Yeah.” It’s more of a breath than an answer as Felicity wrestles with the hot burn of embarrassment that stains her cheeks. She had come for the speech, she just hadn’t quite made it there. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

“There's nothing to apologize for,” Thea says with false levity and an even more fraudulent pursed-lip smirk. “At least he's not as sinister as my biological father, right? Not nearly.”

Rage like an adrenaline rush floods Felicity’s veins at the mere mention of Malcolm Merlyn.

“You’re nothing like him.” The words press through clenched teeth and her jaw only relaxes when she remembers someone who might be more convincing. “Did Oliver show you the video?”

“Yeah, he did. We talked about…a lot.” She heaves a sigh that tells Felicity that's not an exaggeration. “About our dad, and… mostly about leaving the past in the past.”

This time, the reference tugs a hint of a smile at the corner of Felicity's mouth and Thea must catch it. “That was one of yours, huh?”

“Not specifically,” she lies in the face of the other woman’s knowing grin. “We just had another one of those conversations about how maybe his burdens aren’t his alone to carry.”

It’s the same talk they’ve been having for years, Felicity thinks to herself. She tries to chip away at his walls with whatever tools she has handy, while Oliver stockpiles bricks and mortar on the other side.

“Talked him back into the suit and back up on that podium,” Thea muses. “Feels familiar. Might as well get that ring back on your finger.”

“Thea, come on.” Felicity’s shocked by both her sharp, immediate response and her visceral reaction to the suggestion. It's agonizing, thinking of what was, and what could have been. Even the flippant possibility of getting that happiness back sends an unwanted flash of hope through her that’s more lightning bolt than static spark.

“Come on, what?” Thea’s tone is less playful than her eye roll would indicate. “You're being goddamn idiots, both of you.”

But Felicity’s still got electrical current running through her, and she stays quiet for a long enough moment that Thea heaves a sympathetic sigh. “Sorry.”

“It's OK.” Felicity hates how small her voice can sound around members of this family. “I know you didn't mean it.”

“No, I meant it,” Thea cuts back, with a tone that leaves no doubt about whether or not she’s Moira Queen’s daughter. “But I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I just… you guys are only wasting time, you know? Life is short, and if you have even a chance to be happy…”

“We’re not the same people.” Now it's Felicity's turn for a sharp interruption. “We're so different from who we were when we were together, when he…”

The tears in her throat muck up the explanation she’s recited in her head countless times, and she clears it before articulating the most important point: “Too much has changed.”

“Some things are the same, though.” Thea Queen is the perfect storm of smart and stubborn, and it’s only fun when it’s not your boat that’s getting tossed through the whitecaps. “The most important thing is the same, and isn't that all that matters?”

That's the question Felicity's been asking herself since she saw Oliver lying in an ARGUS medical bed, smiling at her after pulling them both from the jaws of certain death, and realized it was futile to pretend that her heart wasn't beating the same cadence it has been for five long, agonizing, wonderful years.

But there's still no perfect answer to their biggest problems, and there never has been. They've tried once already, and failed so spectacularly that Felicity’s not sure she'd survive the drop again.

Then, just as her heart is turning itself over on nothing more than a memory, Oliver’s standing in front of her, and there isn't an excuse in this world or any other that can measure up to the feeling in her chest when their eyes meet. His are rimmed with red and shiny with a mess of emotions that she’d be able to pick through one by one if she stared for long enough. She’s not certain what he sees in hers, but she has a pretty good guess.

He hugs his sister first, murmuring a few words in her ear -- and Felicity tries not to notice how his figure makes Thea look impossibly thinner still -- then turns to her almost on instinct, like he might wrap his arms around her too. He settles for cupping her elbow with a warm, calloused hand, and she says a silent prayer that her sigh isn't embarrassingly audible.

“Felicity.” He's saying her name like that again, like it’s a complete sentence. It seems to have started back up after their moment in the ARGUS facility, but she hadn’t realized just how long it had been until earlier in the bunker, when he laid his hand on her shoulder. “Thanks for coming.”

His name in return, and all her excuses, get stuck in her throat at the feeling of his thumb grazing her upper arm. So she says the next best thing that comes to mind: “It was a good speech.”

He gives her a little smile, like he knows what she's trying to tell him. But before she finds out if that’s true, her phone buzzes with an alert from the new security system. “Someone’s in the bunker.”

A few more taps reveals the surveillance feed, and she breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing the familiar face. “It’s just Rene.”

“I told everyone we were laying low tonight.” Oliver says with a frown, which almost, almost covers Felicity's slip of the tongue.

“Speaking of fathers...” She trails off, but both Queen siblings turn to her with a genetically-resemblant furrowed brow, and wait with that infuriatingly practiced patience until she explains.

“I just… Quentin said he missed his custody hearing earlier.”

She turns her focus towards Oliver, anticipating the layers of his disappointed reaction. But they're both taken aback when Thea vocalizes her own. “He what?”

Felicity's genuinely not sure if she's asking her to repeat herself. “Yeah, he just... didn't show.”

“That idiot,” Thea’s seething, and it’s the most extreme emotion Felicity’s seen from her in months. “I'll go.”

The confusion must be visible on their faces, because she offers a feeble excuse as she turns for the door. “I have to stop by anyway, I left the USB down there.”

She's up to something, and Felicity hasn’t the faintest idea what. Thea’s always been the best of all of them at keeping secrets and this one sees to have come out of nowhere. “What was that?”

“I have no clue,” Oliver breathes, and she talks herself back into believing that she knows what he sounds like when he's telling the truth. “Thea's always been the mysterious one.”

She nods and he does too, quirking an eyebrow when the corners of her mouth twitch unconsciously.

And then it’s just the two of them. Again. They've been careful to avoid this kind of interaction since their night in the bunker loosened the cap on everything they’ve been keeping sealed up, but now it’s like someone’s shaking the bottle.

Felicity speaks first, almost as a reflex. “It was a good speech.”

Oliver grins, and she notices that the red in his eyes only makes the blue shine more brilliantly. “You said that already.” It’s hard to know what to do when he smiles at her like that, like things are easy and attainable, like the undeniable pull between them is enough. It’s hard to remember how to breathe, let alone control her rampant thoughts.

“Yeah, but I meant something different this time,” she admits, almost breathlessly, like she’s run a mile just to tell him the truth. “You're a good son.”

Felicity can’t remember when they moved so close, but he takes her hands in his then, and the whole world freezes. “Can I tell you something?”

She should say no, even though it is his turn. She should take a step back. She should remind him that they’re standing in the lobby of City Hall and almost every member of the Star City press is milling through the public space. But instead, she just nods.

“I was standing up there just now, looking out at all the faces... looking for you.” The catch in her throat is audible and he squeezes her hands gently. “And I realized that speech might be the best thing I ever do in my father's name.”

And it could be one of the last, she mentally adds, knowing there's a good chance he's thinking the same thing.

“But,” Oliver continues, and she can’t look away, hope looks so good on him, “it doesn’t have to be the best thing I ever do.”

It reminds Felicity of his words in the bunker, the confession that had spilled from his lips as the life seemed to drain out of him, and she’s hit with a sudden rush of blissful relief for the mere fact that, if nothing else, they’ve made it to today.

“You're a good son, Oliver.” She tells him again because it’s true more than one time over, and because she knows he needs to hear it as much as possible. But she surprises even herself with the next part. “And you're a good father.”

Her eyes have gone glossy with unshed tears, so much so that she can't really tell if his are shimmering back. But he squeezes her hands again, and tugs her just that much closer and it forces out her most painful truth.

“I always knew you would be.”

Even in a perfect world, where the danger is conquerable and their secrets aren’t life-changing and there are more good days than bad, Felicity can admit that she’s still not sure she’d ever be ready for kids. But the thing is, she hadn’t been sure about marriage either, until Oliver Queen was holding out a diamond with a question in his eyes.

He’s standing in front of her now, just like he has been for years. But he doesn’t have anything to ask her, and she doesn’t have any answers.

“I should go.” She says that instead of a thousand other things. “It was a good speech.”

The tears trip down her cheeks then, and when he comes into focus, he’s looking at her like he used to. Just like he's saying her name like he used to, just like he's touching her like he used to. He's looking at like he does when he wants to tell her that he loves her.

But when he opens his mouth to speak, she can't let him.

“I know.” It's not time. Not just yet. But maybe soon. They're not planets in orbit around each other, they’re comets scorching through constellations, alternating near misses on an inevitable collision course.

“Felicity.” There it is again. She has to go before the last vestiges of her willpower give out and she succumbs to something neither of them are ready for.

“It's OK,” she tells him. For now, it's enough. “I know.”

#first mate fic #olicity fic #post-5x21 fic #olicity angst #oliver x felicity #arrow fic #olicity fanfiction #felicity smoak fic #arrow fanfic #arrow fanfiction #olicity fanfic

[urdnot-wrekt]

Serious Business

“Shepard, I want to begin by making it clear to you that this is, without a doubt, the most ridiculous vidcall I have ever been asked to make in the entirety of my life thus far.”

At the sound of Liara’s voice, Shepard’s eyes immediately jumped from the report they were reviewing to the terminal at her left. It was obvious that Liara was trying to hide her amusement, and failing quite spectacularly in the process. The sight brought a genuine smile to Shepard’s face, and with it, a flood of contented happiness.

“Ah, Shadow Broker,” she said in greeting, leaning casually back against her seat and clasping her hands behind her head. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Would you happen to know why I just received an uncharacteristically bizarre call from Tali and Garrus? Bizarre in the sense that neither one of them could stop laughing long enough to explain why they were calling in the first place.” She paused to wait for an answer, which came only in the form of a sparkling grin from the commander. “Miranda was the one who finally conveyed the message to me,” she continued, “and, for the record, Shepard, she seemed significantly less amused. Something about ‘wasting time’ and ‘not as funny as she thinks she is,’ which I assume was directed at you.”

“Couldn’t be. I’m exactly as funny as I think I am. Which, at the moment, is pretty peak.”

Shepard winked at the terminal screen and watched as Liara tried to continue appearing exasperated. As a courtesy, she pretended that the slight violet color creeping into Liara’s cheeks didn’t give her away.

“So, you’re really on your way to Sol? At this very moment?”

“At this very moment.”

“And you’re really going to attempt to extract resources from a depleted planet, all for the sake of humor?”

“Oh, abso-fucking-lutely.”

The confident smile she flashed at the screen finally elicited a chuckle from her overworked girlfriend, and Shepard made a mental note that the elaborate joke, which hadn’t even been carried out yet, was already worth the effort.

“You’re unbelievable,” Liara laughed.

“Yeah, well, what’s really unbelievable is the fact that Tali and Garrus tried to sell me out to you. I thought they were my friends. EDI, remind me to space the two of them after we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed my Grade A sense of humor.”

The voice of the AI did not sound as amused as Shepard looked.

“Commander Shepard, I am obligated to inform you that if you ‘space’ any member or members of your crew, the chances of them surviving the encounter are less than .01%. Their deaths would be classified as ‘homicide’ by both Alliance and Cerberus standards. I must highly caution against this course of action.”

“That was a joke, EDI.”

“Noted.”

In the comfortable silence that followed, Shepard could feel Liara’s eyes conducting a quiet assessment. She knew that each laugh line, each freckle, each new gray hair was being carefully catalogued, and she knew that the growing dark circles under her eyes would certainly not go unnoticed. But she didn’t mind. After all, she was doing the same with each subtle feature of Liara’s, including her own deep violet crescents from too much work and too little sleep.

A slight tug at the edge of Shepard’s consciousness filled her with a bittersweet glimpse at the feeling of home that they shared together, but the distance between them was too great for anything more than a fleeting moment of connection. It wasn’t enough.

“I wish you were here,” she whispered.

The smile that came in response this time echoed the longing that she felt. But before Liara had a chance to speak, the excited voice of Kasumi blasted throughout the captain’s cabin.

“Shep! ETA two minutes to the mass relay. Three minutes to destination. See you on deck! And… sorry for interrupting!”

The commander stood up from her chair and rerouted the ongoing vidcall through to her omnitool.

“Wouldn’t want you to miss out on all the fun,” she said as she stepped into the elevator.

“I can hardly wait,” Liara deadpanned back.

“You know, you’re getting uncomfortably good at sarcasm.”

“Is your comedic superiority feeling threatened, love?”

“A little bit, yeah,” Shepard laughed, “but give it a minute and I’ll be back on top.”

The elevator doors opened up to reveal the command center and a growing collection of variably amused squad members, including, to Shepard’s surprise, Miranda.

“Hitting the relay in 10, Commander,” Joker called from the cockpit.

Shepard jogged up to join him and grabbed onto the back of his seat to steady herself for the jump. A slight shudder rippled through the ship as they crossed from one side of the galaxy to the other, a concept that never ceased to amaze Shepard even after a hundred leaps, and then, to her delight, she began to see the outline of her prize in the distant, starlit sky.

“There it is,” she declared, crossing her arms and watching as the planet grew bigger and bigger with their approach. “Prepare for resource analysis and scanning protocols.”

“Preparing systems,” EDI intoned.

Shepard felt an arm drape around her shoulders and turned to see Kasumi beaming next to her.

“You know, Shep, this is probably shaping up to be one of the most expensive jokes in history. I must admit, I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t think of it myself.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Miranda said as she approached.

Tali and Garrus followed suit with sizable grins of their own, and Shepard even caught Jack giving her a strangely supportive eyeroll from where she stood across the room with the rest of the squad.

“Are you really going to go through with this?” Liara asked as Shepard rerouted their vidcall once more, this time to EDI’s nearby terminal.

“I’m too close to back out now,” Shepard grinned back.

“Approaching orbit,” Joker announced, barely hiding the excitement from his own voice.

“Okay, EDI. Do your thing!”

In a flash, a full analysis of the planet’s resources appeared on the screen overhead. EDI began slowly processing through, identifying areas where traces of minerals remained on the surface. There was nothing particularly useable, but this trip had never really been about functionality to begin with.

“Launch probe, EDI.”

“Really, commander?”

A chuckle peppered through the crew in response to EDI’s unexpected hesitation, Shepard’s own laughter among the many.

“Yes, EDI. Really.”

A sigh emanated from the AI’s speakers, causing an even larger eruption of laughter from those gathered, followed by the resigned announcement of,

“Now probing Uranus.”

“Ayyyyyyy!!!!!” Shepard yelled, throwing her fist into the air with a wink in Liara’s direction.

A surprising majority of the crew reflected Shepard’s excitement with shouts and laughter of their own, and she soon found herself on the receiving end of an almost overwhelming number of fist bumps and high fives. Even Miranda broke into a chuckle as Shepard clapped her fondly on the back.

“I knew you’d come around,” the commander told her with a proud grin.

Then, Shepard positioned herself next to EDI’s terminal, sparing a satisfied glance toward Liara, and she watched as her crew reveled in the simplicity of the moment.

It wasn’t much. She knew this. Hell, the joke wasn’t really even all that funny. Nothing they hadn’t all heard at least a million times growing up in the Milky Way. But as much as the trip wasn’t really about gathering resources from a mineral-poor planet, it wasn’t really about the joke, either.

Sooner than any of them would like to admit, Shepard and her crew would be making a jump through the Omega 4 Relay that they may very well not be coming back from. It was a reality that loomed over their heads every spare moment of every day, and on none more heavily than the commander who had to ask them to follow her into the dark.

It wasn’t about the joke at all. It was about this; the pure, unrestrained joy that echoed around the command center as crewmen and squad members alike shared cheesy jokes from their own homeworlds, and as celebratory pun-themed foods were passed around, courtesy of Mess Sergeant Gardner. It was about the smile that Miranda allowed herself to wear on too few occasions, and the weight that could be seen visibly lifting off of so many shoulders, even just for a few moments.

Shepard felt a tingle at the edge of her awareness again and glanced over to find Liara watching her with a look filled with more affection than she could ever convey with words. As much as Shepard would absolutely go out of her way just to make a joke, she knew that Liara understood her real motivations. She could feel it. And she felt Liara’s words taking root in her chest even before she finally said them, in a voice barely above a whisper.

“I love you, Shepard.”

“I love you, too.”

“Oh, geez,” Joker interrupted from his seat a few yards away. “I’m still right here, you guys.”

Kasumi uncloaked herself next to the pilot’s seat and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t let him fool you, Shep. I’ve heard him talking about the two of you to EDI. He thinks you’re great together.”

“I believe Mr. Moreau’s exact words were ‘so cute it’s disgusting.’”

Beaming with pride, Kasumi recloaked herself and disappeared back amongst the crew. Joker, on the other hand, shook his head and mumbled something about EDI being a tattletale.

“Joker, I didn’t know you cared,” Shepard teased, no longer worried about the temporary blush in her cheeks now that Joker had his own to match.

“That’s very sweet of you, Joker,” Liara added in support, stifling a laugh.

“Yeah, but, Joker,” Shepard continued, “it’s interesting that you called us ‘disgusting’, because I can think of at least one other thing that’s way more disgusting than we are…”

She adjusted a few settings on her omnitool so that Liara was transmitting back to her private channel again, and began to walk off of the bridge as Joker groaned behind her.

“Please don’t,” he begged.

Shepard stopped, and turned to look back at her pilot with a triumphant grin.

“…Uranus.”

#mass effect #shiara #it was only a matter of time before i started writing fic again #and what better fandom than the one that OWNS MY SOUL #my fic

[emma-overland]

Kintsugi 12

So this installment is semi-inspired by / dedicated to @animeotaku-bookworm and I say semi because they had requested a sick thing with Jack being ill however Hiccup has done tons of stuff for Jack so now it’s time to pay it back…again…And this is going to be a two parter…depends on how I feel with the ending.

Also I apologize for being so…gone but hopefully I’ll start updating regularly again…or as regularly as I had been doing and I’m totally bummed that I missed Hijack March Madness this year :c

Jack glanced up as the front door closed heavily and he glanced toward the clock. Seemed the shindig had run late this evening. He stayed leaning against the counter, where he’d been going over things on his laptop, listening to the familiar sounds of shoes being kicked off and then the entry closet opening and closing shortly after, followed by the very distinct sound of small zombie shuffles through the living room. The small zombie was dragging something, probably the dreaded school bag. Emma came into view as she moved through the home.

“Hey kiddo.” Jack greeted with a small smile. “You guys were later than usual?”

Emma nodded and rubbed her head with a small yawn. “Yeah Miss Merida was really tired so she was slow today.” The brunette climbed up onto one of the stools at the breakfast counter and set her bag on the one next to her.

The blue-eyed man frowned slightly. “Why was she so tired?”

“Um,” Emma dug through her bag for a moment with a frown on her face before pulling out her science folder. “Hiccy is sick and she was trying to help him…I think.”

“Hiccup’s sick?” Jack repeated in surprise.

Emma nodded absently. “Yeah, cold or something?” She laid the folder out and started to go through the pages slowly. “Miss Merida says he’s really stubborn and won’t go see a doctor or nothing.”

“Or anything.” Jack corrected absently with a frown. “You…do your homework and I’m gonna…make a phone call.”

Emma seemed to have stopped listening as she dug around in her pack for a pencil to write with, they were covering the solar system and Emma found it funny that her brother thought Pluto was a planet. He watched her for a moment before grabbing his phone and stepping onto the back porch. He hesitated for a long moment before tapping the icon and bringing the phone up to his ear.

“Sorry about gettin’ her back late.” Merida said immediately.

“What? Oh, no that’s not why I’m calling.” Jack responded with a frown.

Merida was quiet for a moment before letting out a small sigh. “Sorry about that Jackie-boy, been a bit behind. Wut can I do far ya?”

Jack hesitated for a moment. Was it too rude to ask about what was going on? But wasn’t that what people did in a small town? Care about each other? He made a small sound of contemplation as Merida waited patiently on the other end. “Emma said something about you were sick?”

“Oh, nah Hiccup went an’ got ‘imself sick.” Merida answered with a small laugh. “Told tha fool not tae be muckin’ about in tha rain fixin’ fences. But he’s stubborn as can be.” She hummed in amusement. “Gits it frum his dad.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him. How sick are we talking about? Just a small head cold or maybe something a little more?” Jack prompted.

Merida made a thoughtful noise and Jack heard the sound of a door opening and then keys rattling. She must have just gotten home. There were a few more doors before a quiet conversation was heard and a rather nasty cough down the line. “Wull, he’s not eaten anythin’ and he’s got fever, sniffles, and probably stomach things. Real nasty piece of work.”

“He needs to eat something.” Jack said after a moment of thought. “What’s he tried?”

“Canned soup broth stuff.” Merida answered automatically and grinned at Jack’s indignant, and possibly offended, snort. “Well wee’re not all Betty Crocker yanno.”

“You’re going to starve him to death or make him dehydrated. Something…I don’t know.” Jack muttered angrily. “I’ll be over in thirty minutes and make sure that kitchen is clean enough for me to use it.”

Merida laughed and bid Jack a farewell before the two hung up. He stood for a moment and tapped his toes against the cool wood of the deck in thought. He could take Emma with him and keep her and Merida confined in the living room…but that put the kid at a high risk of getting it. He’d been warned that while she was still recovering from the car accident there was a high chance of her being more susceptible to catching colds. Finally, he came back into the house and glanced toward his sister before tilting his head in thought. Maybe, Rapunzel would be willing to look after her for the night…

Jack frowned and shook his head. He’d have to take Emma with him. It wouldn’t be fair to drop her on his neighbor so suddenly. Open door policy or not. With his decision made he turned and started to grab things from the cabinets and put them into one of his many transport totes. The movements made Emma stop what she was doing and she watched him curiously.

“What are you doing Jack?” she asked as he dug through various things in the crisper drawer.

“We’re going over to Merida’s and Hiccup’s place. They can’t cook and Merida is giving him canned soup.” Jack answered as if it were a personal outrage.

Emma wrinkled her nose. “Ew, can soup is yucky.”

“Very yucky.” Jack agreed before making a circular motion with his hand toward his sister. “Put your things back into your bag. You can do your homework over there.”

Emma grinned and hastily put her things away before shoving them into her back with her textbooks and workbooks. Quickly she hurried to get her shoes on so they’d be faster at leaving.

 xXx

 Jack stood in a kitchen that was slowly becoming very familiar to him. Emma and Merida were seated at the dining room table each of them with school related things in front of them while Hiccup had been all but swaddled into blankets and forced onto the couch. Sure, Jack would have preferred that Hiccup stay in bed but the taller male was being surprisingly childish. At least he was no longer contagious. He was being rather quiet and seemed to mostly be dozing now that a cool washcloth was on his forehead.

Blue eyes darted over to the pot on the stove to check the progress of the chicken and he nodded, absently pleased. The chicken, onions and crushed garlic cloves were cooking nicely in the oil and Jack absently figured he had enough time to finish the rest of the vegetables. He’d already peeled and sliced the carrots, now he was working on dicing his just peeled kohlrabi, then he’d have to move quickly to dice the celery. Once done he turned back to the pot and nodded absently before adding water then white wine and finally lemon juice to the mixture.

“You aren’t allergic to anything, are you?” Jack asked, glancing toward Merida.

The redhead looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. “Nah, nothin’ I saw in yer box anyway.”

Jack nodded and turned back to soup where he added more ingredients including ginger, bay leaves and a few other things before bringing it to simmer. Once it was satisfactory he dropped the temperature down to the mid-range and moved to check on Hiccup.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Jack asked as he reached out to check on the fever. He also gave Toothless a soft pat on the head as the large dog laid with his head in his human’s lap to try and comfort him.

“Your hands are cold.” Hiccup murmured tiredly. “Feels nice.”

Jack grinned. “I get that a lot.” He pressed one hand against Hiccup’s forehead while he dipped the washcloth back into the bowl of ice water to refresh it. “But that didn’t answer my question. Does your throat still hurt?”

Hiccup made a sound of disagreement as he leaned heavily into Jack’s touch. “’m good.” Slowly hazy green eyes opened to peer up at Jack fuzzily. “Hungry…I think.”

“You probably are with the water crap Merida’s been giving you.” Jack teased.

“Oi!” Merida protested from her seat. “Not a cooker Jackie-boy!”

Emma tried to cover her giggles and failed spectacularly at it earning her a ball of paper thrown at her. She squawked and threw the ball back at her teacher and Jack ignored the small war that broke out between the two girls. Jack lingered for a few minutes longer by Hiccup’s side before moving away to stop the war and check on Emma’s progress with her homework. Luckily she had one of her teachers just across the table so she was doing rather well with it and Jack smiled before ruffling her hair. Emma made an offended noise and tried to push her brother away but only really succeeded in pushing her own chair back an inch or so.

“So wut are ya makin’?” Merida asked after a moment or two.

Jack glanced up. “Nothing fancy really.”

The redhead gave him a flat look. “Ya say nothin’ fancy but ya brought…wut 20 somethin’ ingredients? Not tae mention all tha herbs and such.”

“It’s just a ginger chicken noodle soup.” Jack protested with a small frown. “And it’s 22 ingredients…21 if you don’t count the two different ways I use the garlic.”

Merida laughed a bit and shook her head. “Yer a special case o’ crazy Jackie-boy.”

#Kintsugi au #hijack #drabbles #i don't remember how to tag shit #Merida Dunbroch #Emma Overland #sick hiccup #chef jack to the rescue