#it is sad up in this Chili’s tonight

[vvalengogh]

fallout 3 is making me feel INSANE ( but in a positive way )

#corvid chatter #I’m so sad about james man #i love my dad a lot and seeing james just. fall dead and then the picture of him and the lw at the end credits #:(((( #i would be destroyed #fallout 3 #sobbing like a mf up in this chili’s tonight

[pumpkajelly]

#Oops! All berries #tfw you need a snack for The Spirals #oops all grief crunch got u #when youre caught up in the sadness and don't know what comfort from it would even look like. All grief crunch is there #how am i doing in this chilis tonight you may ask

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

we had a chef MC headcanon, now how about M6 when MC made them a meal but it tasted just downright horrible and MC is just kinda oblivious to it, asking M6 with the brightest, most innocent smile "Do you like it?"

i hope you have fun writing this if you do choose this humble request

- 🌼

The Arcana HCs: When MC is a terrible chef

~ this reminds me of the time when teenaged me combined old rice, hot dog chunks, cold broccoli, and buffalo sauce (in one bowl!) for a late-night snack. thank you for the giggles this gave me, yellow flower friend, let's hope I pay them forward! - brainrot ~

-- to set the scene --

Somehow it's been one of those weeks when everything in your food supply begins to reach its end or expiration date at the same time. You know your regular grocery shopping is tomorrow, and you have an extensive list prepared, but dinner is up to you tonight and you don't have anything comprehensive planned. It looks like it's time for your famous "everything but the kitchen sink" stew. You've only made this in the past when it was just you in the shop and you were still figuring out how to cook, but you remember it being fairly edible.

(Continued below the cut)

You get some beans boiling (there hasn't been time to soak them), add a cup or two of vinegar to soften them faster, dice the not-molded parts of a tomato and onion you found at the bottom of a sack, and rinse the slime off of some wilted greens before throwing them in. You're craving something spicy, so you dump in the rest of your chili sauce, but when the steam makes you tear up you scrape out the rest of the mayonnaise to even it out. It was starting to smell funky anyways. Your hand slips when you add the salt, so you pour in some honey to counteract it, and in a final burst of inspiration, you plop in two bananas that have gotten too mushy to eat. The signature suspicious scum of your original dish is just floating to the top of your soup when your beloved returns, hungry from a day of work.

Julian

Too happy to see you to notice the poison on the stove at first

The words die in his throat when he does. Tell him it's a potion. Tell him it's a curse. Tell him it's a prank. Don't tell him, don't tell him it's ... it's dinner, isn't it?

He watches you happily ladle a generous scoop of your curdled concoction into his bowl and gulps. He loves you. He's got this. He will eat your food, he will tell you it's delicious, or he will die trying

He's starting to get caught up in the poetry of it as he sits down across from you. Like a lamb to the slaughter, accepting the sweet taste of death from his beloved's cruel hand - stew isn't supposed to be sweet, oh god why is it sweet

But for his darling's delight, he will overcome -

"Julian, is everything alright? You look like you're about to go on stage."

"Oh, is ah - is that what I look like, my dear?" He's pale and sweating at this point, poorly disguising the tremble in his hand as he brings his second glass of water to his lips

"It's my stew, isn't it?" you dolefully lift a gelatinous spoonful and watch it fall back into your bowl with a sickening squelch. "I remember it tasting weird, but not this weird ..."

"No, no!" His voice cracks against his will as he sees your sadness as proof of his failure. "It's delightful, delicious - worthy of the gods, even." You hear him mumble a prayer for forgiveness under his breath and drop your spoon

"I know when you're acting, Julian."

"Ah, so I - so I am. You know -" he stands abruptly, his chair falling behind him in his haste. "I just remembered that Pasha invited us for dinner tonight. Shall we?"

He's never been so happy to see you walk out his front door

Asra

They can smell it as soon as they walk into the shop and are immediately concerned. That is the smell of death. Why is the smell of death in your shop oh no - "MC? MC, where are you?"

"I'm upstairs!" Thank the patrons, you're okay

Then again, maybe you're not, considering how perfectly comfortable you seem standing over whatever monstrosity is releasing toxic vapors into the atmosphere. Is that ... soup?

Color him intrigued. He's doing his best to hide a laugh and find a way to ask what enabled you to create something so terrifying out of simple kitchen ingredients without insulting you

"So, is this recipe an MC original?"

"Yep!" You smile at him cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the stomach-churning way that the chunks plop from the soup spoon into their bowl. "I always make this when we're running low."

"You've made this before?" They're starting to get concerned again

"Just a few times, when you were on a trip. Do you like it?"

He takes a bite, so intrigued by the way it seems to wriggle down his throat that he tries a second. "I've never had anything like it."

"What do you think of the mayonnaise? It smelled a little funky ..."

We have mayonnaise? They wonder, but on the outside they're still smiling. "It certainly adds to the experience. Is this ... banana?"

"Yeah, it seemed too mushy to eat on its own, so ..."

Asra sets down his miraculously empty bowl with a loving smile. "MC, you shouldn't have to do the cooking so often. Let me help out more often."

Nadia

She doesn't know how it's come to this. Nobody knows how it's come to this, when the Palace kitchen is kept fully stocked and there are chefs available at all hours

But you had said that you missed your home cooking, and she had given you full access to the backup kitchen to do as you pleased, and - ah, the only things kept in there are leftovers

That would explain the stench

Speaking of, her respect for your resilience has reached new heights. How you've been able to survive on your own is a mystery to her. Please tell her this isn't how you ate for three years -

But you seem as deathly serious as the radioactive sludge that's churning in her fine china like a lava lamp, and she realizes that this is going to be a labor of love. She must eat her fill and do so with elegance

You watch her bring the daintiest (read: tiniest) spoon of slime to her lips, pausing to test the aroma before setting her jaw and putting it in her mouth

Oh, look at that, she's already eaten her fill

"MC, my darling, what do you say to an evening walk? It seems I haven't the appetite to dine at this moment, how about a stroll around the palace gardens? The night is still young."

She's relieved at how easily you agree, deeply concerned by the fact that you've already finished half of your bowl, and eager to get you out of the palace so that the maids can make dinner disappear

She's going to lose sleep for the next three months about whether or not she should be honest about what happened to your soup

There's now a bald patch in the grass behind the kitchen that hasn't been able to grow anything in three years. There's a rumor that stepping on it will release a stench so foul that you won't be able to eat for twenty-four hours afterwards

Muriel

He's not too worried. He used to eat spoiled food out of the trash heaps all the time as a kid, he's sure he remembers how

But he's a little surprised that said rotting food is being actively cooked. By you. Seemingly in a choice made of your own free will

He wasn't expecting ... this, but a quick glance around the hut makes it clear to him that nothing terrible has happened, that you seem perfectly sane, and that you don't think anything's wrong

Well, you seem to trust your cooking, and he certainly trusts you, so ...

He side eyes Inanna's dramatic performance of whimpering and pawing at her nose, eventually turning to let her back out of the hut as you serve your bowls with a smile

He takes a glance at his serving as you dig in. Asra still talks about the time he ate a whole chili pepper without flinching - he can do this. He picks up his spoon, scoops up a jiggling chunk, and eats

You're a little surprised at how quickly his bowl disappears. You're not really enjoying your food yourself, but you're not going to judge his strange enthusiasm

"Muriel? If you're still hungry, there's more on the fire ..."

"I'm fine." He's getting out of his habit of depriving food of himself, but in this case, refusing to eat is a personal kindness

He drinks several glasses of water while you finish your dinner, asking you about your day and trying not to grimace at every silent burp that pulls the aftertaste back into his mouth

Inanna buries the rest after the two of you go to bed. Nobody knows how she managed it without opposable thumbs, but everything is possible for a wolf desperate to preserve her nose

Portia

Her brother might be an award-winning actor, but her flair for the dramatic only goes as far as silly little bits designed to make people laugh and pretending that she isn't about to punch somebody

She is a woman who knows her mind, her heart, her strength, and her limits. This is a limit, and she is doing her best to pass it

You can tell right away that she doesn't want to eat what you've made. You've never seen her smile look so uncomfortably tight, and you certainly didn't miss the way her stomach heaved when she leaned over the pot to take a closer look at your creation

But she's insistent on going through with your evening, even steering you towards the kitchen table and serving the bowls herself. She tries so very hard to mask the look of revulsion on her face when different chunks of stew jiggle at different frequencies

She places your bowls on the table and lifts her spoon, waiting for you to take the first bite in the hopes that your eyes will be opened and you'll insist on eating something else

No such luck. You're two spoonfuls in, so in the spirit of keeping an open mind, she loads up her utensil and shoves it in her mouth

You weren't expecting to be sprayed by the choke that seizes her, but sitting across from her puts you in the splatter zone and you're quick to give her your napkin and ask if she's okay

She nods weakly, looking slightly green. "MC," she says, "you are definitely stronger than I imagined." She takes another look at the gelatinous blobs on her table. "Stronger than you need to be."

She dusts off her hands and practically drags you out of the cottage. "Let's eat out tonight! My treat. And I just had the best idea for our next date night - we should take cooking lessons together!"

Lucio

He notices Mercedes and Melchior acting up on the way back to your campsite, but doesn't have any idea why until he gets a whiff and - oh, that is nasty

Some kind of skunk jacked up on magic must have done that, never fear, MC! He's here to save the day now - what do you mean that's dinner? That is not dinner. Dinner is not supposed to smell like that

He's not sparing a second to consider manners or acting. Lucio calls it like he sees it, and all he sees is poison

"MC, do we have to? It smells so bad, look at it MC, just loo - bleugh - no I'm not being dramatic! The smell made me gag for real, watch!"

And he leans over the pot again, just to take a deep lungful and subsequently let out the most visceral gagging belch you've ever witnessed

"See? It's bad, it's really bad, and I don't want to eat it! Why are you being so mean to me, MC?"

To be honest, you're not particularly excited to eat it either, but it's all you've got until you make it to the next town tomorrow, so you tell him as much as his pout slowly deepens

"Fine, I'll do it. I guess it can't be that bad if you made it -" He watches the way it slops into his bowl and gulps. "I take it back."

Sure it's a little spicier and clumpier and saltier and sickly sweeter than you planned, but you're able to stomach it just fine

And to your surprise, Lucio can too. He complains loudly the whole time, but his whining somehow grants him the ability to eat three full bowls

"See, you ate so much of it!"

"Well of course!" he puffs out his chest proudly. "I'm the best. At least it's not as bad as what we had in the army. But - MC?" he looks at you with pleading eyes, "please don't make that again."

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #portia the arcana #lucio the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana shitpost #the arcana crack #asra alnazar #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #portia devorak #lucio morgasson

[liminalmemories21]

WIP Wednesday

tagged by @strandnreyes, @paperstorm, @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad, @heartstringsduet, @redshirt2, @bonheur-cafe, @orchidscript, @lemonlyman-dotcom, @three-drink-amy, and @kiwichaeng. Thank you.

I've enjoyed this Valentine's Day spiciness we've had going on today, so let me add some more. Random note in the margin of my draft is . . . anyway I can make this about Valentine's Day (answer - tbd, have to look at my timeline).

He's been craving Thai food all day, and wondering if he can talk TK into ordering tonight instead of cooking, marshaling his arguments in the elevator, and proactively caving on asking for them to make it spicy.  He can always add chili oil if he wants.  He’s halfway through, “Hey baby, wanna order in tonight,” when he sees TK.  Empirically TK isn’t doing anything particularly seductive.  He’s got his head bent while he fastens his watch.  But, he's wearing black jeans.  The ones that cling to his thighs and ass.  The ones that hug everything.  The ones that he wears when he wants to derail Carlos's entire train of thought. 

He stops, hand on the door, staring.  TK looks up at the sound.  "Hey baby."

He manages to focus long enough to close the door, stepping in to TK for a kiss.  "Hey."  The fabric of TK's shirt under his hands is soft and a little clingy, the kind of fabric that makes him want to pet at it, pet TK.  "You look nice."  He looks like sex.  "Did I forget something?  An anniversary?"

TK shakes his head, leaning up to bite lightly at the corner of Carlo's jaw.  "I thought maybe we could go out tonight."

He pulls away far enough to look down at TK, and wonders if he's been broadcasting something he hadn't intended for TK to pick up.  TK bites harder at the edge of his jaw and then soothes it with a kiss, and presses something into Carlos's hand.  "Been a while since we had fun."

He frowns at TK, playing catch up.  "You've been busy."

TK nods.  "I know.  And this weekend I cleared my calendar."  He leans in to nip at Carlos's ear, and he sucks in a sharp breath.  "I've missed you."  TK slides a hand down to where Carlos is still holding whatever TK handed him and opens his palm out flat and Carlos obediently looks down to see what he's holding.

He looks up at TK sharply.  It's the remote to a vibrating plug.  The one that TK is holding in his hand.  The one they haven't had time to play with in a while.  TK kisses his way up Carlos's neck, a kiss punctuating each word.  "Every.  Good.  Boy.  Deserves.  Fun."

He smirks, turning the remote over in his hand.  "And you've been good?"

TK looks up at him from under his lashes.  "So good."  He steps in closer, nudging a thigh between Carlos's.  "I thought you could put this in me, and then we could go out.  We could make out on the dance floor, make everyone jealous.  Then," he flexes his thigh into where Carlos is already half hard, "you can take me home and fuck me."

He dips his head, curving a hand around the back of TK's neck, licking along his collar bone where it's exposed by the loose collar of the shirt. "What if I can't wait that long?  What if I want to fuck you in the club?"  TK's breath hitches sharply.  "Push you up against a wall."  He runs a hand down TK's back to his ass, and then down, following the seam and pressing hard, just to hear TK moan.  "You'll be slick and open for me, a little desperate."  He pulls back enough to see where TK's biting his lips red.  "You're already a little desperate for me."

TK breathes out.  "Officer Reyes, I'm shocked.  Are you suggesting we commit acts of public indecency?"

He tightens his grip.  "Maybe you're enough to make a good man break his leash."

TK sways into him, and makes a discontented noise when Carlos's phone buzzes loudly.   He doesn't take his eyes off TK as he digs it out of his pocket and glances at the screen.  "It's Matt.  He's parking.  He has something he needs us to look at."

tagging @jesuisici33, @carlos-in-glasses, @guardian-angle22, @herefortarlos, and @lightningboltreader

#tarlos #au #wip #knave-verse #911 lonestar

[pan-de-queer]

x marks the spot (where i left my heart) [supercorp]

Genre: Fluff, First Kiss, Getting Together

Summary:

Because of Lena, Kara’s learned that permanence is tangible. Real. Permanence feels soft and cool and callous on the tips of her thumbs. Permanence is gentle and purposeful and trembles when she kisses its forehead. Permanence runs slender fingers through her hair and whispers sarcastic commentary in her ear. Permanence feels a lot like love.

Or: Lena uses her riches for gay good, Kara uses her words, and everyone gets a hug and kiss.

Author's Note: finally finished the day 3 prompt for my "100 ways to say i love you" series for supercorp! prompt is "no, no, it's my treat." lmk what y'all thouggghhttt

ao3

x marks the spot (where i left my heart)

Kara had never realized how often Lena did it until Alex had pointed it out one day.

They were all hanging out at the alien bar one Friday night when a plate of cheese-covered fries was placed right in front of her. Kara had looked up at the waitress with a crinkle between her brows but before she could even ask, the waitress gave her a knowing smile. “Your lady over there told me you’ll need double of that tonight.”

The waitress left her with a steaming plate of fries that she reflexively protected from Nia’s thieving grasp despite the crinkle never easing. Kara craned her neck and easily found her supposed benefactor leaning casually against the bar counter waiting for their drinks.

It wasn’t the first time Lena had ever ordered food for her, but it always left a warm feeling in Kara’s stomach to know that Lena knew her so well.

Lena could rattle off every single one of her favorite food orders by heart now—from the extra cheese and bacon in her burgers at Big Belly to the drop of chili oil and quarter lemon squeezed into her soy sauce for her potstickers to the extra pepper sprinkled on to her morning eggs.

There was something intimate and vulnerable about someone knowing her so well that they know the way she likes to eat her food, knows what Kara needs before she (or her stomach)’s even said it, knows what’ll cheer her up or get her to calm down, knows how to convince her to eat healthy even if she doesn’t really need it. Something intimate about the way Lena knows her—in all the ways Kara’s learned to know Lena as well.

She knows that Lena loves only the simplest of sauces to go with her salads. She knows Lena hates salmon in almost the same way Kara hates kale (and most green veggies) but is way too polite to ever complain about it if left with no other meal choice (unlike Kara, who may or may not have faked a Supergirl emergency to escape such a fate or five). Knows that Lena likes her coffee black but likes a splash of milk in her tea (Lena says it’s different when it’s tea but Kara’s not quite convinced). Knows that Lena forgets to eat when she’s stressed out with work and projects, or when she’s sad and has more alcohol than blood running through her veins, or when she’s angry and works more on trying to fix the solution than on feeding herself, or when she’s overly excited and she forg—

Okay, so Lena’s dietary habits definitely need to be improved, but the point is—

Kara and Lena have known each other for almost six years now, and in that time, they’ve both made the effort to learn the little and big things about each other. Despite the secrets and heartbreak and hurt, despite the stilted conversations and painful rebuilding, despite the uncertainty and shy hope, somehow, some way, they’d managed to keep the things they knew about each other safe. Treasured. Sacred.

“What are you smiling at?” Nia’s voice broke through her thoughts, smug and knowing and smirk-y.

Kara could only elbow her away (because she wasn’t staring at Lena, she was just making sure the bartender remembered all their drinks) just as the last drink was placed on Lena’s tray. She shot Nia a quick, half-hearted glare before quickly turning back to her fries and eating.

Not to hide the blooming heat on her cheeks or anything, obviously. Her fries were just getting cold.

Cheers erupted from their friends when Lena arrived, a flurry of hands moving to pass each other their respective glasses and bottles. Kara watched the quick grabs for barely a minute before Lena placed the almost-empty tray in front of her fries, everyone having left their drinks alone.

“Enjoying the appetizer, darling?” Lena asked as Kara pulled out the empty chair right next to her. With chipmunk-cheeks puffing up her face, Kara nodded happily as she swallowed the greasy saltiness down, wiping her hands on her pants as she reached for her pocket.

“It’s great! Let me pay you back; how much did it cost?” Kara pulled her wallet out of her pocket, but before she could even open it, cold pale hands closed over hers as Lena chuckled and shook her head, “It’s my treat, darling.”

Kara whined half-heartedly, “It’s always your treat!” 

“Well, I’ve always been a billionaire since I met you.” Lena laughed, her cheeky smirk making Kara blush. “It’s only fair considering the number of times you’ve saved me.”

“That’s not even remotely the same!”

“Was it not you that said the way to your good graces was through your stomach?”

“I said the way to my heart was through good food. Besides, you’re always in my good graces.” And you’ve been in my heart since the day we met, Kara’s traitorous brain piped up, blue eyes determinedly keeping away from the mind-reading Martian on the other side of the table (most times, Kara felt like J’onn could still read her thoughts despite her Kryptonian genes). Thankfully, Lena’s warm laughter kept her occupied.

“Touching, darling, but just accept the fries.”

Kara pouted in reply, stuffing a handful of fries into her mouth petulantly as Lena hummed in non-apology.

It was nice.

Being the sole focus of Lena’s attention was really, really nice.

As the night got darker and the day got later, the Superfriends started bowing out one by one, promising to see each other the following week on game night. Soon enough, it’s just Kara, Lena, Alex, and Kelly.

“Take care, you two,” Kelly gave them each a hug, Kelly giving Lena another squeeze of a hug before she stepped out to inform the babysitter that she and Alex were on their way back.

It was Alex’s turn right after, her sister pulling them both in a hug before making Kara promise to make it to sister night this coming week. As the pair watched Alex disappear out the door, Lena nudged Kara’s shoulder with her own. She tried not to shiver at the way long, cold fingers slid down her forearm, tracing the lines of her palm before Kara tangled their fingers together and Lena replied with a gentle squeeze (and Kara’s always amazed at how Lena is always so, so gentle with her. Sometimes Kara wonders if she forgets that she’s Supergirl. Most times, she’s thankful for it).

“Let’s go home?” Lena asked, head tilted as if Kara had any other answer.

“Yeah, let’s go home.”

-

All that had happened a week ago. Now, it’s Sister’s Night and Alex is demanding they watch a thriller movie since Kara had missed last week’s sister night to spend time with Lena (no regrets). Kara vehemently argues the psychological repercussions of making her watch a thriller but Alex isn’t having it. She’s stuffed the remote into her bra before diving face first into the couch, clutching it for dear life despite the fact that Kara can easily pry her off of it.

In the end, Kara gives in after only a couple more protests and a complaint-filled text to her best friend.

Thankfully, after Kara had texted Lena her Sister Night woes, Lena sends five orders of potstickers and two boxes of pizza to get her through the film. As soon as the orders arrive, she grabs the food and places everything on the counter, too busy checking each delivery to realize that she’s minutes away from getting grilled (or lovingly questioned, according to Alex).

Her Alex-senses are dulled at the sight of printed writing stuck on slips of paper taped to each order. The potstickers’ note reads “good luck, hero x” and the pizza’s “as always, these are both my treat xo.”

Kara folds the notes up with a pleased little grin, pocketing each paper before pulling out plates and glasses for their movie night dinner. She doesn’t notice how quiet Alex is as her older sister helps transfer the food onto the coffee table.

Kara’s already four pizza slices and twelve potstickers in when Alex finally tries to ask her anything.

Alex’s words come out slow and careful. “It was very generous of Lena to send over all this food.”

Her eyes narrow at the tone, suspicious of the questions hidden under the statement. “…Yes? She’s always generous.”

“I noticed,” Alex’s voice is wry, smile just as dry as she places her second slice of pizza down on her plate.

Kara feels that prickle of defensiveness start to bubble up at Alex’s pointed reply, but her sister continues before she can butt in. “But she’s always been a little more generous with you.”

“We’re best friends! Best friends can give each other gifts whenever they want to.”

“Really? ‘Cause my best friend’s never bought out half a restaurant for me.”

“This is far from half a restaurant, Alex.”

“I was talking about that time she rented out Uncle Chen’s for the night because you were finally feeling better about the whole Mon-El thing.”

She huffs, potstickers no longer as appetizing as when they started. “So? Lena likes doing nice things for her friends!”

“I don’t recall Lena buying out Big Belly for me, or buying Winn that fancy new tech toy they’d been geeking out about together, or getting Kelly that new sundress they’d seen at the mall. I’m not saying she wouldn’t if we asked, but Kara, you never have to ask for her to give you things. She just does.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“The opposite, actually. You mean something to her, Kara. And I’m pretty sure she means something to you, too.”

Kara’s mouth flounders, the words on the tip of her tongue too far out of reach. “She’s…”

Her friend.

Her best friend.

Her favorite.

Her rock.

Her hero.

Her—

“Everything.” Kara finds herself settling on the word that still doesn’t feel enough.

Being in love with Lena isn’t new, she knows, but saying it out loud definitely is. Saying it out loud feels like daring Rao to take Lena from her just like he took Krypton. Saying it out loud feels like begging for a miracle as your entire world collapses before your eyes. Saying it out loud feels like begging for air after being stuck in a timeless piece of space for twenty four years.

Saying it out loud feels like a prayer.

Like a promise.

Like it’s permanent.

It’s such a strange thing to feel. Ever since she’s arrived on Earth, Kara’s had a little timer ticking in the back of her mind. She’s lost Kyrpton, she’s lost her role as her cousin’s protector, she’s lost Astra, Adam, Jeremiah, Mon-El—some days she feels like she’s waiting for everything else to slip away, too.

Permanence has always felt like the tide, impossible to catch but easy to watch. Easy to stare at in longing as it laps at one's toes only to pull away again and again and again.

Alex and Eliza have made it easier to touch—easier to feel a lick of permanence wash over her every time they cuddle up for Danvers’ (sister’s) night or pick up her calls. Her new family’s made it all a little easier, too. Knowing that Winn and James and J’onn and Lucy and Kelly and Esme and M’Gann were all there to support her, cheer her on, and just be there has helped to ease the weight in her chest over the past few years.

And Lena.

Lena’s probably made it the easiest for her to imagine—to hope.

To hope that maybe permanence was unlimited access to a CEO’s office only weeks after meeting, or gala invites with potstickers on the menu despite the michelin star service, or wanting to stay to talk things through when you disagree on things (and being able to see their side, too), or being someone’s hero outside of her suit, or risking your secret identity when you think their life’s in danger, or realizing that you’re jealous of their ex, or them choosing you and you choosing them. Over and over and over again.

Because of Lena, Kara’s learned that permanence is tangible. Real.

Permanence feels soft and cool and callous on the tips of her thumbs. Permanence is gentle and purposeful and trembles when she kisses its forehead. Permanence runs slender fingers through her hair and whispers sarcastic commentary in her ear. Permanence says it hates dancing but dances with her anyways. Permanence forgets to eat sometimes but always makes time to have lunch with her.

Permanence texts her good morning and sweet dreams every single day. Permanence holds her close and cries when she cries. Permanence makes mistakes and apologizes and does its best to be better. Permanence makes her laugh and smile and feel light and floaty.

Permanence feels a lot like love.

Permanence acts a lot like Lena.

“Alex,” Kara breathes as if the air’s been knocked out of her. This isn’t new. It isn’t. And yet.

And yet.

“I love her.”

It’s different.

“I’m in love with her.”

Alex lets her head fall on to her shoulder as Kara reels with the weight of the words on her tongue for the first time in her life. It isn’t new. Her love. But the taste of it on her tongue is like potstickers after a crappy day. Heaven-sent. Galaxy-bending. Everything.

Alex pulls her close as a shaky breath leaves her lips. She can feel her sister drop a kiss on her head before murmuring, “Then maybe it’s time you let her know that.”

-

Kara decides to tell Lena that Friday.

She asks J’onn (and Alex) for that day off and they gladly tell her not to come in for anything less than the apocalypse. She asks Jess to make sure Lena doesn’t get any surprise meetings or extra paperwork and finds the task done within the hour. She finishes her work as fast as humanly possible and emails it to Lois to check over real quick just to ensure that Snapper doesn’t force her to redo it another seven times (Snapper makes her redo it only twice, which is a record all on its own, really). The second she’s done with work, Kara flies out for a little round-the-world supply run: pasta and pizza from Italy, Bailey’s cheesecake from Ireland, wine from Argentina, and a quick stop to South Korea for a potsticker or fifty.

When she gets back home, she unloads all the food on her kitchen counter and speeds her way through a quick shower and into a panicked phone call with Alex on what she should wear (“Anything is fine, Kara, seriously. You could wear a trash bag and Lena would still find a way to stare at your arms.” It doesn’t really help, but Alex takes some pity on her and they settle on a crisp blue button down and black slacks).

She feels a little more confident after Kelly and Esme compliment her (their, Alex corrects) outfit choice, so by the time Kara’s stored away the dessert, chilled the wine, and reheated their main meal, she feels a lot less jittery about the conversation she hopes to have tonight.

She’s mostly over her freaking-out-phase, but a knot of nerves stay seated firmly in her stomach.

She doesn’t want to back out. She doesn’t want to do this, either.

It’s almost twenty minutes later when she hears Lena’s heartbeat arrive at her street minutes before six thirty (the earliest time she and Jess could get Lena out of her meetings). Kara smooths down the front of her shirt as she waits for Lena to climb the steps of her apartment, wringing her fingers as she fights the urge to fly down and pick Lena up herself. The nerves that had fluttered in her stomach earlier that morning have turned into a twisting grind of excitement and anticipation.

No matter the outcome of her confession today, Kara knows that she can trust Lena not to pull away from her completely.

They’ve gone through too much for either of them to just walk away from each other now.

With that little thought of assurance settled deep in her chest, Kara feels the tension in her shoulders drop the slightest bit as Lena’s knock finally reaches her front door.

As soon as Kara opens the door, she feels her lips stretch into a wide grin. On the other side of the door, Lena’s smiling back just as brightly, a (stolen) oversized sweater and loose jeans making her look small and cozy.

“Hi,” Kara breathes, reaching out instinctively to pull Lena into a hug. Lena burrows into her in reply, warm lips ghosting over her collarbone as Kara hears her whisper the words back.

“Missed you,” Lena adds and Kara feels her heart flutter at the admission, feels like the universe is expanding in her chest. She tries to stifle her grin as Lena slowly pulls away but ultimately fails.

Kara repeats the sentiment before ushering Lena inside as a newfound excitement starts to build in her chest. Lena’s here. And she missed her. How can she not want to shout out her love now?

With a little anticipation shaking her fingers, Kara helps Lena with her coat before leading her to the couch.

On the coffee table, as neatly presentable as she could get it, is the little international dinner she’d managed to scrounge up. With a dramatic wave of her hands, she exclaims, “Ta-da!”

She hears Lena gasp before she sees blue-green eyes flit around the table, red lips stretching wider with every plate of food it lands on. Lena’s fingers wrap around her wrist and slide down to tangle with Kara’s own, squeezing her hand as she turns to see a blinding grin. “Kara, this is just—amazing, but, and I’m grateful for this, really, but did I miss a special occasion? I know it isn’t my birthday or yours.”

Kara feels her stomach flutter at the way Lena’s head tilts, red lips twisted into a bewildered smile. Lena’s just so cute. All the time. Especially now.

She fumbles for glasses that aren’t on her face and settles on tucking some hair behind her ear instead. Kara shakes away the breathlessness in her throat and smiles, “No, no special occasion. It’s just—you’re always treating me. Thought it was time to return the favor.”

(And Kara would never admit it, but seeing Lena’s smile light up her entire face, teary eyes shining over her scrunched nose, is more than enough reason for her to do this all over again.)

Lena’s laugh is giddy as they move to the couch. Each grabbing a plate as Lena smiles. “If I didn’t know any better, Kara Zor-El. I’d think this was a bribe.”

“Can’t a girl treat her favorite…” the word person dies off her lips as her world slows down at the sight of Lena’s childish grin as she grabs a slice of pizza, sauce and oil dripping into her palm before Lena dips down and licks it. A long pink tongue darting out and twi—

“Your favorite, huh?”

Kara feels the heat in her stomach jump to her face, blue eyes ducking to hide behind blonde hair as she lets out a sharp, breathy laugh. Lena’s soft red lips are twisted in clear amusement and the teasing brow Lena quirks her way does nothing to ease the butterflies in her stomach.

Still, despite the heat bursting to the tips of her ears, Kara knows that it’s impossible to reply any differently. Honesty, they promised.

So she shrugs. Because it’s obvious. “Yeah.” Inevitable. “My favorite.”

Lena blushes despite the beaming smile that takes up her face, the pleasant surprise evident in her crinkled green eyes.

“Well,” Lena smiles, crooked and dopey and entirely too endearing. “You’re my favorite, too, Kara Zor-El.”

And they could go on forever, Kara knows—their affection for each other thick and tangible and never-ending, but Kara’s stomach chooses that exact moment to protest the millennia of waiting for food and breaks whatever tension filled the room.

They spend the rest of the night trading stories about their week, laughing in between fresh pasta and pizza. Kara feels herself melting into the moment, Lena’s knee pressing into her thigh, dim lights turning green eyes golden, warmth climbing from her chest to her cheeks. There’s a buzzing in her veins—a staticky mix of nerves and calm and excitement and fear. Fear of the unknown. Of rejection. Of heartbreak.

And yet.

Lena always made her braver. Stronger. More hopeful.

Kara could always hope. Hope for nothing to change. For an answer. For the best.

So it’s after they’ve eaten dessert (Lena enjoying her one and a half slice and Kara her four)—stomachs full and spirits sated, a documentary about space playing out in front of them—that Kara gathers the courage to finally, just—say it.

“I love you, y’know?” Kara tries for casual and falls short by a mile.

Lena tilts her head at her confession, smile soft but eyes swimming with something.

“I know,” Lena replies, soft. Honest. Close. “I love you, too.”

And, oh, how sweet a fact? A universal truth? An unbreakable oath?

“Well,” Kara exhales, the tightness in her chest mixed with fear and love and hope. “Do you know I’m in love with you?”

Lena pauses, the emotions flitting through her face too fast for Kara to name, and then. Lena settles on just one.

Lena looks at her with stars in her eyes and a trembling smile. She looks at her as if she’s given her a cup of Colombian coffee seconds after she’s woken up. She looks at her as if she’s just solved quantum gravity. She looks at her as if she’s given her the biggest hug after a long day.

Lena looks at her as if she knows.

It’s a look that makes Kara lean in, a moth to a flame. A sailor to the sea. Kara Zor-El to Lena Luthor.

She leans in just as Lena laughs—voice wet but smile impossibly bright—and Kara can taste the way she whispers, “I’d hoped.”

Kara pulls back just enough to see Lena’s eyes falling to her lips. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

And then Lena closes the distance and kisses her. Deep and slow and everything.

-

“Was this whole—” Lena hums, snuggles closer into Kara’s side—the documentary they’d been watching rewound to the start because they’d missed more than half of it. “—around-the-world treat your big romantic gesture?”

And she snorts out a laugh because, well, she isn’t wrong.

“It was part of it.” Kara gives the covered pale hip she’s holding an affectionate, happy little squeeze. So, so happy. “How’d I do?”

“Eleven out of five stars.” Lena beams, stretching up to peck her on the lips before settling back into her side.

And as Janna Levin continues to explain what happens in blackholes on the dimmed screen in front of them, Kara pulls Lena impossibly closer and thinks that she’d never been more right.

This does all feel unstoppably permanent.

#cw supergirl #supercorp #lena luthor #kara danvers #my writing #queer bread writes #supercorp fics #supercorp fic #supercorp fanfic #amazed at two fics in one year #send me claps and snaps y'all

[paperglader]

Episode 52 thoughts:

1. I am LOVING this FRIDA & Imogen dynamic. I am loving the FRIDA & FCG dynamic, FRIDA and everyone dynamic. I love FRIDA.

Seriously, they’re AWESOME. I feel like they just arrived and flirted with everyone and was just the sweetest. Them and Deanna, too??? And their first meeting was so imodna coded😩

I’m obsessed. The coolest bb:

Can we keep them?

Anyways,

2. Loooooved Deanna. Love Aabria in general, tbh. She’s coming for me with this divorce backstory, so delicious. First Laerryn and Quay, now her and Chetney. I love her. Love that she’s making Travis play a romance storyline, too😂

Backstory was amazing, when she was talking about passing and the after life. Poetry.

The way she dealt with Imogen when she woke up from her nightmare made me melt as well🥲 my girl needs some soft people around her at all times (mostly now that she and Laudna have been separated) and I love that she’s meeting people that truly see and appreciate the good in her besides the hells.

3. Ashley freaking Johnson screaming for Imogen to come back from the dream ✨an actress✨ No, for real, it shook me to my core. Cause Fearne doesn’t scream like that. She was desperate. Fearne who just lost Orym, who just lost Ashton and Laudna. And it’s not the first time it happens either. Not too long ago, Orym and Laudna were gone and it was so close to being final. And now Imogen, the superhero, about to be consumed by the storm that she has spent a decade being haunted by and terrified over. These people that she’d grown to love in spite of her hesitance to form any sort of meaningful bond with anyone from this mortal realm, disappearing from her side, and she’s holding on tight but it seems to be like grasping on sand as they slip away from her fingers one by one. Trauma is very much present in this Chili’s tonight.

4. “I got lightning titties!” please someone put it on the Imogen temult once said compilation 😂

5. Loving these new characters making FCG question his faith even further. Generally, I love the back and forth about what they should actually do about the gods, talks of faith and fate. I am here for it.

6. “Smirks in monster fucker” another star quote of the episode.

7. Imodna is constantly at the forefront of my mind and Laura Bailey delivered, as expected. Immy was literally crying any time that anyone showed her any form of kindness or affection. The girl was so sensitive🥲

The sendings, the urgency, the stuttering and how she kept trying, the Whitestone is for lovers T, “I hate not knowing”, her reaction to hearing FRIDA and Deanna’s first meeting, when she was like “this is the first time that we haven’t woken up to Orym doing push ups OR…” and she got so freaking sad. How she looked for her in her dreams, how she touched the red tether right before she went to sleep.

In summary: I’m loving this separation arc so far and I cannot wait for Laudna’s side of things.

8. Ship talk: FRIDA and Deanna are SO imodna coded, it’s crazy and I adore them. They love each other so much. But ALSO, imodna is my endgame but I would not be upset if we get to see something develop between FRIDA and Imogen. I just think that it would be interesting to see Imogen explore something with someone that is more emotionally available at the moment.

I’m not saying they could fall in love or like become endgame material or something cause I do believe that Imogen’s in love with Laudna and that it’s highly likely that she’s aware of it. Also, her priorities are very much on finding her and she’s very much heartbroken by the distance between them, so she is not looking for romance with anyone else at the moment.

(And also, the world is ending sort of)

But FRIDA is so freaking sweet and Imogen’s having an honest to god hard time, and Laudna’s so freaking far (they’re soulmates, they’ve professed their love for one another, but they’re not… romantically entangled? Are they? Imogen has not said anything and she doesn’t know if laudna feels that way, if she’s even capable of ever feeling that way…)

I wouldn’t blame FRIDA if they became infatuated with Imogen, and I just think that Imogen deserves to be called beautiful and wonderful and good and some harmless flirting would just be nice to see.

It’d be a little like Yu and Laudna, just sort of a reminder of what some of those aspects of a romantic relationship would look like for them. It’d definitely be a “my heart belongs to another” type of thing but also it could be harmless and sweet.

Anyway, none of this probably will happen because FRIDA has chemistry with literally everyone and I’d like to see any version of that anyway.

#we didn’t really get any answers this ep but it was great and I actually love the route they’re deciding to take with the solstice #i will miss marisha ray on my screen but it’s alright she’ll be back #critical role #imodna #bells hells #c3 #campaign 3 #spoilers #campaign 3 spoilers #c3 spoilers #critical role spoilers #cr spoilers #laudna #imogen temult #fearne calloway #apogee solstice

[artist-emerald]

Bluey: New Beginnings

This is a short, one-shot fanfic I wrote after watching all of the current Bluey. I had been holding off on posting it for proof reading from others, but I want it posted before I switch over to the new year.

Hope anyone who reads this enjoys!

This is the story about a very particular family of dogs, living amongst many others in the country of Australia, and the start of a new and exciting chapter in their lives. This family was known as the Heelers, and it consisted of the father, Bandit, the mother, Chilli, the older daughter, Bluey, and the youngest daughter, Bingo.

One summer evening, the family had plans to spend an evening with other relatives at a fancy restaurant, a dinner they had been planning for weeks. “Come on kids,” Chilli said, “we don’t want to be late for our reservation!” Chilli and Bandit waited by the front door for their rambunctious daughters to come downstairs from their room. “Coming!” the children exclaimed as they quickly made their ways down the steps.

“Which restaurant are we going to again?” asked Bluey. “The nice one that has the fancy crayons you kids like.” Replied Bandit, ushering the kids out the front door. “And who’s going to be there again?” inquired Bingo, slowly skipping her way to the car. “Us, Uncle Stripe, Aunt Trixie, your cousins, and Aunt Brandy. It’s been a long time since we all had dinner, especially with Brandy.” Chilli explained in a rushed tone. “Which means you two can have fun, but not too much fun. We need you to be on your best behavior. Got it?” Bandit stated. “We promise!” the girls exclaimed.

The family got in their car and drove out towards the restaurant, and as they did, the family noticed a moving van parked in the driveway of the house just at the end of their street. Making them all a bit curious. “Ooh look, someone’s moving into that house. Does that mean we’re getting new neighbors?" Bluey asked excitedly. “It does indeed. To be honest, I hadn’t realized the previous owners moved out.” Replied Bandit. “I hope they’re friendly.” Bingo said as she watched the moving van leave her view.

The drive to the eatery wasn’t long, but the trip felt even shorter as the girls sang a little song, and the parents talked about what they were planning on ordering. Once they arrived, they struggled for a moment finding a place to park their car, but were lucky enough to snag one as another car was leaving. They all got out and met with Aunt Brandy, who was waiting outside the front door for them.

“Hi Brandy! Oh, it’s so good to see you!” Chilli said as she gave her sister a big hug. “It’s good to see you too, Chili.” Brandy said as she returned her sister’s hug. “Bandit, glad to see you’re no longer eaten by a cheetah.” Brandy said jokingly as she hugged the blue Heeler. “And how are my nieces doing?” Brandy asked as she knelt to hug the two young dogs. “We promised to be on our best behavior tonight.” Bluey said, changing her voice to a mockingly fancy tone. “We will be making only the prettiest of crayon drawings.” Bingo said, mimicking her sister.

“You haven’t seen Stripe or Trix yet, have you?” Chilli asked as she looked around for the other Heelers. “I haven’t, sorry.” Brandy replied. “I’m sure they’ll be here shortly. I say we get in and grab our table before someone knicks it.” Bandit said as he opened the door to the restaurant. They all went in and were shown to their table, passing by large potted plants and a big aquarium filled with all sorts of marine life. The children were stricken with awe at the sight of it all, showered upon by the atmosphere lit up by golden chandeliers.

The family was seated in a large table just enough in view of the front door, which was perfect so they could keep an eye on the remaining party members. Shortly after, however, Chilli got a text on her phone. “Oh no! Trix just texted me, Muffin and Socks got sick so they can’t make it.” Chilli explained in a sad tone. “Are they going to be alright?” Bluey asked, concerned for her cousins. “Yeah, they’re going to be okay. Probably ate something they shouldn’t have at lunch.” Chilli said as she put her phone away, “I guess we’ll have to eat without them.”

Bingo felt sorry for her cousins, unable to draw with the fancy crayons and eat the yummy food. But something caught her attention as she heard an unfamiliar voice at the entrance, with an unfamiliar accent.

“Good evening. I’d like a table for me and my son here.” The voice came from a tall white dog wearing dark sunglasses. He had to be the tallest dog Bingo has ever seen in her life, and in his arms was a little dog with a cream-colored fur who looked to be only slightly older than her. “I’m sorry sir, but we haven’t gotten any tables left.” Said the reservations attendant. “Really? Nuts, that’s a shame!” said the dog as he looked at his son, “Sorry champ, looks like we’ll have to find another place to eat dinner tonight.”

The young dog’s ears drooped, “Okay daddy.” Bingo felt sad that they couldn’t eat at the fancy restaurant, but then she got an idea. “Dad, can they come eat with us? They have nowhere to sit, but we have spots for them because Uncle Strip and them can’t come!” Bingo said, pointing at the pair up front. “I’m not so sure, Bingo, we don’t even know them.” Bandit said scratching his neck. “Oh, why not? Maybe he’ll help with the bill?” Brandy protested, not taking her eyes off the father and his son. “Alright, alright. Bluey, you’re small and fast, go tell them they can come eat with us.” Bandit instructed. “Okay dad!” Bluey said as she hopped from her seat and made her way to the front door. “Excuse me, sir? More people were supposed to show up for dinner but couldn’t come. Would you like to eat with us?” Bluey asked, stopping the dog before he walked out. “Really? We would be very grateful, thank you!” the dog said excitedly, tail wagging.

Bluey nodded as she led the two to their table, the tall white dog sitting next Aunt Brandy, and his son next to him. “Hello everyone, thank you so much for letting us join you, I honestly don’t mean to intrude.” The dog said. “My name is Leo Wolfgang, and this is my son, Wasabi.” Leo said happily as he gestured towards his son. “Hello.” Wasabi said, giving everyone a little wave. “No worries, mate. I’m Bandit, this is my wife Chilli, her sister Brandy, and our daughters, Bluey and Bingo. Where are you two from?” Bandit reached out to shake hands with Leo which he gladly returned.

“We’re from the United States. Just got in today actually.” Leo said. “Is everyone from the United States as tall as you?” Bluey asked, very interested in meeting someone from another country. "Oh, you noticed that huh? Not a lot of dogs are tall like me. I’m only tall because I’m a wolfdog, part wolf and part husky to be exact.” Leo explained. Bluey and Bingo’s eyes lit up with excitement, “Wolfdog!?”

Chilli and Bandit looked at each other with concern because they knew that their kids were going to have tons of questions. “Now girls, before you start asking all the questions, I’m sure you both have, we should order our food.” Chilli said sternly. After the group ordered their food and drinks, Bluey and Bingo began asking their questions while they colored away on their provided pages.

“So, what’s it like being a wolfdog?” Bluey asked. “It’s not that different from being an ordinary dog, I’m just big.” Leo replied as he took off his large sunglass, revealing a large pair of pink-colored eyes.

“Ooh, you have such pretty pink eyes!” Bingo exclaimed. “Oh my, you’re albino?” Brandy asked suddenly. “Huh? What’s that?” Bluey asked with confusion. “It’s a medical condition that affects my body and takes out all the color of my skin, fur, and eyes. It also makes me sensitive to sunlight, so I wear special sunglasses and use special sunblock.”

“My, my, Mr. Wolfgang, you sure are quite the interesting character,” Brandy said, “but, then how did you have Wasabi?” Bluey and Bingo were once again puzzled, “what does she mean Mr. Wolfgang?” Bingo asked. “Oh, I-I didn’t mean to-“ Brandy started as she realized what she had said, but Leo gave her a look of reassurance. “No need to worry, that’s perfectly fine. You see kids, a lot of those affected with albinism are not able to have babies.” Leo explained calmly.

“So, you’re not a wolfdog, Wasabi?” Bluey asked the young dog, who was very focused on drawing a picture of a lizard. “Huh? Oh, no. I’m a Samoyed, and my daddy adopted me!” Wasabi said with a smile before going back to his drawing. Chilli, Bandit, and Brandy’s eyes grew sympathetic towards the child. Brandy even found herself clutching her hand over her heart. Leo went on to lighten the mood as everyone enjoyed their meals.

“Which of your parents is a wolf?” Bingo asked, wanting to learn more about Mr. Wolfgang. “My dad’s a wolf, and my mom’s a Husky.” Leo responded. “Do you have an siblings?” Bluey asked.  “No, I don’t have any, but I do have lots of cousins.” Leo said, emphasizing on the amount. He told them all about the different sites in America, as well as animals and food. Wasabi talked to the children about the games he plays and how he learns everything at home. Occasionally, Brandy would catch Wasabi staring at her, and each time she looked at him, he would give her a big smile. When his dad asked him why he keeps staring at her, Wasabi simply replied, “because I think she’s pretty.”

“So, Leo, how long are you Wasabi here on holiday?” Bandit asked. “Holiday? Oh no, this is our new home. We just moved in!” Leo answered excitingly. The family’s ears all perked up after hearing this. “Big house at the opposite end of a one-way street?” Chilli asked. “Yeah, you know the place?” Leo responded. “Yeah, that’s our street!” Bluey exclaimed. “We’re gonna be neighbors!” Bingo celebrated. “Wow what a small world! You here that champ? The Heelers are going to be our new neighbors!” Leo said rustling Wasabi’s head. “Hooray!” Wasabi threw his hands in the air in excitement, which was then followed by a noise coming from under the table.

“Uh oh. Daddy, my leg fell off again.” Wasabi said, shaking his father’s arm. The table fell silent as they all looked at Wasabi. “Did he say his leg…fell off?” Chilli asked. “Yeah, it happens from time to time,” Leo said as he reached under the table, “here it is! Now let’s get this back on bud.” Leo held up a prosthetic leg with the same coloration as Wasabi’s fur.

“Aaah, it is a leg! His leg fell off!” Bingo exclaimed. “I was in an accident when I was a baby. I lost part of my left leg.” Wasabi said as he was stood up so that his prosthetic could be reattached. “Made it myself. That’s what I do for a living actually, I design and make prosthetic limbs for those who need them.” Leo explained, making sure Wasabi’s leg was on tight.

“Does it hurt?” Bluey asked. “No, but I do get ghost itchies sometimes.” Wasabi said as he sat back down. “What are ghost itchies?” Bingo asked. “It’s where you feel like you have an itch on somewhere you can’t scratch anymore because it isn’t there.” Bandit explained. “There was a severe car crash one night. His parents didn’t make it and his leg was so banged up they had to amputate. That’s actually where I met Wasabi, and I couldn’t stand the thought of him going through life by himself. So, I adopted him, and it was the best decision I ever made.” Leo explained quietly to the parents.

“Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom.” Wasabi said suddenly. “Oh okay. We’ll be right back.” Leo said as he got up to escort his son to the bathroom. They now noticed that Wasabi has a bit of a limp in his walk due to his prosthetic.

“I like them.” Bluey stated. “Oh yes, they are very interesting.” Bingo added. “I agree. I hope we become good family friends.” Chilli toasted. Chilli then felt a tap on her shoulder from her husband, “hey babe, look at Brandy.” Bandit whispered. Chilli turned to see that Brandy was still staring in the direction of where Leo and Wasabi went. “You doing okay, sis?” Chilli asked, nudging her sister’s shoulder. “Oh! Y-yeah, I’m alright. They sure are something huh?” Brandy said with a hint of embarrassment.

Chilli and Bandit gave each other a smug look. Time passed and everyone had finished their meals. Leo was so grateful for the Heeler’s generosity he returned the favor by paying for the entire dinner. The Heelers said goodbye to the Wolfgangs and Aunt Brandy, and as they drove away Chilli was watching through one of the mirrors that her sister and Leo were still talking. A big grin came to her face when she saw Brandy write something down on a piece of paper and give it to Leo, both of their tails wagging.

“Babe, she actually did it!” Chilli said excitedly. “Aw, did I miss it!?” Bandit said trying to catch the act in the mirror. “What did you miss?” Bluey asked suspiciously. “We think your aunt likes Mr. Wolfgang.” Chilli said in a cheeky tone. The girls looked at each other and giggled. The family enjoyed their ride back home, knowing that they’ll see their new neighbors soon.

Days turned to weeks, which then turned to months. The Heeler family had become great friends with the Wolfgangs. They introduced them to their community that they know and love, to the food that they loved to eat, and the games they liked to play. The Wolfgangs in return, introduced the Heelers to foods and games they had back in America. And of course, they all had their fun with their differences in vocabulary.

Bluey and Bingo introduced Wasabi to their cousins, Muffin and Socks. The two girls took some time getting used to Wasabi’s handicap, but in the end, they saw him as any other kid they can play with. Wasabi showed interest in wanting to go to school with other kids so he could make more friends, so his dad had him enrolled. Wasabi ended up being in Bluey’s class where she got to introduce him to all her friends.

As more time went on, the Heelers got to see more and more of Wasabi after his dad started dating Aunt Brandy. Wasabi would come over for play dates while his dad and Brandy went on real dates. The children would play their games, and sometimes talk about what the adults were doing on their romantic dates.

This would continue for several months, until one fateful day.

Bluey, Bingo, and Wasabi were all in the kitchen drawing with crayons and talking about what they want to do in the future. “I think I want to go to space when I grow up.” Bingo said and she doodled a crayon rocket ship. “I want to build robots when I grow up. The robots would take care of all the hard work so that everyone can relax and play!” Wasabi exclaimed excitedly. Bluey was about to speak when the tablet began ringing, “Oh, who could that be?” Bluey asked as she picked up the tablet to answer.

She was surprised to see it was her Aunt Brandy video calling them, “hi Aunt Brandy!” Bluey said happily as she waved to her aunt on the screen. “Hi Bluey! Where’s your mum, I need to talk to her!” Brandy sounded very excited for some reason. “Okay, let me get her…Mom, Aunt Brandy is calling for you!” Bluey shouted into the house so that her mother could hear her.

A few moments later Chilli walked into the kitchen wondering what all the fuss was about. “Hey sis, what’s up? You look like you’re about to pop.” Chilli said as she took the tablet from Bluey. “He finally did it, Leo asked me to marry him, and I said yes!” Brandy squealed in excitement as she showed her sister the engagement ring on screen. “Brandy that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you! Any details about the wedding?” Chilli’s tail was wagging vigorously for her sister. “Nothing yet, lots to plan. Do you want to be my maid of honor?” Brandy asked. “Of course I will, I’m your sister! I would have been devastated if you hadn’t asked me.” Chilli replied, joking about the last part. “Thanks Chilli, you’re the best! We’ll be by tomorrow morning to pick up Wasabi, bye!” Brandy said before ending the video call. “Bye sis, don’t have too much fun.” Chilli said in a cheeky tone before hanging up the tablet.

Chilli turned around to find the three kids standing in front of her, eyes wide, and tails wagging, “a wedding!?” They all shouted. “You all heard that did you? It’s true, looks like Leo and Brandy are getting married. But we don’t have any details yet, so we’ll all need to be patient until they tell us.” Chilli told the excited children. “Mrs. Heeler, does that mean Brandy is going to be my new mommy?” Wasabi asked with big, hopeful eyes. Chilli couldn’t help but give him a reassuring smile as she knelt to his level. “Yes, it does, Wasabi. And do you know what else that means?” Chilli asked him. “What?” Wasabi asked back, confused. “It means you’ll be our new cousin!” Bingo said, jumping for joy. The kids then all celebrated with a momentous, “hooray!”

Plans for the wedding were underway as more time had passed. Leo and Brandy decided not to have too big of a wedding because Leo has a very extensive family. Everyone who was invited said they would be able to attend, which included: the Heelers, Stripe’s family, Nana Heeler, Grandpa Mort, Leo’s parents, and the closest of Leo’s cousins. Wasabi was made the ring bearer while Bluey, Bingo, and Muffin were all made flower girls. There was going to be a special wedding cake, a band, lots of delectable food, and it wouldn’t be a wedding without a photographer.

The wedding was planned to be late fall because Leo’s family needed to fly in from America and didn’t want any delays or nasty weather interfering with the flight. The ceremony was set to take place outside, while the reception moves into a large gallery they had reserved. After all the preparations were made, and all the fine details made to perfection, the day had arrived.

Before the ceremony, everyone had the chance to mingle and meet one another. The Heelers met Leo’s parents first, Dusty, his mother, and Timber, his father. Timber, being a full-blooded wolf, towered over the other dogs, just like his son. His fur was a dark gray, he wore an eyepatch over his left eye, and he walked with a cane. Dusty was an average sized husky with gray and white fur. She seemed to have a lot of energy for an elderly woman, and she was so excited to meet everyone.

Then there were Leo’s cousins, a group of three huskies who introduced themselves from oldest to youngest: Buckets, Bolt, and Danger. Buckets was a male, black and white husky who works at a tree farm in Alaska. Bolt was male, brown husky who’s training for the next Olympics. Lastly, Danger was a female, red husky who works in pyrotechnics. They were Leo’s closest relatives growing up, almost inseparable, and they said they wouldn’t miss this wedding for anything in the world.

Bluey and Bingo were disappointed there weren’t any other kids for them to meet, but Wasabi explained his other cousins weren’t able to come and if they did, they would have needed a much bigger party room to celebrate.

After everyone had gotten to know each other better, it was time for the ceremony. The flower girls danced around dropping colorful petals along the ground, while Wasabi followed suit behind them holding the rings. The room was filled with tension, joy, anxiety, and love as everyone watched the bride walk down the aisle towards her groom at the altar. They exchanged their vows as they gave each other their rings and sealed it all with a kiss as the bride and groom became husband and wife. There was cheering, clapping, tail wagging, and a big wolf howl from Timber.

Everyone then went into the big ball room for the reception where they had food, drinks, and plenty of music. But before things got started, Cousin Buckets had a speech prepared. “Hey everyone! Best man Buckets here! Just wanted to say a few words for the newlyweds before we get too crazy. I wanted to say how happy I am for Leo and his new wife, Brandy. I’m glad I got to be here and witness these families coming together, and I know everyone else back home would have loved to be here too. They do send their best wishes though! Growing up, we knew Leo was different, and we respected him and loved him. I see him more like a brother to me than a cousin. I’m glad he found someone to love and share his life with. Cheers!” Buckets said as he raised a toast, to which everyone raised a glass in response.

Before he sat down, Buckets saw Wasabi tugging at his sleeve. “What’s up champ?” Buckets asked as he knelt. Wasabi whispered into Buckets’ ear, gripping a folded piece of paper. “You got it, bud!” Buckets picked up Wasabi and tapped on the microphone to get everyone’s attention. “Excuse me everyone, I know we’re all hungry, but Wasabi here says he wrote his own speech for this occasion.”

Leo and Brandy looked at each other excitedly, wondering what the little Samoyed was going to say. “Thank you everyone for being here. I would like to thank my new Uncle Bandit for helping me write this speech. When I met Miss Brandy and her family at the restaurant, I thought she was the prettiest lady I had ever seen. Whenever she looked at me, I couldn’t help but smile, and whenever she smiled, my tail would wag with happiness. Sometimes I could tell that my dad was sad because he didn’t have a wife, or that I didn’t have a mom. But now, my daddy is very happy because he has a wife, and not only does he have a new wife, but I have a new mommy!” After hearing the speech Brandy got up from her seat and ran over to the little boy and hugged him tightly as happy tears ran down her face. The crowd applauded Wasabi’s speech and affection for his parents. “I love you, my little champion, and I’m going to love you forever.”  Brandy whispered to her new son, and she kissed his head as she held him tight.

The reception went on naturally; with food, drinks, dancing, and plenty of photographs. After the hours flew, and the liveliness calmed down, Leo, Brandy, and Wasabi all went home as a family for the first time. Where they would live happily forever, and ever.

#bluey #bluey cartoon #fanfic #one shot #bluey heeler #bandit heeler #chili heeler #bingo heeler #aunt brandy #fan fic #short story #long post

[thiswasinevitableid]

Faithful (Sternclay)

The last fill is the winner of the more sweet than spooky prompts: My friend/relative is too sick to go trick-or-treating, so I’m taking their kid

“Thanks so much again for bailing me out” Lillian ties her scarf around her neck before kneeling down, “Grace, you be good for your uncle okay? I’ll be back in time to tuck you in.”

“Okay” Joseph’s niece smiles and bends her head foreward so his sister can kiss it. 

“That’s my girl. And don’t eat too much candy” She stands and gives Joseph The Look, “moms rules, got it.”

“Got it. Drive safe.” He hugs her, then holds Grace’s hand as they wave her off to her car. 

His niece looks up at him with what he can only describe as the Stern Family Gaze, “what are ‘Moms Rules?”

“Your grandmother would let us eat as much Halloween candy as we wanted on Halloween itself. But only if we ate actual dinner first.”

“What are we having for dinner?”

“You mom left some chili for us.”

“Blech”

“All the candy you want, remember?”

She narrows her eyes,  “Fine. But I’m getting into my costume first. You’re helping me.”

“Of course, my little lake monster.” 

Ten minutes later, he’s staring at grotesque chicken in place of his niece. 

“You’re…an evil robot?”

“Her name is Chica and she’s possessed by a murdered child.” She says with the scorn only a seven-year-old child can muster. 

“Okay then. Come on, it’s dinner time.”

He’s bemused that his sister would let be something from a horror game but on the other hand maybe this means he’ll one day have someone to watch scary movies with. Not that he’s testing that theory tonight; Lily has baby pictures and is not afraid to use them if he accidentally traumatizes her kid. 

They set out into the streets as it gets dark, porches lighting up orange and purple and the smell of candy and singed pumpkin drifting through the air. 

This neighborhood is full of families, so they spend plenty of time waiting at the foot of steps for other kids to collect their candy. It takes all of five minutes before someone is telling Joseph what a good dad he is just for holding her hand when a flock of boisterous tweens storm past covered in fake gore. 

He smiles and corrects them; this happens to him a lot. Lily works on-call half the time, and his brother-in-law is an RN whose schedule seems to think he does not actually have a life. A perk of having left the FBI is that Joseph can set his own hours, so at least once a month he’s summoned to keep an eye on Grace. Not that he minds; it’s nice to talk with someone who still thinks he’s the coolest guy in the world. 

Grace insists on the long route for candy collection, and by the time they’re heading along the park towards home there are hardly any families on the street. 

As he’s asking her what her favorite decorations were, she freezes and tugs his arm. 

“There’s a dog in that bush.”

He follows her pointed finger, expecting a beagle or pomeranian cowering in the foliage. Not a fucking wolf. 

“Yes, it seems there is” there are no wolves in Madison, so this has to be a really big husky or a wolf-dog or something, “but let's leave him be.”

“But he’s hurt.” 

She’s right; the animal has a cut on its snout. Joseph takes a step, then another, and all the dog does is whimper. 

“It’s okay, big guy, we’re friendly. Are you lost?”  He gestures slowly for the dog to come to him, “let’s see who you belong to, then we can-” he sighs as he sees there’s no collar or tags, “we can figure something out.”

The dog licks his hand, sad brown eyes staring up at him. Its fur is gorgeous dark brown and very soft when Joseph pats its head. He can’t shake the feeling that he’s looking at a wolf that’s just not quite right in the face. 

“Is he nice?”

One floppy ear perks up at Grace’s voice, and then the dog flops onto its side, showing her its belly. She laughs and kneels to pat his head. 

“It seems like it. I’d say he should come with us but I don’t have a leash. So how about this; we get you home, then I’ll come back and look for him and see if we can find his owner.”

Grace agrees, reluctantly stands, and takes Joseph’s hand. A few seconds after they’re back on the pavement, this a click-click of claws following behind. 

“Uncle Joseph, look, he likes you!”

He glances behind them with a smile, “That or he wants your candy. Either way, I guess he’s coming home with me.”

Joseph coaxes the dog into his car to wait until Lily gets home. Once his sister is back and his niece is putting away her candy, he hops in and drives back to his house. It’s on the outskirts of the city, where the woods start to encroach, and the dog sniffs the air in the direction of the treeline as he unlocks the door. 

“Now, I have a dog already. Her name is Nessie. She’s a little scared of other dogs, so she might run away or hide from you. If you chase her or bully her, you will spend the night outside. Got it?”

The dog boofs once, a low and happy sound. 

“Good enough.”

As he expected, Nessie skitters out to meet him and freezes when she sees what he’s brought home. But instead of running, she cautiously comes closer, sniffing the newcomer, who sits patiently during her inspection. Then she licks him once on the face and trots over to Joseph for attention. 

Interesting. 

“I missed you too, girl. Now let’s find our new friend somewhere to sleep.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------

In Barclay’s defense, he never meant for it to get this out of hand. 

He’d known this area had some nasty off-shoots of vampire hives, but he’d also heard that some of his friends might have found safe haven here. So he was willing to risk the trip. Turns out nasty gangs of vampires breed nasty gangs of humans (or maybe it’s the other way around), and said humans like to stab first and ask questions later. He’d avoided a knife to the gut but not the face and ran for his life, changing into a wolf once he lost them so any humans would see an injured dog, not a huge scary man. The plan was to lay low until he could sneak into the night and find a safe place to hide. 

And while the foot of Joseph’s bed is certainly safe, it’s weird to lay here in the dark with a human happily asleep and completely unaware they let a vampire into their house. 

Weirder still has been how gentle Joseph is with him. No raised voices or threats, no getting annoyed when Barclays bulk knocks things over. Just the offer of dinner (Barclay managed to let Nessie eat his share without the human noticing) and then a bath. A bath during which a very good human stripped to his boxer-briefs and undershirt in order to scrub mud and blood from Barclay’s fur. A bath after which Joseph toweled him off and put a bandaid on his nose and called him a good boy for being so well-behaved.

Barclay would have gone belly-up for him in that moment even if he was in his human form.

His plan is to escape come morning, but Joseph doesn’t leave for an office as Barclay assumed he would. Instead he spends the morning on the phone calling around and checking online to see if anyone is missing a dog. When that search turns up nothing, he bundles Barclay into the backseat of his car and drives to a vet. 

Mercifully, he just wants them to check Barclay’s cut to make sure it doesn’t need stitches. He doesn’t, and he uses the moment of eye contact with the vet to put them in enough of a thrall so they tell Joseph no other care is needed. 

Joseph stops at a burger shack on the way home, pulling into the lot to eat. Barclay’s pleading eyes earn him a fry, which is for the best; he couldn’t handle much more mortal food than that without getting sick. But it’s not his fault salt and fat still smell good to a vampire.

In the evening, Joseph walks him over on a makeshift leash to a pet store, then back towards home on a sturdy, tartan-patterned one. As they’re cutting through an alley, a figure steps from a back door and calls Joseph’s name.

Barclay knows another vampire when he sees one, and bares his teeth as the man steps closer. 

“Easy, big guy” Joseph says calmly, “Alan is a friend of mine.”

“More like your fucking servant.” The vampire smiles, “my sister got out yesterday; the fang-mark stuff you showed the cops did the trick.” He offers his hand, “You ever need to woo someone or go to a funeral or anything, your orders at my place are on the house.” 

Barclay glances up to see Gravedirt Florist printed on the backdoor. 

Joseph says he’ll keep that in mind and waves goodnight. As they walk he muses to Barclay, “You didn’t act that way towards anyone else today. I wonder…can you tell vampires from humans? Or do you just want to protect me?”

Barclay barks in what he hopes is an affirmative tone. 

“That gives me an idea. After all, a vampire ‘hunter’” he makes literal air-quotes, “can use all the protection he can get.”

They reach the door of the house. Barclay shouldn’t follow him through it, shouldn’t let himself be alone in a room with a fucking vampire hunter, sure as fuck shouldn’t agree to be his guard dog. He should use all his strength to yank the leash free and run for the hills. 

Joseph rubs his head, “We can sleep on it, right big guy? You deserve a break and to be spoiled after being lost and fending for yourself.”

Blue eyes shine, trusting and kind, as the grip on the leash loosens so he can open the door. 

Barclay cuddles up to Joseph’s thigh and follows him in. 

Just a few more days. Then he’ll go.

—-------------------------------------------------------

A week after bringing the new dog home, Joseph follows the sound of Nessie’s barking into the living room. As he expected, a vampire with a grudge is waiting for him. 

“That’s the most pathetic guard dog I’ve ever seen.”

He needs at least a few seconds to grab his tool-belt from its hook.

“Oh, Nessie is just the alarm.” A growl grows in the darkness behind as he says glibly, “Bigfoot is the muscle.”

It turns out when you have a massive, snarling dog, troublesome vampires show themselves out without fight. 

—--------------------------------------------------------------------

Barclay stands, surveying the house for the last time. For two and a half weeks he’s only left it with Joseph or on the few nights he snuck out to visit the butcher. It feels wrong to be leaving with no intention of coming back. 

Nessie prances at his feet, UFO chew toy in her mouth. Whenever Joseph is gone for the day, Barclay will turn human and play with her for hours before cuddling up on the couch to read from Joseph’s excellent collection of mystery novels. 

“Sorry, sweet girl. Not today.” He rubs her ear, “take care of him, okay? And for go-ow, for goodness sake try to get him to sleep more.”

He slips out the front door and down the street. His first stop is the butcher for some blood, then to the library to use the computer to look for somewhere to live. When he comes out, no leads to be found, he sees Joseph on the corner, asking the guys at the falafel food truck if they saw a large, brown dog come this way. 

Barclay’s not going to feel bad. He’s not going back. He’s not. 

He sees Joseph several more times throughout the evening, having some version of that same conversation. 

At three in the morning, his curiosity gets the best of him, and he sneaks back to the house. Through the window he can see the human on his laptop, refreshing what looks to be the community notices page; the one where people post lost pets. 

Joseph closes the computer and leans back, wipes his eye and casts a hopeful glance at the backdoor. 

No one’s mourned his departure that much in years. 

He takes his wolf form, scratches at the door, and waits only a few seconds before Joseph is on his knees, hugging him and making him swear to never do that again. 

He can’t promise that. But maybe he can hang around a little longer. 

—-------------------------------------------------------

“Well that could have gone better.” Joseph peels off his bloody shirt, already standing in the shower to avoid making the whole bathroom into a crime scene. 

Barclay nods, a habit he hasn’t managed to hide and is praying Joseph won’t notice. His fur is matted with blood from a truly horrendous night. He didn’t know there was such a thing as a multi-mouthed graveghoul, but it turns out there is and that it’s aggressive as fuck.

Joseph points to the tub and he climbs in, lets the human scrub him clean and run his hands over him in search of injury. Once he’s clean and dry, Joseph shoos him out so he can take a proper shower. 

Seeing him step out ten minutes later in only a towel makes Barclay hot under both the literal and figurative collars.

“I’m glad you’re okay, big guy” Joseph ruffles his fur, “we make a good team.”

They do. But lately all Barclay can think is they’d make such a better one if he could be human. If he could make breakfast for Joseph after a long night, could sit and read while the human looks over his case files, could walk holding his hand instead of on a leash and talk with him about everything. 

(Could feed from him instead of sneaking drinks from a carton)

But being honest with Joseph can’t mean anything but losing him. And Barclay’s not quite ready to lose him. Not yet. 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Here we go, some entertainment for you” Joseph sets the puzzle toy down for Bigfoot, “and some light reading for me.” He laughs at his own joke as he drops a stack of new, vampiric history books on his table.

Bigfoot wags his tail at him, then settles in to nap. Fair enough, they did have a long night of chasing down a vampire hunter who was lighting vampire businesses on fire for the hell of it. 

The first book is A Compendium of Vampirical Powers. When he hits chapter three, he turns the page to a plate showing an illustration of a vampire who has taken the form of a wolf. Assuming this is an accurate image, he’s impressed; it does look like a wolf. 

A wolf who’s not quite right in the face. 

Joseph looks at his guard dog. His guard dog who only eats when Joseph isn’t looking at him, who learns commands as if he understood english, who always seems to bark when a human would reply to Joseph thinking aloud. 

“Bigfoot?”

The dog opens its eyes and lifts its head to regard him. 

“If you…if you were a vampire, you would tell me, right?”

The dog tenses, which does nothing to soothe Joseph’s worry. 

“I wouldn’t be angry. I promise. But if I’m onto something, and you care about me even a little, please be honest with me.”

Bigfoot closes his eyes with a resigned sigh, and then there’s a large, bearded man on Joseph’s rug. 

“Um. Hi.” Strong arms wave from a ratty t-shirt, and thick, hairy legs stick out of shorts, “So, you’re right, I am a vampire. I was being chased by some of those shitty guys we dealt with last week and I panicked and turned into my wolf form to hide and then you were there and…yeah” he undoes the collar at his throat, “I’ve been living as your dog for months.”

“Ohjesus” Joseph runs a hand through his hair, “I can’t believe I was so dense, it was so obvious, oh god I have rubbed your belly so many times and you, you slept in my bed!”

“You said you wouldn’t be mad.” The vampire winces away from him. 

“Sorry. I’m just…why did you let it go for so long?”

“At first I needed somewhere to hide, then I couldn't handle running away and making you upset and I, I really, I like you, Joseph. You saw a huge, scary dog and took him home instead of calling the cops, and you were so good to me I didn’t want to leave. Even though I knew I should. I’m so sorry.” He sits up, scrunching in on himself to seem smaller, “I can go.”

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

“Not really.” The vampire says sheepishly. 

Joseph slides down to the floor so they’re face to face, “Then I’m not kicking you out. I trust you; if you were a threat to me, you would have attacked me by now.”

“Never” The force of the reply surprises them both. 

“Am I right that you don’t have a job either?”

“Uh huh.”

Joseph touches a tattooed arm, “What’s your name, big guy?”

“Barclay.”

“Here’s what I propose, Barclay: I still need extra protection. And I have the money to pay for it. So if you want, you can keep working for me and living here. Just as a roommate.”

“I’d really, really,  really like that.”

“Then it’s a deal” Joseph helps him to his feet and tries for levity, “but no more sleeping in the bed.”

“I thought it was what a dog would do! Plus it gets cold at night and Nessie hogs the spot by the heater.”

Joseph chuckles, “She really does. I’ll guess I’ll just make sure there’s lots of extra blankets in the spare bedroom.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The benefits of Barclay having told Joseph the truth are many, starting with the fact that Barclay is an excellent cook and likes making meals for Joseph even when he can’t eat them himself.  Joseph feels like a spoiled husband whenever he wakes up to breakfast already made or comes home to dinner waiting on the table. 

Barclay is also an excellent conversationalist, even though Joseph is playing catch-up when it comes to getting to know him while Barclay is familiar with all his most embarrassing habits. Then again, it’s tremendously relaxing to be around someone who’s seen him sing to ABBA or curse at the dishwasher and still wants to spend time with him. 

For his part, Barclay is clearly enjoying not having to hide anymore, and is just as protective of him as a man as he was as a wolf. He’s also still using the dog shampoo Joseph bought him because he likes the way it makes his hair soft. 

Joseph does miss being able to touch him, and with every passing morning the temptation to reach across the table and hold his hand as they have coffee becomes less bearable.

Tonight, Barclay is humming along to the radio as he dusts pumpkin ravioli with ricotta. As he bends to grab a plate from the dishwasher, Joseph notices an odd lump in his back pocket. If it’s what he thinks it is, it’s a very interesting situation indeed. 

He stands and slips it free just as Barclay straightens. 

“Whoa, hey there” Barclay laughs as he turns, “you that…hungry…for..oh man I can explain I promise.”

“Please do” Joseph dangles the old collar between them. 

“I kept it as a, uh, a souvenir. Of the part of being hidden I liked.”

“Keep talking.”

“I liked” Barclay looks down, “I liked being good for you. Being yours. I like belonging to you because I knew you’d take care of me and it made me so fucking happy and also it was really fucking hot to be on a leash for you which gives me all kinds of weird feelings. And being with you now is agony because it’s so close to being yours, and now I know how well we work together, but I don’t want to make you feel like you have to want me….

“So what I’m hearing is that you’d like to keep being mine under certain, um, conditions? My good boy who’s also my boyfriend?” Joseph sets the collar on the counter. 

“Please.”

“I think that can be arranged.” Joseph leans in and kisses him, the vampire whimpering until Joseph puts his arms around him and holds him close. 

“Does this mean I can sleep in the bed again?” Barclay smiles, fangs glinting promisingly in the kitchen lights. 

“Yes, big guy, it does.

#taz amnesty #sternclay #agent stern/barclay #vampire boyfriend #human/monster romance

[starkstruck27]

Based loosely on a Red Hot Chili Peppers song called Police Station... Also, TW for murder, child abuse and sexual abuse. It's sad and kind of messed up, so please read carefully my friends!

Steve never intended to become a cop. But it was better than becoming another cog in Daddy Harrington's multi-million dollar machine. And his uncle Phil was a cop, so he and Hopper helped him get into the police academy and, well, there he was. Walking into the police station. And stopping in his tracks as soon as he got to his desk.

Sitting in front of him was Billy Hargrove, his leather jacket torn, his face bruised and bloody, and a toddler in his arms. He was staring at the floor, not even paying attention when the little girl he was holding tugged on his golden curls, and he didn't seem to notice as Steve stood before him.

The girl couldn't have been older than maybe four or five years old, and she didn't really look like Billy at all. She had straight brown hair and bright green eyes, and her skin tone was a light olive color. She didn't look like she could be Billy's daughter, but then again, it'd been nearly seven years since Steve last saw the guy, so he really didn't know. Maybe he'd gotten married and the kid just looked more like her mother.

"Steve, good, you're here," Phil said as he walked over, lowering his voice as he led Steve over to the coffee machine so no one would overhear.

"Uncle Phil, what's going on? Why is Billy Hargrove at my desk? And who's the little girl?" Steve asked, glancing over at the two of them between every word.

"That's what we all want to know," Phil replied, "Earlier tonight, we got a call about a domestic disturbance in progress, so Powell and I rushed out there. When we got to the scene, we found the owner of the house on the floor, beaten unconscious, and Hargrove trying to calm the kid down as he looked for what we assume was his keys. The guy was taken to the hospital and we tried to take the girl and slap handcuffs on Hargrove, but he wouldn't let her go. He almost knocked me out when I tried to take her from him. He said no one was to touch her, and that he'd go with us with no problems as long as we didn't touch her. We agreed to those terms and brought him here, but when we tried to question him, he said he wouldn't talk to anybody but you. Not even the chief could get him to crack. He said nobody but you. We knew you were coming in for your shift in just a little bit, so we told him to just wait at your desk. That was a half hour ago."

"Jesus Christ," Steve mumbled, "You think he was trying to kidnap her?"

"I don't know," Phil said, biting his lip, "In my opinion, no. If he were going for kidnapping, he would've high-tailed it outta there as soon as we showed up. Instead he came with us voluntarily. And I don't think he would've been so worried about the kid if it were just a regular kidnapping, but he refused to let her go, even after we got here. I think there's more to it than that, but right now, you're the only one who might be able to find that out. He won't talk to anyone else."

Steve glanced over at Billy and the little girl again and sighed. He could feel his heart beginning to break as he looked at them, but if Billy was only willing to talk to him, he would have to do it. He had to get to the bottom of this.

"Clear out an interview room and try and find some things for the girl to play with," Steve said, running a hand through his hair as he walked back over to his desk, standing directly in front of Billy.

"Hi Billy," Steve said, but the other man still didn't look up. "Billy? Can you hear me? Billy!"

Steve snapped his fingers in front of the other man's face and finally it got his attention, making him jerk his head up and blink a few times before he finally seemed to come back to reality.

"Harrington?" He asked, his voice tiny as he gripped the little girl tighter.

"Yeah it's me," Steve said, "Officer Callahan said you wanted to talk to me?"

Billy nodded.

"Okay, we can do that. But why don't we go somewhere a little more private and let someone else keep an eye on this little lady, okay?"

Billy seemed to tense up as soon as Steve mentioned him putting the girl down, and his eyes turned as cold as ice.

"No," he said, "She stays with me."

"Billy, listen to me, this is pretty serious stuff and she’s already lived through it once, she doesn't need to hear about it again. Why don't you let Hopper take her, just until we're done talking?" Steve asked, making sure to keep his tone gentle.

"I said no, Harrington. I just got her back, I'm not letting her go again." Billy said, his face contorting with anger and something else. Desperation.

"I understand that you're worried about her, but there's nothing bad that can happen to her here. Now I know it's not always easy for you to trust people, so what if I were the one to keep an eye on her and you went to talk to someone else? Would that be okay with you?" Steve asked, but Billy only snorted in response, as if Steve just made a stupid joke. Maybe that’s what it sounded like to him.

"C'mon, Billy, you gotta work with me here. You're in a lot of trouble and I want to help you, but I can't do that if you don't work with me. Now look, I know you don't trust the cops, but you trust me, and I trust them. And I know that none of them would want anything bad to happen to you or to her, so why don't you let us help you?" Steve said, his eyes never leaving Billy's for a second. It was like a staring contest after that, neither of them saying a word until a few moments later, when finally, Billy sighed.

"Who do you trust the most?" He asked, his voice still smaller than Steve had ever heard it before. "Like, if it came down to it, who do you know would take a bullet if it meant saving your life?"

Steve was almost taken aback by the question, but he supposed it made sense, in a way. Billy's trust issues were severe, always had been, so it was pretty par for the course that he wouldn't be willing to give up anything to just a random cop, whether that be an explanation for his actions or the little girl he seemed to care about so much.

"If I had to pick someone, I'd say my uncle, Phil Callahan. He's a good cop and a great guy, and he'd lay down his life to protect anybody." Steve said, and Billy nodded once. He stood then and followed Steve to the interview room, hesitating only for a second when he had to hand the girl off to Phil. He watched as Phil took her over to his desk to play with whatever toys he'd scrounged up, and only when he heard her laugh and start to babble away did he go fully into the room and let Steve shut the door.

"Can I get you anything?" Steve asked as Billy sat down at the table in the center of the room. "Coffee? Pop? A sandwich?"

"No, thanks," Billy replied, drumming his fingers on the table, "Let's just get this over with."

"Okay then," Steve said, pulling out a notepad and a pen. "Why don't you start by telling me who that little girl is?"

"Her name's Bonnie," Billy said, biting his thumbnail. "My friend Gina's daughter. I'm her godfather."

"Okay, and what's their last name?" Steve asked, scribbling all over the notepad.

"Tassler." Billy said, and Steve wrote it down. Gina Tassler, the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Okay, and how did the two of you end up here tonight?" Steve asked, folding his hands on top of the table and looking at Billy. He looked somehow both guilty and proud at the same time, and Steve was almost impressed that he could achieve that.

"I went to check on her. I promised Gina I'd keep an eye on Bonnie no matter what, so I go over there all the time to make sure everything's okay. Tonight it wasn't." Billy shrugged, his hand curling into a fist.

"What do you mean, Billy? What wasn't okay?" Steve asked, tapping his pen nervously on the paper.

"Frank," he replied, his eyes beginning to fill, "That's what wasn't okay."

"And who is Frank?"

"Frank Tassler, Gina's husband."

As soon as the name left Billy's mouth, Steve remembered where he'd heard these names before. Gina Tassler had been one of his first cases when he'd joined the force, and one of the few confirmed murders in Hawkins history. As the story went, she and her husband were returning from a night out with their young daughter, and when her husband went inside to put the baby to sleep, Gina disappeared. A few days later, she was found in the woods by a couple of teenagers looking for a good camping spot. There was little evidence, and the case went unsolved. It was nearly three years ago at this point, and even though they knew that Gina had been murdered, they couldn't do much about it and the case went cold.

"And," Steve said, his heartbeat picking up just a tick as he wrote the name down, "What did Frank do?"

Once the question was asked, Billy's face contorted again, but this time it was with sadness. Tears began to flow down his cheeks in waterfalls, and he tried not to sob as he looked away from Steve, shaking his head.

"He killed Gina," he said, hiding his face in his hands.

That stopped Steve in his tracks. They'd investigated Frank Tassler three years ago, but they couldn't find anything that pointed to him. Nobody saw anything that night that would indicate him, nobody heard anything suspicious at their house, and Frank seemed worried sick when his wife went missing. Hell, he was the one who called the cops! They couldn't find anything close to a murder weapon in his house, his car, or at his job, and he nearly went to pieces when they told him they'd found her body a couple days later. They had to be talking about a different guy.

"How do you know he killed Gina, Billy?" Steve asked, giving the other man a little bit of time to calm down before he pressed on.

"Because she knew it, too. Gina was my best friend, we met at work and I loved her and Bonnie with all my heart. So, one day she asks me to meet her for coffee before we go into the office, right? And I agreed, because she just sounded... off. So I meet her for coffee and she finally comes clean about everything. She says that Frank's been mistreating her and she's worried for Bonnie, so she says she's gonna try and leave him. And I wasn't stupid, I saw the signs a long time before she said anything, but I knew what it was like to be trapped like that, so I let her come to me in her own time and told myself that I would only step in if it got to a certain point. But I told her then that I would do anything I could to help them. Anything she needed, it was done. She only asked that I let her and Bonnie stay with me once she was able to leave and if she wasn't able to get out, that I make sure Bonnie stays safe. I told her not to talk like that, but she didn't listen, she only made me promise that I would protect Bonnie and that I wouldn't go to the cops or child protective services because if Frank found out, he might kill Bonnie or skip town before they could do anything. She said Frank was smart, that he was good at covering things up, so if things went South, all she wanted was for me to keep Bonnie safe, and I promised her I would."

Billy paused, swallowing hard and swiping harshly at his eyes to clear away the tears as he continued.

"Two days after she talked to me, on the night she was planning on leaving, she went missing. I knew she was dead, but I couldn't say anything, because she was right, Frank was good at covering things up, and by then he'd already called the cops and started to play the grieving husband. He knew Gina and I were friends and he knew that I loved Bonnie like she was my own daughter, so in order to keep up the act, he still let me come around and see her. He didn't know then that I knew what he'd done. He didn't know that every night from then until now I would park at the end of his street and walk around their house to make sure that he wasn't doing anything to Bonnie. I was at every one of her birthday parties and other events, and I would come over almost every weekend to take her to the park or the zoo or wherever just to get her out of that house for a little while. I told him it made me feel closer to Gina, so in order to keep up the charade, he let me do it. When Bonnie started to talk, she called me Uncle Billy, and I could tell Frank hated it, but he couldn't say anything. And then a few weeks ago, he stopped letting me come over as much."

Billy paused again, leaning forward across the table and making sure Steve was looking him in the eyes. Steve was still scribbling away on his notepad, but he stared back at Billy, nodding to let him know to go on.

"I knew something had started to go on then," he said, "I was still able to see Bonnie from time to time, and I still went by their house every night, but I couldn't see everything. I saw the signs, though. He let me take her out for her birthday a couple of weeks ago, and she wouldn't let me go into the dressing room with her to help her try on the outfits I was gonna buy her. Every other time I've taken her shopping, she always insisted I come in with her to help. And then a week or two later, when I was allowed to babysit her for a night, she woke up crying after sleeping for an hour because she wet the bed, and when I tried to help her clean up, she only cried harder. And like I told you earlier, I'm not an idiot, I could read between the lines clear enough, but I didn't know how to protect her without any proof, so I started to look for some. I came over a week later unannounced to surprise her and take her out somewhere. Since it was almost the anniversary of Gina's death, I said that I was doing it so Frank could have a night to himself in case he wanted to be alone, and since he didn't know I knew what was happening, he thanked me and left it at that. I said I would take Bonnie out anywhere that she wanted to go, and since she wanted to go out to dinner and the movies, she said she wanted to get dressed up. It killed me when Frank said he would go and help her pick out a dress, but I had to let him go, because if I didn't he would've figured out that I knew since I didn't want him to be alone with her. And while they were off in Bonnie's bedroom, I started poking around in his to try and find something, anything that could incriminate him, but I came up empty. I took Bonnie out and while we were at dinner, I tried to ask her some questions, but anytime I mentioned Frank, she would get fidgety and irritated, so I stopped asking. That was answer enough, and I didn't want to put her through more hell, so I let it go, but I started trying to come around and check on her more and more without Frank knowing. I checked around every morning and every night, but I still came up empty, until tonight."

"And what happened tonight?" Steve asked, though he was dreading the answer. Billy looked like he was dreading it, too, but he continued on anyway, his voice as serious as a heart attack and his eyes as cold and hard as stone.

"I was making my way around their house, checking all the windows like I always did. Their house is only one level, so I was able to see into every room from some angle or another. I went past the kitchen and looked inside, and from there I could see into the bathroom in the hallway, the only room in the house that doesn't have a window. I nearly puked when I saw it, Steve. Bonnie was in the bathtub, and Frank was standing over her with a camera in one hand and... himself in the other. He was wearing his boxers, but nothing else, and Bonnie wasn't wearing anything at all. Steve, she looked lifeless. Like her body was just a shell and her soul had completely seeped out of it. I was horrified, and I don't even know if I even thought about it, I just moved. All I knew in that moment was that Bonnie needed me and that I wanted to kill Frank. That was it. So I just acted. The kitchen door has always been flimsy, I know because Gina always used to ask Frank to change the locks, but he never did it, and I said I would, but before I could get a chance, she was dead. So I broke it down easy with one hard shove of the shoulder and then I went to... I don't even know what I went to do, but I was seeing red at this point and I can't really remember much. When I finally started seeing straight again, Frank was on the floor, bloody and unconscious, my face felt like I'd been clocked with something, and Bonnie was crying somewhere behind me. I turned around and saw her in the bathroom doorway, and I knew she'd seen everything, but I figured there wasn't much I could do about that, so I just wanted to get her out of there. I got a blanket from the basket by the couch and I crawled over to her, trying to make myself seem smaller so she wouldn't be so scared, and I wrapped it around her and told her that everything was okay now because I was never going to let anything bad happen to her ever again. I told her that I had made a promise to her mommy that I would always keep her safe and I was gonna keep that promise, no matter what. Once I knew that she understood me and that she trusted me, I took her to her room and let her get dressed, and I left the room so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable. I told her before I shut the door that I was gonna take her to stay at my sister's house and then I was gonna go and make sure everything was okay so that she would never get hurt again. But by the time she came out of her room, I could hear the sirens coming, and she got scared again. Frank told her that if anyone ever found out about what he did to her that she would be the one in trouble, so she thought they were coming for her and she started crying again. I was trying to calm her down when the cops came in, and after all that'd happened, I didn't trust anyone else with her, especially with how things looked right then. An ambulance came and Frank was starting to come to, and I knew he would try to paint me in a bad light as soon as he could speak, and since I'd had Bonnie get dressed and she was in her pajamas, it looked like I'd just come in randomly while the two of them were getting ready for bed. So I grabbed her and I refused to let her go, because the second I let someone else take her they'd give her right back to that asshole, and I was not going to let that happen. And I agreed to come down here because I knew that that was the only way they'd let me keep Bonnie with me, and I was planning on coming down to tell you all this anyway, once I'd dropped Bonnie off with Max. But I didn't think that any of the other cops would believe me, because I know that this is a crazy story, but it's completely true. And I also know that if anyone would believe it, or at least take it seriously enough to consider it as a possibility instead of just writing it off with me as the bad guy, it would be you. That's why I wouldn't talk to anyone but you, Steve, because you're the only one I can trust to believe me."

"I believe you, Billy. I really do. But I'm not the one you have to convince. You have to prove your case to lawyers, then a grand jury, then a judge and a trial jury, and that's not going to be easy. You broke into someone's house and assaulted him. And since the only witness is a scared little girl and whoever called us, it's not looking good for you." Steve said, biting his lip as he looked at the other man. He really didn't want to have to send him to jail for protecting a kid, but it was starting to look like that was his only option.

"If that's what has to happen, then so be it," Billy said, his tone tired, but stern. "But if I have to go to jail, then you have to make me a promise. You gotta promise me that no matter what, you won't send her back to Frank. I don't care what you do to me, because it's not about me, but you can't send her back to that monster. Come hell or high water, she doesn't go back to him, that's all I ask."

"I'll see what I can do," Steve said, standing and taking his notepad, but he couldn't leave yet, because Billy grabbed his wrist, holding it in an iron grip and staring at him with a steely impenetrable gaze.

"That's not good enough," he said, his voice low and serious. "You gotta promise me, Harrington. I'm not gonna let you leave until I know that you're gonna keep her safe."

Steve wanted to be able to make that promise, but right now, it wasn't looking like he could. There was no evidence to prove this, just Billy's word against someone else's, and in the criminal justice world, that was pretty much nothing. But he knew Billy was being serious. He knew it by the look on his face. His bruised up, bloody face. Steve let his eyes trace all over that face, searching for anything to say, anything that might get through to Billy, but he found nothing. His eyes just kept going back to the darkening bruises. He knew he must've gotten them when he attacked Bonnie's father, but they didn't quite make sense. There were two of them, but they weren't shaped like a fist, or really any other blunt object. They were almost circular in shape, and evenly spaced out about a quarter of an inch.

Like the lens of a camera.

"Holy shit, Billy, wait a second," Steve said as he sat back down, flipping through his notes to try and find something. "Phil said you were looking for your keys when they found you inside the house, but that's not it, is it? You were looking for that camera, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was. Fuck, I don't know what happened to it. I guess he hit me with it and it must've fallen out of his hands, but I didn't see where it went. You gotta find that camera, Steve, I know that it'll prove what I'm telling you, you have to find it!" Billy pleaded, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. His eyes began to well up again, but he didn't cry this time, just kept staring at Steve with an expression like he was begging for something.

"We will, Billy. We will. I'm gonna go tell Callahan and Powell to go back and search for it now, and then I'm gonna take Bonnie to the hospital to get checked out. If this all ends up like you're telling it to me, then there could be evidence on her that will only last so long, and we have to document it as soon as possible. Then as soon as we get all that done, we can see about letting you go. For now, you're going to have to stay here, but I promise you, I won't let anything happen to Bonnie, no matter what."

"I know you won't," Billy said, his smile big, but hollow, "But I don't know if she'll let you do it. She hasn't seen a doctor since last year around her birthday, and since everything that's happened, I don't know if she'll let anyone see her. Especially if I'm not there. If she gets scared, well, I just don't know what'll happen. Maybe if I could go with her... But I probably can't, can I?"

"No, I'm sorry. I can't let you leave until we get this all figured out." Steve said, sighing heavily. He really wished things could be different, if for no one else's sake, then at least for Bonnie's.

"I understand. Then can I at least see her before you leave? If I can talk to her first, maybe it won't be so bad for her."

"I think that'll be okay," Steve said, standing again and holding a hand out for Billy. "Follow me."

Billy did just that, following Steve out until they got to Phil's desk, where the man was holding a sleeping Bonnie and trying not to fall asleep himself. Steve took a step back so as not to crowd the girl as Billy knelt down to talk to her, shaking her lightly to wake her up.

"Junebug," he called her, and Steve's heart melted, "C'mon, kiddo, can you wake up for me? I gotta talk to you."

"Unca Billy?" She mumbled as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Yeah, Junebug, it's me, I'm here. Listen, I gotta talk to you, it's important, but you're not in any trouble, okay? You just gotta listen to me." Billy said, standing up again once the girl was back in his arms.

"Okay," she said, yawning a little and brushing some of her hair out of her eyes.

"Okay," Billy repeated, then turned towards Steve. "Bonnie, this is my friend Steve, he's a policeman. He's gonna take you to the doctor to get checked out, okay?"

"Are you coming with us?" Bonnie asked.

"No, Junebug, I can't. I have to stay here. But Steve will be with you the whole time." Billy said, hoping that she wouldn't notice the guilty look on his face.

"Why do you have to stay here? I don't wanna go without you."

"I know that, kiddo, I don't want you to have to go, either. But you remember how I told you I was never gonna let anything bad happen to you ever again, and I promised I was gonna do whatever I had to to keep you safe?" Bonnie nodded. "Well, this is what I have to do to keep that promise. I would never do anything to hurt you, never in a hundred million years, and I wouldn't let anyone be around you or do anything to you if I thought that it would be bad for you. So I want you to go with Steve and be nice to him and the doctors, and then as soon as you're done, you can come back here and we'll figure out where to go from there. But you have to be a big girl and go see the doctors first, okay?"

"Can we go home after I see the doctors if I'm a good big girl?" She asked, and Billy bit his lip. He glanced at Steve, but the other man didn't have an answer either, so Billy just sighed.

"I don't know yet, Junebug. It depends on how it plays out, but we gotta at least try, right?" Bonnie nodded again, and Billy hugged her close, hoping she wouldn't have to see him crying. "I promise, there's nothing to be scared of. Everything's gonna be okay."

And finally, once Steve had told Callahan and Powell what they were looking for, he took Bonnie from Billy's arms and they left the station. Bonnie waved shyly to Billy over Steve's shoulder, then buried her face in his neck, almost like she was trying to hide. Steve found himself gripping her a little tighter after that.

For nearly two hours, Billy sat alone in the police station, the receptionist, Flo, being his only company, and even she didn't say a word. He still wasn't handcuffed, so he mostly just sat at Steve's desk and tried to keep himself calm, though that was easier said than done. Finally, Powell and Callahan returned, a digital camera with a broken lens sealed in a plastic evidence bag, and they went to process it like any other piece of evidence. Billy knew it was more than that, though, and he felt like kissing the both of them when he saw them carrying it in a moment ago, along with a shoe box Billy didn't recognize. He would later find out that it contained even more incriminating evidence that would lead them to solving Gina's cold case, but right now, he was relieved that they had even found the camera. And he was right, it proved everything he'd said.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Steve held Bonnie's hand the entire time the doctors checked her out. She almost panicked when they brought in a camera to document the bruises on her legs and backside, but Steve managed to calm her down enough for them to get what they needed with no problems. Luckily, the bruises seemed to be the extent of the physical damage, so once they had the evidence they needed, they gave her a lollipop and let Steve take her back to the station.

When they got back, Bonnie ran right up to Billy and the man caught her in his arms, holding her as if she were some kind of precious and extremely breakable jewel. He fought back tears as he cradled her, stroking her hair and whispering that it was all gonna be okay now.

"Unca Billy, I'm sleepy," she said, "Since I was a good girl for the doctors and Mr. Steve, can we go home now?"

"I... I don't know yet," Billy said, looking up at Steve, who was talking to Phil. He nodded and then the two of them walked over, calm yet blank expressions on their faces.

"Bonnie, I have to talk to Billy alone really quick. Can Mr. Phil take you again while I do that?" Steve asked the girl, and she nodded, reaching out her arms so that Phil could take her to the break room while Steve and Billy spoke.

"So, I suppose you've figured out by now that we found the camera," Steve started off with, and upon Billy's nod, continued, "We found enough pictures on there to put this guy away for a long, long time, and that's exactly what we're gonna do. As for you, you're off the hook. As far as we're concerned, you were protecting Bonnie, and now that we've got solid proof, we can rule your actions as defense of others. Obviously we're gonna have to have a trial unless Frank takes a plea deal, but honestly, there's not a whole lot that they can do to get him off easy on this, but either way, it's over. You can take Bonnie home."

Billy didn't know what came over him, maybe it was just the intense rush of relief and happiness that flooded him right then, but whatever it was, it had him flinging himself at Steve and wrapping him in the tightest hug he could manage. He practically crushed Steve's spine with the force of it, but he didn't seem to care as he returned the gesture and hugged Billy back. He held him the same way Billy had been holding Bonnie a few minutes ago, and he didn't even care when he felt his shirt starting to get wet with the other man's tears.

"Hey, it's alright, Billy. You kept your promise, Bonnie's safe. It can only get better from here on out," Steve said, trying to help him calm down. Billy was practically hysterical at this point.

"I know, I know," he said, slightly slurred due to the irregular breathing, "I just- God, I could just kiss you right now! You found the camera and you believed me and you made everything alright again and I just... Fuck, I just don't know how to thank you."

"Well, for now why don't you just take Bonnie home and get some sleep, and then if you still feel like kissing me and thanking me tomorrow, we can see about maybe going for a cup of coffee, my treat. Would that be okay with you?" Steve asked, and he could feel Billy chuckle against him as he got himself under control.

"Yeah," he said, wiping his face with his hands, "It's a date, pretty boy."

Billy wasn't sure if Steve had taken his words all that seriously when they first met up at the coffee shop the next day, but he'd meant them. He did want it to be a date. And he hoped he wasn't reading too much into the whole "if you still feel like kissing me tomorrow" thing, either, because he wanted that, too. He felt like a teenager again as the two of them sat in a quiet little corner booth, sipping their coffees and sharing a chocolate chip cookie. He could feel his heart racing whenever Steve smiled at him, and when he laughed, it felt like it stopped altogether. He just hoped he wasn't being too obvious about it all, but he supposed that even if he wasn't, Steve would still be able to see right through him. He was a cop, after all, it was his job to notice the little things.

"So, how's Bonnie holding up?" Steve asked as they began to clean up their trash later that afternoon.

"She's alright. Better now since she's away from Frank. It's gonna take a while for her to be 100%, but I'm just glad things stopped before it got too bad and she was messed up beyond repair. Both she and I owe a lot of that to you, so I know you said earlier to quit it, but I'm gonna thank you again," Billy answered, following Steve out the door and over to their cars, which were parked right next to each other. "I may not ever be able to repay you for it, but I want you to know I'm grateful. You saved both of us."

"I was glad to do it. Neither of you deserved to go through that. And while you really don't need to thank me for just doing my job, I do seem to remember someone suggesting maybe a kiss to show your gratitude?" Steve said, and Billy couldn't help but smile as he felt his cheeks go pink.

"I'm glad your memory is in tact, but do you really think that just one kiss will be enough to prove it to you?" Billy said, his eyes never leaving Steve's.

"Hm, maybe not, but there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

And no, one kiss was not enough, and neither was two or three or ten. Maybe one day, they would find a number that was, but they seriously doubted it. After all, Billy would never get tired of thanking Steve for all the good things he did and continued to do for them. And Steve supposed that if this was the reward for doing it, he wouldn't get tired of it, either.

#this one's sad but it does end happily #steve is a cop in this one #protective billy hargrove #he would not be able to stand seeing a child in need and not doing something about it #neither of them would #harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #stranger things #billy hargrove x steve harrington

[noneedtoamputate]

Chuck/Ellen, #10 😌

Sorry this took so long. I had free time this earlier this month, and then I didn't. The prompt was for the word "monument," and I know a monument should be a more permanent structure than how I used it in the story, but this idea came to me and I decided to go with it. The picture of Skip and Chuck mentioned in the story is the third one down.

November 2, 1967

The front door opened and shut as Ellen checked the cornbread in the oven. 

“Please go tell your brother and sister that supper is ready,” she asked Ron, their middle child, doing homework at the kitchen table. “And don't …”

“SUPPER’S READY!” He closed his textbook and ran off toward his bedroom. 

“ … yell,” Ellen said under her breath.

“Did I hear supper’s ready?” Chuck walked into the kitchen, home from work.

Ellen rolled her eyes and accepted his kiss to her cheek. “Why walk a few steps when you can just scream at the top of your lungs?”

Chuck washed his hands at the sink and Ellen arranged food on the table as the sounds of children grew closer.

“What’s for supper?” asked Ken. At fourteen, he was already taller than Ellen and towered over Ron, only a year younger but who had not yet hit his growth spurt. 

“Chili,” replied Ellen, as she filled a bowl and handed it to Chuck. 

“Ugh, chili? Mom, you know I don’t like it. You always make what the boys want to eat,” Mary complained. At eleven, she already displayed angst usually reserved for teenagers.

“Your mother isn’t running a restaurant,” Chuck said firmly. “Eat it or make yourself a sandwich.”

Mary decided it was easier to eat the chili. She didn’t really feel like making her own supper, and she certainly didn’t want to hear her dad go on about eating K rations in Bastogne or all the hungry kids he went to school with during the depression.

After the boys helped themselves to seconds, Ellen asked the dreaded question.

“What was one thing you learned at school today?”

Sometimes, it was like pulling teeth, getting her children to recall one fact from the day. But tonight, Mary had something to share, much to the relief of her brothers.

“Today is The Day of the Dead,” Mary stated.

“Never heard of it,” Ken said, his mouth full of cornbread.

“It’s a holiday in Mexico. In Spanish, it’s called Dia … de … los … Ma … Mo …”

“Muertos,” finished Ron.

“Show off,” Ken replied. 

“You’d know it too, if you weren’t taking a useless language,” Ron argued.

“French isn’t useless,” Ellen countered. “I’m sure your father would have liked knowing more French when he landed in Normandy.”

“Did just fine with the War Department phrasebook, but thanks for your concern.”

Ken noticed his parents smile at each other and share a look, like they were saying something with their eyes.

 He wondered why they were so weird.

“But we live in San Francisco,” Ron explained. “And it’s pretty dumb to take French just because of a girl in your class. Carla Marconi,” he teased his brother.

“Shut up!” Ken shouted.

“Hey!” Chuck shouted louder. “Knock it off, the both of you.”

Mary continued, completely unconcerned about the ruckus her brothers made.

“It’s a day when you remember family and friends who have died,” she explained.

“Sounds pretty depressing,” Ron said.

“No, you're supposed to remember happy memories, and the good things about them. It's not supposed to be sad.”

“What else?” Ron asked. Ellen looked up. It was unusual for one of the boys to take an interest in what their little sister had to say.

“You decorate an altar, or a table, with pictures of the dead people in your family, and flowers. Teresa Gonzalez explained how everyone in her family helps put it together.”

“That sounds like a beautiful way to remember loved ones,” Ellen commented.

“I told Teresa we had an altar like that at our house, too. Not with the flowers, but with the pictures,” Mary went on.

“We do?” Chuck asked. 

“Yeah, we do,” Ken said, and Ron nodded in agreement. 

The kids stood up and walked toward the family room. Ellen and Chuck looked at each other quizzically and followed. 

Ken, Ron, and Mary stood in front of the built-in bookshelves Chuck and Ellen installed a few years after they bought the house. On the top row, too high to easily reach a book, were framed photos of family and friends.

“Uncle Ken,” Ron said simply, pointing to a picture of Ellen’s brother in his Marine dress blues, his arm around his proud older sister before he shipped out to Korea.

“Mom said he always told the best jokes and was really good at football. There was that time when the starting quarterback got hurt and he went in and threw a touchdown to win the game,” his namesake recalled about the uncle he never had a chance to meet. 

“He would have loved to watch you play,” Ellen said to her oldest son, who played on his JV high school team this past season, and he smiled.

“And there's Skip Muck,” Mary said, his arm around Chuck after they earned their jump wings. “He got his nickname because when he was little, he skipped everywhere. He was the nicest guy in the company, right, Dad?” Chuck nodded, unable to say anything in the moment. 

“Grandma Thompson,” Ron said. A picture of Ellen’s motger, with a young Ellen seated next to her while she held a baby Ken, before she had given up on life.

“I don’t really remember her, and she wasn't the nicest person, but you must have learned something from her because you’re a good mom,” Mary said to Ellen.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Ellen said, and she felt tears start in her eyes.

“And Grandpa Grant,” Ron continued. Chuck stood next to his dad, mirror images of each other. Chuck looked about sixteen, not long before his father passed away.

“He taught you how to read the box scores and play baseball and loved the Pirates,” Ken said. 

“He drove you and Gran all the way from Pittsburgh when you moved here,” Mary remembered.

Chuck nodded. “I was just a bit younger than you,” he said, remembering that time when his dad had been laid off at the steel mill and they moved to California for the promise of work. He often wondered if he could have been as brave as his father, starting over like that. How many times he wished he could ask his dad for advice, on how to be a good husband or a good father. 

“And there’s Eugene Jackson. He died on that patrol.” Ken pointed at his picture. It was a picture of Second Platoon on the back of a truck, taken after they captured Foy. 

“He was just sixteen when he joined the army. It was the first time in a long time he had three meals a day. He would scarf down everything in front of him, even if the food was terrible,” Ron recalled.

Chuck noticed Ken’s eyes get large, realizing that Eugene was not much older than him when he joined up. He put his hand on his son’s shoulder.  Ellen saw Mary’s eyes glance downwards, perhaps feeling a bit ashamed for complaining about chili when Private Jackson went hungry growing up. 

“He was a good paratrooper. Did everything he was asked and looked out for his squad,” Chuck shared. 

The children looked at the pictures quietly, and Chuck and Ellen looked at each other. They never sat down and shared these stories. They had all come out in bits and pieces. Stories about Skip when the Christensons came over and Chuck and Pat would talk well into the night. Ellen with a passing comment about the difficult relationship with her mother. Happy memories of Ken on Veterans Day. 

The kids had been listening. And they remembered.

Eventually, the boys left to finish their homework and Mary turned on the television to watch The Flying Nun. 

Ellen settled Mary into bed and told the boys it was time for lights out, though she knew the desk lamp would find its way on soon enough.

She finished up in the kitchen and saw Chuck sitting outside on the patio. If asked, most people would have described Chuck as friendly, outgoing, funny. And he was all those things. But he also had a quiet side, and sometimes he needed to be alone with his thoughts, to think things through without the distractions of a business, a wife, three kids. Ellen was more than happy to give him that space and time.

The table cleared, the dishes done, the floor swept, Ellen started the kettle and grabbed a coat and blanket from the hall closet. 

She slid open the patio door.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked.

Chuck shook his head. He loved that Ellen asked, and that if he answered yes, she wouldn't have minded in the slightest. How lucky he was to have someone understand him the way she did.

She sat down next to him, handed him the mug of tea, and laid the blanket over their laps.

They sat quietly, Chuck holding the mug and a cigarette in his right hand. Ellen hadn’t smoked regularly in years, but the smell of Lucky Strikes was comforting. 

It was the smell of Chuck. It was the smell of home.

“Remember when you came back from the doctor’s office after you found out you were expecting Ken?” Chuck broke the silence.

“I do,” Ellen said.

“We were so excited, but I didn't know if I would be able to hack it, and you thought you would turn into your mother.”

She nodded at the bittersweet memory.

He turned to face her.

“I think we’re doing a pretty good job, don’t you think?”

“I do,” Ellen repeated.

“They still have terrible taste in music and their rooms are a mess, but they’re doing okay in the things that really matter.” 

“I read something once that you only live as long as the last person who remembers you,” Ellen said. 

“That's a nice notion,” Chuck said. “It sounds like something Skip would have said.” 

They went quiet again, thinking about their loved ones who would live on just a little bit longer because their children cared enough to know their stories.

#asked and answered #every beautiful thing #chuck grant #ellen thompson #band of brothers #band of brothers fan fiction #band of brothers fic #fanfic

[abednadirsgf]

TROBEDISON ROOMATE HCS PLS I WOULD LIKE 2 HEAR!!

YES LETS GO TROBEDISON !!!

midnight icecream together!!! they're all in their pjs (troy and abed got annie a set of pjs for their first christmas/notchristmas/notpresent/hanukkah/holidayday/gift not gift that matched theirs but in purple :)) they eat icecream with sprinkles, with chocolate syrup, with marshmallows, with chopped nuts on top, with multiple flakes, with m&ms - the whole shebang. they might have some inspector spacetime in the background whilst they talk and giggle and make funny faces at each other. they leave the dishes in the sink for later that morning and probably end up sleeping and cuddling together on cushions or on the sofa for the rest of the night.

annie has lots of pillows and bears and plushies etc, a whole collection. so, troy and abed decide to get her a new plush every birthday/not Christmas Christmas holiday day or just when they see one that looks cool and so her whole bed is just filled with different animals or weirdly shaped cushions they found in charity shops or drugstores or furniture stores or ebay or something lol (they make sure they clean them beforehand obviously so they smell of nice lavender fabric conditioner) and annie allows them to name some of them too ;)

Annie listens to Mitski, she a mitski gal like me, and she tends to listen to 'bury me at make out creek' or 'lush' albums when she's sad or feels overwhelmed with emotions or feeling insecure :// so when Troy hears the familiar sound of Francis Forever through her door when he goes to ask if she wants takeout tonight, he knocks on the door before entering and seeing her on her bed with a tear stricken face :( he gives her a big big hug, turns the music off and just holds her and tells her the things that happened in his day, like how he saw a cat with one eye outside the apartment building and tried to feed it the leftover chips he had at lunch but it might have scratched him and the cut on his hand don't look so good and then annie bursts into laughter and slaps troy's chest calling him an idiot and fixes up his hand so it doesn't get infected

abed and annie watch the xfiles together, they go through s1-s9 and even dress up as fox mulder and dana scully respectively for one Halloween!!! they watch the movies together and think up of their own conspiracies about the show or real life government. and it's partially what pushed Annie to pursue forensics and the fbi further and Abed 100% backed her and encouraged her (also got her to promise to give him a special fbi hq tour and may or may not write his own spin off special episode take on Annie working at the fbi hehe and also makes sure she reports back all the tales she has for script inspo) when the latter seasons of 10&11 come out whilst they're apart, they Skype each other and do watch parties and britta might pitch in too.

Abed loves his buttered noodles and Troy loves eating pizza all the time and as much as Annie loves takeout and easy eating, she knows its not healthy to have it all the time (and its expensive!!!) so they have a day of the week (I'm feeling Thursday) when they cook a proper homecooked meal together like lasagna or chili con carne and save leftovers for lunch the next day too. Annie also makes sure they eat some fruit so sometimes when they study she makes them all fruit cups and adds a little bit of sprinkled sugar ontop of strawberries ;)

Troy loves to bake. he loves it. he loves making a mess of flour and sugar and having his friends and family tasting his creations. he learnt a lot from Shirley and makes a realllll good pumpkin pie for thanksgiving every year. he loves making apple crumble bc of the texture and he loves decorating cakes and cupcakes (though he does like drawing dicks with icing and makes jokes whenever someone eats one lol) and although he doesn't celebrate birthdays, he still makes abed and annie a cake and he gets them to decorate it with him so it has a some of the flair of the not birthday person. I feel like baking is one of his love languages and he just loves to feed his family the delicious treats and gets super happy when they like them or bake with him :)))

obviously movie nights!! binging tv show nights!! movie marathons!! popcorn galore!! they all know each others comfort movie/show and just watch and cuddle on the sofa when they need it

pillow and blanket forts <33 they might have little studies sessions in them or troy and abed just go to Annie's room and sit in her bed on the many pillows she has hehe

they just love each other and are always there for each other <3 I love them and they're my fave trio <3

#trobedison #community #abed nadir #troy barnes #annie edison #trobed #asks!! #for: quillsink !! #community headcanons

[empire-antz-stalker]

Gorillaz members cooking with their s/o - headcanon

it was 2:16 am when i wrote this please kill me (gender neutral reader!)

Murdoc:

sneak up on while you were making dinner

"mm. what ya' cookin', poppet?"

you ask him to help and he tries to back out of it

makes excuses; 'the others would never let me live it down if they saw me cooking!!!1!!1!'

"Murdoc, if you don't shut up and help me-"

this mf's annoying ass would probably respond with "or what?"

of course, he whispers this teasingly and leaves a few kisses on your neck

leaves you wordless, goes to sit down on the sofa

mf is grinning

leaves you blushing, but you only respond by asking him to help, again

"fiesty one, aren't ya'?"

dinner doesn't get finished anytime soon

Noodle:

calls for you, only to find you cooking in the kitchen

offers to help before you can even ask (<3)

humming her favorite songs, while chopping vegetables,,

grabs your hand and twirls you occasionally

moves you by your waist when getting around you; "just needed to pass by" she tells you

you can practically hear the smile in her voice

loves to use Russel's chili powder in food; making it exceptionally spicy

if the two of you happen to be doing something while next to each other, she likes to give random, little pecks on your cheek

doesn't like to take credit for her cooking;

"oh, it was all your doing, my love"

Russel:

often found in the kitchen, perfecting his chili recipes

working on making more chili desserts

"oh hey, baby. you wanna try some chili cupcakes?"

litterally the most delicious food you've ever eaten

getting ingredients, and his chili powder "mind if i make some spicy glazing?"

"hm? oh, not one bit." turns to you and smiles

kisses you softly on the nose, while putting a strand of hair behind your ear

you're both blushing like fools

"thanks for being here, dove."

……….

taste testings and batches of many different desserts later, you're both exhausted and sitting on the sofa

genuinely happy (and stuffed!)

2D:

tries to help

constantly messes things up, though

gets on your nerves, but you do love him

mixing up everything

"whaddya mean, this isn't basil? it's green!"

eventually manages to piss you off with all the mistakes

cute but annoying

sees you upset, gets sad

"oh luv, i'm so sorry. i'll try harder,,"

stopping and turning around, you smile pitifully

gotta give the poor guy some credit for trying

you rub his hand reassuringly

"how about this, you sit down and relax, and i'll take care of the food tonight; alright?"

"you 'fink that'll be okay, darling?" he responds. "besides, i feel like i gotta help ya somehow!"

you giggle and pat his chest, kissing his forehead softly

"i think you've helped enough for today, love. how about you pick a movie for us to cuddle to?"

he grins, and gets the movie & blankets ready for the two of you

#russel #s/o headcanons #gorillaz headcanons #gorillaz hcs #gorillaz hc #noodle gorillaz #noodle #murdoc gorillaz #gorillaz russel #2d gorillaz #murdoc #gorillaz noodle #save me pls #headcanon prompts #stuart pot #murdoc niccals #gorillaz meme #gender neutral s/o #gender neutral reader #gorillaz

[disregardcanon]

yellowjackets full names i made up on my drive today

Shauna Elise Shipman- already had this one. I just like it idk what to tell y'all. elise sounds pretty with shauna

Jacqueline Kennedy Taylor- i'm sorry, but with jackie's parents? she was clearly named for jackie kennedy and i feel like they WOULD go that far.

Laura Lee- she doesn't have a middle name. her parents just gave her a first and last so that when she gets married to a man she can be Laura Lee Husband's-Last-Name.

Natalie Antonia Scatorccio- i don't remember which fic it was that used this one for "something catholic" but i love it. very pretty will keep

Misty Ann Quigley- it just feels like something that would be RIGHT for misty. something very generic that doesn't quite fit but isn't bad.

Vanessa Irene Palmer- I like the sound of it and i do feel like when van was born her mom would have been the type to think "VIP" as initials is really funny.

Taissa Nadine Turner- this one was also chosen for the initials because i feel like taivan both having that is cute. tai's initials are TNT and Nadine both sounds good with with other two and means "hope" which i feel like would fit with both her parents' dreams for her and taissa's personality. the girl just keeps going

Benjamin David Scott- i like the sound of it and it would be fun for his middle name to match a queer icon: david bowie

Akilah Nicole King- nicole means victory, which i think would be tragic with akilah who's trying so hard to keep going but we know won't make it. and king just sounds really good with akilah AND is a common name across the board

Mari Gabriella Flores- middle name is from the angel gabriel that declared to mary that she was gonna have a baby because mari "i hope that shauna doesn't die" being named after gabriel is PEAK comedy to me. also flores is one of my favorite hispanic last names and i want to give her flowers. on account of the pit

Genesis Stevie Kondo- okay look, i know a person named after genesis the band and the idea of gen being named after genesis the band AND stevie nicks is entertaining to me. also marie kondo and getting rid of stuff with care and kindness and poor gen is getting thrown out of the cast by being killed. do you see my Vision TM

Melissa Jean Collins- common middle name and last name that i thought worked well with hers

Kristin Cassandra Megat- i made this name up for god honoring cannibalism and i'm very fond of it for crystal <3

Charlotte Elizabeth Matthews- of course mr. matthews would give lottie both an incredibly bland and aristocratic sounding name. middle name comes from both elizabeth ii and it just sounding fancy

Travis Rosario Martinez- i know that rosario skews female, but it IS gender neutral still. and let me tell you, travis One of the Girls TM, virginity was jealousy guarded and then he was punished for having lost it being named partially after a famous devotion to the VIRGIN mary. i like the themes

Javier Alejandro Martinez- alejandro is very pretty, means warrior which is a sad sort of ironic, and then his initials are jam which makes me giggle

ADULT TIMELINE

Jeffrey Lee Sadecki- lee is very common, very short, and could facilitate some funny moments with small callie where she mishears jeffrey as jeff lee or jeffrey as jeff free. and thinks her dad's name is either jeff lee sadecki or jeff free sadecki

Jacqueline Elise Sadecki- ha. ha ha. hahAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Simone Jada Abara- jada means wise, which is a trait i would associate with simone, and it also sounds good in there.

Samuel Isaac Abara-Turner- i am worried about sammy tonight in this chili's so i am giving him the worst curse i can on a christian child: naming him isaac after abraham's issac. i make things worse on purpose :)

Walter Ichabod Tattersall- he has no glory because he's just a weird little guy and i like that about him :)

Kevyn Ringo Tan- i am cursing kevyn with not only the y he already has but his parents being this type of beatles fan. idk i feel like someone using a y for kevin in the late seventies would be the kind of person to name their kid after ringo starr

Lisa Marie Hawthorne- giving lisa a very common middle name and a fancy, wasp-y last name complete with nathaniel hawthorne's generations away from puritanism guilt. it feels right with her mom being the way she is

that's it! that's the end of the characters i care enough about to do this for

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets meta

[dragongutsixofficial]

Thoughts on s2 episode 1:

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS

THEY DID IT AGAIN

TWENTY YEARS LATER WASN'T ENOUGH THEY KILLED RICHELIEU OFFSCREEN AGAIN

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY *yelling at the sky*

IT WAS ALREADY HARD TO LOSE MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN THE BOOK OFFSCREEN ONCE

BUT THEY DID IT AGAIN

I KEPT HOPING IT WAS A TRAP BUT NO. D E A D

I actually looked it up and the actor who played him got another opportunity so good for him !! Congrats dude !

BUT STILL I AM HURTING

I'm happy to see Rochefort but I am still destroyed. He will never be Richelieu

Also poor book!Rochefort is getting another villanous adaptation. Sorry my dude no luck

I was incredibly worried that Rochefort would keep his weird haircut throughout the whole season but then he combed his hair so it's all better now. I can accept that

ROCHEFORT BETTER MAKE RICHELIEU PROUD

But he's starting on the wrong foot. At least Richelieu really did it for France =(

Louis is so sad. He's lost his adoptive father and he won't even get a new one =(

Still no lackeys. I'm still sad about that=(

Missed opportunity to bring in Mazarin though.

I

I'm just so sad

This is still great ofc I'll be fine but I have been bamboozled misled betrayed like Miette

I feel like Miette in this Chili's tonight

#the musketeers #the musketeers bbc #cardinal de richelieu #rochefort #d'artagnan #athos #aramis #porthos #the musketeers spoilers #dgix watches the musketeers #the three musketeers #alexandre dumas

[l0v1ngl4in]

Being a chef with an 3D is a crazy combo + recipe

Over this week I've been feeling kind of sad about not really being able to cook like I used to. I used to pride myself on not measuring anything and cooking whatever my heart desired. Tonight I made one of my favorite meals yet I was practically shaking measuring everything out. The meal itself is already really high calorie so I could only imagine how many calories were actually in it when I didn't measure anything. I was so upset by it that I gave my sister a bigger portion than me. I guess it gives me a bit of comfort knowing it still tasted great even though I cut down a lot.

I'm very happy for my sister right now though. She's eating a regular amount of food today. Perhaps the end of her "diet" is on the horizon.

Anyways, onto what I made tonight.

Orange Tofu

1 block of tofu (15 ounces)

1/4 cup tamari (any works but I prefer low sodium)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon corn starch

garlic power

onion powder

ginger powder

chili flakes

Makes 2 generous servings

375 calories for one serving

In one bowl combine the tamari, maple syrup, tomato paste and season with garlic, ginger, onion powder, and chili flakes as desired.

In a large tupperware container add the cornstarch and season with garlic, ginger, and onion powder. Press tofu and pat dry. Dice into cubes and toss in the cornstarch mix.

Crisp up tofu in a pan. Once crisped on each side add sauce and cook down until desired thickness.

Serve with rice and or vegetables or even eat it by itself (it's that good)

Note: The photo is from when I never measured anything. So don't expect so much sauce ^^;

#notprojustusingthetags #poc ana #black ana #poc thiinsp0 #ed not sheeren #ed bllog #ed not ed sheeran #tw ed diet #tw ed sheeran #mealspø #mealsp0 #mealspi #ed di3t #ed/ #edblrr

[nextinline-if]

Which of the ROs would dance in the refrigerator light (or the fantasy version of it lmao) with MC in the middle of the night?? Dying to know cuz i'm feeling soft and sappy in this chili's tonight <3

A fluffy ask 🥰

Felix would dance with MC but it would be really goofy and include some dramatic spinning, anything to make MC laugh and smile.

F wouldn't dance but they would watch MC with a soft smile and a single thought: I love you and I can only ever love you. When F gets sad, they would replay MC dancing in their mind.

Constantine would dance with MC and find himself laughing softly, relishing in the warmth of MC's hand in his. Would probably get so caught up that MC would stumble and Constantine would wrap his arms around MC and cushion their fall.

Margaret would try to resist but MC would give her that look, the look that melts her heart. That makes her want to hold MC and never let them go. So she'd dance, face a bit warm, but eyes twinkling under the soft light.

#soft and sappy <3 #RO question #felix faramund #f faramund #constantine dimas #lady margaret #anon reply #interactive fiction