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#my aunt always sends me a picture of a cat on my birthday and it's literally my highlight every year
dreaming-marchling · 5 months
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Hey!!!
Im loving the new chapter and all I can think about right now is how much Mia is going to cry about Brains dedication to being a good brother.
I mean, getting her special cooking classes for her birthday!?! That's dedication and LOVE that Mia would definitely get sappy about.
I also love how great Brain thinks the team is. He thinks that they're the bee's knees, and that is so sweet, and I have to hold myself back from a little "awww" every time I see it in your writing.
And Roman Pierce. I love how their friendship works, and I love how it looks like Brian is a stray cat that Rome brought home, and his mom and aunties just loved on. They are such good friends and can there be more baby pictures of them for me and all 57 aunts fawn over?
Ok, I guess that the Doyle's can be mysterious figures emerging from the tree line in a horror movie. Lol (Can you hear my dramic sigh from wherever you live?)
But let me tell you where my imagination is going right now. Picture it now, Grandpa Doyle looks like he used to bodybuild and still does. And standing at 6'2, he towers over my baby, Brian. But!!! Due to his lack of experience around traumatized teens, he makes a mistake that leads to what could be a fist fight, could be less severe... ok, enough about that.
Anyway, I don't know if you can tell, but I am definitely obsessed with the little gold stars! Thank you for that bit of cuteness in this angsty fic.
I'm just letting you know that at this point, you could be writing a thesis on childhood abuse recovery. A Professor at the Toretto School of Emotional Bullshit. Because I think that you are on fire for actual emotional recovery and not magical healing through finding your soulmate.
I think I'm done for now, so I'm sending you lots of love and good vibes!!! -Blue
Hi!
It's funny you call Brian a stray cat, I actually get that a lot from readers lol! Our hissing but secretly craving pets stray cat Brian with his tuna obsession ;)
Grandpa Doyle - I love your thoughts here! I haven't yet heard much hypothesis from readers about him but I feel like "large" is going to come up a lot lol!
The Stars - We need the cuteness! I think I had Dom thinking it in his last POV but truly, getting to have this quirky little thing Brian is doing be cute is a breath of fresh air. I don't think Dom is someone who was looking for cute but Brian has offered up so much "tragic" and "heartbreaking" that honest to goodness cuteness is deeply welcomed
A thesis - I have no actual thesis or qualifications but Brian's journey ringing true is a real goal so this is a lovely compliment :)
Thank you as always!!
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potion-daddy · 2 years
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when they try to ridicule you by putting a stuffed bird on your head but instead you turn into a god
sooo this is definitely not what i wanted this drawing to look like. there was supposed to be colour, a background, epic things – you get the vibe. instead the whole process turned out to be a ✨mess✨, to the point where it was objectively hard to work on it. i was really sad about it for a moment because it just wasn't what i had envisioned. but i decided to still post this version, mostly to remind how myself that things don’t always need be perfect (what a strange concept). anyway, enjoy god mode boggart snape.
references: x | x
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stylistiquements · 3 years
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Day 1 : Soap Bubbles.
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𐐪𐑂 Pairing : Sapnap x fem!reader {Playlist}
𐐪𐑂 Summary : You're being introduce to the internet in a peculiar way, it's up to you to decide what you're going to do with it.
𐐪𐑂 Word count : 1.4k | W: written part underneath
𐐪𐑂 Warning : very few swears
Masterlist | Previous | Next
.・゜゜・  ・゜゜・   .・゜゜・  ・゜゜・
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The coffee that sinks inside your stomach brings out a grimace and a click of your tongue where the taste stains; too bitter, too acidic but you’ll drink it anyway and to the last drop; there is something about the idea of spending time with three best friends that is so made of spring and honey that you wish to miss none of it.
“Someone is lurking,” George contemplates out loud, and the call goes silent for a second as if to look for the intruder. And it would so easy to flinch, to hit the back pedal, because you almost feel like one being exposed front stage like that. But today- today is not that day.
It's not that you don't want to join the discussion, it's that it takes a second to warm up, to absorb the energy and become one with it.
And sometimes, all it takes is Sapnap to exclaim, “Panini head, my beloved!” for your smile synchronizes with his chuckles. Somehow, once noticed by the right person, life flows back naturally.
George and Dream greets you in trailing unison, like two kids forced to greet their unwelcomed aunt on a sunday afternoon.
“H-hey troublemakers,” you finally say. Your voice is still quiet, not reluctant, but rather uncertain. It doesn't bother anyone.
“I’m beating Dream’s ass at chess and he’s bitter,” Sap explains, and you silently nod, as if they were able to see you.
A long silence follows along, rythmed by clicks of mouses and keyboards and it falls in your ears like high droplets. It's comfortable. It's intimate, shared with friends only.
"We haven't heard from you in a while," Dream says. "I mean ... before the clout fiasco."
You wouldn't exactly call it a fiasco, even though you don't really like the idea of being perceived a little too closely from the eyes of twitter.com, but you do agree anyway, "I've been caught up on college essays lately."
"That sucks," George probably adds.
“Good thing you’re here, then,” Dream notes, simple as a breath. “This is a worry-free zone.”
It hovers for a second, carried by George’s approval hum.
You squint suspiciously, detective mode, at the profile pictures that light on and off before your eyes, “Thanks, dream.”
He scoffs a “sure” and you’re not sure why you sense a bit of irony stuck on the back of his teeth. You're so tempted to call him out, but you don't. Instead, you write a mental note of this odd moment.
“It’s because I told him about your three brothers and now he’s scared they’re gonna find him and kick his ass,” Sap explains as if he just read your mind.
Sometimes, there’s this thing in the air, though you’re miles away. Something like a connection. There’s this thing when you don’t need to talk for Sap to understand. Sharing one brain cell, you dismiss ironically. Probably coincidences and predictability, but it always sounds a little special, a little like something you’d wish to be out of this world, like morning dew and fairy circles. And it makes you feel safe, at home, just like snuggling up in the sheets during a stormy night. Your smile washes up the sleeve of your hoodie, covered palm carefully hiding your chuckles.
“Three older brothers,” George muses, and there’s no telling if it’s something meant for you to hear. “That’s kinda scary.”
“You better be scared, one of them is probably your FBI agent,” you tease mindlessly, though there's nothing scary about those three grown men.
“I’m British, Bunny,” he points out. Whether the exasperation in his tone is fake or genuine, that, you can’t tell, but you play it cool, grin carved so deep it almost hurts. Dream’s wheezes rise and fall in the background.
“Say that to his face then,” you outbid smirkingly after a second of silence, heels growing into the carpet to make your chair spin slowly left and right, so breezily.
“I’d praise you for the rest of my life if you-Oooooooh your ass is wacked. Your ass is so wacked, dude. You fucked up so bad,” Sapnap chokes out between strings of giggles.
“Oh no, my streamer is losing his game?” You theatrically pout. “My streamer Dreamwastaken, have you met him? Guess you don’t need any of my brothers to kick your ass.”
“Okay yeah- no- it’s not my fault if your- they’re distracting me, okay?” Dream defends.
Slowly, the energy lowers again and the call remembers peace as Dream admits defeat.
“I’m not playing against you anymore,” he mumbles through greeted teeth, your hoodie shelters a muffled giggle. “Let’s talk about y/n’s twitter fame instead.”
“Let’s just not-” you mutter, both because seeing Dream lose at something is a miracle that has to be witnessed once and because you’re somewhat reluctant. “Let’s just not talk about that.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I had no idea it would draw this much attention to you,” Sap admits.
“Well, you talk about her all the time it was only a matter of time before twitter finds out,” George taunts and you secretly smile, listening to the way your best friend tries to defend himself, mind flooded with the last memories you have of when you were able to see those chuckles for real.
“Yeah, Quackity already told me you guys talk behind my back,” you fakely muse. “That’s totally fine, I don’t wanna know what you guys are talking about at all.” It’s a lie, obviously, the idea creeps upon your mind with assumptions you can’t quite get a grip of nor let go.
“You and Quackity talk?’ Sapnap asks, hint of surprise, and you hum.
“Or rather, he talks to me. He keeps calling-.” Shit. The forsaken word traps itself into your mouth. It’s too silly anyway.
“Come on, just say it,” Dream pushes as if he knew too much, more than you even do, and your cheeks flush mindlessly. You don’t notice.
“Dream, quit it!” You demand.
“Quit what?”
“You talk as if you knew more than anyone did.”
“Maybe I just do,” he coos, so dream-like.
Oblivious or careless, Sapnap asks, “Is Quackity bothering you or something?”
“He-" you begin but stop to look for the right way to put it, "He triggers my flight or fight response.”
"I mean, duh," Sapnap probably rolls his eyes.
"But I like him. He's funny."
After a second of silence, George says, “Well that was unexpected.”
“Not so much, I think we’re both chaotic neutral people.”
“What is that neutral chaotic thing anyway?” Dream is confused.
Roll up your sleeve girl boss because now is your time to shine! You offer your best dream smp alignment chart to the classroom. They're speechless, but they listen carefully.
"Then you're more chaotic good than neutral. You're too sweet anyway," Sap says.
"I'd even say lawful good," George debates.
"That's because you haven't seen Bunny during her crazy cat hour."
"True," you note.
"She'll go absolutely batshit."
“What?" George burst between confusion and surprise. "We've never seen you like that."
"A lady never reveal her secrets," you retort. No one answer.
It leaves a second for your mind to enjoy peace. For your eyes to lay on c!tubbo on lawful good and think true, then on c!dream on chaotic evil and think also very true. You huff and it's like a wave; as sarcasm leaves your breath, an idea comes in.
"Sap, check your DMs," you request.
Surrounded by the evening lull, Sapnap’s laugh pops like soap bubbles, "God, you’re so stupid. Why can't you just marry me?"
“So, is it Sapnap approved?” You chuckle lightly to prevent Sapnap’s morning fresh laugh to fill your chest and leak everywhere.
“Just press ‘send tweet’ please,” he confirms with leftovers of a smile in his voice.
"George, get me out of here. They're doing it again," Dream whines.
"Doing what?" He asks, unbothered.
"Act like they're alone in the convo. Just get a room." And you don't get to stand up for yourself that you and your best friend are actually sent to another room.
"Well this one is chaotic evil confirmed," you mumble as you roll your eyes but the vibes are much peaceful, much more comfortable in here. "So ... hi."
"Hi," he chuckles in return.
Maybe that's for the best; a moment that needs to stay a little timeless, secretive and special. It hasn't happened in so long, you don't even remember the last time it did.
"I'm glad you're here. I miss you, you know?" He says, and it's hard to not feel so bittersweet about it. It's hard when longing involves a craved touch, a real smile and an eye contact. Your shoulder sinks in the chair a little harder.
"I miss you too. I'll be here soon," you promise. And soon couldn't come any sooner.
But the conversation, soft and free, will wash up any worries, as always, and you'll end up talking about everything and nothing, about streams and planned videos and college and god knows what. As long as it makes the two of you happy and smiling. Just like the old days, you'll both think and it's fair to say until the evening turns into night and night turns into fatigue.
"Are you sure you're okay about that clout?" He asks once again. "I know you don't like being exposed like that."
"Yeah, yeah don't worry too much about it. I'll try to make good use of it."
"I'm sure you will," he murmurs, but oh boy did he not know what was about to come until you two meet.
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.・゜゜・  ・゜゜・   .・゜゜・  ・゜゜・
Taglist : @open-minded-chip-101 ; @itsoakaa ; @gaysludge
A/N : so first of all it has come to my attention that 129 days from now on is actually my birthday so that's a weird coincidence lol. Hi how are you guys?? welcome to the first part I hope you liked it. I'm fairly new to the mcyt community and that's the first time I write for them, so bear with me. Feedbacks are always appreciated. Until next time (ɔˆ ³(ˆ⌣ˆc)
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bh7theseriesblog · 3 years
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The Origins of Big Hero 7
Big Hero 7: The Series
Origins
*A flicker of black and white starts up for a while, static noises barely blocks out a voice*
Umm…Hello? Can you hear me?
*the flickering and static stops as it shows a 14 year old girl with dyed blue hair and purple eye contacts*
Can you hear me? Oh it's working!
*The girl sits on the chair in front of the camera. She smooths out her sea green skirt as she clears her throat*
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Hi! So…after some thinking I decided to make a video diary so I can remember what I said. After all, who knows when it'll come in handy right? Oh right! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Cora Mizichio.
*Cora chuckles slightly before continuing*
So I guess I should start with my life and such. Let me warn you though, it's kind of a long and wild story.
*she pulls out a phone and starts showing pictures*
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I have lived in San Fransokyo for my whole life with my Dad, Mizuchi and Grandmama, Kaguya. My mom, Akemi passed away when I was a baby.
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*image of a blonde hair woman smiled warmly before switching to Cora and her family. Her father being Goliath in stature and her grandmother dressed in a kimono with a cane*
Then my family found out that I'm incredibly intelligent for my age. I suppose hacking into your father's computer to send a birthday card at the age of 4 does that. My Dad is very sweet and an old softie, but is very protective of me and wasn't sure that I should go to school. So I was homeschooled, it was fun being taught by Grandmama and such about Marine biology, but…I felt kind of lonely…
After all my studies, I actually made a habit of bot fighting disguised as an unknown cat-masked competitor under the name 'Nekodomo'. It earned good money since at the time Dad hadn't gotten any luck with jobs due to his height. But it was my very first night of bot fighting that I met him…Hiro Hamada
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*she flips the photo to a young Asian boy her age, with messy raven hair, large almond brown eyes and a tooth gap in his smile.*
I've never had very much luck when it came to making or having friends, so if I someone told me that I would end up dating this guy I would had laughed. But yeah we did. I was paired up with Hiro in one of those special bot fighting events like the duo duel. We won, but than the cops were coming and I was so scared of getting caught that I couldn't move. But then the next thing I know Hiro grabs my hand and we were running like crazy before the cops even spot us! I have no idea how long we had been running, but to be honest I didn't really care because I was still awe-struck by the fact that Hiro had save me from getting arrested and we didn't even know each other at the time. But that was all about to change, because as we were finally approaching a safe distance from the cops, it was at that moment where I tripped and fell flat on my face, and at the same time broke my mask. Thankfully Hiro picked me back up and we started running again, with me leaving my broken mask behind. Once we finally stopped and knew we were safe, that was when Hiro and I actually first met face-to-face. Now I have to be honest with you, I've never really known if the whole 'Love at first sight' thing was actually real or not, but it's the only thing I can describe how I felt when I first looked into Hiro's eyes. It was there when we properly introduced ourselves to each other and after that, we started seeing each other more. And it was only after 4 months of hanging out together, that I finally got to meet his family, and he got to meet mine.
*The picture now showed Hiro with a woman holding a calico japanese bobtail cat and a young man on either side of him.*
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The woman on his left is his Aunt Cass, she runs a coffee shop called the Lucky Cat Cafe. The young man on his right is his older brother Tadashi. And the adorably cute kitty-cat Aunt Cass is holding is Mochi, their family pet. They are really cool people, and they always asked how I was doing and such, and Mochi is such a sweet kitty that he always tries to cuddle up to me whenever I come over. Hiro and I actually became an official thing one night when I saved his butt from Yama's minions. And boy were they surprised! Aunt Cass actually bounced when Hiro told them that I'm his girlfriend! Dad and Grandmama met them that night too, while dad wasn't too happy at first about me dating, Grandmama convinced him…after hitting him on the head with her cane.
*Cora giggled at the memory*
Anyway, After a slight misadventure where Hiro and Tadashi landed in jail and Cass had to bail them out, Tadashi actually took Hiro to SFIT, San Fransokyo institute of Technology that same night. Hiro told me that he met Tadashi's friends. There's Gogo: the cool biker chick, Honey Lemon: the stylish Chem genius, Wasabi: Laser neat freak, and Fred: the secret Billionaire super hero geek. Afterwards Hiro and I actually applied to SFIT by entering the showcase! Hiro made these miniature robots he called Microbots which he can control via head transmitter, I on the other hand did super strength suction cup shoes that can stick on any surface. We both won and we…were gonna celebrate until…a huge fire broke out in the showcase building and Tadashi ran back inside to help Callaghan, a teacher at the school….he didn't make it…
*Cora turned quiet, looking at her hands as she takes a deep breath*
Hiro wasn't himself for a while. I visited him a lot since the fire, and I mostly talked and tried to comfort and be there for him. Then came the day Hiro stubbed his toe and Baymax came along.
*A picture of a white inflated figure came to the picture*
Baymax was Tadashi's project, a robotic nurse to be more specific. He heard Hiro say ow and activated to help him. Then one of Hiro's microbots started acting weird, and Baymax followed the direction it went! It was then we found a guy in a kabuki mask controlling the Microbots. But they were destroyed at the fire right? Once Hiro pieced together that it was the kabuki-masked man that started the fire to steal them, which in turned killed Tadashi…Hiro decided to build Baymax some armor which…well
*the next picture showed Baymax in protective gear*
We traveled down to the port where we saw him take some type of machine out of the ocean. But then it turns out Baymax called the gang to help us, but sadly the guy in the mask saw us. We barely escaped with our lives that night! Thankfully Baymax being a walking marshmallow, also makes him an inflatable raft too. Afterwards we got to Fred's mansion and discussed over what to do next. Side note: it was weird to see that Fred is a billionaire.
*shows portrait of a young Fred and his parents in classy attire*
Hiro and I then built ourselves armor to fight the guy in the mask. Honey lemon got this cute chemistry purse to pull out what she needed, Gogo got some sick skates to zoom past us, Fred got a killer Kaiju costume that breaths fire, Wasabi got awesome laser blades on the backs of his hands, and I got my aquatic camouflage suit with squid strength suction cup shoes! And learning back from his previous work, Hiro turned Baymax from a stay puff marshmallow with bicycle gear to an awesome superhero!
*the next photo shows Baymax in his red armor*
After training and flying around the city we got down to business. We flew to Akuma island where the masked guy was, and it was there we learned something interesting. Krei and some government officials had something called 'Project Silent Sparrow'. It backfired when the portal sucked everything in, and the pilot was stuck. But then the masked guy attacked us! We tried to fight back but….
*a small clip showed Fred jumping only to be punched away *
We bombed, big time.
Hiro and I got lucky to get the mask…but the person was not who we thought….
Turns out Callaghan grabbed the transmitter and used it and the Microbots to protect himself in the fire…leaving Tadashi to die….
It was then that Hiro took out Baymax's health care chip and ordered him to kill Callaghan…
*Cora took a deep breathe before standing up and leaving the room, she returned back with a glass of water and started drinking it. Once she was done She then continued.*
Thankfully the gang got Baymax back to normal but Hiro was furious. He just left with Baymax…but we eventually met up with Hiro at his place, with a video of Tadashi…it was also when we showed him what we discovered. The pilot was no random person Krei hired. She was Callaghan's daughter, and Callaghan was out for blood.
We got to Krei Tech where Callaghan got his portal running. Hiro then learned what we needed to do to beat him; instead of the mask, we take out the Microbots, then he'd be powerless. But despite that, the portal was still open, and ready to tear itself to pieces. Then Baymax dropped the biggest bomb on us, Callaghan's daughter was still alive in there.
Hiro and I got on Baymax to rescue her. We found her pod but Baymax's thrusters were wrecked from the debris…
Baymax…he got us out by rocket punch…but stayed behind in the portal…
It's been weeks since then…
Krei agreed to keep our identities a secret, Callaghan is in prison, and his daughter is making a steady recovery at the hospital. And the news had been exploding over 'the mysterious group of heroes' that saved the city.
Hiro and I had been doing good, we talked to the gang a lot and we actually reapplied to SFIT again.
*Cora then looks at the clock beside her and gasped*
Oh man it's almost midnight! And first day of class is tomorrow! Anyway, thank you for listening! And…Baymax…I don't know if you can hear me..but Hiro has been doing good. We all miss you…especially me and Hiro...wish us good luck, cause who knows what happens tomorrow.
*Cora smiles at the camera before turning it off.*
A.N: This is an updated look for the prolouge chapter of Big Hero 7: The Series!
Liking the new visuals? ;3
This chapter has been edited by WolfWitchHuntress1318 at Fanfiction.net! Thank you for being my patient editor! Thank you for following and reading Big Hero 7! Love ya!
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olliepig · 3 years
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Scott-land Yard
So, as everyone knows, it was our wonderful Scott’s birthday yesterday. In honour of that fact, the amazing @willow-salix and I got together and this was the outcome. 
It’s also available on AO3 here.
******
“Smile!” Gordon chirped as he and Scott posed for the camera that had been thrust in their faces. John managed something that looked more like a trapped wind grimace and resisted the urge to hide behind Scott.
“I hate this,” John whined. He'd deny it, but it was definitely a whine.
“You hate everything,” Gordon shot back, pausing and shifting to a new pose after only three steps when another passer-by spotted them and requested a picture.
“I do not, I just hate going anywhere public because it’s always like this,” he lifted a hand to shield his eyes as another flash almost blinded him.
“We’re International Rescue,” Scott reminded him. “It’s part of the territory.”
“Yes, because that’s the only reason they’re popping up like meerkats to invade my personal bubble.”
“What else could it be?” Gordon asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” John replied, sarcasm dripping from his lips. “It’s definitely not got anything to do with the fact that we’re dressed like we just fell out of a Jane Austin novel.”
“I think we look good,” Gordon argued, tugging his jacket back into place and smoothing it down.
“We do, quite dashing,” Scott grinned, preening for another picture.
“I think we look like idiots.”
“This is going to be a fun night,” Gordon sighed as they reached the door of the pub appropriately named ‘The Moody Cow’.
“Happy birthday to me,” Scott rolled his eyes, shoving his protesting brother inside.
Looking around the inside did not instil John with more confidence.
“This has to be at least six health code violations.”
“Just six?” Scott quipped.
“I was talking about the front door.”
“Oh stop complaining so much,” Gordon chided him, taking in the sawdust floor and wobbly looking tables. “I think it’s charming.”
“Exactly,” Scott agreed, making a beeline for the bar and ordering three beers. “If this is what the girls have planned, then who are we to argue?”
“I don’t know what their plans are,” grumbled John, reluctantly following his brothers into the bar, “but based on this, I do know I don’t trust either of them.”
“You might have a point there,” Scott conceded, as he waited for their drinks. “We’ve all seen what happens when we leave those two unsupervised, and according to Cat they’ve been planning this for months.”
“We’re doomed,” John groaned, taking an experimental sip of the beer he’d just been passed. “There’s no hope for us.”
“What even is this?” Gordon asked, making a face as he sipped whatever pigs swill had been glassed up and handed over to them. “It’s disgusting.”
“It’s traditional, I believe,” John said, taking another cautious swig of his own, unable to decide if he liked it or not.
“Well I like it,” Scott declared, taking a big gulp of his own drink and looking around for a table.
“What is this?” John asked the barman, who fished a bottle out from under the bar, showing him the label. It turned out to be from an historical brewery that specialised in archeological brewing, with recipes taken from old texts and replicated. John raised an eyebrow briefly in what might possibly, somewhere in the outer reaches of space, be considered as appreciation, not that he’d ever admit that, before handing back the bottle and taking his seat with his brothers.
“What time did the girls say they’d get here?” Gordon asked.
“About now I think,” Scott replied, looking at his watch before fixing his eyes on the door in the hope of seeing someone who wasn’t one of his brothers. It wasn’t that he didn’t like spending time with them, but he had been promised a fun night out with some kind of activity that involved great secrecy and costumes, and he was very keen to find out what it was.
“They’re late,” John sniffed. “I’m not in the least surprised.”
“Since when has Selene been on time for anything?” Gordon laughed. “I’d have thought you’d have stopped complaining about it by now.”
“John? Not taking the opportunity to complain? Never!” Scott jested, giving John a friendly nudge.
John scowled in response. “I am perfectly aware of her way of doing things. I’ve learnt to accept it, but that does not mean I agree with it. Also, I do not complain, I state facts.”
“Can we leave him at home next time?” Gordon asked.
“Yes, please do,” John agreed, sounding far too eager.
“No, it’s my birthday and I want you here,” Scott declared. “Plus I’m not dealing with the girls on my own, this is supposed to be a celebration not torture.”
Before John could open his mouth to reply, their attention was grabbed by a door at the back of the room swinging open, revealing both Selene and Cat dressed as what could only be described as Victorian hookers.
“Oh god,” Scott choked as Cat sashayed towards him, swinging her hips as she went.
“I dread to think what this is about,” John sighed when his own woman reached his side, trying very hard not to lose an eyeball in her cleavage.
“Well hello there, birthday boy,” Cat breathed, sliding herself onto Scott’s lap with a wiggle that made him groan quietly as she slung an arm around his shoulder and placed a small kiss of his cheek.
“This is new,” John observed, skimming a fingertip down the laces of the corset he’d definitely not seen before. “I’d ask what the occasion was but you never need an excuse to go shopping.”
“I feel very left out,” Gordon bitched, his eyes still fixed on the door as if staring at it would reveal his date for the night.
“Is Penny not here yet?” Cat asked, looking up in shock as she finally tore her eyes away from Scott and realised that one member of their party was indeed missing. “I thought she’d have got here ages ago.”
Selene, who had been surprisingly quiet the whole time, now perched herself on John’s lap and lifted an arm to get the attention of the barman.
“You,” she called loudly in a demanding tone. “Da, you, you bring me vodka, big glass.”
“That’s new too,” Gordon laughed, hearing a very strange accent coming out of her previously quite common London mouth.
Selene took the glass with a nod of thanks and downed half its contents in one, slamming it down on the table, before spearing Cat with a warning look. “Nyet, remember what grandmudder say, they pay for grind or get nothing at all.”
“Da, but she also say need to show something to bring them in,” Cat retorted, her face reddening slightly as her awful attempt at a Russian accent grated in her ears.
“Minushka, she say, you show one apple, not whole basket of fruit,” Selene gave a little hip swivel that made John choke on his fancy beer in demonstration then got to her feet, avoiding his attempt to keep her on his lap and his dignity intact. “Like so.”
“And I’ve shown apple,” Cat replied, sliding herself up Scott as she stood, feeling his eyes tracking her every move. “Now he want whole basket.”
“Whole basket is extra,” Selene nodded. “We take to rooms now, da?”
“I can’t even pretend to know what’s going on here,” Scott cut in, clearing his throat and grabbing Cat by the waist, enjoying her shriek as he pulled her back down onto his lap. “But it’s my birthday and I’m very happy with having this ‘basket’ right here, thank you very much.”
He fixed Selene with a stare, daring her to deny him on his special night. Smiling in triumph as she huffed dramatically and looked away, allowing it for now, it was his birthday after all. Risking her wrath further, he placed a quick kiss on Cat's neck before continuing. “Anyway, shouldn’t we wait for Penny before we go anywhere?”
Selene rolled her eyes in Cat’s direction, clearly throwing her under the bus for her best friend being late. “Staff, you cannot get them.”
John’s hand took it upon itself to reach out and tweak the edge of the bustle pad type thing that was giving his woman a backside you could balance a tea tray on, unable to ignore it.
Just as Selene turned to admonish him for touching something he might not be able to afford, the main door to the bar opened and Penny swept in, looking every inch the Lady that she was. Dressed impeccably in what looked to be an original evening gown from the period, her eyes registered her shock at the low cut chemises, corsets and shortened ruffled bustle style skirts that adorned the other two women present.
“Did you not send her the brief?” Selene whispered to Cat, dropping the fake Russian accent she had adopted for a moment.
“Of course I did,” Cat hissed back. “But you know she likes to do things her way. I guess she just decided she knew better.”
“Then I guess that means we have a classy prostitute that’s just joined the ranks, best we got,” Selene whispered back.
“It sure does,” Cat shrugged. “We can make it work.”
“Not like we’ve got a choice,” Selene gripped her corset and hoiked it up, wiggling her boobs back into place then turned back to the boys. “Gentlemen, it is time, we have you now.”
“Is that supposed to be a romantic offer?” John asked, although he didn’t hesitate to offer his hand so she could drag him to his feet.
“In Russia we do not do the romance, we just do the bonk,” she told him, making Scott splutter with laughter. “We have not time for making nice. Time is money, friend.”
Penelope shot her fellow females a look of utter bewilderment with a dash of disdain but gamely moved to join them, running a judgemental eye around the bar and its less than pristine flooring. “I should not have worn great great great great Aunt Mildred’s debutant gown.”
“Yeah, probably not your greatest idea,” Cat laughed, giving her a quick hug in greeting before slipping her hand into Scott’s, giving it an affectionate squeeze as she led the way towards the door at the back of the room.
“What kept you?” Gordon asked, sidling up to Penelope in the hopes of stealing a quick kiss. Much as he loved his brothers partners it sucked to be playing the part of the third wheel. Penelope offered him her cheek, conscious of her perfectly applied lipstick, she might be completely over dressed and apparently out of character and her depth, but she was not about to let that stop her.
“I got held up at the Bureau, they’ve decided that everyone, regardless of experience or seniority, must now have a partner,” she snorted in disgust at the very thought that she might be counted among that number. My new recruit leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Sounds like a bad day,” Gordon winced sympathetically. “But you’re here now, so at least you can kick back, relax and have fun with us.”
Selene threw open the door and started climbing the stairs, stopping them all in a dark, dingy hallway which led off to more doors.
“I guess we’ll see about that,” Penelope huffed, catching the lacy edge of her skirt on a nail that stuck out from a door frame.
“Money first, no kiss, no taking home to mudder,” Selene called out, laying down the rules. “Catya! Penya! Ladies to your jobs.”
Cat grabbed Penny by the hand and towed her forwards to the front of their little huddle.
Selene shoved a door open and walked in two steps before stopping and letting out the longest, loudest and most dramatic scream she possessed, the one reserved purely for kilt shots of sexy heroes or cute animals.
“Holy hell!” Scott yelped, having been directly behind her and therefore deafened the most.
“No,” Cat shrieked, throwing herself over the mannequin splayed out on the floor, using all the acting skills she possessed as Selene and Penelope tried to pull her back up again. “Anna!”
“What on earth is going on here?” Gordon asked, completely lost at the turn of events that the evening had taken.
“You not know?” Selene sobbed dramatically, burying her face in John’s neck to hide the fact that she was still dry eyed as she huddled against his side. “You are in Whitechapel and you know not of the murders? Are you not detectives sent to save us?”
“Ah, I see,” Scott declared triumphantly, feeling rather smug that he’d worked it out before anyone else. “It’s some kind of murder mystery thing.”
“I see nothing!” Gordon whined. “Someone explain, please?”
“What you mean ‘murder mystery’?” Cat sniffed as she looked pleadingly up at Scott, finding it very hard to keep a straight face. “This our friend. You help us please? We not want to be next victim.”
“You help, we pay with kind, da?” Selene did some weird kind of boob shimmy that almost popped the twins right out of the corset that was barely holding them in as it was. John resisted the urge to throw his jacket over her head and drag her away right there and then before she lost every last ounce of dignity she possessed. He was right, they could not be trusted to be left alone to plan anything.
“Well, if that’s what’s at stake, then I think we’d better help the ladies, hadn’t we?” Scott asked, trying very hard to tear his eyes away from Cat’s behind as she crouched back down over the body on the floor.
“Let me make sure I understand this,” Penelope started. “You told me that we would be playing some kind of escape room scenarios and that we had to dress the part, at no point did you tell me that I was supposed to act as a braindead lady of ill repute.”
“Women no work for police,” Selene told her. “Women have but one job, to please man.”
“Women cannot work for the police? There to please men? I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous!” Penelope gasped, utterly horrified at the way her friends were apparently happy to set women's liberation back a few centuries. “Now let me tell you somethin-”
“C’mon Penny,” Gordon bravely interrupted her, gently taking her hand and pulling her away from the main group slightly as the others all exchanged worried glances, wondering how this would play out. “It’s just a bit of fun for Scott’s birthday. Nobody means any harm by it.”
“That may be so,” Penelope sniffed, “but I still wish someone had told me in advance.”
“We did,” Selene reminded her, dropping her fake accent for a moment. “We sent you the package with the historical notes and details, it’s not our fault you didn’t read them.”
“And it’s not my fault I didn’t have time!” Penny shot back, her eyes meeting Selene’s in a challenge that nobody wanted to see the outcome of.
Selene’s eyes narrowed dangerously and Gordon took a step closer in case he needed to dive in between them to act as a human shield, but she seemed to think better of it, obviously caring more about the reason they were there, that being her best friend's birthday.
“Well if you’re really not comfortable then nobody is going to force you to do it, Penny,” Gordon continued, trying desperately to keep the peace and allow the night to go ahead more or less as planned. “Tell you what, if we need to keep the numbers equal, why don’t I take your role and you can do mine?”
“Yes, that would do very nicely, thank you,” Penelope replied, brightening instantly and placing a small kiss of thanks on Gordon’s cheek before moving to stand with Scott and John.
John had been wandering the room, taking in everything there was to see, but now his eyes strayed from the crime scene to catch Selene’s, one eyebrow lifting in question. She shrugged in return, she had no clue what was going on either.
“So how does this work then?” Scott asked, trying to move away from the slight awkwardness that seemed to have sprung up in the room.
“How this work?” Cat repeated, trying to hide the smirk of amusement that Scott was finally bamboozled by something from showing. “You police. You investigate scene, go back to police station. Find who did it.”
“Examining body is usually good place to start,” Selene nodded, slipping back into character. “It has been so long since last victim, we thought him gone.”
“We try to help,” Cat added, gesturing to Selene and Gordon. “Can ask us questions. We might know answers, might not. But you not know if not ask us.”
“Anna, rest her soul,” Selene did a wonky cross over her chest and closed her eyes, bowing her head respectfully. “She was good to her mudder, she had three children. They were life. Now she will not have beets to feed her family, for she has been so slain.”
“You are enjoying this far too much,” John whispered to her, unable to help the small smile that formed.
“Oh, you know you want me to bring this accent home tonight,” she whispered back, trying not to lose character too much. “You are clever detective, with big,” she looked him up and down seductively, eyes lingering just a second too long below his belt, “brain. You help and I reward, da?”
“John,” Scott called, managing to gain John's attention before his brother's brain short circuited. “We need a game plan here.”
“I’d try reading that note first,” John suggested lightly, pointing at the slip of paper that was half hidden under the victim’s bloody torso.
“Well, sure, if you want to go for the obvious option,” Scott shrugged as if he’d known the note was there the whole time. John and Gordon were not fooled.
Scott bent down to retrieve the blood splattered letter, noting there were fingerprints on it.
“Did you really think I was gone?” he read aloud. “My victims are many in number and miles apart, but now I am back in my original hunting ground and embarking on a series of murders worse than the last. And this time I’m upping the stakes. You almost caught me the first time but you did not succeed. Now you have no choice, find me or I will come for you next. Signed, Jack.”
“Well, that is rather distressing,” Penelope commented. “Based on that note, along with the location and time period, it sounds like Jack the Ripper has made another appearance.”
“Da,” Selene nodded, sidling closer to John to hang off his arm in what she hoped looked to be a suitably terrified way while still rubbing herself against him like an over friendly cat. “It is not safe for us to be on streets. We are honest working girls-”
“Ahem,” Gordon interrupted, clearing his throat and waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “I swapped with Penny, remember?”
“Honest working people,” Selene corrected herself. “All we do is the sex.”
“You needn't sound so proud of it,” Penelope sniffed, leaning over the body to examine it. “There appears to be a number of wounds to her body, all of which look to be consistent with a stabbing and slashing motion made with a knife, if my memory serves that is correct for the setting.”
“This is not game,” Selene snapped, her temper flaring just a little. They all had their roles to play and Penelope was not taking it seriously enough. The escape room usually had actors that fulfilled the roles that she, Cat and apparently now, Gordon, were playing, but she and Cat had decided that that would likely mean they had too many detectives and would reduce both the fun and the time they would be in the rooms. They had paid extra to hire the whole of the establishment for two hours and to take on the roles themselves to increase the fun. They had spent days researching, learning their lines and brushing up on the details of the case, now it seemed that, not only had Penny neglected to do her homework, she was reluctant to play along.
“A lady detective, I think that’s a bit of alright, I do,” Gordon leered in an attempt to defuse the situation, sounding like a mix of Parker and a bad Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins accent.
Cat sniggered to herself, clearing her throat and assuming her character once again when Scott glanced at her.
“Find anything interesting, detective,” she drawled, swanning over to Scott in an attempt to distract him from his mission.
John rolled his eyes, moving to join Penelope at the scene of the crime, although he had to drag Selene with him as she still clung to his arm. “Pass me that camera, will you?”
Selene handed him an old fashioned camera that looked exactly like a victorian era piece but it had been updated with some kind of polaroid technology so that a picture was printed out of it almost instantly in period accurate sepia.
“Huh, that’s actually quite clever,” John reluctantly admitted as he snapped a few shots and collected the photos that came out, handing them to Scott for him to examine. “Penelope, can you bag up anything that you think could be evidence?”
“I’m a little busy here, John,” Penelope answered, already rummaging in the murdered dummy’s clothes.
Scott picked up the slack and took the leather bag that Cat handed him, taking a bag out of it to pick up anything that John might consider evidence. He picked up a key from the ground beside the victim, while John took a photo of a bloody boot print and then laid a piece of paper from the detectives bag over it to make a copy of it.
Selene took it upon herself to delve into the bag too and emerged triumphant, an old fashioned pair of handcuffs dangling from her fingers. She twirled them for a moment, whistling to get John’s attention, then attached them to her belt.
“For later, you will pay extra,” she informed him, blowing him a kiss.
“Do I get toys like that?” Scott asked Cat. “It is my birthday, you know.”
“Oh, I’m aware of that,” Cat answered with a wink. “You heard the lady, toys are extra, so you better have brought your big wallet with you.”
“Want to come find out?”
Cat looked him up and down appreciatively. “Is that a grapple gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?”
“Locked and loaded.”
“Can you smell something?” Gordon asked Selene, adopting a conversational tone.
“Da," she nodded." Uglichsky.”
“Huh?”
“The english, they call it cheese.”
“Yes, exactly right, something is definitely cheesy around here and I think it’s coming from the birthday boy.”
“Hey!” Scott protested. “Be nice to me, it’s my birthday!”
“And people think he’s the smooth one,” John sighed, shaking his head. “Can we get back to work now?”
Cat, Gordon and Selene shrugged their agreement.
“OK, you can start helping by telling us a bit more about the woman that was murdered and where you were in the hour leading up to the discovery of her body,” Scott suggested, although he soon wished he hadn’t.
What came next was a jumble of gossip of life on the streets, sordid tales of the woman’s past, each more outlandish than the last, a few too many details of her not so private life, some tips on love making in Russia that John was very sure Selene had made up on the spot and enough random information that all three detectives were more confused after than when they had started. Penelope had declared that they had all the information they needed and that they could relax until they were called for.
“Our work here is done,” Cat said, smiling proudly.
“Yeah, but look at them now, being all serious and shit,” Selene replied as she moved to join them, leaving the detectives to do their work.
“I wonder how long it’ll last,” Gordon grinned, lounging against a nearby wall.
“Longer than if you were with them,” Selene sniggered, nudging him gently when he feigned outrage.
Once Scott, John and Penelope had agreed that they had gathered as much evidence as they could from the crime scene, the girls, with Gordon trailing along between them, led the way to the room that housed the police station.
In the room there was a desk, a few chairs and some evidence boxes, along with piles of paperwork and notes. The walls were covered in photographs of the original Jack the Ripper crime scenes,  case notes, maps and newspaper articles. There were also autopsy reports, witness statements and artistic renderings of potential suspects.
“Woah, this is actually pretty cool,” Gordon whistled, looking around the room.
“It does seem quite thorough,” John admitted, his eyes taking everything the room had to offer.
“I say we start with the first victim, work our way across the wall and then tackle the desk,” Scott decided, “that way if there is any hidden evidence on the desk we’re more likely to notice it.”
“Agreed,” John said, already calculating ways to catalogue the information they would discover.
“I’d rather start at the desk,” Penny cut in. “One often finds that the first place to look would be the last place someone sat, and they always leave things on desks.”
“Then, by all means,” Scott gave in graciously. “You know best, investigating is your job after all.”
“Scott and I can do the walls while you check the desk and then we can swap if that works for you?” John suggested. “That way we won’t be getting in each other's way.”
“That will do quite nicely,” Penelope smiled, moving to start rummaging through the desk.
“Make sure you don’t tamper with any evidence,” Gordon called cheekily to her, “you’re all supposed to be working together to solve this, not going for solo glory.”
“I’m aware of that, thank you, Gordon,” Penelope huffed, firmly tucking an errant hair behind her ear that had dared escape the meticulously crafted hairstyle that was a perfect replica of a late 18th century style.
“I was just kidding,” Gordon assured her, earning a little smile in return.
Huddled together in a corner with Gordon, Selene and Cat watched as the detectives got to work and congratulated themselves on picking such a unique and fun activity. It was always a bit of a mission to find something to do on any of the boys birthdays. The kind of things that were considered to be once in a lifetime dream opportunities for everyday folk were just a standard Wednesday to their Tracys, so they often had to think outside of the box. Virgil was the next in line and they were already brainstorming, if they left it to any of the brothers they would never leave the island. No, it took their input to get anything done.
“I think we did good,” Cat whispered to Selene as they waited to be called upon as witnesses.
“We did,” Selene agreed. She glanced at Gordon as he bounced about between Scott and John, getting in the way. She couldn't help but smile at his antics, obviously they had expected the boys to be doing the actual detective work and for Penelope to be with them, but they could adapt.
“Has Penny said anything to you?” Selene had to ask, watching the serious way that Penelope was studying a letter she had found in a desk drawer.  Their purpose was to both help by answering questions but also to hinder the detectives if they were motoring through the rooms too quickly. The whole experience was supposed to last for at least two hours, giving them time to work up an appetite before they ‘escaped’ and made their way down to the restaurant at the back of the building where they would have a slightly more upmarket atmosphere to eat and drink in.
“Not a thing,” Cat shrugged. “But knowing her as I do, I’m going to assume she had a bad few days at work and is a bit ratty because of it.”
“I guess so,” Selene sighed. “Bit of a shame though, this is Scott’s night and I’ll be pretty pissed off if it ends up being soured because someone is in a foul mood.”
“As would I,” Cat agreed, watching her man as he chatted quietly with John, discussing something they had found.
“They look like they are doing far too well at this,” Selene murmured, nodding at their boys. “I think we need to intervene.”
“You read my mind,” Cat grinned, rearranging her top to show maximum boobs.
“The things we do so they have a good time,” Selene sighed dramatically as she patted her bustled behind. “You know, this thing is kinda growing on me.”
Cat sniggered as they slunk their way over to start annoying to detectives. “Come on, Gordon, do your job.”
“On it,” he saluted, grinning wide.
For the next ten minutes they worked their hardest to distract the detectives with rude tavern songs, a slightly uncoordinated version of the can-can, seductive whispering in their ears and promises of demonstrating the tricks they had learnt on the streets of London.
Hands had to be stopped from sneakily wandering, pieces of evidence had mysteriously vanished only to be found hidden in slightly suggestive places upon their bodies and John had forgotten what he’d been thinking entirely when he’d found himself the recipient of a spontaneous motorboating as he got up close and personal with his girl's chest. Even Penelope had given up on her grumpy mood enough to be jollied into giggling along a few times, that was until the moment that Gordon’s hand came into contact with her behind in a gentle smack.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
"Enticing you into a dalliance, my lady," he grinned, sweeping his barrow boy hat off his head in a mock bow.
"Yes," she hissed, clearly fed up to the back teeth of the antics going in around her. "A lady. Your lady, and one does not smack a lady's bottom in a public place. And you," she pointed a finger of doom at Cat and Selene, "look at you both, look at how you're dressed and acting. It's all well and good playing a role but you're taking it too far, don't you think?"
"How we're dressed?" Selene glanced down at her outfit which, by her standards, was actually pretty normal, although it was in blue and white rather than her usual gothic black. "Should I be insulted?"
Cat just looked shocked, she hadn't thought that their behaviour had been that bad, they had simply been having fun, playing the part. Scott, John and Gordon seemed to be enjoying themselves too. Had she somehow messed up? It was true that she didn't know the family as well as Selene did, since she didn't live with them and was still a relatively part time member, but she had planned this with Selene and was taking her cues from her.
"Oh, come on, Penny, relax a bit, will ya?" Gordon groaned, rolling his eyes.
"I am relaxed," Penelope said, turning back to the wall she was studying.
Scott, who was at the desk studying some papers, caught Gordon's eye, nodding towards Penelope. It was his birthday celebration and he wasn't impressed. Cat and Selene had put a lot of effort into organising it for him and he didn't want their time to be wasted. Cat looked like she was about to cry and Selene looked like she was about to curse something or someone. Much as Scott knew that Gordon hadn't meant anything by his actions or comments, he had simply been joining in after all, it was obvious that something was bothering Penelope and it needed fixing.
Gordon nodded his understanding and moved towards his girl. His arm slipped around her waist and, while she stiffened at first, after a few whispered words she relaxed, allowing herself to lean closer to him for a moment before she shook him off.
"Stop trying to distract me, I'm trying to concentrate."
"It's my job to distract you," Gordon teased gently but it did little good.
"And I'm trying to do my job, so kindly let me do it."
"Dang, and I thought Tracys were competitive," Selene whistled, trying to defuse the tension. "OK, let's do this, boys against girls, screw the rules, you in?"
"I'm so in," Cat agreed, "who says prostitutes can't work with the law?"
The object of the escape room was to find enough evidence to point to a particular suspect that had been chosen by the escape room organisers. Almost like a game of Cluedo where there was a different murderer, room and weapon every time, the escape room team cycled through five of the most well known suspects of the original case. There was no telling which they had picked this time so the girls did their best to help Penelope as she worked to put together all the clues she had found.
Selene had spent a fair amount of time with Penelope, enough to feel like she knew the other woman quite well, but she realised now that she only knew one facet of her personality. Their interactions had mostly been on a casual, socialising level because, although Selene did work with the GDF on a freelance basis now and then working anywhere she was needed, she mostly found herself teamed with Kayo or Rigby. She told herself that this was because she was just that damned handy that they only put her with the best, she refused to acknowledge the fact that they were likely the only ones no longer scared of her. That wasn't it at all.
So, somehow she had managed to spend more than three years in the family and never had the opportunity to watch the Lady at work, now she was kinda glad that she hadn't.
Penelope was very much like John in the fact that when she had a goal in sight she was very bloody minded. She knew what she needed to do and she refused to let anything stop her. Selene tried three times to offer suggestions or to point out what looked like it might be an interesting piece of evidence only to be told, politely but firmly, that she was very wrong. Never one to waste her time flogging a dead horse she passed the baton over to Cat, tapped out with a fist bump and switched allegiance without a shred or remorse or a backwards glance.
"I'm out! You're on your own," she declared, defecting to the enemy camp, announcing her presence with a sneaky grope of John's behind where he was bent over the desk, Scott still in possession of the only chair.
Cat watched her friend go, unable to blame her. She had had the dubious honour of calling Penelope her best friend for more than half her life but that didn't make her any easier to deal with when she was in one of her moods.
A focused Penny was often a snappy Penny, the severity of which Cat had forgotten after years of not working with her on anything like a professional basis. Penelope, much like anyone that came from a privileged background, was used to getting her own way and having things done to their exact specifications. When you worked alone as much as she did, you often forgot that there were other ways of doing things other than your own.
Cat was well aware that just having Parker for back up had done very little to soften Penelope's edges, in fact it seemed to have sharpened them. Oh, she couldn't deny that her friend was excellent at her job, top of her field and still climbing, but that left her little time to waste on those that would potentially hold her back. She was of the mind that if there was someone considered better than you, that simply meant you had more to prove and harder work to do. You didn't stop until you had no one to surpass.
“What’ve we still got to do then?” Cat asked, knowing better than to just dive in and inadvertently mess with whatever strategy Penny was using to solve the mystery.
“You can look at those if you want,” Penny replied curtly, nodding towards a series of pictures beside her, her focus still on the paper in her hand.
Cat sighed as she picked up the pictures, managing not to recoil at the murder scenes depicted on them, as she desperately tried to work out the best way to talk to her friend. It wasn’t unknown for Penny to be prickly and difficult when things didn’t go her way, and it was something that they had fallen out about in the past, but she hadn’t expected her to behave like this at a birthday event for her boyfriend's brother.
“Penny, what's going on with you tonight?” Cat asked, deciding that the direct approach was likeliest to be successful. If experience had taught her anything, it was that Penny was far too good at evading questions and hints if they didn’t suit her.
“Nothing,” Penny dismissed, her eyes still firmly on the job at hand.
“Don’t start that bullshit with me,” Cat replied quietly but firmly, enjoying the look of shock in Penny’s eyes as they flew up to meet hers, clearly not expecting to be challenged. “I know you far too well for your own good and this isn’t like you.”
“What do you mean?” Penny deflected, trying to buy herself time, not liking the anger in Cat’s eyes but doubling down anyway. “I’m here aren’t I? I dressed up just like you asked and I’m even doing your little puzzles.”
“That’s not what I mean and well you know it,” Cat pressed, unimpressed but not surprised by the attempted diversion. “Yeah, you’re here, but you’re acting like you’d rather be literally anywhere else and I’m gonna need you to stop it before it ruins the night for Scott.”
Penny paused for a second, casting a glance around the room to ensure that nobody was in earshot before leaning in to Cat.
“If you must know, I’ve been feeling sick on and off for the last few days, so yes, I probably would rather be anywhere but here if I’m being honest,” she confided, feeling strangely glad to have unburdened herself on her friend.
“Oh sweetheart, I’m sorry to hear that,” Cat sympathised, concern for her friend’s health diluting her anger somewhat. “Do you think you’ve caught something?”
“Perhaps,” Penny replied stiffly, sitting herself back upright again, clearly not wanting to discuss it further.
“You look after yourself tonight, OK?” Cat pressed, not wanting to let the opportunity go. “But can you tone down the grumpiness a little? It’s Scott’s birthday night and we’ve put a lot of work into organising this.”
Taking Penny’s curt nod as an acknowledgement of what she had asked, Cat decided that she had done what she could for the time being. Looking around the room before getting back to her assigned task, she was glad to see that Scott at least seemed to be enjoying himself, absorbed in conversation with his brothers as Selene hovered nearby in case she was needed. Throwing a quick nod to her partner in crime in confirmation that she had tried her best, she reluctantly picked up the pictures again and began scanning them for clues.
Selene had little to do but watch the two teams, content to stay out of the way for the most part. Gordon had slotted back in with his brothers as he always did, the boys working together seamlessly to get the job done, focused now on their end goal.
John had all the relevant information correlated and they had moved onto the floor to spread out their findings. Talking together in hushed voices they were soon busily discussing their theories, expanding on or rejecting as needed until they had narrowed down their suspects to just two.
They held one last, whispered conversation, huddling together even closer when Cat wandered a little too close to their workspace and made their decision.
"So, we're in agreement?" Scott asked.
"Yep," Gordon clarified, John nodding with him.
"Even though I'm the IT guy, I'll allow you to input it, since it's your birthday," John grinned, carefully folding the piece of paper in which they had scribbled their conclusion and passing it to Scott.
"How generous of you," Scott quipped. Taking the paper he crossed over to the old fashioned typewriter that had been set up on the desk.
"What are you doing?" Cat asked suspiciously, "you can't be done already."
"Oh, I think you'll find that I am," Scott replied with a cheeky grin as he started typing out their answer. The typewriter had been modernised so that anything typed on it would be automatically transmitted to the central computer that controlled the escape room, the one that would either release them, or condemn them to try again.
"You don't normally say that so proudly," Cat shot back, making Gordon howl with laughter.
Scott ignored her to continue typing. He finished the last word, hit return and waited.
Somewhere in the hall a buzzer sounded, along with the unmistakable sound of a door unlocking.
“Is that it? Did we do it?” Gordon asked, almost bouncing with excitement.
John stuck his head out into the hallway, ducking back in a second later.
“Gentlemen, we are victorious,” he announced in as serious a tone as he could muster.
“They won?” Penelope glanced at Cat, a look of utter disbelief on her face. Cat shrugged in return. She didn’t really care who won as long as Scott had a good time. "They beat us?"
“Yes!” Scott cheered, high fiving Gordon. “Team Tracy for the win! What’s our prize?”
“I don’t know about you, but I quite like the look of our helpers,” John grinned, sliding an arm around Selene’s waist to pull her in against his side. “Doesn’t the hero always get the girl?”
“Only if he have coin,” Selene shot back, yelping when his hand bounced off her padded backside. “But in this case, I shall make exception. We call it taste test, da?”
“Now I know how Julia Roberts felt in Pretty Woman,” Gordon grinned cheekily. “Here I am, turning cheap tricks on the street and I’ve nabbed myself a real Lady. Personally, I think we all lucked out.”
“Is that so?” Penelope drawled, but she allowed a small smile to flirt with her lips, one that got larger when Gordon followed his announcement up with an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle. “You are impossible.”
“So they all say,” Gordon agreed, offering her his arm. “My lady?”
“Good, sir,” she acknowledged, slipping her arm through his with an accepting nod of her head.
“I’d certainly be very happy to accept our helpers as a prize,” Scott laughed, pulling Cat towards him and placing a quick kiss on her forehead. “Now, anyone got any idea of what happens next?”
Just as he spoke, a member of the escape room staff poked their head into the room. “Congratulations. You have found the killer. Thanks to you, London is safe again. Now, to whom should I give the hat of master detective?”
“Me,” Scott announced without hesitation, accepting the deerstalker hat and placing it proudly on his head before anyone could argue.
“If you’d like to follow me, dinner will be served downstairs in the restaurant. You must all be very hungry after all your hard work.”
“Oh thank God,” Scott declared, doing his best to ignore the stifled giggles aimed at his headwear coming from the rest of his family. “I’m starving.”
“Is there ever a point at which you’re not hungry?” asked Cat, genuinely interested to know the answer.
“Nope,” Scott answered proudly, yelping as Gordon swiped the hat off his head from behind as they walked.
“Gordon, you look ridiculous,” Penny giggled as he tried to put it on over the hat he’d forgotten he was already wearing. “Give it back to Scott. It’s his birthday after all,” she added, catching Cat’s eyes with a quick smile of acknowledgment as she tried to atone for her earlier outbursts.
“Seems unfair but OK,” Gordon grumbled good naturedly, handing the hat back as they entered the restaurant.
“Finally, somewhere that's not a total health hazard,” John muttered to Selene as they took their seats.
Totally ignoring him, not that he cared, Selene fussed around Scott, making sure that the birthday boy was comfortably seated at the top of the table with everything he could possibly need on hand if he wanted it. The start of the evening hadn’t exactly gone as they’d planned but she’d be damned if he didn’t enjoy what was left of the night.
There was something so rewarding about your first decent drink of the night after you’d suffered the stress of event planning and Selene was more than grateful to be able to slip into her chair between Gordon and John and pick up the vodka apple cocktail that had been delivered to her.
“A toast,” Scott started, holding up his beer.
“Isn’t one of us supposed to do that?” John asked as he grabbed his own beer bottle.
“Birthday rights,” Scott told him smugly. “I just wanted to thank you all for being here tonight, thank the girls for planning such a great activity with such pleasant eye candy and for joining in to make it fun.”
“Sure, why not,” Selene agreed, saluting with her glass. “To birthday rights and milking them.”
“Damn straight,” Scott grinned.
“To annoying older brothers on their birthday,” Gordon added.
“To brothers who aren’t safe to be left alone with your witch,” John grumbled goodnaturedly.
“Many happy returns to good friends,” Penelope continued.
Scott looked at Cat, one eyebrow raised in anticipation. “What have you got for me? Anything you wish to bestow upon me for the next year? Any praise that should be coming my way?”
“To my favourite dumbass in the whole world,” Cat grinned, raising her glass to join the rest. “May this year bring you health, happiness and as many enormous steaks as you can eat. Happy birthday, Scott.”
“Now that’s something I can definitely get on board with,” Scott laughed, raising his glass to his lips.
“Are you ready to order?” a waiter asked, appearing out of nowhere. He was dressed in period clothing, as were all the other staff members and a few patrons.
“What do you have here?” Gordon asked. He, like all of the Tracy family, enjoyed nothing more than a good meal and since there had been many years where such a thing was not always readily available, they had learnt to make the most of any time they were somewhere where food was cooked for them by someone who wouldn’t destroy it.
“Your meal tonight will consist of six courses,” the waiter started.
“Six!” Gordon yelped.
“There goes my waistline again, I’d only just found it again after Christmas,” Selene groaned, dropping her head into her hands. “I know this is supposed to be a traditional Victorian meal, but who thought this was a good idea?”
“You,” Cat reminded her.
“Shh, woman,” Selene growled but Cat just smirked, unbothered by the threat. She knew her far too well to take her seriously now.
“I think it’s the best idea you’ve had,” Scott grinned. “I’m so hungry I could eat my hat.”
“Even the ear flaps?” Gordon asked. Scott nodded seriously.
The waiter coughed politely.
“So sorry,” Penelope apologised, “do continue.”
“Your first course is a choice of pheasant or cream of asparagus soup, served with fresh bread. This will be followed with a lettuce salad with accompanying cheese fingers.”
A few eyebrows rose at this.
“Next you have your choice of fish course, consisting of either baked salmon with sauce hollandaise, oysters rockefeller or stewed eels.”
“Eels?” Selene made a face of pure disgust which was echoed by Cat and John.
“For your entree meats you have a choice of hunters style stuffed venison, roasted chicken, pan fried duck, lamb medallions or a sirloin of beef. You can pick any combination.”
“Any combination?” Scott was practically drooling.
The waiter nodded, clearly having seen the disbelieving faces many times before.
“All are accompanied by a choice of wild mushroom risotto, boiled new potatoes, potato croquettes or boiled rice, along with green peas and seasonal vegetables.”
“I’m in heaven,” Gordon groaned.
“For your dessert course we have a choice of a delicious lemon sorbet, chocolate mousse, sugar biscuits or a selection of petits fours. This will be followed by a cheese course and finally coffees,” the waiter finished with a flourish, clearly enjoying playing the part. He stood with his order pad, awaiting their decision.
Blank faces stared back.
“Clearly this is new to you all,” Penelope sighed. “You must excuse them. I’d like the asparagus soup and then the baked salmon, followed by the venison with boiled potatoes and the sorbet to finish. Thank you.”
“How the heck did you do that?” Gordon goggled. “I’m pretty sure even John didn't catch all that.” He looked at his brother for confirmation.
“I made it up to the meat selection,” John confirmed.
“I’ve forgotten everything before chocolate mousse,” Selene admitted.
“I got stuck on the eels,” Cat joined in.
“I’m still trying to decide which meats to pick,” Scott finished.
“It’s quite alright, sirs, madames,” the waiter assured them, producing a number of printed menu cards from somewhere about his person. “I shall give you a moment to decide while I fetch tonight's choice of wines and refresh your waters.”
“Thank you,” Cat called after him, already scanning the menu.
A lively debate broke out as everyone discussed the options, deciding what they would like and struck up bargains amongst themselves of who would get to try a sample of the others meal. Scott, of course, had pulled out his birthday card again to secure himself a taste of everyone's food.
Decisions finally made it was a better informed group that reeled off their choice of food to the waiter, who’s name they found out was Carl. He left them with four bottles of wine and didn’t even baulk at Scott ordering the sirloin, lamb medallions and the roast chicken. He was getting the biggest tip of the year that night.
-x-
“I can’t walk, I’m too fat, carry me.”
“My love, I adore you, but if you are indeed as fat as you claim I doubt carrying you would be good for my health.”
Selene paused to think about this, wondering just how her man seemed to be able to drink the amount of beer and wine he had and still form a coherent and slightly sarcastic response. It was one of the many things she found quite sexy about him. Hmm, sexy...
“I do like your body to be in peak health,” she mused, letting her eyes wander up and down his body, taking in the tailored coat, waistcoat, neckerchief and shirt combo that was sitting so well on him. His hair had been brushed back and styled in a close approximation of the era's popular side parted look and it suited him to perfection, though she missed that familiar curl she liked to run her fingers through. “I’ve heard that regular exercise is key, for which I’m always willing to lend a hand.”
One eyebrow rose at her assessing stare and blatant ogling of his person. “I’ll bear that in mind,” he assured her, trying to keep his serious tone but only just managing it.
“Good, you do that,” she insisted, wobbling slightly on her heels as she tried to keep to a straight line. She sighed happily when his arm draped around her shoulders, helping to keep her upright. She slipped her arm around his waist, leaning closer. This was good. This was nice.
“Do you think Scott had a good time?” she asked quietly, watching Scott and Cat as they walked a little way ahead of them.
John rolled his eyes, having known this was coming. She always got like this when she had a few drinks in her. She would either be so over confident she thought she was a queen or she started doubting her very existence.
“You know he did,” John assured her. “You always manage to somehow dream up the best ideas for us, something we very much appreciate, and joining forces with Cat made it all the better.”
“Cat’s great,” Selene said, smiling dopily. “I love her, she’s the best.”
“You love everyone when you’re tipsy, I should be grateful that I’m getting any attention at all.”
“Oh hush, you’ll get more attention than you can handle when we get home.”
“I must admit, a night of peace and quiet alone in our little apartment, before we return to the madness of the island tomorrow, is sounding like heaven.”
“Just the peace and quiet?” Selene’s hand slid its way neatly from the small of his back to his right buttcheek.
“Not just that,” he admitted. He glanced at his brothers and their respective partners. “Can we say goodnight now?”
Selene followed his gaze, still feeling the need to check the situation one last time before she abandoned her duty of best friend for the night and concentrated on her man.
Scott and Cat were giggling so loudly she could hear it echoing around the quiet streets, that and the clack, clack, clack, skkerch noise of Cat’s heels as she stumbled now and then. Scott was trying admirably to keep her upright, just as John was with her, but it seemed that all of the ballerina’s balance and poise had abandoned her.
“They seem happy enough,” she murmured, her eyes searching out the other two. Gordon and Penelope were walking close together, though there was a lot less holding up than the other two. Gordon was a little winding in his walking but was holding his own, chatting amicably, clearly on his best and most charming behaviour. Penelope was the vision of a perfectly put together lady, she always was no matter how much she drank. Not that she seemed to have indulged much from what Selene could tell.
“Did you see Penny drinking much tonight?”
John paused, frowning lightly as he thought about it. “No, I don’t believe I did. We went straight up to the rooms when she arrived so she missed out on the first drinks and she said she wasn’t in the mood for those wines and, since she doesn't touch hard liquor and can’t stand the taste of beer, she’d stick to fruit juice.”
“Makes sense,” Selene shrugged, not bothering to think too much about it. “Gordon seems to be back in her good books now so I guess it’s safe to leave them all to their own devices.”
“Good enough for me,” he grinned, stealing a quick kiss before raising his voice to be heard. “Scott, Gordon! We’re heading home, don’t forget to be ready to go at one, any later and we’ll leave without you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Gordon called back. “And if I ask if we’re nearly there yet one more time you’ll dump me out at 5,000 feet.”
“Too right I will,” John answered, not even trying to deny the threat as being a possibility. “Scott?”
“One, got it,” his brother responded after a well placed elbow to the ribs from Cat. “Although you know you’ll have to wait for me, it is my birthday.”
“One more day, that’s all you have left to use that excuse,” Selene reminded him.
“And I’m gonna milk it for all it’s worth,” he assured her, opening his arms for a hug.
Selene pulled him into her arms, yelping when he grabbed her a little too tightly and tried to lift her into the air, holding her against his chest as he rocked her back and forth.
“John! A little help!” she patted Scott’s back ineffectively, dropping her bag which hit the ground with a suspiciously metal sounding rattling clunk.
“Alright, bro, that’s enough, give her back and go home,” John ordered, rescuing his girl from his brother’s limpet like grasp. “Go fling your own around until she throws up.”
“Good plan!” Scott, who had been on the verge of pouting when his cuddle buddy had been stolen, now grinned.
It was Cat’s turn to shriek as she was unceremoniously grabbed around the waist and hoisted up to drape over his shoulder as he took off running.
“Don’t drop her!” Selene called but they were gone.
“And people think I’m the one to watch out for,” Gordon mock sighed, shaking his head.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” John laughed.
“Night, Pen,” Selene said, giving the other woman a hug goodbye and then Gordon.
They waited until the pair had wandered off in the direction of their hotel, Penelope having given Parker his freedom for the night, before Selene allowed John to drag her to the tube station. Everyone was taken care of, the night had come to an end and now she could finally relax.
-x-
“Are you OK there?” Cat giggled as she threw her keys on the table, the amount of wine she had drunk with the meal making the sight of Scott sprawled on her sofa, looking very much like he might pass out any second much more amusing to her than it usually would.
“I’m absolutely fine,” he smiled up at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her down beside him. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason,” she laughed as she teetered dangerously on the edge of the sofa before losing her fight with gravity and slipping onto the floor with a bump. “Just that I’ve never seen anyone eat that amount of meat and remain conscious before.”
“Clearly, you’ve never been out for a meal with Virgil then,” Scott chuckled, undoing his belt and top button to give himself more room. Now that she’d mentioned it, he did feel rather full, not that he’d ever let her know that.
Cat spun herself around where she sat, threading an arm around Scott’s waist and resting her head on his chest, enjoying the peace and quiet her flat afforded them as he absent-mindedly stroked her hair.
“Did you enjoy yourself tonight then?” she asked, shifting uncomfortably as the bones of her corset started to dig in. How Selene managed to wear stuff like this on a regular basis was beyond her, although she did have to admit that it gave her a good figure which she had caught Scott admiring on more than one occasion over the course of the night, so perhaps she was onto something.
“It was awesome,” Scott declared, sensing Cat’s discomfort and making room on the sofa for her. “You did a great job.”
Cat let out a breath that she hadn’t realised she’d been holding as she hauled herself up beside him. “I’m so glad. It’s a bloody nightmare trying to think of anything for you lot.”
“Well, I really appreciate the thought that went into it,” he continued, flashing her a dazzling smile. “It was a great night and I think everyone had fun. Even Penny seemed to get into it by the end.”
“Yeah, she got there eventually,” Cat agreed, relieved that her friend’s behaviour hadn’t soured his enjoyment of the night. “Anyway, now we’re home, there’s something I want to give you.”
“It’s the handcuffs from earlier isn’t it?” he guessed, genuinely unsure as to whether that would be a good thing or not.
“No, I think Selene took them,” she giggled, enjoying the look of horror that passed over Scott’s face before he shook his head to clear unwanted thoughts of what his little brother and best friend may or may not be up to at that moment.
Jumping up from the sofa, Cat grabbed a small box that she’d carefully stowed on the mantelpiece earlier, handing it to him carefully. “Happy Birthday Scott,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him softly before retaking her place on the sofa beside him.
“Thank you,” Scott beamed as he started to peel off the wrapping paper, taken by surprise by the gift. They had talked about it beforehand and he had assured her that spending the evening together would be more than enough for him to be happy, so this was completely unexpected.
Cat just smiled in reply, taking a sip of her drink as she anxiously waited for him to open it. Buying the man who had literally everything he could ever dream of something for his birthday was a task that she had hated every minute of and a tight knot formed in her stomach in case she had somehow got it wrong.
“It’s amazing,” Scott gushed, finally opening the lid of the box and pulling an antique pocket watch out of its satin bed to examine it better, running an appreciative finger over the ornate filigree on the back. “I absolutely love it. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome,” Cat smiled, relief rushing through her as he went straight back to scrutinising his new toy. “But your present isn’t just the watch though, it’s really what the watch represents.”
“I’m sorry, but you’ve lost me there,” Scott admitted, a small frown appearing on his face as he looked up in surprise.
“Time,” Cat explained, her grin becoming wider as she became more confident in her choice. “From today, I’ve arranged for us to both have seven whole days off from our jobs. We’re going back to the island tomorrow but then what we do is absolutely up to you. We can stay there, come back here or do anything else that you might like.”
For once in his life, Scott was speechless, unable to think of any response other than to grab Cat and pull her into a tight hug. “How?” was all he could manage when he finally let her go. “How on earth did you manage that?”
“John and Selene helped me sort it out,” Cat explained. “He’s going to stay down and let EOS run Five while you’re away so there’s backup if needed.”
“Wow,” he breathed. “I don’t remember when I last had that amount of time off in one go.”
“That’s exactly what Selene said when I mentioned the idea to her,” Cat smiled, relaxing back against the cushions now that she knew her idea was a success.
“Do you think we really have to go back tomorrow though?” Scott wheedled, nuzzling into Cat’s neck, trying to hit all the spots that he knew usually made her putty in his hands. “Can we not just stay here for the whole week, order lots of pizza and be really antisocial?”
“Nice try,” she laughed, using all her strength to shove him off. “Selene and I are cooking you a birthday meal for all the family so yeah, you do kinda need to be there for that. But after that we can absolutely just chill out here if that’s what you'd like.”
“Spoilsport,” Scott grumbled goodnaturedly, his smile giving away his true feelings about the prospect of having all of his family around him for a meal not cooked by his grandma.
“Yep,” Cat agreed cheerfully. “Whatcha gonna do about it?”
“Nothing probably,” he shrugged. “Too tired and full at the moment.”
“Thought as much,” she concurred, nestling in and resting her head on his chest.
Silence descended over them as they lay, lost in their own thoughts. Turning his watch over in his free hand, Scott was unable to stop himself from fiddling with the clasp, repeatedly opening and closing the case as a smile crept onto his lips, the evening replaying in his mind.
“Is it time for bed yet?” Cat yawned eventually, the adrenaline from making sure the night ran smoothly finally beginning to wear off.
“Let me check,” Scott grinned, opening the watch case once more and squinting at it. “Yes. Yes, I think it is.”
“C’mon then,” she decided as she pushed herself off the sofa, somehow finding the energy to help haul Scott upright from where he was almost horizontal on the cushions.
“Thanks,” he mumbled sleepily, draping an arm around her shoulder as they made their way towards the bedroom and some well-earned rest. “This has been the best birthday ever.”
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scorpiofangirl1109 · 3 years
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My Cats OC Part 38
part 37- https://scorpiofangirl1109.tumblr.com/post/646151885030588416/my-cats-oc-part-37
hello everyone! welcome to part 37 on my series on kiki. thank you for all of the kind words i have received about kiki! they really make my day!
this will be cats human au headcanon filled with fluff and i hope you guys enjoy it! 
munkustrap is a proud dad and loves to talk about his baby girl to people. he is that parent who has tons of photos and home movies on his little girl. he wants to be able to document her childhood so she can have these things to look back on when she gets older. plus he always sends photos  and videos to his family 
different milestones such as the first time kiki crawled, ate her first solids, rolled over, etc. were all caught on camera. munkustrap’s favorite home movie though is when kiki learned her first word which was dada. this surprised no one because of how kiki was such a major daddy’s girl. 
kiki said dada for the first time right before her first birthday but she was not yet walking, but munkustrap was told not to worry. she was perfectly happy and reaching to her milestones on time. plus according to his mother munkustrap had taken his own first steps few weeks after his first birthday. kiki must be taking after her father. 
but kiki does take her first steps not long after her first birthday and happens to do so in front of many members of the family on thanksgiving day. 
munkustrap had taken kiki to his parents for thanksgiving. demeter and him were not spending thanksgiving together as their relationship was still new and demeter was not ready to take a big step and spend their first major holiday as a couple together yet which munkustrap respected. 
but he did send demeter a cute picture of kiki all dressed up in her cute outfit she had helped munkustrap buy at the store for thanksgiving. but he also had a backup set of clothing just in case knowing it was better safe than sorry. 
at his parents house there were a lot of people, his parents were there of course along with his aunt jellylorum, his cousins, his grandfather gus, tugger and misto came too pf course. plus a couple of members of misto’s family members had come too. so it was a full house. 
kiki was perfectly happy and she was passed around between his family and kiki loved the attention she got. at dinner her high chair was next to munkustrap’s and she ate her food happily.  
after the dinner table was cleared and everything was cleaned, the house began to clear out a bit. eventually it was just munkustrap, kiki, his mother grizabella, his father deuteronomy, his brother tugger, his brother in law misto, his aunt jellylorum and grandfather gus at the house. 
they were all in the living room spending time together, his mother sat on the couch with kiki playing with her a bit and kiki was very happy. munkustrap was smiling see his mother with kiki who was giggling happily. 
at one point kiki, who was sitting on the floor,  had used her grandmother’s skirt to pull herself up. she had started to stand up a while ago but still was not walking. well until she was looking at munkustrap who was holding into her stuffed kitty. i
it wad clear she wanted her kitty but did not know how to get it. munkustrap did his best to encourage kiki to come over and grab her kitty. kiki looked like she was trying to walk over but was scared. she would get close but never go through with it. 
munkustrap kept encouraging kiki holding the kitty closer to her. during this tugger had taken his phone out trying to get this moment on video if it happened right now. the rest of the family was gently encouraging kiki and telling her she could do it. 
eventually kiki looked towards her father and took one very wobbly step towards munkustrap. and then she took another one and another. in total she took six steps towards her father before falling into his arms taking her kitty cat from him. 
munkustrap pulled kiki into his arms and showered her with praise, kisses and was smiling so big. he was so proud of his little princess. the entire family was cheering for kiki and the little girl was smiling and giggling knowing she had done something big and loved the attention she was getting. 
that night kiki was able to take a couple of steps towards other family members who caught her in her arms and showered her with praise and love like munkustrap. tugger gave munkustrap the video he had filmed and munkustrap almost  sent it to demeter excited to have kiki show demeter what she had learned the next time demeter came over to their house. 
alright that is part 38! let me know what you guys thought and i will see you all for part 39!
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jobrookekarev · 3 years
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Little Turkey (Updated)
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Summary: Jo and Alex celebrate Thanksgiving with everybody in Meredith’s backyard and Jo tries to induce labor. 
Chapter: 1/1
Fandom: Grey's Anatomy.
Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev.
Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson Karev, Meredith Grey, Maggie Pierce, Jackson Avery, Amelia Shepherd, Atticus Lincoln, Zola Grey Shepherd, Ellis Shepherd, Derek Bailey Shepherd, and Carina DeLuca.
Rating: General Audiences.
Additional Tags: thanksgiving, pregnancy, birth, babies, and tiny adorable turkey onesies. 
AN: New edits because I forgot to add the reason why Jo didn't realize she was in labor and her water breaking because I was in a rush to get this posted!! You think that someone who studied to be a doula would get it right but nope. LOL. So hopefully this makes more sense and seems more realistic.
Read at AO3
Read at FFN
……………………………………………………………………
Jo pushed open the gate to Meredith’s backyard and was greeted with the sight of the socially distant Thanksgiving dinner in full swing. It might be the holidays, but there was a rise of COVID in the past few weeks and the governor had shut down the state. Despite how the group was constantly tested at work, none of them were willing to take any risks for an inside formal dinner. Which meant that tables were 6 feet apart, plates of food were already set out, and masks were required. Jo didn’t mind the outdoor activities, even with the November air as her pregnancy meant that she often ran hot. 
Amelia and Link were at one table with her godson, the three kids and Meredith were painting at one table. Maggie and Winston were off to the side, and Jackson, April, and Harriett were at the third table. The last table was for her and Alex, Meredith had already set out plates for them that were already filled with turkey, stuffing, casseroles, and Amelia’s pie.
“Hey, Aunt Jo,” Zola said, being the first one to greet her and waved at her with her paintbrush still in her hand. She wore a white and purple butterfly mask that matched her butterfly coat.
Everyone else followed Zola’s hello with waves as Jo walked up to the only empty table. Link bounded over like a puppy and hugged her as tightly as he could with her full belly between them. The two of them had been together for most of the pandemic with her and Alex helping them with Scout and Link and Amelia returning the favor to help with Jo’s pregnancy.
“Where’s Uncle Alex?” Zola asked holding up her turkey painting to show Jo. 
“That looks very cool Zola and he is on his way. He had a meeting so he's just running a little late,” Jo said as she put a hand on her belly and eased herself into the lawn chair and put her feet up on Alex's empty chair. “I see you all left me the good chair.” 
“Yeah well the rest of us didn’t want to hear you complain about it for the entire night,” Amelia said, sending Jo a wink.
“I did not complain last time!” Jo insisted, looking over at Link who just looked at her wide eyed.
Jo knew that Link’s mouth was open under his mask as he was trying to find something to say to her before retreating back over to Amelia. 
Ellis grabbed a plate of paint and dragged her cat chair to Jo. “Aunt Jo, can I paint your belly?” 
“What?”
“She wants to paint your baby belly,” Meredith clarified for her, handing Bailey a plate of food. “She saw a picture of someone doing it online and now all she talks about is painting your belly.”
Jo looked back down at Ellis who looked up at her with the biggest puppy eyes and Jo knew that she was pouting under her mask. Jo smiled and nodded, how could she refuse Ellis’ request. Jo put her feet down and grabbed a pillow, putting it behind her back before she pulled up her shirt and tucking it under her breasts. Ellis giggled and grabbed her brush to paint a streak across Jo's belly. Jo shivered at the cold paint, but the feeling of Ellis’s brush was oddly soft and Jo found herself relaxing back as Ellis painted. 
The party continued and the conversation flowed. It had been a while since everyone had gotten together outside the hospital, especially with the kids and it was nice to relax and enjoy the night. 
“Oh that’s so cute,” Jo said as Link handed her a small canvas of one of her godson’s baby bumpkins. “I can’t wait to do that with this baby.” 
Jo smiled as she stared over at Amelia and her godson. Back when she and Link were serving coffee, just trying to make it through college. They talked about how their kids would grow up together and be friends. They would be each other’s family. After Jo left, she didn’t think she’d ever see him again, but she was so glad he came to Grey-Sloan and gave her a second chance.
“Yeah, it does make a good keepsake for Christmas too,” Link said, smiling back over at Amelia and the baby as well.
“Nuh-uh,” Jo mumbled, shaking her head as she took a bit of the nacho that she had dumped hot sauce on. “I’m having this baby tonight.”
Immediately all eyes were on her. 
“You're in labor!” Meredith shouted standing up and pulling out her phone, no doubt to call Alex.
“You're in labor!” Maggie freaked out as she dropped Zola’s painting.
“The baby’s coming today!” Zola cheered her eyes sparkling as she raced over to them.
“The baby’s coming!” Ellis shrieked, putting both of her hands on Jo’s belly that was still wet with paint.
“Oh my god, Jo why didn’t you say anything?” Link said, dropping down to his knees and putting a hand on her shoulder.
“No, I’m not in Labor,” Jo shouted above the noise.
“Josephine Brooke Karev are you still trying to induce labor a week before your due date?”
“Uncle Alex!” All the kids screamed, so excited to see him, they all talked over each other as they showed him their paintings. 
“For heaven's sake Jo,” Link said, his eyes wide as he sat down on the grass leaning on the arm of her chair. “Between you and Amelia, the stress is gonna kill me.”
“Why would you want to have your baby today?” Meredith asked, moving her chair over to sit next across from Jo.
“Well, our anniversary is Halloween. I just thought I’d keep with the theme, that way we'd always remember and it’d be extra special,” Jo said, with a shrug as she felt the baby kick inside her as if they were agreeing. 
“Regardless of the date it will be special, trust me. You're never going to forget your baby's birthday because it's also your labor day,” Meredith said her eyes sparkling and Jo knew that she was smirking over at her.
“I know, but I just thought I'd be fun,” Jo said, putting a hand on her baby belly where Ellis hadn’t painted, feeling them kick again as she turned to see Alex talking to the kids. 
He was nodding along to everything they were telling him and acting like Bailey's messy painted turkey was the greatest piece of artwork he's ever seen. She loved seeing Alex with all the kids so much that she didn’t mind being second best to her husband. He was so good to them, always listening to them talk and going along with whatever they wanted. She couldn't wait to see him with their kid and she knew that they already had them wrapped around their finger. 
“I painted Aunt Jo’s belly!” Ellis said putting her paint covered hands on Alex’s shirt. 
“And now we match,” Alex said looking down at his nice button up shirt to see two small handprints.
Jo laughed as Alex looked down at the sight of his ruined shirt. Meredith got up and took Ellis inside to wash her hands and Alex sat down next to her. He pulled down his mask to greet her with a kiss and settled in. Jo grabbed another bite of her pineapple spicy nachos and Alex took a piece from her plate.
“Hey,” Jo said, pulling the plate away from him.
“Sorry,” Alex laughed before feeding her the chip. 
Jo thought that he would have long since learned not to get between a pregnant woman and her food, but apparently not. 
Alex’s eyes turned serious as he looked over at her. “How are you feeling?” 
“My heartburn is better than it was this morning, my braxton hicks haven't been as intense as they were yesterday, and I did a hepatectomy on a guy who almost burnt down his house trying to cook a turkey with Jackson,” Jo said in between bites of her nachos.
“Yeah I’m surprised I got here before you,” Jackson said as he held Harriett and offered her a bite of green beans. “You finished the resection before I was done debriding his wounds.”
“I scrubbed in on a surgical extraction with Dr. Bailey right after,” Jo said with a laugh, remembering the case. “Some guy shoved a corn husk up you know where.”
“A corn husk?” Meredith asked in disbelief. “I can’t believe I missed that!”
“You can scrub in with me next year after COVID is cured and you can come back to work.”
“I’ll hold you to it, Karev.”
“It sounds like you had a good day,” Alex said, leaving in to wrap his arm around her shoulders.
“I did.” 
Jo could see Alex smile under his mask as his eyes wrinkled and sparkled. Jo leaned in and pressed a masked kiss to his cheek. Alex chuckled, squeezed her shoulder as she leaned in and put her head on his shoulder. 
They watched the kids paint and ate too much of April's pumpkin pie and stayed long after the kids fell asleep as the alcohol came out for the adults. It was the first time they had all congregated outside of the hospital and no one was eager to leave. Her sober buddy, Amelia, came to sit next closer to her, and Jo cooed at her godson, gushing over his cute little baby cheeks even after he fell asleep. 
The cold night air set in and soon they were all bundling up in blankets, but no one wanted to head home first. Jo put the baby down inside and curled up against Alex as her braxton hicks started up again. She didn't mean to fall asleep but the next thing she knew Alex was shifting against her and pulling her onto her feet and putting one arm around her as he half carried her to the car, Jo mumbled goodbye to everyone. 
Jo fell asleep in the car and she didn't remember getting into bed, but the next thing she knew it’s 4 a.m. and she's waking up with a braxton hick. She rolled over in bed realizing that Alex changed her into pajamas. Jo’s not sure if it's because she was exhausted or what but, as soon as it passed she rolled over and fell asleep again. 
Somewhere around sunrise, just as the sun was shining into the windows, Jo got up with another braxton hick. She knew that moving helped and she had to pee anyway, but Jo only made it to the table behind the couch before she felt a trickle of water run down her leg. At first, she thought she had an accident, but the trickle of water just kept coming as Jo tried to clean herself up. Then she realized it was amniotic fluid. Her water broke. 
Jo turned around to wake up Alex, but before she could she doubled over in pain as her next contraction started. She knew that her contractions would increase in pain after her water broke that this was on a whole different level. 
Jo leaned against the table she tried to call out to Alex but she can’t speak. She was frozen in place until it passed. She knew that these weren't braxton hick, these were contractions, she was in labor. When she felt like she could move again Jo looked back at Alex, but she couldn't manage to call out to him. Instead, Jo got out her phone and pulled up her contacts, she blindly pressed Alex’s name and waited to hear his phone ring. Instead, she heard someone else answer her call.
“Hey Jo, what’s up” 
Meredith’s voice was music to her ears. Jo opened her eyes and shook her head as she looked down at the phone. Jo was so relieved to see her friend. Although she had originally planned to just call Alex, it seemed she had set up a video call with Meredith. Because of the restriction, Jo couldn't have anyone other than Alex with her when she gave birth. Despite her initial plan to have Meredith with her, they had agreed to have Meredith be there over video call to support her through it. In the midst of a contraction she could barely speak, but Meredith seemed to know exactly what was going on.
“Are you in labor?” 
Jo nodded, closing her eyes and swaying her hips, she wasn't sure why but somehow it seemed to help.
“How long have you been having contractions?” 
“I don't know,” Jo said, blowing out a breath as the contraction passed. “A few hours maybe.”
“What do you mean maybe?” Meredith asked, glaring at her. “When did the pain start?” 
“Before I went to bed last night I think.” 
“So you've been in labor for six hours, Jo how did you ignore this?” Meredith said as she rubbed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose
“I have a high pain tolerance, and I'm used to sleeping through the pain and I was really tired,” Jo said, the memories of when she used to fall asleep after Paul beat her were not once she liked to remember, but as a result, Jo often ignored her pain out of habit.
“Well, where's Alex? He should have been keeping an eye on you.”
“Alex he's …” Jo shook her head, and trailed off as she had another contraction.
“Do you need me to get Alex?”
Jo nodded, the contraction had passed but she was so exhausted and let Meredith help her.
“Okay, hang on Jo I'm going to call him from a second phone,” Meredith reassured her as Jo heard her stuff laying around on the other end of the phone. “Amelia gimme your phone Jo’s in labor.”
Jo chuckled as Meredith continued to harass Amelia for her phone. Ever since Meredith had recovered from COVID she had been working from home and harassing them all via phone call. Especially her as Jo continue their work on the mini-livers from their lab at the hospital. 
“Okay, I'm calling him now.” 
Jo looked back at Alex who was still sleeping peacefully in their bed. The blanket was pulled back on her side and his arm was laying over her pillow leaving the impression of an empty space where she had been. Alex had that evening morning scruff that she loved and his lips were parted as he snored. He was completely oblivious to how his world was going to change in a few hours. 
Alex’s phone rang, the sound bouncing around the apartment. He rolled over and reached for his nightstand, cursing as he looked for his phone. Another contraction distracted her from calling out to him, but she heard him silence his phone and roll over again.
“Jo, Meredith is calling you.”
“No, I'm calling you,” Meredith yelled at him through Jo's phone. “Your wife is in labor Karev, get the hell up.”
Jo looked over to see Alex sit up and stared at her. He blinked once and then twice before he scrambled to get up, getting tangled in the blankets and tripping several times before he made it over to her.
“You're in labor?”
“Yes,” Jo and Meredith yelled at the same time.
“We’re having a baby!” 
“Yes, we're having a baby!”
“Okay well let’s go,” Alex said and Jo could see it on his face as he went from paranoid dad to helpful husband. “Let’s have a baby.”
“Let’s have a baby.” Jo smiled as Alex kissed her before another contraction hit and she closed her eyes in pain. They were for sure having a baby today. Happy Thanksgiving to her.
“How far apart are the contractions?”
“Every four minutes,” Meredith answered for her.
“Has your water broken?” 
“Not that I can tell.” 
“Jo?” Alex asked looked down to check, but Jo shook her head.
“Okay, let's check how dilated you are, but regardless we're going to head to the hospital. I'll call Carina and tell her to have a room waiting for us.” Alex said as he put his arms around her waist and Jo heavily leaned in on him.
Alex helped her over to the bed and Jo laid down, sinking into the mattress. Another contraction hit and Jo closed her eyes taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. 
“That’s it Jo, deep breaths, you're doing so good,” Alex praised her as he held her hand, and mirrored her breaths.
Jo felt the tears collect in her eyes and Alex spoke, she was so thankful that he was there cheering her on. He had been so supportive through her pregnancy. He braided her hair and rubbed her back when she puked. He tied her shoes and helped her reach for things. He rubbed her back and her feet when they ached, and he talked to their baby when they kicked her ribs. When the contraction passed and Jo opened her eyes to see Alex smiling down at her. She sighed and relaxed as he leaned forward and kissed her.
“He is right, you're doing everything like you're supposed to, you're doing great Jo,” Meredith said, from where Jo had left her phone propped up on the table.
Jo returned their smiles and squeezed Alex’s hand. “I’m having a baby.”
“You are, and you're handling it like a champ,” Alex said, moving back and putting a hand on her knees, Jo saw his face shift from proud and supportive husband to concerned doctor. “Your contractions are pretty close together. Can I check and see how dilated you are now.”
Jo nodded and lifted up her hips as he pulled off her pajama pants. Jo put her feet up by her hips and let her knees fall apart. Alex waited for her to nod before he checked her cervix, despite how many times they had sex, he always waited for her consent. Alex quickly checked her and then smiled looking down at her.
“Jo, have you felt the need to push?”
“No, why?” she asked, confused as she pushed herself up on her elbows. He had pulled back his hand, but didn't give her back her pants.
“You’re about 9 cm dilated, but we should get to the hospital before you have this baby in the car,” Alex said as he patted her knee and got up. “I’m gonna grab your bag and stuff and put it in the car then come back for you.”
“Oh my god!” Jo shouted as she sat up and watched Alex run around their apartment.
“Hey it’s okay Jo, just take a deep breath,” Meredith said, Leaning into the phone so Jo could see her whole face.
Jo nodded and took a deep breath, knowing that panicking wouldn't get her anywhere, and put a hand on her belly. She couldn't feel her baby kick, only the contractions that seemed endlessly painful. After a few deep breaths, she held herself calm back down and had to open her eyes and look back at Meredith who greeted her with a nod.
“Wait Alex, give me Meredith,” Jo shouted as she heard him open the door.
Alex stopped everything and grabbed the phone before handing it to her and running off again. Jo just smiled as she watched him go, running around like a mad dad, panicked as she labor. After everything they had been through, he was still so excited and nervous for their baby.
Another contraction hit and Jo closed her eyes, tuning out everything as Meredith talked her through it and Alex ran around with the bags. Finally, he came back and helped her down the stairs, and into the car. 
Jo barely remembered the car ride to the hospital. In between her contraction, Meredith and Alex talked to her and tried to distract her. She was so exhausted and could barely think as Alex and Meredith prompted her to move and breathe when they got to the hospital. It sort of worked, but it was all just a blur as they got her up to a room.
“Hello Jo,” Carina said that she came into the room rubbing fresh hand sanitizer over her hands before she reached for a pair of gloves. “I wasn't expecting to see you so soon.”
“I need to push,” Jo shouted, already bearing down, this baby was coming now, regardless of whether anyone was ready for them or not.
“Now!” Alex shouted in disbelief. “Shit we should have been here hours ago.”
“She said now!” Meredith insisted, yelling through the phone.
“You don’t have to do that you know,” Alex said, as he crawled in behind her, rather than push on her back they had her upright and Jo sat on the end of the bed while Alex held her up and squeezed both of her hands. 
“Jo wants me to advocate for her, this is me advocating.”
“Okay Jo push on the next contraction,” Carina said, shutting them both up as she got ready to catch the baby in between Jo’s legs.
Jo closed her eyes and tried to breathe as another contraction hit and she pushed with every bit of energy she had left. It felt like an endless circle of pain and pushing, then a break, and then more pain and pushing. She was so exhausted and she couldn't imagine doing this for an endless amount of hours. 
“You're doing great Jo, just a little bit longer and they're gonna be here,” Alex whispered in her ear.
“He’s right Jo. Everything is perfect and your little bambino is going to be here very soon,” Carina said giving her a short nod. 
Jo pushed for what seemed like hours and then Carina was announcing she could see the head. Jo knew that she had to keep going and pushed again and suddenly her baby was out and Carina held them up for them to see. 
The second their baby cried, Jo's heart stopped as Carina held up this tiny little red baby screened in their ears. Jo pulled down her gown so they could do some skin to skin and Carina quickly placed them on Jo’s chest. Jo's arm instantly moved to cradle them and she leaned back against Alex as the tears filled her eyes. She and her baby's cries filled the room. 
“She's so beautiful,” Alex sobbed on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around them both. 
“It's a girl,” Jo said in astonishment, she looked down to where the baby laid in her arms and their daughter looked up at them with big eyes as her cries quieted. 
“Alex do you want to cut the cord?”
Alex nodded and moved to cut the cord, taking the surgical scissors from the nurse. Meredith took a few pictures and Jo was glad she had asked her to beforehand because all she could focus on was the beautiful little girl in her arms.
Jo looked down at her beautiful, perfect daughter and moved to stroke her cheek. She hardly noticed the nurses cleaning her and taking their daughter’s Apgar scores. All she could think about was a perfect little baby in her arms. For her, falling in love was a gradual process, but Jo loved their baby from the moment she found out she was pregnant and she was so overwhelmed with love for her baby as she stared down at them.
Jo looked over at Alex as he moved out from behind her to stand next to her. As all the nurses attended to her and the baby. He looked so nervous as he stared down at her shifting his weight on his feet and stuffing his hands into his pockets. It was so unusual to see him so concerned and nervous. 
Jo looked down at their daughter, she’d had her for nine months and although it felt like she had only been holding her for a few minutes, Jo was sure that she was ready to watch Alex hold their baby for the first time. 
“Do you want to hold her?” Jo whispered, already moving the blanket that had been placed over both of them to loosely swaddle her and transferred their daughter into her chest.
Alex just nodded and took off his shirt so they could do skin to skin, then held out his arms for their daughter. Once she placed her in his arms, Alex slowly sank down in the chair next to her bed. He held her close to his chest before he seemed to remember how to hold a baby and cradled her in his arms as he relaxed back into the chair. She watched as Alex just gazed down at her with an expression of pure love. 
Jo could tell by the way that his eyes sparkled that he was smiling down at their daughter under his mask. Tears collected his eyes and a few escaped the corner of his eyes as he whispered to her. The baby opened her eyes and squirmed, crying out for a moment before Alex soothes her as he began to rock in the chair. The baby flailed her arms out and Alex reached out to hold one of her hands as her tiny hand wrapped around his big finger.
Jo finished pushing out the placenta and laid back onto the bed before Alex put their daughter back on her chest and put the blanket over both of them. Jo just stared down at her in amazement. She was so perfect, from her tiny little forehead to the thick tufts of dark hair. She stretched out her legs, kicking Jo before she curled back up into a tiny little ball and closed her eyes.
“She’s perfect,” Jo said to Alex, not taking her eyes off her daughter. “Even if her big head caused me a second degree tear.”
“Sorry about,” Alex said, sliding in to sit next to her.
“Well you and her big Karev heads are perfect and I can’t feel anything down there anyway,” Jo’s legs felt like mush and she couldn't tell how many stitches Carina was doing.
Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulders leaning in to kiss her cheek. Jo turned and tilted her head to give him a proper kiss. 
“You did so good Jo, I'm so proud of you and she is absolutely beautiful,” Meredith said with a smile as they all look down at the baby. “I’m gonna let you two enjoy your baby and I’ll send you the pictures I took in a few minutes.” 
“Thank you,” Jo said as she looked over at Meredith who smiled.
“It was my pleasure,” Meredith said, tilting her head as she looked down at the baby. “Besides if it wasn’t for me you would still be laboring in the loft and Alex would be fast asleep.”
“Har har,” Alex said as Jo laughed. 
“But you Jo Karev,” Meredith said turning a pointed finger at her. “You have to keep remembering to watch your braxton hicks and not sleep through your labor until your nine centimeters dilated!”
“Meredith is right Jo, your labor progressed very quickly without you realizing it,” Carina said, as she set Jo with a look. “Next time, I want to see you in here as soon as your braxton hicks are consistent for more than an hour. I'd rather send you away with false labor then put you or your baby at risk.
“Yeah, we can’t have the next one on the couch in our living room,” Alex added, kissing her forehead.
“I know I said I wanted two kids, but let's not talk about a second one until my vagina starts hurting from having the first one,” Jo said as she glared at him as Alex turned to look down at their baby girl.
“She needs a name,” Alex said, changing the subject as he trailed a finger across her little hand as she wiggled her fingers.
“Meredith does make a really good name,” Meredith sang, raising her eyebrows and giving them a look.
“We'll take it into consideration,” Jo said looking back at Alex. They had a list of names they were still arguing over, some of the names were new, but others were after friends and family.
Meredith ended the call and most of the nurses left, it was just them and Carina, who was finishing the last of Jo’s stitches. The baby fussed, turning her head and opening her mouth, signaling that she was hungry. Jo moved her down and Carina helped her and the baby get a good latch on her breast. Soon their baby was making happy little eating noises as her parents smiled down at her.
“She does need a name,” Alex whispered to her, setting his head on her shoulder and he looked down at their daughter as she nursed. 
“You know which one I like.”
“I know,” Alex sighed, looking away from her.
“You should call her,” Jo said, turning to look at him as he gazed off into space. “Call her and then decide, and if you still don't want the name. we can choose a different one.”
“Okay.” Alex nodded and kissed her shoulder as they turned their attention back to their baby girl.
After their daughter finished eating and Carina finished her stitches, Alex ran to grab her some food from the cafeteria. Jo chatted with Meredith again for a few minutes about the pictures before Alex came back and they ate. He put on a movie some kind of Christmas movie that Jo wasn't really interested in so she closed her eyes. She must have fallen asleep and slept for a few hours only to be woken up by Carina and the nurses checking on her. 
It’s still later in the early afternoon but the closed blinds and curtains made it seem like night and it was easy for her to close her eyes. She stared at the baby in Alex's arms before she fell asleep again and when Jo woke up and the baby was in the bassinet next to her bed. She reached out an arm to lay a hand on her chest feeling the baby breathing under her hand and fell back asleep. 
When Jo woke up again she heard Alex talking faintly on the phone again. The baby was not under her hand and for a moment Jo panicked, she looked around the room and she saw Alex holding the baby in a football hold, as he rocked back and forth with his back to her. Jo relaxed and closed her eyes as she listened to the baby gurgle and coo as Alex talked on the phone. 
“Yeah, thanks Mom, we can’t wait for you to see her,” Alex said as he walked back over and sat down next to her. Jo blinked and caught his eyes and he smiled at her. “Hang on Jo’s awake, let me give her the baby.”
Alex set the phone down and unswaddle the baby before setting her on Jo’s chest. The baby settled on Jo as she put a hand on her back tracing her spine and noting her clean skin. While she was asleep, Alex and the nurses must have bathed her and they put her in a plain hospital hat and onesie and Jo safely tucked those away for safekeeping. Jo reached over to the bag on the chair next to her and pulled out the little turkey onesie along with a dark orange hat to match. 
Jo sat the bed up and put the baby on her lap as she changed her clothes, the baby slept through the whole thing and Jo pulled her close to whisper to her daughter. She tried out the names they had on their list, including Meredith, and just as she expected, the name Jo wanted for her fit. 
Jo looked up at Alex as he finished the call with his mom and smiled at him as he put down his phone and came to sit down next to her. “She needs a name. We can't just call her baby forever.”
“I know,” Alex said, looking down at the baby as Jo shook her head. 
“Let's try them all out and see which one fits,” Jo said, she knew that Alex was still hesitant, but that he would know that the moment he heard it and connected the name to the sight of their daughter. 
“Okay, hello Stephanie,” Alex said looking down at their daughter before he shook his head. Jo chuckled, she knew Stephanie would be disappointed, like Meredith they had considered the name as they wanted her to be named after someone they loved, but it just didn't fit. “Okay, you do the next one.”
“Alright, hello Meredith or Edith for short,” Jo said to her, it was the name Alex wanted and Jo liked it too. Meredith meant so much to them and they had agreed to have it as her middle name regardless, but it wasn’t her first name.
“You're right, it doesn't fit,” Alex said as he sighed and leaned back into the chair.
“No,” Jo said looking down at the baby in her arms. She took Alex's hand and pulled it over to hold their daughter's hands that had wiggled out from the swaddle. “Her name is Helena, after your mom and Mrs. Schmidt.”
Alex smiled as he looked down at their daughter and rubbed the back of her hand. “Yeah, she's Helena.”
“Helena,” Jo said as their daughters fluttered open and she stared up at them.
Alex's phone lit up with a video call from Meredith. He looked over at Jo, they had agreed to the video call beforehand, and although Jo hadn't had any time to shower or even wash her face she knew none of them would care and nodded as he answered the call. They were greeted with the sight of their family. Meredith, Amelia, Lincoln, Maggie, Winston, Jackson, April, Ben, Bailey, Richard, all the kids, and even Levi and Helm joined the call. Everybody cooed and gushed over the baby and the kids talked about how excited they were.
“Have you two decided on a name yet?” Meredith asked as everybody went silent waiting for them to respond.
“Guys say hello to Helena Meredith Karev.”
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lovemesomesurveys · 3 years
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Do you have any tan lines? Nope. Have you ever wished you could stop time? Yes. I’ve also wished I could speed it up. Is there any pictures on the wall you're in? Yeah, there’s several. Who was the last person who called you? My mom. Did you make any money today? No.
Have you ever fallen and twisted your ankle? No. What was the highest place you've ever jumped from? I haven’t jumped from anywhere. Have you ever gone swimming in a river? No. Ever been so unfortunate to slip on wet rocks? Nope. When was the last time you got completely soaked by rain? It’s been a long time. One of the times that comes to mind is when my mom, aunt, a former friend, and I were at an outdoor festival and we got caught in an unexpected rain storm. It just started pouring down hard and we were not prepared at all. We had to run back to our car, which was parked a good distance away and yeah we were absolutely soaked. 
Is there something you really want to buy at the moment? I’d love to be able to book a beach vacation getaway. Would you ever consider culinary school? No. I’m not a cook and have no interest in trying to become one. Do you ever watch the clouds, to see if they look like objects/animals etc? I did when I was a kid sometimes. When was the last time you didn't want to get out of bed? That’s me everyday. It’s a real struggle. Are you excited for anything coming up in the near future? No. My foreseeable future consists of more doctors and appointments and struggles and spending most of my time in bed. Speaking of dancing, do you know any real dance moves? I know them, but I can’t do them. Do you save cards from your birthday/x-mas, etc? Yes. What was the last souvenir someone got you? A shirt. Do you have a favorite remix of a song? One of my favorite covers is Adele’s cover of George Michael’s “Fast Love” that she preformed at an award show in honor of him after he died. I can only describe it as hauntingly beautiful. I really wish she would have released a studio version of it. When was the last time you printed something off? I don’t recall; it’s been awhile. Are you one of those people who can learn music/songs by ear? No, I wish. There was a guy in my piano class I took my senior year in high school that could do that. It was really cool. Has the power gone out recently? No, but I have a feeling it will happen soon. It always does when we have a lot of triple digit degree weather, which is what this week has consisted of. Do you like driving at night? I don’t drive, but I like nighttime drives. Like, whenever I travel I love leaving really early when it’s still dark out. It’s a different experience. Does seeing roadkill make you sad, or just grossed out? Both. Does wearing heels make you feel sexier? I don’t wear heels. What do you think is the most saddest sounding instrument? The piano can sound that way. What day do you go back to school (if you're in school)? I’m forever done with school. When was the last time you've gone shopping with a friend? It’s been a few years. Do you ever go out to dinner with your Mom? We haven’t physically gone out to eat for dinner in quite a long time.  What is your favorite kind of salad dressing? Ranch. Have you ever bought fireworks? Not me personlly, but my dad and brother do every 4th of July. Do you really pay attention to the ratings on movies? Sometimes, but I ultimately decide if I want to see it or not. Have you ever snuck in to a theater/dance/bar etc? No. If given the chance, would you go to Ireland? Sure. Who was the last person/website to send you an email? I don’t feel like checking. Has your phone ever rang and scared you? Yeah. I’m such a jumpy person anyway. If you have a cat, does it ever "converse" with you? I don’t have a cat. If given the chance, would you ever fly in a fighter plane like the F-16? No. Are you afraid of standing on the edge of hills/skyscrapers/cliffs etc? Uh, YES. Do you have a favorite species of wild cat (tiger/lion/cougar etc)? No. Do you support the funds designed to protect endangered animals? (Like WWF). I haven’t done much myself to support them, but I’m glad they exist. What type of a drunk are you? (Obnoxious, calm, emotional, violent, etc) I was a chatty drunk. I feel like I was annoying, ha. I was also the sad drunk. Do you have an absolute favorite name (boy or girl)? I love the name Alexander. Are you good at pronouncing foreign words? Uhh, depends. If you're not already, when do you plan on getting married? I don’t want to get married. Can you tolerate the smell of cigarette smoke? Nooo. It honestly makes me sick, like I get lightheaded and dizzy, I get nauseous, and I get a really bad headache. When listening to music, do you usually tap your foot etc to the beat? I sometimes tap my fingers and hands. Have you ever literally cried on a friend's shoulder? No. Was there something that "made your day" today? It literally just turned midnight, so today is just now starting. Do you have a favorite kind of chocolate bar? White chocolate. Are you happy that it's summer? Ugh, no. It’s hot and miserable. Is there anything that you should be doing right now? I’m about to make my nightly bowl of ramen.  Has anyone had expectations that you just couldn't live up to? (finishing this a couple hours later...) That’s how I’ve been feeling. Are you currently in a relationship? If so, how long have you been dating? Nope. Would you ever consider being a DJ at a party if you were paid? Nah. Have you ever tried those electric toothbrushes? Wow, this question makes it seem like they’re so futuristic and rare lol. Yes, I use electric toothbrushes. Are you or anyone you know devoted to "being green"? Not overly so, no. When it comes election time, do you vote (if you're old enough)? Yes. What was the last movie you watched that was on TV? I watched Fear 1994 on Netflix recently if that counts. How long have you had an account on bzoink? I don’t have an account on bzoink. Do strapless bras work for you? I don’t like them. I only wear them if I have to, like with a dress. Do you have a favorite hair elastic that you use almost always? No. Has anyone told you that they wanted to marry you/ were planning on it/etc? No. When you were younger, did you have a yoyo? I did. I couldn’t do any tricks, though. What was the last video game you played, if any? Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Has anyone ever called you nerdy? Yeah. Have you ever had to call 911? Yes. Has there ever been a tornado near where you live? No, fortunately. Are you a rollercoaster addict? Noo. I’m a big scardy cat. Do you feel comfortable enough to wear short shorts? No. I’m very self-conscious about my legs. About my body in general, really. If you have iTunes, do you find the Genius recommendations helpful? I don’t even recall what that is; I haven’t used iTunes in almost 10 years. Are you quick at looking up numbers in phonebooks/ words in dictionaries? Phonebooks, wow.  I haven’t used a phonebook or actual dictionary in yearsssss thanks to the Internet/Google.  Have a favorite actor/actress from Old Hollywood? (Marilyn Munroe, etc) Lucille Ball. Out of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, which are you the best at? None of those. Is there a friend you can always talk to about anything? I don’t have any friends. Can you stand spicy foods? Not anymore. :( It’s gotta have like barely anything like McDonald’s or Taco Bell mild hot sauce type of stuff. It’s wild because I used to be obSESSED with spicy food. I put hot sauce on everything and had a high spicy tolerance. Then a few years ago I developed a sensitivity and I can’t even have red pepper flakes now. It sucks. What's your opinion on people who stretch their ears? Hey, do what you want. I’ll admit the really stretched out lobes freak me out, though. Do you think tattoos are expressive art or unattractive? To me they can be either one, it just depends. What is your school mascot? -- Do you find black and white photos to be pretty? Yeah. Food you make doesn't taste as good as food made by others, true? Sometimes. Especially foods like sandwiches for some reason. I think they’re way better when my mom or a deli makes them.  Is there a certain color that doesn't look good on you? I don’t think I look good in anything, so. Have you ever heard anything interesting about Nova Scotia, Canada? Not that I can recall. Have you ever seen a bear in the wild? No, thankfully. Do you know when you will get to see your significant other next? I’m single. What's the book you're currently reading? ”Such a Good Girl” by Willow Rose. Is your room currently a disaster? No. If going to a concert, do you prefer it to be outside or in a stadium? Definitely in a stadium.
Do you have a case for your camera? I use the camera on my phone, which I do have a case for. Can your cellphone take a beating? I’ve dropped it a few times and so far so good. Is there a month you prefer over others? October and December. Do you ever buy lottery tickets? Just a couple of times. Can you recall the most disturbing movie you've ever seen? A Clockwork Orange is one. Are you more of a tape or a glue person? Tape. Of course, it does depend on what I’m doing. In some cases, glue is the better option.  Has anyone you know gotten mono? Not that I know of. What is/or was your graduating year? I graduated UC in 2015. Have you had a weird dream lately? All my dreams are weird. Have you ever gotten an autograph from someone famous? Yes. Do you own a pair of slippers? No. Do you ever watch VHS movies anymore? No. I don’t even recall the last time. Has your computer ever decided to completely erase itself? No, but I’ve lost stuff because of viruses back in the day. :(
Only when the power goes out do we realize how much we rely on it, true? It definitely becomes quite apparent quite quickly. Have you ever picked an apple off the tree and eaten it? No. Can you say yes / no in different languages? ”Si” and “No”, ha. Are you good at styling your own hair? No. Especially not anymore since I just don’t have the motivation or energy to do anything with my hair, which is why it was always up in a bun. I finally just cut it really short and have been wearing a cute wig if I go somewhere cause that’s all I can to do right now. I am sad, though. It was so long.   Out of the traditional superheroes, which one is your favorite? The Scarlett Witch and Iron Man. What color is the shirt you're wearing right now? Black. Have you ever been lost? Physically and figuratively, yes.
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accioromione · 4 years
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wait how do you know hermione liked ron from POA, Ron's was easy because he realizes she's a girl in GOF and gets jealous and stuff like its easy to pinpoint when he discovers he likes her but hermione was always confusing because she like was with Krum and writing him but all of a sudden she's telling harry in OOTP he's clueless and smelling his hair in love potion and getting jealous over lavender
Okay so in POA this is Hermione’s letter to Harry 
Dear Harry, Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you’re all right. I’m on holiday in France at the moment and I didn’t know how I was going to send this to you — what if they’d opened it at customs? — but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I’ve been getting it delivered; it’s so good to keep up with what’s going on in the wizarding world). Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he’s learning loads. I’m really jealous — the ancient Egyptian wizards were fas­cinating. There’s some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I’ve rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I’ve found out. I hope it’s not too long — it’stwo rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for. Ron says he’s going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I’ll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first! Love from Hermione PS. Ron says Percy’s Head Boy. I’ll bet Percy’s really pleased. Ron doesn’t seem too happy about it.” Excerpt From: J.K. Rowling. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
and this is Ron’s letter lol 
Dear Harry, Happy birthday! Look, I’m really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn’t give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn’t have shouted. It’s amazing here in Egypt. Bill’s taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn’t believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn’t let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who’d broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. I couldn’t believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it’s gone on this trip, but they’re going to buy me a new wand for next year.
“We’ll be back about a week before term starts and we’ll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there? Don’t let the Muggles get you down! Try and come to London
and then under his gift he writes 
Harry — this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there’s someone untrustworthy around, it’s supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it’s rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn’t reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn’t realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup. Bye — Ron”
Hermione mentions Ron a million times, I counted the amount of times she said his name, five times. Ron doesn’t mention her once lol. People tend to mention the people they like a lot even when they don’t really need to. Like Hermione was talking to Harry, she didn’t have to mention Ron she could have sent his gift talked about France and asked if he would be allowed to meet up but she wanted to talk about Ron lol. 
also Hagrid basically says how much she was worried about Ron...literally crying about him 
“I got somethin’ ter discuss with you two,” said Hagrid, sitting himself between them and looking uncharacteristically serious. “What?” said Harry. “Hermione,” said Hagrid. “What about her?” said Ron. “She’s in a righ’ state, that’s what. She’s bin comin’ down ter visit me a lot since Chris’mas. Bin feelin’ lonely. Firs’ yeh weren’ talking to her because o’ the Firebolt, now yer not talkin’ to her because her cat —”
“Really upset, she was, when Black nearly stabbed yeh, Ron. She’s got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an’ you two not talkin’ to her —” “If she’d just get rid of that cat, I’d speak to her again!” Ron said angrily. “But she’s still sticking up for it! It’s a maniac, and she won’t hear a word against it!”
Excerpt From: J.K. Rowling. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” 
and we have this 
“Yeah, it will,” said Ron fiercely. “You won’t have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I’ll help.” “Oh, Ron!” Hermione flung her arms around Ron’s neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head. Finally, Hermione drew away. “Ron, I’m really, really sorry about Scabbers … ,” she sobbed. “Oh — well — he was old,” said Ron, looking thoroughly re­lieved that she had let go of him. “And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now.”
and we have this 
“Hermione, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately!” said Ron, astounded. “First you hit Malfoy, then you walk out on Pro­fessor Trelawney —” Hermione looked rather flattered.”
she’s flattered at Ron’s compliment 
and we have this 
‘It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as though they'd had the time of their lives.’
so yeah is safe to say this was when the crush was established. It’s further confirmed at GOF because in the beginning of GOF we have this 
“What about Ron, though?’ he (Harry) said. ‘Don’t you want to go with him?’ ‘Oh … well …’ Hermione went slightly pink. ‘I thought we might meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks …”
so yeah it’s basically confirmed here... but yeah you have to read a little more carefully to catch it 
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frncs · 4 years
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⌠ ERIC OSBORNE, 21, NON-BINARY, HE/THEY ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, FRANCES ‘FRANK’ LAVOIE! according to their records, they’re a FIRST year, specializing in MACGYVER SURVIVAL SKILLS AND NAVIGATION & COVERT OPS; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of oversized clothing stitched with thick yarn and littered with cat hair, the snap of stretched balloons before they’re blown and a post-nap dazed gaze. when it’s the (virgo)’s birthday on 09/01/1999, they always request CORN DOGS from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. ⌿ tasha, 22, she/her, est ⍀ 
well well well .. id meant to bring another kid ages ago .. n then jus didn’t because the personality part was/is givin me grief FGJH so pls 🐻  w me n replies as i figure out his voice . also .. haven’t even written out my intro yet . . bt ik it’s gna be long apologies , pls feel free to just read the tldr 
tw: death, accidental murder, grief.
TLDR: grew up fairly well off to spy parents who didn’t want him to be part of that world but apart from that didn’t care what he did with his life otherwise. he often questioned whether they really cared for him at all (tht quote thts like .. if u love me u love me in a way i cant understand). luna’s his best friend, and he’s obsessed with his aunt and uncle’s circus that stops into town every year. life is pretty great until luna ‘dies’ at 16. he joins the circus and becomes a clown, he loves performing with all his heart. at 18, his aunt and uncle arm him with a credit card and tell him to go travel, he assumes it’s because they just want him to explore the world. visits europe for six months and asia for six months, enjoys it but misses the circus terribly, busks a lot. they actually send him away to distance him from the shady happenings that are starting to boil within the company. he comes back in time for the halloween switch-a-roo, where everyone rotates their act (so he does the magic show as a clown). he’s part of a set-up that results in him accidentally killing a person and sawing them in half. his aunt and uncle call his parents, who reluctantly send him to prep school for a little less than a year to heighten his chances of getting into a spy school for protection, which he does. dedicated to working hard and getting a high paying job to pay for reparations for the circus and do a massive overhaul of the way it runs, because it’s like his second home.
grew up in waterford ct, to one retired spy parent ( his mom ) and his dad who works with the government and is aware of espionage. his mom straight up didn’t have a good time, no one really talks about it, he has no idea what happened, doesn’t know if his dad knows either but it’s clear that they don’t want him going into the spy world. 
he feels like he’s always been treated like an adult for as long as he remembers, not in the sense that they burdened him with responsibility, but that they didn’t seem to care what he did one way or another. the best way i can describe it is that his parents had the same energy as a character in a yorgos lanthimos film, very dry and lifeless, like they’re on autopilot. he’d try and cuddle his mom and she’d just pat him on the head. he couldn’t really rebel against them and as long as he went to school and got good grades they appeared un-phased about what he got up to, a very mind your own business dynamic shared between family. 
he didn’t get up to a whole lot, he was a bit of an outsider. didn’t make friends very easily because he didn’t know how to let himself go around people, even though he’d sometimes be excited but wouldn’t know how to show it. definitely had that reserved temperament ingrained into him from his parents. 
he did have one friend who knew him inside and out, luna <3 who was also his neighbour. their demeanours were a perfect match but also he’d find himself getting so excited and wanting to tell her about his day or listen to hers, or read with her or play hopscotch or send her secret notes with his flashlight at her window. 
there was one other thing that got him terribly excited and it’s when his aunt and uncle’s traveling circus would stop in. he’d go every single day for the week and a half it was there. his parents would arrange one dinner with them and consider their familial duty done, other than that they remain out of contact with them. his aunt and uncle tell him that he’s always welcome to join, and he holds them to it. his parents say do whatever you want, just graduate high school first. 
his whole world kinda crumbles when luna ‘dies’ at sixteen. he feels immense guilt over it thinking he should’ve done something about that skeevy bf of hers...this also coincides with one of his mom’s friends dying (harlowe’s mom) which makes his mom act even weirder so he fast tracks his plans to join the circus and joins at sixteen, doesn’t graduate high school. i envision the convo btw him and his dad went like: 
“dad, i’m joining the circus.”
“graduate high school first.”
“no.”
“okay son, i can’t control you.”
the company welcomed him with open arms and he tried out everything, acrobatics, sharpshooting, but wasn’t particularly talented at anything. except, clownery. because messing up is commended, noting how all the kids would laugh at him trying basic magic tricks. so his aunt and uncle got him into a clown costume lickety-split. performing brought him a lot of joy through the grief like he’s an entirely different person when performing, insert that one cursed joker picture: put on a happy face. 
because the owners were his aunt and uncle he was treated exceptionally well and he was very oblivious to the malpractice that went on behind the scenes. the circus had a whole sector dedicated to pickpocketing (other kids who he just saw as friends were often runaways from broken homes who didn’t have anywhere else to go and earned their wages by stealing from customers), and serious kerfuffle with pay, probably some extortion going on, just general yuckery. he vaguely knew it was happening but was kind of like it is what it is kinda standpoint. heavily inspired by the circus barney and clint barton grew up in reffed in the 2015 run of all-new hawkeye.
a couple years later his aunt and uncle give him a credit card and tell him to go travel for a bit. he does because why not but misses the circus terribly. he spends six months in europe and six months in asia, busks as a clown a lot and but his on-the-road/home sickness never really fades.
he returns super excited, ready to clown around but it’s evident tensions are just really high between the workers but they’re still all super sweet to him because he’s very sweet even if he’s oblivious. halloween comes around which is his favourite time of year because they do this thing called the switch-a-roo, where everyone switches what act they’re doing, bicycle acts do contortionist acts, lion tamers do rope walkers, magicians do animal taming and clowns do magic acts. it’s just one big laugh because obviously most of them are cross-trained, but it’s meant to be more of a comedy thing and their mess-ups are to an extent choreographed but also capitalizes on the scariness because they hype up the fact that they have no idea what they’re doing.
he’s doing his magic act, messing up all the magic tricks showing all his cards, and his last act is the sawing someone in half, so the assistant comes out in the box, really selling it like omg a clown !!! being like stop !!! you don’t know what you’re doing !!! and frances is like playing along with the act, as he was told that the gag would be when they split the boxes they’ll have some practical effects to make it look like he’d accidentally actually cut the assistant in half. fumbling with a very real chainsaw, he does the choppity-chop which takes a bit more muscle than he thought it would and the assistant screams a lot then pretends to pass out. anyways it wasn’t an act he accidentally cut someone in half, and they die.
EXTRA CLOWN LORE THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT FEEL FREE TO SKIP!
i envisioned that worker negotiations had been going on for a while and had kinda reached a stalemate where nothing was happening, and there were rumblings about frances being off travelling and spending a shit ton of money where it could’ve been put towards the workers and the circus and his aunt and uncle would hear threats thrown towards frances which is why they wanted him to stay away/go travelling for a while. the girl who was killed did so knowingly, and died a martyr (and also left frances a note explaining things and how she was sorry that he was the one that had to kill her). the whole thing was executed with a lot of thought: how it would affect frances and how it would be seen as a personal attack against his aunt and uncle - and that while the act seemingly went off without a hitch and the public didn’t suspect a thing, the workers have leverage to make it public (which ideally they don’t want b/c a lot of the workers are pretty disenfranchised or have criminal records and truthfully don’t want the end all being the circus closing b/c they do love their job just not the conditions). his aunt an uncle are in a bit of a jam because they need an investor but can’t get that because of shady hiring practices in the first place, and their greed definitely exacerbated the problem.
after that happens his aunt and uncle immediately call his parents, who despite never wanting him to go into the spy industry believe that it would be the safest option for him, and enrol him in prep school (which he attends for less than a year) so that he has more of a chance getting into gallagher the following year, which, with the right strings pulled happens. 
now he’s dedicated to giving it his all so he can get a really high paying job and do a complete overhaul of the company and make a lot of reparations that should’ve been made years and years ago. 
personality
- very patient, a slow talker and more of a listener.  - idealistic, in the sense that he’s always been surrounded by people either in poverty of vulnerable, and despite being a caring guy, adopted that kind of mind your own business mentality his parents had. even his desire to get rich in order to save the circus is a very unrealistic plan or at the very least would take a very long time to achieve.  - tired, i know it’s not a personality trait but i’m making it one, he’s a little bit dazed, not gloomy per se but like he’s woken up from a nap and needs to warm up a bit before being a functioning part of society. but that’s like all his interactions. has the gait of like a drunken kung fu master, very limber.  
headcanons
has slight imposter syndrome about clowning, knows he’s great and always got a standing ovation but can’t help but wonder how much nepotism played a role in her being the main clown in the company.
planning on hiding out in her room during halloween, but is very bittersweet about it, because he thinks that halloween is one of the only times that people are happy because they get to be anyone they want and has found that most people don’t want to be themselves.
has an overweight, old cat which he’s had since he joined the circus and has been everywhere with him. it’s name is cat. he also has an album on his phone of all the strays he’s ever met, which is a lot being on the road. he named all of them but they never got to come with him.
sleeps a lot, probably has some sort of chronic sleep disorder, but enjoys the sweet release from life so he doesn’t question it. has no shame and will sleep anywhere and does.
loves making balloon animals, was his favourite thing to do at the circus. keeps a jewelry dish full of unpumped balloons on his bedside table. also a big reader, and hoarder of anything that can fit in a small travel notebook (leaves, ticket stubs, pictures, anything). 
wanted connections: i’ll update my actual google docs in the coming days but people he met while traveling for a year, anyone with pets wanting to have a pet playdate (cat’s not too active but he could use some company), someone who catches him crying (he cries a lot haven’t peeped his full chart but i can sense the water energy from miles away), people who wake him up when he falls asleep in class, in the common rooms, outside, flirty flirts, someone who’s been to the circus, someone who clowns him about being a clown and he gets super angry, really anything, i’m terrible at coming up with connections i get such a thrill from mundane relations i’m boring <3
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miss-choco-chips · 4 years
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Brother
The journey from Vodka Aunt to Wine Mom starts with Scottish coffee.
Or, Nicole totally thought this through, shut up Janet.
----.----
Nicole had believed -she had believed it would be… not easy, but easier than it had been, for Janet. She had been blindsided, after all, and completely out of her depth. Nicole, as she was now, had a good amount of practice under her belt- almost thirteen years of it. She shouldn’t be as clumsy about this as Jan had been, those first few weeks of Tim’s life.
In any other world, she would have been indifferent to the wounds, the verbal abuse, the disdain and blatant use of an innocent and manipulable mind. But here, now, she had been an aunt- a godmother, for almost thirteen years. Maybe it was Timmy’s kindness, absorbed into her bones via osmosis, maybe it was the maternal instinct Janet sometimes complained took over her life at irregular intervals to make her a better mother, maybe it was because he reminded her so much of her godson… but she just couldn’t stand it.
So she gathered her resources, called in a couple favors, took the child and disappeared into the night. That part was easy; Talia might be stronger, physically speaking, but Nicole’s mind could moon-walk circles around hers all day long.
But, what now? Back in Gotham as per her plan, where Talia couldn’t just waltz in and do as she wished without an angry bat breathing down her neck, but totally fucking lost as to what her next steps should be.
So she goes to Janet. If years of friendship aren’t enough to get her to help, she could always remind her of how it was thanks to Nicole’s contacts that she got Shiva as Tim’s self-defense teacher.
The bitch owes her.
----.----
Tim isn’t worried, exactly, when aunt Nicole power-walks into the tea room where mother and son are having breakfast -much more cozy than the dining room- and smiles tersely, asking if she could have a word with Janet. 
He is, though, when she asks him to leave the room. Because never before has Nicole cared that Tim heard what she talked with mom, be it a complain about some mutual acquaintance or some confidential information from one of her cases.
He leaves, of course, because he respects her enough, but sends one not-actually-scared -but-close-enough look at his mother on the way out.
The second the door is closed, he can hear Nicole blurting something out, and the deafening sound of a teacup crashing into the floor. He rushes his steps, stopping by his room to grab his camera before going outside. He doesn’t want to be there for the fall out, if mom’s initial reaction was to lose her grip on her cup. Maybe he should call uncle Lex, get a little vacation outside the city (and line of fire).
He’s entertaining the thoughts of asking for a lift via Lex Corp special jet towards Paris vs Japan, when he sees the kid sitting under his favorite tree.
He approaches, curious and tentative, and the kid looks up to him when he gets within arm distance (doesn’t look surprised, like he knew Tim was there all along). The moment he sees him clearly, though, Tim freezes.
The shape of his eyes. The color of his hair. The ears, the contorn of the face, the scowl. His skin might be tanner, and his irises a different tint, but he looks at the kid for less than a second and knows, without a doubt, that he’s looking at Bruce Wayne’s son. 
His heart might have stopped, but the mind is a wonderful thing that never stops working, and the next order of business is figuring out who the mother is. He remembers Nicole’s tight face, her venomous green eyes almost equal to this kid’s, and… Yeah, okay, so this is also Talia Al Ghul’s spawn. What the hell was Bruce thinking? Does Dick know? Does Bruce know?
-Stop looking at me like a buffon, or I’ll have your eyes removed -speaks up the kid, and Tim’s mind reminds him that, yeah, he isn’t looking at a picture, but a real, breathing human being. A six-or-seven year old being, despite his speech.
Manners kicking to the forefront of his head, he crouches down in front of the kid, camera dangling from his neck, all but forgotten by its owner for maybe the first time ever.
-Hey there. My name is Timothy Drake -he smiles, hand offered with kindness, but eyes sharp as he keeps on inspecting the face in front of his. That, and his name, seems to immediately change the kid’s opinion of him, because his eyes widen and he’s quick to return the greeting.
Aunt Nicole must have said something to him about Tim and his special position as Janet Drake’s son, because when the kid shakes his hand (calloused, with more than one scar, probably more used at handling a weapon than Tim is going to be at the end of his life), he’s being almost comically careful about it, as if he’s unsure about how much to squeeze or shake without hurting him. Nicole probably stressed into him about Tim being delicate and how he should handle him with care, which, bullshit, he’s not a baby anymore, not like this kid.
-I see. I’ve heard about you a lot from Aunt during my travels here. My name is Ibn al Xu’ffasch.
Tim blinks twice, smile firmly in place, hand holding lightly into the kid’s. There’s something ridiculous about Bruce’s kid literally being called ‘Son of the bat’.
-...my other name is Damian, Damian Al Ghul.
-I see. Which one do you prefer? 
This seems to baffle the kid, though he recovers quickly. Has anyone ever asked him for his preference on something as personal as his name?- You may address me as Damian.
-Okay then, Damian. I was going to go around the property for a walk, take some picture of animals. Why don’t you come with me? You can also tell me a little about yourself. With Nicole as your Aunt, we are sure to meet often.
----.----
-So you just… took the kid and ran.
-No, I had a well thought plan. And I didn’t ran. That’s undignified.
-Really, now.
-I couldn’t just leave him, Jan. He’s six.
-He’s a genetically engineered baby trained since birth by your psychotic sister in how to be a perfect killing machine. Excuse me if I think he can handle himself. But whatever, what’s done is done. What are you going to do now?
-I… I kinda hoped you’d tell me. 
-...I’ll tell the butler to prepare refreshments. This is going to be a long talk.
-Vodka?
-It’s nine in the morning, you unclassy fool. We are having Scottish coffee. Besides, you acquired a child, you can’t be the vodka aunt any longer. If anything, be the wine mom.
-No, I’m not adopting this kid. Rip to Bruce, but I’m not like him.
-Well, I’m not doing it for you either.
-I’m not asking that! I plan on giving him to his dad to look after, but he’s too…
-Murderous?
-...yeah, that. I’m going to try to ease him into normal society as much as I can before calling Wayne, to prevent a full blown out culture shock.
-This is Gotham, dear. You want normal society, go to Metropolis. But sure, I’ll help you with this. You might have to move into the Manor for a few weeks, though. Also, you are lucky Tim is on break right now, his innate kindness might help in this. But if your demonic nephew touches a single hair in Tim’s head, I’m throwing him to the sharks.
-Are you talking about reporters, the League of Assassins, or actual sharks?
-Yes.
----.----
Tim snaps a quick pic when the kid isn’t looking, because this is precious. 
Damian had been a proud little prick at first, refusing to show the interest shining in his eyes towards the multiple animals Tim introduced him to. But by the time they left behind the horse (the one Lex gave him on his tenth birthday), birds and fishes on the property’s pond, and moved into Tim’s pets, he had left his facade behind and did his best to pet every animal at the same time. He couldn’t, of course, didn’t have enough hands for all two cats, the dog and the bunny, but by god he tried. 
Sel, the female cat, had taken residence on the kid’s shoulders, lounging there like an Empress, judging them all from above (or as above as she could be, perched on such a small kid that was sitting down to boot). Her partner in crime and life, Alley, rubbed his head under Tim’s chin, comfortable in his human’s arms. 
Then, Max, his Golden Retriever dog. He was a sweetheart, and had charmed Damian in less than a minute, greeting him with enthusiastic licks at his hands and a furiously quick tail moving side to side. Damian had been blindsided by the utter cuteness of the dog immediately falling in love with him, and had responded in kind, dedicating almost half an hour to dote on him alone.
Now, almost two hours after meeting the kid, Tim couldn’t help but snap another picture of Damian, sitting on the ground in front of Tim, one hand petting Max who had laid by his side, the other one carefully stroking Butter the Bunny’s head while he rests on his lap. Sel occasionally nudges her head against his cheek to demand for attention, that he gladly provides, and everything seems out of a Disney movie.
He knows this kid is dangerous. Because he is Nicole’s relative, because his eyes are always scanning their surroundings for threats, because his hand is the hand of a warrior. 
But he looks up at Tim when Sel gives a tiny lick to his check, looking as if he’d been blessed by the Kitten Gods and needs guidance on the appropriate response, and Tim thinks he could overlook the danger. God knows everyone is afraid of Mom, and that doesn’t stop Tim from kissing her cheek and hugging her at least once per day. 
This kid deserves love, too, and he always wanted a sibling.
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anonymous-wolf22 · 4 years
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Fuck Yeah
1: Name   Kai
2: Age   22
3: 3 Fears   Fiance leaving me, never meeting him face-to-face, being alone with my thoughts
4: 3 things I love   My fiance, food/desserts, and animals ^^
5: 4 turns on   Hell, anything my fiance says to me, forced to submit, pain, and just looking at my fiance
6: 4 turns off   Talking bout my parents, my current life situation, thinking about a certain asshole, and my depressing thoughts seeping through
7: My best friend  That one’s hard.... It’s a tie between David and Kiana, though I’m leaning more towards David
8: Sexual orientation   Bi-sexual <3
9: My best first date   What first date?
10: How tall am I   5.1 ft   :’(
11: What do I miss   Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake
12: What time were I born   1:03 pm
13: Favorite color   Black, Red, Purple, and Blue
14: Do I have a crush   Yep :)
15: Favorite quote     I got lots
“It’s funny how someone can break your heart and you still love them with all the tiny pieces”
“I choose you. And I’ll choose you, over and over. Without pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I’ll keep choosing you”
“The demons are back and stronger than ever. They are looking for a fight, looking to win, and this time, I might just let them.....”
16: Favorite place   Does in my fiances arms count if I haven’t been there yet?
17: Favorite food   They are all number 1 <3
18: Do I use sarcasm   Sometimes
19: What am I listening to right now   Criminal by Britney Spears
20: First thing I notice in new person   Hmm, the way they act, their personality~
21: Shoe size  Fuck, idk lmao
22: Eye color  Blue
23: Hair color  Dirty-Blonde  (Wish it was black)
24: Favorite style of clothing   I don’t know, I guess loose and comfy
25: Ever done a prank call?   Can’t remember
27: Meaning behind my URL   Don’t have one
28: Favorite movie   Fuck, uhhhh..... Deadpool 1&2    for now~
29: Favorite song   Lot’s,   Baby Don’t Cut - Bmike,   Anxiety - Blackbear,   Hold On - Chord Overstreet, and more fucking depressing songs <3
30: Favorite band   Hmmm.... Ramstein
31: How I feel right now   Eh, depressed, loved, horny, sad, upset, happy, it’s all jumbled up
32: Someone I love  My fiance~
33: My current relationship status   Engaged <3 <3
34: My relationship with my parents   I wouldn’t care if they died, not going to lie, I would do it if there were no consequences
35: Favorite holiday   Halloween ;o
36: Tattoos and piercing i have   Sadly, no tats yet. Only piercings I have so far, are my ears
37: Tattoos and piercing i want   Tattoo: A knife going through a skull with chains loosely wrapped around it   Piercing:  The tip of my ears
38: The reason I joined Tumblr   My fiance told me about it, and it was an easier way for us to chat with each other and send each other all of the dirty little naughty things we want~
39: Do I and my last ex hate each other?   I don’t know if he hates me, but I don’t know if I hate him, I’m just fucked up and confused
40: Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts?   Sometimes
41: Have I ever kissed the last person you texted?   Nope, but I hope to soon~
42: When did I last hold hands?   Hold hands? I think that was in 8th grade when my friend Kiana was dragging me away from the bullies
43: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning?  Like 5-10 minutes
44: Have You shaved your legs in the past three days?   Yep
45: Where am I right now?   In my cursed room
46: If I were drunk & can’t stand, who’s taking care of me?   Depends, where am I? In England, my fiance. Here? I don’t know, Kiana
47: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level?   Depends on the type of music playing, and also what it’s playing from, like headphones.
48: Do I live with my Mom and Dad?   Unfortunately
49: Am I excited for anything?   2024 :3
50: Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to?   Yep
51: How often do I wear a fake smile?   Honestly? 97% of the time
52: When was the last time I hugged someone?   I don’t know, uhmmm..... think it was in 11th grade
53: What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me?   Well, that’s a hard one, cause I have yet to kiss anyone. But, say if it was my fiance, I would slap the shit out of whoever he is kissing, and probably shove a stick up their @$$
54: Is there anyone I trust even though I should not?   ....
55: What is something I disliked about today?   No chocolate
56: If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?   My fiance, I just want him in front of me and to hug him and never let go~
57: What do I think about most?   2024, Desserts, Fiance, Music, Pets, unfortunately, John 
58: What’s my strangest talent?   Uhhh.... Don’t really have any, I guess hiding how I truly feel inside
59: Do I have any strange phobias?   Is being deathly afraid of ants a strange phobia?
60: Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?   Behind, 100%
61: What was the last lie I told?   That I was fine
62: Do I prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?   I don’t know, they both seem a bit weird to me
63: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens?   Ghosts, yes. Aliens? I don’t know
64: Do I believe in magic?   Who knows
65: Do I believe in luck?   Sometimes
66: What’s the weather like right now?   Clear
67: What was the last book I’ve read?   A fan-fiction of RWBY
68: Do I like the smell of gasoline?   Yesssss
69: Do I have any nicknames?   K
70: What was the worst injury I’ve ever had?   My arm twisting completely around
71: Do I spend money or save it?   Save
72: Can I touch my nose with a tongue?   Nope :(
73: Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me?   Eww, fuck noooo
74: Favorite animal?   Entire Cat family and wolves
75: What was I doing last night at 12 AM?   Watching “Love 020″ on Netflix
76: What do I think is Satan’s last name is?   Hmmm.... I have no clue, never really thought about it
77: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it?   Lots, but, definitely this one:   Dream of You - Camila Cabello and Battle Scars - Lupe Fiasco
78: How can you win my heart?   Be mindful of how I truly feel, care for me like no one ever has, be a dominant
79: What would I want to be written on my tombstone?   "I had so many battle scars from my war, but my love healed them away~”
80: What is my favorite word?   Chocolate
81: My top 5 blogs on tumblr   @thelonewolf84  @we-are-beautiful-s0uls @britishdom 
82: If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say?   I don’t give a fuck what you think about who I love
83: Do I have any relatives in jail?   Yeah, my bio-father
84: I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power?   Invisibility
85: What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on?   What my thoughts are about my ex or how I feel towards him or what I would say if I was allowed the chance to ask him 1 thing
86: What is my current desktop picture?   I have it on shuffle, but currently it’s on a picture of an anime boy playing the piano in the rain
87: Had sex?   Not yet ;)
88: Bought condoms?   Nope
89: Gotten pregnant?  Do I seriously need to answer that?
90: Failed a class?   Yes.... I think
91: Kissed a boy?   Not yet ;)
92: Kissed a girl?   Nope
93: Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain?   Haven’t kissed anyone!!! Omg
94: Had job?   Not yet
95: Left the house without my wallet?   What wallet?
96: Bullied someone on the internet?   Fuck no!
97: Had sex in public?    -sigh-
98: Played on a sports team?   Yep, soccer and baseball when I was 8-11
99: Smoked weed?   Nope
100: Did drugs?   Nope
101: Smoked cigarettes?   Almost
102: Drank alcohol?   Mhm
103: Am I a vegetarian/vegan?   Fuck no! I want my bacon and kielbasa!!!
104: Been overweight?   Nope
105: Been underweight?   Currently am
106: Been to a wedding?   Yep, my aunts
107: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight?   Yes lol, longer
108: Watched TV for 5 hours straight?    Yes lol, longer
109: Been outside my home country?   Not yet
110: Gotten my heart broken?   ....yes.....
111: Been to a professional sports game?   I...think so....?
112: Broken a bone?   Many, many times. I was very clumsy in my teens, I still am but have yet to break any bones so far
113: Cut myself?   Yes and yes, to both ways
114: Been to prom?   No, skipped it
115: Been in airplane?   -shivers-  Too scared to be in one, but I will have to when I go to England
116: Fly by helicopter?   Nope
117: What concerts have I been to?   None
118: Had a crush on someone of the same sex?   Yep
119: Learned another language?   Mhm, spanish
120: Wore make up?   No
121: Lost my virginity before I was 18?    Still a virgin.....
122: Had oral sex?   Nope
123: Dyed my hair?   Want to
124: Voted in a presidential election?    Nope, fuck politics
125: Rode in an ambulance?   Yep
126: Had a surgery?   Mhm
127: Met someone famous?    Nope
128: Stalked someone on a social network?   Hehe....yeah lol
129: Peed outside?    I don’t remember if I have or have not
130: Been fishing?   Yes... My instructor ate the worms ;-;
131: Helped with charity?   Yep ^^
132: Been rejected by a crush?   Yep
133: Broken a mirror?   Yeah
134: What do I want for birthday?   Depends, which birthday? This year, Triple Chocolate Fudge cake. 2024, to be in my fiance’s arms~
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innerclouds · 5 years
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This was requested of me, send me more! <3
1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? More cereal then milk.
2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? Yes.
3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? Strips of paper.
4: how do you take your coffee/tea? Coffee: Black. Tea: Plain.
5: are you self-conscious of your smile? Yes.
6: do you keep plants? Yes.
7: do you name your plants? No.
8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? Digital/Paper.
9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? No.
10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? Sides, I shift constantly.
11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? "Robush".
12: what’s your favorite planet? Neptune.
13: what’s something that made you smile today? Giant floofy chicken-gryphons.
14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? Bed, couch, nice kitchen, tv, computers, consoles, tons of plants and pets.
15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! Don't even need to google it, I know one. There are "clouds" in space that taste like raspberries and smell like rum.
16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? Chicken alfredo.
17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? Purple or blue.
18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. "Celtic Necklace".
19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? No.
20: what’s your favorite eye color? Green/Hazel.
21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. Don't have one.
22: are you a morning person? No.
23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? Nap.
24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? Yes.
25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? Cabin.
26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? Don't have any of those.
27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? Watermelon/Spearmint.
28: sunrise or sunset? Sunset.
29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? We share a rather accurate hivemind.
30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? Yes.
31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. Socks are useful, I have a few myself including super fluffy, warm and fuzzy ones for winter.
32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. More closer to 2am then 3am, heli flew way lower then it should have and kept circling my place until after I turned off my computer screen and light, then it left.
33: what’s your fave pastry? Chocolate Éclair.
34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? Maggy. Cat. Yes.
35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? Stationary yes, but I loathe pens. No.
36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? Weathers.
37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? Clean.
38: tell us about your pet peeves! People who don't wash their hands after visiting the bathroom/before handling food.
39: what color do you wear the most? Black.
40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? Necklace, onyx pendant of my zodiac animal. Someone very close to me gave me it, it's very special to me.
41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? Raptor Red.
42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! I do not.
43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? Bae.
44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? In the company of the bae.
45: do you trust your instincts a lot? Yep.
46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. I honestly can't think of any off the top of my head.
47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? Sharkfin soup.
48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? That's a very long list and yes, more or less.
49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? Not really. Don't recall.
50: what’s an odd thing you collect? Rocks and anything with a specific gay red headed reaper.
51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? Studio Killers: Jenny.
52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? Idk.
53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? Rocky Horror: Yes. Amazing.
Heathers: No. No opinion.
Beetlejuice: Yes. Amazing.
Pulp Fiction: Yes. Amazing.
54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? Bae.
55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? Rather not say.
56: what are some things you find endearing in people? Amusing quirks.
57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? Great song but no different. No.
58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? Honestly never thought about that so I have no idea.
59: what’s your favorite myth? Cryptids.
60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? Yes. Ones bae writes.
61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? Game pixels. I was gifted a beer once.
62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? Orange/Grapefruit.
63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? I don't organize by titles or theme or anything, just keep them neat and clean.
64: what color is the sky where you are right now? Pitch black.
65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? No.
66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? Woven blue irises/purple roses.
67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? Comfy.
68: what’s winter like where you live? Freezing and full of power outs.
69: what are your favorite board games? Balderdash.
70: have you ever used a ouija board? Nope.
71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? Black/Earl.
72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? Yes.
73: what are some of your worst habits? Pop all the joints.
74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. Adorable, fluffy sheep.
75: tell us about your pets! His name is Rune and he has atomic shits and giant paws, he's also very old and grouchy.
76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? Sleeping.
77: pink or yellow lemonade? Arnold Palmer.
78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? I'm assuming you mean the little yellow pill looking guys, they're pretty adorable.
79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?
Anything and everything bae has ever done for me.
80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? Ugly wood paneling. No.
81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. Idk.
82: are/were you good in school? Good as in what? Behavior? I was behaved sure, but I was also the person people forgot was even in the class/school because I didn't speak to anyone/make a sound/have friends.
83: what’s some of your favorite album art? I honestly don't recall off the top of my head.
84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? Possibly.
85: do you read comics? what are your faves? I read manga if that counts: Kuroshitsuji Berserk JoJo Beastars
86: do you like concept albums? which ones? What's a concept album?
87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? Not sure.
88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? No.
89: are you close to your parents? Mother: Sorta. Father: Nope.
90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. I only really know of one city enough to form an opinion on it and I wouldn't call it my favorite.
91: where do you plan on traveling this year? New place and visit bae.
92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? Ocean of cheese.
93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? Loose pony.
94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? Me.
95: what are your plans for this weekend? Work.
96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? Update before log off.
97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? Who? Rat. I don't know, I always get mixed results with that.
98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? I honestly can't recall.
99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. Delta Heavy: White Flag Korpiklaani: Keep On Galloping Two Steps From Hell: Black Blade
100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? Neither.
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Chapter 1: The Origins of Big Hero 7
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m.fanfiction.net
Big Hero 7
Origins
*A flicker of black and white starts up for a while, static noises barely blocks out a voice*
Umm…Hello? Can you hear me?
*the flickering and static stops as it shows a 14 year old girl with dyed blue hair and purple eye contacts*
Can you hear me? Oh it's working!
*The girl sits on the chair in front of the camera. She smooths out her sea green skirt as she clears her throat,*
Hi! So…after some thinking I decided to make a video diary so I can remember what I said. After all, who knows when it'll come in handy right? Oh right! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Cora Mizichio.
*Cora chuckles slightly before continuing*
So I guess I should start with my life and such. Let me warn you though, it's kind of a long and wild story.
*she pulls out a phone and starts showing pictures*
I have lived in San Fransokyo for my whole life with my Dad, Mizuchi and Grandmama, Kaguya. My mom, Akemi passed away when I was a baby.
*image of a blonde hair woman smiled warmly before switching to Cora and her family. Her father being Goliath in stature and her grandmother dressed in a kimono with a cane*
Then my family found out that I'm incredibly intelligent for my age. I suppose hacking into your father's computer to send a birthday card at the age of 4 does that. My Dad is very sweet and an old softie, but is very protective of me and wasn't sure that I should go to school. So I was homeschooled, it was fun being taught by Grandmama and such about Marine biology, but…I felt kind of lonely…
After all my studies, I actually made a habit of bot fighting disguised as an unknown cat-masked competitor under the name 'Nekodomo'. It earned good money since at the time Dad hadn't gotten any luck with jobs due to his height. But it was my very first night of bot fighting that I met him…Hiro Hamada
*she flips the photo to a young Asian boy her age, with messy raven hair, large almond brown eyes and a tooth gap in his smile.*
I've never had very much luck when it came to making or having friends, so if I someone told me that I would end up dating this guy I would had laughed. But yeah we did. I was paired up with Hiro in one of those special bot fighting events like the duo duel. We won, but than the cops were coming and I was so scared of getting caught that I couldn't move. But then the next thing I know Hiro grabs my hand and we were running like crazy before the cops even spot us! I have no idea how long we had been running, but to be honest I didn't really care because I was still awe-struck by the fact that Hiro had save me from getting arrested and we didn't even know each other at the time. But that was all about to change, because as we were finally approaching a safe distance from the cops, it was at that moment where I tripped and fell flat on my face, and at the same time broke my mask. Thankfully Hiro picked me back up and we started running again, with me leaving my broken mask behind. Once we finally stopped and knew we were safe, that was when Hiro and I actually first met face-to-face. Now I have to be honest with you, I've never really known if the whole 'Love at first sight' thing was actually real or not, but it's the only thing I can describe how I felt when I first looked into Hiro's eyes. It was there when we properly introduced ourselves to each other and after that, we started seeing each other more. And it was only after 4 months of hanging out together, that I finally got to meet his family, and he got to meet mine.
*The picture now showed Hiro with a woman holding a calico japanese bobtail cat and a young man on either side of him.*
The woman on his left is his Aunt Cass, she runs a coffee shop called the Lucky Cat Cafe. The young man on his right is his older brother Tadashi. And the adorably cute kitty-cat Aunt Cass is holding is Mochi, their family pet. They are really cool people, and they always asked how I was doing and such, and Mochi is such a sweet kitty that he always tries to cuddle up to me whenever I come over. Hiro and I actually became an official thing one night when I saved his butt from Yama's minions. And boy were they surprised! Aunt Cass actually bounced when Hiro told them that I'm his girlfriend! Dad and Grandmama met them that night too, while dad wasn't too happy at first about me dating, Grandmama convinced him…after hitting him on the head with her cane.
*Cora giggled at the memory*
Anyway, After a slight misadventure where Hiro and Tadashi landed in jail and Cass had to bail them out, Tadashi actually took Hiro to SFIT, San Fransokyo institute of Technology that same night. Hiro told me that he met Tadashi's friends. There's Gogo: the cool biker chick, Honey Lemon: the stylish Chem genius, Wasabi: Laser neat freak, and Fred: the secret Billionaire super hero geek. Afterwards Hiro and I actually applied to SFIT by entering the showcase! Hiro made these miniature robots he called Microbots which he can control via head transmitter, I on the other hand did super strength suction cup shoes that can stick on any surface. We both won and we…were gonna celebrate until…a huge fire broke out in the showcase building and Tadashi ran back inside to help Callaghan, a teacher at the school….he didn't make it…
*Cora turned quiet, looking at her hands as she takes a deep breath*
Hiro wasn't himself for a while. I visited him a lot since the fire, and I mostly talked and tried to comfort and be there for him. Then came the day Hiro stubbed his toe and Baymax came along.
*A picture of a white inflated figure came to the picture*
Baymax was Tadashi's project, a robotic nurse to be more specific. He heard Hiro say ow and activated to help him. Then one of Hiro's microbots started acting weird, and Baymax followed the direction it went! It was then we found a guy in a kabuki mask controlling the Microbots. But they were destroyed at the fire right? Once Hiro pieced together that it was the kabuki-masked man that started the fire to steal them, which in turned killed Tadashi…Hiro decided to build Baymax some armor which…well
*the next picture showed Baymax in protective gear*
We traveled down to the port where we saw him take some type of machine out of the ocean. But then it turns out Baymax called the gang to help us, but sadly the guy in the mask saw us. We barely escaped with our lives that night! Thankfully Baymax being a walking marshmallow, also makes him an inflatable raft too. Afterwards we got to Fred's mansion and discussed over what to do next. Side note: it was weird to see that Fred is a billionaire.
*shows portrait of a young Fred and his parents in classy attire*
Hiro and I then built ourselves armor to fight the guy in the mask. Honey lemon got this cute chemistry purse to pull out what she needed, Gogo got some sick skates to zoom past us, Fred got a killer Kaiju costume that breaths fire, Wasabi got awesome laser blades on the backs of his hands, and I got my aquatic camouflage suit with squid strength suction cup shoes! And learning back from his previous work, Hiro turned Baymax from a stay puff marshmallow with bicycle gear to an awesome superhero!
*the next photo shows Baymax in his red armor*
After training and flying around the city we got down to business. We flew to Akuma island where the masked guy was, and it was there we learned something interesting. Krei and some government officials had something called 'Project Silent Sparrow'. It backfired when the portal sucked everything in, and the pilot was stuck. But then the masked guy attacked us! We tried to fight back but….
*a small clip showed Fred jumping only to be punched away *
We bombed, big time.
Hiro and I got lucky to get the mask…but the person was not who we thought….
Turns out Callaghan grabbed the transmitter and used it and the Microbots to protect himself in the fire…leaving Tadashi to die….
It was then that Hiro took out Baymax's health care chip and ordered him to kill Callaghan…
*Cora took a deep breathe before standing up and leaving the room, she returned back with a glass of water and started drinking it. Once she was done She then continued.*
Thankfully the gang got Baymax back to normal but Hiro was furious. He just left with Baymax…but we eventually met up with Hiro at his place, with a video of Tadashi…it was also when we showed him what we discovered. The pilot was no random person Krei hired. She was Callaghan's daughter, and Callaghan was out for blood.
We got to Krei Tech where Callaghan got his portal running. Hiro then learned what we needed to do to beat him; instead of the mask, we take out the Microbots, then he'd be powerless. But despite that, the portal was still open, and ready to tear itself to pieces. Then Baymax dropped the biggest bomb on us, Callaghan's daughter was still alive in there.
Hiro and I got on Baymax to rescue her. We found her pod but Baymax's thrusters were wrecked from the debris…
Baymax…he got us out by rocket punch…but stayed behind in the portal…
It's been weeks since then…
Krei agreed to keep our identities a secret, Callaghan is in prison, and his daughter is making a steady recovery at the hospital. And the news had been exploding over 'the mysterious group of heroes' that saved the city.
Hiro and I had been doing good, we talked to the gang a lot and we actually reapplied to SFIT again.
*Cora then looks at the clock beside her and gasped*
Oh man it's almost midnight! And first day of class is tomorrow! Anyway, thank you for listening! And…Baymax…I don't know if you can hear me..but Hiro has been doing good. We all miss you…especially me and Hiro...wish us good luck, cause who knows what happens tomorrow.
*Cora smiles at the camera before turning it off.*
A.N: After some thinking I decided to post my fanfic of Big Hero 7 over here. My editor is Wolfwitchhuntress. I hope you enjoy this story just as much as Fanfiction.Net. Love you guys!
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rex101111 · 6 years
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I just read the eri and kota meeting drabble i need more of deku dad to eri and kouta like im starving for it
Izuku: It’s hard being a single father of two. (I kid I kid)
....but seriously though, for your consideration:
----
It starts with just a few meet ups between the two, someone has to supervise, someone needs to make sure Kouta doesn’t say something he’ll regret and that Eri doesn’t get too spooked.
So he says yes to be the one to supervise, and why wouldn’t he? He and Kouta have been sending letters back and forth for a few months now, and Eri might as well be glued to the side of his leg at this point, he’s the natural choice.
The two children have been exchanging letters themselves for a couple months, and them meeting seemed like a natural progression, but both the Pussy Cats and UA, who were Eri’s de facto caretakers, at least officially, thought it best to make sure things went as smoothly as they could. 
And while Izuku is glad to help, he’s never thought himself to be all that proficient when it comes to dealing with kids, but the two seem determined to prove him wrong.
At first they just hang out around town near UA, for safety’s sake. 
A trip to the mall to buy clothes, a walk to the nearby park to feed the birds, simple and calm things that seem to do wonders for Kouta’s short temper and Eri’s nerves.
He crouches down between them in the park one day, a bag of sunflower seeds in one hand as he quietly shows them how to give them to the birds without having them fly off in a freight. They both watch intently, and after a few minutes he hands the bag over to Kouta, who’s hands, he noticed, have started to twitch with restraint.
He grabs the bag with both hands, and then proceeds to lock gazes with an off white pigeon for a full minute, his mouth twisting in uncertainty as he moves his fingers on the underside of the bag and the bird moves its head this way and that, waiting for a meal.
Carefully, inch by inch, he reaches one hand into the bag and grabs the smallest handful of seeds before scattering it a few inches away from his toes, and the bird wastes very little time digging in, pecking away at the ground for it’s food.
Kouta seems to have gotten all the encouragement he needed, and he throws a few more handfuls of seeds about with a mild grin, catching the attention of a few more birds to come near, the soft sounds filling their tiny corner of the park.
Eri had been staring a bit herself, eyes widening as more and more white feathers filled the near vicinity, and although still glued to Izuku’s side she found herself drawn to the many cooing doves surrounding her.
So focused in fact that it took her a bit to notice Kouta offering her the seed bag.
“You want to feed them too don’t ya?”
She hesitates, she’s only known him for a few weeks at this point, at least in person. She isn’t sure if she’s allowed yet, part of her wants to just shake her head no and let him have fun, to content herself with watching.
But she steals a glance towards Izuku, and he smiles wide and inviting and suddenly she feels a little courage well up in her, and she reaches over to grab the bag.
“You better hurry,” Kouta laughs a little pointing down to a spot next to her feet at a particularly small bird, “That one likes kinda hungry.”
The pigeon looked up at Eri and cooed, tilting it’s head at the girl as if it agreed with the statement.
Gulping, she shyly took out a small amount of seeds, and started lower her hand to the ground to scatter them. But before she could, the small dove went ahead to start eating straight from her palm. Eri, for her part, froze on the spot as the bird pecked lightly at its food, trying not to scare it off.
She looked back at the other two, eyes mildly pleading for help, only to be met with a very amused smile from Izuku and a wide gape from Kouta, “That is so cool.”
Izuku nodded, chuckling slightly as he looked at the bird eating without a care right out of Eri’s palm. He then calmly rubbed Eri’s back, making her visibly relax, “It really is cool Eri-chan,” When the girl looked back quizzically, he took a few seeds from the bag and scattered them next to the same pigeon that was eating from her palm, who looked at them for a moment before eating, “These birds can tell if someone is dangerous.”
Eri only raised an eyebrow in response, only to have another bird start to eat what was left in her palm, making Kouta gape a bit more.
“It means they trust you,” Izuku continued, smiling softly at her as the bird finished and looked up at her, waiting for more food, “They know you won’t hurt them.”
Eri stared at Izuku for a moment, before looking back at the bird, who was joined by a few others, before her face adopted a confident look and she took another pile of seeds in her hand, bigger this time, and offered it to the birds, who happily started to dig in.
“Let me try!” Kouta cried, grabbing the bag from her and taking out some seeds in his palm, offering it to the some of the birds…who looked at him with tilted heads for a moment before walking over to Eri, calmly waiting in line behind those who were still eating.
Izuku laughed, while he patted Kouta’s head gently, who glared at the birds mildly before scattering his seeds a bit away, which were quickly pecked clean by a few stray sparrows, one of which flew over and landed on the brim of his hat and leaned down to peak at him, its’ small black eyes seeming to ask for food.
Izuku just laughed a little more, watching as the kids passed the bag back and forth to feed the birds, the sun slowly sinking below the horizon.
After a few months they started visiting his mother, who was delighted to have the two kids around the house.
She had them help her with cooking, which mostly involved them making a mess and tasting spoons to make sure the food tasted right, “Tasting spoons is the most important job in the kitchen you know!” She smiled when she handed over the chocolate laden wooden utensil to the two, “Used to have Izuku to help me with it, so now you two will have to help me instead!”
They were more than willing to complete their task, obviously.
They also have no complaints about visiting Izuku’s old room, still heavy with all the All Might memorabilia he couldn’t fit in his luggage to take to the dorms. Inko tries not to cry from nostalgia as Izuku, clad in a heavy blanket, is chased by the two kids as they wave around a couple of his All Might action figures around while they play “hero.” 
If they need to stay the night, they also have no issue with sharing Izuku’s bed while he sleeps on the floor next to them.
(Inko has more pictures of that than she knows what to do with.)
One time while she and Izuku set the table for dinner, she keeps glancing his way and chuckling to herself.
Eventually Izuku laughs himself and looks at her, “Something on my face Mom?”
“No no dear,” She laughs a little more, putting a hand to her cheek, “I’ve just been wondering something for a while.”
“What?”
“Are you sure you didn’t get my quirk?”
Izuku raises an eyebrow, “Um...yeah, I’m sure.” He scratches his head in bewilderment, “What makes you think that?”
“Well,” She points to the kitchen, where Kouta and Eri are busy at work at putting the finishing touches, i.e sprinkles, to the cupcakes they’ll have for desert with a wily smile, “Small objects seem to be drawn to you, wouldn’t you say?”
His whole face catches fire, but he smartly clamps his mouth shut as the kids pile into the dining room, yelling for food. His mother winks at him as she goes to the kitchen to grab the plates of food, leaving Izuku to try and explain to Eri why his face is all red.
---
Every year Izuku gets a call from Kouta, where he simply says, “Can you come visit me today?...please?”
He always says yes, having made sure weeks in advance that this day in particular has a completely cleared schedule. He never told Kouta this, but he knows, and appreciates it.
No matter how old he gets, and no matter how many years go by, the sight of his parents graves always drags a sob or two out of the young man, always brings back the memories of when his aunt came home with news that would shatter his life for years.
He never goes alone, one of the pussy cats always tries to come with him, but Kouta always felt like he was being a burden when they did.
Asking Izuku always seemed easier, somehow. 
Sometimes, Eri would come too, to hold his hand and cry with him when the cold sight of the tombstones became too much. 
Those days were the easiest.
---
Izuku and Kouta made a decision one day, out of the blue, that they would throw Eri a birthday party.
The first challenge was the date, which they had no idea.
“...The day you saved her.” Kouta said one day, his face lighting up like he had the most brilliant idea ever thought, “That should be her birthday!” Izuku couldn’t find a reason against it, so they set to work.
And a lot of work it was, buying her gifts and inviting people and keeping it a secret without it seeming weird, but they managed somehow.
It ended up being rather small, they only invited class 1-A and B, as well as some of the teachers and Inko, who along with Satou made the cake, but it was loud and happy and lasted all day long.
Kouta saved his gift for last, a hat much like his own, only with the one horn on the top, a hole next to it for Eri’s horn to poke out.
(Kirishima and Ashido suggested the words “Horn buddy” to be written on the brim, and although he wasn’t sure why, but it sounded like a cool idea, so he went with it.)
He handed it to her with a slight blush, and when she opened it and took it out of the box she gaped at him for a long while. Before he could say something irritable about her giving it back if she didn’t like it she flung her arms around him in a tight hug.
(Izuku still has the photo of them with their matching hats from that day, Kouta putting an arm over Eri’s shoulder while she held up a peace sign and they both grinned ear to ear. It’s one of his favorites.)
It’s since become a tradition for the two to take on the responsibility of planning her birthday parties themselves, and every year they do something different to surprise her, and every year they collaborate on the gift.
She’s gotten all sorts of things over the years, but the hat is still her favorite, which she refuses to throw away.
“This ratty old thing is practically falling apart!”
“I don’t care! I like it!”
Izuku just chuckles and takes another photo, they’ve had this argument a hundred dozen times already.
“Papa! Tell him to stop bullying my hat!”
“I’m not bullying your damn hat, I’m bullying you for keeping it!”
She gasps, “What kind of friend does that!?”
“The best that’s who!”
“Kouta, stop that or you’re grounded.”
“Wha-! I’m 25!”
“Hah!”
(Kouta doesn’t call him dad...at least when Eri is within ear shot, “She’ll never let me live it down....”
Izuku has no problem keeping that to himself.) 
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Text
Father
I’ve been contemplating writing about this. Not because I didn’t know how to write it all, or the words that would do justice. But because it’s one of the things lesser known about me, and saying it here is akin to giving a piece of my heart to all of you reading. But here goes; I’ve tried to keep it short. Tried to make it less ‘white’. These, despite the amazing roller-coaster of a journey I’ve had, are the willingly forgotten bits about me.
I saw it on a movie. ‘Gardens of the Night’. While the plot was around pronography and prostitution that I largely skipped for some unspoken reason, the girl and her emotions mirrored mine. The more I saw, the more I understood that something had happened to me as a child. Something wrong. Abuse. Facts state that more often than not, in most sexual child abuses the offender is someone close to them. My father. And I couldn’t look away from the screen. Here were instances, things that were framed wrong. All that touching, why is someone other than the father doing it? Isn’t that what fathers did? See in my head, the way my father treated me was what I assumed every other girl was going through. That this was life, and that I had to listen to him. After all, he was the reason I was alive, wasn’t I?
It took me some more movies and observations of daughters with their fathers to understand that I was insanely wrong. He makes you sit on his lap to put his hand under your skirt. He doesn’t give you baths because he’s taking care of you. He only talks nice when you’re doing him a favor. It was frankly, too much to process. I lingered around the fact that I am making up things in my head, that I missed my mom and everything my father did was looking wrong to me only because he didn’t do it like a mother would do. Then, when I accepted his nature, I was met with a wall of disappointment. That the one person who was to look out for you and your safety was the only person harming you. That the years supposed to be filled with laughter and love was spent with belt marks and stained clothes. When I was about 14, that feeling turned into anger. I wanted him to know only one thing. That I knew. Knew what he did every night, and that I dare him to try it with me again. But it was late. The daily affair and routine of fetching me from the servant quarters in the dead of the night and throwing me out before dawn, had already messed up my head a little.
I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and was walking around with repressed memories that could shut me out anytime. I got used to the process -- there would suddenly be an incident that triggered something from my past, and I would just shut down. I would faint for anywhere between 10 minutes to 2 hours and nothing could wake me up unless I went to the hospital and they revived me. In that blackout, I wasn’t safe at all. I would revisit all the little things that my mind had safely tucked away hoping I will never find out. And why with such vivid details, why did I have to remember his voice and every move he made? That’s right eidetic memory.
I had bangles on my hand in a park. Glass bangles. I remember him walking to me with this long lanky legs covered by a brown trouser. I looked at him, my vision had my two chubby hands with bangles on their wrists. He wasn’t smiling, he was angry. That was my singal to keep quiet and do as he asks. He pulled my hand and dragged me behind a big cement building. Maybe it wasn’t too big, I was just a kid; it looked pretty big to me. He undid his belt and forced my hand between his legs. I yelled, he clamped my mouth. I fought, he placed one leg around me. I couldn’t remember anything other than the pain in my wrists as he held them firmly and the speed. It felt like my skin would come off anytime. When it was done, my bangle broke. And in a rush to hide the incident altogether, he pulled them off both hands and threw it in the garbage that stung me eyes. That’s how I got my first scar on my left hand. When I wake up from these blackouts, I am exhausted to have relived the moment again. I can’t feel the air in my lungs and everything is plain cold. I shiver, I feel numb. Then, I look around at the faces around me and know I’ve survived it yet again. He was miles away and he couldn’t touch me at all. Most of the school and the teachers in India attributed my fainting spells to being weak and underweight. They laughed, it became a long-standing joke. I let it be. It’s easier than having to explain what I saw. The thing is, I wish it all played out a little differently. That day in the park was the only time I resisted him; to me resistance equalled more pain. I’d rather just keep quiet and wait to be away from him. His drinking, his smoking, his rants afterwards about me and how he hated me all led me to wish only one thing. I wanted his love. I wanted to be on my best behavior and hear him tell me I was his daughter, a good little girl, and that I’m the best thing in his life. I heard two of those when he was busy fulfilling his needs with me in the picture, but I never heard him call me his daughter. Turns out the story ran long back, to when I was even littler. In Pune when Prerna and her friends, who had come down for her birthday, all sat around the table, I joined in the conversation. All was fine until they started talking of beaches in Mumbai and how one of her friends took her dog walking in the evenings. I shut down and entered another repressed memory. Here I was, walking with my father into the sunset. Well, almost. Here he was propping me up on a stool next to the bajji vendor parked on the Marina Beach. And there he went, only to reunite with another woman who was not my mother. He only came back when the sun was almost setting. And my blackout fast forwarded into so many evenings just like that where I would sit on the sand, play with a stray dog, and smell the fumes of the oil from the vendor. My father. Happily on the beach. Having an affair. In front of his daughter. To every other eye, it must have looked like we were a happy family of three. Little did they know that I wasn’t of her blood, or that smile on his face was only when he was with her. When I snapped out of this spell, a lot of things made sense. His resentment towards me and my family. His shedding of parenthood for I was not a child he ever wanted. His insistent nudges to send my mom off to the US so he could be free. What didn’t add up was -- why did he find pleasure in me. What a twisted thing it was, and how twisted was it to hear that after the divorce he went on to marry again. Yes that’s right. My mom hearing the story, rang up a friend in the Income Tax Department and he traced him down to a government college. Where he worked with his new wife. Did I want to see her picture? No thanks, the memory of her ID card around her neck was the last puzzle piece I needed. It broke my heart even more to know he had one son and one daughter. And that they were a happy family. Was I not enough? He didn’t hurt his children from a second marriage and decided to ruin the life of his first child? That validation I was seeking from him all those years crumbled away. It was no fault of mine, I could've borne every piercing pain and scar and yet that wouldn’t have made him a better person. Couldn’t have made him love you. When mom and I came back from the US to give the marriage another shot, I cursed my life over and over. My mom was unaware of everything because she had fled to the US. Her side of the family supported my dad because they had tossed the responsibility to him. It was all a big mess, a bomb that was running out of wick. In India, my mom didn’t work. She stayed home and tried to be a good housewife. And just like I feared, my father went back to his old ways. I had grown up now, I wouldn’t even have to kneel. The hunger in his eyes, the way his adam’s apple bobbed up and down when he saw me getting ready to school -- these are the things that stuck with me and made me fear every guy. That look, what a common look it was in the world, feasting on bodies, drinking the fear. I tried so hard to not be at home when my mom went to buy groceries. As soon as she stepped out, a game of cat and mouse would ensue. I would run through the rooms, the corridors, trying to make it out of the house and to the terrace. Most times I failed. His stealth always surprised me; his otherwise lazy attitude would disappear and in its place an irresistible urge would build up. My clothes have torn, and he has had me quickly change in the 20 minutes it took mom to come back. I would make up a reason for the new dress, or a scar or two. She always believed me. I saw him again, when I thought I far from him. And what are the odds, he walked straight into my grandpa’s house in Erode. This was supposed to be a safe place, where my mom grew up. If he would come and go as he wished, could they even be trusted? What have we been doing believing them all our lives? My mom had many thoughts at that moment, but I watched her keep her calm and did the same. Inside I was disappearing. My aunt rushed my mom and me into a room and locked us on the outside. When I heard his voice, I wished I was mistaken. That same raspy, half croaky voice. Saying that he wants to see me again, that my mom was wrong to deny seeing his own daughter. There. I heard it. Half of me despite it all, wanted to go see him. I wanted to walk across the corridor, down the steps and up again into the patio. I would be shaking all over, cold and numb, but I wanted to see his face as he said that again. This time in front me, his daughter who had grown almost to his height. But I was locked in and that was that. He spoke, he left. The door was unlocked, and we blocked out the only family we had for turning on us dead wrong. That night, I saw my mom breakdown. She yelled in the middle of the house and demanded answers. A lot of things surfaced. The fact that she wanted her parents to take care of me and not my father was new. I heard it and a little joy bloomed within. Distant relatives came from all over, all hosting their own panchayat. They wanted her to make it work again with my father, the situation was that of family honor now. My mom grabbed me from the corner in the middle of all this and said
“If you think I married to lay with him one night then let it be. This life in my hands, this little girl is the only good thing out of this marriage and I cannot give any more to him.” How powerful. That made sense. In fact, that’s the possible the only way to look at it. Why they got her married to a man like him, against the wishes of the entire town, we will never know. Why my mom didn’t listen to her litter sister and take the bag she had packed to run away before the marriage, we will never know. It was mom and me again, just like it had been in the US. We were fools to think years changed anything at all. I think that’s why when I caught my mom giving her life a second thought, I brought up divorce. It was all for the good. That’s why, when we came to India for good we picked Bangalore and not Chennai. That’s why, in almost every relationship, I ended up imagining my father when in bed. I couldn’t shake it off. I went to therapy like my mom advised. I switched therapists because the minute I unraveled my tale and brought to life every incident with horrific detail (what’s here is the surface) they needed a day or two off before they could see me. I broke the news to my mom at 19 on the insistence of my permanent therapist. My mom broke down and couldn’t look at me the same. She swore on all her family gods. Then I started healing in ways that were too painful. My then boyfriend cheated on me because I couldn’t ‘just do it’. I learned I was more than my body, and freezing up was okay. I started mingling with boys at school only after I knew I could defend myself and throw a few punches if it came to that. Little by little, I watched movie movies with scenes from an abuse. I accepted, I processed, I hugged myself and promised never to let it go through something like that again. I learned that there was no point seeking the love of a father because in this life I was gifted with a monster. When I think of the times in kindergarten in India, I remember the way other kids babbled about their fathers. How they got gifts, and how they went to the movies. I made up stories to stay in loop and imagined a father so pristine. I did that for most of my life actually. He would walk two steps behind me, and push a stubborn lock of hair behind my ear. He would buy me cotton candy, and advise me on dating boys. He would say I looked the prettiest in white, and hated it when I wore dark lipstick. Half of this was Pradeesh Uncle, and the other half my mom fulfilled. She became my father and mother and tried so very hard to not make me miss a father figure in my life. That’s the only problem with her. She believes that’s possible for me to do. Accept her as a double parent and never want for anything at all. And that’s where she goes wrong. As strong as a woman she maybe, and as well as a father she may play, some things just don’t become right with a lot of good. The cigarette he ashed on the left side of my neck when I refused to undo his belt. That I pass off as a birthmark to those who ask. His picture taking when I was old enough to take bath. I still can’t bring myself to look at the mirror in my bathroom. Any tall, skinny man; the restlessness that brews inside I just can't deny. It doesn’t matter if my mom is around me. If I know I can take down that man. The mind is used to forgetting, the heart used to forgiving, but the body remembers. Father: a wish I wasn’t granted.
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