#evander is the best thing to come out of this fic and i love him

[gaygryffindorgal]

A Christmas Prince; The Royal Wedding

Chapter 6: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Summary: Dawn is missing and Quincey and Evander both face challenges of their own.

A/N: It's the customary Quincey chapter! This time with a little Evander twist... It's way past Christmas at this point but this is the second to last chapter and I'm hoping to post the last one as soon as I'm able. This story had a lot of moving parts and I've had to leave many things out simply because I haven't had the time to write. If you're sick of Christmas stuff already, I acknowledge your suffering but I do not apologize😂

Words: 2.8k

Characters:

Dawn Harvelle, Rosa Yaxley, and Evander Alderly by @potionboy3

Quincey, Olympia, and Isabella Alderly, Tess Brandon

Rocky Weasley by @magicallymalted

Pandora Lovelace by@gcldensnitch

Beginning | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Want to read the first fic in the series, A Christmas Prince? Click here!

Chapter 6: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Quincey

Quincey could safely say that he was not having a good day. Of course, he understood that Dawn wasn’t used to the kind of rigorous protocol that life at court demanded but what he couldn’t understand was why he had insisted on going out on some crazy adventure the previous night. Anything could have happened. After the unpleasant meeting at Pince’s office, Quincey went through the notes his mother had made to his speech and resolved to deal with it later. He really had to talk to Dawn. Nothing had gone according to plan ever since Dawn had arrived. He came to the smaller sitting room, holding out hope that Dawn would be there when he heard Olympia’s voice.

“Still at it?” she was asking.

“Silence, cousin,” came Evander’s voice as a reply. “I’m getting there.”

“Are all those coffee mugs yours?”

“And mine,” said Dawn’s aunt Tess.

“Anything I can do?” Olympia asked.

“Develop malware for me to drop into their RDP…” said Evander and that was when Quincey decided to stop eavesdropping and enter the room.

“Good morning,” he said, and all three people suddenly jumped, like there’d been an explosion.

“Quincey!” said Olympia. “How lovely to see you.”

Quincey frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Oh,” said Evander. “I was just introducing your dear sister and Miss Brandon to the intricacies of cryptocurrency so maybe we could all come together and save the kingdom.”

Quincey ignored the sarcasm in his voice. “Have any of you seen Dawn?”

“Not since last night,” said Tess.

“Well, damn,” said Quincey.

“Is everything alright?” Olympia asked.

“I don’t know…”

That’s when the double doors were pulled open with haste and Miss Pince came in, Miss Yaxley in tow.

“Has anyone seen Mr. Harvelle?”

“That’s what I was wondering,” mused Quincey.

“You mean to tell me he’s not here?” asked Pince.

“Well, I’m not hiding him in my pocket,” said Evander but Pince did not find this amusing.

“He has to be found,” said Rosa. “The queen is going ballistic over the wedding preparations.”

“I’m half of the equation, maybe I can help,” Quincey offered.

“No, the queen said Mr. Harvelle must be there,” said Pince.

“It’s almost like it would be her wedding…” said Quincey with a sigh.

~

Quincey found his mother in the room reserved for wedding planning, outfitting, and all those other things that his mother seemed to think she had some sort of control over. The outfit Quincey assumed Dawn was supposed to wear was on a mannequin. It was very traditional, nothing like he’d imagine Dawn would pick for himself. He realized he hadn’t the foggiest idea what his mother, Miss Yaxley, and Dawn had been up to with the wedding preparations. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“Dawn’s missing?” he asked his mother as he entered. There was nobody else in the room but them.

“He did not show up for his fitting.”

“I’ll call him,” said Quincey.

“His phone is offline.”

That was worrying. Quincey tried it anyway, but true enough, he only got a message saying the phone had been turned off.

“Well,” said the queen. “I sincerely hope we won't have to cancel the wedding.”

“Stop,” said Quincey.

“Maybe he has finally realized that the pressures of court are too much for him,” said Isabella, forlornly.

“You’re certainly not helping,” Quincey sighed. “Is that what he’s supposed to wear?”

“Yes. I had a hand in its design.”

“I’ll ask Flitwick to look into Dawn’s whereabouts,” said Quincey. “And mother?”

“Yes?”

“You can forget about that costume. I’ll have a word with Miss Yaxley. I sincerely hope that it’s not too late to make this wedding mine and Dawn’s, and not whatever you’ve been doing behind my back.”

Isabella looked shocked. “Quentin, I’ve only been trying to help you.”

“I know, and I truly appreciate the help,” he said. “Especially when it comes to the financial situation. But I never asked your help in this.”

“Alright,” said Isabella. “I admit, I did get a little carried away.”

“A little?”

“Fine,” said Isabella. “A lot.”

“But you can help me find Dawn now,” said Quincey.

“I would be glad to.”

~

The palace had its fair share of hiding places and so, a lot of the staff were requested to keep an eye out for the run-away groom, but Quincey had an idea of his own of where to look. He headed to the courtyard.

“Dawn!” he called out between the hedges.

“No such luck,” said Olympia, dressed up against the cold in her light pink winter coat. “I figured I might also look here.”

“Oh, hey,” said Quincey but his spirits were immediately lowered.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

“I’ve been such a fool,” said Quincey.

Olympia walked up to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“I screwed up,” he said, miserably.

“What happened?” asked Olympia.

“Dawn’s been having a hard time adjusting to everything here and I’ve been too invested in my duties as king to be supportive.”

“You’ve had a falling out?”

“Just when he needed me most, I caved in to the crown.”

Olympia sighed, seemed to think about something for a while, and then said: “After father died, and you left us to go soul-searching, I was so angry with you…”

“O, I…”

“…At first. But then I realized this life we find ourselves in, the titles and responsibilities we bear, can overwhelm any person, especially a good-hearted one.”

“I've allowed it to happen,” said Quincey.

“You accepted your title with eyes wide open, with the best intent. And that's the brother I love.”

“I've made such a mess of everything.”

“Thanks to Dawn, and I can’t believe I have to say this, Evander, I think we have an actual shot at fixing the country’s problems,” Olympia said.

“What?”

“I’ll explain later,” Olympia said. “Just trust me. All you should focus on right now is finding your fiancé.”

Quincey thought about it. The thing was that he did trust Olympia with his life, but this wasn’t just about him. He had been the one to swear an oath to serve and protect all of his subjects and right now he was doing a piss-poor job of it.

“Please, Q,” said Olympia.

Quincey sighed. “There is one more place he could be in.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to need Archimedes.”

~

His father’s old hunting cabin’s windows were lit when Quincey and Archimedes arrived. He stabled the horse and entered the cabin, finding Dawn sat in front of a small fire, drinking hot chocolate.

“Dawn,” he said when Dawn didn’t make a move at the sound of the door.

“I'm so sorry,” he tried again. “Talk to me.”

Finally, Dawn turned around, demanding: “Now you want to talk? You had nothing to say when I needed you in Pince's office.”

“I know.”

“They want me to give up everything, Quincey. My voice, my career.”

“I thought you didn’t want to be a journalist anymore,” said Quincey.

“That’s not the point!” said Dawn. “The point is that I’m supposed to act like a goddamn ornament in one of your over-the-top Christmas trees and that’s not me!”

“Forget about everyone else,” said Quincey. “This should be about you and me.”

Dawn got up from the armchair. He didn’t look pleased. “I always thought that you would support me, and this week has just been so tough.”

“Dawn, please…”

“Just let me finish, okay?” said Dawn and Quincey shut up. “Everything is changing. I feel like I'm losing control and… I'm not used to living like this. This fishbowl, this distance between us,” he finished, taking a deep breath.

“I know it's hard,” said Quincey. “Trust me, I know.”

“It’s not the same for us, though,” said Dawn.

“Everything is changing. For both of us,” said Quincey, stepping closer to Dawn. When Dawn didn’t pull away, he took his hands. “But there is one thing that will never change: My love for you.”

“Shut up,” said Dawn. “You’re not sweet-talking your way out of this one.”

“I don’t want you to have to sacrifice anything to be with me,” Quincey continued. “Your talent, your creativity, your determination… But some things are out of my control.”

“Like my little mission last night?” Dawn asked.

“You could have been hurt,” said Quincey. “The country isn’t exactly approving of us at the moment.”

“That might have been a miscalculation on my part.”

“But I need you,” said Quincey. “And Alderly needs you, too.”

“Well, it has a funny way of showing it,” Dawn said. “I’ve been nothing but a glorified wedding planner–, no not even that. I’ve been standing in the sidelines while our wedding has been planned for us.”

“Yes,” said Quincey. “About that. I had a chat with mother. The wedding’s going to see some changes.”

“What?” asked Dawn. “You did?”

“Well, it all got a bit much, don’t you think?”

“I very much do think that, yeah,” said Dawn.

“How come you came here?” asked Quincey. They hadn’t been back together since the snowstorm last year, though Quincey had visited on his own.

“I just wanted something to feel Christmassy,” Dawn explained. “So I stole some of the biscuits meant for our wedding and came here.”

Quincey laughed. “Okay, that’s actually fair enough.”

“It hasn’t really felt too festive here, recently.”

“I know.”

Dawn bit his lip. “I’d like to have an active role in the family. I don’t want to be just an ornament.”

“You won’t be. I don’t want that either.”

Dawn sighed and reached to touch Quincey’s face. He hadn’t entirely forgiven him; Quincey wasn't foolish enough to believe that. But at least he hadn’t told him to fuck off, so he considered it a start. “Alright, we need to get back to the palace, now and see if Evander has saved the country.”

Quincey decided not to question it, for now.

~

Evander

Evander had commandeered a couch after his back began to protest, sitting at the table. Dawn’s little laptop was putting in the works and Evander sincerely hoped it wouldn’t give out now. He decided to give Dawn a proper laptop as a wedding present, until he remembered he was pretty much broke. Maybe he could sell the ugly cabin in the mountains his mother had gotten him one Christmas. Evander looked up when he heard someone enter the room, but it was just Tess, bringing another round of coffee. The table was starting to fill with mugs.

“Here,” she said, handing the other to him.

Evander took it. “Oh, thanks…”

Tess was pretty much the only person who had been nice to him this entire time, which was odd, since she had no reason to. Unless she was secretly adding poison to his coffee, or that weird herbal tea she had made him the other night. He had slept like a baby the first time in months after it but that had only made him doubly suspicious. He sniffed the coffee, cautiously.

“No herbs,” said Tess. “Just coffee.”

“So just like the previous three.”

Tess nodded. “Just like them.”

Evander eyes her and then the coffee. “Okay.”

“How are you doing?” she asked, still standing up.

“I found a promising lead, but I can’t crack it,” said Evander. “At least, not yet.”

“Damn.”

Evander resolved that the coffee probably wasn’t poisoned. He took a sip. “You make surprisingly good coffee.” Considering the tea tasted like shit, but he didn’t say that part out loud.

Tess chuckled, quietly. “Thanks, though I think it’s probably just that you people have quality coffee here. I don’t normally drink it an awful lot.”

“Could be,” said Evander. “You should consider adding coffee to your selection.”

Just as a suggestion. For all the other people who didn’t like suspicious herbs. He didn’t know much about Tess’s business, other than that he found all the herbal teas horrid but for some reason it was relatively successful.

“I’ll consider it,” said Tess. “If we don’t go to jail for this.”

She motioned vaguely at the computer on Evander’s lap.

“Don’t worry, if I get caught, I won’t bust you.”

“I appreciate that,” Tess mused. “But I think we’re sort of in this together, now.”

Evander didn’t say anything while Tess sat next to him, pulling a blanket on her legs. He thought she was pretty but pretty in a way his mother wouldn’t approve of. Kind of like Rosa was but somehow, he had a feeling like his mother would approve of Tess even less. The only person he could conceive of his mother approving was Diana Somerset but that had been doomed from the start, and Evander was happy she’d turned down his proposal.

He hadn’t spoken to his mother in months and in a way, he missed her a little. It had been about time to cut the cord, though. To find out what he actually wanted for himself. One thing he had learned was that it sucked to be poor and lonely. He missed his family. Especially his entitled royal cousins who he’d never even really liked before. And he knew that he couldn’t trust the country to Quincey’s hands alone when the man had gone to a fucking liberal arts school. Deep down he felt bad, too. Bad about what he had done to him and how he’d left things. He had put himself first and not Alderly, as he should have done. The right thing to do would have been to be there for Quincey and help him, instead of listening to his mother, but that was a lesson learned.

Tess leaned in closer so she could see the computer screen better. Evander was pretty sure she didn’t have experience on the hacking front, but he appreciated another pair of eyes, and maybe he also appreciated her presence. She smelled nice. He felt immensely tired. It had been almost ten hours and they still had pretty much nothing. He felt his focus drift and drank more coffee. He wasn’t exactly sure how much time passed, when Tess suddenly grabbed his wrist and pointed at the screen.

“What’s that?” she asked.

Evander examined the piece of code. “If I just follow this strand…” he said quietly.

Tess let go of his hand so he could continue typing.

“Is this…” he started as the computer did exactly as he had wanted it to.

“Oh my god,” said Tess.

“I think I’m in!” said Evander and jumped up from the couch in excitement. He had almost given up hope so he couldn’t quite believe this plan might actually stand a chance in hell at working.

Tess got up as well and said: “Holy crap,” with a delighted laugh. She did a little jump and clapped her hands together. Evander, high off of his achievement, kissed her cheek before thinking better off it. The pair looked at each other for a fraction of a second. Then Evander cleared his throat and sat back down, grabbing the computer.

“It’s not over yet,” he said, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “This is pretty time sensitive.”

“Right, yeah, of course,” said Tess. She also sat back down, and Evander was careful not to look at her. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe his mother would like her. Tess was pretty smart, after all.

~

Half an hour later Olympia, Rocky, and Pandora returned, presumably from searching for a certain run-away groom.

“We're in,” Evander said.

“What?” asked Pandora. “Seriously?”

“I honestly didn’t think you had it in you,” said Rocky with a yawn. It seemed Evander and Tess weren’t the only ones in need of a nap.

“Shut up and come see,” he said, and the newcomers gathered around the couch Evander and Tess had occupied, to see the screen. All the information pertaining to the companies was there for them to see. Silently Evander echoed Rocky’s sentiment though. After almost ten hours he’d begun to think that maybe he had overestimated his abilities.

“What does it say about those three companies?” asked Rocky.

“Each are listed as a division of this... Glockenspiel Consortium,” said Evander.

“Glockenspiel?” wondered Olympia. “What's that?”

“It could be a parent company, or a shell, used to funnel the money to a foreign entity,” Evander said. It would make sense why neither he nor Olympia had ever heard of it, despite being Alderlian.

“You have a disturbing knowledge of underhanded activities,” Olympia said but there was distinctly less venom in her voice than there had been before, so Evander didn’t take it too personally.

“That would explain why so little of the money's staying in Alderly,” said Tess, who had a much more comprehensive grasp of how businesses worked than dear cousin Olympia.

“Perhaps if we dig a little bit deeper into Glockenspiel…” said Evander, clicking further into the files. “Oh, shit…”

Everyone had seen it; Evander could tell from their shocked expressions.

“I can’t believe it,” said Olympia.

“What are we going to do now?” asked Pandora.

“Quincey’s gone to look for Dawn. He might be a while,” said Olympia.

“We’re going to wait for the king to get back,” said Evander. “He needs to hear this before we do anything.”

tag list: @lifeofkaze, @gcldensnitch, @endlessly-cursed, @cursed-herbalist, @magicallymalted

(ask if you want to be included or removed)

#evander is the best thing to come out of this fic and i love him #in the next chapter we get a whooole bunch of cameos so get ready for that lol #fic: the royal wedding #a christmas prince au #dawn harvelle #quincey alderly #dawncey #evander alderly #tess brandon #tessvander #*mine #*my writing

[purplebass]

#4 Celebratory Fic! There is another one after this, but I'm still writing it, so it may come in a few days (I also have another, but I'm deciding which one to post)

Characters: Matthew Fairchild, Charlotte Fairchild, Henry Fairchild Words: 1451 tw: mention of alcohol & alcohol abuse Post COI fic. Charlotte goes to confront Matthew. Angst which ends in comfort.

The last thing Matthew expected when he answered the door to his apartment, was to find his mother on the other end. Not that he was waiting for someone. Quite the exact opposite. He didn’t feel like meeting anyone that night, and he felt even less inclined to share space with any member of his family. Well, perhaps not his father. He needed to pay him a visit.

He was in the middle of drinking, and the first thing his mother noticed was the glass of whisky in his hand before he placed it on a cabinet nearby.

He held his breath, ready to close the door in front of Charlotte’s face. He glanced at her quickly, and wished he hadn’t made eye contact at all. His mother often wore a neutral expression. Whenever she was around her family and friends, her smiles always reached her eyes. She radiated positivity, and serenity. He thought perhaps that was from where his attitude came from, except he was anything but positive or serene. Right now, he felt like his mother’s face reflected those same feelings.

“Matthew,” Charlotte muttered, her voice broken. “Matthew, let’s talk.”

How much time had passed since they last spoke to each other?

“You should have sent a message before coming here,” he replied coldly, glancing away, the door shielding part of his body from view. “It’s late.”

Charlotte was aware that it was. She had wanted to come way earlier than she ultimately did, but couldn’t. Her political engagements kept her in Idris for long, but this didn’t mean she had forgotten about her children. She didn’t mention it. “I have given you time,” she said instead. “I knew that you needed your space, Matthew. But I can’t -”

“If you knew that, then you shouldn’t have come here.”

Charlotte opened her mouth, and Matthew believed that she would leave, defeated. Like she had done in the past. She had been against his decision to leave their house, but then she gave in, she let him go. Matthew considered it like that, at least. He had wanted to live alone so he could do whatever he pleased, far from prying eyes. Well, when his mother was around. He should stop blaming her for doing her job, but sometimes, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t even look her in her eyes, knowing that he was probably exaggerating. And that Charlotte was trying her best, and he was still punishing her for it even though the only one who should be punished was himself.

“I know I said I didn’t want you to leave, Matthew. That it was too early for you to get your own flat, that you weren’t fine because of your drinking,” she admitted, which made Matthew flinch. He hated when someone pointed out about his habit, not understanding that he needed it to survive. “But I should have talked to you about it sooner.”

He laughed. “And you realized that after all these years?” It was a low blow, he knew it. But what could he possibly lose? He had already lost everything.

“I’ve noticed,” Charlotte started, her voice strained, “when you started drinking more than usual. I thought it was quite normal, at your age, to try these things. Getting drunk, going to events, and all of that. Enjoying life while you’re still young.”

Like you ever got drunk in your life, he wanted to tell her, but he refrained. He just listened, his frown deepened after every word his mother said.

“It wasn’t just that, was it? I’ve been away for too much time, that I know. But I still kept an eye on you, Matthew. Even when I wasn’t here, I knew that someone would look after you.”

“I still don’t get the point of this conversation,” he replied with annoyance, checking a watch from the pocket of his waistcoat. “And, I’m past my dinnertime.”

Charlotte shook her head in defeat… or was it frustration? She was desperately trying to get to her son, but he didn’t want to be reached. “I will be quick, Matthew, don’t worry,” she smiled. “I don’t know what triggered it all, nor why are you punishing yourself this way, but I just wanted you to know that I’m here. I’ve always been here to help.”

“You can’t help,” he answered sourly. “Do not waste your precious time on me,” he added.

“Matthew, dear. I wish you wouldn’t see it like that. You are my son, and I love you.”

“So, what? Blood doesn’t require interaction. We can survive even if we don’t meet.”

Was that what he wanted, though? Never meeting his mother again? No, of course. He loved his mother, but he was also aware of what he had done to her, two years prior. And that was the reason why he couldn’t bring himself to tell her. He could push her away. He didn’t think he deserved her concern. Those worrying glances she threw his way, those hands who longed to touch his shoulder or caress his cheek. Things Charlotte used to do when he was little, to show him that she was always present even if he may not think so.

“We just want to help you,” she said, ignoring his last comment. “I’m not asking you to come back home, but I want to know if there is something I can do for you. You need help, Matthew. Do not say otherwise.”

“I just need you to stop concerning yourself with my drinking habits, mother,” he conceded, passing a hand through his hair.

Charlotte’s face crumbled, but she didn’t try to hide it. She wished him a good night, saying that they would wait for him, whenever he was ready. That was it. Once she left, Matthew closed the door with his shoulder. His eyes caught the glass sitting on the cabinet, the ice already dissolving into tiny pieces. Was that how his life had reduced? Was it beyond repair like the particles of water turning to liquid and disappearing? Would he disappear too?

Matthew drowned the remnants of his drink. It tasted bitter. It had lost his spark.

...

When Charlotte returned to Grosvernor’s Square, her spirits were low, and she couldn’t help but frown. She was worried, and disheartened. But she couldn’t help her son, not until he wanted to be helped. She found Henry in the living room. Perhaps because it was late, but he was not in the laboratory. He glanced at her once she crossed the threshold, and a frown of his own appeared on his face.

“How did it go, Lottie?”

Had it been someone else, she would have tried to conceal her feelings, but she couldn’t with Henry. “He refused,” she sat down beside his Bath chair, and started to cry. “He doesn’t want to understand. He doesn’t want any help.”

“That boy is stubborn,” he tried to comfort her by taking her hand. “Just like you.”

Charlotte raised her chin up towards him. “By the angel, you’re right,” she shook her head, passing a hand on her cheek to wipe a tear. “I think something happened to him, which he doesn’t want to tell us.”

“You can’t expect a 17 year old to tell you what’s going on in his mind,” Henry said.

“And I don’t want him to, since it’s obvious something did happen,” she sighed. “I feel like I’ve failed as a mother, Henry. I’ve been away too much, that I didn’t see the signs.”

“That is not true, dear. You’re an amazing mother, and both of your sons know it. You didn’t fail anyone, and I’m sure that Matthew will come around at some point.”

Charlotte squeezed her husband’s hand tightly, and she hoped that he was right.

She was glad that she had decided to go back to Idris later than planned, because the day after, once she opened the door, she found Matthew waiting on their doorstep, with Oscar in tow. She had hoped he would turn up soon, that he would forgive her. She didn’t think he would do it so soon, which was surprising.

“Matthew, I -”

“Can I come in, mother?”

“I thought you had your key with you,” Charlotte replied instead.

“This is not my house anymore,” he said, and Charlotte thought he would leave now, that she had crossed a line. But he stayed. “I didn’t think it would be nice to surprise you like that.”

“This will always be your home, Matthew.”

Matthew managed a smile. “Then how about we talk in front of a cup of tea? I have something to tell you and father.”

Charlotte grinned. “Yes, I’ll tell the maid to put the kettle on.”

Taglist (if you want to be added or removed, send me a PM): @princesslucinda @kit-12 @immortal-enemies @lucian-evander @esa-emery @danieldyers @blackthorn-trash @rinadragomir @fortunesandfables @itsdaughterofthemoon @silvenys@thomastair3 @livvyheronstairs @ holding-infinity-and-a-book @lovelaces @axoloteca @autumnangel20 @cordelia-cardale @lucie-blackthorns @thephcastcouldsteponme-please

#tsc #tlh #matthew fairchid #charlotte fairchild #henry fairchild #oscar fairchid #tsc fanfiction #chain of iron #chain of gold #chain of thorns #the shadowhunter chronicles #tweety.writes

[obsidianfr3sk]

true colors

@renegadesnet event 10: pride

↪ [ “But everything was temporary. And pain was one of those things. Well, except love. Everything but love was temporary. Or that was what he liked to believe.” ]

Summary: Two years after the supernova, after Tamaya notified them the gearboxes that contained the lights had gotten soaked and that she needed the money to buy more before the next day (June 1st), Simon realized they were not enough for him anymore. 

Simon wanted a bigger flag. 

No. He wanted two. The biggest pride flags he could find.

AO3

Hello, friends!! I hope you’ve been having an excellent pride month and have been eating a lot rainbow cake and pissing off a lot of conservatives with the mere fact of your wonderful existence:’) As my contribution to this month and the event organized by @renegadesnet, I decided to write a fic focused on my favorite gay dads and their sons (bc I’m me, and you should have seen this coming.) 

Before you read, I want to give a trigger warning: at the start of a fic I talk about a homophobic attack, which is not graphic or violent per se (it’s someone in the middle of the night taking away the flag they put outiside the house), and I do discuss about internalized homophobia during some parts of the story. If you read it and are sensitive to this kind of stuff, proceed with caution and take care of yourself <3

Also, this entry is a collaboration with my talented mother @healing-winston-pratt, who is going to be uploading some fanart of this in a near future, so keep an eye on that👀 she’s the best skjhkjds thank you for accepting to collaborate, I feel this is a great bonding activity and I hope we can do this more often✨

I need to update my tag list because a lot of the people who were included are not active as active as they were before/changed their URLs. But I’m going to tag @the-wee-woo-rita @lackadae @all-weather-is-bad @chiyuki-hiro bc you guys are the only ones who are still active users who I had on my previous tag list lol

With that said, I hope you enjoy this fic. I think that despite the angsty parts, it came out really fluffy and domestic, it was fun to write. And to all my queer silbings who are reading this: I am very proud of you.  

But I see your true colors shining through.

I see your true colors, and that's why I love you.

So don't be afraid to let them show.

Your true colors,

true colors are beautiful like a rainbow

Simon couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t know he was gay.

There was a time when he didn’t know he was gay, of course. He was probably too young to even comprehend the meaning behind that word. And there was also a moment in his life when he felt embarrassed about it, and sad, and angry, and really, really scared, and probably thought that no matter how hard he tried, he was never going to be happy living the life he wanted to live.

That the pain was never going to end. That he was going to be miserable for the rest of his existence, and that maybe, there was no point in existing if he was going to stay like that until the day he died.

But everything was temporary. And pain was one of those things.

Well, except love. Everything but love was temporary. Or that was what he liked to believe.

That was the reason why, the first year after the Day of Triumph, he told Hugh they should get a rainbow flag for their house. They went to one of the first stores that opened at the mall (that had just been remodeled after twenty years of being abandoned) and bought one at a not so affordable price. Simon offered himself to install it on one of the fence pillars and had to spend thirty minutes listening to Hugh telling him that maybe he should let him do it, that the ladder Kasumi had lent them was ratty, and that Simon was going to fall.

Fortunately, Simon didn’t. He did almost fall, though, when he was about to pass out from stress because seeing Hugh getting all anxious, made Adrian cry and he started to basically beg him to come down, given that now he was convinced he was going to fall, and hearing his dad saying “Look what you’ve done to the kid, Simon” didn’t help at all to make Adrian (or Simon) feel better.

That night, there was a thunderstorm and Adrian used it as an excuse to sleep on their bed. As soon as he cried himself to sleep, two hours later, after their dads did everything in their power to calm him down, hugging him, giving him kisses, and assuring him his aunt Tamaya wasn’t going to let the storm hurt them, Simon raised his hand to high-five Hugh and tell him that they were amazing parents, just to realize he was already asleep. Simon silently judged him for sleeping so soundly while his son was having a crisis instead of sleeping.

When he woke up (at five in the morning) Adrian was looking out their window, with the Baby Indomitable blanket on his shoulders. The sky was still cloudy, but it wasn’t raining anymore.

“Darling, what are you doing?,” Simon told him. “Today’s Sunday. Let your daddy and I get some more sleep—”

“The storm took our flag,” Adrian blurred out.

Hugh was already awake too. “What?”

“You said the storm wasn’t going to hurt us,” Adrian said, turning around to see them, “but the storm took our flag.”

Simon got out of bed, looked through the window...

And, yes, the flag was completely gone.

But for some reason, Simon knew it hadn’t been the storm.

“Why would the storm do something like this?” Adrian asked.

Simon didn’t know how to answer that. Luckily, Hugh did.

“Because the storm is homophobic, son.”

Adrian laughed out loud and then asked his dads if they could have pancakes for breakfast. He had already forgotten about the storm and the flag.

They didn’t. Neither of them ever forgot about it.

While Simon and Adrian ate their pancakes, Hugh went to his office because, according to him, he needed to check something. When Adrian finished his breakfast and went back to his dads’ room to watch TV, Simon stayed in the kitchen, doing the dishes, and Hugh finally came downstairs. He was pretty quiet, and Simon thought that it probably was because he had told him to eat the burnt pancakes he didn’t dare to throw away, but after he finished them all, he said:

“I lied.”

Simon threw a glance at him. “When did you lie?”

“When I said the storm was homophobic,” Hugh answered.

“Well, of course, you lied, love. Storms don��t have strong political opinions about gay people.”

Hugh didn’t laugh. “What I mean is— that it wasn’t the storm.”

Every joke Simon’s brain could come up with disappeared at that moment. So he continued doing the dishes, and Hugh, thinking he hadn’t made himself clear, continued talking.

“It was someone else. It was a person. I saw them on—”

“I know,” Simon interrupted him. “I know. I’ve always known.”

But even if Simon knew, he still told Hugh to show him the footage because four eyes were better than two (especially considering that the owner of those first two eyes needed to wear glasses). It was all useless, though; the storm made the image all blurry, and the only thing they could see was someone taking it and running away in the middle of the night.

Simon wanted to think that it was just some dumb teen whose friends had  challenged him to do it. But when it came to things like those one never really knew.

On Monday, they had promised Adrian to take him to the park that was a few blocks away so they could teach him how to fly a kite, but the thought of going out made him feel as if something bad was going to happen to them if they did, so Simon told Adrian that he and Hugh were feeling sick and that they would stay in their room to get some rest. Adrian asked them if they minded that he stayed there too because he was in the middle of watching a movie he had never seen before.

“Only if we can watch it with you,” Simon answered.

It was a weird day to be alive. They really just stayed there, watching silly cartoons with their kid and listening to him ranting about the weird proportions those characters had.

During the afternoon, Adrian told them he was hungry, so Simon went downstairs to look for something they could eat. He was thinking that maybe they should order something from that Chinese restaurant Tamaya had taken him the other day, when Hugh entered the kitchen and told him Adrian had  asked him if he could bring him water.

Simon felt his hands were trembling while he looked inside his wallet for the paper where he had written the restaurant’s phone number.

“Do you want to get another flag?” Hugh asked him.

And something hurt.

Something hurt inside of him. Something started to cry, and to scream, and to flicker, trying to make him invisible to the world.

And it told him, the same way Adrian had told him he was hungry, that someone had taken him by surprise and made a deep cut on his chest.

But Simon didn’t allow it to come out.

He just said: “No.”

And Hugh answered him: “Me neither.”

He called the Chinese restaurant to order some food, while Simon went to their room with Adrian again and cuddled with him, trying to tend to the wounds of that something that was bleeding out inside of him.

Little Simon was crying, and screaming, and flickering, and needed adult Simon to take care of him.

The next day, they talked about the incident with the rest of the Council during their lunch break. It was one of those few occasions the six of them were together in the same room during their work hours. Tamaya was furious about the flag situation. She ranted for a good five minutes without anyone interrupting her about how fucking horrible people were and that she was going to find that little piece of shit and cut his hands off. Kasumi nodded in approval while drinking some horchata she had bought for herself, probably thinking about how to ask Tamaya to let her join her revolution (something she didn’t need to do, since Tamaya always included Kasumi in everything she did). Evander, on the other hand, was very quiet, something that made him feel a little bit relieved because he was not a sensitive person and Simon didn’t want him to... Evander  the situation.

He didn’t say anything insensitive that day, though.

In fact, he said something… helpful, even.

“What about a flag made of light?” 

Hugh rubbed his eyes and Simon knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth.

Because he said that phrase constantly.

“Shut the fuck up, Evander.”

But Evander didn’t shut up. “Dude, think about it. No one would be able to take down a flag made of light.”

And everyone realized that, now, it was not only one of those strange occasions when the six of them got together to have lunch during their work hours; it was also one of those strange occasions when Evander had an idea that was actually good.

So after spending another hour discussing how they were going to make it work, they decided they were going to lit up the building in rainbow-colored lights.

Tamaya and Hugh were the ones in charge of almost all the operation because Evander said he had already given them the idea, so he didn’t need to do anything else (and then got mad at Hugh when he told the media he was the one who came up with it). Kasumi helped them, but was especially insistent about putting a trans pride flag somewhere in the building, and after they agreed with her, she personally hung it on the main entrance of Headquarters.

They started turning the lights on each night of June since that yeat.

Hugh and Simon still didn’t get a flag. Three nights after they told their friends about what had happened during the thunderstorm, Simon was woken up by the sound of someone crashing against the trash cans and almost jumped out of the window with his dagger  on hand to slay whoever was trying to break into their house, but when he peeked out to see what was going on, he realized the “robber” was Kasumi, who had put a bunch of small pride flags on some pots they kept on their porch and started crying as soon as she realized Simon was watching her, not because she was upset the surprise she had for them had been ruined, but because now she was covered in trash.

(That week was like a sign Georgie was sending them from the afterlife to tell them they needed to install a better security system.)

Those were the only flags they kept around the house. They were small and discreet, and, most importantly, no one had taken them away. Why? Well— because they listened to Georgie’s sign and installed a better security system. Not because there weren’t any more homophobes out there who were willing to do it.

Until that moment, those flags (the little ones Kasumi had given them in a rather unconventional way and the one made of light that Evander had come up with) had been more than enough for them. But, two years after the supernova, after Tamaya notified them the gearboxes that contained the lights had gotten soaked and that she needed the money to buy more before the next day (June 1st), Simon realized they were not enough for him anymore.

Simon wanted a bigger flag.

No. He wanted two.

The biggest pride flags he could find.

 ***

That was the reason why, after having pancakes for breakfast (because it had rained during the night), he took the car, took the other three people living in that house with him, and after he was able to read the map, they arrived at a store that, among other things, sold flags like the ones they were looking for.

“I want one too,” Adrian told them when they were at the flag section of the store. “For my room, you know. And I want to get ones for Danna and Nova because I don’t think they have any. They would’ve told me.”

Usually, when Adrian asked for something Simon hadn’t agreed to buy him, like some candy, an action figure, or a pair of sneakers, he would turn around and ask him if he had the money to buy any of those things himself, which would anger him so much he would stop wanting that certain thing.

But that day, he felt like buying them everything they wanted. As if money grew on trees (something he always told his kids didn’t happen.)

“Of course, darling,” he answered, “get them everything you want. It’s pride month.”

“It’s May 31th,” Max said. He was inside the shopping cart Hugh had grabbed the second they entered. It was something he always did, even if they weren’t going to buy a lot of things because, according to him, it felt weird and wrong not to.

“It’s almost pride month,” he corrected himself.

“So can I get something for Nova?” Adrian asked again, just to make sure.

“You can get something for Nova,” Hugh assured him, smiling a little bit.

Adrian quickly turned around and started looking for the flag he wanted while texting Nova about something Simon couldn’t read (not like he was trying to, anyway).

After making sure Adrian stayed on the same aisle as them, they started walking around, gazing at the flags and posters available. Simon felt pretty progressive because he was able to name every single sexuality and gender they were supposed to represent. He imagined Hugh was doing the same thing, but with a lot more difficulty than him. He kept his eyes fixated on each flag longer than Simon did, as if he were trying to remember what they meant, and when he did, he pushed the cart (with Max still inside of it, playing a game on Hugh’s phone because he had forgotten his tablet at home), and the cycle began again.

But suddenly, Simon saw ones that he didn’t recognize.

After three seconds of standing in front of those little flags, someone hit him in the butt with their cart. He turned around immediately, ready to say a really threatening “Hey” to whoever had done it.

Hugh was the only other person who was there. He had been the one who had hit him with the cart.

Suddenly, Simon felt a little bit stupid for thinking someone else had done it.

The two of them maintained eye contact for a couple of seconds until Hugh started looking at his own hands grabbing the cart’s handle.

“Simon.” Before Simon could ask him what happened, he added, with a deep voice: “Move.”

Simon didn’t move. Instead, he hit the cart with his hips, just out of spite. Hugh hit him again with it, making Simon feel the unexpected need to grab the cart with his two hands and use his own weapon against him, but Max was there and they couldn’t act like kids in front of him. So he just hit the cart with his hips again, a little bit harder than the first time, and left it there.

He realized he was just going to be wasting his time asking Hugh if he knew what that flag was supposed to represent.

“Cherub,” he called Max. “Do you recognize this flag?”

Max looked up from the screen. He usually didn’t like it when he called him “cherub” in public, but this time, he didn’t seem mad about it. “Um… no? Ask Adrian—” and continued playing.

Adrian came back with a basket full of pins, and for a second, Simon almost asked him if he really was that naive to believe he was actually going to pay for all of them. But then, he realized that it was only the basket where they kept all of the pins they sold and that Adrian had taken it to show them to them.

“Look, they have so many pins here—” he started taking random pins “—this is the aromantic flag… this is the genderfluid flag—”

“Interesting,” Hugh interrupted him, “but which flag is that one?” and pointed at the one Simon didn’t recognize.

Max took a random pin from the basket and started looking at it with curiosity. Adrian almost didn’t pay attention to it, and after a few seconds, he said: “That one’s yours.”

Simon frowned and took one. It was a handheld flag with green and blue stripes, with a white one in the middle. He touched the polyester with his fingertips as if that was going to give him the ability to communicate with it.

“But we don’t have a flag,” Hugh told Adrian. “I’ve heard of the lesbian fl—”

Adrian took a pin of the lesbian flag. “This one.”

“Yeah— but gay men don’t have one.”

“The rainbow is ours,” Simon said, without taking his eyes away from the blue and green flag he was holding. “Like, it’s for all queer people.”

Hugh directed his attention to Adrian again. “You’re messing with us.”

“I do mess with you a lot,” Adrian admitted, “but this time I’m not because if I do and you get mad, you won’t buy me all the stuff I want to get.”

“Huh.”

Simon knew Adrian and Max were a lot of things, but "dumb" wasn't one of those. And Adrian was especially intelligent when it came to convincing his parents to buy him things.

So he decided to believe him.

“Well, I like it,” he said. Then, he asked Hugh: “Do you like it?”

Hugh grabbed one and observed it for a while. “I like that it has blue on it,” he finally answered, nodding a little bit.

Simon noticed Max was spacing out while playing with the pin he had taken, so he waved the flag on his face, making him laugh and sneeze because the damn thing had a lot of invisible dust Simon didn't notice at first.

“Oh, sh—”

“You know? Maybe we should get two of these,” Hugh said, waving it too, but in his case, not on the face of one of their kids. “For our offices.”

“Matching flags, very romantic.”

Max rubbed his nose. “Why don't you get a big one for the house?”

Simon quickly started to look everywhere on that aisle, and he saw a lot of big versions of the flags he had recognized before (and some of the ones Adrian had mentioned), but there were no gay flags in sight.

“Maybe next year, I guess,” he shrugged. “I don't think they have them here yet.”

He grabbed two of the rainbow flags that were there, inside their respective plastic bags, gave them to Max, and he put them on his lap, still holding that pin. Simon made a quick mental note to remind his future self they needed to pay for that (he didn’t know if it had to with the fact that Max had been spending a lot of time with Maggie, Nova’s sister, but he had developed this weird habit of stealing the most random objects one could think of. Luckily, he limited himself to stealing things from his dads and, one time, from a store.) (Kids went through weird phases when they were Max’s age.)

(Because… it was a phase, right?)

Adrian received a text. “Danna says that she already has a flag, so I’m getting her a pin,” he said after reading it. “And Nova says she wants one too.” Then, his whole face lit up. “And I could get one too so we match.”

“Copycat,” Simon accused him, jokingly. “Your dad and I got matching flags, and now you want to get matching pins with your girlfriend.”

Hugh shook his head, disappointed. “I cannot believe you have betrayed your own family like this.”

They stayed at the store another 30 minutes to buy some other things they needed for the house, and from time to time, when he or Hugh grabbed something, they pretended they didn’t see Adrian and said: “Um, but the copycat may be listening” to a point he told them to stop, and refused to forgive them until they agreed to buy him the flag he didn’t intend to get anymore, but now was going to.

He got the last bisexual flag there was at that store.

 ***

The first time the four of them were together in their room was last June. Something went wrong with the A/C system of the entire house and the only room where one could stay without having a heatstroke was theirs because their A/C hadn’t broken down for some reason. Adrian and Max were sleeping on the air mattress until Simon (who hadn’t been able to sleep lately) heard that one of them woke up and asked Hugh something. He sat down on the bed, at the same time Hugh moved a little bit to allow Adrian to lay down between the two of them.

Then, in the middle of the dark, his eyes met Max’s.

He looked tiny. Young. Pretty young.

And far away.

Simon couldn’t remember who did it. He didn’t remember who talked that night. It could have been him, even. But he was sure that, at that moment, someone whispered:

“Get in here, kid.”

And Max obeyed. He crawled, raised his arms towards them, and Hugh grabbed him carefully by the collar of his shirt and placed him between him and Adrian.

It was a peaceful night. The bed was big enough for the four of them, and Simon was able to sleep and actually rest for the first time in weeks.

At least until their A/C turned off with a weird sound, and the four of them woke up at the same time, sweaty, uncomfortable, and almost at 11 AM, not because they weren’t necessarily willing to stay there longer, but because the heat was starting to get unbearable and suddenly the bed was too small for three adults and a little kid that was not that little anymore.

“This isn’t a room, this is a— a freaking oven,” Hugh said, while Adrian tried to push him out of bed to get the hell out of there and seek comfort on the air mattress he had abandoned in the middle of the night.

“And we are the... cookies,” Max giggled.

“The turkey,” Simon added.

Max turned around. His whole face was red and his hair was a little bit wet. “The lasagna.”

Simon grabbed him by the cheeks; a discreet way to check if he had a fever. “The cake.”

“The ham.”

“The—”

“Dad. Move.”

Later that day, Simon called someone to fix the A/C, and that was the end of the story.

When they arrived at the house, Adrian wanted to hang his flag as soon as possible, on one of his room’s walls, but Simon insisted that they should iron it first so it looked nicer. Hugh said that he was planning on ironing the ones they had bought for the house and offered Adrian to do the same with his, but when he insinuated that he didn’t trust him enough not to mess up his flag the same way he had messed up his favorite shirt (the one he wanted to wear to take Nova to a nice place during her birthday), Hugh reminded him that the only reason he kept doing that for him was that Adrian didn’t know how to iron yet, and decided that he was going to use that moment as a teaching opportunity. Max made the mistake of laughing at his brother when he thought no one was paying attention to him, but Adrian was and dragged Max into the teaching opportunity with him.

Simon joined too. Just because.

And suddenly, the four of them were in their room again.

With the A/C on, of course.

He didn't know if Hugh had noticed, but he had been so invested in his own explanation, that after he finished ironing the two rainbow flags, he started ironing Adrian’s without realizing it. Adrian, instead of giving up and stop pretending he was paying attention, was looking, kind of mesmerized, how he opened the bag of his blue, purple, and magenta flag, and proceeded to put it on the ironing board, now telling him that when Georgie had tried to teach him how to iron his clothes, she accidentally burnt Evander.

Simon was half-listening to the story, half-listening to the music video that Max was watching on the TV. He was sitting on a big and old ottoman they had bought a long time ago but had never found the perfect place to put it and just stayed there for years until they forgot about it. Max was in front of him, sitting on the floor and resting his back on the ottoman, while he covered his blond hair with small butterfly hair clips he had found at the store and bought just because he thought they were cute (who knows, maybe Nova wanted them for Maggie, or Kasumi could use them for herself, she loved them when she was little).

When all the hair clips were on Max's hair, he took a small mirror they kept in the bathroom (but Simon borrowed it for a minute) and gave it to him so he could see the final result.

“Look at me,” Max exclaimed, laughing. “I look so pretty.”

Simon grabbed one of the hair clips and pulled it a little. “Butterfly hair clips are a popular trend this time of the year.”

“This is definitely going to make me the most popular kid in the playground.”

“Definitely.”

He leaned forward to start taking the butterfly hair clips off Max's hair and was putting them on Max’s open hand when he noticed that he hadn’t let go of the pin they bought him at the store.

(Simon did remember to pay for the thing, but if he hadn’t done it, Max wouldn’t have said anything.)

“That was really nice of you,” Simon said.

Max looked at him, confused. “What?”

“Getting a rainbow pin—” he took his other hand and started putting the hair clips on it so none of them would get lost “—to show support.”

Max didn't say anything and Simon continued with what he was doing. After the music video finished, and another one started playing, Hugh gave Adrian his flag and told him he could go and hang it in his room, and as soon as Max heard that too, he gave Simon the hair clips and followed his brother out of the room, asking him if he could help him with it.

Simon, after realizing the bag where the hair clips came in had been destroyed by Max punching holes in it with the pin, took one of the empty pill bottles he kept in his drawers and put them there.

He closed the pill bottle and realized Hugh had been gazing at him during all this time, slightly leaning on the ironing board. “What?”

“That’s my pill bottle, Si,” he told him.

“Ah—” Simon pressed his lips “—can I have it?”

“No.” Hugh smiled at him. “Yes, you can.”

“So funny. Come here—” and patted the bed mattress.

Hugh, being extremely careful not to touch the flags he just ironed, lied on the bed and sighed.

“Do you want me to play with your hair?” Simon asked him with a soft voice.

He closed his eyes and nodded.

After a while of the two of them just being silent, he said, “Hey… I heard what you told Max, by the way.”

“The butterfly hair clips trend?”

“The pin thing.”

“What about it?”

Hugh opened his eyes, just a little bit. “Just don't tell Max I told you, all right? Because he told me he wouldn't tell anyone else until he was sure, but… I think it's important the two of us know,” he explained.

Simon was starting to feel his palms get a little bit sweaty. “Okay— but just tell me, please.”

He checked overhearing their conversation one last time, and that the kids were still at Adrian's room. “Max told me a couple of days ago that he has been thinking about… what he likes.”

He stopped playing with his hair for a second. But then, he continued.

It was his way of coping with the feeling of his stomach twisting inside of him. “What he likes?” Hugh nodded again. “Huh. And has he— does he has an idea or—”

“No, he doesn't,” Hugh answered. “He just knows that he doesn't like girls. Or that's what he told me.”

Simon raised his eyebrows and scoffed. “That sounds like a lot of things. Not liking girls.”

Hugh scoffed too. “That's what I told him. And that he can take all the time he needs to figure it out. Because he can—”

“Yes. Yes, of course, he can,” Simon assured, with determination. “Life is longer than we think it is.”

They stayed silent again. And Simon couldn’t help but feel relive inside his head the moment he called Max an ally, feeling his stomach twisting even more at every second it passed.

“I feel bad.”

“Why?”

His palms started to sweat again. “Because I called him an ally.”

“It’s all right. You didn’t know.”

“I shouldn’t have assumed anything.”

“You didn’t know,” Hugh repeated.

But Simon didn’t listen. “Si.”

Then, Hugh grabbed him carefully by the wrist, and, a little bit surprised, Simon tilted his head. Hugh usually didn't interrupt him when he was playing with his hair.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

“No, what’s wrong with you?” he deadpanned

Simon knew him well enough to know he wasn’t trying to be rude. It was just his way of asking things. Especially when he was genuinely worried and didn’t think about modulating his tone so it It fitted the situation better.

He sighed. Because he didn’t want to lie to him. “I assumed Max was straight.”

As soon as he said it, he realized how silly it had sounded phrased like that. But he also noticed his voice had broken and he had to put a hand on his mouth so he didn’t start crying.

And Hugh, instead of saying the encouraging phrase he expected him to say…

He smiled.

And for some reason, that made him want to cry even more. “Ew, why are you smiling?” he asked.

Hugh took his time to answer him. “Oh, it’s nothing.  I think I'm just… happy.”

“Well, I’m not.”

Hugh smiled more. “I know, love, I know… It's just one of those things…” he tried to find the right words this time. “One of those things I didn't think we were going to go through together,” he kept saying. “Like… we're going to be together when Max finally discovers who he really is. Like we did with Adrian. And like other people did with us. And that makes me happy.”

Simon wanted to tell him to shut up and let him cry and be dramatic as much as he wanted because he considered he deserved it. But he tried to do it, the only thing that could come out of his lips was almost imperceptible “Yeah…” and then, a small tear started running down his face. Hugh quickly noticed this and wiped it away with his finger. Simon scoffed and looked away, rubbing his nose.

“Hey…” and he moved aside so Simon could lay beside him.

The space they had was a little too small but he didn’t mind because now he had an excuse to be closer to him.

And there it was again. Little Simon. Little Simon was there again with them.

Just that this time he wasn’t crying, or screaming, or even flickering. He was just… existing.

And all he wanted to do was to exist.  

When Hugh held him that way, sometimes he felt as if it was the first time he did it. Which made Simon (and the sad, angry and scared part of Simon) wonder if there was a sad, angry and scared part of Hugh that also craved that comfort and validation, and if it was the one who hugged that younger version of Simon until they convinced each other that everything was fine.

That there was nothing wrong with neither of them.

Because sometimes it was as if people didn’t remind them that as many times as they needed. So the only option they had was to be there for the other, and tell him that it was okay to hug, to kiss, to touch, and to share until the one who was talking ended up convincing both of them.

Love wasn’t temporary.

And their love was as powerful as they wanted it to be.

Those younger versions of themselves wanted to stay like that forever every single time. But their adult versions knew they couldn’t do it because they had other responsibilities that they needed to attend.

Installing those two pride flags that were next to them, for example.

Their younger versions were excited to do that, but they also asked them if they could rest together a little bit longer. And neither of them had the heart to tell them no.

Hugh started to play with a lock of Simon’s hair. “We’ll be there to catch him.”

He knew he wasn’t talking about either of them. Even if, with his eyes closed, he could see little Hugh and little Simon holding each other’s hands and throwing themselves into the world, a little less sad, and angry, and scared than before, without being sure if there was going to be someone down there to catch them if everything went wrong.

“Together.”

And Simon agreed. “Together.”

 ***

“He’s going to fall.”

Simon rolled his eyes.

“No, he’s not,” Hugh told Max. “I’m here.”

“But what if—”

“Done,” Simon announced before Max could even finish his sentence. “Now, let’s just hope these things stay there as long as possible, because this ladder makes me anxious. I was trembling while putting the first flag.”

Max clicked his tongue. “It’s a windy day. The wind could have pushed the ladder or something.”

Now it was Hugh’s turn to roll his eyes. “Take my hand.”

Simon went down the ladder without letting go of his hand. Then, while Hugh took it and quickly went inside the garage to put it there, Adrian pricked his little brother up with his own rainbow flag pin, and in response, Max punched him in the stomach with all his might (which wasn’t that much). Adrian laughed and pretended to be hurt, but immediately asked him if he wanted him to help him with his pin.

Simon noticed that Adrian had already put his pin of the bisexual flag on his clothes, and watching him pull Max a little bit closer so he didn’t prink him again (now by accident), while Max gazed at his hands, trying to memorize his movements so he could do the same thing when he wanted to wear that pin again, made his mouth curved into a smile.

When his husband came back from the garage, he thought he was going to tell them to stop blocking the sidewalk and get in the house so they could continue with their day. But instead of doing that, he walked towards them and looked at their waving flags, flying on their mansion for the first time in years.

Adrian grabbed Max by the waist and carried him on his shoulders so he could have a better view. And he realized that there would be a day when they would throw themselves into the world completely alone, without knowing how people were going to act and aware that two of them were brave enough to take whatever blows that they were going to throw at them.

But they weren’t going to do it alone. Because Hugh, Simon, and their hurting parts weren’t going to spend a day without reminding them that they were going to be there, ready to catch them every single time they needed it.

Simon started to look for Hugh’s hand just to realize, Hugh was already looking for his too, and when they found each other, he couldn’t contain himself and stood on his tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. Then, Hugh smiled and kissed him back, this time, on the corner of his lip.

Simon felt proud of what they were.

He was really proud.

And he hoped they were proud too.

#renegades #archenemies #supernova #renegades trilogy #hugh everhart #simon westwood #adrian everhart #max everhart #everhart-westwood family #the warden and the captain are sitting in a tree #obsi's writs #i should get an oscar for the homophobic storm joke

[workingforitallthetime]

c’mon join the marty party

or, why you should love jordan martinook

I initially thought of Jordan Martinook as merely the means to a mistah svechnikov end. But as it turns out, I like Marty a whole lot too. So I thought I would take a few minutes to get you up to speed before I inflict svech/marty fic upon you. A full primer on that ship will follow, but for now, let’s get to know Marty, okay?

Unless otherwise sourced, all the information that follows is from here or here.

Marty is unquestionably the Canes’ energy guy, on and off the ice. There are countless articles referencing his “relentless energy” and describing how the entire team is less effective if he’s not playing. If a conversation is happening, Marty wants to be involved. If there’s a fight, Marty probably started it. If there’s a team event, Marty is planning it. If someone is getting punched by Evander Holyfield, it’s going to be Marty.

Background: Born in Manitoba, raised in Saskatchewan, claims Alberta. We love a prairie boy playing pond hockey, yes we do! A late bloomer who was passed over the first two years he was draft-eligible, Marty was finally drafted in the second round by the Arizona Coyotes in 2012. When asked what he wanted to be doing in five years, this 20-year-old softy said he’d hopefully be on his second contract "and be settling down in my life with a wife and kids.”

and look! he did it!

This is Chase. He was born the same week Marty signed his new contract with the Canes, but Marty would like you to know he also went to a Metallica concert that week. It was a big week. I would like you to know that Marty dressed Chase up as a Canadian moose for his first Halloween, but unfortunately I cannot find pictures. However, there are plenty of pictures of Marty’s gassy french bulldog Gus. Marty’s wife Courtney also seems lovely but this is an rpf zone so I don’t think about her too much.

Marty made his NHL debut in 2014, and in 2018 he was traded to Carolina. Possibly you could say this happened because the Yotes had a surplus of wingers with Lawson Crouse on the way up, but cosmically this happened because Andrei Svechnikov needed Marty.

Marty played it cool the first few weeks in Carolina, but he released the Marty Party after that and he has been the best beloved of the Canes social media team ever since. Here is Marty extremely drunk after tailgating at an NC State game (with a little bonus svech for you):

The Canes gave him an A in his second year, and truly there is no one better suited for the role. As I understand it, one possible job description for an A is Vice President of Good Vibes and Making Sure Everyone Feels Included (please note that I could be wrong about this, my sample size is Kevin Hayes), and Marty excels at this responsibility. Brind’Amour describes him as “kind of that guy that glues it all together.”

Here’s Marty bellowing the starting lineup. And here’s Marty tweeting at Ryan Suzuki because Marty is the kind of guy who researched the Canes’ brand new draft pick and found out his go-to karaoke song is Love Story:

Marty takes karaoke extremely seriously. His worst fear, other than rattlesnakes, is getting booed off the karaoke stage. This happened to him once, in Portland ME, but he acknowledges it was his fault for choosing an Eminem song. (”I’m from Alberta, I can’t rap.”) His go-to karaoke song is I Wanna Dance With Somebody, but he notes that other appropriate choices for someone from Alberta include country music and Sarah McLachlan.

Oh, a little more about that Nickelback thing:

Here are some other important Marty facts:

Was a drama kid in high school! He had the lead in the school play and they had to reschedule it because Marty had a hockey game.

The team was already calling Martin Nečas “Marty” when Jordan Martinook arrived in Carolina, but Jordan pulled rank and claimed the nickname and made everybody call Martin Nečas “Junior” instead.

If Marty was an animal, he’d be a dolphin (because he loves water and can do a very plausible dolphin squeal.)

Speaking of loving water, last summer Marty took a river float trip with Joel Edmundson, Brock McGinn, Jake Gardiner, and Svech. Sometimes I lie awake at night and think about this.

Marty is a hairy motherfucker who regularly waxes his eyebrows (because threading is too painful and laser hair removal did not work) and has been chirped about his back hair in every locker room he’s ever been in.

Speaking of hair, Marty would like you to know that when he was 16 or 17 he and his brother-in-law “fell into some beers” and his brother-in-law tried to wax Marty’s asshole with drywall tape. (Are you starting to see why Marty is the best hockey podcast guest ever?)

I think it’s important for you to know that Marty has hot pink swim trunks:

Finally, it should be noted that Marty comes by it honestly. His dad is legendary for partying like a rock star on every dads’ trip. I will leave you with this photo of small Marty and his dad, two generations of party:

#i assume you already know about svech #but if you don't just holler and i'll make you that primer too #hawk fic

[honey-hippie-harper]

through the bleeding shell (Re-upload)

This was @obsidianfr3sk ‘s Feel Better gift asfghadsfghadfsghja. It turned out to be pretty depressing in the end bc idk how to write happy stuff but my good intentions were there, ok?

This is a Humon/Renegays fic :’). Which, basically, is about how the Renegays didn’t kiss during the trilogy...sort of. I can’t think of an specific reason why they didn’t besides bad writing and queerbaiting, but I’ve always seen Hugh as this...detached entity. Idk x’d. He shows a pretty dense attitude. And so, I thought that it was partly the reason why they’re not that affective during the trilogy. Not that they aren’t on a daily basis. I just think their relationship was in a bad place when the events happened, because, among other things, Hugh wasn’t grieving Georgia in a healthy way (I headcanon them as best friends </3) and wouldn’t allow Simon to help him. 

idk why I felt the need to talk about that.

tag list (tell me if you want to be in or out): @healing-winston-pratt @obsidianfr3sk @nodrianbcyes @alecjamesartino @everyone-has-a-nightmare @razzmooncake

through the bleeding shell

Being around someone for so long…

It allowed you to know things. Some of them important.

Others, not so much.

Simon had married a person he had been around his entire life; he had slept next to him almost every single day since he was very young. And his name was Hugh Everhart.

Simon knew every spot on Hugh’s body; he knew every mole, every random sun freckle here and there; how his body mass seemed to be well-distributed at plain sight but, in reality, his chest was naturally wider than the rest of his body, as if he had been born with the figure of a baseball player; how he scratched his nose because wrinkling it so much while laughing made it itchy; he knew the way his knuckles turned yellow when he turned them into a fist; he knew there was one single scar below his rib cage area…

He knew everything he had to know about Hugh Everhart, his husband, whom he loved so much that sometimes it hurt.

Yet, Simon was yet to know how and why, lately, he was so cold, despite still being a human furnace who was sometimes annoyed by the blanket on winter nights.

Kasumi frowned, and Simon wished she were misunderstanding, but whatever thing she was thinking, she was probably right.

Cold was a pretty wide term, which could basically mean anything. Being brutally honest, not even he knew what he was trying to convey by using that word, so he supposed he was referring to anything it could express, as a whole.

Thinking about it… yeah.

That option sounded about right.

Another thing that sounded about right, was the idea of Kasumi judging him because of it, which was something Simon knew wasn’t true and, instead, it was just his anxiety trying to ruin his day even more. But sometimes things were like that. He tried to avoid it, but never managed to do such thing. Ever.

“Not to be rude or anything.” She started, but before proceeding she seemed to realize that, maybe, that hadn’t sounded as intended, and her cheeks became extremely flushed, until Kasumi looked like she had ran under the burning sun while wearing a wool sweater for hours. “Really, Si. I don’t mean to be rude. As in...I’m...telling you this...so you think…”

She clicked her tongue, and then both Tamaya, who was also in the room, and him, stared at her as she talked to herself under her breath, making a couple of hand movements, as if she were writing her sentence in the air so she could phrase it correctly.

Sometimes, when Kasumi was nervous, she tended to struggle at putting her ideas together in a gentle, polite manner.

“...I was telling you that, so you don’t think I’m trying to offend you or minimize your pain.” She corrected herself. “Yeah?”

“...Yeah.” Simon nodded.

“Well…” Kasumi rubbed her hands together, more as a distraction than as an actual mannerism. “You know I’ve...never understood. Back at home...when we all lived together and...ugh. You know? Just...don’t mind me. Tam, you tell him.”

“No, no. What you’re saying is important too.”

“I want to listen to you, Zoomie.”

Upon the two pairs of eyes in the room being fixated on her, Kasumi kept fidgeting with the paper cone she now had between her hands, absently.

“Fine.” She whispered in a breathy voice, and then she stared at Simon, who stared back, not because he wanted to be polite or something like that, but because he genuinely wanted to listen to her.

Kasumi wasn’t a talker. That wasn’t an exaggeration or an act of fake modesty. It was just that Kasumi didn’t enjoy a lot of things, and one of them was speaking, to the point where sometimes she didn’t consider it necessary. There were days when she just...didn’t feel like speaking. And she didn’t. Because she didn’t want to. Because she didn’t need to. Because people could understand her anyway.

Still, everyone was willing to listen when she felt there was something she had to explain in a way that was verbal.

“I love my husband very much.” She said, placing a lock of hair behind her ear. “But, still, sex it’s not...a huge part of our relationship because I’ve never understood. When you joked about it back at home, I would just assume you were just doing that. Joking. I...literally didn’t expect you were serious when you talked about experiencing that type of attraction. Because I didn’t. And it’s not that I think it’s repulsive or anything like that. I just don’t get what the fuss is about. When I’m with him...it’s...usually not my first option. To think about that, I mean. And he understands and respects that, which I appreciate a lot.”

The more she spoke, the more confident her tone became. It meant she was growing more comfortable with the conversation, and that her train of thought was getting itself together, nice and slowly.

As for Simon...he was strangely comfortable, too, because this felt like a mature, adult conversation to him. Like a safe space.

After all, he was serious when he told them he needed to talk (now that Evander wasn’t here, because Evander was...not very sensitive). Hence, he was very glad they were being serious about it too.

“I understand that Hugh’s not in the spectrum.” Kasumi cleared her throat. “But...sexuality is fluid. Maybe, if you were talking about only that, it could be a good idea to talk it over. Only if he wants to, of course, because you never know; again, we can’t just assume, because one cannot do that. It’s rude. But what I mean...it’s that, whatever that’s going on in his head, maybe he’s trying to figure it out by himself. It might have nothing to do with his sexuality at all, actually, because, after all, that was just a comment...but it all comes back to the same point. Maybe he just...needs time.”

“Hugh’s pretty dense, Simon.” Simon saw the steamy cup in front of him, but he didn’t realize what it was until the smell of black coffee reached his nostrils. He hadn’t even noticed Tamaya was making coffee.

“Thank you.” He whispered anyway, as Tamaya leaned against the table, putting her weight on her elbows.

For all he knew, and all he cared about, it was pretty easy for people to judge Tamaya and label her as a bad person; she was quiet, although not in the way Kasumi was. On the contrary, she was rather serious, and her resting face was more intimidating than it was warm or welcoming. She was also really bad at controlling her temper, which didn’t help at all, but she wasn’t as bad as people wanted to portray her, or as bad as the recruits talked about her in the halls. Because, when it came to the recruits, Tamaya was strict, yes.

But somebody had to be, because being a Renegade was not a game, and the great majority of the advice she gave was extremely useful and clever.

Tamaya was caring.

Deep, very deep down. But she was.

“He’s pretty dense, but…” She sighed. “Most of the time, that’s not his fault. It’s not a good thing either. It’s not healthy for him and we shouldn’t condone it...but yeah. He can be pretty dense sometimes. He’s like that, most of the time it’s not his fault but...I don’t think you should feel like it’s yours either.”

Simon couldn’t help but flinch a little.

The thing was...he knew that.

It might’ve sounded crazy coming from him, but he knew it wasn’t his fault, even if his anxiety was determined to convince him otherwise.

Also, he was one to know that one couldn’t just fix a person. That’s not how mental health worked; of course, a romantic relationship or a relationship of any kind was a huge source of support and stability, but he knew it wasn’t enough to “heal” a person.

He knew about that, just like he knew that Hugh loved him and he loved Hugh, but that didn’t mean they could fix each other. They could make it a little better, yes; hold each other when things were rough; let the other know they weren’t alone.

But…”fixing” the other.

Not really.

They were humans.

They were people.

And the only thing people could fix, were objects, not other people.

“Like Kasumi said, sexuality is fluid, but it might as well not have to do anything with that.” Tamaya continued. Her voice sounded...soothing, strangely motherly. And she was calm.

Very calm.

It reminded Simon of someone.

They both reminded him of someone.

“Hubby and I, we both experience sexual attraction. It’s an important part of our relationship, and we enjoy it, but sometimes it’s just not the right time. He’s a doctor, I’m a Renegade Council member, and we have three wonderful boys together. Sometimes we don’t have time, so we just sit by the balcony to stargaze, holding hands, or we go out on dates like high school sweethearts, and I stand by the doorframe waiting for him to tell me I look pretty.”

Simon laughed a little.

It was evident she was trying to play it off as something dumb, but he found it absolutely adorable.

“And sometimes I’m too tired or he’s too tired, and that’s normal. It’s not our fault, and it doesn’t mean that we love each other less because…”

“Having sex doesn’t define love.” Kasumi said, and Tamaya nodded.

“Exactly.”

But again.

Again.

Simon knew that.

He really knew.

Hugh and him had busy schedules too. They both were Renegade Council members, and Hugh had it worse because not only was he a member, but also the leader of the Council. He had to be everywhere, at the same time, and people tended to think that just because he was invincible, it meant he didn’t have the right to feel emotionally drained, or at least tired.

Of course he was going to be tired.

He wasn’t a robot.

Hence, Simon understood what they were trying to say, and he agreed with Kasumi and Tamaya.

But the problem was…

He wasn’t referring just to that.

It was...part of the problem, yes.

But now that he knew their opinion about it, he had come to the realization that he still felt...empty and lost. And just...frustrated.

“We’re not only talking about sex, are we?” Tamaya asked carefully, and Simon refused to stare back at her, as he took a sip from his coffee, before answering:

“I’m afraid not.”

“Well...If you’re telling us this, it’s because you do want to talk about it, right?”

“I do. Yes.”

“Well. We’re listening.”

At the same time Tamaya spoke, a cold, little hand, laced between Simon’s.

A hand that felt like the sea and, even if he hadn’t known she was the only person in the room besides Tamaya and him, he would’ve recognized it as Kasumi’s.

So Simon squeezed her hand back.

“We’re listening, Si.” She confirmed. “We’re here for you.”

He knew that, and it was something he was extremely grateful about.

Now he just had to figure out how to put into words what he was feeling, because at this point it felt impossible for him to know.

There were just...so many things, but at the same time such a limited number of details he could recall.

It just felt...unreal.

And weird.

Very weird.

But Simon didn’t feel numb, unlike anyone would’ve expected from him.

In fact, he felt so sad he couldn’t even cry.

And it was the worst feeling ever.

“I don’t know.” He said, in a hoarse voice. “I just...don’t know anymore. It’s just...I…”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know.” He clarified. “...But maybe that’s why I don’t know what it is.”

For the shortest second, Simon came to the realization he was talking to himself instead of talking to them, or perhaps it was something that, deep down, was giving him the answer to why this whole situation was making him so uneasy and upset. Like, of course it was making him this upset. It was his husband they were talking about. Hugh was his fight. Hugh was…

Simon didn’t know.

But what he did know was that, maybe, it had nothing to do with himself, and that’s why he just couldn’t…

He just couldn’t understand.

Why couldn’t he understand?

Why did it have to be like this?

“I want to know what it is.” Simon took a deep breath, trying to make himself understood; trying to make them understand what he couldn’t. “...So I can...make it better...So I can...help him. So we can...look for help together.”

Simon scratched his brow with his free hand.

“But he’s just… so cold. He doesn’t talk to me. He doesn’t come closer. He doesn’t...do anything. We don’t do anything. And I can’t help but feel like...he’s not here, even though he’s…” Simon scoffed, painfully. “...He’s right there, in front of my face.”

His eyes became fixated on a blank point, as if he were staring at an invisible Hugh, who wasn’t staring back at him.

“And I want him to...tell me. Because if he doesn’t tell me, then I have no way to know what’s wrong. And if I don’t know what’s wrong...then I don’t know for how long I can take it, you know? It’s just...I can’t bear to stand there as he pushes me away.”

Kasumi started running her thumb through his knuckles, and Simon felt Tamaya’s hands on his shoulders, massaging them, gently.

“I’m just scared...that when he finally wants me to come closer again, it might be too late...and maybe I won’t want to come closer again.”

Tamaya’s hands stopped moving for a moment, and Simon could almost feel her and Kasumi’s shock. He hadn’t even planned to say that. It just slipped.

And when Simon noticed it had slipped, it was far too late for him to hold it back.

“Maybe you should talk to him, after all.” Kasumi said, slowly, and Simon stared into her eyes.

He didn’t realize that was the thing he didn’t want to hear until he felt nothing but hopelessness.

Emptiness.

Fear.

A type of fear that became more intense in the moment they heard the door opening, and that’s when Simon saw him.

Hugh was standing right there, staring, and when his eyes laid on Simon, he arched an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused and worried.

“What’s happening here?” He asked. “...Si? Are you okay?”

Are you?

Simon didn’t want to answer. He really didn’t.

He didn’t want this to be about him.

He didn’t want Hugh asking him what was wrong if, harsh as it sounded, everything that was making him uncomfortable or upset had to do with him, not because Simon was blaming him, but because he was genuinely worried.

Let me help, Hugh.

“I’m...fine.”

Let me in.

“...Yeah. I’m...fine.”

Please, love.

Let me in.

Simon could see him hurting, but where he saw hurt, Hugh saw some type of burden that was meant to be concealed, committing treason against his own advice; dodging the sound of the voice of a younger Hugh, who guided a younger Simon through the dark, telling him it was alright.

That pain was alright.

And that pain didn’t make him less human.

Hugh’s pain, in particular, was a grey, bleeding shell that was so thick Simon couldn’t find a way to get in, and Hugh couldn’t find a way to get out.

So they just pressed their palms together through the bleeding shell, staring at each other's eyes through a polarized surface, that stopped their skin from touching, and stopped their lips from finding the other.

And the worst thing...was that Simon was craving that. He craved Hugh’s lips. He craved everything physical about him, just like he craved everything that wasn’t physical too. And he craved him so much he felt like dying every time he was close. He craved him so much it made him feel like a teenager again.

Which, in his case, wasn’t a good thing.

He wished it was.

But...teenage years weren’t fun if you had to spend them trapped in a closet. Things were never good when lived from inside a closet.

He didn’t want his life outside that closet to be like that too.

“Did you have an attack? ...Si, did you take your pills? … You did, right?”

“Hugh.” Simon heard Tamaya’s voice. “Is there...something that you needed?”

Hugh blinked, knowing that, maybe, he had interrupted something.

Mostly because it wasn’t like Tamaya was trying to hide it either.

“...Yeah.” He said, resting his arms on the nearest chair.

Tamaya pulled away from Simon, and Kasumi let go of his hand. They didn’t become fully focused, nor did they put on their “I’m working” mode either, but they did manage to...pretend. Even Simon managed to do so.

“Uh...I…” Hugh snapped his fingers in front of his own face, trying to remember what was it that he had to say.

“....Yeah.” He concluded. “Yeah. Uh… Tam. I need you to head downtown because they want you to supervise some of the floats for the parade. From...up, I mean. So you can check some of the details. I already checked from the ground and everything’s looking good, but now they want you to give them the green light.”

“Right now?”

“Preferably.” Hugh scratched his nose. “Were you...in the middle of something?”

Tamaya filled her cheeks with air, and then let it out, making a little trumpet with her lips.

“No.” She lied. “It’s fine. I’ll go. Just let me put some stuff in my locker, alright?”

“Be careful when you fly, okay? It’s kinda hot outside. If you get dizzy...”

“If I get dizzy, I’ll land. I know. I’m the one who’s flying.”  

Given that she was already heading by the door, Tamaya patted his shoulder, and they said goodbye with a very polite kiss on the cheek, before Tamaya left the room completely, and Hugh drew his attention towards Kasumi.

“Margaret White is acting out.”

Kasumi frowned. Deeply.

“Margaret...what?”

“Uh. White? You know? The Renegades’ ward? The kid?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know who Maggie is.” Kasumi waved her hands in front of her own face. “...Who named her that?”

“Who named her what?”

“White. Who on Earth…?” Kasumi clicked her tongue. “Nevermind, okay? Just...what did she do?”

“Zoomie, I had already told you.” Hugh laughed, confused.

“I thought you were being rude, Hugh.”

Margaret White was the Renegades’ protégé. Her powers consisted of detecting and attracting metals which, evidently, was not something that was out of this world. In fact, she had been recruited at such a young age not because she had extraordinary abilities, but because she was problematic as heck.

She was Max’s age, more or less but, unlike Max, Margaret had no chill.

Her life was ruined from the moment somebody saw her and decided that White was a suitable last name for her, Tamaya used to say.

Margaret’s skin was tan, and she had slanted eyes. Naming her “White” almost seemed like a tasteless joke.

Simon himself thought Hugh was just being disrespectful the first time he told him her name, and he had to hear it a couple of times before he just...accepted he was serious (and that Hugh himself didn’t seem to like the idea of her being named like that very much).

Maggie was really problematic. For real. She had been kicked out of a couple of orphanages already, and maybe she would have been kicked out of this one too, if it hadn’t been a prodigy orphanage, which happened to be under Kasumi’s management, meaning it was directly related to the Council. And they were supposed to make sure nobody got kicked out of there.

Simon liked Maggie, because he knew that there was a chance that everything she ever did had reason behind it. An emotional reason. Perhaps she wanted love. Perhaps she wanted attention.

Perhaps she just…

Wanted someone who didn’t give up on her at the minimum inconvenience.

So he just...tried not to.

Hard as it was, because Maggie tended to make it hard; Kasumi had tried to canalize her to a psychologist many times, but her response always was that “she wasn’t crazy” (perhaps because kids her age were mean and “crazy” was one of their favorite words to use as an insult) and...well...part of the process in children, was understanding when it was the right time and when it wasn’t.

Sometimes forcing kids into treatment made it worse, and Maggie was pretty mature for her age, while painfully childish at the same time. Respecting her space and giving her time was their only option, if they didn’t want to turn her into a ticking bomb.

“Are you for real? I’ve been addressing her like that for like…”

“Just tell me what the little bundle of joy did now.”

“Pff.” Hugh scoffed. “Bundle of joy.”

Then, he cleared his throat the moment Kasumi fixed a glare at him.

“Well...the usual. She stole something from one of the nannies, Carrietta Ferland saw her and she locked her in a cellar so she wouldn’t say anything.”

“She locked Carrietta Ferland in a cellar.” Kasumi rubbed her forehead, and before she left the meeting room, she squeezed Simon’s wrist.

She didn’t say goodbye to Hugh.

Simon didn’t, either, when he excused himself under the sort of cheap white lie he needed to wash his face.

-.-

But one could only wash their face so much, before their partner suspected.

When Simon didn’t come back, Hugh didn’t go after him. He never did at first.

As in…

Hugh always went after him, just not at first; over time, Simon had grown to accept it wasn’t a pride thing.

When Hugh left, he never wanted anyone to go after him, and he was the type to believe that just because he didn’t want something, it meant nobody wanted it; Simon had gotten used to it, because Hugh was his husband, and they accepted each other just like they were.

What Simon refused to accept, was the bleeding shell Hugh was inside of.

He hated it.

He despised it, especially at night. It would grow around Hugh in slow motion, and then he would bleed through, and the whole room would turn red, overflowing it with unspoken, suffocated anger and pain.

Hugh turned his back at Simon that night, so Simon turned his back at him too, not because he was mad, but because he didn’t feel like staring at Hugh’s back today.

Their room became as cold as an industrial fridge, as they both fell deep into the notion the other was not asleep, and that they both were listening to the sound of a room that was currently filled with deathly silence.

Deathly as the bone-chilling cold penetrating their limbs, their organs, and their everything.

Deathly as…

Deathly as feelings.

All the stored feelings, and the way Simon craved something he knew was right there.

Hugh was right there. Right next to him. And his body, which he knew so well, was laying next to him, turning his back at him, with every mole, every sun freckle, a chest wider than the rest of his body…

And one single scar below his rib cage.

The same rib cage that protected his heart.

Say something, Simon.

The same heart Simon had felt beating so many times.

Say something.

Anything.

Maybe…

Maybe this had a reason too.

An emotional reason.

Perhaps love. Or attention.

Say something. Anything.

Because you do go after people from the very first moment.

Slowly, as if he had never moved before in his life, Simon rolled to the other side, and as his trembling hand rested on Hugh’s arm, he became alert, awake as they both were, and he looked over his shoulder.

“Hugh?” Simon asked, the name leaving a familiar firm in his mouth that tasted like home.

He didn’t answer, because that was his name. Hence, he knew he was trying to talk to him.

“Come here, Hugh.”

And Hugh came over, hesitantly, rolling to his side too, as they faced each other, and Simon ran his finger through his face, just...exploring every spot he already knew, as if he were visiting his comfort place, of his favorite bench in the park.

His blue eyes seemed to shine in the darkness, and Simon felt he could’ve gotten lost in them and never come back.

But he didn’t get lost.

Because he had to find the love of his life first.

“I’m never giving up on you.” He whispered. “...you know that, right?”

Perhaps he didn’t.

But, on the other hand, perhaps he did. And Simon was left with nothing but the mere hope it had meant something.

“I’m never giving up on you either, Si.”

But Simon did know that.

Boy.

Did he know.

-.-

What he didn’t know, however, was the answer to the what.

He wondered what that had felt like.

He wondered what Nightmare had felt when, the morning after, she tried to shoot Hugh in the eye from a roof.

Not because he were mad at her.

No. Not really.

She was young after all.

He just wondered what she had felt.

#renegades trilogy #marissa meyer #my fanfics #dawnie writes #hugh everhart #captain chromium #simon westwood #the dread warden #humon #renegays

[dawniebb]

We Need to Talk About Evie

but do we though?

OKAY SO.

To the anon who asked if we were making more content, this is it :)

Let’s just say that this was another sort of marathon about the canon divergence universe I share with @healing-winston-pratt ! And this one included two lists, a drawing and a fic :) which is this one. Basically, a “Maggie is Evie” reveal bc I love to hurt myself and other people. I wrote this MONTHS ago :) but still, I hope you like it! <3

For background:

Why is Winston alive and why do Nova and him live with Leroy?

And some other things related to the canon divergence universe, but NOT to this fic:

About Evander’s family

Their portrait: https://healing-winston-pratt.tumblr.com/post/626983013669044224/sandra-obrien-wade-and-arthur-evander-wade

We absolutely don’t need to talk about Evie right now bc we’re having a hard time already, but here we go :)

@novadreamer95438 , @idkimbadwithusernamesandstuff there you go! (And @obsidianfr3sk bc I saw your tags about the fics jsjsjs and @jacihayle, but, in both your cases, you haven’t asked to be tagged and we’re doing it in case you wanted to get the notification, hence, if you want to be removed from the tag list, just notify us, that’s totally fine <3 )

They were sitting across the table, and it was super uncomfortable.

Nova thought about a married couple who was about to tell their grown ass child they were getting a divorce, even though the idea of an universe where for some reason Winston and Leroy were the same age and decided to get married absolutely repulsed her.

However, as disgusting as that sounded, that was what they looked like. They were even sitting next to each other, and while Winston tried to smile a bit, Leroy looked dead inside.

Not that he were physically able to look in some other way.

Damn.

She was used to all of this. These situations. These types of scenes.

And yet, she wanted it to be over once and for all. These had been the longest 5 minutes of her life. So long she even had to look at her clock to check how many minutes had passed, because she was almost sure they had been sitting there for at least 15.

But no. 5 minutes.

5 suffocating and eternal minutes.

Finally, Winston sensed and acknowledged this was getting kind of weird and, while straightening his back, he spoke in a fake upbeat voice.

“So… “He said.

Then his tone felt flat and his voice turned into nothing, because it disappeared. Like that. After his first word, he was out of courage again. And he stayed there, with his mouth half-open.

But Nova couldn’t tolerate this any longer, so this time she took (or at least tried to) the lead.

“So?” She asked with a determinate, almost demanding tone. “I was kinda in the middle of something, so… if you guys could…you know, tell me what did you call me for?”

Technically, she wasn’t lying. She was in the middle of something. It wasn’t work-related, but still it was something.

Nova tended to take her inventions, her personal projects, pretty seriously and Winston and Leroy were more than aware of that, and since she knew that, she found it very rude of them to interrupt her; to take her out of her zone so they could all sit around the table in an awkward and tense silence, listening to the sound of their own breaths. That is, she wasn’t usually this this harsh towards them, but they had managed to put her in a bad mood.

“Yeah. Sure. Of course you wanna know what is it that we called you for.” Winston sniffed, lacing his fingers together on the table. He looked…no, he acted nervous.

Nova didn’t know what he was about to say or what they were trying to tell her, but she was sure as hell that, after this, Winston would have to talk to his therapist, as he was continuously clearing his throat to stop his fake high-pitched tone from coming out instead of his real voice.

“We need to talk.” He concluded.

Nova snorted, while Leroy rubbed his face so hard she could see the trace of his hand on his own skin…As if he were helping much to the situa…

“Goddamn. Don’t do that. It’s not like you’re being too helpful.”

Thank you.

“I know.” Leroy said in a monotonous tone. “However…”

“No. Please. Just stop. I’m shaking and you’re just making it worse. If you’re not gonna do anything to help then stop grimacing at me or get the fuck out.”

“Man.”

“You act like an old, adult-sized, grumpy toddler. Grow up.”

Nova bit her lip, trying to convince herself this wasn’t funny, even though it was. In the past, being aware Winston was mad would’ve been extremely scary (The fact he was kind to her didn’t mean he could be underestimated. Winston had easily been the most dangerous Anarchist after Ace and Ingrid) but right now it was just…this. He could have a bad temper if he put his mind into it, though he would move on after like 30 minutes or so.

And Leroy knew that too, so he didn’t get offended.

That, and the fact that it was extremely hard to make Leroy feel offended.

Winston closed his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to get his chill back and align his freaking chakras.

Nova hissed. She had had this idea for a couple of minutes now, but she decided that it was the time to spit it out because, besides being eager to go back to the basement, she could feel the stress levels were getting out of control and they were at the point where they soon would start killing each other.

“If this is about The Talk.” Nova said, and once their attention was back at her, she repeated, air quoting:

“The Talk.”

“We know what you’re referring to.” Leroy nodded.

“Yeah. So…there’s no need for that.” She assured. “I already know about that stuff. Honey gave me a really graphic lecture back in the day and, not to offend you guys, but I’m not sure I want to go through that again. I appreciate the intention, but…”

“It’s not about that.” Leroy said. Cold, almost like he wanted her to shut up. Nova knew there was no use in feeling attacked or bad because that was the way Leroy usually spoke to everyone. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge in her stomach. In Leroy’s mind, from what she had heard, seen and experienced, she didn’t fit in the everyone category.

“Oh.” She gulped. “What is it, then?”

Leroy stared at her, Nova stared at Winston when Leroy’s stare was too heavy, and Winston stared at Leroy too.

So good ol’ Cyanide had no other option but to open his mouth again.

“We need to talk about Evie.”

And the world went numb. Her world. Her entire, little, shattered world.

And even though everything around it was in flames, Nova’s body, which held her little world, felt frozen. She was made of ice.

And she felt extremely cold.

She looked at both Winston and Leroy with all the hatred she was yet to dispose; all the resentment she still carried within; all the pain that still ate from her insides from now and then; until she realized she had skipped at least 5 seconds breath, and her legs responded, helping her up from the chair almost against her will.

They had no right.

They weren’t allowed to mention that. Not yet.

Not when they knew she was yet to heal.

Not when they knew they were ripping open an old, painful scar.

“No, we don’t.” She stated directly. “The only person I’ll talk to about that at the moment is my therapist and if you don’t like it it’s not my obligation to apologize. You’ll have to deal with that. You’re grown ass men.”

This time it was Winston’s turn to rub his face until there has a hand-shaped red line all the way through it.

“Wow, you fucking genius.” He barked at Leroy. “So sensitive and subtle, as al—“

“YOU’RE GROWN ASS MEN!” Nova slammed the table, feeling so furious she didn’t even find the time to cry.

Mostly because didn’t feel like crying.

Instead, she felt like screaming in a pillow until her throat bled.

“HEY! FINE, FINE! CALM DOWN!” Winston reached for her hand, grabbing her by the wrists. “CALM DOWN, YOU’LL HURT YOUR HANDS!”

She stopped. Not because she was more calm, but because Winston looked genuinely worried and she couldn’t help but feel…something.

Nova breathed like an enraged bull until her lungs ached and Winston’s gaze felt bigger than her, along with his hold.

Just like when she was little, during stormy nights.

Winston and Leroy were always the best at calming her down. And even now, no matter how hard she tried, every time they did stuff like this she went numb. A weird type of numb.

A good type of numb.

“Good.” Winston sighed. “Would you mind to sit down?”

She did it, as her body suddenly felt heavy as a rock; her body touched the chair again, and she shivered but tried to act normal.

“I’m sorry.” Leroy said in a hoarse voice. And even if she expected something more, that something never came, but Nova understood anyways.

Still, she didn’t find the strength to answer.

Winston rubbed his hands against each other and gently pushed his glass of water across the table towards her, but although her throat was dry, she refused to drink from it. She still had something called pride.

“What do you want?” She asked coldly.

“Nova, look…”

“What do you want?” She asked again, annoyed. “Do you want to know about how I left her to die?”

Winston shut his eyes closed as if he had received a really painful punch, and he scratched his forehead.

“What do you want from me? What do you want to know?” Nova begged from them to answer. “Please. I don’t know what do you want or why do you want it but let’s just…get this over with.”

“We don’t want anything from you.” Leroy started, this time in a less hurtful and soulless tone. “We’ve already caused you too much harm all over the years and we’re trying to make it up to you. Hence, I apologize for broaching the subject in such a sudden and violent way.”

Nova’s lips trembled, just like her hands.

“Fine.” She said.

Just…fine.

Nothing else to say.

Not at the moment, at least.

“And I apologize in advance for having to bring this up in the first place.” Winston licked his lips and cleared his throat. Again. “We even consulted your doctor and everything and, needless to say, we were advised not to act like asses about it. But somebody did anyway so…”

“You’ve thrown so many bricks at me I could build a wall with them, Winston. Thanks for your cooperation.”

“You’re welcome, you insensitive piece of shit.”

As fast as he directed his attention to Leroy, he directed it to Nova again, who just sniffed, blinded by rage.

“You talked to my doctor.” She said. Not as a question, but rather as a statement.

Because that’s what it was, and she wasn’t going to apologize for that either.

“We did.” Winston nodded. “Remember that she provided us with her contact and stuff, in case you…”

“I know.” Nova massaged her temples. “I know.”

“She didn’t provide any confidential information, nor did she give us any type of sensitive details about your sessions.” Leroy assured. “So there’s no need for you to be…worried about that.”

She wasn’t worried about that. She trusted them enough, even if sometimes she wasn’t willing to admit it. At least, she trusted them enough to know that, if someday her therapist saw herself in the necessity to tell them something, anything about what happened during the appointments, she wouldn’t be mad.

Not too much, at least.

But this was just too out of character even for them. And, not to sound harsh, but she would’ve expected it from someone like Hugh. Not them. Not Winston and Leroy.

“I’m not.” She said, trying to remain in a neutral tone. “So…please, please just tell me what’s this issue that’s so delicate you had to talk to my therapist before talking to me.”

They stared to each other for a second, before Leroy handed the folder he’d been keeping under his arm to Winston; the one she hadn’t paid too much attention to, as she thought it was…normal paperwork stuff.

Winston didn’t hand it to Nova. Instead, he put it on the table and placed both his hands on top of it.

“So. You’ve been told about and even helped with the updates to the Renegades system.” Winston said. High-pitched.

“Correct.” Nova’s eyelid was twitching.

“And…well, you know, since you are…a Renegade.” Winston coughed. “They had to take DNA samples from you to…”

“Upload it to the system. Let’s skip that part. I know it.” Nova rolled her eyes. She had no idea why they were going around the topic so much. “I’m the one they took samples from. I had to sign for permission. There’s no need to explain something I did. “

“Okay, okay. I’m…I’m sorry. You’re right.” Winston sniffed. “But…we need to mention it because…well…”

“They took samples from all the current Renegade recruits:  Members of the Council, patrol units, the janitorial team, the Headquarters staff…” Leroy took a deep breath. “….Winston and I had been suspicious about this for a while but still…”

“Still, we didn’t know.” Winston nodded. “….Gosh. This is going to be fucking hard.”

Nova crossed her arms over her chest.

“What’s going to be hard?” She laughed sarcastically. “And what does Evie even have to do with this? What is this all about?”

When they just looked at her, she thought she might have been missing something. Or failing to catch something in that case. Not that she cared at this point.

“Nova. The thing is that…” Winston took a deep breath. “We…”

A nervous laugh escaped his mouth, while Leroy played with the fabric of the tablecloth, absently.

“We…uhm…” He gulped. “We got…a match.”

She heard and comprehended the structure of the sentence, but it didn’t make sense at all in her head. So, the best answer she could think of was:

“A match of what?” in a harsh tone, arching her eyebrow as she tilted her head to the side.

“What the fuck are you two talking about?”

Winston hissed, and Leroy cleared his throat.

“A match, Nova.” Leroy clarified.

And after remaining in silence for at least three seconds, he spoke again, just because Winston refused to do it.

“A DNA that matches yours. And that, comparing it to the samples they took from Evie when she was born…it…uhm….also matches hers.”

She heard the words through a blank noise that invaded her ears. Deafening.

She felt the hot tears creating a vessel through her vision, as her arms tightened around her chest. And somehow, the answer was still clear as water.

“That’s bullshit.” She declared. “Those tests are wrong because the Renegades are still negligent as fuck. So that’s pure bullshit. That’s pure and utter…”

“Nova…”

“I was there the day she died and I could’ve saved her but I didn’t so she fucking died.” She stated, calm. “That’s the way things are. That’s what happened. That’s what…”

“Nova.”

“Nova. Listen.” Leroy stared directly at her eyes.

And this time he looked absolutely destroyed, so she listened.

For once.

“Her name’s Margaret White.” He said, slowly. “That’s Evie. That’s your sister.”

Her heartbeat turned into a drum, beating so fast it made her whole body ache. She turned into a car about to crash against a fence. A rollercoaster. A train wreck. A hurricane about to happen. And above all that noise, all she could hear were the bullets; all she could touch was Evie’s soft baby skin; all she could feel was the apartment’s floor beneath her bare feet; all she could smell was her mother’s blood above her brow; all she could remember was Magpie’s face.

All she could recognize was the bullet she carried around in her pocket.

All she could remember was how that kid had stolen her bracelet. Twice.

How she stared at her so full of disdain, directing a different type of sneer at her every single time; so resented with everyone, even with herself people she didn’t know.

Magpie, that Magpie, was the little baby Nova had mourned for more than half of the years she had been alive.

Magpie, who hated her and everyone else.

“Oh, Nova…” Winston tried to reach for her hand, but Nova slapped his’ away as hard as she could, careful not to release her power on him, just because she wanted to confront both of them.

“That’s bullshit.” She repeated, frantic. “It can’t be true.”

All she’d done.

“It can’t be true. Those papers are wrong.”

All she’d suffered.

“It’s not true.”

All she’d risked to avenge her sister.

“You’re lying.” She said, tears streaming down her face, begging they were lying.

All she’d done and risked…just for her beloved little sister to be alive.

Her chest went up and down, violently, as she covered her ears to avoid hearing their voices.

“NO!” She screeched, getting up from her chair. “YOU’RE LYING! YOU’RE LYING! YOU ALL ARE NOTHING BUT…!”

“NOVA, PLEASE, CALM DOWN!”

She slammed her fist on the table once again, as she felt her whole body losing control. Shaking. Shivering. Trembling.

Crumbling apart along with her life.

Her lie of a life.

Her little sad world full of lies and grief.

And now grief was also a lie.

“YOU’RE FUCKING LYING!”

Couldn’t it had been, at least, somebody that loved her?

-.-

By the time the healer was gone, Simon finally noticed the little wounds in Winston’s hands. He also had bitten his nails until he reached his skin and it started to bleed.

And his face was soaked.

And that, even if it was odd to admit it, broke his heart. He was absolutely distraught, just like Leroy, even though Leroy was handling it way better.

If Simon hadn’t been through this many times, he probably would’ve reacted the same as Winston.

“Is she…?”

“Yeah. She’ll be fine.” Hugh cleared his throat.

It had happened so fast they didn’t even have time to put on their uniforms. They were here, with regular clothes, just because Leroy and Winston hadn’t figured who else to call.

“The healer gave her some sedatives. It’ll take a couple of minutes, but she’ll…she’ll be fine.” Hugh said, to which Winston hiccupped and nodded, even if he wasn’t crying anymore.

Leroy showed no reaction. He was staring at a blank space in the nearest wall.

“We figured …maybe you don’t consider it adequate that Adrian spends the night here, so…he already notified the rest of the team members and Tucker volunteered. You…know her, right?”

“We do.” Winston said in a hoarse voice. “The…girl with this… grappling hook, right? Ruby.”

“Err… not quite a grappling hook but yeah. That’s her.”

Oh my god, Hugh.

Later Simon would lecture him about how it was non polite to be this dense.

Right now, it didn’t matter.

All that mattered was the scene that could be seen through the ajar bedroom door.

Nova was kneeling on the carpet while Adrian hugged her from the back, covering her body with his’.

You’re lying.

You’re lying.

You’re lying.

That’s what she said. On loop.

And Stars, Simon wished they were.

#renegades trilogy #marissa meyer #canon divergence #renegades aus #not quite but ok #nova artino #nova mclain #insomnia #nightmare #leroy flinn #cyanide #winston pratt #evie artino #margaret white #hugh everhart #captain chromium #simon westwood #the dread warden #adrian everhart-westwood #sketch #i tried to make this as realistic as i thought #because if i found out my dead sister is not actually dead i would be losing it #and not in the good sense lmao #we're all nova here #digging our own graves like winners

[emybain]

The Start of Something New

so I was going to post this yesterday, but then I got busy and I also didn't want to post until it felt right, so Im posting now! thank you to @danna-bell-is-black for beta reading this for me! I definitely plan on writing more fics about Georgia because I LOVE her

     It was well after three in the morning, and twenty two year old Georgia Rawles was standing outside Hugh Everhart’s apartment, banging on his door. She didn’t know where else to go; definitely not back home, even though she lived with Tamaya and could probably get more help from her. No, right now, she needed her best friend, the person she had grown up with. 

    She knew it wasn’t safe for her to keep standing out on his doorstep, but she also knew that most people stayed back when she entered a room. It was a trait she prided herself on, being intimidating, even though in high school she received the reward for Most Likely to Cry Over Puppies. 

    After three minutes of consistent banging, the door finally swung open, and Georgia came face to face with a yawning Hugh Everhart, who was squinting at her. Before he could ask her why she was there at such an hour, Georgia pushed passed him into the small apartment. 

    “Please, do come in,” Hugh mumbled sarcastically, closing the door behind her. “Georgia, it’s three in the fuc-”

    “I’m pregnant,” Georgia blurted out. She crossed her arms over her chest tightly, swallowing. At Hugh’s blank stare, clearly no longer tired, she continued. “I...I-I-I’m sorry, Hugh. I didn’t know where else to go.” 

    Hugh’s gaze drifted down to her flat stomach. Georgia felt the urge to hide it, despite there being nothing there yet. “Please tell me Evander’s not the father.”

    A laugh escaped Georgia’s throat, though it sounded nervous. It was a running joke between the two of them that she liked Evander; in reality, Evander was closer to Hugh than anyone, and she was fine with keeping it that way. He was a little too full of himself for her taste. “Skies, no. I...It’s that guy I went out with a few times about a month and a half ago, remember? I saved him from that shoe factory?” 

    It took him a moment, but Hugh slowly nodded. He still looked dumbfounded as he suggested they sit down. He faced her. “Does he know?”

    Georgia curled her feet up underneath her legs. “No. I just found out myself. I was headed home when I came across a robbery in a convenience store.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t just let them rob the poor old man, so I knocked them out and tied them up outside. The man was so grateful that he let me take whatever I wanted from the store-”

    “And you took a test?” Hugh leaned back against the couch cushions. 

    She nodded. “I almost took some medicine, just because that’s always good to have around, and it’s so rare, but I was selfish. I remembered that I missed my period, and I acted for myself.” She grabbed one of his throw pillows and hugged it to her chest. “Hugh, what do I do? I can’t bring a kid into this world. Not like this.” 

    Her stomach turned over at the mention of a child. She had regretted hooking up with that guy, whose name she refused to think about, soon after. It was never a good idea to do anything in today’s world without proper protection, and now she was paying for her mistake. 

    Hugh rubbed the stubble on his chin, studying Georgia with sympathy in his eyes. “You’re not messing with me. You’re actually pregnant.”

    Georgia refrained from chucking the pillow at him. She sighed, clutching it tighter. “Yes! I’m pregnant! That’s been established, dumbass!” She jumped when another young man appeared from thin air in the tiny kitchenette, a glass of water in his hand.  

    “You’re pregnant? What the hell, Georgia?” 

    Georgia groaned and actually threw the pillow this time, but only to the spot beside her. She should’ve known he was going to be here; he and Hugh had been together for a while now. Well, it wasn’t like she cared if he knew as well; she had known him almost as long as she had known Hugh. “Hi, Simon.”

    “Is it that handsome man you saved a few weeks ago? You seemed to really like him.” Simon padded over and sat beside her. 

    She nodded, bringing her legs up to her chest to rest her chin on them. “I broke it off, though. He was scared of me, of what I can do.” 

    Hugh made an exasperated noise in the back of his throat. “Wait, you aren’t seeing him anymore?”

    “No. He didn’t like that I’m a prodigy...said it was too much pressure to date a superhero, so I dumped him before he could dump me.” She shrugged weakly. “I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t important.” She was sure part of it was also because she was nearly six feet tall and was a couple inches taller than him, even if he never admitted it. Her height couldn’t be helped, though. It ran in the Rawles blood. He was starting to bore her, anyway, the more she got to know him. His personality didn’t match his looks. 

    “Well, it’s important now.” Simon shook his head. “You have to tell him.”

    Georgia froze, blinking at Simon. “What? No, I...I don’t even know where he lives! We only went out a few times. And besides,” she licked her lips, “what if he doesn’t care? Or what if this baby is also a prodigy? He’ll want nothing to do with us.” She surprised herself when she placed a hand over her belly protectively, but let it fall to her side just as quickly. “I don’t think he should know.” 

    “He’s the father, George.” Simon rolled his eyes. “You were both careless, and it’s only right that he knows.”

    “Careless?” Georgia frowned. “Easy for you to say, Mister I’m-gay-and-a-man-and-therefore-don’t-have-to-worry-about-these-things!” 

    Simon raised his hands up in defense and shot a look at Hugh when he laughed. “I still think you should tell him.” 

    “Well, he’s the least of my worries right now.” Georgia grew quiet. “How am I supposed to be a mom? I don’t have time to raise a kid, and this world is too violent for any baby.” 

    Hugh scooted closer and took her hands in his. “We’ll figure it out, okay? You’re not alone in this, Georgia.”

    Tears welled in her eyes, her wall that she had been building since she read that test falling. She thought she was going to be able to get through this calmly and with a clear mind, but the more she thought about being pregnant and motherhood, the more frightened she grew. “You know that I’ve always wanted to be a mom, but not like this, Hugh. I’m broke and unmarried and there’s crime every night down the street from my apartment.”

    She felt the cushion lift up as Simon stood and went back to the kitchenette. Hugh pulled her closer to him until her head was on his lap. A tear trickled down her cheek and landed on his knee. “What am I going to do?” 

    Hugh rubbed her back soothingly. “Well, you can have the baby or not, but there aren’t many doctors around these days, and prodigy healers are rare, so it’s more dangerous to terminate the pregnancy. You could give them up for adoption when they’re born, or you can keep them.” Georgia sniffled, not liking any of those options. “Just know that we’ll be here beside you no matter what, okay? You have five people who care about you, George. We’ll support whatever you do, and you don’t have to decide right now.” It was just like Hugh to give her rational options, even if he wasn’t always the most rational person in the world. But when she needed a pep talk, he always had the right things to say. That was one of the reasons why she became friends with him so many years ago. 

    Simon came back and held out a glass of water. Georgia sat back up and accepted it gratefully, the cool liquid feeling good on her closed throat. “I’m going to be fat.”

    “You’re going to have to rest.” Simon sat back down, narrowing his eyes at her. “At least, as the pregnancy goes on.”

    “I can still kick ass even if I’m fifty pounds heavier,” Georgia said, curling her lip up at him in mock disgust. 

    Simon smiled. “I’m not saying you can’t.”

    She took in a slow breath, wiping away the last of her tears. “Kasumi is going to be thrilled. Tamaya will be pissed. Evander...hard to say.” 

    Hugh chuckled and patted her knee lightly. “They’ll all support you, don’t worry..”

    But Georgia did worry. Even with his lighthearted tone, she still felt dread at the road she was headed down. Her...a mom. Hugh had said she didn’t have to keep the baby, but Georgia knew deep down that she was going to. Ever since she was little, she had dreamed of being a mom, having always loved kids. Her parents never gave her any siblings to play with, much to her dismay. She always figured it was because of her gift, that they didn’t want to risk having another prodigy in the house. 

    Oh, skies. Georgia could only imagine what she would do if her child was a prodigy as well. Were the children of prodigies also prodigies? Was it something in their blood that was passed down? She had no clue, and as prodigies were still held at a distance in the world, she could only hope that this baby was normal. As much as she enjoyed her gift of flight, she would never want her child to be discriminated against as she had been all her life. 

    Hugh was right, though. She had a support group, which was more than many expecting mothers in her position had. She could do it. 

    After all, she was the inimitable and powerful Lady Indomitable. 

_______

    At three months, Georgia made her decision, surprising herself and the other Renegades with how quick she made up her mind. 

    At five months, she felt her baby kick for the first time, and felt an immediate burst of love for the life growing inside of her. 

    At six months, she rescued a prodigy healer from a burning hospital and found out she was having a boy. 

    At nine months, she was still terrified of her future. 

    It wasn’t until she held her son in her arms for the first time that she finally had a name for him. Adrian. She wasn’t sure where it came from, but it felt right. For a while, she considered naming him after a family member, but this was so much better. It was something of his own, not something he had to share with a passed on relative that he would never get to know. It was so rare in today’s world to have something that belonged only to one person, anyway. 

    “I will always protect you,” twenty three year old Georgia Rawles whispered to her son, who was only a few hours old. He stared up at her, mouth open wide. He had her eyes, much to her delight. “I promise no harm will come to you, my angel.” She brought him up to her face and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead and thought of how tiny and vulnerable he was in her hold. A new fear entered her mind, but she pushed it down, not wanting to worry about it right now. She was happy, truly happy. 

    A knock sounded at the door, and Georgia looked up as the door opened. Hugh entered, smiling with a curious twinkle in his eyes. “Just wanted to check on things in here,” he murmured. 

    Georgia gestured for him to come in, and he came closer, sitting beside her on the edge of her bed. He had helped her give birth to her son in her bedroom, a feat that took almost eight hours. Not as long as some mothers, but still long enough to render Georgia exhausted. She needed a long, long nap, but she also didn’t want to miss any of her son’s new life. 

    Hugh regarded her and Adrian with a look she couldn’t decipher. Adrian was watching this new face intently with his big eyes. He stuck his tongue out at Hugh, as if he were just realizing he had a tongue, and Georgia had to giggle softly. 

    “How would you like to hold your godson?”

#renegades #archenemies #supernova #Georgia rawles #adrian everhart #nova artino #ruby tucker #Oscar silva #danna bell #anarchists #my writing

[purplebass]

Hi!! I don’t inow if you still take fic requests, but if you do, may I sugest a prompt? After reading the tlh calendar , Thomas page which is july more less the end of Chog it is mentioned that he goes to the zoo with Anna and Alexander, and I was thinking if you’d write something with Thomas and Anna? Like Thomas dealing with everything and wanting to be with his cousin to get away to what troubles him like the loos of Barbara, Alastair etc?

Hi! Thank you for this prompt. I had fun writing them, and I also put a little Cecily/Thomas and Cecily/Alexander in this 🌼✨ Hope you like it!

Characters: Thomas Lightwood, Anna Lightwood, Cecily Lightwood, Alexander Lightwood Rating: T

Thomas hadn’t been able to distract himself, and he spent the night wide awake, his eyes on the ceiling. Something had been bothering him ever since the night before, and it didn’t let him sleep. He didn’t have patrol, but no one of the merry thieves could meet him at the Devil’s Tavern to get his mind off things. He decided that he needed to do something after dawn. He couldn’t bear to spend another day worrying.

“Aunt Cecy,” Thomas said when he arrived in the kitchen of his uncle and aunt’s house. She was alone, her youngest lain with his head on her shoulder.

She turned, grinning. She didn’t look like she had slept much either. “Thomas, it’s you,” she said, and grabbed a bottle with milk. “Here, Alexander,” she told the baby, touching his cheek, and he raised his head, taking the little container with one of his tiny hands.

“Do you always wake up early, aunt?” Thomas wondered, taking a jug filled with water and pouring himself a glass.

“No, not every day,” she said. “It depends on when Alexander wakes. Today, he decided that the crack of dawn was the perfect time to ask for his milk, and since it was already clear outside, I decided to come here to prepare his bottle.”

Thomas smiled at his little cousin. He was drinking his bottle with determination. “What about uncle Gabriel? Couldn’t he do it?”

“Oh, he does it almost every day, believe me,” Cecily explained. “But last night he went on patrol, and he returned when Alexander started fussing. Perhaps he knew that his father was back, I don’t know,” she shrugged, cleaning the side of the baby’s mouth with a towel. “By the way, I wanted him to rest. What about you, Thomas? Is there something wrong?”

Many people had asked him that question in the last four months. Every one was concerned for him, but he didn’t want them to worry too much. “No, aunt. Nothing. I’m just full of energy today, that is all,” he smiled at her, and she nodded. Then he had an idea. “Would you mind if I took Alexander to the zoo today?”

“Not at all Thomas. He’d like it. He’s never been to the zoo.”

“Perfect,” he agreed. “Then I’ll go get ready and we’ll leave,” he said.

“Wait, Thomas,” Cecily started, but he was already leaving. “It’s only six in the morning...”

 ***

 Thomas wanted to ask Christopher if he wanted to come with him, so he waited for his cousin to wake up.

“I’m close to finishing something, Thomas. Another time,” Kit said, and Thomas thought about asking someone else to accompany him… but who? Luckily for him, someone decided that was the perfect day to visit their parents.

“Thomas, what are you doing here with my baby brother?”

It was Anna.

“We were going out,” said Thomas, checking Alexander’s things. “To the zoo.”

“I love animals,” Anna replied. “Can I come?”

“Of course, Anna,” he agreed. He didn’t tell her, but he was happy to go with her.

“Let me say hi to my parents first, okay? Unless they are still in bed,” Anna winked, and Thomas rolled his eyes.

 ***

 A few hours later, they had seen almost every animal present at the zoo. Alexander was liking it. Thomas noticed that he loved zebras and giraffes, and promised him to get him a stuffed animal in one of those famous mundane shops downtown.

Being with his cousins was helping him distract, but it wasn’t enough. He tried to keep a smile on his face wherever he and Anna exchanged a glance. He also tried to keep the conversation on general topics, steering away from the ones that were bothering him, but Anna started to get suspicious at some point.

“Something is troubling you, cousin,” Anna said, lowering her voice as they stopped in front of the elephants. “That’s why you wanted to come here.”

Thomas shrugged, and looked at Alexander in the black pram. He had fallen asleep. Ah, to be little like his baby cousin again. “I’m exhausted,” he answered. “And powerless.”

“Did you have patrol last night?”

“It’s not that kind of exhaustion,” Thomas confessed. He was already moving away from the spot, Anna walking by his side with her hands in her pockets. They weren’t glamoured, and a few people stared at them while they passed. It wasn’t every day to see two people who towered everyone else with their height. “I’m missing someone. It’s complicated.”

Anna glanced at the ground and smiled to herself. Thomas thought she understood what he meant well, and perhaps the feeling applied to herself as well. When she looked at him, though, she was serious again. “It depends on the complications, Tommy. Who are you missing?”

“Barbara,” Thomas said simply. He caught sight of a man selling cotton candy, and thought how ironic. “She loved that sugary thing,” he revealed, laughing nervously. His cousin Anna was still looking at him with a stern expression, but he was still glancing far away, as if reminiscing something from the past. “I wish I knew.”

“Knew what?” Anna asked, unable to understand whether he was talking about her own cousin being murdered or something else.

“Many things, Anna,” Thomas answered. “Who killed her… That we wouldn’t be able to come here anymore… That I would lose her.”

“It would be great if we knew our future,” she said. “But we don’t even know if we’ll survive today.”

“That’s so depressing,” he frowned.

“It’s not depressing. It’s life. And death is also part of life,” Anna concluded, checking on her baby brother who had just blabbed something. “He wants water,” she told Thomas, and he gave her Alexander’s tiny bottle. She lowered down to help him drink. “I’m also mad my cousin was murdered so brutally,” she continued. “And that we couldn’t save her.”

“And?”

“Why do you think there is an ‘and’?” Anna’s eyebrows rose up and she smirked. “You are right, by the way. The ‘and’ is the continuation. We can’t do anything about Barbara’s death besides from finding her killer. Why? Because we are still alive, Thomas. And there are people around us who don’t want to lose us either. You know that it’s a possibility, right? As shadowhunters. We may die in battle. We may be killed.”

“Then what do you suggest, Anna?”

“That you try to live the best life you can,” she said. “Loving people. Forgiving people.”

“What if those people hurt you?”

Anna seemed interested even more. “Are we still talking about your sister?”

Thomas debated whether or not to open up to his cousin. She wasn’t familiar with the person he was thinking about that much. “I’m talking about,” he sighed, glanced at one of the last stands before the exit, then continued. “Maybe you’ve heard from Matthew.”

“Thomas, dear. It’s true that I spend a lot of time with him, but he doesn’t spill other people’s business to me.”

“I’m talking about Cordelia’s brother,” Thomas revealed, and Anna stopped in her tracks for a moment.

“Alastair Carstairs?” she wondered out loud, and a person turned to face her as they walked. “Okay, I’ve heard about that. About what happened at Cordelia and James’ engagement party.”

“I see,” Thomas murmured. She knew. Other people were present, it wasn’t a secret.

“Why do you sound so sad?”

Did he sound sad?

“Because we were friends,” he explained. “Or at least I thought so.”

“Thomas,” Anna said, putting a hand on his arm so he would stop the pram. “Remember what I said a few minutes ago? I talked about loving and forgiving,” she declared. “If you love Alastair, perhaps you should forgive him.”

“But what he did-“

“Whatever he said, it’s in the past. You told me that you wish you’d known Barbara would die, to spend more time with her. This also applies to Carstairs. Seeing how you’re affected by something happened four months ago, perhaps you care about him. You can’t bring Barbara back to life, but you can talk to Alastair, if you like,” she smiled, then took the pram from his hands and started walking faster.

“Where are you going, Anna? Wait!” Thomas tried to run after them, but they were fast.

“We are going home, Thomas. I don’t know about you,” she said, and winked at him.

Thomas stopped, not caring about the people who could run into him, and thought about it for a second. He knew what she was implying. He wondered if he wanted to take her advice. He had never seen it from that perspective, but perhaps she was right.

He walked towards Cornwall Gardens without a second thought.

taglist (if you want to be added or removed, send me an ask): @minamrray @kit-12 @immortal-enemies @lucian-evander @esa-emery @danieldyers @blackthorn-trash @rinadragomir @fortunesandfables @itsdaughterofthemoon @blxck-swxnn @thomastair3 

#tsc #tlh #thomas lightwood #alexander lightwood #anna lightwood #cecily lightwood #the last hours #the shadowhunter chronicles #chain of gold #chain of iron #chain of thorns #tweety.writes #hitheresomeoneusingthus #posta

[dawniebb]

CANON IS AN ILLUSION PT. 2

If it doesn’t spark joy, throw it away.- Marie Kondo

So now that @healing-winston-pratt and I have explained how we got rid of ¼ of Supernova, let me tell you that it doesn’t stop here because you don’t mess with the type As when something gets into their heads.

For background, you can use this post as a masterlist because we don’t have one yet: https://healing-winston-pratt.tumblr.com/post/624723862884696064/well-this-is-the-last-piece-of-our-marathon

This is our post-Supernova canon divergence :) which, btw, it’s the one we’ll use from now on to create our content (actually, @healing-winston-pratt  already used it for her birthday drawings and I just stood there playing dumb pretending I didn’t have anything to do with it jssjjs). So, if you see that Callum and Winston are suddenly alive in our content or you find some of the things established in this list it’s because...yeah :)

Sooooo @novadreamer95438 and @idkimbadwithusernamesandstuff you asked to be tagged if we uploaded more content about the canon divergence (Which we appreciate very much! thank you!) so here you go <3!

As mentioned before , Leroy starts living with his daughter Nova and Winston, in a house provided by the State (The Council hee hee).

Callum and Winston are (evidently) alive, but Genissa is dead.

Ace, Evander and Honey remain dead.

And this is where our canon continues uwu.

Leroy has to do community service for like...indefinite time :)

Winston, on the other hand, has two jobs. He works in an animal shelter, where he adopts a dog named Carnival bc wE CAN and also we want to quote this post :https://chiyuki-hiro.tumblr.com/post/621159663188180992/oh-no-a-head-canon  by @chiyuki-hiro (AFGSHFVDGB THAT HEADCANON IS G R E A T WE LOVE YOU) because we had come to an agreement that Winston would have an art therapy group for children but this addition is honestly so freaking wholesome :’))))))) <3

Nova has a temporary resignation from patrolling and starts going to therapy, where she is diagnosed with PTSD.

Nova also helps with the establishment of a new system, modifies the recruitment system and that stuff.

She’s not in the Team Sketch full time. Sometimes she’s in the offices, and at night she works with Callum.

And just like Narcissa, she digs her own grave :)

Thing is: Nova suggested that every time a new recruit arrived, the Council had DNA samples taken from them so they could check if they had any crime attached to them.

Now, by the end of Supernova in the canon universe we elected to ignore it is mentioned that Maggie sees Leroy staring at her in the distance, in a very suspicious way. Now, we don’t know about y’all, but we interpreted this as Leroy noticing Maggie looks like young Nova XD. So, this does happen in our canon, when Leroy is already out of prison.

By this time, DNA samples from Maggie and Nova have already been taken and uploaded to the system; and let’s say that Leroy gets very...concerned about the lookalike and decides to tell Winston, who confirms Maggie looks a lot like Nova X’DDD and so, they reach out to the Council to ask them to pls compare Maggie’s samples to Nova’s. U know, like angry mothers at the principal’s office :)

And so they do it just because they have nothing to lose.

And when the results arrive, everyone’s like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r92hykpvZRw

SO MAYBE, TO DOUBLE-CHECK, they compare Maggie’s DNA to DNA found in the crime scene (from David and Tala or maybe baby Maggie herself) and the results are still the same :).

Then, Winston and Leroy have to tell Nova and she reacts in the worst way possible for reasons I’ll explain in a fic I’ll be uploading soon cause’ I wrote it MONTHS ago.

Maggie doesn’t react much better tbh :)

But after a while, since this is, like, the right thing to do, Maggie starts living with them , but changes her name to Margaret Artino until she feels part of the family and is comfortable living there.

Because at first, Nova and her don’t get along and Maggie claims she fucking hates this house even though she knows is better than living in the streets.

They basically have a very chaotic home during the adaptation period until the girls start tolerating each other :) and even then, they’re still very chaotic bc it’s Winston, Leroy, Nova and Maggie we’re talking about :) :) :)

Not long after Maggie starts living with her big sis, Simon and Hugh ask Nova to join a family vacation and bring Maggie w/her.

Maggie doesn’t want to go, so Leroy and Winston go to Nova all like “If your sister doesn’t go, then you’re not going either” and Nova fucking loses it so she ends up begging/forcing Maggie to go :)

They go to the beach in MATCHING OUTFITS bc Simon said so (LIKE IN THE WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE MOVIE) :) they take a lot of embarrassing pictures and Nova and Adrian are forced to go in the banana boat with Max and Maggie.

They fall and Nova and Adrian are acting as if they were in the Titanic while Max and Maggie are having the time of their lives lmao

BC NOVA ALSO NEEDS BONDING WITH THE IN-LAWS

At some point, too, Maggie adopts a stray cat whom she names Tofu, and he fucking hates Carnival even though Carnival is the cutest thing :’)

Winston, Leroy, Nova and Maggie celebrate birthdays every year bc they’re trying to compensate years of trauma.

And for that same reason (compensating years of trauma), Nova and Maggie take their sweet time to move out.

Actually, Adrian meticulously plans the date when he’s gonna propose to Nova, so he asks her to move with him exactly a year before that.

They live in an apartment for that whole year, he proposes and they start planning the wedding uwu.

Nova and Adrian have a non-religious ceremony, and since they’re fucking extra, Nova gets married in a black dress and Adrian in a white tuxedo bc miss Artino wanted a dress the same color as her soul :)

Leroy walks Nova down the aisle.

Ruby is Nova’s Maid of Honor and Oscar is Adrian’s Best Man.

Max and Maggie have the rings.

Tamaya’s youngest son is the flower child.

Which, talking about Tamaya, she fucking hates Leroy and Nova bc, honestly, we would hate them too. Leroy fucked up her face and Nova was part of the terrorist attack lmao

SO, YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW CHAOTIC THAT WEDDING WAS, bc they had to avoid leaving Tamaya and Leroy alone at all costs :)

She hugged Nova so violently when congratulating her, that she left a bruise in her shoulder :)

Basically she was there just because she loves Adrian even though she doesn’t approve his decision to marry Nova

Nova and Maggie maintain a close relationship even after Nova marries Adrian. Maggie and Max are included in every family vacation after the honeymoon ofc.

Nova and Maggie get matching tattoos uwu

Nova has the Big Dipper and Maggie has the Little Dipper.

As for the others. The ones who...are no longer there :’)

  @healing-winston-pratt and I have this headcanon that Evander’s wife (we named her Sandra) was expecting a baby at the time of the battle. They had already chosen a first name (Arthur), so she used Evander as his middle name, as the baby didn’t get to meet his dad.

Arthur Evander Wade.

Winston finally gives Evander his DS back.

The Council, thanks to Nova’s suggestion once again, limited a specific area around Georgia’s spot and called it The Aisle of The Fallen.

Genissa, Honey and the victims of the attack to the Arena,  the lift of the city and the battle of the Cathedral are there.

 Evander, however, is resting in Georgia’s mausoleum, next to her, because we think  that mausoleum was constructed in the first place so all the members of the Council could rest together once they left, meaning that they’ll all be there at some point in time. Unfortunately, Evander was the first one to join Georgia despite being the youngest.

Ace is not in the cemetery.

Nova left his helmet in the cathedral, but asked for his body to be cremated.

When she was a child, David used to tell her stories about how Ace seemed to be really happy back in Italy; how he had revolutionary ideas and wanted prodigies to be free; how he used to be a good brother that helped him survive.

So, a few months after Leroy was released from prison, she, Leroy, Winston, Hugh, Simon, Max and Adrian went to Italy with her, to spread Ace’s ashes so he could find peace in the only place he was ever sane and happy.

Ace Anarchy rests in his cathedral.

But what was left of Alec James Artino rests in Italy. (I have a fic about this too)

Yes we’re crying as we write this

#renegades trilogy #marissa meyer #nova artino #leroy flinn #winston pratt #margaret white #adrian everhart #alec artino #evander wade #canon divergence for the win #listen we're all mature people here #can y'all not cancel this whole post just bc of Evander? #im asking politely afgdhsv #also all things aside #we're both from Mexico #and in Mexico as you may know we celebrate death #we are very respectful to our dead ones #so the mausoleum part makes like #a lot of sense in our culture lmao #and we wanted to include it here because we're culturally unallowed to ignore these people were like family #no matter how shitty they were as people x'd

[obsidianfr3sk]

Catch me if I should fall

Summary:  “I, Hugh Everhart, swear to my best friend Georgia Rawles that if something happens to her, I will take care of her loved ones as if the same blood ran through our veins, as long as the sun and the sky shall endure.” He ignored his broken voice and put his hand over her fist, “But I also swear that I will never let her die. If she should fall, I will catch her.”

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26427151

I want to start by saying this fic is dedicated to my mother @dawniebb. She basically introduced me to the wonderful headcanon about how Georgia and Hugh were best friends and she actually asked him and Simon to take care of Adrian if something happened to her. Thank you for saving me from my cursed theories. 

This fic was in the back of my head during two weeks, I think, when you were worried about the support Hope Called Themselves the Renegades would have, and I wanted to cheer you up with this. But I didn’t had the inspiration to actually do it until now. Kinda late, considering HCTTR blew up, AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YOU FUCKING SHOULD. 

I still wanted to give this to you tho. My sister Nodrian told me it was a good idea. Dime que esto no tiene la misma energía que un niño dándole a su mamá un dibujo que hizo en el kinder xd

Also #Nodriannoleasesto. Spoilers. Sorry.

Also x2 I took inspiration from Tightrope, a song from The Greatest Showman soundtrack. I’m obsessed with it, I’m sorry, I can’t help it.

Also x3 this is very self indulgent

Age of Anarchy 

Year 20, Month 5

Hand in my hand and you promised to never let go,

we’re walking the tightrope.

High in the sky,

we can see the whole world down below.

We’re walking the tightrope.

Never sure, will you catch me if I should fall?

Well, it’s all an adventure

that comes with a breathtaking view.

He had heard of Bunny before. Evander and Tamaya had an encounter with her not so long ago when they were investigating some robberies that occurred in an area near the headquarters. She always stole jewelry or food. Bunny was not dangerous. 

But she could jump. 

Simon probably would have turned invisible to distract her and catch her off guard, Evander would blind her with one of his lights, Kasumi would stop her with a wave of water, Tamaya would throw lightning at her… but Hugh could only chase her and pray that she would get tired before he did.

They reached the bridge that connected the west and east side of Gatlon City. The sea was just below them.

Georgia passed over his head. Just in time.

Bunny was in the air when Georgia grabbed her by the wrist. The girl began to squirm and screech like a rabbit caught in a hunter’s trap.

“Not so fast, Bunny,” Georgia exclaimed. “Now—” she held out her hand, “—be a good little girl and give me that.”

Hugh caught up with them. He leaned against the bridge railing, under the dim light of a post, to catch up on air. Secretly, of course.

Bunny was not a little girl, she was already past fifteen. Yes, she was less than five feet tall and had the most crooked and huge teeth he had ever seen but that didn’t mean anything. Georgia needed to stop treating criminals like they were misbehaved children from daycare.

Although he had to admit it was fun watching her do it. It always made them mad.

“Never!” screamed Bunny.

“I know that it is not yours. It is not correct to steal things from older ladies who open their homes to you,” Georgia said as if it weren’t some general knowledge that stealing was wrong.

“That lady hates me! She hates me!” and bit her hand.

Georgia winced but didn’t let go.

“Hey, no biting!” Hugh ordered.

Bunny turned to see him, more furious than ever. “Nobody gives me orders, Captain.”

Then, Bunny kicked him in the chest and pushed him out to sea, letting out a more maniacal laugh than he’d ever heard come from a human.

He realized what had just happened until Georgia’s hands grasped his. At that precise moment, the violent waves that were under him crashed against the foundation of the bridge and Hugh felt a chill run down his spine.

Metal does not float.

Georgia brought him back to land and floated beside him. There was no sign of Bunny anymore, but he knew where she had headed.

“We need to go after her,” he muttered.

Georgia crossed her arms. “Not today, Captain. Let her go.”

But they couldn’t let her go. They both knew they could help her if Bunny let them, why wait for the next time they see her?

What if there was no next time?

He was about to tell her all that, when Georgia out of nowhere kicked him between the ribs slightly harder than usual. “Next time stay away from bodies of water,” she said reproachfully.

Hugh laughed and held the spot where he had hit him. “Yes, mother.”

Georgia was unfazed.

“I’m serious. What would have happened if I hadn’t held your hand? You do not know how to swim!” She took him by the chin to force him to turn to see her. “You could have died!”

He jerked out of her grip. Georgia sighed. She massaged her temple as she slowly sat down on the dirty pavement, frowning, and with her jaw clenched. 

She knew he didn’t like it when people touch his face like that.

“But … I didn’t die,” Hugh said. “What’s this all about?”

She turned to see him with teary eyes like she didn’t recognize him. “Are you not afraid of your own death?”

Hugh scoffed. “Are you?”

Georgia looked away. It can’t be.

You are afraid?

“I have to confess to you, Hugh. Death has terrified me too much lately.”

Impossible.

He sat by her side. Georgia leaned on his shoulder without thinking twice, invading him with familiarity.

“It’s just… well, I guess you’ve noticed that Adrian gets super nervous every time I go out,” Georgia explained. “And I have told him many times not to worry, that I will return safely. I even tell him that phrase— ”

Oh, he knew that phrase by heart. “Not even the darkest of nightmares, the loneliest of nights, or the worst of troubles—” he said.

“Can with the boldness, bravery, and joy of Lady Indomitable!” Georgia finished with a raised fist. “You should get yourself a catchphrase like this. It would be good for your brand.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Georgia went silent again. “The thing is, no matter how many times I tell Adrian I’m going to be okay,” she murmured sadly, “he’s still scared.”

“And you get scared too?”

“It’s not that,” she assured. “I know that I am the best and you all would be dead by now without me, but honestly, the five of you are already adults.” She gave a soft laugh from underneath. ”You’ll be just fine without me.”

He took her hand discreetly. They were smaller than his. And warmer. I wouldn’t.

“But Adrian… he’s so young,” Georgia continued. “He couldn’t live without me and the worst thing is that I couldn’t live without him. I get nervous at the slightest sign that he’s in danger. Like yesterday, when Kasumi bought him that lollipop, remember?”

Of course, he remembered.

“You stayed all afternoon watching Adrian eat the lollipop in front of the TV,” he replied, trying not to laugh. “Tamaya told you to stop harassing him.”

“Even Simon asked me if I didn’t think I was exaggerating. Simon! The one who told Evander when we went to the beach that if he didn’t put on sunscreen, he was going to get skin cancer and he was going to die right then and there!”

“In his defense,” Hugh said, “you can get skin cancer if you don’t put on sunscreen.”

“He wanted him to put on sunscreen at midnight. Do you know what the definition of ‘night’ is? It is the time of day when there is no sunlight.“

“But you agreed with him and forced Evander to put on sunscreen anyways,” he commented.

“In my defense, motherhood changes you.”

Silence returned.

The positive side of having been on the same team for the last ten years and spending entire nights silent to not give away their location is that there were no longer any awkward silences between them.

Georgia started playing with Hugh’s engagement ring. “Are you excited for your wedding? Because I am.”

“Are you trying to change the subject?”

“Maybe.” She took it off and put it on herself. “Are you excited?”

“Of course. Tomorrow is the big day.” Georgia gave it back to him like nothing. “I hope you already wrote your speech.”

“Obviously. I don’t think I should walk you down the aisle though. I will look much better than you.”

“That’s debatable.”

They had barely managed to get suits for him and Simon. Casually, the father of Kasumi’s new friend was a minister and had agreed to marry them off. He had even lent them the backyard of her house, where he had beautiful rose bushes and a well-kept lawn.

They were all very excited. Evander was about to physically fight with Adrian because they both wanted to be the ones who hold the rings. In the end, Adrian won, not only because Georgia wanted Adrian to deliver the rings so badly, but also because Evander was no longer a lovable nine-year-old and wouldn’t have the same impact. He was even starting to grow facial hair. Tamaya told him that he was going to have to shave for the ceremony and that if he didn’t, she would personally take care of removing every last hair from his body.

Simon managed to please Evander when he told him that he could be his best man. Kasumi would be the maid of honor. They had bought her a secondhand pale pink dress, but on her, it looked like it had just come out of a magazine. The five of them wanted Tamaya to be the “flower woman”, but she flatly refused. She wanted to be a godmother and walk Simon down the aisle. She was not going to settle for less.

It wasn’t going to be the wedding of the century, but it was the perfect wedding for him.

“You have to promise me something.”

He turned to see her. Anything.

“If something happens to me, I want you and Simon to take care of Adrian.”

The answer escaped his lips immediately. “No.”

“Excuse you?”

Hugh shook his head. “I’m not going to promise you that.”

“Why the hell not?” Georgia asked, angrily.

“Because nothing is going to happen to you. Not if I can stop it.”

She rolled her eyes. It wasn’t something she did very often. “Wow, so heroic. Do you want a medal? Come on!” she exclaimed, holding his arm tightly. “It doesn’t cost you anything. Pinky promise, okay? “

“Lady Indomitable, you are already a thirty-year-old woman,” he scolded her.

“What, you can’t promise things for pinky anymore when you turn thirty or what?” she asked. playing confused.

He clenched her jaw, fighting to stay immune to her words. “No, you can not.”

“That’s debatable. The good news is that I’m twenty-nine. Come on … Or I’ll tell Simon to send you to sleep on the couch.”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. “I’m already sleeping on the couch. Tamaya doesn’t let us sleep in the same bed, she says it wouldn’t be very Christian of us.”

“Okay, if you pinky promise me what I told you, I will convince Tamaya to let you sleep in the same bed as Simon, deal?”

A tempting offer. But he couldn’t accept it.

Hugh could promise many things. He could even lie about promising many things. However, he couldn’t lie to Georgia, much less could he promise her something that he wasn’t going to keep.

Because nothing was going to happen to her.

“I’m not going to promise you that,” he sentenced. “You are going to raise Adrian. And when Simon and I have kids of our own, they and Adrian will be like siblings, and they will play in the backyard of our great mansion, and I don’t know, probably they will wear matching Christmas sweaters.”

“Our kids like… siblings?”

“Yes. We have discussed it,” he replied. “We want to have children. You know, adoption.”

“Oh, adoption, yeah…” Georgia mumbled. “I thought it was a weird way of asking me to be a surrogate mother.”

She raised her eyebrows. “And is this a strange way of offering yourself as a surrogate mother?”

“Stars, no. Although I make very hot babies.”

“That is so wrong,” he replied with a laugh.

Georgia was laughing. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. “It was so wrong, I’ll never use that adjective to describe a baby again.”

“Please.”

Georgia took his hand again. The question he asked hit him like a bucket of cold water. “What would you like me to do for you if you died?”

He couldn’t. He couldn’t lie to Georgia.

“I don’t like to think that I am capable of dying. I am indestructible.”

“Indestructible, not immortal,” Georgia stressed. “We are not gods.”

He gazed at the stars. When the entire city had electricity again, it would be difficult to speak to those who were now watching them from above.

He had to see the stars while he could.

“I wish we were. That way we would never die. ”

Georgia sighed and squeezed his hand lovingly. “Dying is not why we all think it is. I believe that real death is being forgotten.” She looked up at the stars too. Her dark eyes were illuminated by the moonlight. “That’s what I truly fear.”

He would have liked to tell her that he too was afraid of that death. To tell her that he was also absolutely afraid of being forgotten, and not at all of the idea of becoming another star in the sky.

But it would be lying.

And he couldn’t lie to Georgia.

“You’ve convinced me. I’m going to make you the promise you want.” Georgia squealed like a little girl and hugged him quickly. “But if I’m going to promise something, it has to be… stylish. With big words.”

“Wow, a ritual oath. I like it.”

The two of them sat across from each other. The only thing that was heard for a while was the sea waves. It no longer gave him the creeps at all. Hugh thought carefully about what he was going to say and Georgia couldn’t help but smile.

How could she find the beauty in such a morbid oath?

“Ready?” he asked.

Georgia straightened up and extended her little finger. “I was born ready.”

Hugh locked his pinky with hers. It felt like they were back to being the teenagers they were when they first met. They had both changed a lot. Georgia had longer hair, stronger muscles, and a less scared expression. However, she still had the same perfect smile and kind eyes as when he first saw her.

He wondered how he had changed.

Georgia got tired of waiting.

“Look, I’m feeling nice today, so I’m going to promise the same back to you, all right?” Georgia asked. “I’ll go first. I, Georgia Rawles, swear to my best friend Hugh Everhart, that if something happens to him, I will take care of his loved ones as if the same blood ran through our veins, as long as the sea and the mountains shall endure.” She gently placed her other hand over his fist and added, “But I also swear that I will never let him die. If he should fall, I will catch him.”

Hugh was left speechless. He could feel the tears about to come out of his eyes. Get a grip, Captain.

Georgia noticed immediately. “Are you crying?”

Hugh removed his mask and wiped away a tear. “Modern men are not afraid of their feelings.”

“What a sentimental softie.”

But she also had tears in her eyes.

Why were they like that?

He put the mask back on. It was his turn.

“Okay. I, Hugh Everhart, promise you— “ Shoot. “Um, I don’t want to copy you. For what would you like me to say instead of ‘mountain and sea’?”

“How about… the sun and the sky?”

It was perfect.

“Well well.” He took a breath. Here we go. “I, Hugh Everhart, swear to my best friend Georgia Rawles that if something happens to her, I will take care of her loved ones as if the same blood ran through our veins, as long as the sun and the sky shall endure.” He ignored his broken voice and put his hand over her fist, “But I also swear that I will never let her die. If she should fall, I will catch her.”

And if I ever break this promise, I have no idea what the hell I would do. 

Suddenly, a knife tore through the air violently and slammed into the light pole. They both broke free and backed away. Georgia was immediately on her guard, prepared to smash the face of anyone who dared throw the knife at them. Hugh leaned closer to get a better look at it. It had a dark green handle and a golden point. There was a folded paper at its end.

Nightingale.

He opened the letter. Nightingale had more chaotic handwriting than usual.

Captain, the Savior has learned that Sandman has been the one who gives him nightmares and has sent a plague to finish him off. They need help right now.

—N.

“Indomitable,” he called her. “Look.”

Georgia took the letter from him. Her eyes widened. As soon as she finished reading it, they both turned to see each other.

Ace… Alec knew David had given him away. And he was going after him.

He had to do something.

“See you at headquarters.”

Georgia got in his way. Her face was more serious than ever. “No, I’ll go,” she sentenced.

“What? No, you won’t.”

“You will not arrive there running. Not on time,” she assured. “They need help right now.”

Hugh looked away. “But—”

“Hey, hey.” Georgia grabbed his chin again, with a love that only she had. “Remember. Not even the darkest of nightmares, the loneliest of nights, or the worst of troubles…”

He sighed and smiled for her.

“Can with the boldness, bravery, and joy of Lady Indomitable.”

She squeezed his nose playfully. “See you at headquarters.”

Hugh watched her fly away at top speed until she disappeared in the dark. He turned and ran back to headquarters. The rest of the team needed to know what was happening.

He could lie to everyone. But she couldn’t lie to Georgia.

Hugh had already made a promise. And he had to fulfill it.

I will catch you if you fall.

#renegades #archenemies #supernova #renegades trilogy #hugh everhart #georgia rawles #OG renegades #fic #ao3 #i hope the lines are funny #i was laughing my ass off #i should try stand up #nodrian no leas esto #AND THEN HE DIDN'T #obsi's writs #catch me if i should fall